Eight Cats

After finishing dinner alone, Shuo Yu went to the guest room to search for some old belongings. Her parents, who had always longed for the northern scenery, sold their old house and moved to rent a place in northern China after she bought her apartment. This year, they were living in Xin'an City, and they mentioned how the food there was great—a true carbohydrate heaven.

The items they didn't take were all stored in the guest room, and recently, her mother had called asking for a red sweater she had bought years ago for Chinese New Year. Shuo Yu had promised to look for it when she got back to Yunxi City. Today, her mom had sent another message, reminding her.

Although Shuo Yu liked hoarding items in games, she was a firm believer in minimalism in real life. Her apartment was sparsely decorated, especially compared to Shen Zhiyin's place, which was packed with decor. This made the guest room feel out of place with its stacks of storage boxes. Every time she walked in, she felt overwhelmed.

But her parents' lifestyle was not something she interfered with, just as they rarely involved themselves in her life. This mutual understanding was something Shen Zhiyin always envied.

After finally locating the boxes labeled "Winter Clothes," Shuo Yu clicked her tongue in annoyance. Winter clothes were thick, making them cumbersome to search through. She felt more exhausted than after a weightlifting session. Deciding to take the opportunity to hang up the clothes, she opened the closet. She had wanted to do this for a while but never found the time.

Organizing felt a lot like working out—enjoyable and satisfying when you're in the mood, but once fatigue sets in, it becomes a chore. After sorting through several boxes and finally finding the red sweater, she felt so worn out that she could barely stand straight. She quickly closed the door, shutting away the chaos brought by her parents.

Sniffing the red sweater, Shuo Yu noticed that despite being stored for years, it didn't have any unpleasant odors. She put it on and took a photo to confirm with her mom before scheduling a courier pickup for the next day.

With Cat Island Diary still under maintenance, Shuo Yu realized she wouldn't be able to say goodnight to Mianmian tonight. Lying on her bed, she aimlessly scrolled through her phone, feeling oddly empty inside. Just as she debated calling Shen Zhiyin to ask where she was, a friend request popped up.

[Liu Xu Fei Fei: Hello, sis! I'm Meng Xu, introduced by Sister Shen!]

Looking at the unfamiliar but beautiful profile picture, Shuo Yu raised an eyebrow. Before she could ask Shen Zhiyin about it, a message came through:

[Ge Yu Lu: (Screenshot of Liu Xu Fei Fei's profile) Xiao Yu, this is my boss's daughter, a freshman in college. She has great potential and seems interested in modeling. She has a lot of questions and wants to learn from you, so I gave her your contact info!]

Satisfied that the person was indeed someone Shen Zhiyin knew, Shuo Yu accepted the friend request. Modeling was a career that thrived on youth but demanded physical endurance. At 26, Shuo Yu could still earn money, but it was exhausting. She had been considering transitioning into a managerial role or finding another stable, long-term career.

If Shen Zhiyin said Meng Xu had potential, she likely did. Perhaps this was the first step in Shuo Yu's career shift.

The moment she accepted the friend request, a barrage of voice messages and photos flooded in, with selfies and full-body shots included. The girl was young, beautiful, with long legs and a slim figure. Although her poses were somewhat awkward and her camera presence needed work, she definitely had potential for development.

Shuo Yu squinted, scrutinizing the photos. Meng Xu had the looks and physique necessary for modeling. However, as she listened to the voice messages one by one, her brows furrowed deeper.

[Liu Xu Fei Fei: Ahhh, sis, you're so gorgeous! I saw your photos on gg and fell in love at first sight!]

[Liu Xu Fei Fei: Sister Shen said you're single, and guess what? So am I. Do you think we could be a match?]

[Liu Xu Fei Fei: Sis, I've seen your photos, and I'm sure I like you. I'll send you my pictures—if you like what you see, we can start dating online today and meet in person tomorrow to raise cats together!]

Shuo Yu glanced at the flood of selfies and full-body shots, feeling a headache coming on. Shen Zhiyin had misled her—this girl wasn't looking for a modeling mentor; she was here to make a move.

Instead of replying, Shuo Yu screenshotted the voice messages and photos, sending them to Shen Zhiyin with a questioning emoji.

It wasn't long before Shen Zhiyin replied. She laughed for a good half-minute before telling Shuo Yu not to respond while she handled things on her end. Shuo Yu watched as the photos in the chat were gradually retracted, feeling a sense of relief.

Later, when she had nearly forgotten about the whole ordeal, Meng Xu sent another message. This time, the girl seemed to have thought things through.

It was a written apology instead of a long-winded voice message.

[Liu Xu Fei Fei: Sis, I'm sorry. I misunderstood what Sister Shen said and didn't realize you weren't looking for a relationship right now. Focusing on work is great; that's how we both stand tall! Please pretend you didn't see my earlier outburst. I'm sorry I couldn't retract everything in time.]

[Liu Xu Fei Fei: Please don't delete me as a friend—I actually have something else I want to discuss!]

As Shuo Yu wondered if Meng Xu was serious about modeling, the girl sent another batch of photos. But this time, they weren't selfies. The pictures showed an empty gallery with clear marks on the walls where paintings had once hung.

[Shuo Yu: What's this?]

Excited that Shuo Yu finally responded, Meng Xu sighed in relief. As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of beauty, she adored tall, slender, and beautiful women like Shuo Yu. When Sister Shen mentioned her model friend was single, her heart raced with anticipation.

Usually, Meng Xu was too shy to approach beautiful women, and those she did approach often ended up as friends. This time, she decided to be bold, hoping to skip straight to a relationship. She was prepared for rejection and wasn't too upset about it. But the thought of Shuo Yu disliking her made her heart ache—Shuo Yu was different from the other women she'd befriended!

So, in a flash of inspiration, Meng Xu sent the day's gallery photos to shift the focus away from her failed attempt at confessing.

After much deliberation, Shuo Yu received this message.

[Liu Xu Fei Fei: My aunt moved her gallery, so she gave me the old space. I want to convert it into a professional photography studio for magazine shoots. Do you think that's a good idea? I figured since you're a professional model, we could maybe collaborate.]

Shuo Yu chuckled. So Meng Xu was prepared for both outcomes—if they couldn't be lovers, they could be business partners?

Intrigued, Shuo Yu opened the gallery photos for a closer look. The gallery was spacious, occupying two floors of a commercial space. The lighting was excellent, and in some shots, she could see Yunxi City's iconic Yunxi Tower. The grand staircase in the center sparked her creativity.

With plans to start a side business, Shuo Yu decided to discuss it further and found that Meng Xu was quite interesting when not being overly forward. She also seemed genuinely invested in the gallery's transformation, answering questions about the space's details with ease.

Since Meng Xu was Shen Zhiyin's boss's daughter, Shuo Yu figured it was best to handle things diplomatically. After some thought, she replied:

[Shuo Yu: Just call me by my name—no need for "sis." Are you free tomorrow? We could meet around 4 or 5 PM to check out the space in person.]

Meng Xu immediately agreed. Shuo Yu took screenshots of the chat and sent them to Shen Zhiyin.

[Shuo Yu: You're coming with me tomorrow.]

No matter how much Shen Zhiyin protested, Shuo Yu was adamant that she accompany her. This was the price of boasting about her model friend and inadvertently bringing her unwanted attention.

^

The next morning, Shuo Yu was woken by her alarm at 7:30 AM. Even though she loved to sleep in during her days off, she found herself easily getting out of bed this time.

Cat Island Diary had finished updating, and she could finally log in to have her date with Mianmian!

When she entered the game, a series of update notifications appeared. Shuo Yu noticed that many of the issues she had mentioned had been addressed and optimized.

The random blueprint drops had been removed, and a new research room had been added to the cottage. Here, players could unlock blueprints by progressing through a tech tree at their own pace.

A trade shop had also been added next to the medical station. Customer Support 001, now with a halo above its head, worked there, selling rare materials like the mechanical core and metal ores that Shuo Yu desperately needed.

The shop also offered bounty missions, rewarding players with large amounts of cat coins, cat diamonds, and rare materials in exchange for specific items.

Unlocking new maps was now based on the number of resident cats, with new areas opening up as the cat population grew. Additionally, the cats were now given special talents, enabling them to fight back against the evil spirits.

Seeing how her suggestions had drastically changed the gameplay, Shuo Yu was impressed.

She opened the update package at the end of the list and was delighted to find it contained the previously priced 328 cat diamond food feature. A separate kitchen had been added next to her three-story cottage as part of the update.

"This is amazing! They're giving me something that was supposed to cost money for free!"

Shuo Yu had felt a twinge of guilt when she saw screenshots of Mianmian eating the same cat food as the other cats. She had planned to unlock the food feature immediately after the update, so this unexpected gift saved her 328 cat diamonds.

Feeling pleased, she navigated to the game's review page, intending to give it a five-star rating. In an industry where most games treated players as mere cash cows, it was rare to find one that promptly addressed player feedback and handed out premium content as compensation.

However, when she opened the page, she noticed the download button had been replaced with a message:

[Due to unforeseen circumstances, this game has been temporarily removed. Interested players can make a reservation here.]

Shuo Yu thought to herself, "They must be adjusting their marketing strategy because of the content changes." As long as the servers stayed online, she wasn't worried. As a paying player, if the game experience wasn't maintained, she could always take legal action against the company.

Realizing it was almost 8 AM, Shuo Yu hurried back to the game. The thought of the game being delisted, meaning no new players could meet Mianmian, made her grin. The idea of not having to share Mianmian with others was secretly satisfying.

Upon logging in, she found Mianmian already up and preparing food in the newly added kitchen. It dawned on Shuo Yu that Mianmian must have a player-following protocol; otherwise, how could she always notice her immediately upon logging in?

Mianmian was still wearing her Victorian maid outfit, either because Shuo Yu hadn't found the gifted debutante set or hadn't issued the command to change clothes.

The girl, still dressed in her full maid attire, was busy shucking oysters with a small knife. The morning light streamed through the window, casting a glow on her face, making her skin appear as white as snow, her lips red, and her teeth pearly white.

Watching this scene, Shuo Yu's heart swelled with emotion. She had heard people talk about how appealing the "housewife" archetype was but never took it seriously as she was more of a "sweet girl" fan. Yet, seeing the delicate girl diligently preparing breakfast filled her with a genuine desire to hold her close.

When Mianmian looked up, she saw Shuo Yu's gaze wandering, her smile serene as if she were lost in thought. Confused, she wiggled her ears, unaware that her tail had happily curled up behind her, flicking Little White on the nose as it waited impatiently on the table.

The girl waved at Shuo Yu, her mood bubbles radiating joy, "Good morning, Shuo Yu! Have you had breakfast? It's important to eat well in the morning."

Shuo Yu patted her flat stomach and shook her head, "Not yet. I was planning to eat after we finished pearl diving. We're scheduled for 8 AM, so I thought I'd skip breakfast to avoid being late."

Unexpectedly, Mianmian's avatar suddenly displayed rare angry and upset mood bubbles.

She stomped her foot and looked at Shuo Yu's floating image with puffed cheeks, "If you don't eat breakfast properly, I won't go with you!"