Nine Cats

If Ji Mianmian's eyes weren't so watery and her voice so sweet, Shuo Yu might have continued being stubborn and forced the use of the "Pearl Diving" interaction card. But with Mianmian saying this so earnestly, Shuo Yu could only clutch her heart, marveling that sweet girls are the treasures of the world, and promptly conceded, agreeing to have breakfast first.

Just back home and not yet having had the chance to stock up at the supermarket, Shuo Yu opened the fridge. It was empty except for some beer she bought three months ago. Glancing down at her phone, she noticed that the little character was still watching her with wide, black eyes, as if checking to see if she had properly eaten breakfast.

She remembered that feline patience is immense—they can lurk in the grass for hours just to ambush prey. Ji Mianmian should also be a cat, right?

Facing Mianmian's unwavering gaze, Shuo Yu surrendered, reluctantly smiling. "I'll go out to get some breakfast. Mianmian, see you in a bit."

Since work became stable and she no longer worried about securing gigs, Shuo Yu hadn't had a reason to go out and enjoy the morning sun. She decided to head toward City No.1 High School; if she recalled correctly, the food sold near the school gate was the best.

It was quite cold today, so Shuo Yu stuffed her hands into her coat pockets as she walked, scanning the stalls for crowds. Everything smelled delicious, and she couldn't decide what to buy.

Without a clear goal, the food in her hands accumulated more and more. Finally, Shuo Yu found herself carrying various breakfast items: a stuffed pancake, a chicken-filled bun, black rice porridge, and stir-fried cold noodles.

Too much—she could eat this for two days!

After stepping out of the elevator, Shuo Yu paused. She turned toward Shen Zhiyin's place and entered after punching in the password.

As she changed into slippers, she muttered internally, "Zhiyin came back quite late last night, so she probably hasn't had breakfast. I'm so nice to her."

But upon entering the living room, Shuo Yu froze. A stranger, wearing an apron, was busy in Shen Zhiyin's open kitchen. Beside her were two plates of charred, unidentifiable items that might have once been eggs.

The woman's gold-rimmed glasses gleamed coldly as she picked up a spatula and approached. She asked in a commanding tone, "Who are you?"

Sensitive to others' heights because most women around her were shorter, Shuo Yu instantly noted that this woman was about her height—1.78 meters.

Shuo Yu chuckled, laying out the breakfast on the dining table. Casually, she unwrapped the stuffed pancake and began eating while saying, "I brought breakfast for Zhiyin. Who are you?"

She was as at ease as if she were in her own home, her demeanor showing no hint of intimidation.

The two women stared each other down, neither willing to divulge more information first, creating a tense standoff.

"Good morning, Shuo Yu. You're up early today…" Shen Zhiyin's voice, still sleepy, floated from the bedroom as she opened the door.

Since a cabinet blocked part of her view, she first saw Shuo Yu and greeted her. But a couple of steps later, seeing the other woman's vinegar-laden, near-murderous glare, her legs almost gave out.

Shen Zhiyin's tone turned tremulous, "Xiao Ka, you didn't go home last night... I thought I dreamed that up because I was drunk…"

Turning to Shuo Yu, Shen Zhiyin introduced awkwardly, "Shuo Yu, this is Xiao Ka—full name Ka Ling. You've met her now."

Shuo Yu raised an eyebrow, finding the situation much more amusing. She had assumed Shen Zhiyin's crush was one-sided, but with Ka Ling making breakfast and marking her territory like this, it was clear who had fallen harder.

Previously, she had only heard Shen Zhiyin mention taking Xiao Ka's cats to the vet, and she had assumed Xiao Ka was a delicate little girl. But this woman looked so mature, which was a stark contrast to Shen Zhiyin's usual type.

Shuo Yu made a face at Shen Zhiyin, realizing why she hadn't connected the dots—Shen Zhiyin had never shown her a picture of Ka Ling, only the two Siamese cats!

With the misunderstanding cleared, Shuo Yu extended her hand, smiling, "So you're Xiao Ka. I've heard a lot about you from Zhiyin. I'm Shuo Yu, her childhood friend."

Not waiting for Ka Ling's response, Shuo Yu picked up her half-eaten pancake, gesturing toward the door. "I live next door, and since I was out, I brought breakfast. It's a lot, so there's enough for both of you. No need to keep busy in the kitchen, Xiao Ka."

With that, Shuo Yu slipped away before anyone could react—she was eager to get back to her date with Mianmian!

Shuo Yu returned home and, just to be safe, washed her hands again. Xiao Ka kept cats, and she didn't want to risk triggering an allergy. The last thing she needed was to start swelling up inexplicably.

While eating, she projected the game onto her TV screen—another feature added in the recent update. The game now supported controller input, making it much more convenient to play.

Upon entering the game, she found Ji Mianmian on the small square. The girl was lazily sprawled in the little cart filled with hay, stretching her limbs like a contented cat soaking up the sun.

When she saw Shuo Yu's avatar appear in the sky, she flicked her tail in greeting.

A pretty little maid lying in a cart of flowers basking in the sun—the scene was reminiscent of a Western classical painting.

Shuo Yu thought it was beautiful and immediately snapped a few screenshots.

She was surprised to find that after the game was cast onto the TV, the style became much more realistic. Ji Mianmian's face and figure looked almost like a real person, while her animated cat ears and tail seemed as detailed as movie special effects.

Shuo Yu was eager to use the "Pearl Diving" card but was influenced by Mianmian's relaxed demeanor and settled back into her seat, leisurely continuing her breakfast.

"Is it too hot lying there, Mianmian? Be careful not to get heatstroke." The game's realism made her feel like she was interacting with an electronic girlfriend.

The girl on the screen parted her lips to speak, her voice perfectly synchronized with the animation: "It's not hot. The sun feels warm."

In the game on her phone, these little details weren't noticeable. Shuo Yu made a mental note to always use the TV for playing Cat Island Diary whenever possible!

"Where are Little White and Little Flower?" she asked.

Before being sent off for breakfast, the last she saw, the two kittens were in the kitchen, patiently waiting for food.

Ji Mianmian twitched her cat ears, realizing her lying posture was less than proper. She sat up and adjusted her skirt, responding, "You weren't here last night, and the medical bot finished all of One-Eye's surgeries. Now in the recovery phase, One-Eye keeps fussing about its itchy wounds, so I sent the kittens to keep it company."

Shuo Yu nodded in understanding.

Then she set down her pancake and picked up the controller, gently pushing Ji Mianmian back into the cart.

Smiling, she said, "If it's comfortable, you can lie there a bit longer. Keep me company while I finish breakfast."

The two shared a quiet moment together, and Shuo Yu noticed that in the ten minutes she observed, Ji Mianmian's idle animations never repeated. She shifted her tail, gazed at the wind, and occasionally glanced at Shuo Yu with a shy smile.

Shuo Yu couldn't help but marvel at how detailed the game was. And the fact that Cat Island Diary was now off the market made her feel secretly smug—no one else would get to enjoy Ji Mianmian's gentle company.

After finishing breakfast, Shuo Yu washed her hands. When she returned to the TV, she saw that Ji Mianmian had moved to the beach, holding a small bucket and a shovel.

It seemed she was also looking forward to their trip!

"Mianmian, I'm back. Let's go dive for pearls together!" Shuo Yu picked up the controller and activated the "Pearl Diving" card.

Ji Mianmian saw a fluffy white cloud gently float by, condense into a humanoid figure, and stand before her. Upon closer inspection, the little cloud person's face resembled Shuo Yu's.

Instinctively, she looked up, only to find that the woman in the sky had disappeared.

As soon as Shuo Yu used the card, the screen changed, shifting the view to a close-up of Ji Mianmian's face, so large it felt like Shuo Yu could reach out and touch her cat ears.

"Wow, no wonder the card is so hard to get—it's first-person and immersive!" Shuo Yu was delighted.

She nudged the joystick, and the little cloud person on the screen began to move, jumping and running around. Soon, she noticed that using the interaction card unlocked a special menu with four options: "Change into a Wetsuit," "Turn on Dive Light," "Search for Pearl Oysters," and "Swim with the Cat."

Shuo Yu selected "Change into a Wetsuit."

Since the cloud figure representing her was already fluffy, with a misty tail trailing behind, the change was completed with just a twirl.

Ji Mianmian, however, received a set of clothes from the sky. Blushing, she turned her back to Shuo Yu, pulling down the zipper of her maid outfit, shyly looking over her shoulder.

In a sweet voice, she said, "Shuo Yu, turn around first."

So, the game really does have a changing animation!

Shuo Yu's mind ran wild with possibilities.

But with Mianmian's shy gaze nearly setting her on fire, Shuo Yu reluctantly turned the cloud person around to avoid scaring the cat-eared girl away.