Chapter 224

Compared to the excited netizens, Ling Yue observed more carefully; the girl had absolutely no intention of abandoning the cat, which could be seen from the cat itself.

The kitten's fur was glossy, its eyes bright; even its injured bobtail showed it had received good treatment and care.

She spoke up to interrupt the netizens' heated remarks, fixing her gaze on the girl: "She definitely wouldn't abandon the cat; she's taken good care of it, its fur is clean, and its eyes show reliance."

Then the girl looked at her in surprise, her pupils flickering; she quickly shook her head and rebutted: "Streamer, you're right, I didn't mean that."

"I didn't come out thinking of throwing away the cat; I just feel it's not my cat."

That remark left the stream's netizens instantly confused.

【What do you mean? I can't understand.】

A remark out of the blue—not just the netizens, even Ling Yue turned her probing gaze onto her—but the consulter, Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao, abruptly shifted tone, saying: "Streamer, I want you to help ask the cat: is this fox-flower cat really my cat?"

She nervously picked at her nails, her heart racing, yet she didn't forget to look straight into the camera: "This is the question I want to consult about."

She spoke, a flash of pain crossing her eyes, then continued: "Not long ago, my cat Princess went missing. It was a rainy day; we had gone out shopping, never expecting our home to be ransacked by thieves—at the time, Princess was the only cat we had."

"Fortunately, we returned home early; when we rushed back, we happened to block the thieves' escape—the thieves were caught, but only then did I discover that our window had been forced open by them!"

"Princess is gone!"

Recalling these events, her voice choked up and tears welled in her eyes: "Princess is a cat I've raised since childhood; when I was young and mischievous, it was my late grandfather who specially brought it back from the countryside—over the years, it has become family to me."

"It was so well-behaved, so well-behaved."

Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao covered her face, no longer able to face the camera; even through the screen, anyone could see her sorrow and despair: "But it's gone!"

"I only took Princess out a few times—you could count them on your fingers—she's a real homebody, playing indoors every day; I couldn't imagine such a pretty, cute kitten being frightened enough to jump out the window, but I'm grateful we live on the third floor with a shelter below; when I found out, I collapsed to the ground."

"Will Princess be bullied by stray cats? Will she starve and be unable to walk?" She fired off a string of rhetorical questions, and any netizen who owned a pet felt their heart clench.

【Thank goodness, thank goodness, Princess has come back.】

【Consulter, don't cry—look, Princess is rubbing against you; how can this little cat be so cute?】

Seeing the comments, Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao wore a blank expression, but quickly steadied herself: "Have you forgotten what I said earlier?"

"Princess and I grew up together; we've been inseparable since childhood—I know its personality, I know what it likes best, and I feel it isn't Princess."

At the time Princess went missing for a while, our family searched the neighborhood and surroundings high and low, we even scattered scissors** and fed the stray cats nearby—I did everything, to no avail; then, in my despair, one night my mom opened the door to take out the trash and saw it crouching at the doorway.

The kitten's tail was half broken, its body skin and bones, its fur matted like a bunch of dry grass.

"How did you come back?! My goodness!" Mother exclaimed in shock.

After seeing it, the whole family rushed it to the hospital overnight; the examination showed malnutrition, the tail had been cut by external force and was re-bandaged—needless to say, everyone was relieved except the consulter.

Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao gathered her thoughts: "You say, how could I not know whether it's really my Princess? Perhaps at first I was happy too, but later I kept realizing it isn't my Princess."

She shook her head, eyes firm: "The returning cat has become especially clingy; its voice isn't hoarse like before but clear and a bit tender, its personality is pampered, unlike my Princess, which used to be wild and untamed, liking to perch on the wardrobe and look down on me as I work."

"But when I brought it up, the whole family thought I was overthinking, telling me Princess must have suffered, which changed her personality."

"How could that be?!"

"It clings to me, yet I feel it isn't; my family are all masochists, I also want to argue, but they're just too alike, too alike!"

Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao said, holding the cat, and asked Ling Yue: "Streamer, you say—is it really my Princess or not?"

Ling Yue didn't answer; she already had a clue in mind. She glanced at the stream's comment section—Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao's earlier heartfelt outburst had already moved many to tears—and now, by raising the question, even more people replied.

【Impostor cat?】

【The owner has raised it for over ten years; I think it shouldn't be wrong, they all recognize it—perhaps the consulter is just being suspicious.】

【But cats generally don't change personality, and besides, it's a Li Hua cat—you can't tell the pattern much… mixing them up isn't necessarily the case!】

【If that's what the upstairs says, how did the kitten climb to the third floor and crouch at the consulter's door? Could it really be such a coincidence—a similar cat just happened to run up to the third floor, just happened to be found by the consulter and adopted?】

【That's too much of a coincidence!】

【Ahhh my head itches—I need to grow a brain!】

【... I'm a little idiot; just listening to the streamer will do!】

Ling Yue watched, alright, pushing this back and forth, the ball rolled back into her lap, but she wasn't worried; she already had a plan in mind.

Ling Yue got straight to the point: "Consulter, hold the kitten up to the screen—I'll ask it."

The netizens who had been arguing just now: "……"

They'd been discussing here for half an hour; Ling Yue's single sentence says it all—this is a total domination!

As for whether it's an impostor cat, even if it were deliberately posing as Princess, Ling Yue could uncover the truth—because—no matter how crafty the cat, it can't escape her eyes!

Suddenly, a soft, mewing sound rang out.

"Master, what's wrong with you?"

Ling Yue's gaze fell on the suspected subject—the cat—and within the camera's view, she clearly saw and heard the cat's worried voice.

It raised its soft paw pads and slapped them against Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao's arm, making a gurgling sound; in this very human-like gesture, one could see the kitten's humble attempt to appease.

【awsl! How can there be such an adorable kitten!】

【If it were mine, even if it were fake I'd still accept it!】

【Sniffle sniffle sniffle it's so thoughtful and good at acting cute—kiss it, kiss it, hurry up and kiss it!】

For Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao, the kitten's sudden coquettishness made her both resist and unable to stop going soft; in her flustered haste, the camera flipped, and instantly the stream spun dizzyingly.

An ordinary person catching sight of it unawares would truly feel dizzy and disoriented.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao hastily grabbed her phone, the rims of her eyes still reddened from the earlier excitement.

Many laughed it off, indicating they didn't mind.

Ling Yue, however, narrowed her eyes and suddenly said: "Did you bring only one cat out today?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

In Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao's clear black-and-white eyes, a flicker of doubt appeared; Ling Yue lifted her eyelashes and fixed her gaze steadily on her—more precisely, on the similarly patterned Li Hua cat not far from her.

It and the kitten in Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao's arms were practically cast from the same mold.

Sensing the human gaze, it lowered its head elegantly, stepped soundlessly on its cat's paws to Miaomiaomiaomiaomiao's side, and sat gracefully.

Even with the same appearance, compared to the tender little kitten, its bearing is generous and dignified; its pale yellow round eyes show a completely different sharpness and arrogance.

The little girl and the cat in her arms noticed nothing.

Ling Yue stared for a while; the livestream viewers were very sharp, quickly noticing something amiss. After the big shots judged, her gaze fell beside the consultee—there was nothing but air there.

【Host, what are you looking at?】

【Hahaha, maybe the host saw something cute? O(∩_∩)O】

【Holy shit, don't scare me!】

Ling Yue likewise saw the viewers joking in the comments; she blinked, and even they didn't expect her joke to be spot on.

Ling Yue: "Indeed."

She smiled and continued: "It's a very cute kitty."

That remark stirred up a storm; the livestream viewers were all shocked, staring in disbelief at the gorgeous woman on camera as her lips parted slightly.

Ling Yue stared straight at Meowmeowmeowmeowmeow and told her: "On your right side, there's a cat that looks exactly the same, watching you."

"It looks exactly like the little kitten in your arms—a very pretty tabby cat, and a bit arrogant."

"It is the true princess."

By now, Ling Yue could already be certain.

The livestream fell into dead silence.

After a moment, someone finally forced a laugh.

【Host, you're joking again, hahahaha!】

【This joke isn't funny at all, host—let's get back to the topic.】

Ling Yue looked at the screen: "But I'm telling the truth."

The atmosphere fell silent again.

"Human, can you see me?"

The cat that heard the sound suddenly spoke up; it recognized this thing. Just moments ago, it had overheard its owner talking to it from a distance, discussing.

It glanced at the silly little kitten in the girl's arms, which was only busy playing and hadn't heard a word clearly.

Ling Yue nodded: "You're the princess."

It wasn't a question but a firm statement; the identical cat nodded, looking bright and splendid, a size larger than the girl's little kitten, its body round and healthy—however…

Ling Yue's eyes darkened; this was only the surface.

As she conversed with the princess, the dazed Meowmeowmeowmeowmeow beside her finally reacted, its eyes shining amazingly, like a blazing flame, as if clutching the last straw: "Host! Host, who are you talking to? Is it the princess? Is it the princess?"

Perhaps it was a tacit understanding; her gaze happened to fall exactly where the princess was.

Ling Yue had never thought of concealing it, after all her metaphysical means had already been exposed earlier, and she had the backing of the state; Ling Yue was not someone who couldn't tell right from wrong.

She nodded and said firmly: "The princess is right beside you."

Now it seemed no question even needed to be asked.

The instant her words ended, Meowmeowmeowmeowmeow covered her face; scalding tears could not be held back, slipping through her fingers as she sobbed miserably: "Princess, my princess…"

She wasn't an idiot; after entering society she had grown much shrewder, and she understood what not seeing the princess meant—deep down she knew the princess must have met with an accident!

She never imagined that going out once would turn into an eternal farewell between her and the princess.

Overwhelmed with grief, she burst into loud tears; the little cat in her arms also anxiously poked its head out, a flicker of silly spirit in its eyes, and it kept meowing: "Princess?"

"Is it Princess Sister? I'm Lostlost."

Hearing that, Ling Yue instantly sat up: "Lostlost?"

Her voice startled the little cat, which after a moment realized it was the owner's phone speaking; it curiously lifted its head and saw a beautiful human inside the phone.

Ling Yue extracted relevant information from its words; the two cats likely knew each other, so she asked as much, and Lostlost's eyes filled with fear.

The weeping owner also wiped her tears and reacted: "Do they know each other?"

Meowmeowmeowmeowmeow's voice was hoarse, eyes reddening: "I've never seen the princess know any other kittens—how could they have met—"

Her words trailed off.

The sharp-witted viewers picked up the thread.

【They must have met after the princess fled in fright by jumping out the window—surely that's it!】

【Then the princess met with an accident, and this little cat came looking for her… I can't go on; just thinking about it feels awful.】

【Wuwuwu, I'll never despise my family's troublemaker again—even if it's fat, hungry, and lazy, it's the little piggy I raised on kibble and canned food!】

【Pet owners can't bear to see this.】

Meowmeowmeowmeowmeow suddenly spoke up: "Host, can you see the princess or not? Help me, tell me…… tell me……" She spoke, brows almost knotted into a lump, voice dropping lower and trembling nonstop: "Tell me where the princess is—I want to go bury her."

The more she spoke, the more anguished she grew, almost unable to breathe; at the crucial moment, a faint cool breeze brushed her cheek, her breathing eased slightly, and in the vision only Ling Yue could see, that glossy, smooth-furred cat lightly rose, its semi-transparent body clinging to the owner's shoulder, its pink tongue licking her cheek.

"Don't cry, owner—you love pretty girls so much; if you ruin your makeup with tears, you won't look good."

The simple cat didn't know that its owner had been disheveled for a while, unable to find it, and had no mood to put on makeup.

"Is it your princess? Is it you?" Meowmeowmeowmeowmeow guessed aloud, voice especially excited: "Princess, where are you—what exactly happened?"

She couldn't communicate with the princess; her hopeful gaze turned to Ling Yue, who nodded: "It's already part of the service—you can ask about anything you want."

Meowmeowmeowmeowmeow opened her mouth, throat dry, and in the end merely clenched her fists: "Thanks, host."

Ling Yue looked at the cat princess, seeing through its fluffy soul state the miserable appearance; it was actually far less cute than it seemed, even describable as terrifying.

Ling Yue guessed that this had to do with its cause of death.

Surely, the cat princess's first words left her quite astonished.

The princess licked her paw pads, her pale yellow cat eyes flashing a hint of red: "I was run over by a wheel."

That time, when a thief pried open the window to steal, the princess noticed immediately; private cat territory is not to be violated, she struck out and scratched the thief, who then hurled her straight down the building.

Because she worried the thief might still be inside, the princess left—yet she didn't expect that, injured as she was, she'd run into the neighborhood's brat kids; she had once seen on the balcony that gang of little demons torment a fellow cat to miserable squeals, and in her eyes, those little demons were even more frightening to cats than big villains.

The injured Mao Mao fled in fright all night.

It didn't know where it had run to, and it plunged headfirst into the cold, deserted steel jungle; in the bitter winter, it bumped around aimlessly, dreaming of going home.

Finally, after hiding for several days, it found the way home step by step.

The Cat Princess's gaze fell upon the bustling street ahead; this was a small crossroads, surrounded by residential areas and office buildings, with heavy foot traffic.

"I ran and ran, and I ended up here."

Only a few hundred meters from its residential area, the petite cat saw a pair of long legs, like pillars, crisscrossing as they walked, and it spotted the estate's sign.

Exhausted, Mao Mao's eyes widened instantly—this was its home; the owner must be waiting for Mao Mao to come back!

It held excitement and joy in its heart, completely ignoring the surroundings; step by step, the little cat endured the mixed smells and harsh noises, slowly walking toward home.

But how could it know this was a road that never ends?

"Beep!"

Amid the deafening horn blast, the black metal box resembled a rampaging beast, charging ferociously at the fur‑standing cat.

The driver might have seen it, but to him, catching a green light was far more important; a cat—run it over, then it's over.

Afterward he still spat, "Bad luck!"

Blood gushed from beneath it, it felt like a torn sack, really hurting; the cat turned its head, eyes looking toward the estate gate, toward its home.

Perhaps the bloodstain was too large, so vehicles detoured around this area.

Strong unwillingness let it cling to life for a while before death; finally it encountered a nearly identical stray kitten, which named itself Diu Diu—a discarded little cat, timid yet clingy, hoping to be adopted, yet it remained just a cat.

Diu Diu looked exactly like it.

It couldn't survive, couldn't return home—but what would the owner do?

The Cat Princess asked it, "Diu Diu, can you go home in my place?"

"My family is wonderful, and I'll give you all my cat food, treats, and toys—they'll surely treat you well!"

Little Diu Diu lowered its head, looking at the plump big cat: "Princess sister, what about you?"

The cat slowly closed its eyes: "I'll be fine too—I'm heading back to Meow Star."

Later, that scene came to pass: Diu Diu, following its description, found the doorstep, took the princess's place, became it, and gained a family that lavished care upon it.

For the precarious stray cat Diu Diu, these days were practically paradise.

But the deceased Cat Princess never imagined that after death it would become an earth‑bound spirit of this crossroads, and this was also the first time it saw its own owner after dying.

Diu Diu lived well, the owner was fine, and Mao Mao would be all right too.

As for why Diu Diu appeared so fortuitously, Ling Yue had her own explanation: "Actually, there has long been a folk legend that a cat lives with its owner; when its time is near, it leaves home, finds a look‑alike kitten, tells the kitten that someone with a kind heart lives there, and asks it to take its place. Then the original cat can die in peace, generation after generation…"

Hearing this story, the livestream's viewers were about to burst into tears.

【Please, streamer, don't kill me with a cat‑knife!】

【My family's furry child is also lost; I'd rather it had been picked up and brought home to be raised—at least it would still be alive!】

【Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff X﹏X】

At the same time, hearing Ling Yue's Miaomiaomiaomiao, she suddenly recalled something: that day she went downstairs and heard Aunt Liu chatting in the stairwell: "Something happened at our estate gate—I don't know who's so inconsiderate, driving without care, actually ran over a cat, how awful!"

"My old partner is a sanitation worker; when cleaning, I saw that cat almost flattened into a pancake—that's utterly miserable."

She finally couldn't hold back and burst into loud sobs.

Right at this crossroads, only a few hundred meters from her residential estate, she and Mao Mao were separated by the veil of yin and yang.

The loud‑sobbing consulter attracted many bewildered glances, but to her, overcome with grief, what did it matter? She clung to Diu Diu—this was the princess's sole comfort left for her.

Ling Yue also let out a sigh, then instantly saw the livestream filled with condemnation; it was the New Year, and the streamer was about to harvest everyone's tears.

Ling Yue: "……"

She didn't want that either—could she even control it?

Ling Yue rarely felt guilty; she averted her gaze, looked elsewhere on the camera, and this sight made her eyes widen instantly.

"Miaomiaomiaomiao, point the phone camera to the right."

Miaomiaomiaomiao couldn't react in time; its right hand moved on its own, and the camera frame fully captured the crossroads several meters away.

Ling Yue slightly lifted her gaze, and her dark eyes reflected a sheet of ink‑black shading.

That was a field of vision completely invisible to ordinary people——

Above the crossroads' clear sky, an unknown black cloud mass pressed down densely, seeming to churn and roar like an invisible giant net, a tight cocoon wrapping the entire intersection.

The brewing gloom lowered inch by inch.

At that moment, Ling Yue suddenly noticed on the screen a little girl in pink clothing whose forehead was darkened, deathly aura spreading!

After her stagnant gaze touched her surroundings, Ling Yue immediately said, "Miaomiaomiaomiao, zoom the camera out, centering on the girl in pink, and keep looking!"

The livestream's viewers were all bewildered.

Yet seeing her solemn face, they inexplicably dared not speak; even the usual dense barrage of comments grew sparse, leaving only a few.

【Streamer, what on earth is going on?】

Ling Yue saw that, centered on her, several people had darkened foreheads, shrouded in light or heavy deathly omens—they were about to meet disaster!

Just then they hit a red light; near the intersection stood a large supermarket that drew a sizable crowd, and by now most pedestrians had gathered there, forming a cluster.

Ling Yue saw a mother and daughter, the gentle mother holding the cute little girl's hand, and also a young, pretty female college student talking on her phone; it seemed she had said something to the person opposite, she gave a shy smile, radiating youth.

A girl in pretty clothes held her phone, looking left and right with an expectant expression, mingling in the crowd; a delivery boy pushing his cart, wearing a yellow jacket and braving wind and rain.

On his head sat a pair of rabbit ears; the little girl gazed at them enviously, her eyes unblinking, almost glued to them.

While waiting, the delivery boy noticed her gaze, crouched down and asked the little girl, "Would you like to touch my ears?"

The little girl was stunned for a moment, then immediately broke into a delighted smile and clapped her hands, saying, "Thank you, big brother!"

Such a short street corner, yet it displayed all kinds of human conditions; however, on the faces of the dozen or so people around them, each bore different signs of disaster, varying in severity.

Ling Yue's heart tightened; what kind of heavenly disaster** could cause such extensive casualties?

She could not guess at all, but immediately Ling Yue's gaze settled on the delivery boy's face; a mass of deathly aura gathered between his brows, piercingly intense.

His visage also foretold that disaster was imminent.

In the next instant, Ling Yue's vision changed; she saw what was about to happen, from the delivery boy's point of view.

After a moment, Ling Yue spoke: "Someone here is going to die!"

The viewers in the live stream who heard it, including Miaomiao..., were in an uproar. ，，,.