“Clank!” “Clank!”
Each step echoed with a clear, crisp response.
Walking on this long bridge made from abandoned railway tracks, I couldn’t help but clutch the hem of Gu Fan’s jacket, terrified that this iron-cast bridge might suddenly collapse.
Gu Fan wasn’t as calm and composed as he usually was either. Like me, it was his first time walking on this railway bridge.
He held onto the rusty handrail with one hand, cautiously guiding me forward step by step.
Beside the bridge were intricate steel reinforcements, remnants from when the new railway was built years ago.
A man in a straw hat was leisurely leaning against a steel platform at the edge, diligently fishing with baited hooks.
Seeing us slowly approach, the man turned his head, glanced at us, and gave a slight nod with a grin.
“Hey there, kid! Bringing your girlfriend to fish during the New Year? Pretty leisurely, huh! And your gal’s a kitty, haha! Need me to share a few fish for you to stew tonight?”
My sensitive cat ears caught the key words, instantly perking up and curling slightly to record every word.
I glanced around, scanning the surroundings, confirming that aside from me, Gu Fan, and the fishing man, there was no one else on this iron bridge.
In other words… in the straw-hat man’s eyes… Gu Fan and I are boyfriend and girlfriend? Hehe!
I couldn’t hold back a giddy chuckle, sneaking a glance upward at Gu Fan. Since he’s so much taller than me……much taller than me, I could only try to sneakily observe Gu Fan’s expression this way.
How would Gu Fan respond to the straw-hat uncle? Would he boldly admit we’re in that kind of shy, romantic relationship?
Or would he, with a straight face and unshaken heart, act like a clueless block of wood and brush off the kind, enthusiastic, sharp-eyed uncle?
After inputting the prompt “guess” into my mind, it rapidly churned out a series of speculations and even daydreams about Gu Fan’s behavior.
In my line of sight, Gu Fan seemed momentarily stunned. But with his ample social experience, he didn’t let the uncle’s greeting fall flat.
Instead, he smoothly picked it up, deflecting with his usual conversational finesse.
“We don’t really know how to fish. We’re planning to check out the railway park across the bridge first. Good luck, uncle, we’ll head off now.”
“Alright! Be careful in the park, you two. The weeds there can be prickly. I even saw a centipede crawling around the other day.”
“Got it, thanks, uncle.”
After handling the straw-hat uncle with ease, Gu Fan stopped cautiously holding the rusty railing and instead wrapped an arm around my lower back, guiding me forward with big strides.
Seeing this, the uncle didn’t press us to stay and chat. He adjusted his straw hat, lowered his fishing hook, and began reeling in the line.
I don’t know much about the process or fun of fishing, and compared to Gu Fan, the uncle couldn’t hold my attention at all.
I turned my head to confirm their conversation was over and that the uncle was no longer looking at us. Only then did my tense cat-girl body finally relax.
Whenever I’m in social situations, my muscles feel knotted and twisted, and an uncontrollable anxiety spreads through my heart.
Luckily… Gu Fan is always there to step in front of me and shield me when I can’t handle things.
Social situations, dozens of times more complicated than math problems.
Dazed, I walked along this railway bridge for a while before snapping back to reality, realizing that Gu Fan’s response not only denied we were a couple but also, in a way, went along with the straw-hat uncle’s suggestive remarks.
…
And… he’s still holding my lower back… each finger pressing firmly against my back, as if urging me to hurry into the park where there are fewer people, like it’s a convenient place to “get things done.”
Pink bubbles popped “toot-toot” in my mind, like the shrill whistle of an old kettle at its hottest. My cheeks flushed bright red.
My lower back, where Gu Fan’s hand rested, felt unreasonably warm, as if he was injecting vibrant spring energy into my hyper-sensitive cat-girl body through the thin layers of my coat and inner lining.
Lost in my self-indulgent fantasies, I was startled when Gu Fan’s hand, gently pushing me forward, suddenly stopped.
“Zhinian, look.”
Gu Fan hadn’t noticed my embarrassment; his attention was fixed on the two newly built tracks to his right.
Along with his prompt came the deafening “clank” sounds.
A retro-looking train chugged slowly along the upper track, its cargo cars rattling loudly as they passed. Meanwhile, on the lower track, a sleek white bullet train sped by like a dragon.
Having never seen a train or high-speed rail in real life, I stared, transfixed, at these massive iron beasts appearing before me in such a striking way.
The freight train roared past, kicking up a gust of wind that sent my loosely tied hair dancing wildly.
“Zhinian, let’s go.”
The bullet train and freight train came and went quickly. As Gu Fan’s hand returned to my lower back, my mind was no longer consumed by the chaotic emotions from before.
Seeing those massive machines, I couldn’t help but recall my childhood self, brought by my successful father in his new car to the big city, overwhelmed by the dazzling, unfamiliar sights.
My father was often too busy to come home. To save money, we lived at my grandfather’s small rural home until I started elementary school.
My mother, an ordinary rural cat-girl who only finished high school, was persuaded by my father, and then I came along.
My mother and I didn’t stay in the big city for long—less than a year. During that time, I saw my father bring a strange, beautiful woman to our city home while my mother was back in the countryside handling chores.
That unfamiliar woman was truly stunning, with rainbow-dyed hair and meticulously manicured nails, her face lightly powdered—probably wearing makeup, I realize now.
But to my childhood self, such a glamorous appearance was something I’d never seen on my bare-faced mother.
Even though both she and I were cat-girls, under the vibrant, colorful impact of the big city, a rustic black cat-girl from the countryside was no different from a speck of dust in that place.
“Ugh, Gu Fan, will you ever leave me?”
I could imagine it: Gu Fan’s grades are so much better than mine. He’ll definitely get into a big city school and meet women there who know how to dress themselves up perfectly.
As for my seemingly unique cat-girl traits… you know, cat-girls in this world are like cats with their fur colors and characteristics.
My pure black fur is the most unremarkable kind. Compared to those cat-girls who’ve been meticulously grooming or even dyeing their fur since childhood, I’m just far too plain.