Chapter 6: Picking Up a Cat
It had been a week since his new deskmate arrived.
During that time, Li Nuo had barely spoken to her at all, because she simply had no interest in talking to him.
At first, he had secretly hoped that being seated next to her would give him an advantage and allow them to grow closer.
But after seeing her cold expression every day, he eventually gave up.
What Li Nuo could not understand was why she could laugh and chat with other classmates, yet always looked so cold whenever she saw him.
It made him wonder if there was something strange on his face.
During a break between classes, while Li Nuo was lost in thought, someone suddenly patted him on the back.
"Nuo, Nuo! There's a small anime convention at Jinhe Plaza this Sunday. Want to go check it out together?"
The speaker was the large boy sitting behind him.
His name was Zhou Qikuan.
He had a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and stood over 180 centimeters tall. At first glance, he looked very masculine.
Yet despite his appearance, he was actually a hardcore anime fan.
When Li Nuo first learned that, he had been quite surprised.
Li Nuo himself was also a long-time anime fan, so they quickly found common interests to talk about.
This was the first friend Li Nuo had made since starting school, and he valued the friendship very much.
"I don't mind going, but it's already Friday. Can we still get tickets? I don't want to stand in line forever to buy them."
Hearing his concern, Zhou Qikuan smiled proudly.
"Fool. Do you really think I wouldn't have thought of that? I've already booked a ticket for you."
"Uh... okay then."
Li Nuo scratched his head and agreed.
"Then it's settled."
Zhou Qikuan made an OK sign with his hand.
"What have you two settled?"
A girl with a ponytail, black-framed glasses, and average looks walked over to Zhou Qikuan's desk and asked.
Her name was Su Wenwen.
She was from Class Two next door and had grown up with Zhou Qikuan since childhood.
According to him, their families had even arranged a marriage agreement for them when they were young.
"N-Nothing."
The moment Zhou Qikuan heard her voice, his body stiffened. His eyes darted elsewhere as he answered awkwardly.
"Really?"
Su Wenwen pushed up her glasses with her finger and leaned closer to him.
"I'd have no reason to lie."
"Good."
After she walked away, Zhou Qikuan clicked his tongue.
"So annoying."
Li Nuo had watched the whole thing and could not help laughing.
"You've got it pretty good. A girl actually cares about you. Unlike me, I'm all alone."
"Oh, please. If you like her that much, you can have her."
Zhou Qikuan looked at him with obvious disgust.
"No, no, no. I'll pass."
Li Nuo quickly waved his hands.
"My heart belongs only to my anime wives. Nobody can separate us."
Zhou Qikuan pressed a hand dramatically against his chest.
The sight was so ridiculous that Li Nuo almost burst out laughing.
My friend seriously has a problem, he thought.
Ring, ring, ring...
The class bell rang.
His idol deskmate, An Ran'er, returned to the classroom.
For some reason, she always left the room during breaks and only came back when class was about to start.
Although he did not want to think this way, Li Nuo was pretty sure she disliked him.
But he had never done anything inappropriate.
At most, he had looked at her a few extra times.
That was not enough to deserve this treatment, right?
Maybe it was because she was an idol and wanted to keep some distance from others.
Still, after so much time had passed, Li Nuo had started to dislike her habit of acting distant and superior.
He was not some obsessed fan.
If she did not want to talk to him, he was not going to force a friendship.
After all, he did have a friend now.
Well... one friend.
The autumn wind was cool.
October was approaching, and even in the south, the evenings had started becoming pleasant.
After finishing his shift at the noodle shop, Li Nuo slowly walked home with his tired body.
Halfway there, he heard a weak and faint meowing sound coming from a black trash bin by the roadside.
He struggled with himself for a while before finally deciding to take a look.
Opening the lid, he peered inside.
There was a black-and-white domestic cat.
The kitten was small, probably only two or three months old.
Covered in garbage, it was curled up in the corner and trembling.
Under the light of a nearby streetlamp, Li Nuo could see wounds all over its body.
They did not look like injuries caused by illness.
They looked more like the result of someone deliberately hurting it.
He did not know who could be cruel enough to treat a small kitten like that.
For a long moment, he hesitated.
He did not know whether he should save the poor little creature.
The truth was, he had never been interested in keeping pets.
Taking care of himself was already difficult enough.
"Meow... meow..."
Looking at the kitten's miserable condition, Li Nuo thought about it again and again.
In the end, his emotions defeated his logic.
He chose to save it.
Pulling a few sheets of paper from his school bag, he carefully wrapped the kitten and picked it up.
The smell of garbage coming from its body was unpleasant, but he did not mind.
Gently stroking its head, he murmured,
"Looking at you reminds me of myself in the past. Oh well, I guess we're fated to meet."
After buying a few sausages from a convenience store, he brought the cat back to his apartment.
Since he had never raised a cat before, he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
After feeding it a few sausages, he placed it on a cushion.
"Tomorrow's a day off. I'll take you to a pet hospital then. For tonight, you'll have to endure it a little longer."
He gently patted the kitten's head.
"Meow~"
"How about I give you a name first?"
"Meow~"
"Let me think... You're so skinny, so I'll call you Roubao."
The name meant Meat Bun.
"If your name is Meat Bun, you'll be able to eat your fill every day, okay?"
"Meow, meow, meow~"
"Looks like you like the name. Then it's settled."
Li Nuo nodded, quite satisfied with the name he had chosen.
After taking care of the kitten, he finally had time to take a shower himself.
Whenever he showered, he liked to hum songs softly.
His clear and ethereal female-sounding voice echoed through the bathroom.
If an outsider had walked into the apartment at that moment, they probably would have thought a young girl was taking a bath inside.
When he came out, Roubao was already curled up on the cushion and asleep.
Li Nuo quietly stared at the sleeping kitten and thought,
"I've been alone for so long. Maybe having a companion isn't such a bad thing after all."