Cat 223: Back to Work

Chapter 223: Back to Work

[“Want to Be Human” Live Room:]

“Wuwuwu, the entire copycat cat army is gone. My adorable army of kittens is no more—my heart aches beyond repair. I need kitten cuddles to recover.”

“My favorite was Little Six—always grumbling no matter what, so adorable. Such a shame you can’t take game NPCs back with you. If only you could, all those cats would have had such a happy ending. But honestly, Kitten looks so sad—after all, those were partners who went through thick and thin together.”

“Little Nine was the happiest, though—the last moment of its existence was spent lying in Boss’s arms.”

“Am I the only one wondering if Kitten is about to leave the instance entirely?”

“Wait, why did the screen go black? Is Kitten logging out to rest in the real world?”

“I remember Kitten entered this instance midway after coming from another one the previous day.”

“Oh, it’s blacked out!”

[Player is switching instances. The stream will reopen in five minutes.]

“Why five minutes?”

“I see the other players’ streams are all black too—everyone’s showing offline.”

“Ah, Kitten’s got it rough—rushed over to rescue her master, now she has to return to her own instance. Can’t the master help Kitten clear her own instance? Since the master used Kitten’s ID to save her, they must share an ID. Such a pity. Using Little Nine as a shield means Brother Feng won’t know; only we, the audience with a god’s-eye view, are anxious.”

“Come to think of it, Kitten really gets the worst deal—two jobs, lowest score.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s all black-haired—when God opens a window, He closes a door.”

At this moment, Yan Jiyun was the one most wanting to curse. After being gone a whole day, who knew how far the storyline in the original instance had progressed? He hadn’t even reconnected with his teammates. Now he had to forget the plot of the “Sweet Christmas” instance and pick up the threads of “Hearts With Pets” all over again.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself back at the very spot he’d entered “Hearts With Pets”—Liu Jinghao’s wedding room.

He had arrived as a cat last time, but now he was human. The time in both instances flowed the same, so it was now a day since he’d left.

He was sitting on Liu Jinghao’s marriage bed, enveloped in red.

Yan Jiyun recalled attending a colleague’s wedding and remembered that after the ceremony, the newlyweds were supposed to sleep three nights on the festive bedding before changing it to something else.

Damn, why was he sitting on the wedding bed? He needed to get out, and with his experience card still active, if another NPC saw him, it would definitely arouse suspicion. The three Liu brothers were already odd enough—if he wanted to leave this instance, he would have to start with the Liu family.

He remembered having found a treasure map, but it wasn’t in his possession—it was with Liu Jingxi. He had to retrieve it.

Having missed a day, he had no idea what important storylines he might have missed.

When he entered the Christmas instance, Liu Jingyi was still looking for the lost treasure map, and the wedding chamber was still empty.

His sense of hearing would now be put to the test.

Just as he emerged from the previous instance, he heard footsteps approaching the bridal chamber.

It should be about seven or eight in the evening on the second day of the instance.

The footsteps were mismatched—one light, one heavy—indicating a man and a woman.

Yan Jiyun glanced at the tightly shut window—damn, there was no chance to escape now.

Hell, just finished one instance, straight into another round of hiding. This was exhausting.

The system had transferred him to this instance with no further prompts; there was only a keychain lying dormant in his inventory—currently greyed out and unusable. Without the main quest from the other side, he might not get its rewards upon instance settlement.

No time to ponder that. He swept the room for a hiding spot.

Jumping out the window was too late. Opening the closet would make too much noise. There was no tablecloth to crawl beneath, only exposed space under the table—no cover. That left only under the bed.

The Liu family’s furniture was traditional; the bed was a custom wooden canopy model—probably termed a “four-poster” bed.

Never mind what kind of bed—as long as he could squeeze under it!

Thankfully, there was enough clearance under the new bed—if he were any taller or stouter, he’d never fit.

Yan Jiyun couldn’t contort himself, but he was slender—whip-thin, in fact—so he had no problem sliding under.

It was a tight squeeze, but with a bit of wriggling he managed it, sweating a little as he drew his feet in just before the woman entered.

The bridal suite had been cleaned; the bed was newly made and the floor underneath was clear—no dust to trigger a sneeze.

He shoved aside his suspicions about the previous instance and focused all his attention on the approaching footsteps.

From under the bed, he saw a pair of white, chunky-heeled shoes—these belonged to Liu Jinghao’s new bride, Cheng Xueying. Wasn’t she supposed to be keeping vigil over the coffin tonight? Why was she back at this hour?

Ah—there was another pair of men’s dress shoes with her.

The newlywed’s husband had died, and now an unrelated man was here with her—scandals always ensued in such moments.

[“Want to Be Human” Live Room:]

“Damn, I haven’t recovered from the sadness, and now they hit me with this spicy scene. Am I supposed to keep crying or just munch on this drama? This is wild. Never mind, I’m here for the tea—delicious.”

“My darling Kitten always lands a savage blow at my lowest moments; I wasn’t sad for even ten minutes. Isn’t this Liu San’s honeymoon bedroom? He’s dead, so who’s taking over his wife now? And the sight of those white pumps and black dress shoes pacing about—it’s intense.”

“This third-person view is exhilarating! I thought going back to this instance after the top-tier one would be dull, but instead, it’s a full-on secret affair, haha!”

“Crap, I even forgot what this instance was about. Any kind soul got a recap? I don’t want to check the forum for spoilers.”

“No worries, Kitten will serve up the freshest drama—already crawling under someone’s bridal bed. And anyway, this is a brand new instance, what spoilers can there be?”

“I guess nothing’s been missed. The earlier plot was that Liu San got married and then died at the wedding banquet, the bride kept vigil, Kitten became Liu Er’s opportunistic cousin, unravelled the family’s web of secrets and found a treasure map. Then Kitten got whisked into the Christmas instance. Any detailed day-two developments, you’ll need to check other streams—I think Kitten’s teammates are here too, but who knows what parts they’re playing now.”

Yan Jiyun didn’t have the energy to wonder where his three teammates had ended up. The man and woman above finally spoke.

Cheng Xueying was helped to the bed by the man.

A familiar voice: “Rest for a bit. I’ll have someone fetch a doctor for you shortly.”

Wasn’t that Liu Jingxi? Why was he here?

Weren’t things progressing rather quickly?

Cheng Xueying leaned weakly against a bedpost. “Thank you, Second Brother. I’ll be fine after resting a moment. No need for a doctor.”

“Then, if my sister-in-law is well, I’ll take my leave,” Liu Jingxi said.

Yan Jiyun remembered that Liu Jingxi wasn’t usually this attentive—he was the wild, carefree type. Why was he sending Cheng Xueying to the bridal suite now, without worrying about being seen? He still had a fiancée, after all.

Had he missed some vital plot point during his absence?

Was Liu Jingxi really interested in Cheng Xueying? Was there really an illicit affair brewing? Even his tone was soft, so unlike the way he’d spoken to Yan Jiyun, his grifting “cousin.”

Everyone in the Liu household had their own secrets—what about Cheng Xueying?

Curiosity piqued, Yan Jiyun listened on.

Just as Liu Jingxi was about to leave, having only taken a couple of steps, Cheng Xueying suddenly called him back.

She said, “Second Brother, I have a presumptuous request.”

Liu Jingxi stopped. “Go ahead.”

Cheng Xueying hesitated. “Could you… stay with me? I’m afraid to be alone.”

Yan Jiyun: “……”

Were they actually about to cross the ethical line?

He really didn’t want to be eavesdropping from under a stranger’s bed. Save him!

Was Cheng Xueying as innocent as she sounded, or was it all an act? He suspected the latter.

Yan Jiyun recalled that when he first entered the instance, Cheng Xueying’s eyes had lingered on Liu Jingxi in a subtle way—not exactly passionate, but definitely interested. Of the three Liu brothers, Liu Jingxi was the most attractive and dressed with the latest flair. Compared to the perpetually ill eldest and coddled, delicate third brother, he had a bit more wildness and charm.

As the saying goes, women love bad boys—Cheng Xueying was likely drawn to the danger, and now with the third brother dead, she could do as she pleased.

The cliché of the young widow and the rakish man was one thing to hear, quite another to experience when you’re under their bed.

That said, Liu Jingxi had yet to respond.

He took two steps toward the door. “If you’re afraid, I’ll find someone else to keep you company.”

Cheng Xueying, in a frail voice, replied, “I’m sorry, that was thoughtless of me. I didn’t mean it—I’m just exhausted after everything that’s happened. I spoke without thinking.”

Liu Jingxi answered, “It’s nothing.”

Yan Jiyun was faintly disappointed—no spicy adult content after all; Liu Jingxi had stopped short at the last moment.

And yet, he remembered Cheng Xueying hadn’t acted this frail before—she’d circled the third brother’s coffin for half a day, playing the innocent lamb.

Why did she marry Liu San? What brought her to the Liu family?

His first quest, “Vigil,” was still incomplete. None of the other players had completed it either?

How could it be? No one else had slipped into the Liu household as a player?

Two days had passed. It was unimaginable for the task to remain unfinished. Gu Wenzhu and the others weren’t fools; they could clear tasks themselves, surely. There was no way “Vigil” could stump them.

That left only one answer—the instance’s mechanics had changed.

They were pioneers here; everything—plot, mechanics—remained unknown. The first batch of players had to figure it all out.

After settling Cheng Xueying, Liu Jingxi left without a backward glance—Yan Jiyun heard his footsteps retreat.

Why had he sent Cheng Xueying back? Had someone else taken her place at the vigil?

Once he left, Cheng Xueying dropped her feeble act, stood up smartly, kicked off her heels and swapped them for a pair of black flats, then headed out of the bedroom.

Yan Jiyun finally let out a sigh of relief, though he was still at a loss.

He had half an hour left on his experience card. In case of another blackout, he’d added an extra hour to the card. Who could have foreseen the strange twists in the instance’s rules and gameplay?

After that brief stint in the top-tier instance, his perspective had broadened: the Christmas instance had started hard but ended easy, with the final hurdle a virtual bonus round. As long as you could escape the snow globe and deal with the size-changing printer, you won.

Even if there had been survivors left in the globe, so long as they got out and snagged a Christmas gift, they could still clear the game.

If the top-tier instance mechanics were reversed from what he’d previously encountered, from easy-to-hard to hard-to-easy, then this new instance was bound to have new gameplay as well.

His time in the top instance, though less than a day, had proven one thing: playing “Destiny” with a rigid, formulaic mindset was deadly. If they’d actually fought with Santa Claus, they might never have left the game.

Those three Santas were as overpowered as max-level NPCs. Attacking them would have been suicide. The right path was to accept their gift peacefully and exit.

You had to admit, the game designers’ minds were wickedly devious.

The top-tier instance had inspired him—but he hadn’t encountered any teammates or other players this time. Left to himself, he had no one to discuss the plot with, and no clue what was happening elsewhere.

As he pondered, Cheng Xueying changed clothes—swapping into something heavier. He was gentlemanly enough not to peek, but heard the rustle as she donned a thick coat and left the courtyard.

Gone?

He suspected the key to finishing the “Vigil” quest lay with her.

Yan Jiyun crawled out from under the bed and glanced at the shoes Chang Xueying had left behind.

He compared his own foot to one shoe—it was almost as long as his.

Well, now—extra-large women’s shoes.

Listening to Cheng Xueying’s receding footsteps, Yan Jiyun pressed down his doubts and quietly followed.

Time to get back to work.