“Got it? Just stay put right there, don’t move a muscle. I’ll snap a quick photo—click!—and we’re done. Understand?”
“Of course not! Who’s gonna get that?!” Guang Yu, in her cat form, waved her front paws furiously in protest. “Be reasonable! Before you go clicking away, shouldn’t you explain what a ‘group photo’ even is first, meow? You humans have the weirdest words!”
“A group photo is… sigh, how am I supposed to explain? It’s just taking a picture together.”
“So, what’s a picture?”
“…”
Just say if you’re gonna pose or not!
Ye Zhibai had originally wanted to snap the best human-pet friendship photo of the century with Guang Yu. She’d even come up with the perfect caption.
It would be called Man and Cat.
With a harmonious, beautiful shot like that, she could send it to Little Qiu, and there’d be nothing left for her to say.
But unfortunately, Guang Yu just wouldn’t cooperate!
It was probably because she’d been online so much lately. She hadn’t picked up anything good—just the iron-willed nitpicking spirit of internet trolls.
A group photo was a group photo, but no, she had to know exactly what it meant!
I could explain what a group photo is.
But don’t ask me what taking a photo is after that!
And once you ask about photos, won’t you then grill me on the origins of cameras and film?
“Yezi? Yezi, are you still there? You aren’t mad, are you? Sorry… I shouldn’t have called you out like that. I get it—everyone has their own idea of what ‘friendly’ means with pets. What I think is friendly might not match yours. We should focus on what we have in common and respect the differences.”
Seeing her stubborn denial about to be proven irrefutably.
Ye Zhibai decided she couldn’t keep tangling with Guang Yu.
On second thought… for a group photo, couldn’t she just catch her off guard and get it done?
Guang Yu was still muttering away with her cat mouth wide open.
Ye Zhibai paused for a moment, then moved with swift precision!
“We think taking photos and painting are totally different… Mrrrow?!”
Come here, you!
Ye Zhibai grabbed Guang Yu by the scruff of the neck and yanked the whole cat right up to her chest.
As long as I hit the shutter fast enough, I can skip all the unnecessary steps and nail the goal!
~~~
Anyway, in a group photo, no one can tell if the cat looks happy or terrified—it can all pass as friendly.
~~~
“Meowww! That’s not fair play! How can you force a group photo like that?!”
“Quit fussing. It’s just one photo—you won’t lose a single hair over it. Why so many words?”
“I’ve already lost a bunch of fur!”
Oh yeah, true—cat hair was flying everywhere.
Quite a few strands, in fact.
But no matter.
The photo was already taken.
Ye Zhibai felt deeply satisfied inside as she gently released Guang Yu.
She cradled her phone even more tenderly, admiring the masterpiece born of her wits, courage, and bold action.
Masterpiece…?
“…”
It was almost miraculous, really. With Ye Zhibai’s icy expression, smiling convincingly was a real challenge.
But sinking into a scowl? That came all too easily!
In the photo, Guang Yu was pushing back with her paws against Ye Zhibai’s face, looking utterly coerced and menaced in a way that screamed artistic disdain.
And the worst part?
Why could you pull off a look of pure disgust even as a cat?!
Guang Yu’s cute feline face was scrunched up just so in the shot, conveying emotion beyond species barriers.
With a flick of her finger, Ye Zhibai deleted this once-in-a-lifetime blunder.
The phone asked if she wanted to move it to Recently Deleted. She tapped No.
~~~
I want it gone forever.
~~~
Having done all that, Ye Zhibai messaged Little Qiu back with a bitter expression, fully convinced.
“Little Qiu, I’m not mad. I just realized you’re right—my cat and I probably don’t get along that well after all.”
“See? Don’t worry! As long as you treat it with genuine care, someday the kitty will warm up to you, I’m sure!”
“…”
Ye Zhibai brushed her silver hair aside, clearing her view to glance at Guang Yu. The cat was perched warily on the edge of the bed, eyeing her.
It waved its little paws in the air, as if declaring: Try anything without explaining ‘group photo’ first, and you’ll regret it!
Whatever.
Empathy only led to a brutal scrap in this case.
Wasting her nap time over it would make her a total fool.
She chatted idly with Little Qiu a bit longer, said her goodbyes, and locked her phone screen.
Then she burrowed into the covers, kicking off her blissful afternoon nap.
Little did she know.
The moment Ye Zhibai settled down peacefully, Guang Yu—who’d been poised to charge—relaxed.
In the silent room, Guang Yu swayed her tail a few times and shook her cat head.
Silently, she wriggled under the edge of the blanket, curling into a ball against Ye Zhibai’s chest, which rose and fell gently with her sleeping breaths.
No need to dig into the origins of naptime, then.
~~~
Twenty miles from Yan Zhi Road Ye Family Manor.
West Lake Garden Neighborhood.
~~~
This residential complex had a fancier name than just “high-end apartments.”
They called it a “villa-style community.”
The name came from its layout.
Instead of towering blocks crammed with dozens of units stacked high in the traditional way, each home here was its own tidy little three-story villa. The villas dotted the area in neat, orderly rows. In Qihai City, it couldn’t compare to the Ye Family Manor that monopolized an entire street—but it was still one of the top upscale neighborhoods around.
Su Yuqiu’s home was one of those neat little three-story villas.
Her parents had made a pile from their restaurant chain, so she’d grown up in relative comfort.
Right now, Su Loli was sprawled flat on the living room sofa on the first floor. She wore a big blue cat onesie, the hood pulled up to hide her cascading pink hair. Bluetooth headphones on, she listened to music while happily tapping away on her phone with nimble little fingers.
“Mm-hmm, got it, Yezi. Sweet dreams—chat later!”
“Okay.”
“Hee… See? Yezi’s right there. She’s always so mysterious, replying super late. I keep worrying she thinks I talk too much… Maybe I should bother her less? What do you think, Little Miao?”
“Meow~”
“Pfft, you don’t know either~ Makes sense. If even I don’t get it, how could you, little kitty? C’mere for a hug!”
“Meow!”
Su Yuqiu wasn’t talking to herself. From the corner of her eye, she was looking at the snow-white British Shorthair cat.
Hearing its owner call, Little Miao leaped up and pounced straight onto Su Yuqiu’s belly, cushioned by the onesie, then flopped down.
That was the cat’s way of showing affection and begging for pets.
Cats were proud creatures, and one actively seeking cuddles like this was rare.
But in the Su household, there were ten more cats just like it!
Noticing Little Miao’s move, every cat in the spacious living room swarmed over. The ones playing with toys, the ones munching kibble, even the one fresh from the litter box shaking off— they all piled in, surrounding her.
All they wanted was a head pat from Su Loli.
“Wah! Daimao! No charging over to headbutt me—brake midway, okay? My little body’s not built for that…!”
“Little Bell! No scratching the sofa! If you ruin it, Dad’ll whack you again! Learn your lesson!”
“Urgh… I told you, don’t get water everywhere when you drink. Be elegant for once. Dog, why won’t you listen?!”
Don’t get the wrong idea—there were no dogs in the Su house.
It was just that one of the cats was named Dog.
Who said cats couldn’t be named Dog? Super creative, right?!
Surrounded by a horde of adorable little cats of every variety, Su Loli lived like this every day—center of attention, stars in her eyes!
She stroked the Garfield Cat that was nuzzling her cheek with its head.
Su Loli’s smile outshone even the cats’ sparkle.
“Hey… okay, okay. I’ll grab you some canned food~ Looks like the kibble’s running low too…!”
“Meow?”
All the cats’ pleading antics froze as Su Qiu’s voice sharpened abruptly and cut off.
“Cough… cough cough… hiss…!”
It started with a low cough.
Then it escalated wildly.
Suddenly, Su Qiu clutched the collar at her chest, her pink pupils shrinking in agony. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, and her forehead beaded with fine sweat in an instant.
Her hands shook uncontrollably. She struggled to sit up straight and reached desperately for the pill bottle on the nearby table edge.
One cat hopped onto the table, smart as could be, and helpfully nudged the bottle toward her with its head.
Gasping for air, Su Yuqiu twisted off the cap. She didn’t care how many pills spilled out—she dumped them into her mouth and swallowed them down.
A long, long time passed.
The ripping pain in her chest slowly faded… and the coughing finally evened out.
“Meow?”
“Cough… huff, it’s fine. Don’t worry… I’m okay now. I… I’ll get your canned food, cough cough…”
Creak.
The first-floor bathroom door swung open. A middle-aged woman with sakura-pink hair stepped out, wrapped in a towel.
“Yuqiu, what do you want for dinner? Mom will prep it early… Yuqiu!”
“Huh?! Mom, I’m fine, I… cough…”
The woman whipped her head around and caught sight of Su Yuqiu’s pale, drained face.
During the coughing fit, she’d covered her mouth with her onesie sleeve, clearly trying to hide it from her mom.
The pink-haired woman hurried over in two strides instead of three. She gently patted her daughter’s back to help her catch her breath now that she was on her feet.
“You silly child…! I was only in the shower for a moment—why didn’t you call me when you started feeling unwell? Have you taken your medicine?”
“I’ve… I’ve taken it already. Aww, Mom! Don’t make such a big fuss. I’m really fine now!”
Su Yuqiu even bent her skinny arm, which had no muscle whatsoever, desperately trying to flex some nonexistent biceps. But this comical effort did nothing to relax the furrowed brow of the pink-haired woman.
The concern in her eyes showed no sign of fading.
“You’re still calling it a fuss…? How could it be? Look at your face—it’s so pale. Yuqiu, tell me the truth: if you’re still hurting, I’ll call your dad right now and have him rush home. We’ll go to the hospital, all right?”
“It’s really not necessary! I’ll be better in a bit!”
“Yuqiu…!”
“I’ve taken the medicine; it’ll pass.” Su Yuqiu’s wry smile seemed to lend a touch of color to her pale cheeks. “Besides… doesn’t this kind of pain hit a few times a day anyway? I’m used to it. Haha, it just came on suddenly this time! It’s nothing! Hey, Mom, I want a burger for dinner tonight. Let’s order takeout—we haven’t had any in forever!”
“Yuqiu…”
Even as the spark returned to her daughter’s eyes and the color slowly bloomed in her cheeks, the mother’s gaze held nothing but heartache amid the worry and sorrow.
