Noticing that the woman's gaze lingered on her for a long time, Ji MianMian looked up and asked, "Shuo Yu?"
Shuo Yu noticed that, this time, she didn't call her big sister, which made things much more interesting.
When spending money, she was called big sister. But once the purchase was complete, she was no longer recognized. This game's AI was made incredibly realistic.
Ji MianMian was obviously much more fun than those scripted otome game paper dolls that could only follow fixed routines.
Shuo Yu curled her lips into a smile. "Nothing."
Right now, Ji MianMian's affection level was at 58 points—unfortunately, it needed to reach 100 before she could unlock outfit changes.
Shuo Yu clicked on the newly unlocked [Pet] interaction button and discovered that each interaction had a separate cooldown.
On the phone screen, the girl suddenly crouched down, covering her belly. A thought bubble appeared above her head, displaying a shy emoji: "Don't touch randomly!"
At the same time, a red warning popped up: [Ji MianMian Affection -2]
Shuo Yu now understood why the screen zoomed in so closely during petting—so that the full illustration of the cat-eared girl could be seen.
Turns out, the area being touched actually mattered…
She had just poked the belly—cat bellies were sacred. With an affection level barely above fifty, touching it was obviously off-limits.
Luckily, a failed [Pet] attempt didn't trigger a cooldown. Shuo Yu clicked the button again, this time cautiously stroking the catgirl's head.
Ji MianMian felt that this touch was deeper and longer than the one from before, which was merely a brief tap. A translucent hand was visible on the screen, gently patting her little head.
Shuo Yu stared at the screen, finally relaxing when the text [Ji MianMian Affection +8] appeared.
Kittens were the best—they didn't hold grudges even after an abrupt mistake.
Watching the cat-eared girl mindlessly nibbling on freeze-dried treats on the screen, Shuo Yu suddenly remembered that she hadn't crafted anything since unlocking the torch blueprint.
She claimed her daily stamina from the monthly pass, opened the torch crafting page, and entered the forest again to gather materials.
Ji MianMian frowned slightly when she saw the woman's floating image suddenly vanish from midair.
She turned to look at the three machines lined up side by side, flashing colorful lights, and felt reassured.
She would come back.
* * * *
Shuo Yu was completely absorbed in the game, crafting five torches in one go. When she returned to West Ear Beach, Ji MianMian had already fallen asleep, curled up beside the cat house.
The girl's sleeping posture was peaceful—curled up on her side, tail wrapped around her own calf.
Shuo Yu couldn't bring herself to wake her up. Instead, she carefully adjusted the camera angle, took a screenshot, and set it as her wallpaper.
Then, she placed four torches and a flintstone beside MianMian, making sure to check the option that allowed her to use all items freely.
Now she could use tools without restrictions—unlike before, when even taking a can of cat food with her was impossible.
Shuo Yu lit a torch for illumination before heading back into the forest, where she picked fruit, chopped trees, moved stones, and dug for clay—collecting an variety of materials without knowing if they'd actually be useful. She continued until her stamina was completely depleted.
Once her stamina was gone, she opened the game panel for a quick glance.
[Player: Shuo Yu]
[Level: 5 (72% XP required for next level)]
[Currency: 5,882 Cat Coins, 12 Cat Diamonds]
[Materials: Branches x32, Fresh Water x14, Stones x21, Sparse Rain Leaves x2…]
"Judging by this, the grind in this game is pretty intense. I wonder if it gets better at higher levels."
She opened the shop and bought the Newbie Blueprint Bundle she had been eyeing for a while.
The five blueprints inside were all in an undeciphered state, and each one required thirty minutes to decipher.
Shuo Yu queued them all for deciphering. The process would continue even when the game was closed—by tomorrow, she'd know what they were.
* * * *
The night before, after playing cat island diary, Shuo Yu had also watched some cute pet videos. She had no idea what time she finally fell asleep.
When she heard knocking in the morning, she groggily glanced at the clock. [February 10th, 10:22 AM]
Only then did she remember—yesterday, Shen Zhiyin had mentioned going to a movie. It was a niche, gothic-style foreign film with only two screenings per day. They had booked tickets for the 2:30 PM show.
Since Shen Zhiyin knew the door code, she was already inside, knocking on the bedroom door.
"Hurry, hurry! If you get up now, we can grab some food first. The movie is nearly three hours long—we'll starve if we don't eat beforehand!"
Hearing her energetic voice, Shuo Yu felt her headache deepen by several degrees.
"Go sit in the living room for a bit. I'll be right up!" She inwardly thanked her habit of always locking the bedroom door—an essential precaution as a proud advocate of sleeping nude.
She crawled out of bed naked, quickly freshened up, changed clothes, and put on makeup. By the time she stepped out of her bedroom, she saw Shen Zhiyin lounging on the sofa like a boss, watching TV.
Or more accurately, watching advertisements—since Shuo Yu never paid for a premium subscription.
Shuo Yu crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Didn't you go singing last night? How are you up so early? Didn't drink?"
"Nope. I had to drive a little sister home."
Since they were going to see a gothic film, Shen Zhiyin had also dressed up—her foundation was ghostly pale, and she was decked out in black from head to toe, looking like she had stepped straight out of the movie.
"Is it the little sister who owns a cat you're doting on so much?"
Shen Zhiyin scratched her head, momentarily forgetting that she had several realistic spider hair clips attached. Her manicured fingers, adorned with chains, got tangled in the fake spider legs, causing her to grimace and ask for help.
Despite Shuo Yu's careful efforts, untangling her hair still hurt like hell. Grimacing, Shen Zhiyin muttered, "Just a girl I met at a board game night. Her name's Little Ka. She's graduating next year and moving back to Nian City. We're just ordinary friends."
Shuo Yu immediately caught on.
Nian City was nearly 2,000 kilometers away from Yunxi City. Shen Zhiyin was not the kind of person who could handle a long-distance relationship—so she wasn't even trying to pursue one.
But judging by how she had abstained from drinking just to drive Little Ka home, Shuo Yu figured she was already in deeper than she realized.
Seeing her deep in thought, Shen Zhiyin waved her hand dismissively. "Let's set up a gathering sometime so you can meet Little Ka. But what about you? You work with so many long-legged models every day—haven't you fallen for any of them?"
Shuo Yu smiled and pulled out her phone, showing her the wallpaper of the sleeping cat-eared girl. "Look, my new wife."
Shen Zhiyin took one glance and immediately curled her lips in disdain, mercilessly mocking her. "I really overestimated you, you damn otaku warlord."
For lunch, they went for grilled fish. Shen Zhiyin, having been cooped up for too long, was practically bursting at the seams. She barely stopped talking between bites—gossiping about old classmates, complaining about losing a bet with her boss and being forced to work overtime, and even raving about how adorable Little Ka's cat was…
This left Shuo Yu with absolutely no time to check her phone.
Playing games while chatting with someone was rude—especially when that person was a friend.
Since they had left early, Shuo Yu finally had a moment to herself before the movie started while Shen Zhiyin was busy taking a call.
She opened cat island diary, swiping left and right across the screen, but she couldn't find Ji MianMian or any of the other cats.
However, while searching the cat house, she discovered a little cat woven from foxtail grass.
[Grass-Woven Kitten: Seems to be a small gift left by Ji MianMian. Slightly increases luck for 24 hours while equipped.]
This was the first gift MianMian had ever given her. Shuo Yu couldn't bring herself to use it, so she carefully tucked it into the last slot of her inventory—just in case she accidentally consumed it one day.
On a whim, she speared a few fish in the sea to burn some stamina. Then, suddenly, her vision went black.
The movie had begun. The studio logo appeared on the screen, and she immediately put her phone away to enjoy the film.
* * * *
At dawn, Ji MianMian woke up. She ate a little, fiddled with the torches, but still didn't see Shuo Yu.
Her heart was heavy with concern for the little kittens. Ever since adopting them, this was the first night they hadn't slept together.
Not wanting to greet Shuo Yu with a dejected expression when she returned, Ji MianMian deliberately plucked some foxtail grass and wove a keepsake before setting off.
Finally, she had found someone who could keep her company, improve her life, and was even generous with their things. Ji MianMian cherished her deeply.
Her usual sleeping spot was in a sand pit located between West Ear Beach and East Ear Beach, and it would take about thirty to forty minutes to walk there.
Her small backpack was stuffed with the food Shuo Yu had bought for her the previous day. She wanted Little White and Little Flower to try everything, so she had only eaten the beef freeze-dried treats herself.
She could already picture the two kittens' excitement upon seeing her, and her pace quickened unconsciously. She felt like she was walking much faster than usual.
Suddenly, Ji MianMian frowned. She caught a faint scent of iron lingering at the tip of her nose.
Fearing that blood had been spilled last night, she quickened her steps.
"One Eye! One Eye, wake up… The evil spirits are gone now—it's daylight! Wake up… sister MianMian will be here soon. Don't be afraid…"
The sorrowful cries of Little White and Little Flower reached Ji MianMian's ears.
Her gaze sharpened as she took in the sight before her—the old cat, One Eye, his head covered in blood. The blood was partially dried, half-coagulated as it flowed over the socket of his missing eye.
His wound was nothing like a normal tear. The blood was mixed with a sticky black substance, a clear sign that he had been injured by an evil spirit.
Even in such a dire state, One Eye had still managed to protect the two little kittens completely. They remained full of energy, circling him anxiously.
"How could this happen?!" Ji MianMian couldn't believe her eyes. She had given up the shelter she had hidden in for over a month—a safe spot beneath the cliff—yet they still encountered an evil spirit?!
One Eye was barely clinging to life. The kittens were too young to explain things properly, and Ji MianMian couldn't make sense of how the evil spirit had appeared.
But saving One Eye was the priority. She extended her fingers, tore a strip from her skirt, dampened it with fresh water, and carefully wiped away the blackened fluid from his forehead.
Cats didn't understand medicine—their wounds healed only by their own resilience. Ji MianMian tilted her head up toward the sky, calling out Shuo Yu's name twice in a plea for help.
That woman could summon so many things out of thin air—surely she had a way to save One Eye.
But Shuo Yu was like a wandering deity, coming and going as she pleased. There was no telling when she would appear next.
"One Eye, eat something! If you're full and strong, your wounds will heal faster!"
Refusing to dwell in helplessness, Ji MianMian removed her backpack, opened the packets of cat food that Shuo Yu had bought, and began feeding the tortoiseshell cat one by one.
On cat island, the two most important resources were safe shelters at night and food to stave off hunger.
One Eye had old injuries—these two resources were always difficult for him to obtain. Without shelter, he was at the mercy of evil spirits, and his weakened state only accelerated his descent toward death. It was a vicious cycle.
Now, with the scent of nutrient-rich food, his survival instincts kicked in immediately.
He ate while letting out weak, grateful whimpers. Seeing that he still had an appetite, Ji MianMian felt relieved.
She tore open a few more packets of food and placed them beside him. "Don't thank me—this is all from the woman who appeared yesterday. Eat as much as you need."
Ji MianMian then lifted her gaze to the sky. "I'm worried his wound will fester—I need to find some medicine. Little White, Little Flower, stay here and protect One Eye. I'm heading to West Ear Beach to wait for Shuo Yu."