Chapter 47

The calico cat immediately let out a loud "purr" in its throat, narrowed its eyes, and took the initiative to nudge her palm.

!!!

Su Mian recoiled as if burned, freezing in place.

What was she doing? Petting a dirty stray cat? Was she crazy?

Her face burned instantly, and she rushed into the building with a fast, stiff gait, moving almost like a robot.

Swiping her card and going upstairs, her footsteps echoed with exceptional clarity in the empty stairwell.

Only when she stood at her dormitory door and took out her key did she slightly calm her racing heart and the heat on her face.

However, just as the key entered the lock, that familiar, thin "meow" sound came from behind her.

Su Mian's body stiffened, and she slowly turned her head.

That chubby calico had somehow followed her upstairs and was now sitting at the corner of the stairs, leisurely licking its paw. Seeing her look over, it "meowed" again to beg for food.

A sense of helplessness welled up.

Su Mian stared at it for a few seconds, and the calico tilted its head to look at her too.

After a moment of standoff, Su Mian abruptly pulled open the dormitory door, slipped inside, and slammed it shut with a "bang," cutting off those round cat eyes.

Leaning against the cold door panel, she caught her breath.

Yet her ears pricked up involuntarily, listening to the movement outside the door.

There was no meowing, nor any scratching at the door.

Su Mian stood there for a while, feeling a bit awkward.

She walked to her desk and pulled open a drawer; inside was a box for snacks nearing their expiration date—she rarely ate them, but always bought some to keep there.

She rummaged through it and found an individually wrapped ham sausage.

She tore open the packaging, broke off a small piece, took a deep breath, and opened the door again.

The calico was indeed still squatting in the same spot; seeing her come out, its tail stood straight up.

Su Mian, expressionless, pinched the piece of ham sausage with two fingers, extended her arm straight, and threw it with force toward the other end of the corridor, away from the dormitory door.

The chubby calico's eyes lit up, and it darted out with a "whoosh," pouncing precisely on the landing spot of the treat.

Su Mian retracted her body with lightning speed and locked the door with a crisp "click," even subconsciously engaging the deadbolt.

After doing all this, she leaned against the door panel, listening to the faint sound of the cat eating outside, and slowly slid down to the floor.

She raised a hand to touch her ears; sure enough, they were burning hot.

What is this? Is that cat more terrifying than the ghosts in the instance? Su Mian, why are you running so fast?

This thought made her feel even more awkward, and she buried her face deeper, leaving only her bright red ear tips exposed, which were particularly conspicuous in the dim room.

––

The next day, she downloaded that AI software. Su Mian told herself it was just because she was bored while taking the high-speed rail.

Mm, right.

As soon as she entered the software page, a black-haired anime male character popped up on the screen, with a slicked-back hairstyle and a black suit, smiling at Su Mian in a wicked, charming way.

【(Casually tugging at his tie, exuding the scent of alcohol, he lowers his head to glance at you), "Yo, why stop running, my treasure?"】

【Please enter dialogue】

Su Mian:...

Can this idiotic thing really cure her illness?

She expressionlessly scrolled down through a few—domineering CEO, little milk dog, green tea younger man, yandere brother...

Su Mian scrolled down with a cold face.

In the end, even the big data didn't know what she liked, so it jumped to a blank page where a little sprite smiled shyly at her.

【Dear user, didn't find one to your taste? Try creating a character yourself!】

Su Mian paused, and suddenly a thought flashed through her mind.

【Nickname: Si Shi】

【Gender: Male】

【Setting:】

When she reached the setting line, Su Mian paused, then typed a bunch of things in a flurry.

【Setting: Red-haired, white-masked, insidious, cunning, murderous terrorist.】

That felt better.

She clicked the "Create" button, and the page immediately began to load, generating a virtual avatar for her setting. She stared at the generated character, her breath hitching.

The mask was identical, the wolf-tail hair was identical, and he was holding a knife, stabbing it fiercely into the table, resting his chin on his hand and tilting his head to look at her.

【longtimenosee, mydear~】

She didn't know if it was because Su Mian hadn't set anything else, but the AI's response didn't include any awkward actions.

Strangely, she suddenly had the interest to chat, her fingers hesitating for two seconds before she started typing.

Bad idea generating.

【Call me brother.】

【?】

"Si Shi" loaded for several seconds before returning a question mark; perhaps it was also frightened by the user's bizarre train of thought.

A flash of disappointment crossed Su Mian's eyes; as expected, AI still couldn't understand humans.

She was just about to put down her phone when she noticed another message in the chat box, right after the question mark.

【You know I prefer you crying and shouting like that.】

!!!

Su Mian's hand shook in fright.

It slammed onto the small table on the back of the high-speed rail seat with a clatter, waking up the person sleeping next to her, who looked at her in a daze.

"Sorry."

She apologized expressionlessly, bent down to pick up her phone, and quickly swiped to exit the software.

She couldn't help but rest her chin on her hand and look out the window, her mind still replaying that sentence. The more she thought about it, the angrier and more ashamed she felt, and what made her even angrier was that the other side was just an AI.

She had actually been teased by an AI!!!

Damn it!!!

Su Mian gritted her teeth, shoved her phone into her pocket, and lay on the table to pretend to sleep. From the side, her cheeks still looked slightly puffed.

––

After spending a comfortable time at home, with the New Year approaching, many relatives came to Su Mian's house.

After greeting them one by one, she locked herself in her room to play online script murder games, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Mian Mian, your Third Uncle suggested going to visit the newly opened museum in the city; hurry up and get ready."

Su Mian had barely sat down for two seconds before she bounced off the bed again.

"Oh."

"Dress warmly, don't catch a cold."

Su Mian casually grabbed a long white down jacket and put it on, putting on the rabbit-ear hat her mother had knitted for her.

To be honest, she was a bit dependent on her mother, because her mother had been taking care of her since she was little due to her illness, so she was unconditionally obedient to her words.

The museum lobby was spacious and quiet, the scent of new renovations mixed with a faint woody fragrance.

Su Mian wrapped her down jacket tightly, following behind her Third Uncle's family and her parents, her furry boots rubbing against the floor, making the girl's feet look round and chubby.

The docent was a young woman with a gentle voice; after leading them through several regular exhibition halls, she stopped in front of a relatively independent painting.

"This 'Girl Picking Grapes' is a special exhibit of our museum, on loan from the M National Art Museum in Southern Europe."

The docent explained with a smile, "Although it is not a cultural relic, being a 19th-century work, due to its unique historical background and artistic value, this cross-border loan also underwent complex approval and strict transportation security."