Chapter 31

On the first day of school, the long-quiet No. 5 Middle School buzzed with activity.

Students didn't have classes on the first day. Freshmen only needed to report to the school to pick up their uniforms, military training outfits, campus cards, and locate their classrooms.

Many students were accompanied by their parents. Unlike sophomores and seniors, freshmen, after receiving their military training uniforms, were also assigned dormitories for the seven days of training—during which they had to stay in the dorms without any electronic devices, especially mobile phones and gaming consoles.

The door to Class 1 of the freshmen was wide open. Parents accompanied their children in and out, and two tables were set up at the entrance, piled with summer school uniforms. The homeroom teacher of Class 1, Teacher Yuan, sat behind the podium, talking to a parent when he suddenly turned his head, "Chu Tingwu?"

Chu Tingwu: "Teacher Yuan..."

She was called to the front. Teacher Yuan smiled at her, "You're in Dorm 401. I've put your things under that table over there. Could you help me hand out some uniforms if you have a moment?"

She understood. Besides her, the system and Teacher Yuan and his wife must all know she was their student.

It was no trouble at all, and Chu Tingwu agreed neatly.

Teacher Yuan smiled, "After you finish reporting, I'll accompany you to the dormitory."

Having not yet exchanged information with her husband, in Teacher Yuan's eyes, Chu Tingwu was still the quiet, gentle, and somewhat reserved girl. And since no parents were accompanying her, and she was both the homeroom teacher and a neighbor, it was only right to help her settle into the dormitory.

The task was not demanding. Chu Tingwu just needed to find the right size uniforms and military outfits for the reporting students and hand them over—she also took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the new students' faces.

Since she was helping the homeroom teacher, most classmates didn't have much of an impression of each other yet, but they somewhat remembered her face.

During a break, Teacher Yuan handed Chu Tingwu a bottle of orange juice, "Our school has four-person dorms, sorted by the first letter of the surname, and student numbers are also arranged alphabetically. So, in your dorm, besides you, there are No. 1, No. 3, and No. 4."

Being among the first few, Chu Tingwu immediately thought of their names—

No. 1 was An Shiyan, who arrived quite late, ten centimeters shorter than Chu Tingwu, spoke very gently, and was very fair. No. 3 and No. 4, who were already reported by the time Chu Tingwu arrived, were said to be twin sisters, the older sister named Chang Yixin and the younger sister Chang Yile.

Although the military training was only for a week, it was still her first time living in the same room with others. She hoped her roommates wouldn't be too difficult to get along with.

-

While Chu Tingwu was volunteering for the homeroom teacher, 355 finished breakfast and jumped onto the windowsill.

System: "=="

It opened the window, and 355 shook its fur, jumped from the window to the opposite wall, and then walked along the base of the wall.

The air was filled with unfamiliar scents. To 355, this city was still very strange, only "home" was a familiar territory.

Thus, after the cub went out, she also needed to patrol the surrounding area.

She walked to the corner of the wall, leaped onto the tree, and sniffed the scent left by this elm tree—

There didn't seem to be many stray cats in the neighborhood, but many people kept dogs, which were often taken out for walks in the evening.

Chu Tingwu and 355 spent time together without noticing any change in her, but the system knew that 355 had actually become much stronger and followed Chu Tingwu out every day, running up and down, getting plenty of exercise.

She lay down on the tree branch, yawned widely, and as she looked down, she saw a lively golden retriever running over, placing its paws on the branch and barking twice.

The pet's owner, a step behind, hurried forward to pick up the leash: "Goldie!"

"What's that in the tree, a black trash bag?"

The owner, thin and tall, looked somewhat under the weather. He pulled out his glasses from his pocket and put them on, only to realize it was a tortoiseshell cat rolling its eyes at him.

"Meow—"

The tortoiseshell jumped to the top of the wall, and Goldie, wagging his tail, followed, clearly curious about the new cat. Goldie's owner quickly patted his head: "Don't scare the cat... the big cat away."

It doesn't seem too small, does it?

However, the tortoiseshell on the wall didn't seem frightened at all, seemingly aware that the silly dog couldn't climb up, and continued to walk leisurely along the top of the wall.

With the dog being too strong, Goldie's owner could only lead the dog—or rather, be led by the dog—keeping up. He noticed that the cat occasionally stopped, looked around as if memorizing the routes of the neighborhood.

Then, the cat made a round, jumped from the wall to the tree, then onto the roof of someone's car, pushed off the wall, and quickly climbed to the second floor.

"Meow, meow," Goldie's owner called out, "Come down, come down, it's too dangerous!"

This couldn't be a silly cat about to get stuck up high, could it?

But the cat ignored him, hesitated at the edge of a second-floor window, then leaped forward onto the top of an air conditioning unit, then twisted around and jumped to a third-floor window.

The window on the third floor was cracked open just a palm's width.

As Goldie's owner looked up, a resident preparing to drive to work also noticed his actions and looked up: "Hey, whose cat is that?"

Goldie's owner: "I don't know, it's wearing a collar, probably someone's cat that got out."

The resident also looked up: "So, is it trying to go home? Does someone in 301 keep it?"

Goldie's owner: "How could it be, I am from 301."

Resident: "…"

Goldie's owner: "… Damn!"

Just as he was about to run upstairs with the dog, he saw a cat's paw reach out from the window crack, swipe at the window, and force it open a bit more. Then, a green ball fell down.

Goldie: "Woof, woof, woof!"

Goldie's owner screamed: "Goldie! I told you not to play with the ball outside, you remember last time it rolled into the drain and I had to retrieve it!"

He had brought a frisbee, why insist on playing with this easily lost ball! It had disappeared three times and he had repurchased it three times, even the online store customer service recognized him!

After much struggle, the owner finally subdued the dog, stuffed the ball into the net, and looked up—only to find the chief troublemaker, the cat, had already strutted away.

Owner of the golden retriever: “…”

He needed to ask around in the homeowners' group to find out whose cat it was!

355 had already reached the central courtyard of the neighborhood.

Although there weren't many stray cats in the community, there were still a few, including a yellow-and-white one perched on the roof of a car.

Noticing 355 approaching, it opened its eyes, stretched lazily, and silently observed the newcomer from its high vantage point—this new fellow seemed like a tough one to mess with.

355 looked up, squinted, and suddenly leaped onto the hood of the car. The yellow-and-white cat slipped in fright, gave her a panicked glance, and darted off the car.

355: “Meow-wow!”

Yellow-and-white: “…”

Tail tucked, it glanced back at the tortoiseshell cat with a look of grievance before disappearing into the bushes.

From her high perch, 355 flicked her tail and left a scent mark on the railing as a sign, then continued to intimidate the other stray cats—

The new territory was quite large; marking it was somewhat tiring, and she would likely need to venture out often.

Although aware of the existence of elevators, 355 seldom used them. She wandered around the base of each building, quickly memorizing which animals frequented each one… especially those pets that only came out every few months for vaccinations, which she didn’t count.

355: “Meow.”

There were many birds in this building, which made her claws itch.

After a brief patrol, she turned to head back and just then came face-to-face with an old man carrying a birdcage.

Old man: “…”

He immediately raised his hand to protect the birdcage, eyeing the unfamiliar large cat warily. Noticing her collar, he hesitated before lowering his hand slightly: “Whose cat is this?”

Is it lost?

The parrot in the cage choked up and shouted, “Robber, robber—”

355: “==”

She suddenly turned to face a nearby wall, leaped over a meter high, then vaulted over the top of the old man’s birdcage.

The parrot coughed as if choked.

Old man: “!?”

When he turned around, the tortoiseshell cat had already disappeared.

355 leisurely strolled home, climbing the stairs to the second floor, but she didn’t approach apartment 202. Instead, she stopped at the door of 201.

System: “?”

355 let out two long meows. After a moment, only audible to cats, footsteps approached from the other side of the heavy security door.

Coal: “Meow-wow?!”

355: “Mew?”

Coal: “Meow-wow-wow, meow-wow!”

In Teacher Yuan's entryway, a pure black cat named Coal scrambled up and down, trying to reach the doorknob. But being a short-legged cat with a concerning weight, she jumped in vain for a long time, eventually running back to the feeder and voraciously eating the cat food.

355 at the door: “==”

Why couldn’t she still learn to open the door after all this time?

...The kitten asked her to help this clumsy cat lose some weight, otherwise its health would be at risk due to its obesity. Despite 355's efforts to train Coal for half a day, the cat thought it was just playing and failed to reach the exercise intensity approved by 355.

So, she planned to take this cat out on patrol today.

Is it really that hard to open a door?

355 raised its paw and tapped on Teacher Yuan's door, but Coal was already dozing off, managing a weak "meow" in response before climbing onto the bay window's nest to bask in the sun, sprawling out.

355: "..."

System: "=="

Even the next-door surveillance caught that!

Realizing it was impossible to wake a deeply sleeping cat, 355 turned around, went back home for a drink of water, and then meowed at the living room's touchscreen.

—She didn't know what the system was, but the kitten had explained that there was another entity at home she could ask for anything, and it was very useful.

A drawer in the living room popped open, and 355 jumped up, pulling out a plastic bag.

It was yogurt bread.

She rolled around on the floor, sticking her head through the handle of the plastic bag, letting the bread hang under her neck.

Because she was carrying something, 355 didn't jump out the window but walked out the main door of the complex instead.

The security guard was drinking tea, catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye of the surveillance alert:

【Please do not crawl under the gate, use your card!】

【Please do not crawl under the gate, use your card!】

Security guard: "Hey, don't crawl—huh?"

Isn't that just a cat? How did the dumb AI mistake a cat for a resident and even ask it to swipe a card!

Next to the complex was a school, and during reporting time, the traffic jammed right up to the school gates. Fortunately, a barrier tape was pulled up at the entrance, allowing a path for students and parents. As parents entered, 355 also slipped in under their feet.

Someone was on the phone, someone else was looking for their classroom, and some were playing games following their parents, but some noticed 355—

"Wow... wait, what's that on the cat's neck?"

"Is this our school's cat? Why haven't I seen it before?"

"Meow, meow, chomp, chomp—"

The noise.

355 shook her left ear, avoiding crowded areas, and made her way to the classroom of Grade 1 (1).

The classroom door was open, but no one was there. The scent of the kitten lingered, clearly having stayed there for a long time. 355 rubbed against the lectern, then the window, before jumping down and continuing towards the back.

Teacher Cao just happened to come out of the office. He wasn't the homeroom teacher, but his wife was, so they shared the responsibilities. He looked up, surprised to see the familiar cat, "355?"

355 stopped, glancing at this human: "Meow?"

Teacher Cao bent down, trying to pet the cat but 355 dodged with a tilt of her head. He noticed the bag: "You... brought snacks for Chu Tingwu?"

355 flicked her ears, unmoved.

Teacher Cao: "..."

That kid will be home soon, right? He won't be hungry in just half a day... But that was just his guess.

After double-checking the cat's identity with its collar, Teacher Cao simply pointed and said, "Look over there, Chu Tingwu has gone to the girls' dormitory. They need to make the beds and clean up the room first."

Chang Yile, lazily rubbing the human with her tail as a thank you, then headed in the direction he pointed.

Teacher Cao: "=="

I hope this cat doesn't show up during military training too.

-

In dormitory 401, all four roommates were present.

Their parents were there too, along with Chu Tingwu and Teacher Yuan, crowding the room—fortunately, as soon as Teacher Yuan arrived, the parents were busy talking to her and stepped outside.

Chang Yixin, with her long hair tied in a ponytail, about the same height as Chu Tingwu, gave her a tight-lipped smile.

Chang Yile, who had cut her hair to ear-length and permed it, was much more lively than her sister. After chattering through her introduction, she complimented Chu Tingwu's name, "Our parents were so lazy with our names, you'd think I was destined to sell ramen!"

Back when "Fire Ninja" was a hit at school, some mischievous classmates nicknamed her "Ramen Girl," which annoyed her for a long time.

Some even heard her sister called "Yixin (Heart)" and suggested her name should be "Yiyi," because it sounds like "wholeheartedly."

Nowadays, most students have mobile phones, and they quickly added each other as friends. Chu Tingwu saw that Chang Yile's ID was "Little Ramen," Chang Yixin's was "Double Hearted."

Chu Tingwu: "=_="

And An Shiyan's ID was "Buy First, Think About Living Later."

So what exactly are you buying?

Her intuition told her that although two of her roommates seemed quiet, they were probably quite lively at heart.

Just having met, and not sure what to talk about, they busied themselves with their tasks. Chu Tingwu heard Teacher Yuan saying, "Well... their parents are both very busy, so I'll keep them company..."

It seemed the parents were hoping the teacher would pay extra attention to their children, when suddenly Teacher Yuan stopped mid-sentence: "355?"

Chu Tingwu: "......"

Turning her head, sure enough, a tortoiseshell cat had sneaked into the dorm.

"Wow!" x3

Their beds were lofted with desks underneath. Chang Yile jumped down from the ladder, squatted down to pet the cat, while Chang Yixin, a bit slower, stood behind her sister, peering over with eager eyes, and An Shiyan took out her phone to start filming, cooing "Meow meow."

Sitting on bed number two, Chu Tingwu: "355?"

355 squeezed past the humans, climbed the ladder to the bed, and then shook its collar, signaling the youngsters to bring the treats it had brought.

"Wow, it can actually climb ladders! And it climbs so fast!"

"Chu Tingwu! Is that thing on its neck for you? Is this your cat?"

"Wow wow—thank you, thank you! Is this for me? Ah, thank you! I need to take a picture, hehehe..."

The whole dorm room instantly filled with laughter and chatter, everyone's demeanor warming up twice as much, and Teacher Yuan, standing at the door: "...Ha."

It seems there's not too much to worry about after all.

"I still have to say what needs to be said," she called Chu Tingwu out, "Pets are not allowed in the dormitory. I'll be checking during military training, so make sure you take care of 355."

Chu Tingwu grabbed 355's front paws, making a gesture of surrender, "Okay, Teacher Yuan, I won't let 355 enter the dorm again... But she was a stray cat before, she likes to go out, and she has a tracking chip implanted, so she won't get lost or go too far. Maybe she'll still wander around the school?"

355: "?"

She licked her nose, and both human and cat looked at Teacher Yuan, who coughed, "...Anyway, you can't bring her into the dorm."

That meant it was okay to wait downstairs.

As for today, school hadn't started yet. Just as Chu Tingwu let go of 355, she darted into the dorm, then turned to look at the kitten, seemingly puzzled why it didn't follow.

An Shiyan lay on the bed, silently filming 355, while chatting with Chu Tingwu, "Your cat is so big... Oh my, my grandma also has a cat, but my parents don't want to keep one, my mom is a clean freak. Chu Tingwu, are you a local, is your home nearby?"

The other three in the dorm were locals, but when Chu Tingwu mentioned she was from Fallen Phoenix City, they all remembered something about it.

Chang Yile said, "I know, your Fallen Phoenix City has a very spiritual sight! Oh, and there's a parkour competition, I must go there during the National Day—I saw that parkour video... uh... hmm?"

She scratched her head.

She touched her chin.

She gave Chu Tingwu a skeptical look, then glanced at 355.

Chang Yixin asked, "Chu Tingwu, was that actor in the promotional video you?"

Five minutes later, Chu Tingwu sat on a chair, with her three roommates gathered behind her, all watching Chang Yile's phone screen—yes, it was playing a tourism promotional video of Fallen Phoenix City.

"So cool," "So handsome," "How did you do that," "Was it real," "What was it like filming," "What's the crew like," "Wow wow wow wow," "Please teach me parkour, master—"

Chu Tingwu: "...You were all so quiet before."

Chang Yixin still smiled with pursed lips.

Chang Yile wrapped an arm around Chu Tingwu's shoulder, "Ah? You mean me?"

An Shiyan shrugged, "Of course we had to pretend a bit when we first met!"

Once they started talking about Chu Tingwu's summer experiences, there was so much to say, and with Chang Yile playing the straight man, the conversation never fell flat. They chatted for a long time, during which Chang Yixin helped Chu Tingwu wipe the table and railings, while An Shiyan helped her fold the mattress, "You'd better take the mattress and sheets home to wash, dry them, and then bring them back."

Their parents also helped bring water and did some cleaning, after which the Chang sisters said they could go home on their own, leaving their parents to do their own thing.

"We're going out for a walk and some bubble tea, mom and dad, you can take the stuff back!"

"Oh, then Chu..."

"Chu Tingwu, you guys go have fun. I'll bring your stuff back," Teacher Yuan said, "We happen to be neighbors."

Chang Yile pinched Chu Tingwu's hand and whispered, "Brave one."

Daring to be neighbors with the class teacher.

Chu Tingwu pinched the system in her mind.

The system popped up: "Kiddo, um, are you guys going shopping? Maybe pick up these things while you're at it..."

High school students shopping is really just about hanging out and snacking, but having things to buy can extend the fun. Chu Tingwu noted down the items, then puzzled, "Are we running out of these at home?"

Moreover, she was starting military training tomorrow, and these didn't seem like things to take to school.

Dog chew toys, parrot shampoo... Why do I need to pick up another access card from the property management on the way home?

System: "=="

It projected a message from the homeowners' group chat.

[Whose tortoiseshell cat is this running around…]

[I just saw this tortoiseshell at the pet feeding station, it won’t eat the food, and it’s wearing a collar, is it domestic? But when it passed by, neither Little Yellow nor One-Ear dared to eat their cat food, are domestic cats this fierce?]

[@1-502, this tortoiseshell was just lying on your car, is it yours?]

[@1-502, this tortoiseshell just entered my house and took my dog's toy out… Now my dog needs another bath, you really need to keep windows closed if you have cats, they shouldn’t be let out freely.]

[@1-502, this tortoiseshell just scared my parrot into mutism, my bird used to be so talkative, and now it won’t say a word since getting home.]

1-502:

[@1-301@3-201@2-101, huh? This isn’t my cat, mine is a Ragdoll!]

Forget scaring dogs and birds, the beautiful idiot at home doesn’t even dare to step out, oh heavens, someone please claim this tortoiseshell, don’t let my innocent Ragdoll be wrongly accused.

The system silently observed, peeking at the screen, and didn’t speak up, only privately messaging a few people, indicating that their cat was rather free-spirited and would bring gifts to apologize later that night.

—Right, Chu Tingwu buying gifts, just let 355 handle it herself.

One should clean up their own messes, how could she involve the kiddo?

Chu Tingwu: "=="

She always felt, although she wasn't one to initiate social interactions, with 355 around, she was bound to know everyone in the neighborhood soon.

-

A whistle pierced the quiet air.

355 suddenly sprang up from the mattress, licked its nose, only to realize the sound came from outside the window.

The kiddo wasn’t home, out again, and this time without the cat.

And it would be many days before returning.

Cat mom perched on the window ledge, pressing her face against the glass until it flattened, her golden vertical pupils tracking the figures of students.

Military training had begun.

She tapped the window.

System: "…"

She tapped again, and to her satisfaction, the window opened.

Then 355 jumped onto the fence, took some time to spot the kiddo, and returned home to slap a paw on the fridge.

System: "…"

The system gave in.

Meanwhile, Chu Tingwu's military training had already started.

The military training at No. 5 Middle School lasts only seven days, so the content isn't extensive. Standing at attention and marching are the basics, followed by two days of military boxing, culminating in a performance review.

Clearly, with such a cramped schedule, the training isn't too rigorous. Instructor Yan briefly outlined the training schedule before taking everyone out to stand at attention under the sun.

"You are all new students, and I know you're not familiar with each other," Instructor Yan said, "but I believe that training together will quickly get you acquainted—now, from left to right, number off, adding your name after your number. Remember, your number will be your position for standing at attention and marching this week!"

Some were hesitant to shout their names loudly, so Instructor Yan made them repeat it until everyone had done it once, then repeated the process three more times. This made the students familiar with each other's names, with some becoming deeply ingrained... but this was not friendly for those with social anxiety, like An Shiyan, who glared at the instructor, visibly upset.

She was one of the students forced to repeat her name several times because she spoke too softly, eventually drawing looks from students in the next class over.

Unmoved, Instructor Yan stood with his hands behind his back: "I know it's hot, I'm hot too, and I'm not resting in the shade—our military training is only seven days, so should we just get through it? No, it's precisely because we only have seven days that we need to make the most of this time to train well. There aren't many spots for outstanding classes and exemplary soldiers, do you have the confidence?"

The crowd looked at him expressionlessly.

Their eyebrows twitched.

Instructor Yan: "Second row, first person! Your expression is a bit odd, what do you want to say?" seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Chang Yile: "Report, Instructor! A peacock has taken your water bottle!"

Instructor Yan: "?"

Turning around, Instructor Yan made a sound he hadn't made since first coming to No. 5 Middle School: "Why does your school even have peacocks?"

The students, who had been standing at attention, immediately broke into laughter, shaking as they did so. The instructor: "..."

He glanced at the children and then at his departing water bottle, resignedly saying, "Continue standing, Instructor Liu—Instructor Liu, can you keep an eye on this for me?"

Instructor Liu: "Huh? Where are you going?"

A student from Class 1: "Our instructor is going after his water bottle!"

Instructor Liu: "I didn't hear that."

Class 1 student: "Our—instructor—is chasing the water bottle—"

As Instructor Yan chased after it, a tortoiseshell cat crossed his path, heading straight for Chu Tingwu in the middle of the formation.

At first, the students thought it was a stray cat, but when 355 placed a bag with ice pops next to Chu Tingwu's feet, the situation changed.

Students: "QVq"

355: "Mew?"

Before Chu Tingwu could bend down, Instructor Liu approached, his voice low: "Student, is this your cat?"

Chu Tingwu: "...Yes."

He picked up the bag with a smile, glanced at it and said, "Confiscated, haha. You can have popsicles at home or after training, but not now."

Chu Tingwu nodded and meowed twice at 355.

Everyone: "?"

As the breeze blew, the leaves of the plane trees gently swayed. Instructor Yan grabbed back his water bottle and was about to lecture the students when he noticed they were staring past him with eager eyes at Old Liu's formation behind him.

Instructor Yan: "..." Wait a minute?

His eyes lit up, and he turned around—

"Old Liu, how did a cat get your water bottle?"

This kid, I don't know where he got a popsicle from, it's really infuriating, serves him right.

Old Liu: "?!"

He glanced hurriedly at Chu Tingwu and rushed after the cat—If he didn't chase it now, the cat would jump over the fence.

Meanwhile, Chu Tingwu saw Chang Yile on her left, his upper body still, his hand by his trouser seam quietly raised, giving her a thumbs up:

You directed this, right?

Chu Tingwu: "......"

She didn't!

The two meows she just made were clearly telling 355 to hurry home, no need to come see her, it's too hot.

Chang Yixin on her right also moved his hand, giving Chu Tingwu a thumbs up.

Chu Tingwu: "......"

...She really didn't!