“Meow~~”
A sudden, lazy cat’s meow broke the quiet air between the two.
In the shadow of the bushes, a plump orange tabby cat, round as a ball, lounged there leisurely, grooming its face with its little paws. Who knew how long it had been lying there?
Lin Wu seriously suspected Wang Ye had catnip in his veins. Otherwise, why did every encounter with him come with a bonus cat?
Wang Ye was clearly far more interested in the cat than in Lin Wu. He immediately shifted direction, bent slightly, and called out to the orange tabby, “Er Mao, come here, Er Mao.”
Lin Wu couldn’t hold it in and blurted out, “Why do you call every cat ‘Er Mao’? With such obvious features, even if you’re not putting effort into it, at least name it ‘ Xiao Huang (Little Yellow)’…”
He suddenly realized something and stopped mid-complaint.
Wang Ye slowly turned his head, locking eyes with Lin Wu again, and finally remembered where he’d seen this classmate before: “You’re the one who was sitting on the wall that day.”
The words were identical to those from the school hospital, except this time, it wasn’t a question—it was a statement.
“…” Lin Wu wished he could rewind time and slap his own mouth shut, but life could only be lived forward.
“…Huh? What wall?”
Lin Wu, the master actor, was now live and on-air.
Wang Ye let out a dismissive “Tch”. “Don’t play dumb with me.”
“Ah, you mean Er Mao,” Lin Wu said with a face of sudden realization. “I saw you playing with a cat at school last semester. You were so focused you didn’t notice me.”
With Wang Ye’s habit of playing with every cat and calling them all Er Mao, Lin Wu believed he could even say he’d seen Wang Ye during his freshman year, and the story wouldn’t fall apart.
But Wang Ye straightened up, looked at him leisurely, and said, “Impossible.”
Lin Wu: “Don’t be so sure.”
Wang Ye: “I used to call them ‘Mimi.’ I only started calling them ‘Er Mao’ recently.”
Lin Wu: “…”
At nineteen and a half years old, Lin Wu finally understood a life lesson this Mid-Autumn Festival—some pitfalls are meant for you. Either you fall into them with a plop, or you dodge left and right, panting, only to fall in anyway.
Wang Ye couldn’t understand the fuss. “What’s the big deal? So you saw me—so what? I’m not going to beat you up.”
“Oh, please,” now that the topic was out in the open, Lin Wu decided to be frank. “You look like you want to fight me.”
Wang Ye, baffled: “When?”
Lin Wu stared at his buzz cut: “Every time.”
Wang Ye was genuinely confused and even took a moment to recall, only to look more puzzled: “I’ve barely spoken a few words to you.”
“Not counting this time, just that one sentence at the school hospital,” Lin Wu replied. Because there were so few interactions, they were particularly memorable. He even mimicked Wang Ye’s tone perfectly: “Oh, Wang Ye, Mechanical Engineering.”
Wang Ye: “That sounds perfectly harmonious and friendly to me.”
Lin Wu stared at him for a long time. “Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word ‘friendly’?”
That said, as they continued talking, Lin Wu realized Wang Ye felt a little different this time compared to before.
The first time, when Lin Wu was sitting on the wall, Wang Ye hadn’t even looked at him properly. At the hospital, even though Wang Ye had introduced himself, he still exuded a cold “stay away” vibe. And in that vibe, there wasn’t just indifference—there was a strong sense of resistance, as if he was always ready to knock down anyone who crossed the line.
That was precisely why Lin Wu had chickened out multiple times—yes, he admitted it. What could anyone do about it?
But today, Wang Ye seemed to have a little more warmth toward the entire world.
“Meow~~”
The plump orange tabby, unwilling to be ignored, let out another cry. This time, it stepped out from the bushes, its confident stride betraying how often it must have been pampered by the students.
Wang Ye waved at it again. “Xiao Huang, come here.”
Lin Wu: “…”
You sure pick up new names quickly when it comes to cats.
Compared to the timid little black kitten from before, the plump orange tabby was much braver. At Wang Ye’s beckoning, it confidently trotted toward him.
But just half a meter away, it suddenly froze, as if sensing some kind of unease. Its round eyes widened.
Wang Ye couldn’t wait and reached out his hand, but the cat let out a sharp “Meow!” and swiped a paw at him before darting away at lightning speed, vanishing into the night.
Wang Ye stared at the fresh scratch on the back of his hand: “…”
Lin Wu stared at Wang Ye staring at the scratch: “…”
At this moment, Lin Wu began to wonder if his first impression of Wang Ye had been completely wrong. It was like with many large predators—at first glance, they looked fierce and menacing, but if you followed them around 24/7, you’d find that nine out of ten were just big goofballs.
“Do I look that scary?” Wang Ye finally started reflecting.
Lin Wu shook his head. “Not scary. It’s more… fierce… uh… intimidating. Cough. People avoid you, let alone cats.”
Wang Ye looked at him slowly, saying nothing, just staring.
Lin Wu started to feel uneasy under the gaze and scrambled to make up for it: “But it’s a cool vibe! You’re a heartthrob, a walking hormone bomb. Even the campus beauty confessed to you…”
“Cut the nonsense,” Wang Ye interrupted. “What’s your name?”
Lin Wu: “…You sure took your time asking.”
Despite the teasing, after chatting for so long, Lin Wu figured they could now consider themselves properly acquainted. “Lin Wu, Environmental Science.”
Wang Ye: “Wang Ye, Mechanical Engineering.”
Lin Wu paused. “You already said that last time.”
Wang Ye’s expression was blank. “Last time doesn’t count.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion nearby as the logistics teacher caught a few more students.
Lin Wu didn’t have his phone on him, but judging by the time he’d been out, it was probably past 11:30.
He hadn’t planned on sneaking out for a night stroll. He didn’t even know what had come over him. Now that his head was clear, he didn’t intend to risk getting scolded by the teachers any longer.
“I’m heading back,” Lin Wu said to Wang Ye. Then, remembering that the Mechanical Engineering dorm was also in Building 2, he nodded toward the direction of the dorms. “You coming?”
Wang Ye didn’t respond, but his expression made it clear he had no intention of going back.
Lin Wu had only asked casually, so seeing that Wang Ye wasn’t following, he turned on his own. “I’m off.”
As he walked out of the shadows of the trees, Lin Wu happened to look up and saw the full moon.
Of course, there would be a full moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Yet somehow, it wasn’t until the day was nearly over that he finally lifted his head to take a proper look.
Against the deep blue night sky, the moon looked so large it seemed within reach. The drifting clouds followed the wind but never got too close. Even the stars hid quietly, leaving the moon’s tranquil, water-like glow to spread across the night.
Lin Wu had seen full moons countless times before, but for some reason, tonight’s was so beautiful it made his heart stir.
Suddenly, he stopped walking, turned back, and called out to the guy still standing where he’d left him. Just like when they first met tonight, he called out impolitely: “Hey.”
Wang Ye looked up at the sound, his shadow shifting slightly under the moonlight.
Lin Wu smiled at him. “Happy holiday.”
The next day, everyone in dorm 333 knew about the night stroll.
Because when Lin Wu snuck back into the dorm, he ran straight into Ren Feiyu, who was up for a bathroom break.
Since they couldn’t leave campus during the holiday and didn’t have any classes, the 333 dorm brothers were just worrying about how to pass the time. The moment they heard this, they were instantly energized, skipping breakfast to gather around and brainstorm for Lin Wu—
Xia Yang: “About this nocturnal animal thing, are you just suspecting it, or have you confirmed it?”
Lin Wu: “Basically confirmed. It’s active at night and sleeps during the day. Other than nocturnal animal traits, there’s no better explanation.”
Ren Feiyu: “And didn’t Lin Wu say he saw patches of move—uh, I mean, patches of our classmates when he went out? There’s no way so many people just happened to have insomnia.”
Li Junchi: “But there are tons of nocturnal animals, from small ones like bats and geckos to big ones like jackals, wolves, and leopards. How do you narrow it down?”
Ren Feiyu: “There’s also speed, endurance, and, oh yeah, strong teeth. If you stack all those traits together, doesn’t that narrow the range?”
Li Junchi: “Narrow what? That’s still a huge overlap…”
Xia Yang: “Hold on, are jackals even nocturnal?”
Li Junchi: “Huh? Aren’t they?”
Xia Yang: “Are they?”
Li Junchi: “Uh, wait, let me check…”
Ren Feiyu: “My Children’s Animal Encyclopedia doesn’t seem to mention jackals. Lin Wu, does your World Animal Compendium say anything?”
Lin Wu: “…No.”
Xia Yang: “See? That’s why they say a tree lives on its bark, and a person lives on their reputation. If you’re not impressive, even the animal compendium won’t have your name!”
—In dorm 333, besides an increasingly strong academic atmosphere, there was also a growing sense of philosophical reflection on life.
As for his own “animal traits,” Lin Wu had already narrowed down a few suspicious possibilities.
Speed, endurance, teeth, and nocturnal behavior.
With these four conditions, reptiles like geckos could be ruled out. Given the powerful motor skills and sharp teeth, it was clearly more like a land-based carnivore.
So now, animals like tigers, wolves, and leopards were Lin Wu’s prime suspects.
But Xia Yang insisted that humming at night must be Lin Wu’s mutation point. Left with no choice, Lin Wu added that to the list, and suddenly the shadow of suspicion landed squarely on the wolf’s forehead.
Singing at night.
Midnight wolf howls.
Those two phrases matched so perfectly, they could be a couplet!
On the second and third days of the National Day holiday, Lin Wu managed to resist the urge to sneak out at night. Even though he was as alert as an owl as soon as night fell, he forced himself to stay put like a good wolf, lying in bed and passing the endless night by scrolling through his phone.
Whether his awakened animal trait was actually that of a wolf was still up for debate, but in this world, new “awakened individuals” were being confirmed every day—
Germany’s first confirmed awakened individual: American alligator!
Britain’s second confirmed awakened individual: Cheetah!
France’s second confirmed awakened individual: Indian rhinoceros!
America’s fourth confirmed awakened individual: Kangaroo!
*China has confirmed a total of 9 awakened individuals!
Russia’s first confirmed case…
Confined to campus during the holiday, everything seemed calm and uneventful. Only when he read these news reports did Lin Wu truly feel that the world was changing at an astonishing pace.
“Physically abnormal individuals” had now become “awakened individuals.” Behind this change in terminology lay a massive and constantly updating flow of information.
What would the future look like? Where was life headed?
Lin Wu didn’t know. He was just an ordinary college student. He couldn’t analyze things as deeply or think as far ahead as the scientists.
Besides, the present was already wearing him out.
Now it was 1 a.m. on the fourth day of the holiday, and the suppressed restlessness in his heart was reaching its limit. If he didn’t get some fresh air soon, he felt like he might just tear his bed apart.
[mfn]You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad [/mfn]
