Big Black perked up its ears as soon as the phone vibrated, showing great interest in the small square. It swiftly extended its paw and, with a speed imperceptible to the human eye, slapped the vibrating phone.
In an instant, the phone shattered into pieces.
shock.
silence.
That's a cell phone! These days, a cell phone won't even crack if it falls from the tenth floor. Is this cat's paw equipped with a high-polymer nuclear fusion cannon?!
Even Wen Zheng was surprised. He grabbed Da Hei's paws and touched them back and forth to make sure he was alright.
He then said to Shan Yu, "I'm sorry, I'll pay you back for the phone."
A storm is brewing: ...This isn't about money! It's about your cat, isn't it?
Big Black, having broken the small square of sashimi, lay there lazily and nonchalantly, even complaining that it wasn't crisp enough. Wen Zheng couldn't do anything about it. Although he found it strange that Big Black was causing trouble so much today, he wasn't angry. He even cut the freshly served sashimi into small pieces for Big Black to eat.
The two brothers across the street looked at each other, not answering the phone.
"Brother? Should we still send it or not?"
"...Should we post it? Anyway, Brother Yu's goal is just to spread rumors. We took such good photos, do you think he'd still complain?"
"Absolutely not! Bro, you're a photography master!"
"Oh, no, no, I'm flattered!"
The two brothers praised each other for a while, then uploaded several photos to the gaming section of the cat-loving live streaming forum, giving them an eye-catching title.
—[Shocking! I ran into Shan Yu at the restaurant across the street. She was being intimate with a strange man. I bet it was Z University!]
***
This post quickly went viral within half an hour.
The photo is clear, and the faces of the main characters are clearly visible. Although there is some reflection from the glass, it does not affect the beauty of the person sitting opposite Shan Yu at all.
Although the title says it's a guess, resourceful netizens have quickly verified his identity from two sources.
First, the necklace that Z always wears during live streams is perfectly fitting on this mysterious person.
Second, that cat on the table looks so damn familiar!
Isn't that Z's cat?
The big black cat lay there with an air of elegance, leaning against the window. In one photo, its face was turned toward the camera, its golden eyes gazing intently at everyone outside the frame.
His gaze was chilling and sharp, incredibly fierce.
Netizen A: I understand the logic, but why is Z's cat so big?
Netizen B: Oh my god! Z-student! I'm in love!
Netizen C: What kind of cat is Dahei?! Why is it so big and huge?! And by the way, I have utter contempt for Z's straight-man photography skills.
Netizen D: Big Black, hahaha, I feel like that table isn't even big enough for it! And it's so fierce... I get startled just looking at it.
Netizen E: You guys! Pay attention! Stop looking at the cats and look at Z! Aren't you shocked that Z is so handsome?
Netizen F: Shock! I've been screaming for ten minutes straight, and now I'm in a state of post-coital calm.
Netizen G: Same as above, after I finished yelling, my neighbor called the police.
Netizen H: I went downstairs and ran ten laps around the neighborhood and came back. Now I feel calm. To be fair, Z's aura is so striking; you can tell he's been handsome since childhood. We longtime fans have seen through him a long time ago and praised his stunning good looks countless times, okay?
Netizen I: ...I still can't believe my eyes... He's so manly and handsome, and you can tell he didn't dress up much. Why is there such a huge difference between two rough-looking guys...?
Netizen J: I!!!!!!!!! I have to say!!!!!!!!! Look at the second picture, the way Z looks at the cat is so gentle and doting!!!!!!!!!
At this point, the building quickly veered off course and ended up in another galaxy.
Everyone kept discussing how Big Black, a cat that is ugly (Z Da can't see it), fierce, big, and can't be curled up in your hand and meows, managed to win Z Da's favor.
And why does a rough man paired with a fierce cat have such a unique flavor?
Just as I finished dinner and returned home, I finally turned on my computer and saw the post. I felt like I was about to choke on my own blood, unsure whether to go up or down.
After verifying his identity with the spare phone, Xuan Yuan Tianlu had already made over a hundred interrogation calls and sent increasingly vulgar and offensive text messages.
He turned off his phone temporarily and continued to browse that high-rise building. Among all the replies, not a single one expressed curiosity about his relationship with Xiao Z.
Even though the two of them were eating with a cat, he was completely ignored.
Those two idiot relatives of his, didn't they know to Photoshop the cat out? Are you guys filming a pet documentary? If you can't get through on the phone, don't post it! By the way, how exactly did that cat manage to smash his phone with one paw?
Amidst the impending storm and mired in deep self-doubt, Xuan Yuan Tian Lu contemplated suicide.
Z's popularity soared after his photos were leaked, and his previous challenge was seen by more people and brought up again. Even Xuan Yuan Tian Lu's own long-time fans were unhappy, asking him why he didn't accept the challenge, whether he chickened out or wanted to back down.
Finally, things escalated, and his manager ordered him to respond immediately. Only then did he go on Weibo, pretending that he had been busy the previous two days, and agree.
Even if you stubbornly refuse to delete your account in the end, it's still a disgrace. But refusing to participate is even more disgraceful.
He chose the option that still had a chance.
Once the matter was settled, the internet quickly became abuzz with excitement.
In an instant, this 1v1 account deletion battle became the main battlefield for players in the survival mode and players in the open world to attack each other.
Z has become a representative of the survival space streamers and players, a heavy responsibility indeed.
Wen Zheng was unaware that his photos had been leaked. He had previously written down his password to Shan Yu at a restaurant, and Shan Yu promised to try to decipher it.
He felt a pang of nostalgia, and after taking the cat home, he pulled out that yellowed notebook again.
As the saying goes, password types can be tried repeatedly, but what's more important is the key used to encrypt the password.
Only by knowing the key can one possibly crack the password, but Wen Zheng had no clue about this key.
Ms. Liu's accounting records were very detailed and the format was messy, clearly forced upon her, and she only kept them sporadically. Wen Zheng turned to one of the pages and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
[Chives are getting more expensive, now 8.3 yuan a pound, is this for real?]
[It's perfect timing since Xiao Zheng refuses to eat chives, saving us money]
[10.3, 6.2, Clothes 867. Discount, discount, discount! Hey!]
[…………]
[What happened? I haven't kept track of my expenses for three days, where's my money? Where did it go...?]
"…………" Wen Zheng could no longer laugh.
I didn't eat much today, and I lost 5,000 yuan on my phone.
Where is my money?
Where did the money go?
As he was thinking this, Big Black walked past him with its tail held high, yawned, and gestured with its eyes for Wen Zheng to come and help it onto the bed.
Wen Zheng: "…………"
Big Black's paws aren't quite strong enough to jump yet, so Wen Zheng picked it up and Big Black nestled comfortably next to the holographic glasses, which were covered in scratches.
Wen Zheng suddenly wondered if, given the strength of Da Hei's claws, he should thank him for sparing the holographic glasses.
Author's Note: Dahei: Yes.
(Sorry, this is to make up for yesterday's post!)
(P.S.: I love everyone's speculations about Dahei's inner thoughts, hahaha! My desktop wallpaper is practically blank except for "I can't have anything else"—it's hilarious! I'll award points to all the well-reasoned comments and insightful analyses. Love you all!!!)
Chapter 17
When Deng Puyue saw the forum post, she almost couldn't hold back the little heart that was about to pop out of her mouth.
He called Wen Zheng, panting heavily, but the other party was still leisurely familiarizing himself with the environment in the escape room.
“My dear Zheng-ge—” Deng Puyue cried out in anguish, “Can’t you learn to keep up with current events and care about yourself? Don’t always have to be the one reporting the news to you, okay?”
Wen Zheng was shot in the head: "...What now?"
"Your photos have been leaked!!!"
Wen Zheng's brow twitched: "What photos?"
Deng Puyue: "...Wait, my brother Zheng, I don't understand what you're saying. It's just a normal photo, like a photo of you having dinner with someone, like Shan Yu Yu Lai...Wait, when did you have dinner with him alone without telling me?!...No, no, I mean, what other photos do you want to release? Nude photos? Nude photos? Your old, reckless selfies?"
Wen Zheng: "Oh."
His first thought was that his identity had been leaked, but he quickly realized that was impossible. If something really went wrong, he wouldn't still be here freely playing games.
"Am I ashamed to be seen by others?" he retorted to Deng Puyue. Footsteps came from behind him. He wielded a dagger in his left hand and a lightsaber in his right, each strike aimed at a vital point. Before the other man could react, he was reduced to a blur of white light.
Deng Puyue trembled as if the ten or eight cuts were slashing her own body, saying, "No, I mean, Brother Zheng... don't you care at all about your photos being leaked? Then why didn't you agree to beg and plead with me all those years ago?!"
Wen Zheng: "Too lazy to take a picture."
Deng Puyue hung up the phone.
After Wen Zheng finished the game, he felt that Deng Puyue should have calmed down by now, so he called him back.
"Hello." Deng Puyue said calmly, "Deng Puyue is furious. This is Deng Puyue Number Two answering your call."
"..." Wen Zheng was amused by him and wanted to laugh: "Hello, Number Two."
"Not good."
Hearing that Wen Zheng's prediction was wrong, Deng Puyue was clearly still angry, and her voice was very cold: "Now I will report the results of the online dynamic monitoring. You probably don't know the charm of your beauty. In the eight hours since the photos were posted, your fan club has been established on Weibo, with 200,000 followers."
Wen Zheng's hand trembled, and the bullet struck the helmet of the man in the opposite room. He jumped up onto the roof and squatted down to ponder for a moment.
"...What kind of photo is it?"
“It’s just an ordinary photo.” Deng Puyue also sighed, “If I had known that young girls these days would be so into your type, I would have insisted on having you sell your face back then. If I had clung to your coattails, I might have bought ten sea-view apartments by now!”
Wen Zheng felt a sudden pain in his knee.
At noon, he confidently declared that he wouldn't sell his face, but so quickly he's been forced onto a path of no return.
“Oh right, right, Brother Zheng—” Deng Puyue quickly perked up and asked cheekily, “Why are you suddenly having dinner with Shanyu? Hmm?”
Wen Zheng was silent for a moment, then answered irrelevantly: "He agreed to help me try to crack the password."