Chapter 3: Cthulhu

The warm orange lighting inside the room cut off the torrential rain constantly falling outside the window. 

The soft, warm tones seemed to make the entire world feel much brighter.

Bai Ziyu lowered her head to look at the food the girl had prepared for her. 

It was roughly a pumpkin mash mixed with stewed carrots into some unidentifiable mush.

Not only did the food look unappetizing, but even the plate it was served on had a chipped corner. 

That flaw constantly screamed of poverty.

The black cat couldn’t help taking half a step back.

She really didn’t want to eat it.

“Huh? You don’t like it?” 

Luo Yunzhi saw the black cat’s disgusted expression and immediately became anxious. 

“But I made this especially for you.”

She dipped her finger into the mush, tasted it, and blinked innocently. 

“It’s not that bad though.”

“Meow?”

She actually… ate it?

The black cat was stunned.

Bai Ziyu looked at the mush in the plate again. 

While it didn’t quite reach Cthulhu levels, no matter how you looked at it, it didn’t inspire much appetite.

Yet this girl had eaten it just like that? 

Without even hesitating. 

Bai Ziyu twitched the corners of her mouth, unsure what to say.

After a brief hesitation, Bai Ziyu nimbly moved past Luo Yunzhi. 

Under the girl’s puzzled gaze, she lightly jumped onto the table.

She looked at the food on the table.

And fell silent.

She had wronged her. 

That pile of mush wasn’t because Luo Yunzhi thought she was just a cat so she didn’t bother making anything good. 

The girl ate the exact same thing herself.

On the table was also pumpkin mush, though this portion seemed to have some seasoning added. 

However, the seasoning only made it look even more disgusting.

The black cat felt a bit depressed.

The truth was obvious… This young girl basically didn’t know how to cook at all. 

Her daily survival philosophy was probably just “as long as I don’t starve.”

“Little White, do you want to eat this?” 

Luo Yunzhi hurried over to the table. 

Seeing the black cat staring at the mush, she quickly snatched it away and held it protectively.

“You’re a cat, you know.” 

She spoke earnestly, trying to persuade her. 

“Cats can’t eat seasoning. If you don’t like that one…”

“I’ll… I’ll make you a new one!” 

Luo Yunzhi glanced sadly at the mush on the floor and gritted her teeth. 

“I can definitely make something you’ll like!”

The black cat’s gaze was deep and quiet.

“Meow.”

Never mind.

Bai Ziyu shook her head, jumped down from the dining table, and returned to the spot by the door where she had been earlier. 

She pawed at the plate a few times with clear distaste.

This stuff probably wouldn’t kill her, right? The black cat hesitated. 

But right after, her stomach let out a gurgle, so she didn’t delay any longer.

After all, the girl had eaten it herself.

It definitely wouldn’t kill her.

With that thought, Bai Ziyu stiffly lowered her head toward the plate. 

She stuck out her little tongue and licked the mush with great difficulty.

Luo Yunzhi was quite considerate. 

Knowing that cats couldn’t eat things that were too hot, she had let the food cool down so the black cat wouldn’t get burned.

Bai Ziyu tasted it carefully. 

Only after the mush had completely entered her stomach did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. 

She had nearly broken into a cold sweat.

“Meow meow.”

It’s not as bad as I imagined.

“Meow.”

Just the natural taste of the ingredients.

“You… you ate it?” 

Luo Yunzhi was very surprised. 

But what stunned her even more was whether the black cat had understood what she said earlier.

After all, when she had asked, Bai Ziyu had definitely shaken her head! 

She definitely had! The young girl felt like her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.

She fell into a conflicted state. 

Then, extremely curious, she called out to the black cat, her voice tense. 

“Little White, did you understand me just now?”

The cat didn’t answer her.

“Little White?”

Still nothing.

“Little… cough.”

Luo Yunzhi choked, hurriedly patting her chest. 

Once she caught her breath, she almost laughed at herself.

Thinking about it, it was true. How could a cat possibly understand what she was saying? 

It must have been a coincidence. 

“Ah, I think I’m really going crazy.”

The young girl sat down on a chair.

She stared at that bowl of ‘Cthulhu,’ then without hesitation scooped up a huge spoonful and stuffed it expressionlessly into her mouth.

Although the mush looked terrible, the taste was actually unexpectedly… not that great. 

Even with the added seasoning, it was still like this.

But while it wasn’t delicious, it had the advantage of being simple. 

You only needed to stir it in a pot and scoop it out when done. It was also very time-saving.

She ate mechanically.

Without stopping once.

In less than two minutes, all the mush in the bowl had been completely wiped out.

There was almost not a single trace left.

Luo Yunzhi glanced at the black cat and saw that she hadn’t finished the food on her plate yet. 

She picked up her bowl and chopsticks and went to the kitchen to wash her dishes.

The sound of running water rushed in the kitchen. 

Bubbles from the dish soap floated up, reflecting colorful, dreamlike lights under the illumination.

If only there weren’t any food residue in those bubbles.

Hearing the sound of water, Bai Ziyu lifted her head from the plate. 

She stared at Luo Yunzhi’s back and suddenly felt that the girl was quite pitiful.

The black cat spotted a photo on the cabinet. It only showed the young girl by herself. 

Judging from the furniture as well, it was obvious that she was living alone.

If nothing went wrong… she was probably an orphan. 

Bai Ziyu felt a strong sense of empathy. She had once been an orphan herself. 

Although she had later earned money through her own efforts.

But the poverty and hardship from back then.

She had never forgotten it.

“Meow.”

Maybe I can help her.

“Meow?”

But how exactly?

Bai Ziyu hadn’t figured it out yet. 

She glanced at the remaining mush and no longer had any appetite. 

Besides, cats didn’t eat much in the first place, especially when it didn’t taste great.

The black cat pushed the plate with her paw. 

The plate scraped against the floor with a harsh screech, attracting Luo Yunzhi’s attention from the kitchen.

“Are you full?” 

The young girl turned off the faucet and walked over to the black cat. 

She took away the plate and couldn’t help muttering to herself.

“Oh no, why am I talking to the cat again.” She kept murmuring. 

“Have I been alone for too long and gone a bit crazy?”

“Meow.”

Maybe.

Bai Ziyu let out a soft meow and curled her entire body up again. 

With no entertainment available right now, eating her fill naturally meant it was time to sleep.

However, after trying for a while, perhaps because the surrounding environment was so unfamiliar, she couldn’t fall asleep. She could only helplessly stand up again.

The black cat stepped on the floor with her paws and leisurely wandered around the house. 

Since it was a temporary residence, there was nothing wrong with looking around.

The house was even smaller than she had expected.

Bai Ziyu frowned.

She was in cat form right now, so it felt okay. But if she were human, this place was probably only around thirty square meters.

And that included the living room and bathroom. The kitchen was part of the living room. 

There wasn’t even a proper bed prepared. She probably slept on the sofa.

Bai Ziyu increasingly felt it was necessary.

“Meow meow.”

I need to help her make money.