CH 81

⌈Weekend update: 1/2⌋

In the days of happiness, people always lack a sense of time. Li Meng, Wu Lan, Shu Shuishui, and Gu Langu are all like this.

Ever since Li Meng and Wu Lan established their relationship, Wu Lan moved in with his cat. However, the cat bed Wu Lan brought turned into a storage space, piled with various things collected by Shu Shuishui and the big cat.

And as for the big cat’s living quarters, it naturally lived wherever Shu Shuishui lived.

After consulting with Shu Shuishui’s opinion, Li Meng and Wu Lan redecorated a luxurious abode for their two beloved pets on the balcony. The entire balcony became the exclusive area for Shu Shuishui and the big cat.

On the left side of the balcony stood a three-story log cabin, with its height almost touching the roof. Only the first floor was enclosed, while the second and third floors were open, allowing ample sunlight to pass through.

The nests of Shu Shuishui and the big cat were situated on the first floor. The second floor was cluttered with toys, while the third floor held a tablet computer, obviously intended for watching movies at night.

On the right side of the balcony, there was a small patch of greenery, adorned with neatly arranged flowerpots. These pots housed ornamental plants as well as a few familiar edible plants. Nearby, miniature gardening tools and a watering can were placed, clearly indicating Shu Shuishui’s regular care. Besides all this, in the center of the balcony, there hung a cat hammock. It was large enough for the big cat to carry Shu Shuishui and lie down on it, swaying leisurely in the hammock’s gentle rocking.

The balcony was arranged in a very cozy manner, and Shu Shuishui loved to nestle inside. The warm sunlight, the fragrant scent of soil and plants—all of it gave Shu Shuishui an inexplicable sense of security. Of course, the most reassuring presence was the big black cat beside him.

Worth mentioning is that since Wu Lan and the big cat settled down, Shu Shuishui gained the additional responsibility of taking the cat for a walk every day. Li Meng specially got a triangular scarf for the big cat, and on the scarf, there was a small pouch.

Every morning and evening, Li Meng would tie the triangular scarf around the big cat’s neck. At these times, Shu Shuishui would grab the big cat’s fur conscientiously and slip into the triangular scarf after a few tugs. Only his furry little head would be visible, then he would direct the big cat to step out of the house and take a stroll in the garden.

In the early morning and evening, it was a cat and a mouse, as well as the unspoken moments of their private world shared by the two humans.

A big black cat wearing a scarf, with a brown mouse bundled inside the scarf. The mouse’s head would usually peek out, looking around curiously. This scene was truly captivating, making one wonder about the peculiar owners who could raise such eccentric pets.

What was especially intriguing was that this wasn’t a one-time occurrence but happened day after day. The big cat and the little mouse would go for their stroll punctually, and it was never seen that the cat’s owner followed them.

Naturally, someone in the garden shared this magical scene online, and it was updated daily. Soon, people recognized this cat and mouse duo, mainly because the big black cat and the little brown mouse were too iconic. Even though they were just two pets, they seemed to exude unique personalities.

The big black cat alone carried an air of dominance and coolness, an aloof attitude that seemed to dismiss everyone. Of course, as soon as it encountered the mouse, it would instantly become obedient, playful, and even beg for attention.

The little brown mouse was utterly cute and carried an inherent charm that attracted everyone’s attention. Its actions caught on camera were full of cleverness, giving the impression that this was not an ordinary mouse, but a mouse with a soul.

Of course, Shu Shuishui was not an ordinary mouse; he was a little mischief-maker. While he restrained his behavior outside, his innate reactions and habits were indelible.

Since Li Meng’s Weibo account had gained popularity before, both the big black cat and the little brown mouse naturally became sensations. This also led to the person who uploaded the video of the big cat walking with the little mouse becoming popular.

The video uploader was honest from the start, stating that these weren’t their own pets, just something they came across during their walk. They found it intriguing and decided to capture it on video. However, they didn’t expect that for two to three months in a row, they would encounter the cat-and-mouse duo during their daily walks.

[This is Li DaDa’s cat and mouse, no doubt about it! There can’t be another pair of harmonious cat and mouse like this.]

[I still remember the scene of the little brown mouse removing fish bones for the big black cat, aaaaah! I didn’t expect that the big black cat would take the little brown mouse out for a walk on regular days!]

[Isn’t there a feeling of an old married couple, no, an old cat and mouse? How peaceful the years are.]

[Just allowing the big cat to take the mouse out for a walk like this, it’s a chance for us to perform a cat and mouse theft operation!]

…

Online, discussions about the big black cat and the little brown mouse never died down. In fact, some people even started gathering in the park at fixed times just to catch a glimpse of the internet-famous cat and mouse. Some even streamed live videos using their phones, adding a lively atmosphere to the park.

Of course, during this time, some people were concerned about the safety of the cat and mouse. After all, the pet owners had never shown up, and there were always more people walking dogs in the park than those taking their cats for a stroll.

However, soon everyone realized their concerns were unnecessary. Have you ever seen a cat that could look down upon a group of dogs? No? Well, get ready to witness it!

That’s right, just like the initial impression the big cat gave, it had an air of superiority that disregarded everyone, including various breeds of dogs! There weren’t many fierce fighting dogs in the park, but as soon as they encountered the big cat, they all instantly became timid, backing away one by one. Even if there were one or two brave ones, they would receive a beating from the big black cat and then behave themselves.

From initially nestling in the triangular scarf to later confidently sitting on the big cat’s head, Shu Shuishui’s presence during their daily walk gained attention. There were always some people who wanted to steal the cat’s spotlight, but Shu Shuishui believed that sitting on the big cat’s head would better assert its dominance.

Actually, Shu Shuishui didn’t know that there were far more people interested in stealing the mouse than those interested in stealing the cat. It’s just that the big cat was truly fierce and sensitive, refusing anyone to come near, and especially rejecting anyone trying to touch the little brown mouse.

More and more people started paying attention to this cat-and-mouse duo. Strangely enough, despite so many viral news stories, there was a certain pleasure that came from simply observing. It seemed that just watching from a distance brought satisfaction, a taste of happiness.

Days passed with this kind of routine, and the environment that felt so real could easily make someone lose themselves. However, Shu Shuishui wasn’t one to get lost in it. For Shu Shuishui, a dormouse’s life was long, so this little bit of time meant almost nothing.

As the cat and dormouse’s life entered a more blissful state, the crops on the balcony yielded harvest after harvest.

However, a small disagreement arose between Wu Lan and Li Meng. Shu Shuishui wasn’t a gossipy dormouse, but due to reasons related to completing a quest, he quietly learned about Li Meng and Wu Lan.

Li Meng was an independent person with some assets, and his family background was quite simple. On the other hand, Wu Lan was a hidden wealthy individual, and the difference in their family backgrounds was like night and day.

Their first disagreement occurred when Shu Shuishui and the big cat went out for a stroll. Shu Shuishui vaguely knew it was due to family-related issues.

In this time and space, same-sex marriage had been widely accepted, yet strangely, social stratification still existed. No matter the era, the issue of social status compatibility remained constant.

Shu Shuishui noticed that Li Meng was sensitive and a bit timid when it came to emotions. The significant gap in their family backgrounds made Li Meng feel insecure. The so-called disagreements were mostly Li Meng’s one-sided venting. However, after each outburst, Li Meng would regret it and then quietly make amends without saying a word.

This kind of situation happened many times. Shu Shuishui gradually realized that something was amiss. Li Meng seemed to have his own secret, but he never mentioned it. This secret made Li Meng uneasy and fearful, leading to him losing control of his temper.

While pondering Li Meng’s issue, Shu Shuishui’s paws were not idle. He kept patting the cat one after another. The process of patting the cat usually resulted in tufts of cat fur falling off. At such times, Shu Shuishui would calmly collect the cat fur that fell off the big cat. “Gu Gu, when I gather enough fur, I’ll make a little hat for you using the fur you shed.”

“Meow~ Meow~” The big cat’s response was to nudge its head forward and then rub its face against Shu Shuishui. After rubbing its face, it continued to lie on the hammock and purr.

“Gu Gu, you’ve been sleeping a lot lately; you’re almost catching up to me.”

“Meow~”

“Trying to defend yourself won’t work, but I can keep you company while you hibernate.”

“Meow~ Meow~!” Suddenly, the big cat’s meowing sounded a bit frustrated.

Shu Shuishui scratched his head, not understanding why the big cat suddenly became angry and impatient. He quickly tried to calm the big cat. “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you, Gu Gu.”

Actually, Shu Shuishui didn’t understand what Gu Langu was saying, but the long-standing understanding between them allowed it to somewhat grasp the big cat’s emotions and intentions.

The big cat calmed down and continued to lazily lie on the hammock.

“Huh? Gu Gu, you actually have white cat hair! Aren’t you all black?” Suddenly, Shu Shuishui seemed to discover a new world. He crawled onto the big black cat and grabbed a white cat’s hair in surprise.

The big cat lifted its head, looked back, and then meowed, lazily patting Shu Shuishui’s little head with its tail.

The little dormouse’s attention was soon drawn to the big cat’s tail.

If it could be said that after Gu Langu lost its perfect hands, what captivated Shu Shuishui’s attention the most was undoubtedly this flexible and furry tail. Shu Shuishui would try to curl it into various shapes and even play games with the cat’s tail. He could play all day without getting bored. Shu Shuishui even tied a black bowtie on the big cat’s tail, giving it a very dignified look.

On this day, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu returned from their stroll outside. The little dormouse was happily playing with the big cat’s tail, which had seemingly become an amusing toy for the dormouse. The little dormouse bounced around, rolling and flipping, persistently chasing after the tip of the tail.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open, and Wu Lan walked out with a suitcase by his side, appearing to be leaving for a trip.

The cat and dormouse looked over. The little dormouse stopped his paw-raising motion. “Are you leaving?” Wu Lan had traveled for work multiple times before, but it seemed that there had been a slight disagreement between the two just now.

Wu Lan adjusted his emotions. “Yes, there’s something I need to take care of. I’ll be back in about two weeks.”

Shu Shuishui tiptoed and peered into the bedroom, not seeing Li Meng. The little dormouse blinked at Wu Lan, then patted his tiny chest and assured in a soft voice, “Don’t worry, leave it to me. I’ll make sure everything is fine.”

Wu Lan smiled, took a few steps forward, squatted down, and gently touched the little dormouse’s head. “Thank you for your efforts, Shui Shui. Also, I’ll trouble you to take care of my cat.”

Shu Shuishui earnestly shook his little head. “No! The big cat is already mine now! I’ve given you Li Meng, who’s such a big person, so you should give me your cat!”

Watching the little mouse fiercely advocating for ownership of the big black cat, Wu Lan couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, from now on, the cat is yours.”

Shu Shuishui felt content and then raised his little paw, waving it at Wu Lan. “Be careful on the road, leave everything at home to me.”

Wu Lan looked at the joyful little mouse, didn’t delay any longer, and glanced back at the silent bedroom before leaving with his suitcase.

The bedroom door clicked shut, and then there was movement from within. Li Meng walked out with a sullen expression and glanced at the empty room.

“Xiao Lan Lan left, and now you decide to come out.” Shu Shuishui said, but as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed a shadow pass over Li Meng’s eyes. Shu Shuishui found human emotions to be quite complex, making his dormouse head spin in confusion. “Is something bothering you, Xiao Meng Meng?”

Li Meng sighed, and his mouth, which had been about to speak, tightened when he saw the big black cat. He responded dejectedly, “It’s nothing.”

Shu Shuishui scratched his head, feeling that Li Meng had been troubled lately. During lunch, Shu Shuishui personally cooked a delicious meal, which improved Li Meng’s mood considerably. However, that trace of sorrow between his eyebrows remained stubbornly in place.

Shu Shuishui thought it might be a good idea to take Li Meng for a walk to help him relax.

With Wu Lan absent, the house seemed noticeably emptier without him. Over the next few days, although Shu Shuishui tried his best to make Li Meng happy, he still seemed burdened by something.

The unexpected turn of events occurred on the tenth day of Wu Lan’s absence.

That morning, Shu Shuishui woke up as usual in the wooden villa on the balcony. Today, Gu Langu seemed unusually energetic. It brought the triangular scarf early and kept rubbing against Shu Shuishui. With eager actions, it led Shu Shuishui from the balcony to the living room.

Resigned, Shu Shuishui gave up on the idea of making breakfast first. He personally tied the triangular scarf around the big black cat. Before Shu Shuishui could crawl into the scarf, the big cat impatiently lowered its head, gripped the back of the little mouse’s neck, and gracefully walked out.

Shu Shuishui: “…”

At the park, many people were already doing their morning exercises, and some had come specifically to see the famous cat and mouse strolling together.

The appearance of the big black cat and the little brown mouse immediately drew attention. Familiar faces greeted them, “Hey! So early today!”

“Why is he carrying you today? Is he afraid you’ll evaporate if he doesn’t?”

Laughter filled the surroundings. Looking up, Shu Shuishui noticed that today, indeed, the little dormouse was being carried, struggling with his tiny paws and tapping the big black cat’s nose, seemingly trying to get the cat to put it down.

However, the big black cat, which usually paid such close attention to the life of a mouse, surprisingly didn’t react at all. Its keen eyes looked straight ahead, like a knight honoring a promise, diligently carrying out its daily patrol duty.

After struggling for a moment, Shu Shuishui gave up as well. Being outside, Shu Shuishui couldn’t speak, thus communication with the big cat was impossible.

Shu Shuishui had no idea what had gotten into Gu Langu today, why it was so eager for a stroll, and why it didn’t even spare a moment to put Shu Shuishui down. It just continued step by step, walking the same path it had repeated for months.

As the walk came to an end, the big black cat carried the little dormouse back, attracting reluctant gazes from onlookers.

Li Meng’s apartment was quite private, preventing unnecessary disturbance. The big black cat quickly returned home with Shu Shuishui.

Inside the living room, the big black cat still hadn’t put down the little dormouse. It stood somewhat dazed on the floor. Shu Shuishui extended a paw and gently touched the big black cat’s nose. “Gu Gu, what’s gotten into you today? Put me down, quickly.”

Having spent the entire morning barely touching the ground, Shu Shuishui had already taken three thousand dormouse-sized steps during the stroll.

Thankfully, the big cat finally reacted. It lowered its head slightly, then gently placed Shu Shuishui on the floor. It extended its tongue to lick Shu Shuishui, and with a meow, it seemed to be playfully acting cute.

Shu Shuishui gently touched the cat’s head that was leaning close to his own face, sensing that today’s Gu Langu was unusually fond of being coddled. “Gu Gu, you’re such a good kitty. What does Gu Gu want to eat today? I’ll make whatever Gu Gu loves to eat.”

“Meow~ Meow~ Meow~~” The big cat called out, its voice getting weaker with each meow. It went from standing to sitting and finally laid down on the floor, its head lowered, but its eyes still fixed in Shu Shuishui’s direction.

Shu Shuishui was taken aback and then panicked. The little dormouse leaped onto the big cat’s head, extending his paw to gently touch the big cat’s head. Then he used his own forehead to touch the big cat’s forehead. “Gu Gu, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt? Are you sick?”

The big cat emitted a nearly inaudible meow, seemingly trying to reassure Shu Shuishui.

The little dormouse was truly panicked, as he had no idea what was wrong with the big cat. Even with his magical abilities, it seemed that in just a moment, the big cat’s life had come to an end.

Suddenly, Shu Shuishui noticed that the big cat had a few more white hairs on its body today! “Gu Gu, get up! What do you want to eat? Gu Gu… Gu Gu…”

Shu Shuishui’s panicked cries echoed in the living room, but the big cat eventually lost all its breath, calmly and without warning. Except for its eyes, which still gazed in Shu Shuishui’s direction.

The little dormouse was completely at a loss, cried out Gu Langu’s name ceaselessly but to no avail. Finally, Shu Shuishui remembered that there was someone else in the apartment, and he rushed towards the bedroom to find Li Meng, hoping that Li Meng could help.

As the little dormouse reached the bedroom door, he heard Li Meng making a phone call.

“Why did you take so long to answer the call?”

“Why aren’t you speaking? Still angry?” Li Meng’s voice contained a hint of pleading.

“Big cat?” Li Meng’s voice was now filled with obvious confusion.

“Who are you? Let Wu Lan take the call!”

The call was abruptly cut off due to no signal, and Li Meng in the bedroom was thrown into panic.

The little dormouse at the bedroom doorway froze. This conversation sounded familiar because, in a previous space, Shu Shuishui had answered a call on a dead body, and the voice on the other end of the line had been Mr. Hamster… So just now, the person Li Meng talked to was actually another version of himself from a different timeline!

It turned out that this was the moment! This was the Li Meng that Shu Shuishui had talked to before! This was the anomaly in this timeline!

Shu Shuishui was startled, realizing that the appearance of an anomaly meant that the timeline was about to shift again! The little dormouse abruptly turned and rushed towards the big cat in the living room. However, as Shu Shuishui took a small step, the space stretched, and after the view wavered for a moment, Shu Shuishui appeared in a different timeline.

Standing bewildered for a moment, Shu Shuishui finally snapped out of it and looked around. “Gu Gu… Gu Gu…”

The little dormouse walked and called out, but there was no response. Five minutes passed before Shu Shuishui finally stopped, and his chaotic thoughts began to calm. Shu Shuishui tried to console himself, reminding himself that each timeline had different times and spaces. In this timeline, Gu Langu might still be alive.

With that thought, Shu Shuishui felt his agonized breath finally ease, and his brain started to function. Shu Shuishui began observing the surroundings. His brow slightly furrowed; this place looked somewhat familiar. Green hills, azure lakes, a vibrant wilderness.

It resembled the very timeline when Shu Shuishui first entered the dungeon, but as he turned his head toward the direction of the small sapling forest, something seemed a little different. Shu Shuishui took steps toward the patch of small saplings. The landing point this time was also near the small saplings, and after a few steps, he arrived beside them. Shu Shuishui found something strange – these saplings were shorter than the ones he had seen before, and not just a little bit shorter; the difference was quite noticeable.

Thinking back to the encounter with the little black kitten by the lake, Shu Shuishui didn’t have time to study it in detail. He rushed towards the distant direction of the azure lake.

Along the way, Shu Shuishui once again encountered the butterfly in distress. However, the butterfly that had been breaking out of its cocoon when Shu Shuishui first saw it was now just an innocent cocoon, showing no signs of breaking. Shu Shuishui’s steps paused for a few seconds before he quickened his pace toward the lake.

Soon, Shu Shuishui spotted a familiar bird’s nest with the same eggs inside. Shu Shuishui listened intently for a moment and confirmed that the eggs that were about to hatch were now completely still.

This situation could only have two possibilities: either he hadn’t returned to the original timeline, or the time he had entered this timeline was incorrect.

When Shu Shuishui saw the faint footprints he had left by the lake, he finally confirmed that it was the same timeline, but the timing was off.

Standing on the soft, slightly damp lakeside for a moment, Shu Shuishui seemed to recall something. He got closer to the water, trying to search for the group of tadpoles that had grown two legs.

Before spotting the tadpoles, Shu Shuishui saw his reflection in the lake. Then he froze. The reflection of himself in the lake was different from his current appearance. He looked more immature, and the color of his fur was lighter. At some point, the warm brown fur had turned into a lighter shade of brown.

Shu Shuishui distinctly remembered that his reflection was still warm brown the first time he looked at the lake. Just then, a group of tadpoles with wavy tails swam by, scattered along the shallow water at the lakeside like a group of commas.

The group of tadpoles that had once grown two legs now had no legs at all.

Shu Shuishui’s ears twitched, and he retrieved a mouse’s hair from his spiritual pouch. This was the same mouse hair he had found in Wu Lan’s briefcase! Shu Shuishui placed the mouse’s hair near his little belly, and the light brown fur blended in perfectly!

It wasn’t a matter of entering at the wrong time! It was that the timeline of this dungeon was bidirectional! Shu Shuishui suddenly understood the key point of this dungeon.

Normally, within the same space, time is unique and irreversible. However, in this instance, time was split into two directions: one leading to the future, and one leading to the past!

In this current green wilderness timeline, the passage of time for all living beings was moving towards the past. This explained why tadpoles wouldn’t grow into frogs, butterflies wouldn’t break free from their cocoons, and about-to-hatch baby birds reverted to their initial life forms.

Those small saplings weren’t artificially planted; there used to be a forest there. As time flowed backward, the forest turned into saplings. The reason this timeline was so tranquil was that most of its life forms had reverted to their most primitive forms. Ultimately, all life in this timeline would return to the origin of life itself!

Little kitten! Gu Gu!

It only took a few seconds to grasp the key point, and Shu Shuishui quickly thought of Gu Langu. Previously, the little kitten had suddenly appeared behind him, but now, after waiting for so long, the little kitten was nowhere to be seen.

“Gu Gu!”

“Gu Gu!”

“Gu Gu!”

Shu Shuishui couldn’t wait any longer, so he started walking around the lakeside.

Finally, in a patch of grass not even ankle-high, Shu Shuishui spotted a completely black little kitten. The tiny body was trembling, and its faint meowing was barely audible. The little kitten hadn’t even opened its eyes yet.

Shu Shuishui dashed over and then looked somewhat clueless at the little kitten, which was only slightly bigger than itself. “Gu Gu, don’t be afraid. Shui Shui has found you.”

“Meow.” The little kitten’s eyes hadn’t opened, but it seemed to have heard Shu Shuishui’s voice and weakly responded.

Shu Shuishui extended his paw to pick up the little kitten from the grass, intending to move it to a warmer spot. The fragile little kitten trembled incessantly, clearly feeling cold.

However, after carrying the kitten for just a few steps, Shu Shuishui was out of breath. He almost forgot – the ongoing regression to childhood included Shu Shuishui itself. In the end, Shu Shuishui got on all fours, stabilized himself on the ground, then bent down to grasp the kitten’s nape with his mouth. He strained to raise his small head, preventing the kitten from dragging on the ground. With all fours planted, he moved unsteadily.

Author’s Note:

The impossible won’t be impossible. This story is sweet; both the protagonists and the secondary CP will have a happily ever after. ~~

Shu Shuishui: “Achievement unlocked – lifting high ~ Achievement unlocked – carrying Gu Gu ~~~”