After Becoming the Film Emperor's Cat

Yun Mian is a rebellious young woman from a wealthy family who defies her parents' plans for her life. She drops out of business school and secretly returns to her home country to reject an arranged engagement to her childhood sweetheart, Xu Yizheng. During her flight, a plane crash leaves her unconscious. When she regains consciousness, she finds herself in the apartment of Shen Zhixing, a handsome and popular actor she vaguely recognizes from her past. Shen Zhixing is a double Golden Phoenix Award winner who keeps to himself, with hobbies limited to skydiving and keeping cats. He is allergic to cats, yet he has taken in a white cat that Yun Mian inhabits. She quickly realizes she has been reincarnated as the cat, named Xiaobai by Shen Zhixing and his assistant, Zuo Yao.

Yun Mian discovers she is not only a cat but also seven years in the future, as evidenced by a trophy dated 2025. Her initial goal is to return home to check on her parents, particularly her mother, who she fears has suffered due to her disappearance. She escapes Shen Zhixing's apartment and runs to her family villa. However, her mother, Madam Yun Bei, is gravely ill and has a severe allergic reaction to cats, screaming in terror when Yun Mian approaches. The household staff, Aunt Wang and Uncle Yang, drive the dirty stray cat away with brooms and dusters. Yun Mian overhears them discussing her mother's declining health since Yun Mian's presumed death and rumors of her father's infidelity. Heartbroken and unable to reveal herself, she is forced to flee the home.

Lost and exhausted in the city at night, Yun Mian is threatened by stray dogs before Shen Zhixing finds her. He had spent the entire day searching for his missing pet, ignoring his agent He Guang's advice to let go. He Guang reveals that Shen Zhixing is haunted by the death of a woman named "Ah Xing" seven years ago, suggesting a deep emotional trauma. Shen Zhixing takes Yun Mian back to his apartment, bathes her, and allows her to sleep in his bed. The next day, they visit a pet store where Yun Mian encounters Fang Shuyu, a famous actress and Shen Zhixing's former co-star. Paparazzi capture photos of their meeting, sparking rumors of a romantic rekindling. Yun Mian reads the gossip online and feels a strange sense of jealousy, though she is merely a cat.

Yun Mian begins to adapt to her new life, using Shen Zhixing's iPad to research her family and the world. She learns that her family's company, Yuntian Group, is stable and that Shen Zhixing has become a top-tier actor. She attempts to communicate her intelligence to Shen Zhixing by playing with the tablet, which he interprets as cute behavior. Despite her frustration at being treated as a pet, she recognizes that Shen Zhixing is her only ally in this strange future. The story follows her struggle to accept her feline form while uncovering the mysteries of the past seven years, including Shen Zhixing's hidden grief and the true fate of her own life before the crash.

As Yun Mian settles into life with Shen Zhixing, she navigates the complexities of celebrity culture and her own changed identity. She observes Shen Zhixing's isolation and his gentle, albeit oblivious, care for her. The narrative explores her internal conflict between her human memories and her current animal existence. She must decide whether to remain hidden as a cat or find a way to reveal her true self. Meanwhile, Shen Zhixing begins to notice that Xiaobai is unusually intelligent and emotionally responsive, deepening his attachment to the cat. The story sets the stage for Yun Mian to uncover the truth behind her reincarnation and potentially alter the course of her future, all while living under the roof of the man she once knew as a shy, sponsored student.