Chapter 124: Variety Show in Progress (3)
Seeing this scene, both the livestream audience and the on-site guests fell into an eerie silence.
Noticing that everyone’s gaze had fallen on him and Wang Cai, Shen Xiu: “……”
He didn’t do anything — it came over on its own!
Xu Qingchen: “……”
[!!! The little cat who scratched Xu Qingchen without any cat morals is now rubbing up against the Demon King Xiu?! That basically means the Demon King Xiu has the legendary cat-attracting physique! This is terrifying!]
[Wang Cai: Professional at repaying kindness with betrayal (cat face)]
[Faced with the cat’s request to snuggle, Xiu-baby looks calm and indifferent. I strongly suspect that when Xiu-baby adopted little Lucky, it was because Lucky threw himself at him first. I mean, Lucky is so cute, even Xiu-baby couldn’t resist!]
[Curious… a kitten is a cat, a big cat is also a cat. Would tiger cubs and lion cubs also want to snuggle with Boss Xiu when they meet him? After all, he does have that cat-attracting aura (dog face emoji)]
[Chen fans say this is standard Wang Cai behavior. Ever since it got neutered, it’s been super rebellious — loves everyone except its owner, hahaha]
On-site, Ning Sinian and the others sneaked glances at Xu Qingchen’s current expression from the corners of their eyes. They couldn’t help but imagine themselves in his shoes, and the secondhand embarrassment made their toes curl.
Sun Qi, acting as the warm-up host, spoke up with a laugh to ease the tension: “Hahaha, who would’ve thought Shen Xiu has such a cat-attracting aura…”
That one line cleverly dispelled Xu Qingchen’s awkwardness.
Playing along, Xu Qingchen looked at Wang Cai snuggling up to Shen Xiu and joked self-deprecatingly, “Oh, Wang Cai… I never gave up on you, treated you like royalty, and this is how you repay me? You love everyone but your own owner. I’m honestly heartbroken.”
Wang Cai was busy acting cute toward Shen Xiu. When it heard Xu Qingchen’s words, it even hid behind Shen Xiu, poking out its black-and-white head and staring at Xu Qingchen with pupils that were almost entirely dilated.
Xu Qingchen clutched his chest, looking heartbroken.
“My heart hurts so much!”
Shen Xiu, who had no idea why Wang Cai would abandon its owner to snuggle up to a total stranger like him, imagined how he’d feel if it were him.
If one day Lucky, right in front of him, cozied up to someone else—only acting cute with them, ignoring him entirely—he’d definitely feel dejected and hurt.
The more he thought about it, the more awkward Shen Xiu felt looking at Xu Qingchen.
“…Sorry, Wang Cai came over on its own.”
This really had nothing to do with him—he never had any intention of stealing Xu Qingchen’s precious fur baby!
Xu Qingchen met Shen Xiu’s calm gaze and heard his light, casual tone—“It came over on its own.”
It was clearly a jab—mocking Wang Cai for being distant with him, its owner, and instead cozying up to an outsider. Xu Qingchen’s sense of grievance against Shen Xiu hit a new high.
All he did was criticize Shen Xiu a little for feeding the kitten some freeze-dried treats, and Shen Xiu’s been holding a grudge ever since?
“Haha, I know.”
He clearly recognized the passive-aggressive jab, but still had to pretend to take Shen Xiu’s words at face value in front of the cameras. Xu Qingchen was definitely not in a good mood.
He looked at Wang Cai, who was hiding behind Shen Xiu with just its head poking out. He opened his mouth to say something, but paused mid-breath, as if suddenly remembering something, and changed his tone.
“Looks like Wang Cai really likes you. I won’t force it to do something it doesn’t want to.”
Seeing that he wasn’t about to be taken away, Wang Cai flopped onto the ground with a dramatic duang, settling beside Shen Xiu and curling its tail around his side.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Great. Now it’s even harder to explain!
[Brother Chen, the chill cat owner indeed!]
[Poor little Lucky has no idea there’s another kitten snuggling up to Big Boss Xiu. Meanwhile, he’s fiercely kicking and punching him with his tiny pink paws to try and escape, LOL]
[I’m so curious to see Lucky’s reaction when he notices Wang Cai]
[Lucky, our little black fuzzball: Daddy, put me down, I’m busy! (angry cat emoji) Don’t bother me!]
While Wang Cai was rubbing against Shen Xiu’s pant leg, Lucky was being forcibly held in Shen Xiu’s arms, meowing in protest and trying to get down. He had no idea what Wang Cai was doing at all.
The little fuzzball was busy “punching and kicking” Shen Xiu with his pink paws when, by chance, he lowered his fluffy little black head—only to spot the much larger Wang Cai crouched at Shen Xiu’s feet, looking up at him.
Wang Cai: “……”
Lucky: “Meow?”
“MEOW! MEOW MEOW MEOW!!!”
Lucky’s first meow still sounded a little confused. But by the next few, he had transformed into a furious little kitten, shedding all pretense of being a cute baby cat. His voice, though still soft and milky, now had a piercing shrillness to it.
In the very next moment, the livestream viewers saw a chubby little black puffball suddenly slip out of Shen Xiu’s arms with a whoosh, landing lightly on the table.
Shen Xiu watched Lucky with alarm. When he saw him land safely on the table, he let out a breath of relief. He was annoyed at himself for getting a little lax while holding him earlier—he’d nearly fallen to the ground.
Still frustrated with himself, Shen Xiu quickly scooped Lucky back into his arms.
Lucky didn’t spare a single glance at Dingdang the hamster, who he had been so interested in earlier. Even when Shen Xiu held him in his arms again, he didn’t struggle like before or try to push away with his paws.
Right now, he had something way more important to deal with than escaping from Shen Xiu’s arms.
Lucky arched his back, fur puffed out, and the whole little kitten looked like a spiky sea urchin. He hissed and growled fiercely at Wang Cai, who was beside Shen Xiu, his triangular ears flattened into full airplane mode.
“Meowwwoo… hisss… meowwwoo…”
Anyone who’s owned a cat would know — this kind of aggressive hissing and strange, unlike-usual vocalizations meant the cat was angry.
According to Xu Qingchen, Wang Cai was quite fierce, so Shen Xiu worried that Lucky might get into a fight. He used one arm to hold Lucky in place and the other to gently smooth his fur in an attempt to calm him down.
He hadn’t expected things to escalate like this and deeply regretted not bringing Lucky’s last two freeze-dried treats for the day when he took him out.
If he had just put them in front of him, maybe… Lucky would’ve paused the drama to eat them first before going back to meowing.
Shen Xiu: “……”
So really, bringing the freeze-dried snacks or not… kind of made no difference either way.
Right in front of the livestream viewers, Shen Xiu awkwardly tried to soothe Lucky.
“Lucky, calm down.”
“Aren’t you tired? Want to take a break and cool off?”
“…As long as you’re happy…”
Lucky didn’t budge in the slightest. With him fluff all puffed up and his temper flaring, he and Shen Xiu became a very noticeable pair. Shen Xiu, practically suffocating from the tension, was at a loss for words and could only give up.
[Is this really the same devilish Shen Xiu I know?!]
[Yet another day of being jealous of little Lucky, wuwuwu]
[Wang Cai’s innocent gaze: I’m just quietly sitting here watching you yell at me…]
[To all the Xiuologists out there—starting today, we might need to accept this reality: Oh, it’s little Lucky? Then it’s fine. Boss Xiu being totally biased toward Lucky is just par for the course!]
[Xiu-baby doesn’t treat Lucky like a pet at all—this is family. He’s so patient and indulgent, just like parents who sigh and say “I really can’t do anything about you,” hahaha]
As the viewers fired off bullet comments teasing Shen Xiu, they started to notice something odd: the supposedly fierce, no-morals Wang Cai, as described by Xu Qingchen, did nothing in response to Lucky’s angry baby-cat meowing.
Faced with Lucky’s tiny but fierce provocation, Wang Cai just tilted its head upward and looked at him.
Wang Cai didn’t puff up, didn’t hiss, didn’t meow back.
Both the audience on-site and the livestream watchers silently observed this one-sided showdown as little Lucky meowed nonstop at Wang Cai for a full three minutes.
[Sweet little Lucky, who looks like a scoop of black sesame pudding, is all ferocious and fired up. And Wang Cai—the cat with zero morals who often scratches Brother Chen until he bleeds and trends on Weibo—turns out to be the well-behaved one, completely silent. This world is too surreal.]
[Just look at Lucky—there’s no doubt now how spoiled he is by Boss Xiu]
Normally, Lucky didn’t meow much at home. When he was the only cat in the house and Shen Xiu had been gone for a while, he would let out a few angry meows. When he finally came back, he’d greet him with a few spoiled meows, then go right back to lazy mode.
Now, though, he had been meowing for so long all at once—yet no one, neither person nor cat, was responding to him. Gradually, Lucky’s voice started to fade.
Even though Lucky was adorable, he was Shen Xiu’s cat. Since the other cat involved—Wang Cai—belonged to Xu Qingchen, no one else felt it was their place to intervene.
Watching as Lucky’s meows grew softer and softer, Shen Xiu finally felt the nervous tension in his chest begin to ease. He picked up the cup of water on the table—his own, the one he hadn’t even had a chance to sip yet—and quietly brought it to Lucky’s tiny mouth.
In a soft voice, Shen Xiu asked, “Want some water?”
Upon hearing Shen Xiu’s familiar voice, Lucky lifted his head and stared at him with those black pupils for a few seconds—long enough to make Shen Xiu feel a little guilty—before finally lowering his head and starting to drink.
“Prprpr…”
The sight of Lucky’s little pink tongue lapping up water melted everyone’s hearts on the spot.
But just as they were collectively swooning, everyone suddenly remembered how fierce and feisty Lucky had just been. For a moment, no one said anything.
Everyone silently reached the same conclusion: This is a tiny kitten with thorns—cute, but not to be messed with!
[Lucky: Fierce but functional—still drinks!]
[Wang Cai: I’m just quietly watching you meow (blink blink)]
[From Xiu-baby’s calmly spoken “Want some water?”, I could totally hear the indulgence in his tone LOL]
[Lucky’s possessiveness over Boss Xiu is off the charts]
While Lucky was busy drinking water, Shen Xiu turned toward Wang Cai and, addressing the other cat directly, offered a sincere apology: “Sorry, Wang Cai.”
He really didn’t mean for things to turn out like this. If Lucky wanted to meow, there was no stopping him!
Feeling both guilty and grateful, Shen Xiu couldn’t help but be impressed by Wang Cai’s incredibly good temper.
He truly didn’t understand how a cat this gentle could be the same one Xu Qingchen claimed had “no cat morals.”
[…Guys, did I hear that right? Did Boss Xiu just apologize to a cat?!]
[That’s right. (Lighting a cigarette like a boss) I’ve already accepted Boss Xiu’s double standards when it comes to cats. After all… it’s a kitty!]
[I like people who are polite and kind to cats!]
[Wang Cai’s emotional control is amazing. Are Xu Qingchen’s fans sure this cat has no cat morals?]
Xu Qingchen: “…”
He hadn’t expected Shen Xiu to apologize to a cat. Not to him—a cat.
If this wasn’t Shen Xiu being petty and holding a grudge, he’d write his name backward!
As the saying goes, “You don’t beat a dog without asking the owner first.” Xu Qingchen took a deep breath and forced himself to show some courtesy. He looked at Shen Xiu with a hint of apology and said:
“Sorry, it’s all because Wang Cai was too fierce. He must’ve upset Lucky earlier in the bushes and made him angry. I apologize on Wang Cai’s behalf—to you and Lucky.”
Shen Xiu: “…”
Are we sure it was Wang Cai who was being fierce…?
“He’s not the fierce one…” Shen Xiu murmured quietly, his gaze shifting to little Lucky, still angrily puffed up as he drank water after all that meowing.
Xu Qingchen: …He had already humbled himself to this extent, giving Shen Xiu plenty of face, even taking all the blame on Wang Cai. Couldn’t Shen Xiu just once not contradict him? Would it kill him?
Xu Qingchen didn’t get it—and was once again stunned by Shen Xiu’s grudge-holding ability.
Among Xu Qingchen’s fans, most were there for him—but a solid chunk followed him purely for Wang Cai.
When they heard Shen Xiu say “Wang Cai isn’t fierce,” the chat lit up with shock.
[Wait, seriously? —- Image link]
[Maybe… the normally vicious Wang Cai backed down in the face of Shen Xiu’s intimidating aura. We call this “the wise cat adapts to survive”?]
[“Not fierce”? Please refer to this trail of scratch-induced bloodshed —- Image link]
Fans of Xu Qingchen flooded the bullet screen with many photos of Xu Qingchen being scratched and bloodied by Wang Cai.
All of these photos had originally been posted by Xu Qingchen himself on his social media accounts, and his fans had saved them.
Fans of other celebrities in the bullet screen clicked on the links and were shocked to see the bloody photos of Xu Qingchen scratched by Wang Cai.
[It’s not like I haven’t seen naughty kittens with no “cat morals” before, but none of them are like Wang Cai. As long as you don’t provoke them, they usually won’t attack first.]
[Wang Cai is a rescued stray cat. Brother Chen said it has a very moody temperament—when it’s good, it’s great, but when it’s bad, it’s vicious. That’s why Brother Chen gets scratched like that.]
[I personally saw little Lucky meowing at Wang Cai for ages, and Wang Cai stayed calm and didn’t react at all. I still don’t want to believe those photos are real.]
[The photographic evidence is right there—what’s to doubt? Cats often act out when they know their owner spoils them too much. It’s not uncommon.]
[Stop arguing and watch the livestream seriously!]
“Ahem.”
Sun Qi, seeing that Lucky had finally quieted down, finished drinking water, and stopped meowing at Wang Cai—only silently staring at each other now—seized the opportunity to pull the variety show back on track.
“Now, would all the pet parents please hold your babies in your arms, greet the livestream audience one by one, and introduce them to our guests on-site and our beloved viewers at home.”
Upon hearing the host’s words, Jiang Yanxi and Ning Sinian—who had been too caught up in watching Lucky and Wang Cai’s drama—were jolted back to reality and suddenly remembered their own pets.
Looking around, neither of them could see them.
Jiang Yanxi: “Where’s my Devil?!”
Ning Sinian: “Where’s my Angel?!”
Zhuang Yi thankfully patted the small cage holding his hamster. “Good thing my Dingdang can’t run off.”
Shen Xiu raised his hand and pointed in a direction. “Over there.”
Ning Sinian and Jiang Yanxi followed the direction Shen Xiu was pointing. They didn’t see anything, but they didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately rushed off in that direction without question.
[As expected of Xiu-baby—eyes sharp, ears alert, always aware of everything happening around him.]
[Okay but… every time I hear Xi-baby and Nian Nian yelling for Devil and Angel—especially when Devil is a goose and Angel is a rooster—I get so confused.]
[Isn’t it even more confusing that Devil and Angel should be natural enemies, yet they go on walks together?!]
[Honestly, Zhuang Yi raising a hamster is starting to feel like the only normal thing. It suits his personality.]
[Am I really the only one who finds it super weird that a rooster and a goose—one going “gagaga” and the other “kokoko”—can somehow peacefully take walks together?!]
[The Galaxy team’s captain and members… their pets are all just as “extra” as they are.]
Less than five minutes later, Ning Sinian returned holding Angel, and Jiang Yanxi followed with Devil in his arms.
Xu Qingchen looked at Wang Cai, who refused to leave Shen Xiu’s side and was still locked in an intense staring contest with Lucky. With a helpless tone, he said, “I think I’d better just let Wang Cai be free.”
Right after saying that, Xu Qingchen realized how that could be misinterpreted and quickly clarified.
“Don’t get me wrong—I don’t mean I don’t want Wang Cai anymore. It’s just that Wang Cai really likes Shen Xiu. I don’t want to force him into something he doesn’t want. If he doesn’t feel like being held by me, then that’s okay. His happiness matters most.”
Sun Qi had also seen the photos Xu Qingchen posted on social media and didn’t press him. “No problem.”
Everyone took their seats, and Sun Qi turned to Shen Xiu. “Captain Xiu, let’s start with you~”
Shen Xiu nodded. “Okay.”
Since he had already done a brief introduction in the car earlier, it was like Shen Xiu had a mental draft ready, plus he’d already had one round of practice.
So speaking a second time was effortless for him.
Three minutes later, Shen Xiu finished introducing Lucky.
The Xiuologists in the chat saw that his introduction of Lucky was word-for-word identical to the one he gave earlier, and the phrase “As expected of Shen Xiu” instantly flooded the screen.
It was the first time Sun Qi had ever seen someone introduce their pet so fluently and nonstop for a full three minutes.
When Shen Xiu finished, Sun Qi sincerely remarked, “You must really love little Lucky.”
Shen Xiu didn’t deny it. “Yes.”
Shen Xiu responded seriously to everything related to Lucky, which sparked another wave of envy-filled comments on the livestream from viewers admiring how loved Lucky was.
Among the six guests for episode 26, aside from Jiang Rong, the other five all brought pets. Jiang Rong was only there to accompany her younger brother, Jiang Yanxi.
Based on popularity rankings, Shen Xiu—the newly debuted idol—was number one. Model Jiang Rong was second, actor Xu Qingchen third, Ning Sinian fourth, Jiang Yanxi fifth, and Zhuang Yi sixth.
Following the show’s internal popularity order, and since Jiang Rong didn’t bring a pet, Sun Qi skipped over her and turned to the third most popular guest, Xu Qingchen.
“Qingchen, you’re up.”
“Wang Cai, huh…” Xu Qingchen let out a deep sigh. His gaze instinctively landed on Jiang Rong, and then he proceeded to describe all of Wang Cai’s rebellious, cat-morality-lacking behavior in detail.
Two minutes later, he stopped. “That’s about it.”
Sun Qi: “……”
As someone who had adopted sixteen stray cats himself, Sun Qi couldn’t sense any real affection for Wang Cai in Xu Qingchen’s introduction.
At that moment, he finally understood why Wang Cai didn’t act affectionate toward Xu Qingchen.
Someone who truly loves their pet wouldn’t keep bringing up their pet’s misbehavior. Throughout the entire introduction, Xu Qingchen had only talked about how rebellious and destructive Wang Cai was—not a single mention of Wang Cai’s hobbies, favorite foods, or quirky habits.
Sun Qi reminded himself not to let his personal feelings affect his role as a host and quickly turned to Ning Sinian.
“Sinian, your… Angel?” God knows how confused he felt every time he saw Ning Sinian holding that proud, brightly-feathered rooster and calling it “Angel.”
Ning Sinian looked down at the rooster in his arms with a gentle expression. “Angel, huh…”
…
Ten minutes later, Zhuang Yi finished introducing his hamster, little Dingdang.
With all the guests having introduced their pets, the audience watching the livestream began to realize something odd—Xu Qingchen was the only one who hadn’t mentioned his pet’s preferences or personality.
But Xu Qingchen’s fans were still flooding the bullet screen with links to photos of him being scratched and bloodied by Wang Cai. While some viewers found it a bit strange, they didn’t overthink it. They just assumed that Wang Cai had traumatized Xu Qingchen too deeply.
That’s why whenever Xu Qingchen talked about Wang Cai, all he could think about were its bad behaviors.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiu listened attentively to the guests’ introductions while holding Lucky close and quietly observing both Lucky and Wang Cai.
Sun Qi turned toward the livestream camera and said, “Now that we’ve heard everyone’s introductions, I believe the audience has gotten a basic understanding of our furry (and feathery) friends. So up next, let’s get to know them a little more deeply!”
With that, Sun Qi stood up and looked toward the six guests.
“Now, would all the pet parents please pick up your little ones and place them into the rooms that the production team has prepared for you. Close the door behind you, then return here to join everyone as we observe what the pets do on their own when left without their parents.”
“Alright.”
“OK~”
“No problem.”
…
Five minutes later, though reluctant, all five pet parents had placed their furry companions into their assigned rooms and returned to the pavilion.
When they got back, they saw Jiang Rong chatting with Sun Qi.
Xu Qingchen quickened his pace, walking a few steps ahead of the others. “What are you two talking about? Looks like you’re having fun.”
Noticing the direction Xu Qingchen was headed, Jiang Yanxi tossed a quick “I’m going ahead!” to Shen Xiu, Ning Sinian, and Zhuang Yi.
With that, the three saw Jiang Yanxi break into a run, overtaking Xu Qingchen to sit right next to Jiang Rong.
Xu Qingchen noticed Jiang Yanxi’s move and his steps stiffened momentarily, but he quickly recovered and walked over to sit beside Sun Qi as if nothing had happened.
Shen Xiu and the others followed behind toward the pavilion.
While they had been placing their pets in the rooms, the staff had set up a large screen in front of the round table. The entire display was divided into five segments, each showing a livestream feed from one of the rooms, so all seven people—Sun Qi included—could watch what was happening.
As soon as the screen came on, Xu Qingchen glanced at Shen Xiu with a nervous expression.
Sun Qi and Jiang Rong also turned to look at Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu: “?”
Was something on his face?
A few seconds later, Shen Xiu, still completely confused, sat down at the round table—only to fall into silence when he saw what was playing on the screen.
Hmm