As a streamer, z-bkc's performance on Friday could be considered an accident.
He logged off in a hurry without even saying goodbye to the audience. Many people went to the "The Storm Is Coming" game next door to watch the ending video of that instance.
That night, Deng Puyue asked Wen Zheng what had happened, but Wen Zheng didn't know how to explain. He had arranged to go out for drinks with Bai Shuang the following night, but before the evening arrived, the cat ran away.
Wen Zheng had never felt so empty before.
How he treated Dahei, and how Dahei treated him—both knew the truth after all these days. He was just being stubborn because the cat wasn't eating; he never expected Dahei would actually leave.
I took him out several times without tying him to a leash, and he didn't run away, did he?
The drinking arrangement was naturally canceled, and Wen Zheng, still somewhat incredulous, went for a walk around the neighborhood.
Bushes, gazebos, stairwells, every place where miscellaneous items were piled up. Wen Zheng searched from morning till night, only giving up as dusk approached, standing blankly at his doorstep, looking around aimlessly.
At this point, anger and disappointment were no longer his primary emotions; he was more worried about Dahei getting hurt.
No matter how strong or big, Dahei is still just a cat. If it was left battered and bruised in the middle of the road on our first meeting, how can we guarantee it won't happen again?
Recalling that scene, Wen Zheng felt a tightness in his chest; he simply couldn't accept it.
He went home, sat for a while, changed his clothes, and went to the nearby police station.
"The cat is lost?" the policewoman asked in surprise. "Weren't the doors and windows properly locked?"
Wen Zheng showed no anxiety on his face, only nodding. The policewoman remembered this handsome young man who had acted bravely and righteously; he had also remained calm and collected when catching the thief last time, which meant he wasn't truly unconcerned.
Putting herself in the policewoman's shoes, if it were her own little one who got lost, she'd probably be frantic with worry. Thinking this way, she spoke even more softly to the young man: "It's okay. If you're in trouble, find the police. We'll help you search the whole city using CCTV footage. First, please provide the cat's identification."
Wen Zheng: "…………"
After a moment of eye contact, Wen Zheng said, "Nothing can be done."
Policewoman: "Hmm? You just got it recently? Do you have any purchase records from the cattery?"
Wen Zheng: "I found it."
Policewoman: "Ah... well, have you had the vaccination? Did you have your first physical exam? Usually, the hospital will issue you a temporary certificate at this stage..."
Wen Zheng: "I didn't do anything. I was injured while picking it up and had surgery. Does that count?"
The policewoman was perplexed: "This won't work. It needs a serial number... Otherwise, how can you prove that the cat is yours? These days, cats have DNA records, and they'll only be returned to you after verification, since many of them are valuable assets..."
The chrysanthemum tea on the table emitted wisps of white steam, causing Wen Zheng to momentarily lose his composure.
How can I prove that Big Black is mine? There's no way.
His overconfidence, laziness, and initial prejudice against cats led to this outcome. If he had been more level-headed, listened to the vet, or fully understood the policies before deciding to get a cat, things wouldn't have come to this.
"Excuse me." Wen Zheng stood up, but the policewoman stopped him, saying, "Don't rush, what's the hurry..."
A moment later, the senior police officer in charge of this area and the female police officer's superior came to the reception room together.
"You helped catch a thief before? Hahaha! You're a great young man, these days it's rare to see someone so brave and righteous." The police officer patted him on the shoulder, and another superior wearing glasses also praised him, saying there was still hope.
"Based on the photos you provided, the cat has a rather unique appearance and a surgical record," the boss said, settling down and taking a sip of tea. "As long as the surveillance footage matches, we'll open a special channel for you, and your cat will be yours."
The police officer also said, "Has your cat ever caught a thief before? That video is really going viral online—like father, like son. Don't worry, young man, we definitely take this case seriously and will contact you as soon as we find out."
He also provided some videos and photos from his usual videos. Wen Zheng suddenly realized that he had unknowingly taken so many photos of Da Hei.
A big lump on the bed, taking up his pillow, eating at the same table with him, sticking out its pink little tongue...
The one who dropped the remote control on the floor, the one curled up on the sofa watching TV, the one who pricked up their ears and widened their eyes at the sound of noise from the kitchen, the one who ran after him with such dashing spirit...
As he left, Wen Zheng thought that all he needed to do was make sure Dahei was safe. If Dahei wanted to leave again after being found, he would ask Bai Shuang about the wild cat habitat and then release it back into the mountains.
All he cares about is that Dahei is doing well.
They don't care whether they possess it or not.
***
That night.
With the address Wen Zheng had given him, Deng Puyue secretly arrived at the bustling bar street.
At night, this place is like an explosion. Every shop across the street is competing with each other to see whose speakers are the loudest. Those who don't like the noise will automatically leave, while those who stay enjoy the exciting atmosphere.
Deng Puyue's round face was flushed. She looked at the reflection in the glass outside and tidied her hair, which she had styled with hair gel, while secretly cheering herself up.
Deng Puyue! You can do it! You're the fattest...the best!
"Hey little darling! Want to come in and play?" A loudspeaker was shoved right next to his ear, startling Deng Puyue so much that he jumped like a rabbit. His scream was drowned out by the deafening sound.
The flamboyant-looking tout opened his loudspeaker and laughed for a while, then pulled people inside without saying a word: "Come on, you're so cute, you'll be very popular..."
Deng Puyue had no choice but to keep going, groaning and groaning until she saw that the address was indeed for this shop, and only then did she feel relieved and go inside.
The music inside the store wasn't as loud as outside, and Deng Puyu's heart pounded as she paced around the lobby—
"Bai Shuang!" He chuckled and rushed towards a booth: "Bai Shuang, Bai Shuang—"
Bai Shuang was idly drinking and waiting for Wen Zheng when Xiao Yu suddenly appeared. He couldn't help but exclaim "Holy crap!" and stared at her in astonishment: "What are you doing here?"
Deng Puyue said shyly, "Brother Zheng sent me."
The two looked at each other, and Deng Puyue belatedly realized her embarrassment and sat up straight: "Um, maybe I shouldn't have come..."
"No, it's none of your business." Bai Shuang's expression was not good. "But what about Wen Zheng? Didn't he bring you over?"
Deng Puyue asked blankly, "Why are you giving it to me?"
Bai Shuang: "…………"
Bai Shuang cursed Wen Zheng a hundred times in her heart, and even went to the bathroom to call him, only to find his phone was off. It was obviously intentional. He came out with a headache, and said to the nervous Deng Puyue with an air of elegance, "Come on, it's too noisy here, let's go somewhere else."
...
"He really pushed me! I was furious! How could someone be so shameless?!" Five empty glasses sat in front of Deng Puyue, her face flushed red. She angrily waved her fist and shouted, "To hell with the impending storm! I'll beat him up every time I see him! And let me tell you, he's incredibly cunning..."
Bai Shuang took him to a quiet little bar, where they ordered some beer. Deng Puyue, blushing, tried to embolden himself with alcohol, but he got drunk after just three drinks and started cursing after five. He kept bringing up their livestreaming business, leaving Bai Shuang completely confused and only able to nod and grunt.
As she spoke, Deng Puyue suddenly burst into tears: "Waaah... I've really fallen out of favor..."
Bai Shuang: "…………"
Bai Shuang had a headache: "Wait a minute, let me sort this out some more."
Deng Puyue nodded obediently.
"You and Xiaozheng play games together, four people in a team. Besides the two of you, there's a scheming guy and a newbie beauty."
"Uh-huh."
"Xiao Zheng was originally your best friend, but then he became close to the pretty girl. So, after framing you, the scheming man framed the pretty girl?"
"……Um?"
Deng Puyue sobered up a little, but something still felt off. She shook her head, drank a glass of ice water, and felt much better.
"It's like this..." He picked up the ice cream cup Bai Shuang had ordered for him: "It wasn't a setup. It's just that we arrived at a new place, and suddenly a maze appeared, and a boss showed up. I was standing with that scheming guy, but he pushed me away, and I ended up alone!"
At this point, Deng Puyue clenched her fist and slammed it hard on the table: "Don't you know I'm the weakest one?! I'll die if I'm alone!"
Bai Shuang remained silent.
"What's most infuriating is that the scheming guy pretended to have accidentally slipped his hand, and his acting was incredibly realistic... The audience would never guess that he did it on purpose." Deng Puyue took a big bite of ice cream in a huff. "But none of that matters anymore. After I died, I went to Brother Zheng's live stream and saw the scheming guy stirring up trouble between the newbie girl and him. The girl got so angry that she went offline."
"so?"
"So Brother Zheng is unhappy..." Deng Puyue said sadly, "I've still fallen out of favor."
Bai Shuang's abs ached from trying so hard to suppress her laughter. With her eyes narrowed, she cleared her throat for a while before pretending to be serious and continuing, "Then this scheming man is really scheming."
"Hmm..." Deng Puyue slowly put down the cup, her expression gradually darkening.
After a moment, he wrung his hands together and slowly said, "There's something I've been wondering about, but I haven't dared to tell Brother Zheng."
The only sound in the bar was the piano music, and people in the nearby booths were talking softly. He looked up and faced Bai Shuang directly.
"Maybe it's just my own dark side, but I really think that Shan Yu, that scheming guy, cheated."
"You might not know this, but the headquarters of the game 'Survival Space' is in the Allied Powers, and China is just a major region. Every year during the testing phase, the dungeons require a lot of translation and checking work, making it the busiest and most demanding time for each region. Theoretically, the headquarters shouldn't be able to leak dungeon content, but what happens when it gets to the China region?"
Deng Puyue's voice grew softer and softer, as if she herself was hesitating.
"That Shan Yu was unknown before, but he reached the top of the streamer world because of his down-to-earth puzzle-solving style and huge knowledge. He can always remember the knowledge points of each dungeon-related content very clearly. Art, music, history, philosophy, there is nothing he does not know... I always thought this was his excellent performance until yesterday."
Bai Shuang sat up straight and looked at him intently.
"In yesterday's dungeon, there was a large memory disk at the end, which is Zheng Ge's forte, testing his short-term memory. Shan Yu is not good at this, and he has not shown any related abilities before. In fact, when Zheng Ge answered the questions with him, he had to look up the answers on the spot."
"When there were only three lines left, Zheng Ge and Xiao Meiren had a fight, and he wasn't in a good mood, so he asked Shan Yu to fill them in. There were only a few seconds left on the countdown, and Shan Yu filled them in without even looking at the checklist... How is that possible?"
Bai Shuang called to the waiter to pour her a hot drink, then crossed her arms and looked at Deng Puyue: "What if he performs exceptionally well?"
“Yes.” Deng Puyue’s eyes drooped downwards. “Everyone says so. But… my intuition isn’t right… maybe I’m just jealous…”
"Don't rush." Bai Shuang suddenly smiled at him, his handsome face captivating Deng Puyue, who immediately lost his composure and blushed. "If he really cheated, he wouldn't have given himself away just once. Besides, you and Xiao Zheng are both in this industry, how could your older brother not lend you a hand?"
Deng Puyue was so drooled by his handsomeness that she took a sip of hot orange juice in a daze, and then suddenly remembered to rummage through her small bag.
"Oh, by the way, Bai Shuang, I went to a baking class for a week last week. Here are some of my newly made cookies for you..."
Bai Shuang almost showed a crack on her face, but in the end, she used her unparalleled self-control to take it and naturally tasted it.
"It's so delicious! Xiaoyu is amazing!"
He smiled on the outside, but thought to himself: Wen Zheng, you son of a bitch.
***
Cat Lover Live Forum - Holographic Game Zone - Survival Space:
[Casual Chat] Is the divine authority secure amidst the impending storm? New streamer's mental fortitude needs improvement!
But I still have to say: Wang Mingzhu brought disaster to the country and its people.
2L: I thought the original poster was going to have a serious discussion about the news...
3L: Although Shanyu showed off, Z can't really call it an accident. Think about the final memory disk; Z filled in most of it, and Shanyu only added the last three lines. Just because Z is good at it doesn't mean it's a given.
4L: I agree with the comment above. A mediocre student gets adored by thousands for a single brilliant performance, while a top student gets mercilessly criticized for a single mistake?
5l: Wrong. Everyone has their own strengths, so they should make the most of their own strengths.
This dungeon wasn't actually that difficult, but look at their attitude! Let's leave aside Xiaoyu being an entertainment streamer, and Z can hardly be considered one either, right? They kept spacing out and checking the comments, and even helped that newbie fix his pen. How can they compare to the serious Shanyu?