I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

Her cheeks flushed instantly.

Chapter Twenty: I Want to Go Out

Chen Shuo sat in the computer chair and let out a long sigh. He had been staring at the computer screen for most of the day and felt that he should put on his clothes. After thinking for a moment, he opened the door and went out again.

Bai Xiaoqi sat on the sofa somewhat awkwardly, her ear tips slightly red. When she saw him come out, she subconsciously raised her head, but as soon as their eyes met, she quickly lowered her head again.

Chen Shuo glanced at her twice, then looked down at her chest and asked, "You're wearing it, right?"

"Um..."

Bai Xiaoqi responded softly.

"Just put them on. How is the size? Is it right?"

“…”

Bai Xiaoqi didn't know how to respond to this, so she could only remain silent and glance down slightly. Actually, it was quite appropriate.

What she's concerned about now is why this person knows his size.

In the video, with so many women walking around, she could clearly see that everyone was wearing a different size.

In other words, this thing comes in different sizes.

But the one he bought for himself was the right size.

She wanted to ask why, but for some reason, she was a little hesitant to ask.

She eats his food, lives in his house, uses his things, and even the clothes she wears are bought by him. If she finds out the reason is unacceptable to her, she doesn't know how to handle it.

Should I scratch him with my hands?

Don't even mention scratching him.

She even felt she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.

On the fifty-second day after arriving in human society, and the seventh day after she transformed from a cat into a human, she suddenly felt the helplessness of being dependent on others.

I also gained a deep understanding of the meaning of "he who eats another's food is bound to him, he who takes another's money is bound to him."

Seeing her lower her head and remain silent, Chen Shuo thought for a moment and then comforted her, "You don't need to feel shy or anything. Human girls all wear these things. Since you're going to be human, you'll definitely have to wear these things, right?"

"......"

Bai Xiaoqi was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "I want to go out."

"go out?"

Chen Shuo was taken aback, his gaze falling on her long, smooth, white hair, then on the cat ears on her head, and the tip of her tail hidden in her skirt. He said, "Looking at you like this, the white hair could be excused as a wig, but those cat ears are too conspicuous, and..."

As he spoke, Chen Shuo's voice gradually faded, then stopped. He sensed that the cat girl's request to go out wasn't simply a matter of going for a walk to get some fresh air, but rather...

"You mean you want to leave my home, or go back to your mountains, is that right?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaoqi lowered her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and slowly nodded.

At first, she thought that moving into this human's home and integrating into human society with his help was a very normal thing.

But after spending a few days with them, she realized that they weren't so ordinary after all.

Although I can convince myself that I will repay him in the future, what can I possibly repay him for?

If you peel back this self-deceiving facade, you're just being adopted by him, no different from cats kept as pets by humans.

At the same time, today's events made her suddenly realize that the two of them were not actually equal in status.

I actually felt inferior to him from the bottom of my heart.

She felt that if things continued like this, she would no longer be the king of the cats in the mountains, but would completely become a pitiful little kitten who would be adopted by someone.

If he bullies me one day, I can only secretly wipe away my tears by myself.

"Do you think you can go back looking like this? You have ears and a tail. You'll be captured by people as a monster before you even get to the mountains."

"I can retract my ears and tail now."

As she spoke, Bai Xiaoqi shook her head, and a soft light flashed by. The cat ears on her head and the tail in her skirt all disappeared, leaving only her long hair as white as shimmering snow.

Seeing this, Chen Shuo paused for two seconds before regaining his composure. "So what if you can take it back? You don't even have an ID card, so you can't take a bus. It's dangerous for a young woman to walk back alone. Even if you're special and don't need to worry about any danger, what will you eat? Where will you sleep at night?"

"I..."

Bai Xiaoqi opened her mouth and retorted softly, "I can find anywhere to sleep at night."

"So what about your food? Do you expect kind people to give you some cat food? Some canned food? Don't be silly. Do you think you're still a cat now? You're a person now. No one in this society cares if there's one more stray cat. Even if they see it, they'll just give you some food and water at most."

But having one more homeless person, especially a girl like you, will definitely attract everyone's attention.

Yes, they will feed you, but they will also contact the police to help you find your parents and family, and investigate your identity. But do you think your identity can withstand scrutiny? You have no past; you appeared out of nowhere, do you understand?

"I..."

Bai Xiaoqi opened her mouth, but then helplessly lowered her head. She didn't understand. She didn't know what an ID card was, and she wasn't quite sure why she was being investigated.

Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Chen Shuo wanted to say something, but he couldn't help but fall silent. He realized that his emotions were also a little off.

I remember being a little reluctant to take in this cat-eared girl at first, but after spending a week with her, I seem to have gotten used to her presence.

Upon hearing that she was leaving, I was immediately filled with feelings of reluctance, as well as confusion and loss.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Can you tell me why you have this idea?"

"I feel like I'm being taken care of by you. You provide me with everything I eat and wear. I don't want that."

Bai Xiaoqi looked towards the balcony. The family across the street kept a big fat cat. That cat did nothing all day and often lay on the balcony sunbathing, just like herself, relying on others to take care of it.

"So what do you want? To become self-reliant?"

"Ah."

"Okay, wait a minute."

As he spoke, Chen Shuo went back to his room and rummaged through it. He then came out with his ID card and handed it over. "You see this? This thing is called an ID card. It's an essential thing in human society. It's a document that proves your identity."

Without this, you'll be unable to move an inch once you step outside, you won't even be able to find a job, and without a job you won't have money, and without money you'll eat, live, and use.

At this point, Chen Shuo's voice unconsciously rose, "Come on, now tell me, how will you support yourself? By stealing or robbing?"

“…”

Bai Xiaoqi stared at the square-shaped ID card without saying a word. After a long while, her small shoulders slumped.

She didn't have an ID card, and she didn't know how to prove her identity.

Moreover, she didn't think she could find any job.

As for stealing and robbing, she hadn't thought about it. All she could think of was rummaging through trash cans for food or relying on the charity of others, but what difference would there be between relying on charity and what she was doing now?

Seeing this, Chen Shuo sighed softly, sat down beside her, slowed his speech, and said slowly, "I don't know how long you've lived in the mountains. Are you like those strange monsters who have cultivated in the deep mountains for hundreds or thousands of years, causing your understanding of human society to remain in ancient times?"

But this is the 21st century, a modern society. If you want to be a human being, if you want to integrate into this human society, it's very difficult. Without anyone's help, let alone integrating, you can't even achieve the most basic survival in this society. Do you understand?

Bai Xiaoqi lowered her head and said in a soft voice, "I understand."

"You don't understand anything! If you understood, you wouldn't have this thought of leaving. Do you feel indebted to me for taking you in, providing you with food, clothing, and other necessities? Because of this favor, you feel inferior to me, and your self-esteem is hurt, so you want to leave?"

"Ah."

Seeing her nod in agreement, Chen Shuo was at a loss for words. It was only natural to have such feelings when living under someone else's roof.

But you were the one who came to my door begging for shelter, and now you're the one saying you're leaving. I've gotten used to your presence, and even... Have you ever considered my feelings?

Chapter Twenty-One: Labor is the Most Glorious

Chen Shuo sighed, trying to calm himself down, and then said in a calm tone, "It's only been a few days of eating and staying for free that you've developed this kind of mentality, which shows that you have a strong sense of shame and self-respect."

"But you want us to be equals, you don't want to rely on me to support you, you want to be self-reliant with your own hands, and you want to salvage your self-esteem. These are things that are hard for you to do on your own, but I have a few solutions. Do you want to hear them?"

Upon hearing this, two cat ears suddenly appeared on Bai Xiaoqi's head, and she looked up at him.

Chen Shuo was stunned when he saw the two cat ears that had suddenly grown out on her head. For a moment, he forgot what he was going to say.

I asked instinctively, "What's wrong with your ear? Why does it keep popping out like that?"

Bai Xiaoqi reached out and touched her ears on her head. "I just couldn't control myself."

"Couldn't control it?"

Chen Shuo thought for a moment and roughly understood. This girl was very concerned about saving her self-esteem, so much so that when he said he had a solution, she couldn't control her emotions for a moment and subconsciously wanted to listen with her cat ears.

Perhaps cats can hear more clearly.

"Let's get down to business. I mentioned earlier that there are a few ways, but strictly speaking, there's only one: without an ID card, it's unrealistic to go out and look for a job, and there probably aren't any suitable jobs for you in this society."

But work is simply exchanging labor for compensation. This compensation can be money, food, shelter, or even just anything. What you really want in terms of compensation is to be able to eat my food, live in my house, and use my things with a clear conscience, right?

"....Um."

Bai Xiaoqi opened her mouth, feeling that it seemed so, yet it didn't. After hesitating for a long time, she nodded.

Regardless of the circumstances, I am truly unable to feel at peace with myself right now.

"So, starting today, you can't just eat and live here for free anymore. You should be able to do housework and clean the house."

Chen Shuo pointed around the room and said, “Every day you will clean the room, sweep the floor, mop the floor, and I taught you how to use the washing machine yesterday. You will also wash clothes. In this way, you will not be eating and living here for free, and you will not feel like you are receiving my favor. You will just consider it as working to offset the rent and food.”

"Is that all there is to it?"

Bai Xiaoqi's ears twitched, and she turned her head to look around. She felt that this could not make up for the feeling of being adopted and being inferior to him.

"What do you mean 'just this'? Do you know how much a part-time cleaner costs per hour?"

"I don't know." Bai Xiaoqi shook her head honestly.

“…”

Chen Shuo was taken aback for a moment, then let out a soft sigh, "Then let's add cooking to the list. Can you cook?"

"will not."

“I know you can’t, but you should say now that I can learn.”

"Yes, I can learn."