The two of them stood at the door of the ward, and the observation window on the door allowed them to see the situation inside the ward clearly.

Lin Qian pretended nothing had happened and continued to play with Yunyun, but the kitten was completely listless. It looked at Lin Qian listlessly, then turned its back and lay down to rest.

After a long while, He Jingyuan finally said to the doctor, "What's the problem? I can afford any amount."

As long as Yunyun can be cured, it doesn’t matter how much money it costs.

"It's not as simple as you think." The doctor's expression was serious, not knowing where to begin. He slowly organized his words, "This kitten's condition doesn't yet have a formal scientific name, but we in the industry call it the pet's 'mutation period.'"

He Jingyuan: "Mutation period?"

"In layman's terms, this condition usually occurs around the time of estrus in small animals, manifesting as general weakness and severe pain. Some animals also experience recurring high fevers. Without timely intervention, the animals can die from the pain."

"Before and after the estrus period?" He Jingyuan asked, "Will it be okay if the estrus period is over? Or maybe just sterilize it..."

The doctor shook his head. "It's useless. There's no effective medicine in the world right now. The mortality rate is high. We can only let them suffer on their own."

He Jingyuan rested his hands on the wall, only hearing the words, "There's no cure, and the mortality rate is high." His lips paled. "Should we check again? How could Yunyun possibly..."

She was so lively and energetic just a few days ago, she would jump into people's arms and act coquettishly, and she would even get so angry that she would hit Lin Qian.

I was just scratched by a piece of metal today while doing something brave. I'll be discharged after three days of observation after getting stitches...

Why did it suddenly become so serious?

"Any veterinary hospital would tell you the same thing...don't worry too much," the doctor reassured him. "A few years ago, this was indeed a serious disease, 100% fatal. But in recent years, there have been more and more cured cases, and there are corresponding treatment plans...there's still a certain chance of success."

He added, "I'm here to talk to you about something else. We certainly won't abandon any of these animals, but the rules are in place. We have to report this to our superiors, and someone will come and take a look at the situation."

"But recently..."

He Jingyuan had already guessed what he would say next.

A typhoon recently hit, and the entire Yuncheng was without water, electricity, or signal, and even the roads out were blocked.

Although the typhoon's wind force has weakened, it is still moving upwards, bringing considerable natural disasters to various places.

For now, Yunyun can only hold on until the weather gets a little better.

"There are currently formal treatment plans, which mainly focus on keeping the kitten hydrated and fed, and replenishing its energy... Of course, the most important thing is to drink plenty of water."

But Yunyun doesn’t like drinking water very much.

"I'll also prescribe some IV drips for the kitten later..." The doctor suddenly lowered his head and wrote down a number on a piece of paper, handing it to He Jingyuan: "This person is an expert in this field. His surname is Li. We are also trying to contact him. Giving him his number may be helpful."

He Jingyuan stared at the number and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."

He turned on his phone and saved the number.

The cell phone signal was intermittent, so when He Jingyuan made a call, the phone displayed "out of service area".

I hit several of them in a row and they all had the same reaction.

He Jingyuan had no choice but to put the note away and said to the doctor, "Thank you."

He washed his face to clear his mind, then composed himself and walked into the ward.

When Yunyun saw him coming back, her eyes lit up and she called out to He Jingyuan a few times.

Lin Qian asked cautiously, "What did the doctor say?"

Yunyun was smart, and He Jingyuan didn't say much in front of Yunyun. He just said, "It's nothing serious. The doctor said Yunyun's wound is quite large, so she may have to stay in the hospital for a while."

Lin Qian said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

The dormitory balcony had not been cleaned yet, so he left after staying there for a short while, leaving He Jingyuan alone to take care of it.

Originally, most of the school was his territory, and Yunyun could go wherever she wanted to play. But now, she is trapped in a small square cage and can only watch He Jingyuan to relieve her boredom.

The tail swung wildly, and soon it swung next to its front paw, and was held down by Yunyun's paw.

The cat's tail and head seemed to have separated. Yunyun was having a lot of fun playing with her fluffy tail. After catching her tail, she looked up at He Jingyuan.

Normally humans would smile and pat his little head.

But today he said nothing, pursed his lips, and had a somewhat ugly expression.

The little orange cat's tail was shaking slower and slower under its paws, and it began to worry.

What happened?

The nurse suddenly came frequently to measure his temperature, and another injection was given in his front leg, which was connected to a small bag filled with liquid, into which fluid was continuously injected.

Even the dumbest cat would react when seeing this situation.

Yunyun lay in the corner at a loss, her mind blank.

I might be seriously ill.

He Jingyuan stayed here until Yunyun finished her fast. During this time, he kept looking at his cell phone signal, and whenever a bar lit up, he would try his best to call her.

Lin Qian brought some canned cat food from the dormitory. He Jingyuan poured it into a plastic bowl and placed it in front of Yunyun: "Have something to eat."

The kitten lowered its head to the bowl and sniffed it gently, and an unpleasant fishy smell hit its nose.

He turned his head away and refused to eat.

"Eat something." He Jingyuan whispered, "You haven't eaten for a long time. You must be starving."

Yunyun's stomach was indeed rumbling with hunger, and not eating for a long time even caused her stomach to cramp from time to time.

I am really sick.

The kitten thought weakly.

Otherwise, why would you find delicious cat food so disgusting?

He Jingyuan handed the bowl of water over again and discussed with him: "Can we drink some water?"

The cat still refused to drink.

The human's tone was a little stern: "Yunyun, if you continue to refuse to eat or drink, I will be angry."

Her stomach was growling loudly. After struggling internally for a long time, Yunyun slowly opened her eyes.

I used to eat garbage, but now I can’t eat cat food.

The kitten stood up shakily, and He Jingyuan was about to take the bowl back.

Wait a moment!

Yunyun walked forward with her short legs, afraid that He Jingyuan would take the bowl away directly, so she covered the cat bowl with the trumpet-shaped Elizabethan collar on her neck.

It’s so tight that not even a fly can get in.

The kitten quickly lowered its head, held its breath, and nibbled furiously.

He Jingyuan: ...

The tears were forced back.

However, Yunyun only ate half a bowl, felt a little better, and continued to lie in the corner to rest.

As a result, the condition suddenly worsened the next day.

After the effect of the anesthetic wore off, the sutured wound began to hurt.

The soreness and swelling moved upwards, and a fine tingling pain gradually came from deep within the bones, as if countless silver needles were stirring repeatedly.

Yunyun tried to move her body, but her whole body felt like it was being torn apart, and even breathing became torture.

The kitten's consciousness gradually became dull and it became motionless.

After discussion, the doctor decided to give Yunyun some painkillers, but it had no effect.

Now even eating and drinking has become extremely difficult. He Jingyuan tried to feed her several times, but couldn't get her to swallow. He had no choice but to use a syringe to force water and food into Yunyun's mouth.

During the journey, Fang Die and Lin Qian both came to see Yunyun. The kitten, which was originally very lively, now looked like half of its skin and flesh had been taken away, and its fluffy fur was tightly stuck to Yunyun's body, losing its luster.

"How could it suddenly become like this?" Fang Die was pretending to be calm, but when she saw Yunyun's expression, her composure suddenly collapsed, and her voice was choked with sobs.

Realizing that she couldn't lose her composure now, Fang Die quickly wiped away her tears: "What did the doctor say?"

"There's still hope." He Jingyuan didn't sleep all night taking care of the patient. Dark circles formed under his eyes, and he looked terribly haggard overnight. "We just have to wait for the signal to be restored before we can contact the expert."

The unknown is the most terrifying thing.

He didn't even know what this "mutation period" was, and could only wait helplessly and hopelessly.

The piece of paper with the number written on it was crumpled by He Jingyuan.

The regret bubbling in my chest couldn't be dispelled.

He Jingyuan stumbled and said, "If at that time..."

Lin Qian interrupted immediately: "Don't overthink it. The doctor said that Yunyun's illness has nothing to do with the scratch on the iron sheet, and no one knows the cause of the disease yet."

"And I've already inquired. The signal base station in our area will be repaired tomorrow. Just wait patiently for another day, and nothing will go wrong."

It all comes down to that one word.

wait.

He Jingyuan reached out and touched the kitten's head. Yunyun slowly opened her eyes and gently licked his finger: "Meow."

Seeing him like this, Lin Qian asked worriedly, "Do you want to go back and rest for a while, get some sleep, and then come back to take care of Yunyun?"

He Jingyuan's Adam's apple moved: "It's okay, I'll stay here."

He wanted to feed Yunyun something more, but when he stood up, his body wobbled, and Fang Die and Lin Qian were so scared that they quickly stepped forward to support him.

"You still say you're fine." Fang Die couldn't help but scold, "Go back to sleep first. I've left my phone number with the hospital. They'll call if anything serious happens. You're just waiting here and you won't be able to help at all."

"Besides, if you do this, it will make Yunyun worry."

He Jingyuan looked at the little orange cat. The kitten was lying there obediently, staring at him.

He was silent for a long time, and finally lost his temper. He forced some water into Yunyun and whispered, "Be good, I'll come to see you tomorrow."

He Jingyuan was forcibly dragged away by the two men, and Yunyun also closed her eyes and continued to endure the pain.

The cold sweat soaked the cat hair on my body, sticking to it and feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Because of the pain, Yunyun's consciousness fluctuated between clarity and confusion.

The kitten slept in a daze for an unknown amount of time. It curled up unconsciously and whimpered.

I started crying again.

An indistinct whimper escaped from Yunyun's throat, and the sharp pain made him gasp for breath.

Fragmented images flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern—

The sad-looking crucian carp, the mother spitting out blood, and the cans that used to taste delicious but now taste extremely bad.

The old white cat said that before he died, the scene he missed most would always flash through his mind.

Am I going to die?

It would be better if I died, so I could go see my mother.

But he didn't want to see He Jingyuan crying miserably.

He would be very sad too.

The sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence. Yunyun looked up at the door and saw a human stumbling past.

"Doctor, please come and save my dog. It was hit by a car."

As the man cried out in despair, Yunyun saw the dog in his arms, blood flowing from the corner of its mouth and its hind legs swinging weakly.

Reality and memory gradually overlapped, and Yunyun remembered that her mother died in the same way.

His mother is also a beautiful long-haired orange and white cat, and he is her only child.

As an only child, Yunyun was raised to be plump even when she was wandering outside.

Until one day, there was abnormal weather and heavy rain fell in Yuncheng for a week. The mother and son were so hungry that they almost fainted.

There was always a high school boy wandering outside the cat's nest, looking malicious.

Unable to bear the hunger any longer, the mother bravely stepped forward, but she did not expect that this human would feed her canned cat food.

It tastes like goose meat and is very fragrant.

This was the first time Yunyun had eaten cat food in a can. This can of food might not be expensive, but it was the most delicious food he had ever eaten in his life as a cat.

Yunyun is timid and stayed in her nest for several days, waiting for her mother to bring the canned food to her.

Until the rainstorm passed and the weather finally cleared up, Yunyun was able to eat delicious canned food again.

The mother suddenly asked: "Baby, do you want to eat such delicious canned food for the rest of your life?"

Of course he wanted to.

The next day, his mother woke him up early in the morning, licked him clean, and put away the small plastic balls that Yunyun had picked up.

Two cats, one big and one small, looked like copies of each other, waiting for the high school boy to finish school by the side of the road.

Yunyun realized that she might be given away by her mother.

He didn't dare cry or make a fuss, thinking that this human might be kind enough to take them home and raise them.

Instead of waiting for the humans to finish school, a gust of wind blew by, and the plastic ball rolled to the middle of the road. The mother hunched over and just as she stretched out her claws, a car sped by...

After her mother passed away, Yunyun never had such delicious canned food again.

Until a while ago, He Jingyuan appeared in front of him with the familiar canned goose meat.

Yunyun looked weakly at his favorite canned food in the plastic bowl, then suddenly moved forward slowly, lowered his head, and ate while crying.

How come the goose meat flavored cans have become so unpalatable?

The little orange cat chewed the canned meat bit by bit, trying hard to eat it all.

Suddenly, a sharp cry was heard outside. Yunyun saw the human holding the dog whose body had become stiff, crying intermittently.

Even through the door, one could feel the despair that was almost on the verge of collapse.

Maybe he was really dying, and all kinds of memories were turned up.

Before the typhoon, Yunyun once said to other cats.

If I were about to die, I would hide far away and not let any cat or person find me.

Then dig a hole for yourself, lie in it and wait for death.

The feeling of watching a familiar cat die in front of you is so painful, it's like a piercing pain.

Yunyun didn't want to see other cats looking so sad.

I don’t want to see He Jingyuan sad.

I am really an unlucky cat.

Yunyun cried softly.

Twice... Both times I was about to live a stable life.

…

He Jingyuan slept in his new home today, which was closer to the pet hospital, so he could get there faster if something happened.

But no matter how hard I tried to sleep, I couldn't sleep well. I kept thinking about the kitten in the hospital and had strange nightmares.

When I woke up completely, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.

The light from the street leaked in through the window gaps, painting the entire room cold and gray.

He Jingyuan had long been accustomed to this kind of loneliness, so he spent the whole day thinking about taking Yunyun home to keep her company.

He looked at the dim street light with a dazed expression, and suddenly reached out to turn on the light, and the whole room became bright.

The phone call came.

He Jingyuan turned on his phone and saw that the signal was full.

He immediately opened the phone book with trembling fingers, and without caring about the time, he dialed the number.

The phone no longer displayed "Out of Service Area." Instead, it beeped three times softly, and the person on the other end quickly answered: "Hello, hello? Is this Xiao He, the man Dr. Xie recommended?"

The dark cloud weighing on He Jingyuan's heart suddenly dissipated, and he quickly said, "Yes, I am."

The person on the other side said, "It's okay, don't be nervous, just call me Xiao Li."

Out of politeness, He Jingyuan still said carefully: "Teacher Li, my cat..."

"It's okay, I understand the situation." Xiao Li interrupted him and asked, "When did you get a cat? I heard from Dr. Xie that you're still a student. Do your family agree to keep a cat? Do you live in school or outside now? Do you live with your parents..."

The tone was stern, almost like an interrogation.

A hint of doubt flashed through He Jingyuan's mind, but he still answered all the questions respectfully.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Li asked more and more questions, even questioning He Jingyuan's financial situation.

"I'm actually quite wealthy." He Jingyuan patiently asked, "Teacher Li, if I want to treat a cat, do I need to go through the household registration book in detail?"

Xiao Li sensed his impatience and gave a dry laugh before explaining, "This is a serious matter, so I absolutely must inquire thoroughly. I've asked almost everything I need to. I'll be in Cloud City tomorrow to check on the cat."

"You must listen carefully to what follows."

His tone became extremely serious: "Now, go to the hospital immediately to discharge the cat, take the cat home, and wait for me to come tomorrow."

He Jingyuan was confused: "So what exactly is Yunyun's problem?"

Yunyun is still sick now. Can he really be discharged from the hospital?

Although he didn't understand, he picked up his coat and headed for the door.

The moment the door opened, Xiao Li on the phone said, "Your cat will turn into a human."

He Jingyuan:?

He suspected he had heard wrongly.

Xiao Li: "Can I add you to WeChat by searching this phone number?"

"……Can."

The person on the other end of the line took a deep breath. "I'll send you the research literature and some information later. You can take a look at it as soon as possible. But whether you believe it or not, take the cat home first and don't let it run around."

"This is urgent. He might suddenly turn into a human without any warning during this period. We must go and bring the cat back now."

Without waiting for He Jingyuan to ask further questions, Xiao Li hung up the phone.

...Cat, turns into a human?

It was fine at the beginning, but the latter part was as ridiculous as a scam call.

But the other party didn't cheat him out of his money.

Could it be that they are colluding to set up a conspiracy?

He closed the door doubtfully, saw a friend request from a stranger, accepted the request and walked towards the pet hospital.

Halfway through the walk, the doctor from the hospital called.

"I'm sorry, Mr. He." The person on the other end of the phone was extremely panicked. "Your cat is missing..."