Chapter Ten: Black Cat or White Cat?

“Are you saying your cat wants to eat you?”

“Yes, that feeling has been getting stronger lately! Is your Yin-Yang Embroidery really effective? I’ve consulted quite a few Taoist priests and the like. I’ve gotten all sorts of explanations, and I have no idea what to do.”

“My Yin-Yang Embroidery is absolutely authentic—keeping you safe and warding off disaster is nothing for me.” I don’t know where the sudden bravado came from, maybe it was just the urge to impress this beautiful old classmate. I boasted without blinking an eye.

But deep down, I was nervous. I’d only ever done the Yin-Yang Embroidery once before, and even then, it was with an expert present to back me up. “No matter, I have to help Feifei!” I cheered myself on in secret. Maybe it was my way of giving the past some closure.

“I’ll come talk to you in detail tomorrow! I know your address—I’ll bring Qiuqiu to your shop and we’ll talk there!”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

After hanging up, I stared at myself in the mirror—my hair a mess, stubble on my face. I scrolled through Xu Feifei’s social media. She had clearly married well; her photos were all from famous landmarks or luxury boutiques, while I was barely scraping by with a seventy-square-meter rundown shop. Just a month ago, I was still worrying about where my next meal would come from.

Everyone has their own fate. After what happened to Old Zhao, I felt this more strongly than ever. Destiny and retribution, those unseen blessings and misfortunes, perhaps really do unfold silently behind the scenes. With a sigh, I took a shower, went to the mall for a rare purchase—a new shirt—and got a haircut to look more presentable.

That night, maybe wanting to face my old crush with a new image, I went to bed early, hoping to fall asleep fast. But memories flooded me like a rising tide.

“Zhang Xu, are you really not taking the college entrance exam?” The homeroom teacher erupted in fury when he heard I was dropping out. I knew it would affect the school’s advancement rate and his own evaluation. Xu Feifei, our class president, was tidying up test papers nearby and overheard.

After fending off the teacher’s barrage of questions, I thought of my grandfather’s wishes. I’d always looked forward to university life, heard how wonderful it was, but now I was locked out for good.

“Hey, handsome, what’s with the long face? Worried you’re too good-looking?” Xu Feifei bounced over to me.

My heart skipped a beat. Like many in the class, I’d probably developed a crush. I forced a smile and joked along with her. A few days later, as I packed up my things to leave school, Xu Feifei flashed me a playful grin from the window. “You’d better remember me.”

“I will, definitely!”

The dream was as sweet as honey, as if I were still the reckless youth I once was. But waking up, I had to face reality again, worrying about business and whatever supernatural trouble might come my way.

The sun didn’t bother coming to work that morning; a light rain fell outside. I sat at my table, chewing on freshly bought fried dough sticks, wondering how to face my old classmate.

Click-clack, click-clack—high heels echoed on the tiles outside, followed by a melodious female voice. “This place really is hard to find.”

I looked up. A fashionable woman stood before me, long hair draped over one shoulder, her diamond-studded necklace and earrings sparkling under the lights. She was decked out from head to toe—designer clothes, handbag, and watch. In her arms was a jet-black cat, one eye green, one blue, unusually docile.

“What’s wrong, don’t recognize me?”

“How could I not? You were the class beauty. I even dreamed about you last night.”

“Really? You’ve changed so much! Not as handsome as you used to be. So, what did you do after dropping out? I heard you took over the family business—how did you end up running a tattoo shop? This place isn’t great. My family’s got a few storefronts in XX Plaza. Want to rent one? You’ll never get much business hiding away in a corner like this.”

“Uh, the family business I took over… is this tattoo shop. It just barely pays the bills.”

“You were such a top student back then—when you suddenly quit, everyone thought you’d gone off and made it big.”

For some reason, her words left a bitter taste in my mouth. I even detected a note of ridicule, maybe disdain.

“Let’s not talk about that. Tell me what’s been happening lately.”

“Right. This cat’s name is Qiuqiu, a purebred odd-eyed cat. My husband had it specially bred and imported for me. You know my husband, right? The head of XX Group.”

I was speechless. Was she here for help or just to show off? Every other word was about money. My old crush was now shattered beyond repair. It was heartbreaking to realize that the vibrant, youthful goddess of our school had become so materialistic.

“At first, the cat was really sweet, but lately it’s changed. It’s fine during the day, but at night, the way it looks at me feels off—like it’s staring at food. When I fall asleep, it jumps onto my bed, huffs at me, licks my ears. Once, it even tried to bite me—I nearly jumped out of my skin.”

“Black cats are usually wardens against evil. It’s rare for evil spirits to possess them. Have you had any professionals check your house?”

“I did. Hired a Taoist priest. He took one look and said, ‘A white cat in the house brings disaster.’ But mine’s clearly black! Isn’t that ridiculous? Then he asked for eighty thousand to fix it—I threw him out on the spot.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” I stared intently at the cat. Its mismatched eyes gazed innocently back. It hardly looked possessed.

“Nephew, I heard you’re officially getting into the Yin-Yang Embroidery trade. I brought you some stock today—all fresh within three days!”

Uncle Jin swaggered in with several small jars. He was a mess—shabby clothes, a gaping hole in his pants, battered shoes, and hair reeking of neglect. He looked like he hadn’t washed in a week, or maybe he’d just crawled out of some wilderness. Given the nature of his work, always dealing with unspeakable things, I just nodded and said nothing.

Xu Feifei wrinkled her nose at the intrusion, her ladylike poise vanishing. She snapped, “Where’d this beggar come from? Absolutely disgusting.”

Uncle Jin was about to retort, but then his eyes fell on the black cat in her arms. He grinned slyly. “I won’t argue with the living dead. A white cat in the house spells disaster, you know.” He leered openly at Xu Feifei’s pale legs, shaking his head in mock regret.

Whether it was his leering gaze or that eerie phrase—“A white cat in the house brings disaster”—Xu Feifei was clearly rattled. She shouted, “You’re all crazy, completely insane!” and ran out clutching her cat.