Chapter Eleven: The White Cat Enters the House

I watched as Feifei Xu bolted out the door, murmuring to myself, “How did things go so wrong so quickly?”
“Uncle Jin, you just mentioned a ‘white cat entering the house.’ What does that mean? Isn’t her cat black?”
He chuckled. “That’s an old saying. ‘White cat’ doesn’t refer to the color; it means a cat that’s fed on solid flesh.”
“Solid flesh?”
“Yes, human flesh. I suspect someone wants to harm her, so they fed that cat the flesh of a corpse and sent it to her house. They’ve made the animal into a walking disaster, a living spot of evil feng shui. It’s not that the cat will literally eat her, but it’ll bring calamity in other ways.”
“That cat breathes over her pillow every night, always staring at her, sometimes even nibbling her—so that’s the reason?”
“To the cat, she’s nothing more than a chunk of juicy meat. Black cats have always been considered mystical, able to drive away evil spirits. Many say black cats are unlucky, but in truth, they merely see things ordinary people can’t. Actually, black cats are the bane of malicious spirits. But this one reeks of malevolence. If we don’t intervene, your beautiful client may not live much longer.”
“So what should I do? She already ran off, and now this business is probably lost. Should I call her back?” Though people change and that once innocent, charming girl has turned into a money-obsessed gold-digger, I still couldn’t bear the thought of her falling prey to such sinister forces.
“You really don’t know how to do business. You hit her sore spot today; give it a couple of days and she’ll come back on her own. When she does, call me—I’ll have a little ‘talk’ with her. The deal will be yours, no problem. Oh, right, I came to deliver a soul for you—freshly acquired. Perfect for this job. The original owner was a mistress abandoned by her husband, full of resentment. Let’s see if you can use it for some shadow embroidery; I guarantee the effect will double!”
“And the price?”
“Come on, we’re practically family—998, flat rate. You won’t be cheated.”
“Why not just say a thousand? All this marketing nonsense.”
“You don’t understand. It’s a sales tactic! Even old folks like us have to keep up with the times.”
I couldn’t be bothered to argue. I took the jar of dye, transferred the money to Uncle Jin, and he left humming a tune, thoroughly content.
Two days passed in a flash. As I was scrolling through my feed, I saw Feifei Xu had posted something: a selfie with a brand new LV bag slung over her shoulder, flaunting her tall figure in front of the camera.
I glanced through her moments, feeling a pang of envy: “The lives of the wealthy are so good—yachts, surfing, traveling the world, buying whatever they like.”
While Xiao Wei and I haven’t even been to Hong Kong or Macau. But the more I studied that selfie, the more uneasy I felt. Something was off. When I looked again, I realized—the black cat at her feet was glaring, its eyes brimming with malice and resentment, an aura that seemed to seep from its very being. All four claws were bared. Ordinary cats don’t walk around the house with their claws out, but this one was always ready to strike.
She didn’t answer my calls. I could only hope nothing bad had happened.
Just then, a WeChat voice call came in—it was Feifei Xu. I cleared my throat and answered.
“Hello, Brother Xu~”
“What’s up, class beauty?”
“Did you miss me? How about I come keep you company?” Her voice was sugary sweet. To be honest, I was starting to grow tired of this side of her—gone was the youthful charm of days past.
“Don’t joke around. What do you want?”
“It’s about what we discussed before. I’ve decided to ask for your help.” She’d switched back to her cold tone.
“Thirty thousand.” This time, I didn’t bother being polite; I named my price directly. Feifei Xu clearly hadn’t expected me to turn so cold, treating her with indifference. Women used to being adored get angry when they’re ignored. She snapped, “Money’s not an issue—I have plenty. But if this doesn’t work, don’t expect our old friendship to save you. I’ll have someone trash your shop.”
I sneered inwardly. Anyone who deals in the occult must be prepared to face all kinds of characters, troublemakers included.
“Fine. Come by this afternoon. I’ll be at the shop.”
Feifei Xu hung up without another word, leaving me fuming. Who does she think she is? Just a rich man’s woman, and now she needs my help.
I quickly called Uncle Jin. He picked up, out of breath, and stammered a bit. Embarrassed, I said, “Uncle, I’ll let you finish up first. Call me when you’re done.”
“Give me half an hour.”
I thought to myself, Uncle Jin sure is vigorous for his age. I was about to play a round of Honor of Kings when he called back—only three minutes later.
“It’s not that I can’t go longer, but your business comes first. If not for that, I could easily keep going for half an hour.”
I dropped the banter and told him about Feifei Xu coming by that afternoon. He said to wait until he got there to discuss further.
At noon, I ordered a rice bowl. The chef had shaped the sesame and rice into a cow-patterned cat. It looked cute, but given the recent weirdness with cats, I had no appetite. I drank some soup and waited for Feifei Xu to arrive.
Sure enough, at two o’clock sharp, she strutted in on high heels. I pulled out a chair for her.
“So, who’s trying to hurt you?”
This elegant ice queen’s face twisted with hatred. “Zhou Feng! That heartless bastard! He wants me dead for some hussy outside. I’ll never leave him—every cent of his is mine! If he thinks I’ll walk away with nothing, he’s dreaming!” Her fists clenched so tight her freshly manicured nails snapped.
“Then I’ll make you a set of shadow-and-sun embroidery. Your husband will obey your every word, see no one but you, and stay with you forever.”
As I looked up, Uncle Jin walked in, eyes gleaming as he sized up Feifei Xu.
“How do we do this? Hurry up and help me!” Feifei was losing control, though her eyes still showed disdain for Uncle Jin.
Uncle Jin was silent, counting on his fingers. “Consultation fee—ten thousand.”
Damn, the old man was fleecing my client! I’d struggled to land the whole deal for thirty thousand, and he was taking ten thousand just for talking. It stung.
But Feifei Xu didn’t hesitate. She scanned his QR code and transferred the money. “So, what’s the method?”
Uncle Jin, satisfied, listened to the payment notification and said, “Two patterns. The first is a sun embroidery to suppress the evil cat and guarantee your safety; the second is a shadow embroidery—darker, but it will bind your husband’s heart to yours forever.”