Why bother with dating when you already have a cat?

Feeling the warmth above its head, the little fish comfortably squinted its eyes, finally feeling at ease.

If Ai Qing is willing to pat her head, then he has definitely forgiven her.

Chapter 56 Little Fish's First Night Out

After sweeping up the debris on the ground, Ai Qing stood next to Xiao Yu and helped her wash the remaining bowls.

Before long, the little fish ran out of warmth and turned back into a kitten. Ai Qing returned to her bedroom and began to write seriously.

After it was released, I no longer felt as anxious as during the new book season.

Once you have concrete results, whether good or bad, all you need to do is accept reality and then take action.

Moreover, with Xiaoyu by his side every day providing him with various inspirations, Ai Qing rarely experiences writer's block when writing.

I wrote 3,000 words in the morning and 3,000 words in the afternoon. After finishing my work for the day, it was already getting dark.

The fluffy little fish rested on the windowsill, quietly absorbing the warmth flowing from Ai Qing's body.

After a simple dinner, Ai Qing tried to maintain a good routine and worked out a detailed outline for the novel's sequel before Kong Fugui called her to go online and play PUBG.

I go to bed promptly at 10 p.m., read a novel for a while, and then go to sleep.

Then, around three or four in the morning, even though she wasn't woken up, Ai Qing was still automatically awakened by the biological clock she had developed over the past month.

Looking around, Ai Qing didn't see Xiao Yu anywhere. Then she realized that Xiao Yu didn't seem to be in the bedroom.

"Little Fish?" Ai Qing called her name softly.

In the past, the little fish would have responded with a meow.

But it wasn't there at that time.

Perhaps because he had just woken up and his mind was still a little foggy, Ai Qing felt a rare sense of panic and loss, which prompted him to immediately roll off the bed.

There was no fish in the bathroom, nor on the top of the wardrobe or the windowsill.

Ai Qing immediately left the bedroom, and then finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the dimly lit living room, Xiaoyu stood by the window, gazing into the distance, silent and without making a sound.

Hearing the noise coming from the bedroom, Xiaoyu turned around, saw Ai Qing, blinked, and whispered, "Go to sleep. I'll be quiet and won't make a sound."

So you ran out because you were afraid of disturbing his sleep?

Ai Qing rubbed her forehead, surprised that Xiao Yu was becoming more and more humane, even knowing things like "don't disturb other people's sleep".

In the past, it was common for her to knead my breasts in the middle of the night.

"It's nothing, I'm awake." Ai Qing didn't turn on the light, but instead walked to Xiao Yu's side and curiously looked outside. "What are you looking at?"

"Look at the mountains," Little Fish answered honestly.

"Huh?" Ai Qing was taken aback.

Speaking of mountains, looking south from this window, you can indeed vaguely see Linping Mountain in Linping District.

Although it's called a mountain, it's only about 200 meters high, so it barely qualifies.

But looking from here to there, even with Ai Qing's eyesight, she couldn't make out the outline of the mountain.

Ai Qing simply assumed that the cat's eyes were better and didn't take it too seriously.

But actually, the little fish was using the warm current to make it easier to see the shape of the mountain.

Ai Qing didn't ask for details, so Xiao Yu didn't elaborate either. She just tilted her head to gather her thoughts and then said, "The book says that mountains have trees, animals, and sunrises... I... didn't see any. Where are they?"

Hearing what Xiaoyu said, Ai Qing fell silent, unsure how to explain.

The little fish was raised at home from a young age and had almost no contact with the outside world. For many things, it only had an abstract noun concept.

Even though Ai Qing would occasionally take out her phone to search for relevant photos and videos, it would still be difficult for Xiao Yu to understand them.

No matter how you try to explain it with words, nothing beats seeing the real thing.

Thinking of this, Ai Qing suddenly had a sudden, inexplicable whim.

He glanced at the time; it was 4:30 a.m.

Based on the current time of year, sunrise is estimated to be around 5:30 AM.

Thinking of this, Ai Qing's mind, which was still a little groggy after waking up, suddenly became alert and fully awake.

He looked at the little fish and said with a smile, "I'll take you to see the sunrise, up the mountain, okay?"

"Up in the mountains?" Xiaoyu was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look out the window, pointed to Linping Mountain in the distance, and asked with delight, "There?"

“Yes, it’s the place you were looking at earlier, it’s very close,” Ai Qing said. “It should only take about ten or twenty minutes to walk there.”

"Then, I..." Little Fish was clearly very happy, but she quickly hesitated and asked in a very soft voice, "Going out, I... can I?"

During her short life of just over a year, she was almost never allowed to go out.

Every time I go out, I have to be locked in a carrier.

The only exception was last time when Ai Qing didn't lock her in the carrier, allowing her to experience the outside world.

But that was only when she was still a kitten.

She still remembered what Ai Qing had said before: to try her best not to let outsiders see her in human form.

The best way, of course, is to stay home.

“It’s not really convenient during the day, since there are a lot of people around, and most of the people in this neighborhood are acquaintances,” Ai Qing said. “But now, at three or four in the morning, most people are asleep, and those who aren’t asleep are either working or playing games late into the night. They won’t go out for no reason.”

"So when we go out now, there are hardly any people on the streets, which is actually the safest time."

At this point, Ai Qing paused, looked at Xiao Yu, and asked with a smile, "Don't you want to go out and have a look? Well, I'm already awake, so if we're not going out, let's just have class."

"No, no, don't..." Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu immediately waved her hands repeatedly, took half a step forward, grabbed Ai Qing's clothes, and hurriedly said, "I'm going, I'm going out, no, I'm going to class."

"Do you want it or not?" Ai Qing couldn't help but tease her when she saw her adorable appearance.

"I want to, I want to go out," Little Fish tried her best to express her thoughts clearly.

As long as I don't have to attend classes, anything goes.

What's more, you can go outside!

“Okay, let’s get ready.” Ai Qing said, already walking towards the bedroom. “Wait a minute, I’ll get you something.”

Xiaoyu followed Ai Qing into the bedroom and saw him rummaging through drawers and cabinets, pulling out a straw hat from one of them.

"This is a sun hat I bought on a trip before. It'll cover your ears." Ai Qing raised her hand and placed the hat on Xiaoyu's head, making sure it covered her cat ears. "How is it? Tell me if you feel uncomfortable."

"It's alright." Little Fish gently pinched the brim of the hat with her two little hands, blinked, and checked her voice. "The sound is a bit muffled, but everything else is fine."

"Okay, put this on too." Ai Qing took out the blue coat that Xiao Yu had worn for several days and put it over her dress.

Then he thought for a moment, took off his coat, and wrapped it around Xiaoyu's waist, tying the two sleeves in a knot. This way, the hem of the coat could basically cover Xiaoyu's calves.

"The tail must not be sticking out, understand?" Ai Qing instructed.

"Mmm!" Little Fish nodded vigorously, looking quite happy, and rubbed her blue coat with both hands, as if she missed the coat very much.

"Then let's set off."

Chapter 57 The Weakling's True Colors Are Revealed

Have you ever seen the streets at four in the morning?

In Ai Qing's memory, she didn't think she had ever seen it before.

Although I sometimes stayed up until four or five in the morning, it was either at home or in an internet cafe with Kong Fugui and the others.

This is the first time I've ever walked down the street like this.

"They...don't...sleep?" Little Fish followed Ai Qing, her little hand clutching his sleeve, her other hand holding the brim of her straw hat. She turned her head left and right, curiously observing the night streets.

The streets weren't deserted in the early morning.

While most people were still fast asleep, the streets were not as deserted as Ai Qing had imagined.

Sanitation workers had already parked their tricycles on the roadside and started sweeping the streets, providing a clean and refreshing environment for people going out in the early morning.

The breakfast shop owner was already in place, and all sorts of delicious breakfasts were being prepared by his hands, wafting out fragrant aromas.

The convenience store owner stayed up all night, hoping for a customer and a little bit of sales.

Bus, subway, and train station staff on the early shift hurry to work.

While people comfortably enjoy the convenient morning transportation, there are naturally those who get up even earlier who are working hard and making sacrifices behind the scenes.

In contrast, a very small number of people, exhausted both physically and mentally, dragged their weary bodies home.

The night shift they had just finished had exhausted them, and all they wanted to do was get back to their warm beds and wash away their fatigue.

“Some people have already woken up, and some haven’t gone to sleep yet.” Ai Qing looked around at the people on the street, then looked at Xiao Yu, her eyes filled with emotion. “But they are all people who are trying to live their lives.”

Ai Qing originally thought that bringing Xiaoyu out to see the world would be beneficial for Xiaoyu.

But perhaps it wasn't just the little fish that came out to see the world; he himself did too.

"Let's go. Linping Mountain isn't far from here, but we have to walk quickly." Ai Qing gently tugged at her sleeve and pulled the little hand forward.

It was not yet five o'clock, and the sky was still dark. The streetlights were still on, and from a distance, they looked like a winding necklace strung along the street.

Fortunately, Xiaoyu's cat ears were inside her straw hat, and her simple, snow-white long hair only attracted the attention of passersby. After a few glances, they stopped paying much attention.

Little Fish followed Ai Qing, her eyes darting left and right with curiosity, occasionally letting out exclamations and questions.

"This is a street lamp; this is a long road; these are shops; birds! There are birds!"

"The trees by the roadside are neat and orderly; the leaves on the ground are green; the insects on the ground are yellow; the flying insects are black."

"Four wheels, that's a car; this... um... this is a bicycle!"

“That’s a bicycle, and this one, which looks heavier because the back seat is covered up, is an electric bike,” Ai Qing explained with a smile. “Bicycles are pedaled by the rider, while electric bikes can move on their own without any effort.”

At this point, Ai Qing suddenly had a bright idea. She found a shared electric scooter, unlocked it, and pushed it in front of Xiao Yu: "Come on, sit here. Be careful not to fall off. Let me give you a taste of what it's like to ride an electric scooter."

Little Fish blinked and carefully climbed onto the electric scooter, her legs spread apart. With Ai Qing's coat covering her, she wasn't worried about being exposed.

After making sure Xiaoyu was seated securely, Ai Qing also got on the electric scooter, then turned to her and said, "Hold onto my waist, be careful."