Sixteen Cats

Despite her carefree demeanor and the fact that she sported perfectly manicured nails that rarely touched kitchen tools, Shen Zhiyin was surprisingly good at cooking. The only reason she didn't cook often was that she was too lazy to chop vegetables or wash dishes.

It had been a while since Shuo Yu had eaten a meal prepared by her, and she found herself craving it. So, even though she had witnessed Xiaoka's disastrous attempt at frying eggs and knew she had the potential to cause havoc in the kitchen, Shuo Yu still agreed to the cooking session.

When Shuo Yu arrived at Shen Zhiyin's place, Shen Zhiyin was already busy juicing oranges and began delegating tasks. "Let's keep it simple today—braised prawns, beef stew with tomatoes, salt-fried pork, vinegar-glazed shredded potatoes, and some blanched lettuce. How does that sound?"

Shuo Yu nodded, naturally moving to the sink to start prepping the ingredients.

"Great mix of dishes. I'll chop the veggies and meat. You go rest."

This long-standing familiarity between them inadvertently left Xiaoka feeling out of place.

Frowning slightly, Xiaoka stepped forward, rolling up her sleeves. "I'll handle the rice."

"Wow, Xiaoka can cook rice? Impressive! I'll leave it to you two, then. Once everything's prepped, I'll take care of the cooking!" Shen Zhiyin, as carefree as ever, handed everyone a glass of orange juice before lying down on the couch.

This left Shuo Yu and Xiaoka alone in the open kitchen, an awkward silence hanging between them.

Shuo Yu guessed that Xiaoka might see her as a rival, making things even more uncomfortable. She wanted to clear the air but wasn't sure how to start. It would be too strange to bluntly say, "I have no interest in Shen Zhiyin, so don't worry. If you like her, go for it."

So, she focused on washing the potatoes.

However, when she saw Xiaoka filling the rice cooker without rinsing the rice, she couldn't stay silent.

"It's better to rinse the rice a few times. Shen Zhiyin rarely cooks, so the rice is probably a bit dusty."

"Thanks."

Xiaoka hesitated, then pulled out the rice cooker's inner pot and stood beside Shuo Yu, clumsily rinsing the rice.

It was clear she wasn't used to the kitchen, as rice grains kept spilling into the sink.

Mentally chanting "waste not, want not," Shuo Yu finally reached out and took the pot from her. "I'll do it. You can wash the vegetables."

Xiaoka didn't reply, her gaze fixed on Shuo Yu, the cold lines of her gold-rimmed glasses accentuating her stubbornness. But her hands tightened around the pot, refusing to let go.

Sighing, Shuo Yu realized Xiaoka wanted to impress Shen Zhiyin.

She pointed to the basket of vegetables. "How about you wash these? I've already sorted them."

As she deftly rinsed the rice, Shuo Yu pondered how to break the ice.

Shen Zhiyin clearly liked Xiaoka, so Shuo Yu knew she'd have to interact with her more often in the future. It wouldn't do for them to be at odds while Shen Zhiyin remained oblivious.

Watching the cloudy water clear with each rinse, Shuo Yu finally knew what to say.

She dried her hands slowly, then opened her phone's photo album, finding a screenshot from Cat Island Diary.

The image showed Ji Mianmian shielding her eyes from the sun with a shy smile. "Let me introduce you—this is my wife."

Xiaoka blinked, surprised by Shuo Yu's candidness, and for the first time, she smiled genuinely, enunciating each word, "Is that… cat… ears?"

For the sake of avoiding any real-world complications, this was the first time Shuo Yu had openly shared her niche interest with someone she wasn't close to.

She calmly put her phone away, unfazed. "Yes, my wife is a character in a game. Isn't she pretty?"

So what if she was a furry fan? Cat-eared girls were the best!

Shuo Yu's plan worked perfectly. Xiaoka's attitude towards her softened considerably. "You've got good taste."

Realizing Xiaoka understood that someone into virtual characters couldn't possibly be interested in Shen Zhiyin, who was the epitome of a real-world socialite, Shuo Yu felt much more relaxed.

She smiled, pointing to the living room. "If you're not good at cooking, don't make it worse. Go hang out with Shen Zhiyin, but remember, you're on dish duty after dinner."

^

After dinner, Shuo Yu walked the short distance back to her apartment, reflecting on how the meal had been worth it.

Once Xiaoka's initial hostility towards her dissipated, she turned out to be a pleasant, albeit socially awkward, science nerd.

Hearing that Shuo Yu loved cats but was allergic, Xiaoka had even pulled up her home surveillance to show off two beautiful Siamese cats, allowing Shuo Yu to admire them from a safe distance.

"I wonder if there are any purebred cats on Cat Island…" Shuo Yu muttered as she settled in at home. Her hands, almost on autopilot, connected her phone to the TV for a bigger screen.

As soon as she entered the game, she noticed that the locations of the four cats in the safe zone were clustered together and not in the medical room.

Shuo Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise and delight. "It looks like A'Jin has been discharged!"

The medical technology on Cat Island was exceptional, capable of healing even severe injuries like broken legs and blind eyes.

However, the last time she saw the tortoiseshell cat, it was still bandaged up, nestled in the medical pod with only its head sticking out. So Shuo Yu wasn't sure what it looked like now.

She quickly navigated the screen to where the cats were gathered and found them sitting under the beach umbrella she had made, gazing out at the sea.

The first to notice her was Ji Mianmian, who was barefoot on the sand. She turned around as if sensing Shuo Yu's presence and waved, her voice sweet, "Shuo Yu, you're back early today!"

"Yeah, I just had dinner at my neighbor's place. Congrats on A'Jin being discharged!"

Shuo Yu selected the tortoiseshell cat perched on a beach chair, noticing that their affection level had reached 76 points, unlocking the [Pet] option.

Unlike Ji Mianmian, whose affection level fluctuated with her emotions, the other cats' affection levels grew steadily, with increases only occurring during interactions and feeding.

A'Jin had been the hardest to please, never giving more than 3 affection points at a time due to its mistrust of humans.

Over the past few days, the other two kittens had become comfortable with being petted, but A'Jin's affection had remained below 30.

Shuo Yu browsed through her history and discovered that after recovering from its injuries and fully being discharged, A'Jin had suddenly given 50 affection points.

This cat was the one she felt the most sympathy for.

Zooming in, Shuo Yu immediately noticed that A'Jin's once-cloudy right eye was now clear.

Instead of immediately petting it, she gently greeted the cat, "A'Jin, how's your right eye? Can you see clearly?"

The cat on the screen meowed sweetly, pacing back and forth with visible joy.

The dialogue bubble above its head read, "I can see clearly, and my leg doesn't hurt anymore. Thank you for saving me!"

Shuo Yu then noticed that A'Jin's right eye was green, a beautiful contrast to its yellow left eye, making it a striking heterochromatic tortoiseshell cat.

She cautiously asked, "Can I pet you from now on? Where do you like to be petted?"

After the incident where she lost affection points for petting Ji Mianmian's belly, Shuo Yu had made it a habit to ask each cat about their preferences before attempting to pet them.

A'Jin, now brimming with affection for her, stood tall with its tail upright, meowing excitedly and even trying to touch the floating Shuo Yu.

It answered immediately, "You can pet my neck, head, back… and even my belly!"

The cat listed almost all of its body parts, having the fewest restrictions among the four cats.

Shuo Yu was thrilled and immediately started petting A'Jin.

Ji Mianmian watched as A'Jin was petted into a blissful state, even rolling over to purr. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

She looked up at Shuo Yu, deep in thought.