Why are you always thinking about dating me?

Xu Qinghuan was still editing videos in the room, probably preparing to submit some kind of otaku dance video.

Just as he finished cooking lunch and was calling Xu Qinghuan to eat, he received a call from a friend he had worked part-time with before. She asked Lin An if he was free in the afternoon and if he could cover for her at the cat cafe.

She had a fever and couldn't take it anymore after working half a day. She was going to the hospital for an IV drip in the afternoon. Lin An thought she had nothing else to do, so she agreed. She told Xu Qinghuan and then prepared to leave.

Xu Qinghuan didn't ask any more questions, because she knew he would rarely lie to her, and if he did lie, she would probably be able to tell. Xu Qinghuan was such a clever little monster.

Lin An wore a loose white sweater and trousers. He washed his hair and dried it slightly before heading out. The cat cafe he was going to wasn't far, only a twenty-minute walk away. The autumn breeze was just right, so the walk didn't matter.

The cat cafe was called "Cat Spinning Around." Lin An had worked there part-time during his summer vacation after his first year of high school. At first, he just helped serve tea and feed the cats. Later, he learned how to make drinks and coffee, and his salary increased a little. The girl who filled in for him wasn't a pretty lady. Her family was struggling financially, so she took on part-time work to supplement their income. But she was a very kind person, so Lin An helped her out.

Obviously, the older woman had already spoken to the store manager, who knew him. So when Lin An arrived, he changed into his work clothes and started working immediately. There wasn't much to do: scoop the cat litter, add cat food and water, find a place to sit and wait to serve customers, tell customers when the cats should move, and prevent some rude customers from being scratched by the cats.

The working hours are from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the pay is 80 yuan, which is quite high. Lin An quickly got into the swing of things and quietly explained the cat's name to the customers who came in, as well as how to tease the cat without being rejected.

He actually misses this part-time job quite a bit, because it's relatively easy and pays well, and most importantly, he likes cats.

Cats are generally quiet animals and not very noisy, except for a few exceptions. Just like there are always some strange people among people, it's not unusual for cats to be strange as well.

Around 3 p.m., Lin An met a very pretty girl, though he didn't recognize her; in fact, he didn't know many pretty girls.

The girl was wearing a particularly luxurious Lolita dress, and her makeup was light but exquisite. However, she came alone, so Lin An went up to get the menu for her.

She is considered beautiful because her face is indeed pretty, with a particularly gentle gaze that is hard to forget after just one look. She is not very old, looking about eighteen or nineteen years old, with long hair reaching her waist.

"Caramel Macchiato." The girl spoke softly, her voice a sweet and girlish one, but for some reason, Lin An found the voice very familiar.

It's like the constant chatter in your ear; Cha Cha's voice is probably similar to hers. But Cha Cha wouldn't have such a quiet and indifferent expression as this girl, giving off a strangely noble and untouchable feeling.

Perhaps it was also because her Lolita dress was a glamorous style. Anyway, it's autumn now, so wearing a glamorous style wouldn't be too hot. Lin An went to report her order to the front desk and then continued to sit there quietly and wait.

There are more than a dozen cats in the cat café. Most of the cats here remember Lin An. Although it has been a long time, they do not resist when Lin An hugs them. There is also a small white Scottish Fold that jumped onto his shoulder. It was very well-behaved.

The girl in the Lolita dress quickly settled into her caramel macchiato. Lin An brought it to her, then returned to her original spot to continue playing with the cat.

Not long after.

"Hey bro~"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Lin An turned his head.

"The cats are ignoring me."

Lin An walked over to her with a chubby British Shorthair blue and white cat in her arms, gently pinched the cat's ears, and placed it on the table in front of her. "You can touch its chin and back, the cat won't mind. It's best not to touch its belly and tail. Also... if your dress is expensive, it's best not to hold the cat, as it will shed a lot of fur."

Lin An gently reminded her, but the girl felt a strange sense of familiarity when she heard his voice.

The girl nodded, and without hesitation, she hugged the cat to her chest. The cat was very well-behaved, and it had a faint fragrance. Lin An stepped back and continued to sit there quietly.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, his phone rang. He glanced at it and saw it was Su Yuejin. Lin An hung up once, and Su Yuejin called again. Lin An hung up again.

A normal girl would be angry by now, but Su Yuejin kept calling, determined to keep calling until he answered. So Lin An answered anyway, putting the phone to his ear, "Hello, what's wrong?"

"Where are you? Come play games with me."

"I'm covering for a friend's part-time job."

"Part-time job? What kind of part-time job?"

"Cat café server."

"Which cat cafe is it? I'm coming over to play now."

"Ah...maybe not, I'm at work and can't play with you."

"I can sit there and wait for you to get off work, hehe."

"It's nice to lick."

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Su Yuejin's tone seemed a little exasperated. Lin An still told her the name of the cat cafe, then put away his phone, glanced at the time, and saw it was 4:15.

Lin An waited quietly until a girl wearing a white hoodie and a light gray pleated skirt appeared in his line of sight.

She wore her hair in a ponytail, with the braid draped over her left shoulder.

The skirt hem was no more than half a foot above the knee, and her legs were straight.

Su Yuejin's eyes were bright. After opening the door and walking in, she saw Lin An, walked over to him, and sat down, waiting for Lin An to bring her the menu.

"What do you want to drink?"

“Lemon Yakult,” she said.

"Okay, just a moment."

"Why do you have such a stiff expression... Can't you smile at me? Lin An."

"Oh, hahaha." Lin An laughed at her three times, more than once. Su Yuejin also laughed, resting her chin on her hand. Lin An went to report the drinks she had ordered to the front desk. He had just left when he heard Su Yuejin's voice.

But she wasn't talking to him.

"Xiao Chacha, what are you doing here?"

"What a coincidence, Su Yuejin." The girl she called Xiao Chacha was the one wearing the Lolita dress. She smiled at Su Yuejin, but seeing the cold expression on Su Yuejin's face, she didn't say anything more.

Although it was Su Yuejin who greeted her, she clearly wasn't interested in continuing the conversation. Instead, she sat there waiting for her lemon Yakult, staring intently at Lin An until he walked up to her.

Lin An heard the name Xiao Chacha and confirmed that he hadn't misheard. He thought that things might be a bit of a coincidence, but as coincidences may be, it didn't seem to matter much.

"I want to hold a cat too." Su Yuejin looked at Lin An and pouted slightly.

"Which one do you want to hug?" Lin An couldn't accept her coquettish manner. Su Yuejin wanted the Scottish Fold on his shoulder, so Lin An made the Scottish Fold obediently come down and then hugged it into Su Yuejin's arms.

Su Yuejin gently stroked the cat's back; both she and the cat seemed to be enjoying it.

Xiao Chacha, the girl in the Lolita dress sitting there, glanced at Lin An and then at Su Yuejin. She seemed to understand why the boy's voice sounded familiar... Oh, that's how it is.

Isn't that interesting?

As she thought this, she waved to Lin An, who walked to her side.

"Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I want your WeChat." Xiao Chacha winked at him, then tilted her head slightly, looking cute and innocent.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: We'll Meet Again Someday

"Our store doesn't have such a rule, so... you'll have to pay extra." Lin An sighed helplessly.

What kind of personality does Chacha have? You can tell from how she plays games: carefree, adventurous, and loves to cause trouble. She doesn't care about winning or losing; she just enjoys the process. This time, it feels like she's trying to torture herself.

But I still have to play with her sometimes.

"Then, how much will it cost?" Xiao Chacha blinked again, following his lead.

"I want one million dollars."

"Then would you rather die?"

"Of course, die now." Lin An finished speaking and turned to leave, but Xiao Chacha grabbed his clothes. "Hey, wait a minute... Little brother, can you really refuse my WeChat?"

"Be patient."

Lin An could only play along with this game, since she knew his secret with Su Yuejin. This guy was playful, and if she revealed it, neither Su Yuejin nor he would look good.

"I just want his WeChat ID. He seems to know a lot about cats, so I asked him about cat habits and such. I'm planning to get a cat soon."

“I only do it part-time,” he replied.

"Oh, I see... Well, to be more direct, you're quite handsome, and your voice is nice too. Could you give me your WeChat?"

"I won't add strangers," Lin An shook his head again.

Then Cha Cha seemed to want to say something more, but Su Yuejin couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up and walked up to Xiao Cha Cha, "Xiao Cha Cha! Get your slutty hands off me."

"Oh?" Xiao Chacha looked up at Su Yuejin.

"What? I asked the cat cafe server for her WeChat, what's it to you? Hey buddy, is this your girlfriend?"

Xiao Chacha stared into his eyes, and Lin An thought for a couple of seconds before shaking his head. "No."

"That's none of your business, Su Yuejin," Xiao Chacha said with a smile.

Su Yuejin seemed completely unsurprised by Lin An's earlier "no," and instead curled her lips into a smile, saying, "Then you can have it. He definitely won't give it to you."

Lin An looked helplessly at Xiao Chacha in front of him. He had never met her in real life, and he had no idea what her relationship with Su Yuejin was. Were they close or not? Were they friends or not? With too little information, he couldn't analyze the situation, so he could only stay there and pretend to be clueless.

"Whether he gives it to me or not, I don't know. Why are you in such a hurry? Su Yuejin? Huh? Who is she to you? A classmate? What business is it of yours if I ask him for his WeChat? Don't you look down on everyone?"

"What's it to you?" Su Yuejin replied coldly.

At this moment, she was no longer as soft and gentle as she was in front of Lin An. Instead, her voice was cold, and she even had a bit of a mature and sophisticated air about her.

This was a side of Lin An that he rarely saw.

"No, I just suddenly felt like laughing, Su Yuejin." Xiao Chacha looked into her eyes, the emotions in them unreadable to Lin An.

"Laugh if you want to." Su Yuejin snorted and returned to her seat, continuing to drink her lemon Yakult and play with the cat in her arms. She no longer looked at Lin An and her. On the contrary, Xiao Chacha pulled Lin An to sit down next to her.

"Young man, how old are you this year?"

Eighteen years old.

"Then I seem to be a year older than you. I'm nineteen and in my second year of high school. What about you?"

"Also a sophomore in high school."

"So we're in the same year! You're really amazing."

"Thank you so much." Lin An could detect a hint of sarcasm in her words, but for some reason, Lin An felt that her expression was somewhat subtle when she was talking to Su Yuejin earlier.

Just as he was about to say something, his phone vibrated. It must have been a WeChat message. He glanced at it and saw that it was from Cha Cha: "Chat with me for twenty minutes. You don't have to do anything, just chat."

Then Chacha transferred 500 yuan to her.

"...Are you trying to upset her, or do you have a grudge against her?"

"Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Why worry about so much?"

Lin An thought it made sense, so he accepted the transfer and chatted quietly with Xiao Chacha. They talked about very ordinary things, such as school, anime, drinks, and cats. They chatted for about twenty minutes before Xiao Chacha stood up and whispered something in Lin An's ear.

Then she walked up to Su Yuejin and showed her the WeChat friend.

"Look, I'm almost there," she said.

Su Yuejin was startled, her eyes widening as she looked at Lin An's profile. Lin An looked completely bewildered, but Xiao Chacha leaned close to Su Yuejin's ear and whispered something softly.

“Su Yuejin…you must remember your past attitude of disdain for anyone and your aversion to love. You must remember this well: someone like you…does not deserve any love.”