Cat 158: The Bracelet Gift

Chapter 158: The Bracelet Gift

[Wannabe Human] Livestream:

“As long as those two interact, my kitten can act cute—the contrast is so adorable! I’ve totally fallen into the kitten’s trap and can’t climb out. The little Level 5 streamer and the kitten are such a shippable pair, I can’t get enough.”

“I don’t think the streamer even knows the kitten is his temporary teammate, does he? If he finds out, the kitten’s cover is blown! So much drama, I suddenly want to see the two of them turn against each other!”

“I doubt they’ll really become enemies. Realistically, it would just make things awkward for the Level 5 streamer. Still, I’d love to watch it. Lovers-turned-rivals and all that.”

“They’re master and pet, not lovers! What are you talking about? But damn, I’d love to see it.”

“This is a horror stream—why is everyone so interested in romance? I was just feeling sorry for the squad leader, for little Qu, but then that room full of blood-and-tears dolls appeared. Was he psychologically disturbed from childhood?”

“I’m covered in goosebumps too. But thinking about it, this is Qu’s nightmare—it reflects his fears. He probably wouldn’t do something like that by choice. Maybe the blood-and-tear dolls symbolize the deep hurt of being abandoned by his parents.”

Teacher Qu’s childhood was seriously abnormal.

Yan Jiyun thought the same. What kind of child would love sewing dolls from an early age, and make them look so terrifying? It was deeply unsettling.

His mental state must be directly tied to his parents.

But this personality might not be Qu’s core self—Yan Jiyun mentally labeled him Squad Leader No. 6.

If there were seven emotions, then only Squad Leader No. 7 remained.

Still, the number might not be limited to seven—the game was unpredictable. The idea that seven emotions equated to seven personalities was just his theory.

Qi Feng was clearly braver than Yan Jiyun. He entered the room and picked up one of the dolls in progress, examining it carefully.

Yan Jiyun had gotten used to it by now; with someone backing him up, there was nothing left to fear.

He saw that each of the newly crafted dolls bore a number stitched near the left chest. The doll in Qi Feng’s hand didn’t even have its eyes attached yet—so it wasn’t nearly as creepy as the finished ones.

Yan Jiyun didn’t dare stare at any one doll for too long. He didn’t know how Qi Feng felt, but to him, these dolls looked like they could come alive at any moment.

Creak.

The open door suddenly closed by itself.

Yan Jiyun, perched on Qi Feng’s shoulder, saw a teddy bear in a pink dress walk across the floor and shut the door, before plodding dutifully back to its original spot.

Jumping down from Qi Feng’s arms, Yan Jiyun scurried to the pink-dressed bear and gave it a shove. The teddy fell flat on its face.

The toppled teddy suddenly burst into loud tears. “Waaah, Daddy, a bad cat hit me!”

Yan Jiyun & Qi Feng: “……”

Truly, a child’s dream was fantastical—why would Teacher Qu give his dolls life in a nightmare? If this wasn’t a nightmare, what was?

But on second thought, maybe these dolls had kept him company during the days his parents were absent.

As soon as the teddy wailed, several colorful teddy bears jumped down from the top shelf—brown, tan, white, blue, green, orange, purple. Collecting all seven made a perfect gift set, just right for kids—though probably a handful for any adult.

Ahhh, don’t come any closer, damn!

Yan Jiyun, frightened, leaped onto the sewing machine, staring down wide-eyed at the bears.

Qi Feng walked over and scooped him into the backpack. “Caramel, hide for now.”

He hadn’t expected his cat to be so impulsive; he should have held him back. Now the pink bear had complained to its parent, and the whole family was here for justice.

Qi Feng felt like the parent of a mischievous child, being confronted by the other parents for an apology.

Yan Jiyun could only sulk inside the athletic backpack. “Meow?”

Qi Feng slowly backed away, addressing the dolls, “My cat just wanted to play with you. He didn’t mean any harm.”

The brown bear said, “Then have your cat apologize to my child.”

Qi Feng’s cat looked innocent: “Meow?” What are you saying? I don’t understand.

Qi Feng replied, “See? It’s just a cat, not even human. Please don’t hold it against him, he’s only four months old.”

Even Qi Feng felt a bit embarrassed saying it—he’d never expected to become the parent of a troublemaker, apologizing on its behalf.

But it wasn’t the first time; the last was when his cat clobbered someone’s parrot.

First time’s awkward, second time’s routine—he knew how to handle it.

For his own cat, Qi Feng could swallow his pride. “I’m truly sorry. Let me apologize to Little Pink Bear on his behalf?”

Papa Brown Bear lifted his head. “I can accept that.”

Qi Feng was about to speak, when suddenly, a mocking voice came from the bookshelf: “Papa Bear, you’re just letting the human off the hook? Have some dignity! If apologies worked, why would we need police?”

Yan Jiyun looked toward the voice—a humanoid doll in a sleek black suit, one of the blood-teared ones.

It sat cross-legged on the shelf, sharp little dress shoes on its feet. Yan Jiyun marvelled at Little Qu’s skills—even the shoes were handmade.

And black suit wasn’t alone; sitting beside it were dolls in the six other colors. Teacher Qu really did have a fixation on seven hues.

Now Yan Jiyun understood—this was the real Teacher Qu.

Papa Bear thought the black-suited doll made sense and turned to Qi Feng: “That’s true, what good is an apology? My child was still knocked over.”

Qi Feng hugged his cat protectively. “But he’s not human, can’t speak. I’ve already apologized, what more do you want? No money, just our lives.”

His “take our lives if you must” tone stunned Papa Bear—humans really were slippery. He had no idea this was just classic human bluffing.

Yan Jiyun eyed the black suit doll, then wriggled from Qi Feng’s hold. Qi Feng, currently too weak, couldn’t stop him.

Yan Jiyun bounced from the sewing machine to the shelf, stretched out his paw, and knocked the swinging-legged black suit to the ground.

Qi Feng was momentarily speechless, then added, “Cats love to chase and pounce on moving things. He’s not human; I can’t control him. Sorry—are you hurt?”

The black suit doll, landing hard, had a leg askew, his pose miserably wretched.

He jumped up, hands on hips, fuming: “No manners! Damn cat, I’m catching you today!”

Yan Jiyun jumped down again and gave the doll another swat, bowling him aside like a ball.

Qi Feng, innocently narrating, said, “My cat’s just really curious—he wants to play with you.”

The black suit doll, furious, scrambled back up. “He dirtied my clothes! My master spent two days sewing this—now you have to compensate me!”

Qi Feng tried to reply, but Yan Jiyun once again knocked the black suit doll aside.

Now the black suit gave up on debate.

“Fine, you asked for it! Brothers, get down here and help me beat up this human and his cat—they’ve gone too far!”

All seven rainbow-suited dolls leaped down, some attacking Qi Feng, one white-clad doll trying to land on Yan Jiyun’s back. Both Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng dodged gracefully, and the white-suited one crashed to the floor, losing an arm.

Dolls rushed at Yan Jiyun as he darted about the room, but he tossed them aside one by one.

As Qi Feng sidestepped the dolls’ attacks, he realized his cat was impressively competent. He rushed to the door, turned the handle—it opened! He called, “Caramel, let’s go!”

Yan Jiyun bolted to his side and leaped onto his shoulder; one man and one cat escaped the doll room unharmed.

The dolls surged to the door, but invisible barriers seemed to stop them from leaving.

Qi Feng gently patted Yan Jiyun’s head. “Why play with them at all? You were scared just a second ago.”

Yan Jiyun thought to himself: it was true, but after seeing Papa Bear’s family, he wasn’t afraid anymore. Only lonely children dream of a happy family—that was Qu’s longing. His earlier “antics” were just to test if the dolls were dangerous.

Confirmed: the dolls posed little threat.

Why no threat? Because their creator only wanted a family and friends who understood him.

But why the blood-teared faces? Maybe No.6’s personal taste?

After leaving the room, Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun tiptoed downstairs. They’d only been gone a moment; Squad Leader No.6 had finished eating and was heading upstairs.

Hiding behind the door, they saw Squad Leader No.6 heading—not for the doll room, but to the room where they’d awakened on the second floor.

What for?

At that moment, the wall clock struck one—he must be going for his nap.

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun followed.

No.6 left his bedroom door ajar. Qi Feng, watching through the gap, saw him lie down and, like a robot, start his nap. Only then did he slip inside.

This No.6 was very different from 4 and 5—those two carried malice, but No.6 was quietly obedient, neither flamboyant nor rebellious. Even his dolls posed little danger—they were only for playing house.

If they wanted to leave, what would they have to do for No.6?

This nightmare was likely about Qu’s parents.

But if No.6 was already sound asleep, how could they interact with him?

Just then, the phone in the room rang.

It was abrupt and jarring.

Yan Jiyun, startled even inside the backpack, poked his head out. Qi Feng hurriedly ducked under the bed with the bag, waiting to see if No.6 would wake up. But the child remained in a deep sleep, the phone ringing endlessly.

They waited under the bed for a long time, but No.6 didn’t stir. Finally, Qi Feng crawled out, still holding the cat bag, and stood by the phone, hesitating before picking up.

It was Qu’s father, Qu Xiangge. Yan Jiyun recognized the voice.

Qu Xiangge calmly announced, “Xiao Qiao, your mother was in a car accident on her way to the airport. The doctors have declared her dead.” He paused. “Do you know what ‘dead’ means?”

Yan Jiyun: “……”

Qu’s mother killed in a crash on her way to the airport?

Qi Feng, mimicking the child’s voice, answered, “I know.”

Qu Xiangge continued dispassionately, “Daddy will be home soon. Don’t be upset.”

Yan Jiyun hadn’t realized Qi Feng was so good at voice impressions—another new fact about his litter box attendant.

They both heard Qu Xiangge’s assistant reminding him of a meeting, and he hung up in haste. Clearly, this call was only a notice.

To a child, it was cold and cruel.

What kind of father could treat the death of his not-yet-divorced wife and child so indifferently?

Qu Xiangge likely never wanted his child, and had ignored him most of his life.

Yan Jiyun now understood why No.6 in the nightmare couldn’t be woken—he was hiding from the reality of his mother’s death.

Qi Feng set down the phone, realizing how closely this setting mirrored Qu’s real past.

No.6 made no trouble and didn’t attack, but his defenses were high. How could they break through and help him—thus escaping?

Yan Jiyun wondered the same.

The dolls in the bedroom were much more normal than those in the playroom. Who had decorated this room?

Qi Feng decided to explore the house for more clues about Qu’s childhood and a potential breakthrough.

Yan Jiyun agreed.

They left the children’s room and went straight to the master bedrooms.

The second floor master only had feminine items—dressing table, cosmetics, closet full of women’s clothes and expensive accessories. The third floor master was the same, but all male belongings.

So strange, these two—married for years, but not a single wedding photo, sleeping on separate floors, living like strangers.

Why even marry and have children?

It takes all sorts to make a world.

Yan Jiyun felt his fists clench.

But he kept his head—this was only Qu’s nightmare, perhaps not exactly true to life; but it sure felt real so far.

Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun searched high and low—barely any evidence of family life. Most telling of all, not a single family portrait, not even at a theme park.

So pitiful.

Yan Jiyun would’ve liked to turn human and gossip with Qi Feng about it.

He then noticed how emotionless Qi Feng seemed—unmoved by No.6, showing no sympathy or pity.

Yan Jiyun settled on his shoulder, tilting his head. Why so quiet?

He’d usually offer an aside or two, but today he was silent.

Yan Jiyun had no idea about Qi Feng’s family background; never had he seen him answer family phone calls, nor spend holidays with relatives—just the odd meal with friends. He’d thought it was the game keeping them apart. But now it seemed odd—where was Qi Feng’s family? Had he too a melodramatic past?

Qi Feng turned his head to meet two large emerald eyes brimming with curiosity and faint concern.

He’d only been working through the plot—now, roused from thought by Caramel’s expression, he couldn’t help but smile. He scratched its chin. “Is there something on my face?”

Yan Jiyun nudged Qi Feng’s chin with his head—Qi Feng must have had a hard childhood.

Though Qi Feng knew Cat-speak level 10, sometimes he couldn’t figure out what Caramel was thinking—species gap, perhaps.

Yan Jiyun, having finished, pretended as if nothing had happened.

A brief detour taken, both focused once more on the matter at hand.

No.6 likely had a fixed daily schedule—whatever they did now probably wouldn’t affect him.

But maybe there was a way. Yan Jiyun decided to dash into the room and try waking him—sometimes only the person who tied the knot can untie it.

Leaping from Qi Feng’s shoulder, Yan Jiyun darted back to the second-floor kids’ room.

Qi Feng wasn’t surprised by Caramel’s sudden action—maybe the system was guiding him.

He followed carefully.

Yan Jiyun hopped onto No.6’s bed and let out an endless barrage of meows.

Qi Feng: “……” Your owner’s right outside, why meow at an NPC?

It had to be the system programming Caramel—this wasn’t his typical behavior. Damned system.

Worried the NPC would hurt his cat, he slipped inside as well—never mind waking No.6.

Strangely, the constant ringing phone hadn’t disturbed No.6, but a meowing cat finally did.

No.6 opened his eyes to find a black cat’s face inches away. He stared for a moment, then tentatively reached out to touch the cat’s head. “Kitty?”

Yan Jiyun recalled No.4’s sinister look and retreated a few steps, observing No.6 closely. When sure he meant no harm, he let the boy’s fingertips brush his head.

If No.6 showed any hostility, he could instantly leap away.

Standing by the bed, Qi Feng’s eyes flashed with a protective urge—this was his cat.

But No.6 paid him no mind, attention entirely focused on the black cat. For the first time, color touched his lifeless eyes.

No.6 said, “You’re adorable. Where did you come from? Where are you going?”

Yan Jiyun: “……”

He hadn’t expected No.6 to ask such profound questions.

Qi Feng, unable to resist, spoke calmly: “He’s my cat—Caramel. We just moved in next door. Sorry for him jumping onto your bed.”

No.6 didn’t doubt a word. “You just moved in today?”

“Yes,” Qi Feng nodded, half-climbing onto the bed to retrieve Caramel. “Don’t you think he’s cute?”

Yan Jiyun’s mind screamed: this is the second time he’s seen Qi Feng lie to an NPC with a straight face.

He hadn’t realized Qi Feng was such a smooth talker—no wonder they got along so well. Fated match.

No.6 was fascinated by the cat. “Yes, so cute.”

Qi Feng, gently, “Would you like to get up? The room is too small for him to play.”

No.6 got up right away, dressing and putting on his shoes by himself.

With Yan Jiyun as mediator, communication was easy.

Before long, they were in the garden.

Yan Jiyun and No.6 played soccer while Qi Feng watched.

Soon, the nanny brought afternoon tea—pastries and milk.

Yan Jiyun wanted some, but these were human foods. No.6 tried to feed him a cheese sandwich.

Qi Feng lamented, “He can’t eat sandwiches.”

No.6: “What can he eat?”

Qi Feng: “Chicken, fish, beef, goat’s milk—cooked.”

No.6 told the nanny to prepare some right then.

Soon, a beautiful dish of poached chicken breast was brought out.

The two kids squatted to watch Yan Jiyun eat.

No.6, expressionless, murmured, “He’s so cute.”

Qi Feng, equally expressionless but oddly proud, replied, “He’s been cute since he was small. After eating, he’ll sleep flat on his back like a person.”

No.6: “Wow, I’d love to see that!”

Yan Jiyun: “……” Lies! I’ve never slept like that!

If you didn’t know this was a horror channel, you’d think this was for pet lovers.

Still, he earned that meal—nothing to feel guilty about.

Qi Feng, meanwhile, was enjoying his first afternoon tea in a game—realizing this was another way to play.

Yan Jiyun, full and content, abandoned his pet parent for a while, curling up beside No.6 for regular chin scratches. Everyone was happy.

[Wannabe Human] Livestream:

“I just want to know how the kitten manages to get meat wherever he goes. Do all NPCs have a hidden cat-loving trait?”

“Hahaha, and he managed to drag the Level 5 streamer into having afternoon tea.”

“I think the kitten’s really good at reading cat-friendly NPCs. He avoids the hostile ones and cozies up to the friendly. Amazing.”

“Did anyone else notice how creepy the playroom window on the second floor looked?”

“I just want to know, is this how the story’s supposed to go? Aren’t the dolls supposed to chase the player for a battle royale? Why am I watching them have a relaxing tea party? Working-stiff here feeling defeated…”

Meanwhile, every doll from the second floor huddled by the windows, watching Yan Jiyun, Qi Feng, and their little master have their tea party below.

Afterwards, Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng played with No.6 until 5 p.m.

Qi Feng picked up Yan Jiyun and said naturally, “We have to go home for dinner.”

No.6 was clearly reluctant. “Will you come play with me again tomorrow?”

Qi Feng, of course, didn’t make promises lightly. “I have classes tomorrow. I’ll visit if I have time.”

No.6 pointed at Yan Jiyun. “But he can come look for me, right?”

Qi Feng: “If he wants to, no problem.”

Only then did No.6 smile and escort them to the gate.

Before they left, No.6 took out a small bracelet from his pocket. “I made this myself—a perfect collar for a kitten.”

Qi Feng hesitated, but Yan Jiyun stretched out his neck for No.6 to buckle it on.

At that moment, both Qi Feng and Yan Jiyun received a system notification.

[Congratulations! You have completed the solo mission “Explore Teacher Qu’s Dream.” Points will be awarded after the level ends.]

[You will return to the “Innocence” scenario in 3 seconds.]

Three seconds later, both opened their eyes at once.