Xu Ye expertly carried two hefty cats totaling nearly twenty pounds. Noticing Liu Shuo’s astonished expression, she smugly boasted, “Ever heard of swan arms? Train for a bit, and you can do this too.”
Liu Shuo gave her a thumbs-up. “The strength of a swan-arm master is truly terrifying.”
Thanks to Xu Ye’s masterful “rocking horse” diplomacy, both cats were soon pacified, no longer swatting at each other. Instead, they lay on her shoulders, turning their heads away as if pretending the other didn’t exist.
When Huo Shuyan announced it was time to go home, Xu Ye reluctantly parted with the cats. Covered in fur, she hitched a ride on Huo Shuyan’s electric scooter and returned home.
Standing in her entryway, she began plucking white fur off her clothes, eventually rolling it into two small lint balls.
The two tufts of fur combined resembled a miniature version of Dai Dai.
Liu Shuo had mentioned that it was shedding season, especially for long-haired cats like the Shandong Lion Cat—practically walking dandelions. The second floor of his shop was blanketed in white fur, and he was nearly bald from sweeping every day.
Xu Ye recalled seeing videos of pet owners turning collected fur into felted crafts. She had always wondered how they managed to gather so much fur from their relatively small pets.
After just a brief cuddle with Dai Dai, she had enough fur to make a tiny keychain, finally understanding that the creators hadn’t exaggerated.
Lacking the skills to felt wool, Xu Ye regretfully tossed her mini Dai Dai into the trash and threw her freshly laundered clothes back into the washing machine.
But as she passed the trash can, she hesitated, then fished the fur ball out and placed it on the shoe cabinet.
Huo Shuyan had mentioned that his brother would pick up Dai Dai the next evening. Xu Ye and Liu Shuo agreed to visit the shop after work for one last farewell. She even contemplated collecting more fur to commission someone to craft a felted version of Dai Dai.
After finishing her laundry, she retrieved her long-forgotten camera. Rarely did she encounter such a majestic and affectionate cat, and she wanted to capture a few photos as keepsakes.
On Friday morning, Huo Shuyan solemnly announced in the group chat that the photo plugin was now ready for use.
[Huo Shuyan: The post deletion feature is complete, and the photo plugin has been fixed. By default, the camera opens in front-facing mode. Switching to the rear requires manual input, and a system notice will appear before using the rear camera. Any additional suggestions?]
[Liu Shuo: @Xu Ye, what do you think? If there’s nothing to add, I’ll finalize the rules.]
[Xu Ye: Seems good. Let’s launch it and see.]
Half an hour later, Huo announced that the feature was live. Xu Ye eagerly refreshed the forum, her excitement palpable. She had already cleared her phone’s storage, ready to save countless pet selfies.
Liu Shuo promptly pinned a new rule post about photo-enabled threads, placing it alongside the existing pinned posts.
[Pinned Post: Guidelines for Posting with Photos – Read Carefully Before Posting]
[Administrator Response:
1. Due to technical limitations, each user may use the photo feature three times per day (combined for front and rear cameras). Please use sparingly.
2. Do not upload photos that invade the privacy of caretakers/owners. Pay attention to your selfie background.
3. Users exhibiting good behavior may be selected as “Photo Moderators” with privileges to manage photo posts. Details in the third comment (Photo Moderator Requirements).
4. When using the front-facing camera, please extend a paw toward the camera to activate.]
Curious, Xu Ye scrolled down to check the moderator requirements.
The third comment revealed an unexpected twist:
[Administrator Reply: Forum Now Hiring Servers
Recruitment Positions: Waitstaff, cleaners, kitchen assistants, etc.
Requirements: 18-45 years old, no education required, decent appearance.
Salary: ¥4,000–¥6,500/month, meals included.
Experience preferred. Contact Mr. Jiang: 189xxxxxxxx]
Xu Ye: ??
She immediately opened the group chat and typed:
[Xu Ye: @Liu Shuo, sometimes browsing this forum alone feels like an uphill battle.]
[Xu Ye: (Screenshot.jpg)]
[Huo Shuyan: …Make that two of us.]
[Liu Shuo: Crap, I accidentally pasted my friend’s restaurant job ad.]
Thankfully, Xu Ye was among the first users to update the forum, and not many had seen Liu Shuo’s impromptu “recruitment ad.”
Liu Shuo quickly edited the post, replacing the third comment with a proper recruitment notice:
[Administrator Reply: Forum Now Hiring Photo Moderators
1. Open to all species, breeds, and ages.
2. Must be responsible, empathetic, and kind, with good standing in the forum and no personal grudges.
3. Should act impartially and accept supervision from fellow forum members.
4. Nominations from users are welcome but non-binding.
Interested candidates or nominators, please contact the administrator directly.]
Liu Shuo’s recruitment notice was well-organized, leaving Xu Ye unable to think of anything to add.
After some thought, she made her recommendations in the group chat as a forum user:
[Xu Ye: I think the Golden Retriever named ‘Orange’ and the Border Collie named ‘Very Happy Today’ are excellent candidates for administrators.]
Orange was particularly gentle, affectionately referred to by users as the “empathetic big sister.” She was one of the rare dogs in the forum even cats didn’t dislike.
Very Happy Today was always measured and tactful in posts and replies, with emotional intelligence surpassing that of some humans. Moreover, Border Collies are naturally strong managers, so serving as a simple photo administrator would be a piece of cake.
As for cats, Xu Ye considered recommending David, but given his personality, he would certainly refuse such a bothersome position. In the end, she only recommended the two dogs.
After nominating her chosen candidates, Xu Ye closed the pinned post and began scrolling through the forum.
Most users had carefully read the pinned rules, and the photos posted were no longer hard on the eyes. The adorable atmosphere in both sections today almost gave Xu Ye a nosebleed.
[@Da Bai, let’s see whose head is rounder.]
Snowball was obsessed with the roundness of its head. Its first post after gaining access to the photo feature wasn’t about exchanging pictures with others—it was about defending its crown as the roundest head.
The photo showed a small white dog extending its right paw, mimicking a human’s selfie pose.
After nearly a week apart, Snowball’s head appeared even rounder and fluffier. Its ears were hidden in its furry head, and it stuck out a tiny pink tongue.
The selfie background was a pink curtain, with the edge of a woman’s skirt visible in the far-right corner.
Xu Ye reached out through the screen, as if to ‘pat’ its head, then quickly saved the photo while clutching her nose.
Snowball’s post, as usual, was bustling with comments:
[2nd floor: I’ll say it again—I’ve never seen Da Bai, but I’m willing to bet my own head that their head isn’t as round as yours.]
[3rd floor: Is such a round head even real??? As a square-headed Schnauzer, I am genuinely shocked.]
[4th floor: Really? Competing with cats in the dog section over who has the roundest head? I suggest you post this in the cat section.]
Adjacent to Snowball’s post was another thread, photo-free but immensely popular.
The thread owner’s ID, just three short words, almost made Xu Ye laugh out loud.
Its name was “Lover of Butts.”
[Lover of Butts: Can someone take a picture of my butt? Without my heart-shaped butt, I’ve lost my appetite and can’t sleep. In exchange, I can take a picture for you—whatever you want, just point it out, even your butt.]
With such a uniquely refreshing ID and content, Xu Ye bet—on the poster’s own butt—that it had to be the Corgi obsessed with its heart-shaped butt, just as Snowball was fixated on its round head.
[2nd floor: Damn it, what did I do to deserve this? Every time I sit down to eat, I see your endless talk of butts. Honestly, you look like a butt.]
[3rd floor: Look into my eyes and tell me loudly—are you sure you’ve really lost your appetite with that figure??]
[4th floor: (You’re so outrageous.jpg)]
Amid the jokes, Snowball suddenly appeared:
[6th floor: I’ll do it!! Let’s add each other as friends and chat privately. I want to see if my head looks round from another dog’s perspective.]
[7th floor: I give up. I should have guessed you two would hit it off.]
Lover of Butts and Snowball both quieted down, as the butt enthusiast and round-head enthusiast finally became friends. Xu Ye felt they must have plenty to talk about.
The number of posts in the cat section rivaled those in the dog section, with even the usually aloof cats posting selfies.
[Am I more beautiful than the Calico from North City?]
[2nd floor: A… cultured cat?]
[3rd floor: This is the Calico from North City speaking. Let’s see who dares say the poster is prettier than me.]
The accompanying photo showed a proud-looking tabby cat, its body so round it resembled a little pig. Xu Ye clicked save in astonishment.
She also came across a Ragdoll wearing a bowtie, a Sphynx lounging on a leather sofa, and a group of stray cats being cared for by a pet shop.
Xu Ye saved every single cat and dog selfie to her album, even when the photography was terrible—showing only a pair of round ears or a pink paw pad.
Despite combing through every post in the cat section, she found no trace of David’s posts or replies.
She was genuinely curious about what David looked like.
Xu Ye navigated to David’s profile through her private messages.
David’s profile had numerous posts, all centered around one theme: “gaming.”
[Who’s up for gaming?]
[Anyone want to play games?]
[Let’s game. I’ll carry you.]
[Is there seriously no one in the cat section who games?]
Since becoming teammates with Xu Ye that day, David hadn’t posted again.
While Xu Ye was snooping around David’s profile, a private message popped up.
[David: Woman, what are you sneaking around for?]
Author’s Note:
[David: Woman, you’re playing with fire.]
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