Chapter 125: Variety Show in Progress (4)
In the split-screen livestream, only Lucky—about the size of an adult man’s palm—was standing on the floor not far from the door. Looking like a round, pitch-black sesame ball, he craned his neck to stare at the shoe-changing bench.
Then he took a few steps back for a running start and leapt onto the bench.
Having successfully jumped onto the bench, the little black furball with bright green eyes switched targets and set his sights on the shoe cabinet.
Lucky crouched down, all four legs tucked in, preparing to leap again.
But because his fur was so long, and he was just a small kitten with short legs, crouching didn’t make him look much different from standing.
In the next moment, viewers saw the tiny black ball wiggle his fluffy butt and—whoosh—leap up onto the shoe cabinet.
Once on the cabinet, Lucky strutted with elegant feline steps, making his way toward the door handle.
When he reached a spot not too far from the handle, Lucky leapt toward it…
Thud—
Viewers watched as Lucky’s two fluffy front paws caught the door handle—only for his little black body, like a furry blanket, to promptly fall with a soft “plop” onto the plush carpet below.
Lying on the carpet, Lucky seemed to question his very existence, stunned for a few seconds, his back radiating pure defeat.
After standing still for a few moments, he turned and dashed back to where he started, skillfully leaping onto the bench, then the cabinet… and, unsurprisingly, ending up back on the carpet again.
And then came the next round. And the next.
After watching Lucky—left alone in the room—fail to open the door for what must have been the umpteenth time:
Shen Xiu: “…”
Everyone on set: “…”
[…Hahaha, Little Sesame Paste pia! just turned into a Sesame Biscuit! Is this the legendary ‘Open Sesame’ door opening? Thanks to little Lucky, I’ve truly broadened my horizons!]
[This is Lucky baby’s fourth attempt already. As expected of Overachiever Xiu’s kitten—he’s failed so many times but still refuses to give up. What a determined little kitty (I’m touched)!]
[Damn this door! Has our little Lucky broken some heavenly law? Why lock him in? Let him out!]
[Brave little Lucky, unafraid of challenges—keep it up!]
[You Xiuologists need to wake up! Lucky is most likely trying to get out so he can go harass Wang Cai! He can’t win against Wang Cai at all!!!]
The viewers in the livestream couldn’t think of a second reason why Lucky might be trying to open the door—other than going out to mess with Wang Cai.
The seven people on-site had the same thought as the viewers, and their gossipy eyes turned toward Shen Xiu.
Zhuang Yi tried to comfort him: “Captain Xiu, don’t worry. The door handle needs a firm push to open. Lucky’s not even four pounds—he’s too light to press it down.”
Jiang Rong, who had been sitting with Sun Qi at the pavilion watching the split-screen stream the longest, chimed in: “Right. Thirteen-pound Wang Cai is the only one who can press the handle down and open the door. He just proved it when he ran out so easily.”
After speaking, Jiang Rong, concerned that viewers or the other on-site pet owners might be worried, added:
“Of course, for the safety of the fur babies, if any of them accidentally gets out, staff from the show will always be following them to make sure nothing happens.”
Sun Qi echoed her reassurance: “Yeah, exactly.”
Hearing Jiang Rong and Sun Qi comforting him, Shen Xiu felt a bit warm inside and gave a slight nod. “Thanks, I understand.”
After speaking, Shen Xiu thought of Wang Cai, whom he had seen not long ago. Although the cat looked like an adult in terms of size and bone structure, it didn’t seem to have much meat on its body… Was it really thirteen pounds?
“Wang Cai…”
Jiang Rong noticed Shen Xiu’s slight frown and interrupted him mid-sentence, winking at him as she spoke: “It’s only natural.”
Seeing her look, Shen Xiu instinctively shut his mouth.
Hearing Jiang Rong respond to Shen Xiu’s “thank you,” Sun Qi added cheerfully, “No problem~”
As Sun Qi finished speaking, Jiang Yanxi finally found an opportunity and turned to look at Jiang Rong with a meaningful gaze.
[That look Jiang Rong gave to Boss Xiu definitely meant something!]
[Do we even need to ask? For us Xiuologists and cloud cat-parents, it’s obvious—our Boss Xiu totally understood the message in Jiang Rong’s eyes and chose not to expose her on purpose for misreporting Wang Cai’s weight.]
[Fan here, and I agree! Rong Rong has adopted 16 kittens—she carries them every day. She’s handled cats of all sizes and can probably guess their weight just by looking. There’s no way she said the wrong number by accident. And now Shen Xiu, a first-time cat owner, could already tell the weight was off—respect!]
[So… why lie about the weight though?]
[No idea why, but yeah, for Wang Cai’s frame and size, a 13-pound adult cat really shouldn’t look that skinny.]
[Here’s the explanation: Wang Cai is super picky. Won’t eat freeze-dried food unless it’s expensive, won’t touch kibble unless it’s imported, and only eats canned food the first time it’s opened—once it’s been in the fridge, he won’t eat it again 😂]
[Shocking! Are stray cats really this picky?! (No offense to strays—my own baby’s a rescue too—but I’ve never seen such a picky little stray before!)]
As the bullet comments buzzed with curiosity, Jiang Yanxi wasn’t too happy. He looked at Jiang Rong with a somewhat resentful tone.
“Sister, can I ask—how do you know Wang Cai weighs thirteen pounds?”
Xu Qingchen hadn’t even introduced Wang Cai’s preferences yet, let alone his weight!
Could it be that Xu Qingchen had already contacted his sister in private?
Jiang Yanxi felt a strong sense of crisis. He warily eyed Xu Qingchen, who was sitting next to Sun Qi. When he saw that Xu Qingchen was looking at Jiang Rong, his whole body tensed up even more.
Xu Qingchen hadn’t expected this at all—Jiang Rong was usually distant with him, yet she somehow knew Wang Cai’s weight when even he, the owner, didn’t.
This genuinely surprised and delighted him.
Jiang Yanxi grew even more frustrated seeing Xu Qingchen looking at Jiang Rong. But with fewer fans than Xu Qingchen, and being on camera, he couldn’t throw a tantrum. So instead, he changed the subject.
“Sister, how do you know the show’s rules so well?”
Jiang Rong smiled calmly at him. “Oh, that’s easy—just good estimation. As for the program rules… that’s a secret.”
Zhuang Yi was curious: “You can really estimate that accurately just by looking?”
Ning Sinian decided to go straight to the source: “Is it really thirteen pounds?”
Even though Jiang Yanxi didn’t want to talk to Xu Qingchen, his eyes also locked onto him.
Seeing everyone looking at Xu Qingchen, Shen Xiu followed suit and also turned his gaze over.
Under all the stares, Xu Qingchen braced himself and said, “Yeah… it’s thirteen pounds.”
Then, for the first time in this conversation, Jiang Rong spoke to Xu Qingchen directly:
“Thirteen pounds and how many ounces?”
Xu Qingchen: “……”
Was Jiang Rong showing concern for Wang Cai?
Xu Qingchen didn’t think too much about it and replied vaguely, “Last time Wang Cai was weighed, he was thirteen pounds. Now he’s probably only gained another two or three ounces. If he’s gone to the bathroom, maybe even less.”
Jiang Rong lightly tapped her own forehead. “Ah, silly me. Must’ve misjudged just now. Wang Cai should actually be around eight pounds.”
Xu Qingchen: “?”
That’s a five-pound difference—kind of a huge gap. When he heard Jiang Rong’s words, Xu Qingchen was stunned at first. Then, recalling what he’d just said, his face turned awkward, his mind went blank, and he didn’t know what to say.
Shen Xiu quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like his fish-weighing skills from the supermarket were still sharp.
[Why didn’t Xu Qingchen try to explain himself?]
[Is Wang Cai really his cat? Because right now, it really feels like Jiang Rong’s the one who owns him.]
[Not gonna lie, every time I weigh myself, I have to grab my cat and weigh him too. I know my fur baby’s weight down to the decimal.]
Even Sun Qi was thrown off by Jiang Rong’s sudden pivot. He felt a bit lost for a moment.
The others present had similar reactions—none of them owned cats, so they didn’t really understand how feline weight corresponded to body size or bone structure.
A few seconds later, Xu Qingchen finally recovered from Jiang Rong’s unexpected attack. Thinking quickly, he came up with a response and spoke with an apologetic expression:
“Sorry, I’ve been super busy filming lately—so much that my brain’s been all over the place. I left Wang Cai in the care of my housekeeper during this time. Didn’t realize she let him get so thin. The weight I mentioned was from before I joined the production. I’ll go home and dismiss her right away.”
As Xu Qingchen finished his explanation, his brow furrowed tightly, his expression turning angry—like a responsible owner enraged by poor pet care.
Jiang Rong nearly yawned on the spot listening to him.
She then noticed Shen Xiu, who, the moment Xu Qingchen started talking, didn’t hesitate to shift his gaze back to the screen—completely uninterested in engaging with him. Jiang Rong thought, Shen Xiu must’ve seen right through Xu Qingchen’s little act. He can’t even be bothered to watch the performance.
Most of the people present were unimpressed, but Xu Qingchen’s fans completely bought into his words.
After all, it was true that Xu Qingchen had been busy filming and had just wrapped up before joining the show. His explanation held up on the surface.
Plus, the posts he’d shared in the past featuring Wang Cai were always things like scratch marks on his arms, photos of their “fights,” or videos of Wang Cai with puffed-up fur and airplane ears hissing at him.
[That housekeeper got paid and still couldn’t take proper care of the cat? Poor Brother Chen, seriously unlucky.]
[I’m reserving judgment.]
[Once Brother Chen finishes filming tomorrow, he better take good care of Wang Cai. Poor baby, sigh.]
Ever since Shen Xiu let out that earlier sigh of relief, his attention had been completely drawn back to Lucky’s split-screen livestream. He hadn’t even registered what Xu Qingchen said.
Because more than Xu Qingchen’s excuses, what really worried Shen Xiu… was Lucky actually managing to open the door and run out.
Even if the staff would follow him, this was still an unfamiliar place. Shen Xiu was terrified Lucky might get lost.
Watching Lucky’s determined attempts to pull down the doorknob—for the thirteenth time since he started watching—Shen Xiu was anxious.
And then, a desperate thought crept into his mind as he asked the system:
[When I’m not home… does Lucky do this too?]
Every time Shen Xiu came home, Lucky was either hiding around a corner ready to ambush him, or curled up asleep.
Never once had he seen Lucky hanging around the shoe cabinet.
Shen Xiu didn’t want to suspect Lucky, but watching the little black furball perform a smooth, practiced routine to open the door made him seriously question things.
He’d seen the system’s monitoring layout: only the study had cameras. The rest of the house was unmonitored.
So whether Lucky tried to open doors at home—he could only ask the system.
The system, without a shred of guilt, answered breezily: [Yep. Ever since Lucky grew a little and the barriers were removed, he’s been opening doors all the time.]
[But don’t worry—he can’t actually open the front door without your iris scan. It’s just a bit of extra exercise so he doesn’t turn into a fat cat.]
Shen Xiu: “……”
What kind of cat gets their cardio by practicing door handles instead of using a cat treadmill?!
No, that wasn’t the point.
The point was—
Lucky couldn’t open the door at home because of the iris lock.
He couldn’t open the program’s door because he didn’t weigh enough.
So what happens when he’s heavier and older—and Shen Xiu wants to take him somewhere? Will he have to remove the door from its hinges and carry it around to keep Lucky out?
The system, inspired by a video it had once seen, offered a sincere suggestion: [You could chain him up. Like with a little iron leash.]
Shen Xiu: “?”
My Lucky didn’t commit a capital crime!
After Xu Qingchen finished his “explanation,” the rest of the group remained silent.
Shen Xiu’s gaze stayed locked on the split screen ahead.
Zhuang Yi and Ning Sinian tried to imagine themselves in Xu Qingchen’s shoes, but quickly gave up—awkwardly glancing around instead. Faced with the disparity in status between Xu Qingchen and Jiang Rong, neither dared to speak.
Sun Qi, meanwhile, was doing his own mental math, weighing the celebrity rankings of both Shen Xiu and Jiang Rong…
Connecting the dots between Jiang Rong’s sudden “stab” at Xu Qingchen and Shen Xiu’s complete lack of eye contact during Xu Qingchen’s explanation—it was clear to everyone that Shen Xiu believed Xu Qingchen was lying.
And he didn’t even bother to hide it.
He simply shifted his attention to the screen, openly choosing to offend Xu Qingchen.
Jiang Yanxi, the only person in the room still in a good mood, mentally ran through every heartbreaking moment in his life just to keep from bursting out laughing.
Xu Qingchen’s fans, however, were furious about the whole scene.
They didn’t dare lash out at Jiang Rong or Shen Xiu—those two were clearly untouchable.
Since the other guests hadn’t done anything, the only person left to vent on was the host, Sun Qi.
[What is the host even doing?? Useless.]
[You can feel Xu Qingchen’s awkwardness through the screen…]
[Um… Lucky’s clearly been trying to escape this whole time, and Shen Xiu hasn’t looked away once. Meanwhile, Wang Cai’s been gone how long and Xu Qingchen still hasn’t even tried to go find him??]
[Jiang Rong already said there are staff watching the cats even when they go out. Wang Cai’s super independent—of course Xu Qingchen’s not worried. That’s totally normal!]
Meanwhile, Xu Qingchen was having a meltdown of his own.
First Jiang Rong blindsided him.
Then Shen Xiu took the lead in isolating him.
Even the host was clearly picking sides.
Xu Qingchen’s expression almost cracked under the pressure—he barely held back from showing it on his face.
Suddenly—
Pa! Pa! Pa!
A clear sound echoed from the window area of Shen Xiu’s room in the live feed.
The curtains swayed slightly with the noise.
Xu Qingchen, reacting reflexively, looked toward the split-screen display and asked aloud, puzzled, “What was that?”
Everyone’s attention immediately snapped to the screen showing Shen Xiu’s room.
Lucky, who had been entirely focused on trying to open the door to escape, suddenly froze.
His ears flicked toward the sound.
He abandoned the door for now, turned his little head, and stared warily at the window.
Step by careful step, he crept toward it, eyes locked on the source of the noise.
As he approached, he let out a low, warning “meowr” from his throat.
Hearing Lucky’s voice, the sound of the window being pawed at grew louder.
Not knowing what was outside, Shen Xiu’s hand, resting on the table, instinctively clenched from nervousness. He abruptly stood up. “I’ll go check—”
Before he could finish his sentence, swish! a white paw swiped the curtain open.
Wang Cai’s white nose and black-furred face popped out from beneath the curtain.
Shen Xiu: “!”
Everyone: “!”
Livestream viewers: [!!!]
Lucky: “Meow!!!”
The moment Wang Cai appeared, Shen Xiu’s mind went completely blank. Without even saying goodbye to the others, he sprang to his feet and rushed out.
[Holy crap, so this is where Wang Cai ran off to after opening the door!]
[He took so long—did he sniff his way over??]
[Didn’t expect that it wasn’t just Lucky who wanted to get out to see Wang Cai—Wang Cai wanted to come here to see Lucky too!]
[Uh-oh, Wang Cai’s kind of fierce… is he going to fight Lucky??]
[Everyone’s rushing over already—it should be in time to stop anything from happening.]
[Shen Xiu ran off so fast—damn, he’s already out of the camera shot!]
[Xu Qingchen must be panicking about Wang Cai right now.]
Everyone else was nervous too—especially Xu Qingchen.
He was even more worried than the others—if Wang Cai hurt Lucky, Shen Xiu would definitely hold a grudge against him forever.
Wang Cai, seeing Lucky suddenly fluff up in alarm, pulled his head back into the curtain.
This scene left the livestream audience totally confused.
Then, from behind the curtain, they heard a soft meowing sound.
Wang Cai: “Meow~”
[??? What’s going on?]
[Is Wang Cai… trying to act cute toward Lucky??]
Wang Cai: “Meow~”
Not hearing a response from Lucky, Wang Cai continued to meow.
Fluffed-up Lucky paused for a few seconds. Upon hearing Wang Cai’s voice, he tilted his little cat head in confusion.
The livestream viewers could clearly see the puzzlement in Lucky’s pair of bright green eyes.
[Lucky: confused kitten.jpg]
[Honestly, I’m just as confused as Lucky right now.]
Lucky: “Meow-aw…”
Wang Cai: “Meow~”
Upon hearing a response, Lucky’s puffed-up fur finally smoothed out. He carefully padded his way toward the window.
Though he moved closer, his steps remained cautious.
As soon as Lucky reached the window, Wang Cai—who had been softly meowing the whole time—suddenly leapt down from the window ledge and landed steadily on the floor.
Wang Cai sat calmly where he landed, his tail curled neatly around his paws, and didn’t move.
Lucky was startled when Wang Cai jumped down—his eyes widened, and he backed up a few steps.
Seeing that Wang Cai wasn’t making any sudden moves, Lucky gathered his courage and crept back over. He started circling around Wang Cai, sniffing him with his little pink nose.
[Fearless as a newborn calf…]
[Can confirm—that’s totally accurate. When my older cat was over a year old, I brought home a two-month-old kitten, and the kitten literally chased the big cat around sniffing him. Zero fear.]
[Wait a sec—why haven’t Shen Xiu and the others arrived yet? They should have been there by now… huh? Why are they back at the pavilion?]
Seeing all seven people reappear in the pavilion livestream, the audience was confused.
Sun Qi explained, “Just now on our way there, we ran into a cat behavior expert. After some persuasion from the expert, we decided to return here.”
To prevent any accidents, Fluffballs Heal the World had invited several experts who specialize in studying furry companions.
“The expert said Wang Cai has been trying to be friendly with Lucky the whole time, and they won’t fight.”
Despite those words, Shen Xiu still looked nervously at the screen after sitting down.
Xu Qingchen was the same.
[Both owners are so worried. Yet another day of being jealous of Lucky and Wang Cai~]
[To make the usually cold and indifferent Shen Xiu show such clear signs of worry—Lucky really is lucky!]
[Who said earlier that my Brother Chen doesn’t care about Wang Cai? Would someone who didn’t care have that expression on their face?]
Sun Qi pulled out the video he had just received from the behind-the-scenes cameraman and spoke up: “This is the route Wang Cai took to find Lucky.”
As he finished, Sun Qi hit play and placed his phone on the table.
The screen was small, so the livestream audience couldn’t see it—only the guests at the table could watch Wang Cai’s journey.
Ning Sinian watched Wang Cai sniff his way all the way to the window outside Shen Xiu’s room, jump up from the ground onto the window ledge, and then use his paw to try and push/pull the window open. Shocked, he exclaimed, “Wang Cai is amazing!”
Jiang Rong had been smiling the whole time as she watched. When Ning Sinian finished, she chimed in as well:
“Wang Cai definitely has the upper hand. He’s been a stray longer than Lucky, and he’s older too. With more life experience, he even knows how to open doors and windows—what a smart little sweetheart.”
Meanwhile—
Lucky had sniffed Wang Cai for several minutes. Seeing that Wang Cai didn’t hiss at him or try to start a fight, Lucky raised a paw to lightly tap Wang Cai, then began grooming him.
In the livestream, a little coal-black kitten squatted in front of a cat several times its size, licking its fur. The scene was so bizarre that both the observing guests and the livestream viewers were left in stunned silence.
Livestream viewers: [……]
Anyone who’s ever owned a cat knows—when one cat grooms another, it means they’re trying to make the other cat their little sidekick.
If the other cat doesn’t agree, it’ll resist, and the two will end up fighting.
What made viewers even more speechless was that Wang Cai was actually letting Lucky groom him.
The same Lucky who acts all cute, rolls around, and meows like crazy in front of Shen Xiu, now wanted to play the big boss in front of another cat and started grooming him? The contrast was bizarre and dissonant. Fans of Shen Xiu and Xu Qingchen alike were briefly at a loss for words.
[Did I see that right?]
[This world is so surreal—that’s all I can say.]
[Wang Cai: I don’t get it, I really don’t get it. I’m such a big cat, how did I end up getting groomed by a tiny kitten?!]
[Wuwuwu truly, all creatures have spirits. Fierce little Wang Cai actually isn’t hostile to Lucky, and is even being affectionate. So cute! After Lucky confirmed Wang Cai had no bad intentions, even his meows turned soft.]
[Wang Cai really, really likes Lucky, huh?]
After grooming for a bit, Lucky looked up at the much larger Wang Cai, clearly tired and not wanting to continue.
“Meow~”
Giving up, Lucky meowed lazily at Wang Cai, then padded over to the cabinet where Shen Xiu kept freeze-dried snacks and canned food. He raised a tiny black paw and tapped the cabinet, then tilted his head toward Wang Cai and meowed again: “Meow~”
But Wang Cai didn’t move. Instead, he leapt back up to the windowsill he had entered from and meowed down at Lucky: “Meow~”
He even flicked his tail.
Seeing that Lucky hadn’t moved, Wang Cai meowed a few more times.
Ning Sinian asked, “What are they doing?”
The audience in the studio and the livestream viewers were all thinking the same thing: What are they doing?!
The next second, under everyone’s confused gaze, Lucky took a few steps back—then suddenly leapt up and landed on the open windowsill.
