Xu Ye rubbed her head, pondering what this “CEO name” really was.
She first thought of the names of male protagonists in CEO novels, like Gu Weihuan, Shen Muyuan, or perhaps something even more domineering, like Murong Yunhai.
If David really liked it, she wouldn’t mind changing her ID to “Duomu Ye Ba” (Dumou Ye, the dominant one).
[Xiao Bai: Wait, let me check the post you sent first.]
After Xu Ye clicked on the post, she felt like she was transported back to that colorful era. To match the vibe, she opened UU Music and played “I Miss You.”
Listening to the familiar melody, Xu Ye was quite satisfied; this was much more fitting for the occasion.
【2F: Sweet girl usernames: “I’ll give you all the toffee”, “Gentle and good mushroom cooli”, “Good boy”…】
【3F: Sunshine boy usernames: “Brother smokes cigarettes and is lonely”, “I understand brother, brother is weird”…】
【4F: Couple names: “Don’t touch my brother’s women, don’t touch my sister’s men”, “Go crazy with you, make trouble with you”, “Choose a city to live in forever, choose a person to love deeply”…】[mfn]Tl’s note: The usernames are in Chinese and is depicted in funny and stylized characters, which doesn’t have any direct English equivalents.[/mfn]
Xu Ye sighed in amazement. Her eyes were dazzled by the flood of traditional characters and symbols on the screen. Some of these usernames were ones she had used before, like “Bro who doesn’t smoke, just lonely”.
She also finally remembered the original intent behind the name “Grandpa is here.” She had originally meant to write “Ye Ye is here,” but her hand slipped, and the cute “Ye Ye” turned into the domineering “Grandpa.” [mfn]Tl’s Note: 爷爷 Yé Yé means grandfather, while Xu Ye’s name is 椰椰 Yē Yē and was meant to be Coconut Coconut.[/mfn]
Xu Ye was wondering if any naïve netizens might actually adopt such a ridiculous ID when she noticed that the users in the post seemed uninterested in these names. They bypassed even the non-mainstream era that even Xu Ye, a mature woman, couldn’t avoid.
[11F: Why so many symbols? Not as good as my “Cat Cat, Three Years Old, a Blossom.”]
[12F: Not as good as my “Little Cat, What Bad Thoughts Could I Have?”]
The netizens didn’t like these IDs, but David’s train of thought was different from other cats. It had just said that this post was quite interesting. Could it be that it liked this kind?
If it were anyone else asking her to change to such a CEO name, she would refuse, but since it was David’s request, she switched back to private chat and reluctantly replied:
[Xiao Bai: Alright. What kind of CEO name do you want? Something like “My girl, don’t touch her,” “My CEO, don’t love her?”]
[David: No, these names in the post are too tacky. I just thought it was interesting to show you. I want a name that mixes dominance with a touch of coolness, and coolness with a hint of elegance.]
[Xiao Bai: … I’d rather you like something a little tackier.]
Xu Ye’s brain started spinning wildly, unable to imagine an ID that could embody all these adjectives.
In the end, she proposed a suggestion to David:
[Xiao Bai: “Huangfu Dai Ba’s eyes flashed coldly as he lifted his cat paw to adjust his mink fur coat.”]
[Xiao Bai: How about this name? It’s a bit long, but it has the dominance, coolness, and elegance you wanted.]
[David: A bit too tacky. After watching Journey to the West, I’ve transformed. I’m no longer that little cat who could only cry over CEO literature two days ago.]
[David: (Proud little cat.jpg)]
[Xiao Bai: CEO, sometimes you really make me adore you.]
David rejected Xu Ye’s suggestion of “David Three Slaps Small Fish Dried” and “Eat My Old Dai’s Paw,” gently indicating that these names were too long and that he wanted something simpler.
David’s demands were so high that it reminded Xu Ye of that unreasonable client boss. But this was David, a little cat. No matter how unreasonable the request, it was still very reasonable.
After thinking for a while, Xu Ye had a flash of inspiration:
[Xiao Bai: “CEO Dai”? You’re the boss, dominant; the name is short, cool; and CEOs are all wealthy, so it’s elegant.]
[David: This is good, I like it. But “CEO” sounds too small. I want something grander. Let’s call it “Dai Dong.”]
[Xiao Bai: Sophisticated.]
David had already changed the ID to “Dai Dong.” Xu Ye eagerly wanted to change hers to “Bai Dong.”
But Dai Dong was very persistent about the term “girl” and the messages he sent were full of his authoritative aura — “You must be the girl.”
Xu Ye reluctantly settled for this, thinking that as long as she didn’t change to a non-mainstream name, it would be fine.
When she was about to type “girl,” David’s big paw swept over, generously bestowing her a name:
[Dai Dong: I just learned today that “girl” has another meaning, so I thought of a name that sounds very precious, “Bao Ya.”]
[Xiao Bai: Did you make a typo, Dai Dong?]
[Dai Dong: No, it’s “Bao Ya.”]
[Xiao Bai: Haha.]
Just like ancient people couldn’t refuse an emperor’s bestowed name, Xu Ye couldn’t resist the little cat’s bestowed name.
She tearily changed her name, feeling that “Bao Ya” was drifting farther from her desired direction.
Dai Dong was stylish, but what did she do wrong with “Bao Ya”?
Xu Ye closed “I Miss You” and switched to an upbeat, passionate mountain song.
After changing her name, Xu Ye suggested to David that they play the “Cat Cat Mountain” version of hide-and-seek. Gao Shou and the brothers were on their way home and would probably arrive in a few minutes.
[Dai Dong: When Gao Xiao gets home, let me know. I’m writing something powerful, I’ll show it to you tomorrow.]
[Bao Ya: Okay.]
Could it be that David had become so cool that he could write novels himself? Xu Ye suppressed her curiosity, almost wanting to knock herself out with a brick, skipping ahead to the next day to see David’s artistic work.
Meanwhile, Liu Shuo had finally seen the beautiful photos netizens had taken of him and was heartbroken, complaining in the group:
[Liu Shuo: Are these netizens my anti-fans? They always take such abstract photos of me. Since they’re all kind-hearted people who care about stray cats, I won’t argue with them.]
Xu Ye, who was about to laugh, suddenly remembered that she had just clicked on the forum because she was about to invite David to play a game. What if she hadn’t checked the post then? Liu Shuo was busy with work, and Huo Shuyan was at a school meeting. Would that man have taken advantage of the situation?
The only three humans in their forum couldn’t be staring at posts all day long. If only there was a feature that would automatically pin a help post.
Xu Ye was a little anxious, scrolling through her regular apps, trying to extract the best features from them.
After a while, she proposed:
[Xu Ye: Huo, could you create an auto-pin feature for help posts? Or set up a help section where posts in that area would automatically be pinned?]
[Huo Shuyan: Sure, I’ll finish the self-created breeds and do it. It should be up tomorrow.]
[Xu Ye: Thank you, you’re so busy.]
[Liu Shuo: Busier is better.]
After sending the message in the group, Xu Ye scrolled through the forum, checking if any help posts had been missed.
As she thought, most of the time, the forum’s atmosphere was very harmonious, and there were no other help posts.
There were two posts with completely different styles side by side in the dog section. Xu Ye looked at them and almost laughed out loud. The corner of her mouth curved into a small smile, but she quickly suppressed it, mentally chanting a prayer to calm herself.
【”According to my “countdown” app, my older sister has been abroad for 14 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes, and 06 seconds. She is expected to return in 10 days. Is there any way I can stop missing her?”】
【”Help! I just bit and ruined my older brother’s pillow. According to my “countdown” app, he still has 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 09 seconds until he finishes work. What should I do? I’m waiting for your advice, urgently!”】
The first post was by a user called “Sister’s Warm Little Sweater,” and the second was by “Older Brother’s Demolition Axe.”
Some users also noticed the comedic effect of these two posts being placed together and offered sincere advice in both threads:
【2F: I think you could chat with the user from the post above/below. Maybe you’ll discover something new.】
【3F: Are you two using couple names? Very advanced.】
【4F: Couple names? Who’s above? I don’t know them, don’t joke with me, friends! Let’s stop with the useless talk and help me with advice!】
【5F: The kid talks too much and is always in trouble, probably just bored. A good slap will do.】
Xu Ye clicked on both the “Sweater” and “Axe” profiles and found that these two dogs weren’t just any dogs—they were both Huskies.
Unfortunately, they were both male dogs, so they could only form a brotherly bond, like the Peach Garden Oath.
In the cat section, a new post appeared by “New Mom Miao” sharing her parenting experience.
【”What should I do if little Mimi keeps drooling? Today, I’ll share a good solution with everyone.”】
【2F: Just use a cat paw to gently rub the area near Mimi’s lower lip. This is something I learned from my litter box cleaner at the hospital today. Friends, have you all learned it?】
【3F: Learned it! Thank you, Miao Miao friend/rose/thumbs up】
【4F: Learned it! Just didn’t master the force properly, and my dear Mimi ended up in the litter box, but it’s not a big deal/claps】
Xu Ye clicked on Miao Miao’s profile and saved all the newly uploaded photos of her kittens to her phone. She decided to suggest a collection feature once Huo Shuyan finished the pinned help thread.
Gao Shou brother said he was home and ready to start a fun game of hide-and-seek.
【I’m the mid laner who leads the charge: Did you change your name again? This one’s quite… cute. Does it have any meaning?】
【Bao Ya: Long story short, I’ll keep it brief.】
Xu Ye calmly and sadly explained the backstory behind her name change. The Gao Shou brothers listened attentively and, giving her face, sent a string of “hahaha.”
【I’m the mid laner who leads the charge: Interesting, I’m a bit intrigued.】
【Bao Ya: I wonder if you’re intrigued by Mr. Dai or by me, little Bao Ya.】
Big Gao and Little Gao commented that the name looked quite interesting, and after getting David’s approval, they both decided to change their names to matching domineering CEO names.
Xu Ye angrily rolled around on the sofa. She knew those two mischievous dogs didn’t like her name.
After a roll, she smiled with satisfaction. No matter how the relationships between the other cats and dogs were, or how her own name was, at least her good friends could now get along harmoniously.
The four of them entered the hide-and-seek room. Big Gao changed his name to “Mr. Mi,” Little Gao changed to “Mr. Wan,” and Xu Ye, the Bao Ya, felt like a server at an old boss gathering, pouring tea for the CEOs.
【Mr. Dai: Hmm, very nice. Our four names look great.】
【Mr. Mi: I’m very satisfied.】
【Mr. Wan: I’m also very satisfied.】
【Bao Ya: .】
David didn’t select “Allow other players to enter,” and the four of them chose the Lynx model to start the game.
Little Gao was assigned as the seeker and chose the “Cozy Apartment” map. The map was small but had three floors.
The Lynx was so large that it couldn’t fit in one map. The yellow Lynx occupied the entire screen, and Xu Ye felt like the game didn’t need to continue.
But when they saw the giant David cramming himself into the TV cabinet, his large yellow butt sticking out through the TV, they couldn’t help but admire his dedication.
【Mr. Mi: It can do this?】
【Mr. Dai: Just tell me if I’m hiding or not.】
【Bao Ya: With such a large model, who needs a bicycle? Mr. Mi, we can make do with it.】
Moved by David’s determination, Xu Ye and Big Gao perked up and started searching for a good hiding spot in other rooms.
However, while the apartment map was large, there were very few cabinets that could be opened. For example, the shoe cabinet and storage cabinet on the first floor had no “open” option.
Finally, after failing to squeeze into the water cup, Xu Ye found a vertical wardrobe that could open on the second floor in one of the bedrooms.
As the countdown neared its end, Big Gao squeezed in as well. The two Lynxes seemed to have merged with the wardrobe, their model stretching from the second floor to the third floor.
Having seen how ridiculous David’s hiding in the TV cabinet was, Xu Ye and Big Gao silently agreed that hiding like this made sense.
【Bao Ya: Quickly close the door.】
【Mr. Mi: Bao Ya, can you move further in? I’m almost falling out.】
Xu Ye tried to make the Lynx step back, but something blocked her way. She nearly pressed her face to the phone screen, finally realizing what had been blocking her large Lynx’s steps.
The cabinet was stacked with a neatly folded blanket, so she couldn’t move back and had to rub against the edge of the blanket.
The countdown ended, and Big Gao urged her to hurry. Xu Ye, with nowhere to go, could only cry out in frustration:
【Bao Ya: This step back is just a blanket!】
【Mr. Mi: Sigh, forget it, we’ll make do.】
Little Gao had just pulled David out of the TV cabinet when the two cats had no chance to see the wonders of the second-floor wardrobe. The four of them were kicked back to the game lobby.
【The “Lynx” model has been removed by the designer. The system has automatically returned you to the game lobby. Please select a new model.】
Xu Ye opened the model list, and Huo Shuyan was quite swift. In addition to the Lynx, the Flower Dog and Rice Dog models were also gone.
【Mr. Dai: What a shame, I didn’t get to see how you two morphed.】
【Mr. Mi: Sometimes, it’s good to leave some regrets with the cats.】
The four played a bit of King of Glory, and since they had work the next day, Xu Ye tearfully said goodbye to her friends at 10 o’clock and started packing up, preparing for bed.
On Monday morning, she reluctantly left her neighborhood, carrying her bag and waiting at the bus stop.
The wind cut through Xu Ye’s fragile skin like a knife. She tightened her scarf and got goosebumps on her face, feeling like someone was watching her.
She glanced left and right, and with her excellent vision of 100.00, she spotted three cat heads on the balcony of Building 1.
The three cats—yellow, white, and brown—were neatly lined up on the balcony like the three-colored cups Xu Ye liked to eat when she was a child.
When the bus arrived and blocked her view, she looked back after getting on the bus, but the balcony was empty, with only the white curtain swaying in the cold wind.
