novelraw Chapter 50
Chapter 50
The stretch of Yunting Road between the north and south blocks of Jinpan Yunting Residence was hopping at dusk.Sunday meant even more people out for dinner and aimless wandering than usual, and plenty of them were kids like Ai Qing’s crew.
“Boss, got a private booth?”
“How many?”
“Four.”
“Only five-seaters left—okay?”
“Works for me. Open one.”
Kong Fugui waved a magnanimous hand; they swiped their IDs and filed in.
Ai Qing booted up his computer, idly turning his own ID card over and over, and suddenly thought of Xiao Yu back home.
Taking her out was fine for normal food-and-fun stuff, but anything that required ID—net cafés, high-speed rail, you name it—was a non-starter.
How does someone who pops into existence without a paper trail get a legal identity card, anyway?
Ai Qing wouldn’t mind keeping her indoors forever if he had to, but he’d rather she saw the wider world.
If cats can turn into people, locking one in a tiny room feels downright criminal.
Yet for a girl with no past, an ID is probably mission impossible.
He kept rubbing the card until Kong Fugui nudged him.
“Log in, man!”
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds—nicknamed “Chicken Dinner” in Chinese—had been Kong Fugui’s obsession since high school.
Wu Yong had the best aim of the lot.
Ai Qing and Kong Fugui were average: a dash of skill, a pinch of game sense, nothing more.
Xiao Youqian, though, had zero.
She was the dictionary definition of “trash but keen.”
She’d only learned because an ex-boyfriend loved the game; she’d tag along to the café and picked it up by osmosis.
“Never squad with your girlfriend,” Kong Fugui muttered while looting a rifle. “Instant hypertension. Buddies are way safer.”
“You actually brought yours?” Ai Qing asked, scavenging meds.
“Didn’t feel like shopping, dragged her here. Turns out that’s worse than mall hell.” Kong Fugui shook his head vigorously. “Seriously, never bring a girlfriend to a net café.”
Girlfriend status: non-existent.
But if Xiao Yu had an ID, Ai Qing wouldn’t mind showing her the place—just for the novelty.
Then again, if they only wanted to game, his laptop at home could handle it.
He stroked his chin.
The machine was a gaming model; crank the settings down and PUBG would run okay.
But given how hard Xiao Yu struggled with basic Chinese, teaching her mouse-and-keyboard sounded like torture.
Maybe something simpler?
He remembered he owned a tablet—currently gathering dust.
He’d dig it out, load Fruit Ninja or the like; he’d seen cats swipe at those games on short-video apps.
If Xiao Yu could turn human, surely she couldn’t be worse than an actual kitten?
Lost in that thought, Ai Qing sprinted across a field and ate a sniper bullet to the head.
“What the hell?” Kong Fugui stared at his downed teammate, who was instantly finished off. “Day-dreaming?”
“My bad—focused next round.” Ai Qing cleared his throat, cheeks warm.
Pathetic.
Even when he’s out with the guys, Xiao Yu hijacks his brain.
Too much damn responsibility.
Since she can become human, he wants her to learn normal life skills, bit by bit.
Right now she’s miles from that goal.
While dead and waiting for the squad, he alt-tabbed to Baidu and typed:
[How can an undocumented person get an ID?]
[No birth certificate, no biological parents—how to obtain an ID?]
[Things you can’t do without an ID?]
After scrolling through pages of bleak legalese, he exhaled.
Honestly, day-to-day life in China without an ID isn’t impossible—especially for a shut-in like Xiao Yu.
Shopping, dining, most entertainment venues don’t ask for papers; only hotels, cyber-cafés and similar places demand it.
Still, she needs WeChat for convenience, and that means... a phone.
He rubbed his chin again and glanced at his own three-year-old handset.
Yeah, time for an upgrade; the old one can become her toy.
If she breaks it, no tears lost.
Rent, though, was deposit-plus-one-month upfront.
He’d moved in February; by April he’d paid 2,000 yuan deposit plus 4,000 yuan rent.
May would bring another 2,000 for April.
Despite living on instant noodles and collecting roughly 1,000 a month from his old novel, spare cash was thin—about 5,000 yuan total.
If the new book hadn’t been performing... crap!
He suddenly remembered: this afternoon at two his new novel should have hit the Starry River promo slot.
He yanked out his phone, opened the Qidian app, flipped to the recommended list, and there it was—My Childhood Friend Turns into a Cat.
A slow, satisfied grin spread across his face.
He’d spent the afternoon cat-hunting with Kong Fugui, then got dragged here, brain spinning over Xiao Yu—almost forgot the biggest thing in his life.
Seeing his title on that banner, he could already taste next Friday’s pay-day; royalties equals Xiao Yu fund.
“What’re you staring at?” Kong Fugui leaned over. “Your book on there?”
Startled, Ai Qing flipped the phone face-down, calm as steel. “Just studying. You guys ready?”
“Yep, next match!” Kong Fugui turned away, already queuing.
But when Ai Qing glanced left, he caught Xiao Youqian watching his screen.
She met his eyes, smiled slyly, and gave him a silent thumbs-up. “Pretty impressive.”
Ai Qing: “......”
Damn it, you two... caught between them is no place to be.
“Lao Wu, swap seats?”
“You guess why I grabbed the wall spot?” Wu Yong answered, deadpan.