With My Ability To Swap, I Will Never End Up In A Love Triangle Mess - Chapter 8

“Meow!!!”

(Help! Why did I turn into a cat?!)

Can you believe this, folks? Here I am, Lin Xuening—a gorgeous high school girl in a JK uniform, the dignified class president—and just because I was staring at a certain big bad wolf, I suddenly turned into a cat!

Thanks to that earth-shattering meow, the now-tiny white cat (a.k.a. Lin Xuening) became the center of attention for the entire class.

On the podium stood a burly middle-aged male teacher, deeply engrossed in explaining a philosophical concept when the meow rudely interrupted him.

So, this usually mild-mannered educator pointed straight at our dear Lin Xue-Miao (Cat Xuening) and started scolding her like she was a delinquent student.

“As an upperclassman, you’re here to study, not to sleep!”

“Since you’re a cat, I usually let it slide when you nap in class. But you should NOT disrupt other students’ learning!”

“Do you have any idea how many brain cells it takes to recover a train of thought after your meow derailed it?”

“If this happens again, get out of my classroom!”

Who would’ve thought a teacher could say such things to a kitten? It’s hard to tell if he’s just that dedicated or simply lacks common sense.

Many students covered their mouths, struggling not to burst out laughing.

As for the target of his scolding—our beloved Lin Xue-Miao—her head was spinning. She was still processing the whole turning-into-a-cat situation, and now she got yelled at for no reason!

Honestly, as the class president, she had always been the most attentive student. When had she ever been publicly reprimanded like this?

Trembling, she tried to prop herself up with her little paws but stumbled, nearly tumbling off the windowsill.

“Ahem, Professor, I’m sure the cat didn’t mean it. Let’s just continue the lesson, shall we?”

Xia Xi, who had been stifling his laughter, finally spoke up when he saw Lin Xue-Miao’s pitiful state.

From his seat at the back, he walked straight to the window.

“Meow!”

(What are you doing?! Stay away from me!)

The flustered kitten flailed her stubby legs erratically, as if suffering from cerebellar atrophy, but failed to move even an inch.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire class, Xia Xi unceremoniously scooped up the thrashing cat, cradled her in his arms, and calmly returned to his seat.

Most people in class knew a thing or two about Xia Xi.

How could they not? A guy who worked part-time while ranking in the top ten academically? The teachers and advisors wouldn’t shut up about him.

Seeing the cat now docile in Xia Xi’s arms, the professor dropped the issue and resumed his lecture.

Xia Xi glanced down at the stiff, wide-eyed kitten and chuckled, then began stroking her back—starting from her head and sliding all the way down to her tail.

At this point, Lin Xue-Miao’s brain had completely short-circuited.

She was too busy grappling with the three existential questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

A cat’s sense of smell was far sharper than a human’s, and now, nestled on Xia Xi’s lap, she was bombarded by his distinct masculine scent while his warm hand smoothed down her fur.

Ah… This is the life.

Wait—NO!

No no no!

She was in the arms of that jerk!

But her human body was still fast asleep beside him. If she started meowing now and drew the teacher’s attention, she might accidentally wake herself up—and that would be a disaster.

And yet…

She tilted her head upward, staring at Xia Xi from a cat’s perspective, and suddenly, her mind went blank again.

…Fine. Since you helped me out and your petting skills aren’t half bad, I’ll let you off the hook this time.

Finding a comfortable position, Lin Xue-Miao settled in, her tail flicking against Xia Xi’s forearm as her mood shifted, tickling him slightly.

“What a silly cat.”

Xia Xi side-eyed the kitten, who had somehow fully embraced her new identity, and decided not to tease her further.

Sure, he was technically petting a cat, but the mind inside belonged to Lin Xuening—the girl who loved picking fights with him. Even if she seemed to be enjoying it, who was really winning here?

He glanced at the sleeping Lin Xuening (cat) beside him. She must’ve been dreaming of something delicious—maybe fish jerky or a mystery classmate’s donated sausage—because a thin trail of drool had escaped the corner of her lips.

Without her usual sharp-tongued, combative demeanor, she looked… kinda cute.

Seizing the opportunity, he quietly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the JK Sleeping While Drooling masterpiece, saving it for posterity.

Lin Xue-Miao saw everything.

She immediately tried to claw the sinful device out of his hands.

But how could a tiny cat overpower a grown man? The Operation: Destroy Evidence ended in miserable failure.

Helpless, she could only watch as he tucked the incriminating photo safely into his gallery.

“Ugh! A dog can’t stop eating garbage, and this guy can’t stop being a perverted creep! Just you wait—when I turn back, I’ll make you regret this!”

After the photo incident, Lin Xue-Miao’s mood shifted from content to angry-but-still-enjoying-this-while-planning-revenge.

But hey, at least she was still enjoying it.

…

Meanwhile…

“Chen-ge, maybe we should just give up. We’ve got zero leads.”

Luo Xingchen was frustrated.

Last night, his older sister had asked him to investigate someone named “Chen Xi”—but she hadn’t given him any useful details.

Which city? Family background? All she said was “probably a shy, innocent guy.” How was he supposed to find one specific person with that?

There were probably thousands of male high school and college students named Chen Xi across the country. Tracking down the right one was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He’d even posted an online bounty for information.

But, unsurprisingly, the internet was full of nonsense.

The responses he got ranged from middle-aged men who looked nothing like a shy young guy to literal children who hadn’t even graduated middle school. Some even sent him pictures of girls.

Did they think he couldn’t tell the difference between men and women?!

“No way. You know how my sister is—she barely speaks all year. This is the first time she’s asked me for anything. I can’t let her down.”

His friends tried to convince him to drop it, arguing that stressing over this wasn’t worth it.

But Luo Xingchen refused. His sister had always been quiet and withdrawn, especially after her accident left her with limited mobility. Now that she’d finally shown interest in someone, he had to help her.

Meanwhile, far away from the capital…

Xia Xi suddenly sneezed.

And because of that sneeze, he accidentally refreshed past the final piece he needed for a 3-star 5-cost unit in Teamfight Tactics!

“Damn it! If you’re gonna curse me behind my back, at least have the decency to compensate me with a 3-star legendary!!”