Doctor Gu’s Orange Cat Boyfriend - Chapter 31

The moment this rule was announced, the entire venue erupted with excitement.

 

“Wow! Sniffing someone out by scent? How thrilling is that?”

 

“This is way harder than answering questions! How familiar do you have to be to pick someone out by smell?”

 

Lin Mucí thought to himself:

 

[Sniff… sniff someone’s scent?]

 

【Let me think… Gu Chaoyu’s scent… It’s that refreshing kind, with a faint herbal note, plus the lemon verbena scent of his laundry detergent…】

 

【Wait! How do I know this so clearly?! Doesn’t this mean I’m admitting I sniff him daily at his place?!】

 

Lin Mucí’s inner voice started digging its own grave again.

 

The first contestant was a man from Group Three.

 

Blindfolded, he sniffed around the crowd for ages before hesitantly pointing at two people. Both attempts were wrong.

 

When it was the women’s turn, they failed too.

 

This instantly ramped up the difficulty, making the atmosphere below the stage even more tense.

 

“Next up, the partners from the third group: Mr. Lin Mucí and Mr. Gu Chaoyu!”

 

The staff brought over blindfolds and looked at the two men, asking:

 

“Which one of you will go first?”

 

Gu Chaoyu took the blindfold first and put it on.

 

“I’ll go first.”

 

Lin Mucí was shuffled into a line with the other six participants.

 

His heart pounded wildly, his palms sweating.

 

[Can… Can he find me?]

 

[Zhou Yang is standing next to me. He has a faint tobacco scent, he shouldn’t get confused, right?]

 

【Ahhh, I’m so nervous! More nervous than when I’m the one searching!】

 

While Lin Mucí’s mind raced with thoughts, Gu Chaoyu had already begun.

 

Unlike the previous challenger, he didn’t move close to each person to sniff intensely.

 

He simply walked slowly past each person.

 

Past the first person.

 

Not him.

 

Past the second person.

 

Not him either.

 

When he reached Lin Mucí, he paused briefly.

 

Lin Mucí held his breath in nervous anticipation.

 

[He stopped! Did he smell me?]

 

【What do I do? What do I do! Should I make a sound to alert him? No, no, that would be cheating!】

 

However, Gu Chaoyu paused for only a second before continuing onward.

 

Lin Mucí’s heart sank instantly.

 

【He… he walked past?】

 

【He didn’t detect me?】

 

【Come to think of it, do I have any distinctive scent? Besides the over-typing nerd vibe, I have nothing…】

 

Just as Lin Mucí was overcome with disappointment, Gu Chaoyu, who had reached the end of the line, suddenly turned around and walked straight toward him.

 

This time, without the slightest hesitation, he stopped directly in front of Lin Mucí.

 

Then, he reached out, tentatively placing his hand on Lin Mucí’s shoulder.

 

“It’s him.”

 

Two words, delivered cleanly and decisively.

 

The entire venue fell silent for a second before erupting into waves of applause and screams!

 

“Oh my god! He actually did it!”

 

“How did he manage that? He clearly walked past him just now!”

 

Lin Mucí was stunned.

 

He removed his blindfold, meeting Gu Chaoyu’s smiling face.

 

【How did he know?!】

 

Gu Chaoyu knew what he was thinking. Leaning close, he whispered in a breathy voice, “You carry a scent. It’s milky and sun-kissed. It’s utterly intoxicating.”

 

Lin Mucí’s face flushed bright red.

 

【Milk… milk scent?】

 

【Do I really smell like that?!】

 

He instinctively lifted his arm and sniffed his sleeve.

 

【Weird, I can’t smell it myself!】

 

Next, it was Lin Mucí’s turn.

 

He put on the blindfold, plunging his vision into complete darkness.

 

Anxiety instantly washed over him.

 

【Calm down, Lin Mucí, you need to stay calm!】

 

【You can do this. You spent so much time in Dr. Gu’s arms so you must be familiar with his scent!】

 

【Come on, you can do this!!】

 

He took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward, mimicking Gu Chaoyu’s movements.

 

The first person… a rich, fruity scent. Su Wanqing.

 

The second person… a faint tobacco aroma mixed with cologne. Zhou Yang.

 

The third person…

 

Lin Mucí’s footsteps halted.

 

A reassuring scent drifted into his nostrils.

 

It was a faint herbal aroma, mingled with the sun-dried scent of bedding, and… the lemon verbena scent of his laundry detergent.

 

This scent was all too familiar.

 

When he transformed into a little orange kitten, curled up asleep in Gu Chaoyu’s embrace; when he became a cat, secretly rolling around on Gu Chaoyu’s pillow; when he accidentally crawled into Gu Chaoyu’s wardrobe and was enveloped by this scent…

 

This scent, to him, equaled “home” and “security.”

 

Lin Mucí hesitated no longer. He extended his hand, pointing at the third person.

 

“It’s… him.”

 

“Congratulations, Mr. Lin! You won the challenge!”

 

Another wave of cheers erupted from the audience.

 

On stage, Su Wanqing, overcome with excitement, began shaking Zhou Yang’s arm again: “See! See! This is the scent of destiny! My ship is real!”

 

Zhou Yang looked numb, letting her shake him.

 

Su Wanqing and Zhou Yang both found each other in the next round, while the final pair saw one find their match and the other fail.

 

“After two rounds, Mr. Lin and Dr. Gu have two points each, totaling three points and currently leading! Miss Su and Mr. Zhou have two points, ranking second,” the host announced loudly. “Next up is our decisive round: ‘Can You Feel It?’!”

 

“The rules are even more thrilling! One person is blindfolded and must identify their partner among the other seven solely by touching their hands! Teams that find each other earn three points!”

 

The atmosphere in the venue reached a fever pitch as the rule was announced!

 

“Miss Su, please begin!”

 

Su Wanqing donned the blindfold, extended her hand, and began feeling each pair in turn.

 

The first pair felt a bit plump—not his.

 

The second pair was rough—also not his.

 

When she touched the third pair, her movements halted.

 

Those hands—well-defined knuckles, palms with thin calluses, long, strong fingers, and most crucially, a faint scar on the back.

 

Once certain, Su Wanqing grabbed the hand.

 

“It’s him! I’d recognize these punchable hands any day!”

 

The entire room erupted in laughter.

 

Zhou Yang tried to pull his hand away in exasperation, but she held on tightly.

 

Su Wanqing: [Just to embarrass you, hehehe…]

 

Zhou Yang: [And this is a good thing!!]

 

[Can we have more games like this? I’ll give this host a raise right now!!]

 

“Congratulations, Miss Su, you’re correct!”

 

Next up: Lin Mucí.

 

【Touching hands…】

 

【Oh my god, this is worse than sniffing!】

 

【Dr. Gu’s hands… I don’t think I’ve ever properly held them…】

 

【Wait! When I was his cat, he touched me every day!】

 

【He even touched my back, my waist!!】

 

【Those hands… the feel of those hands…】

 

Lost in thought, he touched the first pair of hands.

 

Cool, slender.

 

Not his.

 

He moved to the second pair.

 

Thick, warm, but the size was wrong.

 

The third pair… no, the fourth pair… still not it.