The System Mistook Me for a Cat

If before it was just a slow selection and gradual introduction, after Chu Tingwu opened up her sense of taste, the system's actions immediately became more urgent.

Of course, the local meat was already delicious enough, and as long as it was fresh, the meals wouldn't be too bad.

The only ones experiencing both pain and joy were the other three, because Chu Tingwu had taken over all the work except cooking the main dishes. They were happy about the delicious food but worried about what they would do after getting used to such amazing flavors.

One morning, a houseboat sailed into the small lake of the ranch. Chu Tingwu had already opened up her sense of vision, and the difference in her perception was minimal—since vision didn’t require self-restriction, it was often used in daily life.

After seeing the shadow of the boat, she woke up the other three.

Today, they were moving onto the boat so that the construction team could take over and rebuild the vacation area.

After everyone finished washing up, Chu Tingwu started a livestream and informed her fans, who were a bit puzzled:

“Is it opening soon? Are they starting to build the guest accommodation area already?”

They knew Chu Tingwu had come to the ranch to recuperate, thinking she must have been exhausted from studying and wanted to relax in a secluded place. So, they weren’t too keen on outsiders coming in.

The private area, though a bit old, was still functional. The architectural style from decades ago, while not modern, had a natural charm. However—

Chu Tingwu said, “The plan is to demolish and rebuild.”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

She had the system display the blueprint, and the audience saw something that looked like a castle built from colorful building blocks.

[?]

[Not gonna lie, it’s kind of whimsical, and the colors are harmonious.]

Chu Tingwu waved her hand, and the virtual castle began to transform. Each “block” could move and rotate within a certain range. When zoomed in, it became clear that each “block” was actually a guest room.

Chu Tingwu: “Although I can handle some of the work myself, building houses isn’t one of them.”

This kind of transformable hotel should be left to the professionals.

She explained, “On one hand, this hotel has a playful design, and on the other, it can adjust its orientation based on guests’ preferences to enjoy the scenery—”

The control room could also adjust the direction of each room. The only issue was the elevator arrangement, which had gone through several revisions.

But as the audience looked at the blueprint, they couldn’t help but think—

[Isn’t this just your parkour funhouse?]

The floor height, the decorative designs on the side, and the ever-changing layout? A parkour enthusiast would never turn down such a building—especially with such great views around.

Chu Tingwu: *Read, no reply.jpg*

The Shanwan Resort Hotel wasn’t going to be built in a day, so they would have to live on the houseboat for a while.

They packed up, bringing their cats and dogs, and only remembered when they were about to bring the horses that the horses didn’t need to go on the boat.

But the horses could be used for transportation.

After the three horses were delivered, they were simply left to roam freely. Given the size of the ranch, they could happily wander around every day. Along with the horses came a riding instructor from a club in Shangjing City. When they had initially boarded the horses, they had signed up for lessons but only attended once. Now that they were taking the horses back, the instructor followed under the pretext of “unfinished lessons.”

Of course, this wasn’t because the club had exceptional customer service. The boss had hinted that it would be good to maintain a positive relationship, just in case it might be useful in the future—if not, it wasn’t a loss.

The instructor spent his days running after the horses, training them to find the automatic feeders at set times and return to their owners when called. He was doing a pretty good job.

But when Chu Xiao and Zhou Qiang mounted the horses, the instructor realized… the horses were trained, but the people hadn’t been taught yet.

Aside from Chu Tingwu, the other two were still beginners.

Shao Lingwu, squatting nearby, hesitated: “…Do I really have to share a horse with Xiao?”

Chu Xiao: “You can walk ==”

Beside them, the dog, Danhuang, barked a couple of times and wagged its tail, pawing at Shao Lingwu’s shoes. Chu Tingwu translated: “Danhuang says you can run with it.”

Shao Lingwu: So not only do I have to walk, but I also have to walk the dog?

In the end, Shao Lingwu got on Chu Xiao’s horse, and Chu Tingwu helped steady it. After a moment’s thought, she also placed Sanwuwu on their horse.

The instructor got on Zhou Qiang’s horse to help control the reins, and they set off first.

Chu Tingwu patted Raphael’s neck, and the white horse let out a neigh before starting to trot to warm up. Danhuang followed with a happy bark. Though older, its tail wagged unashamedly, spinning like a propeller.

The weather wasn’t gloomy, but large clouds covered the sun, casting shifting shadows. Chu Tingwu felt like the white horse was about to run into the light, but the sunlight always seemed to stay just ahead.

The wind was neither cold nor hot, just enough to ruffle her bangs. She gazed into the distance, where the grass bent low, and cattle and sheep grazed. Beyond that, buildings were hidden behind the hills—some people hurried by, while others were buried in their work. The tall buildings were obscured by the trees that appeared as she moved, disappearing behind the bushes.

Chu Tingwu barely held the reins, but Raphael followed the other horses, trotting steadily. Its mane flowed, glinting faintly in the sunlight, like a white lion.

The camera zoomed out, circling around Chu Tingwu. In the chat, some people were chatting, others were cursing the in-game merchants, and a few were even making wishes to the horse—

Maybe it would help them pull a five-star character.

Someone else wondered, “Isn’t the ranch understaffed?”

When they had showcased the AR effects the day before, they had noticed that, though Chu Tingwu hadn’t explicitly said so, it seemed like the lack of human staff was why AR was being used to manage visitor behavior.

Logically, AR designs should be more expensive, as labor costs are generally low outside of big cities.

…But then again, Chu Tingwu could have her company handle the AR design, cutting costs.

…And she could use drones to pick up trash and warn visitors, since the company also produced drones.

Chu Tingwu: “Because I’ve always planned to make this a staffless ranch.”

Aside from AR, the unmanned services and the block-style parkour hotel could be the ranch’s unique selling points. The idea actually came from the conflict between the local villagers and the previous owner: since the nearby cheap labor wasn’t willing to work here, she decided not to hire humans at all. As long as the facilities were well-arranged, the ranch work, though tiring for humans, would be just right for machines.

According to their plan, the ranch staff could be reduced to fewer than ten permanent employees: including a veterinary station for regular checkups on the cattle and sheep, an electrical engineer to inspect the machines’ safety, and two security guards in case of conflicts or accidents among visitors. That would be enough.

For a ranch spanning over ten thousand acres, such a small staff was astonishing.

But the upside was that it gave visitors the feeling that the entire ranch was open and accessible.

The fans were more worried than Chu Tingwu: “But without staff… there will definitely be some unruly visitors.”

Even with plenty of cameras and patrolling drones, the lack of human presence might embolden some people to misbehave.

Chu Tingwu: “There may not be humans, but there are cats.”

[?]

Chu Tingwu snapped her fingers, and the audience saw a faint purple kitten appear on her shoulder. The kitten, still small because its owner hadn’t participated in many competitions, sniffed the cold wind before burying its head in Chu Tingwu’s hat with a soft “meow.”

[??]

Chu Tingwu gently patted the horse beneath her, who had turned its head to look at her. "Since we can project AR effects in the ranch, we also offer AR cat companionship services. For game users, their own cats will appear. If you don’t have a game account, you can reserve a cat on the app when entering. If you don’t like cats or don’t want one, you can skip the reservation."

Of course, the cats won’t be accompanying you the entire time. They might sneak off to play on their own and then suddenly reappear, each time offering different random interactions, like little surprises.

The reason behind this is that some areas aren’t suitable for installing AR projection equipment, but it also encourages visitors to explore different attractions.

[???]

Chu Tingwu: "Don’t you like it?"

[I love it to death (gnashing teeth)]

[You’re practically forcing me to come! But it’s a four-hour flight from my place to Ji Province!]

[At first, I thought it wasn’t worth traveling from out of town, but… but she’s using cats to threaten me!]

[I feel like I could make a road trip out of it and camp there… Knowing Chu Tingwu, she’s definitely hidden other Easter eggs!]

[Wake up, it’s not open yet. The resort isn’t even finished.]

But it’s easy to imagine how that shape-shifting resort will become a viral hotspot.

Chu Tingwu said the prices wouldn’t be high, but reservations would definitely be competitive.

[I might as well go buy camping gear now… I don’t know how the camping area will be set up, but if I camp, I’ll have control over my lodging!]

[Why do you think the camping area won’t require reservations?]

[……]

While the fans were arguing, the horse beneath Chu Tingwu had already stopped. Ahead, at the small dock, a boat was moored.

But this boat wasn’t like the ones people usually saw—it looked like a three-story house had been placed on a boat, full of life.

These houseboats were quite common in Ji Province. The boat owners could live directly on the boat, which never went out to sea. The base was more stable, so even in windy conditions, it wouldn’t sway much.

If the ranch didn’t have a lake, they would have had to stay in a yurt or be the first to experience the camping area.

The boat was rented, but they had prepared all the necessities in advance, so everyone only needed to carry a small bag on board.

Zhou ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍Qiang had never lived on a boat before and was worried she might get seasick, but seeing how calm Chu Tingwu was, she asked, "You—"

Chu Tingwu: "I’ve never lived on a boat either, but I’ve done parkour between boats before."

Zhou Qiang: You’re not a good reference point!

Chu Tingwu gazed across the lake. Through the boat’s window, she could see the tree vines hanging on the opposite shore, their reflections rippling on the water. The soil near the water was soft, but higher up, there were exposed rocky cliffs. It looked like a route only a rock climber could spot—quiet, dangerous, and intriguing.

The two boarded the boat, and Chu Tingwu naturally walked to the other side of the deck to show the viewers around. Zhou Qiang, after putting down her luggage, began to look puzzled:

…Wait, where are the other two?

-

Chu Xiao: "……"

Shao Lingwu: "……"

Why didn’t they refuse when Chu Tingwu suggested letting Sanwuwu help them control the horse?

The tortoiseshell cat perched on the black horse’s head occasionally let out a low, hoarse "meow," and the horse would shake its head, look around, and then trot forward.

Sanwuwu’s meows grew more confused. She lifted her paw and tapped the horse’s head, and the horse immediately turned and continued forward.

Sanwuwu: "……" Earlier, with three horses moving together, no one had noticed. But this horse… it was directionally challenged!

Sanwuwu turned her head and saw the two human children on the horse’s back still looking at her with expressions that said, "We’re counting on you to lead us there."

The cat sighed and continued trying to communicate with the horse. But five minutes later, she turned her head again.

Chu Xiao & Shao Lingwu: "?"

Wait, where are we? Is this even on the map? Should we call and ask for directions?

Sanwuwu lowered her head to groom herself, licking her paws and then her belly, pretending to be busy.

Human children? What human children?

They don’t smell like children. They’re so big—can’t they find their own way?