The System Mistook Me for a Cat

With the promotion and popularization of VR live streaming equipment, the impact of VR live streaming on the current live streaming industry has gradually diminished. Although the experience pods are not yet widely available and are only open for purchase by the government and enterprises, the production capacity of the motion equipment for these experiences has caught up. VR outdoor live streaming has gradually become akin to console gaming—not everyone owns the equipment, but it’s no longer surprising as a form of live streaming.

Moreover, through the trial and error of other streamers, the once overly enthusiastic audience has cooled down, realizing that not all types of content are suitable for VR. Additionally, prolonged use of VR equipment is more exhausting than watching TV or movies for extended periods.

Over time, those who have survived and thrived in this wave are the outdoor streamers with innovative and rare content.

Even as her collaborations increased, Chu Tingwu didn’t take the opportunity to push herself harder by using VR equipment for every stream. She maintained her usual pace, with two to three VR parkour streams per week, occasionally switching to high-altitude skateboarding. The rest of the time, she continued her laid-back routine, streaming everyday life.

—After all, she didn’t have a suitable venue for other sports before.

Some thought she was foolish for not capitalizing on the exclusive access to VR technology to amass more fans and break through to become the top streamer on the platform with millions of followers.

But her more devoted fans would say: “Have you ever seen a part-time content creator who’s also the top streamer on a video platform?”

Besides, Chu Tingwu didn’t really need that kind of traffic. She could live well without it. She didn’t promote products (except for her own company’s), didn’t take on sponsorships (police promotions probably didn’t count), and only relied on the platform’s base pay (though Fenghua Network didn’t disclose that she held shares). When she streamed, it was simply to share her life—just watch and enjoy.

Of course, the deeper reason was that Chu Tingwu alone couldn’t expand the VR video audience to such a scale. Now, from cooking to household chores, hiking to cycling, with the diversity of video content, her company’s VR motion equipment was selling exceptionally well.

Their equestrian coach, who had followed them here, thought the same. She had watched Chu Tingwu’s videos before but became a regular viewer after VR live streaming emerged. Now, she even felt a sense of reflection—

Unconsciously, she felt that her life had changed a lot. From her cat’s neutering to charity promotions, from documentaries appearing online to new AR games, these changes happened gradually. Even now, as she rode her horse, gazing at the pristine pasture with no one in sight, the hidden camera peeking out, the road winding into the distance, her mood inexplicably lifted.

Although the horses could roam freely, there was a resting area at night. The over 10,000-acre ranch was divided into sections, each spacious enough to be a mansion for the horses. The coach also lived nearby, in the staff quarters across from the main buildings.

Across from there, training facilities for racehorses were being built, as suggested by the coach. With such excellent conditions, why not train the horses and send them to compete?

Chu Tingwu and the others boarded the boat, and the coach helped bring the horses back—wait, what?

Shao Lingwu and Chu Xiao hadn’t arrived yet?

-

After the other two were brought onto the boat by the coach, Shao Lingwu raised his hand and pointed out an internal testing bug:

“The ranch is too big. Let’s set up some bike rental points.”

Although visitors could drive in, some areas of the ranch were inaccessible by car. It was large but not as vast as a nature reserve, making biking the perfect way to get around while also getting some exercise.

Chu Xiao stood nearby, not wanting to say anything.

Three-Five-Five hadn’t led them astray. She was a very methodical cat, so when she later smacked the black horse’s head, and the coach found them, they were walking the horses, following the cat… as if they were out for a stroll or a brisk walk.

Setting up bike rentals wasn’t difficult, and the cost was low. The system helped plan the locations, quickly marking suitable spots. All Chu Tingwu had to do was nod in agreement.

The houseboat they lived in looked like a house placed on a boat. Unlike the humans, who adapted quickly, Three-Five-Five seemed wary.

—Her walking turned into a tap dance.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chu Tingwu guessed she was adjusting to the sensation of being on the boat, so she didn’t rush her. She sat nearby, hugging her knees and watching the cat mom. Before long, three more “potatoes” squatted beside Chu Potato.

Chu Tingwu: “What’s up?”

Zhou Qiang: “What’s for dinner?”

Chef, it’s time to cook.

[It’s coming, it’s coming…]

[I’m grabbing snacks!]

[I’m making instant noodles!]

[I’m doing some yoga to calm down, I’ll be back in half an hour.]

[Be careful, she might finish cooking in exactly half an hour, and you’ll come back just as everyone starts eating…]

New viewers didn’t understand what was about to happen, but the veterans sighed: “This is the daily ‘Shanwan Ranch Food Murder Incident’… Just close your eyes and don’t look!”

Chu Tingwu entered the kitchen, and Three-Five-Five followed, marching in with a tap-dance-like gait. When she jumped onto the counter, her paws slipped, and she paused for a moment before busying herself with examining her front paws, as if they were the most fascinating things in the world.

Chu Tingwu simply walked over, scooped up Three-Five-Five with one hand, and let the fluffy tortoiseshell cat cling to her shoulder. Then she knocked on the door: “Come help chop the vegetables—”

Self-reliance, friends. The chef cooks, but chopping and dishwashing are your responsibilities.

Notably, Chu Xiao loved chopping vegetables, Zhou Qiang enjoyed slicing meat and filleting fish, and Shao Lingwu, of course, disliked washing dishes, but his protests always failed.

Three-Five-Five: “Meow~”

[Ew~]

[Meow~]

When Chu Tingwu first met Three-Five-Five, the cat already had a raspy voice, likely from her tough life as a stray. Over time, her voice improved, but she still retained that husky tone when arguing with other cats or humans. Only rarely did she let out the high-pitched meows typical of domestic cats—like now.

The chat was soon filled with meows, along with the occasional “woof” or “moo,” which were promptly removed by other fans.

After dinner, everyone started searching the storage room for fishing, netting, and barbecue gear. Watching them struggle, Chu Tingwu couldn’t help but say:

“The barbecue stuff is on the rooftop.”

It wasn’t that she knew in advance—she could smell it.

Unlike her hearing, which she could tune out if something was too loud, her heightened sense of smell was harder to ignore. She couldn’t just eliminate the source of a smell, especially when it came to humans, who naturally carried various scents—

Zhou Qiang: “What are you doing?”

Why are you sniffing my neck?

Hmm, Chu Tingwu thought, there was indeed a mix of shampoo, body wash, hand soap, and the lingering scent of the food they’d just eaten. In fact, as long as someone was alive, they’d carry different smells.

What about the dead?

She glanced at Shao Lingwu, wondering what scent he’d emit if she tossed him into the water.

After her sense of smell heightened, Chu Tingwu had encountered the stench of death twice. Once during parkour, when an elderly person had passed away at home unnoticed for days, and she immediately reported it to the police. The second time was in a nature reserve, where a dead animal was decomposing, scavengers circling above, and the foul odor permeating the air. While others hadn’t yet reacted, Chu Tingwu already felt nauseous.

The stench was a genetic instinct warning her not to consume such things.

What about a drowned person?

The lake below shimmered with golden ripples under the setting sun, the light reflecting off the water’s surface as the boat gently rocked. Shao Lingwu looked around nervously and whispered, “Why do I feel a chill?”

Zhou Qiang: “That means your senses are sharp. It’s your turn to wash the dishes.”

Shao Lingwu: “…QAQ”

He entered the kitchen but soon emerged with a delighted expression: “There’s a dishwasher!”

The old hotel didn’t have one, so he no longer had to wash dishes by hand.

Chu Tingwu felt a bit guilty: "Maybe you shouldn't do any work anymore?"

Shao Lingwu: "=v="

Chu Tingwu: "Just help me give Three-Five-Five a bath when you're free."

Shao Lingwu: "I'll go wash the dishes =="

Chu Tingwu turned around and noticed that Zhou Qiang and Chu Xiao had already gone fishing.

Is there really no one in this world willing to bathe an adorable little cat? How heartbreaking.

-

Zhou Qiang and Chu Xiao were also discussing Chu Tingwu's new "quirk." They had noticed that she seemed to have recently developed a bit of a cleanliness obsession, so their conversation went like this:

Zhou Qiang: [It's your fault.]

Chu Xiao: [I deflect that back to you.]

Zhou ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‍Qiang: [Dodge.]

Chu Xiao: [Locked on.]

Zhou Qiang: [But Tingwu really does seem to have developed a bit of a cleanliness thing lately... She changed my shampoo, saying it was low quality, and recently after bathing the horse, she wanted to bathe the cat too.]

Chu Xiao, speaking as someone with actual cleanliness tendencies, clarified: [I think she just feels like the surroundings are too smelly. She can usually tolerate it, but when she has a moment, she'll deal with it.]

Of course, they could tolerate their friend's little fluffy quirks. Although Chu Tingwu hadn't said it, they both knew her sense of smell seemed unusually sharp—

Being able to detect other scents but unable to eliminate the source was just like having to explain a problem to a whole class of clueless students and still not getting through to them.

How tragic. The two exchanged a glance, sharing a moment of silent sympathy.

Chu Tingwu wasn't as pitiful as they imagined. For now, she only let her sense of smell run wild while cooking, which incidentally improved her culinary skills, before returning to her normal state.

If there were a hidden experience bar, her sense of smell would definitely be one of the fastest progressing categories.

But this time, she wasn't focused on cooking. Instead, she sniffed the scent wafting up from the lake below, her expression thoughtful.

When Shao Lingwu walked onto the deck, he saw Chu Tingwu dragging a net out of the storage room.

Shao Lingwu: Fishing?

He went over to help. Chu Tingwu handed him one end of the net, then cast it into the water. The net sank straight down. Zhou Qiang came over to watch, while Chu Xiao held the other end. When Chu Tingwu gave the signal, they pulled the net up. As they lifted it, Chu Tingwu took a step back—

The net was filled with a dense mass of black "trash," everything from packaging bags to soda bottles, emitting a strange odor that seemed almost tangible through the screen.

Zhou Qiang's eyebrow twitched violently: Even someone without a cleanliness obsession would develop one after seeing this.

So she immediately turned and shot Chu Xiao a glare.

Though her "glare" was as expressionless as ever, Chu Xiao caught the mental signal she was sending—her movements were a bit too obvious.

Zhou Qiang: It's your fault!

Chu Xiao: "?"

I already deflected it back.