Chapter 201: Yan Qing, Qing Ze

In the afternoon, the two of them drove to their destination.

The protest groups on the main roads had lessened significantly, probably because the negotiations with the government had started to show some results.

Tianlin City, New District, at a certain psychiatric clinic along the street.

The small advertisement sign at the entrance had been replaced. It still bore the large golden characters “Zhang Clinic”, but now they were even larger and more striking, showcasing the prestige and fame of the place.

At this moment, it was early afternoon, and there were few people in the clinic. The two pushed the door open and entered, greeted by the warmth of the underfloor heating that instantly chased away much of the lingering cold.

“Mr. Zhao.” A man in white walked up with a smile on his face. Behind him followed a small boy in blue-and-white striped clothes, wearing an oversized green artist’s hat. Sensing strangers entering, the boy timidly hid behind the man.

Zhao Yicheng also wore a polite smile as he reached out and shook hands with the man.

“Let’s sit and talk.” The man in white pointed to a few sofas inside the consultation room, then leaned down to whisper a few words into the little boy’s ear.

The boy nodded, then dashed off toward the kitchen like a nimble cat.

The three of them sat down, and the man in white poured each of them a cup of tea. Although winter was giving way to spring and the weather was gradually warming, due to the special geography, Tianlin City was still filled with drifting snow and fallen, withered leaves.

Xu Yinsheng picked up her teacup and took a sip. The fragrance of the tea instantly filled her mouth, prompting her to exclaim, “Good tea.”

The man in white chuckled. “A friend from the countryside gave it to me. It can’t compare to precious Da Hong Pao, but it’s still a fine tea.”

At that moment, the small figure ran out from the kitchen carrying a plate of steaming snacks and placed them on the table.

Xu Yinsheng curiously grabbed one. It looked a bit like the little fish-shaped cakes sold in the market. She took a bite, surprised by how delicious it was.

Crispy, tender, and tasty—like savory fried meat, yet also like a crunchy biscuit, with a hint of fish flavor. It must have been made with fish meat.

As she ate, Xu Yinsheng’s gaze involuntarily fell on the little boy beside the man in white. For some reason, those amber-yellow eyes felt strangely familiar.

Noticing her curious look, the man in white turned and patted the little boy on the head as he also nibbled on a snack. “My cousin, here from the countryside. His parents are migrant workers, so I’m taking care of him for a few months.”

“Qing Ze, greet the brother and sister.”

“Hello, big brother. Hello, big sister.” Qing Ze called out obediently.

Damn, how cute!

Xu Yinsheng’s cheeks reddened from Qing Ze’s sweet, syrupy voice.

Maybe it was because she’d been in a few intense situations lately, but Xu Yinsheng was shocked to discover that she might, possibly, be able to accept boys now—her orientation had bent ever so slightly, but only for adorable little boys.

But seriously, is the cool little boy Zhao Yicheng cuter, or this obedient, kitten-like boy in front of her?

Damn, I really want to collect them all!!

“Big sister, big brother, you two are such a perfect match.” The little one called out again, his voice sugary sweet.

Those words snapped Xu Yinsheng out of her swirling thoughts. The corners of her mouth twitched, and a few black lines appeared on her forehead. Zhao Yicheng simply raised an eyebrow and, with a smile, handed the boy a fruit candy from his pocket.

Qing Ze’s eyes lit up at the candy in his hands. He quickly nodded and said, “Thank you, big brother.”

After a few polite exchanges, Zhao Yicheng followed the man in white into the psychological consultation room for yet another round of his never-ending follow-ups, leaving the spacious reception room with just two people.

Xu Yinsheng took out her phone and scrolled through short videos to pass the time, while Qing Ze pulled out a tablet, sitting on the sofa with his head down, absorbed in who-knows-what.

After a while of watching short videos, Xu Yinsheng’s eyes felt a little sore. She turned her head to look at the little boy on the sofa.

Qing Ze was hugging his tablet, his little hands flying across the screen as he drew, humming a tune to himself. Those orange-yellow eyes sparkled with liveliness.

The more Xu Yinsheng looked, the more she felt that this child’s figure overlapped with a figure in her memory.

“Yan Qing.” She couldn’t help but softly call out.

“Mm.” The little boy with the tablet looked up in response, his bright orange-yellow eyes meeting hers, full of curiosity.

The next moment, as if realizing something, the little boy instantly clutched his tablet to his chest and shook his head vigorously, like a small animal exposed in disguise:

“Not Yan Qing, not Yan Qing, I’m Qing Ze, I’m Qing Ze.”

As he protested, his little head kept shaking, as if he believed that doing so would prevent anyone from seeing through his true identity.

But the oversized artist’s hat on his head fell right off from the shaking, exposing a pair of furry blue-and-white cat ears in the open air.

For a moment, it felt like even the air froze.

“…Fine, I’m Yan Qing.” The cat-eared boy picked up his hat and put it back on, then lowered his head and spoke softly.

Xu Yinsheng stared at the cat-eared boy who had just confessed, her mouth gaping in shock.

She’d thought her own gender-swap was outrageous enough, but now… a real, live, cat-eared shota! And not a human turned into one, but an actual cat!!!

“How did you end up like this?” Xu Yinsheng asked, reaching out to poke his cheek. The soft, squishy feel made her want to pinch it again and again.

“I ate big sister’s bottle.” Qing Ze—no, Yan Qing—dodged Xu Yinsheng’s mischievous fingers while replying in a childish voice. He then fished out a delicate, pretty bottle from his pocket and handed it to Xu Yinsheng.

“Here, this bottle is for big sister.”

“Transformation potion? You drank it?” Xu Yinsheng took the bottle and examined it closely.

The liquid inside was long gone, leaving only the empty bottle.

Back then, she’d searched for it all afternoon in the villa and never found it. She’d thought it had been lost in some corner.

“Meow, at the time, big sister’s scent was so nice, meow, I couldn’t resist. Teacher always says that taking without asking makes one a thief, meow, sorry, big sister, meow.” Yan Qing looked utterly apologetic, small and pitiful.

Xu Yinsheng casually tossed the empty bottle into the trash and looked curiously at the little shota in front of her. “What did it feel like after you drank the transformation potion?”

The growth potion was just a ruse, plain sugar water. The shrinking potion turned you into a shota and could bring out the darkness in people’s hearts. But the transformation potion…

“It was hot and hungry.” Yan Qing scratched his little head. “Then I turned into this, and pestered teacher to make little fish cakes for me to eat.”

As he spoke, he picked up another snack from the plate and stuffed it in his mouth, a blissful expression on his face.

“These are the little fish cakes teacher made for me.”

Yan Qing licked his fingers and took another bite. “I like teacher’s little fish cakes the best.”

So cute—no, wait. He’s got the mindset of an elementary school kid, still naive and clueless, his values still being shaped, and he even has the living habits of a cat.

Xu Yinsheng thought to herself.

“Big sister, could you not tell teacher about this?” Yan Qing blinked, looking at her with a pitiful and pleading expression.

“Your teacher doesn’t know you’re a cat?”

“No. Teacher said he doesn’t want anyone else to know my real identity. He said if too many people know, Yan Qing will be taken away, meow.”