Why bother with dating when you already have a cat?

Ai Zhongguo said earnestly, "Also, we're not the kind of family with strong traditional values. We won't pressure you to go on blind dates after you graduate. Let feelings happen naturally. Just follow your feelings and don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Ai Qing: "..."

"I didn't think that much about it..."

"Hey, hey, don't say that, I understand." Ai Zhongguo raised his hand to stop him from making excuses, and waved his hand, saying, "I've been through it all, and I'm a reporter. I've seen and experienced a lot of things."

"If you really feel that you are under too much pressure, you can go see a psychologist. We can't avoid seeking medical help."

"How are you feeling right now? Do you want me to go to the doctor with you? I can take the afternoon off and not go back to the company."

Faced with her father's barrage of concerned inquiries, Ai Qing forced a smile.

"I'm fine, I'm just a little anxious about releasing a new book, don't overthink it."

"Well, I won't say any more then." Ai Zhongguo sighed, then said, "If you're really too anxious, you can try getting a girlfriend. Always staying cooped up in your room is definitely not good for your physical and mental health."

"There's no way I could have a girlfriend," Ai Qing firmly rejected her father's suggestion.

But he still gave a vague reply, then pushed his father out of the bedroom and all the way to the front door.

Ai Zhongguo didn't bother him any longer, pushed open the door and went out, not forgetting to remind him: "Remember to eat the fruit, don't leave it for too long and it will rot."

"understood."

Ai Qing escorted Ai Zhongguo all the way to the elevator and pressed the elevator door button for him.

As a result, the elevator on the first floor arrived at the 18th floor. When the elevator doors opened, what greeted us was a whole elevator lobby full of furniture.

"Huh? Uncle Ai, and Ai Qing too?"

A girl with black curly hair, wearing a tank top, stepped out of the elevator and greeted the two of them with a look of surprise.

Chapter 5: A one-year-old kitten, what human age is that equivalent to?

Xiao Youqian is Ai Qing's childhood sweetheart... well, not really.

I should say he was a childhood playmate.

Ai Qing is currently renting a house in a building called Jinpan Yunting Mansion.

The full name should be followed by "North District".

Ai Qing's own family, namely Ai Zhongguo and his wife, as well as Ai Qing's grandparents, all lived in the "South District" of Jinpan Yunting Mansion.

There's only one road in between.

However, the buildings that were planned and demolished 10 years ago were completed in the south area in 15.

The northern district, however, was delayed until 21 due to several real estate scandals that implicated many local construction companies, along with various other miscellaneous reasons.

Before the demolition, this place was originally called Jiannan Residential Area.

Ai Qing, born in the 2000s, was exactly 10 years old when her home was demolished, and she was still in the fifth grade of elementary school.

Xiao Youqian was my upstairs neighbor at that time.

Back then, I had several good friends in the same building. Some moved to faraway places after the demolition and we lost contact. Others still lived nearby, and some even went to junior high and high school together.

Xiao Youqian is the kind of person who is neither too close nor too distant.

Ten years after the demolition, she moved with her parents to the main urban area to attend school, but she still comes back here every year for the Spring Festival, and we also see each other at the end of the year.

I'm not saying all this for any particular reason.

After all, Xiao Youqian was three years older than him, and he wasn't interested in older sister types; it was just a chance encounter with a friend.

And he remembered that Sister Qian had a boyfriend.

I saw him during winter break before, although he changed jobs twice in between... I don't know if the previous one is still on duty.

"Why did Xiaoqian move here?" Ai Zhongguo greeted the daughter of an old acquaintance, no longer in a hurry to leave, and asked, "Do you need any help?"

"No need, no need, I've already hired a moving company, they'll help with the move," Xiao Youqian said politely, waving her hand and smiling.

As they were talking, she stepped out of the elevator, gave up her seat, and the two workers behind her got to work.

"Is that Sister Qian's new house across the street?" Ai Qing asked doubtfully. "I remember your demolished houses were in the South District?"

“Because the North District was built later, there were preferential policies when it was first launched, so my dad bought a unit. Back then, it was still…” Xiao Youqian said, looking at Ai Zhongguo with a bit of curiosity.

But when he got to this point, Ai Zhongguo coughed repeatedly, interrupting Xiao Youqian and changing the subject: "So, does that mean Xiaoqian is moving here? It just so happens that Ai Qing rents the apartment next door, so you two can look after each other."

"Rent?" Xiao Youqian blinked, looked at Ai Zhongguo's serious expression, and couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, of course."

After finishing his conversation, Ai Zhongguo gave Ai Qing a few more instructions before taking his leave, saying that he had to go back to the company.

Only Ai Qing and Xiao Youqian remained in the corridor, along with two moving workers who kept coming in and out.

"So why did you move back here, Sister Qian?" Ai Qing asked curiously. "Don't your parents both work in the main urban area?"

"Of course, it's to get away from my parents and have my own life," Xiao Youqian joked. "But that's only part of it. They're so pressuring me to get married that I had to escape here."

"Moreover, besides buying this house, my dad also has a shop near the entrance of the community."

“I had been renting it out to other people to open shops, but recently the previous tenant did not renew the lease, so there was a vacancy period. I told my dad not to rent it out anymore and just let me open a shop for fun.”

"What kind of shop does Sister Qian want to open?" Ai Qing stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I remember you studied medicine in college, didn't you?"

“I switched to veterinary medicine when I was preparing for graduate school, and I’m back this time to open a pet hospital,” Xiao Youqian chuckled. “I inquired about it before the Spring Festival, and the nearest pet hospital in the vicinity is at least three kilometers away.”

"A pet hospital, huh? That sounds nice." Ai Qing thought to himself, when he suddenly felt something moving at his feet. He looked down and saw a little fish circling around his ankle. "Little fish, go back inside, don't come out."

I didn't close the door when I saw Ai Zhongguo off, and now Xiaoyu has escaped.

"Huh? Is this a little fish?" Xiao Youqian's eyes lit up, and she quickly squatted down, then looked up at Ai Qing, "Can I touch her?"

"Sure, she's just a little shy, so don't scare her." Ai Qing squatted down and patted Xiaoyu's head. "This is Sister Qianqian, Xiaoyu, do you know her? You should have met her during the New Year."

“I remember it was quite small during the Chinese New Year, but it’s grown up now.” Xiao Youqian reached out and carefully touched the little fish’s head, a satisfied smile on her face.

He's clearly a cat lover too.

“Yes, it’s March now, and it will be exactly one year old by the middle of the month,” Ai Qing said with a smile.

"I see." Xiao Youqian nodded. "A cat's first birthday is roughly equivalent to 16 years old in human terms, which means it's already considered a preliminary adult."

"Ten, sixteen years old..." Ai Qing, who was still touching Xiao Yu's hand, suddenly paused, and a hesitant and embarrassed expression appeared on her face.

He's about to graduate with his bachelor's degree this year, and he's already 23 years old... Why do I suddenly feel a sense of guilt?

Xiao Youqian's attention was completely drawn to the little fish, and she didn't notice the slight change in Ai Qing's expression.

She scratched Xiaoyu's chin, admiring her heterochromatic eyes, and exclaimed in amazement. Then she said to Aiqing, "Xiaoyu is so beautiful! Lion cats are really good-looking. I think she's even prettier than my Vera."

"Vera?"

"It's my Ragdoll cat, but it's still with my parents. I won't be able to pick it up for a couple of days," Xiao Youqian explained with a smile. "Then we can make the two of them friends."

Being friends... I'm afraid that's not a good idea.

Ai Qing lowered her head in thought, feeling a bit of a headache.

What if Little Fish suddenly turns into a human while she's with Vera?

Not to mention scaring Vera the kitten, if Xiao Youqian finds out, things will get complicated.

However, Xiao Youqian only mentioned it briefly before continuing, "Once my pet hospital opens, I'll cover all of Xiaoyu's annual check-ups!"

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Sister Qian." Ai Qing didn't stand on ceremony, after all, Xiao Youqian was a little rich girl, and her family was not short of money at all. "I'll have my grandma help you promote it in the neighborhood."

"Okay!" Xiao Youqian nodded, then heard the movers behind her shouting that everything had been moved. "Then I'll go back and pack my things."

"Okay, Sister Qian, you're busy. If you need any help, just knock on the door and call me."

"OK OK!"

Xiao Youqian reluctantly patted the little fish's head, then got up, waved, and ran into the house.

Ai Qing picked up Xiao Yu, went home, closed the door, sat on the bed in the bedroom, and let out a long sigh.

The little fish jumped from his arms onto the bed and bounced around; she looked to be in good spirits.

Ai Qing's gaze followed her figure, but his sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of something quite conspicuous on the bed.

Take a closer look...

hiss……

It's so long, so very long, just a single white strand of hair.

Luckily, Dad didn't check it carefully beforehand, otherwise, how would he explain it if he saw this thing?

Chapter 6 Sleep Paralysis in the Middle of the Night?

"First, keep it a secret from outsiders; we cannot disclose Xiaoyu's special situation to outsiders for the time being."

"Secondly, we need to observe internally and figure out the patterns and characteristics of how small fish turn into humans."

"Third, I need to focus on writing and not let this affect the updates and quality of my new book."

Ai Qing opened a new document on the software specifically for preparing outlines, and after clarifying her thoughts, she set the tone for handling this "Little Fish Turns into Human" incident.

In summary, it can be summed up in four words: wait and see.

First, he needs to figure out whether Xiaoyu's ability to suddenly turn into a human and then back into a cat is passive and uncontrollable, or whether it can be actively manipulated.

Even though she could actively control it, since the little fish was still just a kitten and didn't know human language, Ai Qing couldn't communicate with the little fish that had become human.

This means that even though Xiaoyu can actively control whether she transforms into a human, Aiqing cannot let her choose the timing of her transformation according to her own wishes.

This is really a headache...

Surely I don't have to take the time to teach the little fish to read and write when she becomes human?

Each time she transforms into a human, it only lasts a few minutes. What can she do in that time?

I can't do anything, okay?

Ai Qing sighed as she looked at her computer.

The little fish playing nearby was completely unaware of how troublesome this matter was. After scratching the cat scratching post for a while, it jumped onto the table, came to Ai Qing, rubbed its head against his chin, and then jumped onto his lap to rest.

Ai Qing subconsciously placed her hand on the back of the little fish and stroked it.