Xu Ye, adhering to reciprocity, also entered in the remarks column, “The owner of Da Bai who thinks I made her look very slim and beautiful in photos.”
The two agreed that once Xu Ye got home, she would send the photos over. The owner of Da Bai happily said goodbye to her while making a call and heading out, “Remember to like my Moments post later! Straight out of the original camera, no edits, make sure to like it!”
Da Bai poked her round head out from the owner’s shoulder as she was on the phone. Xu Ye was so charmed that she squealed softly, “Junior Huo, come look!!”
Their gazes were glued to that round head until it was completely blocked by other passersby. Only then did she reluctantly look away.
The black-and-white cats on the chair, ignored for quite some time, glared at Xu Ye angrily in perfect unison.
However, angry kittens had no intimidating power. Xu Ye felt her energy drain, smiling sweetly as she pulled out her camera from her bag.
By the time she removed the lens cap, the expressions of the two cats had returned to normal. Like two deflated caterpillars, they propped their chins on their paws and lazily glanced at her with drooping eyelids.
When her lens failed to capture their angry glares, Xu Ye let out a disappointed “Ah,” then pointed to her face and imitated an angry expression, “Friends, you need to, like this, like this, let me take a few photos. Got it?”
The guy on the sofa next to her was amused by her expression, “How could cats possibly underst—”
Before he could finish, he saw the two cats on the chair glaring angrily again, mimicking Xu Ye.
“What the hell??” The guy jumped up from the sofa, visibly shocked.
As a proud friend of cats, Xu Ye was satisfied, casting a smug glance at him. Her hand on the shutter never stopped clicking, “Come on, look over here, great. Up here, that’s it… Left, yes, right…”
Every time she pointed in a direction, the two cats glared accordingly. After taking over a dozen shots, she contentedly put her camera away and rubbed her temples.
“All done. You can change your expressions now.”
It seemed like they understood. In a second, they shifted their expressions. Dai Dai buried her face in her paws to rub it, while Xiao Hei stretched her facial muscles like a human.
The guy had already been stunned into silence, clasping his hands together and muttering softly, “Oh Great God of Cats, please make my cats cling to me more!”
Xu Ye skillfully dodged the guy’s exaggerated bow of reverence.
The shop’s curtain at the entrance rattled loudly as six dogs led Liu Shuo into the shop.
Though all the dogs were small breeds, each one was more hyperactive than the last.
Liu Shuo was tangled in loops of leashes like vines, stumbling into the shop like a zombie on the verge of mutation. The receptionist was so startled that she reflexively jumped half a meter in the air.
Upon entering, he cast a desperate look at everyone, “Help me, save me! They’re playing bondage games with me in broad daylight!”
Xu Ye covered the cats’ ears with her hands—such inappropriate words were not for kittens to hear.
With everyone’s help, Liu Shuo freed himself from the suffocating leashes. Panting and pale-faced, he told Xu Ye that he had family matters today, so the pet shop would close early, and she should make the most of her cat-cuddling time.
Treasuring every second, Xu Ye, clad in her coat most prone to catching fur, tried every method to rub against Dai Dai.
Huo Shuyan sat nearby, watching the two cats. After a moment, he suddenly chuckled.
As Xu Ye felt the soft touch of the cat’s head in her palm, she asked, “What’s so funny, Junior Huo?”
He pulled out his phone, scrolled briefly through a forum, and showed her a post.
The poster’s ID seemed new, and they had used the rear camera to capture their companions. The photo showed five dogs sticking out their tongues joyfully, with a man in a twisted yet determined pigeon-toed stance in the background.
Though Liu Shuo’s face wasn’t visible and he was at the back of the photo, his unique pose was so eye-catching that the commenters ignored the photo’s main subjects.
[2F: Just curious, is the guy in the background mutating or something?]
[3F: Isn’t this one of those Titans from that anime Retreating Dwarfs I’ve been watching?]
[4F: This photo’s perfect. I’m saving it to ward off evil spirits.]
Xu Ye couldn’t hold back anymore. She took out her phone and silently saved the photo alongside Huo Shuyan.
Liu Shuo was completely unaware. After settling the dogs on that side, he brought Xiao Hei to the second floor. The keychain spun noisily around his fingers. “I’m about to close the door. Coming along?”
“Mm, okay…” Xu Ye couldn’t help glancing at Liu Shuo’s feet.
Liu Shuo thought Xu Ye had noticed his newly purchased genuine leather Chelsea boots. He extended a foot in what he believed to be a very stylish—though genuinely stylish—pose.
Huo Shuyan picked up Dai Dai and said his brother had some errands today, so after buying food, he needed to personally deliver the cat. Just as Huo Shuyan lifted Dai Dai halfway, Xu Ye volunteered to take over.
“Let me carry it, let me carry it. This kind of laborious task should be left to us women.”
“Considerate.” Liu Shuo retracted his foot and gave her a thumbs-up.
The three walked toward the residential area together. Xu Ye focused intently on kneading the soft flesh on Dai Dai’s body, immensely envious of Huo Shuyan’s brother for owning such a beautiful cat.
“I’m heading home after a meal. Xu Ye, have you eaten?” Liu Shuo pushed his garishly green electric scooter, walking on Huo Shuyan’s other side.
Xu Ye shook her head, covered in cat hair and not particularly in the mood to eat.
“Not yet. I’ll pack something to take home later. By the way, do you actually go home at night? I always thought you lived in the pet shop.”
“The second floor of the pet shop has a bed, but I rarely sleep there.”
Since Xu Ye was covered in cat fur and holding Dai Dai, Huo Shuyan stayed outside with her while Liu Shuo went inside to order food for the two.
After paying, he stormed out angrily, rolling up his sleeves as if ready to fight. He opened his phone, pointing to a picture on a forum that deeply offended him, “Is this how they treat the admin?”
Xu Ye pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh, pretending to glance away casually. Liu Shuo lowered his head and furiously operated on the post.
Xu Ye freed one hand to pull out her phone, using Dai Dai’s paw as a stand to open the forum.
The post had already been flooded with dozens of replies, with nearly every user enthusiastically declaring the image as “saved, a talisman against evil.”
Liu Shuo didn’t delete the post and replied with as calm a tone as he could muster on the last reply:
[Admin reply: The forum is not a lawless space!!! Please do not excessively disclose irrelevant personal information!!! The pet shop owner is everyone’s good friend—treating him this way doesn’t seem quite appropriate, does it?]
To his surprise, the netizens truly recognized their error and repented in response to the admin’s criticism.
[48F: Admin is absolutely right. A single word from you teaches me more than ten years of study. We shouldn’t mock him.]
[49F: The commenter above has such poor Chinese skills it feels like I’ve lost ten years of study. Also, I apologize for mocking this human earlier.]
That was the end of the thread. Though no further replies were posted, everyone knew full well—that damn talisman photo would still be treasured in their albums.
The three each carried a large box of potstickers. Liu Shuo refused Xu Ye’s offer to transfer money and waved goodbye at the residential area entrance.
“No need, no need. If you feel bad about it, just treat Lao Huo to something. Treating him is the same as treating me.”
After Liu Shuo put on his frog helmet and seamlessly merged into the sea of vehicles, Xu Ye and Huo Shuyan entered the residential area together.
The security guard gave them a knowing look. “Oh, Little Xu is back with her strategic partner, huh?”
Xu Ye responded with a deep “mm,” startling Dai Dai with the nasal sound.
At Xu Ye’s unit door, they parted ways. Xu Ye reluctantly handed Dai Dai back to Huo Shuyan, glancing back repeatedly as Dai Dai’s head popped out from Huo Shuyan’s arms, gazing longingly in her direction.
Xu Ye ran back to stroke the cat’s head one last time before watching Huo Shuyan enter the neighboring building.
She changed shoes and placed the food container on the coffee table, not yet brushing off the cat hair on her clothes when a private message from David popped up in the forum.
[David: The brat’s washing his hair. I just messaged him. He says he’ll be ready in 20 minutes.]
[Xiao Bai: Got it.]
[David: By the way, any good novel recommendations?]
Xu Ye’s excitement about leveling up was slightly dampened by this question. She rested her head on her hand, worried.
If David became as addicted to novels as he was to gaming, wouldn’t she lose a valuable “cat-powered” teammate?
But her worry lasted only a few seconds before David’s next message reassured her of his unwavering dedication to gaming.
[David: The game loading screen is so boring. To avoid wasting even a second, I decided to read novels while waiting to enter the game.]
This was the stark difference between people and cats. While Xu Ye merely giggled at teammates’ names and overanalyzed the enemy lineup during the loading screen, David, confident and fearless, chose to read novels instead.
[Xiao Bai: What kind of novels do you like?]
[David: …Hmm, titles like The Seventy-Two Transformations of the Lovely Wife, The Demon Lord’s Precious Pearl: Where Do You Run, Fairy?, The Little Princess and Her 108 Brothers, Bed Slave, that sort of thing.]
Xu Ye scanned each cheesy old-school domineering CEO title, her eyes finally landing on the words “Bed Slave.”
Tearing up, she sniffled, her voice choked with emotion.
David was just a kitten—was it really appropriate for him to be reading overtly suggestive novels with such explicit titles?
[Xiao Bai: I think you’d better not read the last one.]
[David: Hm? What’s wrong with that one? It’s about a depressed heroine who turns into a baby crib, gets bought by the second female lead, and eventually heals through caring for a baby. She transforms into a bright, sunny girl and forms a close friendship with the second female lead.]
Xu Ye: ?
She couldn’t comprehend how the author managed to give such a heartwarming and wholesome story such a blatantly R-rated title.
[Xiao Bai: No problem…]
[David: The author’s other books are pretty good too, like Men’s Palm-Sized Plaything and Secrets Between the Young Master and His Sisters-in-Law.]
Xu Ye’s thoughts were as chaotic as abstract art, her fingers trembling slightly as she typed.
[Xiao Bai: Tell me more…?]
[David: The first one is about a heroine who accidentally turns into dice at a casino and helps the police bust a criminal gang. The second one is about a male lead and his sisters-in-law all being undercover agents, successfully completing a 20-year mission.]
Xu Ye reread the summaries twice and slapped herself on the forehead.
It seemed her mind had been too corrupted, seeing everything through a dirty lens. Novels with such high moral values were exactly what an enlightened cat like David should read.
With this realization, she figured the earlier novels probably had redeeming qualities too.
Eagerly, she typed.
[Xiao Bai: So, The Seventy-Two Transformations of the Lovely Wife must be about a heroine who’s an undercover agent or assassin, disguising herself to complete missions, eventually saving the nation and achieving harmony between humanity and nature, right?]
[David: Oh no, the heroine’s name is Jennie-Ma Lily-Yuanshang-Pu. When she’s happy, her hair turns pink; when she’s sad, it’s blue. When she’s angry, rose petals float around her, and when she cries, her tears become diamonds. Her hair can change into 72 different colors.]
[David: I knew you’d like this kind of story. Want me to send you the link?]
Xu Ye’s eyes turned vacant as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
[David: …Hm? Why aren’t you replying?]
Author’s Note:
David, a small cat with notable achievements across various fields.
All novel titles are purely fictitious! Any resemblance is purely coincidental.
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