Shen Leyuan set the dog crate by the door and stepped forward to knock.
He had met the Cat Doctor two months ago. To better guide Little Deer and Lin Yao, he had added several doctors at the time, but the others all carried a subtle invasiveness—either prying into his identity or Little Deer’s situation.
Ordinary people might not sense this probing, but Shen Leyuan, as a debt-ridden transmigrator, could always keenly detect the malice and decisively delete them from his friends list.
Only the Cat Doctor asked little and meddled less, with exceptional patience.
A soft female voice came from inside. Shen Leyuan pushed the door open, and a woman with long, raven-black wavy hair adjusted her glasses, offering him a polite smile.
“Please, have a seat.”
For some reason, Shen Leyuan suddenly thought of Di Junya.
Both had fair skin and wore glasses, both had exquisitely refined features, but different genders and temperaments.
As a woman, the Cat Doctor’s face was softer, her bright eyes vivid beneath the stiff black oversized frames. Di Junya, that excessively pretty man, had sharper facial lines, and the glint in his eyes beneath gold-rimmed glasses carried an ambiguous flicker when they curved.
“Nice to see you,” the Cat Doctor flipped open a fresh notebook, her gentle gaze landing on him. “No need to be nervous—just chat like friends. We are friends, right?”
Her appearance was unfamiliar, yet her words effortlessly stirred a sense of familiarity in Shen Leyuan.
He relaxed a little. “I…”
After two months of effort, cycling through multiple accounts to grind favor, Di Junya was like a strategy game player down to their last life—unable to suppress the upward curve of his lips, yet unable to erase the subtle unease in his heart.
This time, it can’t fail, he thought, pinching his palm.
Shen Leyuan did harbor considerable goodwill toward “her,” especially since she only reminisced lightly without digging deeper. This sense of distance felt just right, making him comfortable.
“I…” He was on the verge of speaking.
Di Junya watched encouragingly, appearing calm and serene, but his eyes widened ever so slightly, his breath held entirely still.
He’s about to say it.
Even a single heartfelt word would count as opening up to him!
But then…
“Sorry, I need to step out to take a call.”
In a rare lapse of manners, Shen Leyuan pulled out his phone and headed outside without waiting for the Cat Doctor’s approval, ducking into the corner by the door to whisper, “What’s up, Mr. Chu? Is it something important?”
Just now, Mr. Ghost had suddenly covered his mouth, stopping him from continuing.
Huo Tingfeng: 【Doctor is off】
Shen Leyuan’s eyes widened slightly. “Huh? She’s a bad person?”
Huo Tingfeng: 【He’s a man】
Shen Leyuan: Huh?
Huo Tingfeng: 【Wavy hair hides the somewhat hard jawline, eyeliner makes the eyes larger and rounder, shoes look like heels but are flats, chair is shorter than yours—he’s misleading you】
Shen Leyuan hesitated. “Maybe… he just has that kind of fetish?”
None of the gongs in the original story had cross-dressing fetishes, and Di Junya’s makeup looked like plastic surgery, so he never connected the Cat Doctor to that creepy dominant type. He even kindly made excuses for him.
Still… Shen Leyuan frowned. “I’ll switch doctors.”
He had no issue with a doctor’s private hobbies or any obligation to disclose them upfront, but during work hours—especially for a psychologist who required patients’ trust—flaunting such niche kinks was clearly irresponsible.
Inside the room, Di Junya’s smile had vanished entirely.
Again! Just like this!
In front of Shen Leyuan, he was like a useless fool, forever unable to predict the man’s next move. Every time success loomed, the guy reset to square one, smashing his confidence with cold reality.
He could even roughly guess what Little Deer was up to now, but Shen Leyuan’s thoughts remained an eternal enigma.
Shen Leyuan’s actions and mindset were so ordinary, plain as day—even that steel straight male Hao Mingrui could grasp a bit. Why was he so guarded against him specifically?
Especially today—his disguise couldn’t possibly be seen through!
—At that moment, a 1.9-meter big-chested dog man phased through the wall, sneering coldly at Di Junya’s bewildered “pretty” face.
Anyone else might not notice, but during overseas missions, targets sometimes disguised themselves to escape, and he’d once posed as a big-chested Black mom in a miniskirt and crop top with three kids. Spotting fake men was child’s play for him.
“Sorry, sorry,” Shen Leyuan pushed the door open right after, following behind. “Something came up suddenly. I’m afraid I can’t…”
The Cat Doctor slapped several forms onto the table. “Ten minutes. Fill them out.”
As he said “please,” his tone gritted through clenched teeth, his eyes boring straight into Shen Leyuan.
Huo Tingfeng gripped Shen Leyuan’s hand, itching to throw a punch.
Shen Leyuan soothingly patted Mr. Ghost’s hand and looked down at the forms. The top one was the SCL-90; he couldn’t identify the others below.
The “Cat Doctor” softened his voice with effort. “Just ten minutes.”
He no longer cared about breaching Shen Leyuan’s psyche—what he wanted now was for the man to fill out the forms. He’d see just how “healthy” this guy’s mind really was!
Twenty-odd minutes later, only Di Junya remained in the consultation room.
For the first time in his life, he cursed aloud, grinding his teeth as he replied to Director Hao: 【His psyche is healthier than mine】
Somatization normal, depressive mood mild to moderate, obsessive symptoms mild, anxiety mild to moderate, hostility mild, phobics… Overall, nothing major—no sign of psychological illness at all.
【But】 Di Junya typed while consoling himself: 【Forms alone aren’t conclusive. Mental illness includes physiological factors. Need a full, thorough body check to confirm his condition.】
Yes, that’s it. Shen Leyuan must have issues somewhere.
He just hasn’t discovered them yet.
Hao Mingrui replied quickly: 【He had a full check recently. Body’s perfectly healthy, no issues.】
Perhaps out of envy, Director Hao added: 【Healthier than me.】
Healthier, than, me.
Di Junya couldn’t stand those words anymore. He nearly smashed his phone, endured it, then yanked off the wig and slammed it to the ground.
He messaged his superior: 【Requesting mandatory observation of Shen Leyuan】
The superior eyed the message, then Hao Mingrui’s request for higher access on Shen Leyuan, sighed worriedly, approved Di Junya’s request, and designated him as a new “infected.”
He couldn’t confirm if Shen Leyuan was normal—must prepare for the worst.
The superior quickly called. “Recall the monitors on Shen Leyuan. Raise his threat level to Little Deer’s. Henceforth, rely on textual surveillance data—no eye contact or interaction.”
His monitoring method mirrored the bodyguards’ handling of Little Deer.
That is, don’t look, don’t listen—convert the “anomalous entity’s” speech and actions to text descriptions. Overseers focus solely on text, minimizing impact on normal personnel.
Meanwhile, Shen Leyuan sat hesitantly at the bus stop.
Though he’d said “switch doctors,” he was returning to the Lin Family Villa tomorrow. Director Hao’s recommendations weren’t reliable, and he lacked time and energy for a new one.
“Mr. Chu,” he murmured softly, “can you… hug me?”
Before the words fully left his lips, broad, scorching warmth enveloped him. Mr. Ghost hugged extra tightly this time, as if he’d waited ages—or feared there’d be no next time.
The young man’s face was pale, etched with worry and panic.
Huo Tingfeng gazed down at him, aching to cup his face, kiss his forehead, and say not to fear, not to force himself into disliked things.
But he knew how good, how resolute this man was.
In the end, he could only type those pale, powerless words.
【Don’t be scared. I’m here.】
Yet even those few words restored much color to Shen Leyuan’s face. He clenched his fists, psyching himself up. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I can roughly guess… no need to fear. Nothing to fear.”
The bus arrived.
Shen Leyuan strode forward. “Mr. Chu, let’s take the bus home today.”
The weather hung heavy, but the bus was cool—few students aboard, so the chest-tightness didn’t hit right away. Shen Leyuan stared out the window, forcing himself to recall the final scene before “death.”
He was walking on the road when the out-of-control truck barreled toward him.
No, no—that wasn’t right. He’d been on the bus…
…
Shen Leyuan sat on the bus, shushing gently with a smile. “Quiet down, okay? Don’t disturb others.”
The giggling students sat up straight at once.
But the ones from his own class, more familiar with him, leaned in closer instead. One twisted back from the front seat, half-draped over it to chat. “Teacher, teacher—what’re you treating us to later?”
Shen Leyuan shook his head helplessly. “Eyeing my salary again, huh?”
“Hehe~ Come on?” The student puffed out their chest. “Gotta eat big to crush the competition. Wait for me to snag first and bring it home!”
“Fine, looks like I have to bleed a little.” Shen Leyuan named a restaurant, then turned to the kids from other classes he’d brought today. “Do your best on the exam. Winners get rewards—but don’t stress too much. One math olympiad loss won’t define your future.”
Those students nodded shyly. “Got it, tea… Teacher!!!”
The teens’ eyes bulged in horror, staring ahead.
Shen Leyuan turned. The truck hurtled toward them at full speed. Intense pain crashed with abruptly silenced screams. As his vision blackened, his heart sank utterly.
No… not like this… They’re still so young…
“Teacher–!!!”
In the pitch-black dream, the screams pierced on, the students’ laughing faces seeping blood.
“Teacher~ Go easy on homework today?”
“Wah, teacher, you betrayed us—the questions are killer!”
“Teacher, is college really that great?”
“Teacher, teacher, teacher—Happy Teachers’ Day~ We folded the flowers ourselves, no cost!”
“Teacher? Teacher! Teacher Shen, wake up!”
Ignoring others’ stares at his female attire, Lin Yao shouted at the pale, tightly shut-eyed Teacher Shen. When calls failed, he scooped him up bridal-style and flagged a cab at the roadside.
Huo Tingfeng trailed behind like a rain-soaked sick dog.
“Fuck!”
He slapped himself hard, eyes red-rimmed as he snarled, “What fucking use are you?!”
At the same time, Di Junya zoomed in on the corner surveillance.
He enlarged the phone text he’d typed and deleted, amplified Shen Leyuan’s “mutterings,” observed intently, listened closely.
Put together… ordinary conversations?
