The tiny cat head rested against his soft palm.
They both felt that warmth.
Gu Chuan suddenly sniffed. He was starting to understand, little by little, how Xuechun felt.
So he turned his head away and, like he always did, used his small fingertips to smooth and stroke the fur on top of the kitten’s head, following the grain.
But Xuechun was still whimpering, making pitiful little “miu-woo” sounds.
Normally, Xuechun would’ve been purring happily by now, a rumbling “grrr-grrr” in her throat.
Every cat had more than just fur. They also had a tiny but powerful cat engine inside them. As for tigers, those had emperor engines.
If you pet one enough to make it happy, you could hear the same pleased purring too.
It was just that the people who tried usually didn’t come back.
“Xuechun... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come back this late. I didn’t take your feelings into account.”
“You waited for me at home for so long. You must be hungry, right?”
“Meow! Meow meow!”
That’s not it! It’s not because of that...
“Meowu...”
Gu Chuan could barely understand a small part of cat language. If he listened carefully to Xuechun’s tone, he could usually guess most of it.
But even so, he still wished he could talk to Xuechun directly, instead of losing himself in one meow after another.
“You mean... that’s not the reason?”
“Meow!”
Gu Chuan was a little surprised, but he furrowed his sharp brows and thought it over.
Could it be like this morning? Back then, Xuechun had gotten jealous of Ji Gewei, and now... was she jealous of Wen Tinghan?
You smell like her perfume?
That actually sounded like a reasonable guess.
“I just went to a friend’s house for dinner, Xuechun... don’t be mad, okay?” Gu Chuan said in a low, placating voice as he stroked her back.
But Xuechun was still unhappy. She made a huffing “fufu” sound, like a tiny cat-brand fan.
“Meowu! Meow meow meow!”
Even though he couldn’t understand her, Gu Chuan still sighed.
“Kitties aren’t allowed to swear.”
Under the moonlight, Xuechun bared her tiny sharp fangs. In a rush, she tried to bite her owner.
But the moment her little fangs touched Gu Chuan’s palm, the feeling suddenly softened.
Looking closer, she had already switched from sharp teeth to her small pink tongue. For the first time, she didn’t hold back the soft barbs on it, and licked Gu Chuan’s hand.
This was an angry little cat.
A cat who loved her owner.
This was the only punishment she could give. One that wouldn’t hurt her owner, and wouldn’t make her own heart ache too much either.
Gu Chuan’s heart softened. Then he scooped up the little white cat and pulled her into his arms.
He didn’t know what else to do.
But maybe this hug, this warmth, could let Xuechun feel how much he cared about her.
“Meow...” A short little sound, carrying both forgiveness and exhaustion.
In Gu Chuan’s arms, Xuechun was always this defenseless, always able to feel safe.
She’d already scolded him, and bitten... licked him too.
Fine. She’d forgive her owner.
Xuechun narrowed her sleepy eyes. To her, her owner’s arms would always be the best cradle.
In Xuechun’s heart, what mattered was never what her owner had done. It didn’t matter if he’d petted other cats, or even gone on a date with a girl.
What mattered was only her owner.
Only then did a sudden flash of insight strike Gu Chuan’s mind.
He realized why Xuechun was angry.
She was a cat. And cats were territorial.
Of course, this conclusion came from what he’d seen that morning, when Xuechun had gotten angry and jealous over Ji Gewei.
And cats had keen noses. She could smell other people’s scents on him.
But if you said Xuechun was angry because of Wen Tinghan, that didn’t seem possible.
The one she truly cared about, the one she was really mad at, was the silver tabby kitten Zaizai at Wen Tinghan’s house, several miles away.
Xuechun had smelled another cat on Gu Chuan.
That was what she couldn’t accept. That was what made her sad, aggrieved, and angry.
In other words—
Master, you’ve got another cat outside!
At that thought, Gu Chuan couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
But he just happened to wake little Xuechun, who had been slowly drifting off in his arms.
She raised one tiny paw with soft pink pads. Rather than a threat, it looked more like she was acting cute.
“Meowu...”
Dummy master...
“Xuechun, I know what you care about now. I really didn’t think it through.”
“But what you don’t know is, Zaizai is a little tomcat!”
“Meow...?”
Seeing Xuechun’s half-understanding look, Gu Chuan smiled and went on.
“And he’s a little tomcat who’s already been neutered!”
As he said that, he made a little snipping motion with his fingers like scissors.
Xuechun instantly shrank her neck back, adorably cowardly.
“Anyway, Xuechun is still my cutest little cat.” As he said that, Gu Chuan lifted Xuechun up and bent down to kiss her on the forehead.
“...”
Cat face blush.jpg
It was seven-thirty. Not too late, not too early.
After that, Gu Chuan took the leftover meat from the fridge and three small fish to make Xuechun an extra meal.
The pork gave off a natural meaty aroma once boiled in hot water, and the dried little fish were a fresh snack.
The little one ate the meat with loud biaji-biaji sounds, looking completely satisfied.
At the same time, another sound rang out too.
The golden bell tied among her white fur, the one that recorded her catgirl information, was swaying lightly as she buried her head in her meal and chewed away.
Gu Chuan casually picked it up for a look.
It was light, exquisitely made, and perfectly designed.
Like always, when Gu Chuan touched the bell, a transparent floating screen would appear before him, almost like a virtual interface, showing the information of the catgirl Xuechun.
But it didn’t seem to be a system.
It was more like some kind of “cat nameplate,” made with technology or perhaps some kind of artifice far beyond Gu Chuan’s imagination.
But this time, on the catgirl information panel—
there were some changes on it that even shocked Gu Chuan.
Or rather, additions.
『Name: Gu Xuechun』
『Race: Catgirl』
『Personality: Capable, timid, easily shy, gentle and obedient』
『Owner: Gu Chuan (Heartbeat Value 100)』
『Affection: Master for Life』
『Skills: Housekeeping LV5, Little Mouse Hunter LV2, Cockroach Nemesis LV2 (Upgradeable)』
『Items Available in the Heartbeat Value Shop:
Price: 200 Heartbeat Value
Price: 300 Heartbeat Value
Price: 500 Heartbeat Value
Catgirl Maid Outfit x1, Price: 500 Heartbeat Value
Catgirl Mint x1, Price: 100 Heartbeat Value
Note: Refreshes every Monday』
That was everything displayed on the bell hanging before Xuechun’s neck—her catgirl information panel.
Gu Chuan stayed stunned for a long time, unable to come back to himself.
Until a shadow shaped like a little cat head suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was Xuechun. She lifted her pure, clear eyes, curiously wondering what her owner was doing while holding her little bell.
Gu Chuan’s thoughts were interrupted, but he was still murmuring under his breath.
“Heartbeat Value...”
At the same time, after parting with Wen Tinghan, that line that had suddenly flashed through his mind, like an ECG trace—
appeared in Gu Chuan’s heart once more.
