I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Actually, I've always wanted to have a cat, but my mom is a little allergic to cat fur, so we've never had one at home. But since Qianqian has one, it's like I have one too. I can go to Qianqian's house to play with the kittens from now on."

"But has Qianqian decided where to keep it? Are you going to buy it from a pet store?"

"My cousin's cat seems to have given birth to a litter of kittens, and she's been giving them away on QQ Space lately. Qianqian, do you want me to ask around? They're all very cute kittens."

In response to Lin Mu's exceptionally high level of enthusiasm, Chen Junqian also typed out:

"Sure, shall we go take a look together tomorrow?"

"Okay, then Qianqian will come directly to my place tomorrow."

After making this agreement, the next day, Lin Mu took Chen Junqian to her cousin's house. Chen Junqian had met her cousin during the Chinese New Year. After politely greeting her, Lin Mu pulled him over to see the kittens.

It wasn't a particularly noble breed of cat, but Chen Junqian didn't really have any requirements in that regard. He squatted there, looking at the kittens huddled in their nest, and quickly locked onto one of them. Its pure white coat was paired with a pair of large, jet-black eyes. While Chen Junqian was looking at it, it was also curiously observing the boy in front of it. Then, in a flash, it affectionately hugged one of his outstretched fingers, squinted slightly, and rubbed its chin against him affectionately.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that only the claws of the animal were black. This color combination is generally called "dragging a gun in the snow," which is the opposite of "dark clouds treading on snow," which has black fur and white claws.

"This one seems to really like you, Qianqian."

Lin Mu, who was squatting on the other side, also noticed this movement. Like a duck, she moved sideways towards him while still squatting, and stretched out her finger next to him:

"I'm your mom!"

If kittens could really understand human speech, the person who should be rolling their eyes the most right now is the mother cat lying not far away, nursing her other kittens.

All I can say is that in front of the kittens, which are much smaller than himself, his childhood sweetheart can indeed release and display her untamed maternal instincts without any sense of incongruity. A few strands of her long hair fall down from her ears and the sides of her face as she leans over, and the corners of her mouth turn up in a dim, upturned smile. Combined with the sunlight streaming in from the window, it's as if the adjectives "tranquil" and "beautiful" are written all over her face.

Although only a few seconds later, Chen Junqian, who had just stood up, heard his childhood sweetheart say something embarrassing again: "Qianqianqianqian, my legs are numb from squatting, pull me up."

"Then let's take this one."

Chen Junqian pulled Lin Mu, along with the unnamed kitten she had already picked up, up from the ground and made his decision without hesitation.

Because Lin Mu's cousin had already taken care of things like hygiene and vaccinations beforehand, he only needed to prepare the necessary pet facilities. While he and Lin Mu were busy building a little home for the kitten, the other party brought up the issue of naming the kitten.

It can only be said that Lin Mu still seemed to hold a grudge about the fact that the club name wasn't hers 'Senmu' last time, so before Chen Junqian could speak, she had already brought up the name again.

"But wouldn't it seem strange to have the same username as Mu Mu?"

“We can call it by its nickname, like Sen Sen. This is Liu Ke Shu, which happens to be the name of Qian Qian’s family and our family. It’s the kitten that our two families raised together.”

"It does seem pretty good."

"Okay, from now on its formal name will be Senmu, and its nickname will be Sensen. Got it, Sensen?"

As she spoke, Lin Mu reached out and picked up the kitten again, her little face tense with a very serious expression, just like when she was little and her parents explained the origin of her name. She emphasized it to Sen Mu once more:

"Your full name is your mom's online name. Your nickname means six trees in total, which represent me and Qianqian, and our two parents."

Unfortunately, in this real world where sentient beings cannot exist after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it is indeed impossible to make a kitten understand human speech, especially such complex human speech. If it were someone else here, Chen Junqian would probably suspect that the other party was talking to him, who was also present. But looking at Mu Mu, it seems that the other party simply wants to teach the kitten.

On a whim, Chen Junqian, always eager for a good show, immediately began offering advice to his childhood sweetheart:

"Actually, I don't think Mu Mu can understand it by saying this. You have to use cat language to talk to a cat."

"The language of cats? Meow meow meow?"

Completely believing Chen Junqian's words, Lin Mu nodded with a look of sudden realization. Then, she turned back to the still confused and innocent-looking kitten and began to meow seriously and earnestly again.

"Meow, meow meow meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow!"

It can only be said that everything unfolded exactly as Chen Junqian had anticipated. He easily secured two achievements in less than 24 hours. With a relaxed demeanor, Chen Junqian even secretly filmed a video of the human and cat attempting to communicate across species with his phone as a memento.

"Ah, Qianqian is so naughty."

Seeing Chen Junqian sitting there secretly filming with an undisguised smile, Lin Mu finally realized what was happening. She quickly put down the kitten she was holding and pounced on him like a cat, trying to snatch the phone. However, Chen Junqian easily dodged her and, while lying on the sofa, reached out and slapped her.

"Delete it!"

"Why delete it? It's so cute."

With nimble movements, Chen Junqian dodged Lin Mu's outstretched hand that tried to snatch the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Anyway, this isn't the first time Mumu has talked to a cat."

"Hmm? Really? I've never spoken to a cat before, since neither my family, Qianqian's family, nor our old home in the mountains have cats."

"It's not a real cat. A couple of years ago, Uncle Lin had a game on his phone called 'Talking Tom Cat,' right? I remember Mu Mu had so much fun playing it back then, and she talked to Talking Tom Cat so many times."

Upon hearing Chen Junqian mention the game, Lin Mu, whose memory wasn't very good, finally recalled a little bit of what he remembered from back then, and said while resting his chin on his hand:

"That was a long time ago, 2010? My dad has already changed two phones, and he should be getting a new one in the next couple of years."

"So fast?"

"Yes, yes, because there's an Apple event this September, right? I heard they're going to release a new iPhone 5s. I wonder if Dad will switch to this one right away, or wait until next year to use the new iPhone 6."

The iteration and development of mobile phones is one of the fastest-growing legacies of this era.

It feels like the iPhone 4, which was a nationwide sensation, hasn't been out for long, and the iPhone 6 is already poised for release.

But thinking about it, it makes sense, considering it happened three years ago.

The girl lying on the sofa shifted her body again, moving closer to her childhood friend. As she felt the familiar presence that was exactly the same as it had been years ago, she closed her eyes in peace.

Speaking of which, where did Dad put all those cell phones he no longer uses?

...I can't remember.

However, it probably isn't anything important.

After all, you can often hear electronic loudspeakers in those streets and alleys.

Old cell phones can only be exchanged for kitchen knives, scissors, and stainless steel basins.

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Fated Encounter (Part Two)

For a long time, Chen Junqian felt that the pressure of the high school entrance exam was actually greater than that of the college entrance exam.

On the one hand, this is certainly related to the age of the person involved. High school students who are eighteen or nineteen years old are generally more mature in terms of the formation of their values ​​and the maturity of their thinking than junior high school students who are fifteen or sixteen years old. Therefore, whether it is subjective or objective, active or passive, they are more likely and should be responsible for their choices and actions, rather than realizing after a moment of confusion that they have passed through this stage of life in a daze.

On the other hand, the 50/50 split competition model of the high school entrance examination is indeed more brutal. Unlike the situation where everyone leaves their hometown to study at universities in various places after the college entrance examination, the dividing line between regular high schools and vocational high schools is glaringly there, clearly separating students who were in the same class in junior high school into two groups.

This distinction is not only reflected in school selection and grades, but also in the words of parents and the perception of society. Students from vocational high schools, technical schools and vocational secondary schools are always labeled from the outset as bad kids that parents say they should not associate with. Related news and rumors, both true and false, are exposed every now and then.

That is why, even though she can clearly recognize that preconceived notions and impressions are undesirable, Shen Nianqiu certainly does not want to become the protagonist of a story about giving birth in a toilet in the future. Her family and school are the only two platforms she can currently access to advance her career. Since she can no longer rely on the former, all her hopes must indeed be placed on the latter.

She didn't take into account the countless guarantees and promises Chen Junqian had made. Perhaps it was because of her pride as the older sister, or perhaps she simply felt that these three things couldn't be confused in essence. Shen Nianqiu didn't skip the stage of being a boss and directly choose to become a boss's wife. She was still young.

Just like the slogan "The outcome is still uncertain, and we can all be dark horses" written on the banner at the high school entrance exam rally, she is certainly not yet definitively judged. All possibilities for the future have not been completely blocked, and everything is still possible.

People always need a reason and a goal.

Lying in bed in the early hours of the morning after evening self-study and finishing all homework, just glancing at the goodnight message the other person sent me two hours earlier, and then tracing back along the chat history from tonight and many nights before, is enough to give me a good night's sleep.

Thinking about it carefully, she realized that it had been almost a year since she had last met Chen Junqian. Although the two had never stopped chatting and did not have to wait as long and intermittently as pen pals in classic romance novels and movies from twenty years ago, she had indeed not seen him for almost a year.

From the time Shen Nianqiu could remember, her mother had forcibly given her an older brother. This brother was neither visible nor intangible, but he lived in every corner of Shen Nianqiu's field of vision and in every breath she had, filling the air around her and her ears.

That's why she went to find herself a younger brother. If she took him out and then forgot about him, there would always be some empty space standing there. It's like if you move a Buddha statue, you have to put up another one. The incense is always burning and people are always worshipping. Since there has to be such a place, it's better to choose one herself. After all, it's in her own heart.

Shen Nianqiu was still looking at their chat history tonight. It was completely different from chatting face-to-face. She couldn't see the other person's facial expressions, hear the sounds coming from their mouth, or smell their body scent. All she could see were a few dozen lines of chat history.

If possible, she would even have the thought of becoming the kitten the other person just adopted, so that at least she could catch a glimpse of him at night before going to sleep and rub against his pants leg and fingers.

The girl's gaze lingered on those few lines of chat history, growing and changing little by little until it actually materialized into a complete human form in her mind. Of course, Shen Nianqiu wouldn't admit that this was just imagination. The two of them had met before and even slept together, just like she was holding the blanket right now.

This year is 2013. If we start counting from 2008 when the two first met, it has been exactly five years. However, they have only met three times, which is less frequent than the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl who can meet once a year.

In fact, everyone probably knows what they should be doing right now, but the reality is that not everyone can do it immediately after realizing it, especially for middle school students with strong rebellious tendencies. Their roommate who dropped out of school before the high school entrance exam is a prime example.

Of course, there was more than one person in the dorm who was dating. There was another girl in the same relationship, but she wasn't the type to stick with just one person. Dating, breaking up, and seamlessly moving on to the next relationship was as easy for her as eating and drinking.

She had said more than once that her mother told her not to date, and even if she did, not to be attracted to someone just because they had some money. What does having some money matter? Does having some money make you want to show off? But when it came to actually dating, when faced with the boys standing in front of her, her most instinctive and first thought was still whether they had money or not.

Frankly speaking, schools are supposed to be places that try their best to prevent students from comparing themselves to each other in every way. Whether it's the unchanging bulky blue and white sports uniforms worn by everyone or the various rules against wearing jewelry and accessories, it's all in the name of achieving this goal. However, the kind of comparison that can't be stopped is always impossible.

According to the girl, there are simply too many places and too many details that allow people to compare themselves to each other, making her wonder about the other person's family situation and whether they have any money.

The shoes on her feet, the electronic products in her dormitory, the high-end snacks that she could eat every now and then that were not available in the school store, and so on and so forth.

Yes, outside of family and school, there will always be another path and another platform for girls to more easily achieve upward social mobility.

That's why Shen Nianqiu disliked discussing these three things together.

Even if there really is such a thing, it should be Chen Junqian who follows her path, since there's a saying that men can be kept by women.

Special admissions class.

This is the target that Shen Nianqiu is currently aiming for.

They only recruit students who are in the top 100 of their grade. Once they pass the assessment, they are admitted in advance, and their final high school entrance examination scores become irrelevant.

Around mid-May, a month before the high school entrance exam officially began, Shen Nianqiu successfully achieved her goal, ranking third in the final score. While most students were still striving for the exam in thirty days, she ended her junior high school career ahead of schedule.

It was at this time that she received another inquiry from the school:

"Shen Nianqiu, would you be interested in participating in the selection process for our school's upcoming 'Chinese Character Dictation Competition'?"

"Your Chinese language skills are very solid, and the timing is just right. This program has a lot of attention. If you are selected, you will not only be able to go to Beijing to participate in the recording of CCTV's program, but you will also have the opportunity to appear on TV and bring honor to yourself and your school."

----------------------------------

During the May Day holiday in 2013, Zhu Wenyun was invited by the editorial department to go to Hefei to meet and have a detailed discussion with Teacher Zhang, who was responsible for guiding her in the New Concept Writing Competition. Chen Junqian also accompanied her.

This wasn't the first time the two had been to Hefei, but it was their first time visiting Hefei No. 50 Middle School. As soon as they arrived at the school gate, Chen Junqian was greeted by a series of things he had never imagined before.

More precisely, it's the list of award winners and congratulatory messages on the honor roll in the bulletin board.

Congratulations to our school magazine, "Nurturing Seedlings," for winning the first prize for outstanding school magazine from the China Language and Literature Newspaper Association!

Congratulations to our school's robotics club for winning second place in the 5th Anhui Provincial Youth Robotics Competition!

Congratulations to our school's Computer Club for winning the first prize in the team competition at the 22nd iFlytek Cup Hefei Youth Informatics (Computer) Competition!

Congratulations to our school's chess club for winning first place in the Chinese chess team competition at the 'Huangshan Cup' Anhui Provincial Youth Chess Championship!

………………

Further down the list are records of participation and awards in a series of competitions, including but not limited to swimming, gymnastics, and badminton. This genuinely allowed Chen Junqian to experience firsthand the reality that a local roommate had casually explained to him back in college that club activities certainly exist in China.

Just then, Ms. Zhang, the teacher contacted by the editorial department of "Fireworks," came out of the school gate and greeted them. She was a kind-looking middle-aged woman. After confirming that their identities were correct, she led them into the campus and they had a detailed discussion in her office.

Chen Junqian himself didn't know much about the New Concept Writing Competition. Teacher Zhang had taught writing classes in this area before, so there was no need for him to chime in with his half-understanding. He just leaned against the window in the office, looking at the scenery outside and the few foreign teachers who occasionally passed by on the campus path.

After Teacher Zhang and Zhu Wenyun finished their lesson, Chen Junqian stood there and asked her with some curiosity: