The weather was beautiful.
Soft, cotton-white clouds drifted across the sky like dust scattered overhead, wispy and ethereal.
The funeral began under such weather.
And when a light rain started to fall from the sky, the coffin transformed into an urn buried underground, accompanied by sobs of varying intensity, thus concluding the funeral.
Chu Tingwu didn't cry at all throughout the proceedings. She even held a large black umbrella, so when Shen Yue looked back at her, he only saw her cold and pristine face.
"You..." he glanced back at his current wife's slightly furrowed brow, "What did your mother say? Will she be able to come back today?"
Chu Tingwu: "She said if you don't want me, she can give me living expenses."
Shen Yue: "I was asking about her car—never mind!"
Shen Yue's face darkened under the overcast sky: "As if she could afford living expenses! Haven't I been giving you money all along? It's been ten years since I divorced your mother, why are you still acting like this immature child, giving everyone the cold shoulder? And your grandmother just passed away, how come you're not crying?"
After Shen Yue and Lu Cenyin divorced, Chu Tingwu was left in the care of Shen Yue's mother, her paternal grandmother. At that time, her name was still Shen Tingwu.
The woman who was now buried had never been known for her good temper. Upon learning that her son had divorced and gained custody of his daughter but was unwilling to raise her, she promptly changed Chu Tingwu's surname—and only informed Shen Yue afterward.
Chu Tingwu asked, puzzled: "I didn't cry because grandmother wouldn't have been unhappy if she were alive. What are you upset about?"
Shen Yue was at a loss for words.
After a moment, he changed the subject: "Since your mother said that... why don't you go to Jin City for your first year of high school after the summer vacation? How much allowance does she give you per month?"
He could give double what his ex-wife offered.
Ten years had passed, and he had become successful in his career. He was no longer the man who needed financial support from his ex-wife's family.
Chu Tingwu: "Fifty thousand."
Shen Yue: "...How much?"
Chu Tingwu silently looked at him, and only after her biological father had almost grudgingly accepted did she slowly correct herself: "I misspoke. It seems to be five thousand, right?"
Shen Yue: "...Dad will give you twenty thousand every month. Remember to take good care of yourself."
The successful middle-aged man hurriedly drove away with his wife and second daughter. The neighbor living next door helped Chu Tingwu pack the leftovers into the refrigerator, took a few bags for themselves, and then said goodbye.
But in the countryside, neighbors tend to speak loudly. Even after they had left the yard, Chu Tingwu could still hear them chatting, using the hasty yet expensive funeral as a topic of conversation—
"Ah Chu's son has made it big, that car, goodness, must be worth several million, right?"
"Sigh, what's the use of success if he hardly ever comes back? He even left his eldest daughter for Ah Chu to raise. Why doesn't he take her to live in the city?"
"Well, didn't they renovate that old house? It'll be the granddaughter's in the future."
"Our place is so remote, how much could the house be worth? Didn't they say they were going to build a tourist spot, a resort or something? That never happened..."
"I wonder if Ah Chu's son, now that he's a big boss, will come and build a resort?"
Chu Tingwu closed the door and turned to survey the small courtyard.
The small courtyard
Located in the countryside of Fallen Phoenix City, it had fairly convenient transportation. There were two schools nearby, and it only took twenty minutes to walk from here to the Guishui River that ran through the entire Fallen Phoenix City, so people from the surrounding villages were all good swimmers.
The yard had been renovated, with new water and electricity installations. The ground was paved with a layer of blue bricks, now smooth and shiny from the light rain. The main house had also been refurbished, possibly because Shen Yue wanted to show off once he had money. But Chu Shuyi didn't like villas, so the house of over 100 square meters looked rustic at first glance, yet was very comfortable to live in.
Under the eaves of the first floor, there used to be birdcages hanging, but later they were modified to make nests for swallows. The second floor only had a not-so-high attic, half of which was used as a place for Chu Tingwu and her grandmother to play badminton, while the other half was enclosed to grow flowers. However, the shuttlecock often landed in the flower beds, so a small path trampled by feet eventually appeared behind the flower beds.
The wind blew, scattering dry leaves into the fish pond in the yard. The rocking chair under the eaves was still swaying. Chu Tingwu brought out a well-worn blanket from the room, curled herself up, and fell asleep on the rocking chair.
Lu Cenyin only returned after the sky had completely darkened.
The driver was Chu Tingwu's elder brother, Lu Tinglan. Although they were full siblings, the last time they met was during the New Year, so there was some unfamiliarity and awkwardness between them.
—However, Lu Tinglan felt that he was the only one feeling awkward.
His sister's expression showed no emotion, and she spoke very little, only saying thank you when she took the fast food he had brought.
Lu Tinglan waved his hand: "Mom thought you might be hungry, so we bought some at the highway service area. It should still be warm."
The mother and son first offered incense to the deceased in the living room, then accompanied Chu Tingwu to burn paper money at the entrance of the courtyard. By now, they all looked somewhat tired. Hearing the conversation between the siblings, Lu Cenyin pushed away her laptop: "Tingwu, are you coming with us to Jin City tomorrow, or have you decided to go when the summer vacation ends?"
Separated from her daughter at the age of five, in the blink of an eye, she was already fifteen... She had grown up and become unfamiliar. Lu Cenyin no longer knew how to interact with her daughter, and her daughter also seemed not to need her much.
She had suggested letting Chu Tingwu live at home, with a housekeeper to take care of meals. It was a bit far from school, but a driver could pick her up and drop her off. However, Chu Tingwu herself refused, choosing to rent a place near the school.
Lu Cenyin knew that Chu Tingwu often cooked for herself, so at least she wouldn't starve. Considering that the area around the school was fairly safe, she agreed and increased the living allowance from three thousand to five thousand.
This included the rent.
It wasn't that she couldn't give more, but there was no need for an underage child to have control over so much money.
...Besides, the child's biological father would also provide.
Of course, at this point, Lu Cenyin didn't know how much living allowance the child's biological father had promised.
Chu Tingwu swallowed her food: "I'll go by myself next month."
"That's fine, you'll need to pack your things," Lu Cenyin said, "When the time comes, call Tinglan and let him help you move."
"Ah," Lu Tinglan was taken aback, "This summer vacation—"
He would be busy next month.
Chu Tingwu: "I'll hire a moving company, it's more convenient."
Lu Tinglan: "Uh, oh, okay... Wait, let me send you a red envelope!"
The conversation, as polite as if they were mere guests, continued until the mother and son left the next day. Chu Tingwu saw off her biological relatives—
And gained twenty-seven thousand yuan in her private account.
Two thousand of that was from her brother's red envelope.
In fact, before her grandmother passed away, she had given Chu Tingwu her savings from many years, which was enough for her to live quite comfortably until she graduated from university. So Chu Tingwu wasn't short of money at all, but she didn't want to touch that savings account.
She opened her phone to check the balance. Outside, cicadas were chirping, making her feel dizzy. Chu Tingwu blinked... No, it wasn't just an illusion. The entire world in front of her seemed to shatter into colorful glass fragments, constantly reassembling, and there was an inexplicably irritating voice in her ear.
[Binding... Binding successful!]
[Identifying...]
[Re-identifying...]
[Identification successful!]
Chu Tingwu suddenly stood up. In the next second, she blinked, as if startled by the sound, and nimbly jumped with one foot, landing in a crouched position with both feet together on the round dining table a meter off the ground. The table wobbled, and Chu Tingwu slightly tilted her body, then the table stabilized again.
Chu Tingwu: "..."
She had no time to ponder her current peculiar state, because the world in front of her had finished reassembling, but the perspective was still very strange, giving her a sense of information overload and dizziness—
[Hello, host. I am the Nanny-type Cub Raising System A7, your future companion. I am loaded with 17,240 species' rearing and training courses from infancy to adulthood. As long as you're willing, I will accompany you and even take care of your offspring.]
[My design model is the most excellent and suitable. I've had zero negative reviews over the years and am designed to actively seek cubs that need to be raised. You can also call me "Star's Gift". In return, can I call you "little one"?]
Chu Tingwu: "No, you can't."
System: "..."
System: "Oh... oh."
The system quickly ran a self-check, taking 0.01 seconds to confirm that the previous dialogue was standard post-production conversation without any errors. Realizing that the young host might not appreciate such a cold introduction, it immediately opened the system screen enthusiastically, displaying both text and images—
Then Chu Tingwu saw:
[Host Name: Chu Tingwu]
[Age: Underage cub (weaning period completed)]
[Species: Blue Star Feliformia - Felidae - Cat]
[Current Status: Poor balance, weak senses, impaired limb coordination, below-average running speed and endurance, small body size, no hunting ability, no self-care ability...]
[Mood: Sad]
As these words appeared, there was a Q-version pixel art "Chu Tingwu" avatar next to the screen. The tiny face had a TAT-style wide noodle tear, which was even animated.
Before Chu Tingwu could say anything, the system let out a shriek.
"Cub! Your status—"
Chu Tingwu: How did you start calling me that?
The system's voice suddenly became several times gentler: "Cub, although your status isn't great, don't be afraid. You're just not very good at using your innate powers, but your instincts are still there. As long as I'm here, you'll definitely become an excellent cat!"
Chu Tingwu: "An excellent what?"
System: "Cat, of course."
Chu Tingwu glanced at the system panel, then looked at the ground—she was still crouching on the table—and finally realized that her overly agile reaction was quite out of place.
Her head was still dizzy, the discomfort hadn't subsided... It felt as if a human body had suddenly been transformed into a cat, possessing an excessive sense of balance and heightened alertness to the slightest movement, along with unnecessarily powerful senses of smell, hearing, and sight. She felt her current state was terrible.
She touched her forehead; it was indeed very hot.
"Excellent system," Chu Tingwu said, "before I'm burned into an idiot, could you please turn off my innate powers?"
System: "?"
Chu Tingwu: "Is there a possibility... that my species isn't actually a cat?"
The system saw that the host's [Mood] had changed.
On the panel, the word "Sad" disappeared, slowly changing to—
[Mood: Irritated]
The Q-version pixel avatar started rolling its eyes.
System: "..."
Ah!!
