Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Lou Sheng ended up buying some food for the white cat. Before heading upstairs, he took one last look at it.

The skinny cat shivered in the snow, its belly quivering from the cold.

Lou Sheng went upstairs anyway.

The first night of the break, Lou Sheng turned in early. His room wasn’t heated, but it was still warmer than being outside.

The Zero Eight bedding was plenty thick, and he felt no chill at all wrapped up in it.

At ten that night, the snow, which had stopped hours earlier, started up again, coming down harder than it had that morning.

‘It’s kind of like you.’

Lou Sheng rolled over.

"Can’t sleep, huh?"

Lou Sheng paused. "017."

"Yeah?"

"How cold is it outside?"

017 quickly gave the answer: "Eleven below, little host."

"You worried about that cat?"

"It’s not about worrying... I haven’t even figured out my own life yet. I can’t handle more than that."

017 stayed quiet.

A few minutes later, Lou Sheng suddenly sat up and silently started getting dressed.

"Little host?"

"Going for a walk downstairs."

"..."

Even Lou Sheng, who could handle the cold, couldn’t take the subzero temperatures. After wandering aimlessly for a bit, his face and ears were red from the cold, but he still didn’t spot that grayish-white figure.

Then, as he passed the e-bike shed downstairs, he caught a glimpse of a white creature huddled next to a charging bike’s battery for warmth.

Lou Sheng smiled. Clever, finding a warm spot.

He stood there watching for a while, his lips, red from the cold, pressed tightly together.

Thanks to 017, his expenses this semester were low, and he still had some cash left...

But bringing this little guy home takes more than just money. It means taking on the responsibility of a life.

He also couldn’t go back to dorm life.

"017..."

Lou Sheng only had to say his name, and 017 already knew: "I respect your decision."

He respected any decision Lou Sheng made. But 017 could also see that his host had the intention of keeping this kitten.

017 was happy to see Lou Sheng keep a pet. His host had been lonely for too long. Humans, after all, crave warmth and companionship.

And he himself, in the end, was just a system, unable to replace the role of friends and family in Lou Sheng's life. At most, he could only offer some material help, but what Lou Sheng lacked was far more than that.

If possible, 017 wished to give Lou Sheng everything he was missing. Keeping a pet would be very beneficial for his physical and mental health.

As for the future expenses of the cat, the points 017 had saved were more than enough.

Lou Sheng finally walked into the bike shed.

Though his footsteps were light, the white cat still sensed his approach, its fur bristling. As soon as Lou Sheng reached out his hand, it immediately ran away, darting into a corner.

It was extremely wary. Even when Lou Sheng tried to lure it with food, it was of no use.

After nearly half an hour in the shed, Lou Sheng's fingers were almost frozen, but there was no sign of the cat coming out.

"Tsk, what a stubborn cat."

The standoff between the man and the cat continued, but 017 didn't plan to let Lou Sheng stay downstairs and freeze any longer.

He remembered that the service point offered a special function card...

As soon as the idea struck, 017 sprang into action.

In two minutes, he made a trip to the service point and brought back an attachment card. As the name suggests, it could attach the user's soul to another living being.

However, it could only be used on small to medium-sized animals other than humans, and the effect lasted for three minutes.

Special function cards were pricey, and it cost a thousand points to exchange for one attachment card.

Usually, only Taskers from other real worlds would reluctantly exchange for it under desperate circumstances, but 017 used it recklessly.

This was 017's first time using a function card, and when he saw his soul emerge from Lou Sheng's body, it felt almost magical.

017 entered the white cat's body and saw the luminous cluster that was smaller than him. Upon seeing him, it was slightly startled and shifted shape.

"Easy now..." 017 murmured soothingly.

He temporarily took control of the cat's body and slowly walked out from the narrow corner.

Lou Sheng's breath caught in his throat, not daring to move, watching as 017 approached him.

Assuming the food in his hand had done the trick, he gently raised his hand, signaling for it to come and eat.

"..."

017 was not interested in the cat's food.

He feigned lowering his guard and walked to Lou Sheng's hand.

He made as if to open his mouth, but before he could bite down, the scruff of his neck was grabbed and lifted.

Success.

The function card still had two minutes left. 017 thought about it, fearing something might go awry, and opted not to withdraw his soul yet.

"...You're really hard to catch." Lou Sheng hoisted 017 by the scruff to eye level, supporting his belly with the other hand, and looked at him coldly.

017 pulled in his claws and looked up at him.

He saw Lou Sheng's face up close. The frost still clinging to his brows, the faintly gleaming black eyes under his long lashes, and the reddened nose and lips from the cold were all clearly visible...

His host was really handsome.

017 felt a pang in his chest and rubbed his head against Lou Sheng's cheek.

Lou Sheng was caught off guard by the sudden affection, his body stiffening. He held 017 at arm's length and let go of the hand that was holding the cat's belly.

"Gross."

Hanging in mid-air, 017 instinctively tried to find a place to steady himself, his paws instinctively pressing into Lou Sheng's cheek, leaving a grimy paw print.

017: ...

It was indeed dirty.

He fought his instincts and retracted his front paws.

Lou Sheng saw 017 hanging there, still, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

What’s with this cat? Why’s it suddenly so well-behaved...

A chilly wind whipped up, and Lou Sheng shivered. Without thinking, he cradled 017 in his arms and left the shed.

As soon as he got home and shut the door, 017's function card coincidentally expired.

The white cat, set on the floor, gaped in shock, totally confused about how it had ended up somewhere else in an instant.

Startled, it bolted under the bed the moment Lou Sheng released it, seeking a safe spot to hide.

Compared to its earlier calm and confident behavior, it was like a completely different cat.

But Lou Sheng barely noticed its strange behavior; he was drawn to something else in the room.

The room was now packed with pet supplies. Cat food, a cat bed, deworming medicine... and some things Lou Sheng had never even seen before, all prepared by 017.

Lou Sheng looked around, his expression darkening, but he remained silent.

This reminded 017 of when he’d taken it upon himself to get blankets and clothes for Lou Sheng, and the expression on Lou Sheng's face had been the same—cold, as if displeased.

017 grew a little anxious. Earlier, when he went to the service point to exchange the function card, he had also brought back the necessary items for the cat.

But it seemed Lou Sheng wasn’t happy about his initiative.

"Little host..."

"017, the one who decided to keep it is me, not you."

"..."

If Lou Sheng was the one who decided to keep the cat, then he should also be the one to take responsibility.

But now, it seemed as if he had shifted that responsibility onto 017.

"Since I brought it back, I can afford to take care of it. You don't need to exchange these things for me."

After saying this, there was a long pause as 017 stayed silent. Lou Sheng suddenly snapped back to reality, about to explain something, when 017 spoke:

"Got it. My bad."

His tone was as calm as always.

Lou Sheng’s voice suddenly turned urgent, though he wasn’t sure why. "I wasn’t trying to blame you."

"…Yeah."

That single "yeah" left Lou Sheng feeling oddly stifled.

He had no idea what 017 looked like or what expression he might be wearing. He couldn’t even tell if the other was angry.

It felt unfair. He was the only one left in the dark.

"017."

"I’m here."

017’s voice sounded the same as always. It was just an electronic voice—how much could it really change?

After a pause, Lou Sheng muttered, "Sorry."

"…"

017: "No need to apologize, little host."

"I was the one who decided to keep it. I just feel like I’ve dumped the responsibility on you," Lou Sheng said softly. "I really didn’t mean to blame you."

017 was quiet for a few seconds.

"To me, these aren’t burdens at all. I do it because I like it—it’s got nothing to do with any task."

Lou Sheng was caught off guard. "Li… liking?"

"Yes."

Lou Sheng felt a little awkward all of a sudden. If he remembered right, 017 was male too. Talking about "liking" between two guys felt… weird.

It was just a normal kind of liking, right? Nothing more to it…

Despite his thoughts, he still blurted out, "What… what kind of liking?"

017 didn’t think it needed explaining but answered honestly anyway. "I like you a lot, and I like it too."

"…Oh." So there was no other meaning.

Lou Sheng pursed his lips.

In 017’s eyes, he was no different from that stinky cat…

017 continued, "If I’m stressing you out, I’ll stop."

"No need," Lou Sheng said, touching his warm face. "Do what you want."

017 let out a soft chuckle.

"Really? No strings attached?"

017 paused, this time telling the truth: "Just a bit. But I…"

"You like it, huh."

"Mm."

Lou Sheng's lips twitched into a slight smile.

He caught a glimpse of the white cat hiding under the bed. He opened a bag of cat food that 017 had brought back, measured out a portion, and poured some into the cat bowl.

The bed frame was high enough for Lou Sheng to pull the cat out, but he didn’t. Instead, he pushed the cat bowl under the bed.

He then stepped back to watch.

In less than half a minute, the cat cautiously approached the bowl, using its paws and teeth to drag and carry the bowl to a corner.

017 and Lou Sheng watched it eat in silence.

Lou Sheng then asked, "017. Were you mad just now?"

"...Just a bit."