Huo Shuyan replied quickly, “No.”
His decisive answer shattered Xu Ye’s confident demeanor. Under her questioning gaze, he elaborated, “For now, Liu Shuo is the admin. Including you, there are only three of us in the forum.”
“So, other forum users don’t know your identities either?”
“Correct. Based on survey preferences, they didn’t want any species other than cats and dogs in the forum.”
Xu Ye recalled the sci-fi blockbusters she’d seen and couldn’t help but feel it was a pity Huo Shuyan hadn’t patented this technology.
“Did you somehow transmit the electrical activity from the animal brains to each other? Like through magnetic propagation, enabling them to network and communicate directly using their brain waves to project?”
“That’s giving me too much credit,” Huo Shuyan said, momentarily taken aback by her imaginative leap.
“Although direct brain-to-brain communication has been proven possible, the current technological levels can’t support it. The reason I could create this forum is due to an inexplicable supernatural factor. And also—”
“Excuse me, scientists,” a voice suddenly interrupted them as a head popped up between the two, “but your friend has been illegally parked for 20 minutes.”
The traffic officer showed no interest in their conversation, pointing matter-of-factly to the black SUV parked on the roadside.
Liu Shuo stood by the car door, spreading his hands helplessly while holding a brand-new parking ticket. He mouthed sheepishly, “I could’ve sworn there was a parking spot here.”
“Well, you’d better head back. Drive safely.”
It wasn’t until Huo Shuyan had gotten into Liu Shuo’s car that Xu Ye realized she hadn’t yet asked why she was in this forum to begin with.
As Liu Shuo slowly started the car, Xu Ye waved from the gate of the residential area: “Junior Huo, plea—se—wai—t—”
But the drawn-out honking of passing cars drowned out her voice. Realizing the road wasn’t a legal stopping area, she quickly lowered her hand after a couple of waves.
“No need to send us off,” Liu Shuo muttered, barely pressing the gas pedal as he crawled forward, overtaking an elderly man walking his dog. He waved back cheerfully. “Xu Ye’s such a polite person.”
Huo Shuyan looked like he wanted to speak but hesitated. By the time he said nothing, Xu Ye was just a dot in the distance, blending into the night like the streetlamp at the entrance.
Back at the pet shop, Liu Shuo took the little yellow dog to a separate room for a bath and checkup. Upstairs, a shadow leapt from the second floor and landed lightly onto a soft cushion.
[You smell like her.]
The black cat’s pupils expanded until its eyes were entirely pitch-black, as dark as its fur. Its tail rose and swayed with its graceful steps.
【Send her a message, just like I said.】
【Go on, you weren’t lying anyway.】
The black cat paced around Huo Shuyan, and when it saw him finally send the message, it curled its paws and rolled over on the floor. Then it lay back on the cushion with its eyes closed, looking just like an ordinary house cat.
As Xu Ye approached her building’s entrance, her phone buzzed twice in her pocket. She gingerly retrieved her slightly dirt-stained phone.
[Huo Shuyan: This forum is made from a mix of scientifically unexplainable phenomena combined with some technological elements. It’s hard to explain exactly how it works. The main goal is to provide cats and dogs with an online platform to communicate. We opened one forum in the larger district previously, and this one in Fuli is a new forum that hasn’t been running for long.]
[Huo Shuyan: Sorry, senior Xu. My family’s black cat accidentally pulled you into the forum. We weren’t aware of this until Sunday when a user with the ID “Snowball” confirmed your identity. We didn’t mean to hide anything about the forum from you. (Pleading face)( Pleading face)]
Huo Shuyan was far too polite. Honestly, who could resist a forum where all the users were cats and dogs?
If anyone needed to apologize, it was the black cat—for not pulling her into this fascinating forum sooner! She couldn’t imagine how many interesting posts she must’ve missed.
Xu Ye had gained a precious opportunity to be online friends with cats and dogs without any cost or effort.
And to top it off, David, the forum’s better-than-a-game-companion star, had even helped her rack up nearly fifty stars in the forum!
Ignoring the tiny bean emoji on the last sentence of Huo Shuyan’s message, Xu Ye sincerely thanked the black cat.
[Xu Ye: Not at all! I’ve spent my life doing good deeds. Joining the forum is simply what I deserve.]
After chatting briefly with Huo Shuyan, he explained that animals could play games on the forum because their brain activity simulated the movements of human hands. If she wanted to see previous posts, Liu Shuo could give her a small backdoor access to the forum.
After some thought, Xu Ye declined. She had only been curious about the forum’s origins. Now that she knew it was created by Huo Shuyan and his team, there was no need to comb through old posts.
Besides, the forum users were too chatty—Xu Ye doubted she’d ever finish reading everything.
Since Xu Ye had no objections to joining the forum, Huo Shuyan, with her consent, created a group chat that included Liu Shuo. He informed Xu Ye that he’d be busy this week developing a new plugin for the forum and handling school matters. If anything came up, she could post in the group or privately message Liu Shuo for help.
Xu Ye didn’t think there was much worth reporting. Not every day involved rescuing a stray animal or one trapped in a hole.
After her shower and drying her hair, it was nearly midnight. She flopped onto her bed like a marinated salted fish, lying stiff and motionless.
Opening Feixin, she saw that Huo Shuyan had already created the group chat. Liu Shuo had renamed it to “The Only Three People in the Forum.”
Liu Shuo was naturally sociable. After just a few meetings, he could chat casually with Xu Ye as if they were old friends.
[Liu Shuo retracted a message.]
[Liu Shuo: Sorry, haha, typo earlier! Welcome, Xu Ye, to officially becoming one of the three humans in the forum! Old Huo is working on a new plugin; the forum will soon have a photo feature—something to look forward to! ~]
[Liu Shuo: @Xu Ye, by the way, that little Chinese village dog in the forum just posted about how beautiful you are. Congrats! Your beauty has been certified by a dog.]
Xu Ye closed Feixin and found the new post in the dog zone. It was from the little yellow dog.
[It seems like I’ve found a new home… for now!]
The poster’s ID was “Hope,” and just like its name, its tone was cheerful and optimistic. Even if this home might only be temporary, its joy was evident.
[6F: This is the best place I’ve ever seen! The den is big and beautiful, and there are lots of brothers and sisters here. The guy with the hair tied like my tail even gave me a bath.]
[7F: Oh, and one of the three humans who rescued me was a super pretty lady. She’s the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen!]
[8F: How pretty? Even prettier than the groomer lady at that guy’s shop.]
[9F: I didn’t see the groomer lady, but this pretty lady is gorgeous. I swear on my paws!]
Xu Ye felt a little giddy at the compliments. She’d never been called beautiful by a dog before. Trying to suppress her laughter, she exited the post, only to see a private message pop up from David.
[David: That “Hope” dog—was it you who called for help to rescue it?]
The cat’s sharp intuition was almost frightening. David’s tone was so confident, it felt as if he had witnessed the entire rescue firsthand.
Before Xu Ye could send a “Yes,” David sent another message.
[David: The little brat at home has gone off to some competition and dumped me at a relative’s place. These people are so noisy—it’s unbearable. Let’s play games another day. Goodnight. I’m going to sleep now.]
Xu Ye deleted the text she was about to send and replied simply, “Goodnight.”
Most of the forum users typically shared mundane snippets of their lives. Without David inviting her to play games or any cats or dogs in need of rescue, Xu Ye spent her days scrolling through posts, passing a few uneventful days.
The source of her discontent during those days? The daily commute on her bus route.
Meanwhile, the mysterious pink crystal she had placed in a box near the TV seemed to have worked wonders for cutting off unwanted romantic advances. Liu Hao finally went on a blind date.
As someone who used to strike up conversations with her at every opportunity, he now walked around with an air of superiority, as if silently declaring, “I’m too good for you.”
By Thursday, Huo Shuyan announced in the group chat that the plugin was complete. Liu Shuo, using his admin privileges, sent a notification to everyone in the forum.
Xu Ye eagerly rubbed her hands together in anticipation. During a brief lull in her negotiations with a client, she pulled out her phone. The forum interface had updated, and after a short wait, she re-entered.
She couldn’t wait to see adorable selfies of cats and dogs.
In the bottom right corner of the forum, there was now a button shaped like a camera. Clicking it opened a system notification.
[System Notice: The forum’s photo feature (beta) is now live! Click the camera button in the bottom right to take pictures—go try it out! ~]
After dismissing the notice, Xu Ye was startled to see her own large face staring back at her on the screen. Cautiously, she covered the camera with a finger and placed the phone back in her desk pocket.
During her lunch break, she eagerly reopened the forum. To her surprise, the number of posts in every section had doubled.
Every cat and dog seemed curious to try out the new feature. However, it didn’t take long for the forum’s three human members to notice a major flaw in the plugin: it only allowed photos from the perspective of cats and dogs—selfies were impossible.
Only users like Xu Ye, who accessed the forum via mobile, could switch between front and rear cameras. As a result, the forum was filled with… less-than-cute photos. Xu Ye hadn’t seen a single adorable cat or dog picture.
[Check out my big brother’s stinky socks! Haha, they’re piled higher than a mountain!]
Xu Ye was greeted by a seemingly endless sea of socks in indescribable colors. She put her chopsticks down, having lost her appetite.
The tables had turned. The one who once grossed others out was now being grossed out herself.
[Tsk, this brat’s sleeping position is still so dramatic.]
The photo showed a young boy sprawled on a bed, twisted like a pretzel. Xu Ye immediately recognized him as the handsome high schooler from downstairs, famously nicknamed “Campus Heartthrob.”
[I can’t take it anymore. Those two are kissing again. Why must I, a mere cat, endure such an eyesore?]
The photo depicted two people in pajamas locked in a tight embrace, passionately kissing. Thankfully, the photo had been taken at just the right moment—any longer, and Xu Ye might’ve seen something she really shouldn’t have.
After scrolling through a few posts, Xu Ye’s conscience kicked in. She realized that peeking into others’ private lives was wrong. Such behavior was utterly despicable.
Resolutely, she opened the Feixin group and typed a message. As if in sync, all three of them sent a message simultaneously:
[Xu Ye: I think this plugin still needs some adjustments.]
[Huo Shuyan: I think this plugin still needs some adjustments.]
[Liu Shuo: I think this plugin still needs some adjustments.]
After a brief silence in the group, Huo Shuyan replied: [Huo Shuyan: I’ll fix it right now.]
Author’s Note:
This story is a slice-of-life, heartwarming series. While writing, my friend almost died laughing, saying, “Xu Ye’s life is so hilarious when you document it day by day (groundhog scream).” There’s still a long way to go before it’s finished. Hopefully, by the time I wake up tomorrow, it’ll finish itself!
You can support the translator here for faster updates! _(:3 」∠)_
