Although Chu Tingwu's addition brought challenges to the actors (perhaps only to the lead), it cannot be denied that with her presence, the progress of animal scenes became unexpectedly smooth.
Director Mu Lou does not shoot night scenes due to her poor health. Some actors who joined the cast, especially those who needed to work with animals, were concerned about whether they could complete their scenes within the deadline. However, after half a month, the filming progress was actually faster than expected by half.
Chu Tingwu also became familiar with everyone during this half-month, especially with the orange-and-white cat mother.
— The way they became familiar was a bit dramatic.
When the kittens were young, the cat mother protected them tightly, but as they grew older, she became annoyed by their noise. Initially, Chu Tingwu visited a few times, and although the cat mother didn't dislike her, she always kept a vigilant eye on her, as if wondering: Are you also here to steal my kittens?
Thanks to the help of the villagers and food offerings, the orange-and-white cat no longer refused her to take the kittens out.
Once, she even licked Chu Tingwu twice.
After this lick, Chu Tingwu returned home to find Three-Five-Five staring at her in shock.
Later events, Chu Tingwu swore, she really tried to stop... but after Three-Five-Five coaxed her to sleep, she still sneaked out through the window and beat up the orange-and-white cat mother.
Chu Tingwu: "She didn't want to raise such a big kitten..."
And the orange-and-white cat was still in confinement!
But Three-Five-Five didn't care. On the way back, she even gave Orange, the young cat who was very confused—though it had been beaten by Three-Five-Five so many times that it was already used to it—a good beating.
Chu Tingwu: "=="
After this beating, the orange-and-white cat unexpectedly ceded the custody of the kittens. Even when Chu Tingwu took the kittens out in a cardboard box to bask in the sun for half a day, the orange-and-white cat didn't bother anymore, just focused on sleeping and eating.
Thus, Chu Tingwu brought the little orange cats to the filming site.
The kittens had become lively. The crew numbered them according to their roles from lead to stand-in, with the perfectly orange one being No. 1.
The personalities of the five kittens also gradually became distinct. But Chu Tingwu approached Director Mu Lou: "No. 1 doesn't like to move around."
Indeed, not only was its color perfect, but its personality was also very "orange cat." After eating, No. 1 just wanted to sleep, while its siblings crawled around on the carpet, it slept under its mother's belly.
Mu Lou nodded, looking at Chu Tingwu with expectation.
Chu Tingwu: "..."
I really want to pretend I don't understand at all.
She was quite familiar with Teacher Cheng due to the cats. When that young actor came to ask about Cheng Luwei, she pretended to be clueless.
But, this is the director.
Chu Tingwu: "I think No. 5 might be more suitable, but it's a bit thin."
This orange cat was also very "orange," but because it was the last to be born and didn't know how to compete for milk, it was thinner than its siblings. It had been fed milk by the staff for several days.
Chu Tingwu took out No. 5. This kitten "meowed" twice, wobbling its head and tentatively crawling on the sofa. Its eyes, not yet fully blue, looked a bit dull, but its head turning from side to side had a bit of cleverness.
On such matters, Director Mu Lou didn't mind listening to the "expert": "The only problem is, this is a female kitten, right?"
So sometimes, her brothers have to stand in for her.
Chu Tingwu suddenly remembered: "Speaking of which, Director Mu, what role does Three-Five-Five play?"
Mu Lou: "..."
Mu Lou: "My idea is to give Three-Five-Five the identity of a cat boss in Fallen Phoenix City. When Tiger Head first arrived in Fallen Phoenix City, he angered Three-Five-Five by not understanding the local dialect or the habits of stray cats... but later, they resolved their conflict, and Three-Five-Five even helped him in his quest for a master."
Chu Tingwu: "Oh?"
Mu Lou: "However, Three-Five-Five's identity is not that of a stray cat. She's a free-roaming cat in the countryside, meowing at home and being the boss outside—in the later part of the movie, there's a scene where Three-Five-Five leads the cats in a charge, and just as she does, her owner comes home from school, calling her name from afar. She then runs over coquettishly, pretending not to know the other stray cats, who scatter in all directions."
Mu Lou rubbed his chin: "The owner probably doesn't know that their cat is the boss outside? They might even warn Three-Five-Five to be careful, afraid that she'll be bullied by other cats?"
Setting up a humorous contrast with the information gap.
Chu Tingwu: "Oh?"
Her face was half-serious, but she couldn't help but laugh: "Director Mu, will the owner's role show their face?"
Mu Lou knew there was a chance: "There's a long-shot, showing the whole body, but the face isn't visible. The owner is probably riding a bicycle home from school, with only the lower half of the body and hands shown in close-up."
—In fact, Mu Lou initially only wanted Three-Five-Five to play the cat boss and hadn't considered adding the owner's role. However, before that, she had her assistant inquire about Chu Tingwu's attitude and learned from other channels that Chu Tingwu didn't want her cat to play a stray cat.
Mu Lou felt that without the element of being a stray, the plot design's freedom was limited. As she revised, she came up with this role.
I'm the boss outside, but at home, I'm your "meow."
However, Mu Lou probably didn't anticipate that if Three-Five-Five called out to Chu Tingwu sweetly, it wasn't to flirt with the owner, but to coax a child.
Chu Tingwu didn't mind playing the role of this "owner," with probably just a couple of lines, equivalent to a bit more substantial extra, but without showing her face on screen.
After agreeing, she handed the detailed contract negotiations to Man Xing.
-
Waking up from a nap, Chu Tingwu stretched her hand out of the blanket, feeling the air was a bit cold. She touched her ears and heard someone outside say: "It's falling, it's falling."
What's falling?
Her bed was next to the window. Sitting up, she saw that it was the maple leaves falling in Dale Village.
The weather had already turned winter, and the maple trees couldn't hold on any longer, with leaves covering the ground.
During this time, Director Mu had been calculating when the maple leaves would fall, postponing many indoor scenes. She had recently rushed to finish the scenes with the maple trees as the backdrop.
Even Orange was tired. When Chu Tingwu met Orange in the lobby, the cat was sitting on the table, staring seriously at the can, with a gaze of weariness not typical of young cats.
But after eating the can, it looked around, confusedly meowing at Chu Tingwu: "Why not go out?"
Today, we're not working?
Chu Tingwu asked Director Mu and found out that today's shooting focused on indoor scenes, featuring the little kittens. That is, No. 5 was working, and Orange was off today.
Orange: "!"
The cat's face showed a human-like shocked expression. Then, it immediately flattened into a cat pancake, lying on the ground for a while before suddenly jumping up, running around, and then heading towards Cheng Luwei.
Cats are very sensitive to human emotions. Orange had spent more time with Teacher Cheng and had long discovered that when it wanted to flirt for a can, choosing Cheng Luwei was more effective than Chu Tingwu.
As a smart cat that could act, Orange realized that Cheng Luwei was very useful.
Although he was big and serious, the cat could tell you were a good person.
Of course, Chu Tingwu was also very scary because when she said "cut," both Orange and Cheng Luwei had to reshoot.
—At this point, Orange hadn't realized that the woman behind the camera was the scariest big boss.
However, Orange didn't get to enjoy its break for long.
Because Cheng Luwei was going to shoot with the little kittens.
Then, when Orange heard Cheng Luwei call the little kitten "Tiger Head," its eyes widened immediately.
Chu Tingwu: "What are you surprised about? Your name is 'Orange,' not 'Tiger Head.'"
Orange: "Meow meow meow?"
The cat felt both names belonged to it!
Too unfair!
Chu Tingwu grabbed the orange cat to prevent it from interfering with the shoot. The little kitten had more retakes, and some shots had to be pieced together, requiring multiple retakes.
Chu Tingwu stood to the side and watched for a while, deep in thought, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the orange-and-white cat that had wandered in unknowingly.
Holding one cat in each hand, she bent down and discussed with the orange-and-white cat: "How about I teach you, and you teach the kittens? What do you think?"
The unpredictability of the kittens was too strong, so yesterday she had a chat with a trainer from the Jin City Police Station's dog training base. After learning some tips, she realized that she could teach the mother cat, and the mother cat could then teach the kittens by example.
Perhaps it wasn't too late to change the lazy nature of "Little One."
Mother Orange-and-White: "?"
What is this kitten talking about?
Chu Tingwu: "..."
After being treated as a minor due to her human age and facing inconvenience in many matters, she was now being looked down upon by the mother cat because of her kitten identity.
Chu Tingwu sighed: "Three-Five-Five..."
The tortoiseshell cat "meowed" and came over to push the orange-and-white cat aside.
---
During a break, Cheng Luwei took a sip of water and looked at his assistant: "Where's Tiger Head... I mean, Orange?"
Assistant: "Outside, I think? It seems to have been taken out to play by Teacher Chu."
Curious, Cheng Luwei walked to the window and just caught sight of Chu Tingwu's back—
But in front of her were three cats.
One was a disappointed orange cat, one was a confused orange-and-white cat, and the other was the long-haired tortoiseshell cat, Three-Five-Five.
How to put it? Cheng Luwei patted his muscles and thought that if he fought Three-Five-Five, it might be a fifty-fifty chance. Although the mother cat's strength wasn't as strong as his, her reflexes were more agile.
At that moment, not knowing what Chu Tingwu had said to Three-Five-Five, the tortoiseshell cat turned to talk to the orange-and-white cat, who seemed a bit impatient but didn't move. The orange-and-white cat's ears twitched, and suddenly—it turned and gave Orange a slap on the head.
Orange: "?"
The cat was just spacing out, why hit it!
If it were the previous Orange, it might have endured, but recently it had been trained and had learned to fight from Three-Five-Five. Orange's anger flared, and it raised its head to roar back at the orange-and-white cat.
Three-Five-Five: "..."
So noisy.
Before Chu Tingwu could say anything, she stepped in and gave each of them a punch.
Cheng Luwei upstairs: "Haha, is Teacher Chu acting like a kindergarten teacher?"
Looks mature and grown-up, but at heart, she's still a cute little kid.
The cute little kid took out her phone and showed it to the two cats that weren't hers: "The training content I require is only half of what's on this, Orange. Look, I didn't make you jump through fire hoops, did I? I didn't make you jump from such a high platform either. Have you done this kind of climbing training? To graduate, you'll have to beat... well, a human male as tall as Teacher Cheng. Can you do that?"
Orange: "Meow..."
The kid argued: "Is all this effort for me? No, it's for your canned food. If you perform well and finish early, I'll tell your owner to buy you more canned food. And the skills you learn will be useful anywhere. Look at Three-Five-Five, teaching you guys acting will also earn her rewards, with extra meals every day, and she can play with your favorite stuffed mouse toy—"
Three-Five-Five: "?" She doesn't play with toys.
But since the kitten said so, she had to sit upright and modestly "meowed" in response.
Orange's head drooped even lower: "Meow..."
The kid then looked at the orange-and-white cat: "Isn't it better for Three-Five-Five to teach you than to teach your kittens? If you don't accept, I'll let Three-Five-Five lick all the kittens clean, really lick them, and Teacher Cheng will too. Then the babies will all smell like something you hate—"
Completely unaware of being talked about, Cheng Luwei was still smiling foolishly at the kittens.
Chu Tingwu: "In short, learn a skill, and you'll always have cat food to eat. Think about it yourselves!"
What was there to think about? Orange was just being a bit spoiled, and the orange-and-white cat glanced at Three-Five-Five and submitted.
With the cats cooperating, the filming progressed faster. The only problem was that the kittens had many "cute" expressions, which would gradually become more resolute as they grew up... This part stumped the acting teacher, Three-Five-Five.
Chu Tingwu: "..."
Chu Tingwu: "Orange?"
Orange successfully taught a few kittens how to use a special attack version of a baby voice to sell cuteness.
Three-Five-Five: "?" Her paws were itching.
But Three-Five-Five didn't get the chance to hit the cats. As time passed day by day, Orange's scenes were completed.
Orange's owner came to pick it up. Normally, they would have left someone to take care of Orange and guide it in acting—their family was something of an animal actor dynasty, and Orange's mother was also an animal actor cat, with more experience in this area.
However, after signing the contract, it happened that another cat in their family also needed to shoot an ad, and they were short-handed. Finding that Chu Tingwu could get along well with the little orange cat, the owner left Orange with her.
This time, after a month apart, the owner was amazed: "Orange, you... you've gotten so much stronger!"
She originally wanted to say that the kitten had grown up, but looking at the cat's physique, she felt that the word "grown" couldn't accurately describe it. Orange's limbs were obviously stronger, and when it crouched on the chair, its expression was very serious, making the owner wonder if she had been given a different cat.
She called out "Orange," and the sturdy young orange cat responded with a short and firm "meow."
Owner: "..." It felt like the cat had been sent to boot camp.
When she picked up Orange and patted its head, the cat nestled on her shoulder and "meowed" to complain about Chu Tingwu's behavior, Three-Five-Five's ferocity, and "wanting canned food." The owner immediately felt that her orange cat was back.
This little look, it was still the same cat.
She greeted the director's team, received the completion bonus for Orange, and specially found Chu Tingwu to give her a red envelope.
"Just for good luck, it's almost New Year's," the owner smiled. "Thank you for taking care of my little orange cat."
Although it wasn't that little anymore, it was still a bit heavy when carried on the shoulder.
Chu Tingwu: "Ah, thank you. By the way... Orange can now understand many commands. Shall I send you a table?"
Owner: "?"
Is... is the training not over?
The red envelope was obviously prepared in advance, with neatly arranged six hundred and sixty-six yuan inside.
Chu Tingwu looked around and saw a black cat appear in the corner, wearing a small red scarf.
Yes, it's almost New Year's.
The entire month of shooting ended three days before New Year's, and the entire crew moved to Fallen Phoenix City, taking a three-day break.
Although Chu Tingwu had a place to stay in Fallen Phoenix City, the crew still prepared a hotel room for her, making it more convenient for Chu Tingwu to attend meetings in the hotel's conference room.
...The specific content of the meeting was still about casting.
The scenes with the young kittens had been smoothly shot, but the scenes with the adult cats were more important, requiring higher acting skills... and a higher physique too!
They needed a very strong and powerful orange cat, and the appearance of the orange cat couldn't be too different from the young kitten, preferably growing according to Orange's look.
They had already selected some cats, first from pet actor families, but none were suitable. They then expanded the selection range, asking owners to submit resumes for their cats, and managed to select a few. However, looking back now, even the assistant director felt something was off:
"Orange cats all look the same, but after looking at these few on camera for a long time, I can tell they don't look alike. Can we still make do with this?"
Mu Lou rubbed his forehead: "…Let's re-select."
The crew decided to take a three-day break over the New Year, from New Year's Eve to the second day of the New Year. During these three days, while others were on vacation, they could start selecting photos.
We can't start shooting after the New Year without having selected the main character, right?
Chu Tingwu: "Do they have to be house cats?"
Mu Lou: "Hmm... Any cat that meets the requirements will do, but if they're not house cats, do we look for stray cats? Can we even shoot that?"
Besides, isn't that like finding a needle in a haystack?
Chu Tingwu took out her phone, opened the 365 Cat Census APP, and in front of Mu Lou, imported a photo, which was a cat photo created by combining the original form of Tiger Head, Long Zai, with Orange's orange cat face.
[Matching...]
In the next second, the matching results were displayed, and they were shown in order from the most to the least fitting.
The top cat perfectly met the requirements and was located in Fallen Phoenix City. From the introduction, it could be seen that it was originally a stray cat in a residential area, recently adopted and renamed "Lang Lang."
Besides the top choice, there were also backup options, all of which were not far from Fallen Phoenix City.
Chu Tingwu didn't need to do anything further. The task of contacting the cat owners was handed over to the casting director, who planned to arrange a day after the New Year for the cats to audition for the role.
Mu Lou breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat amazed: "I never thought we could find a cat this way..."
She had heard of the app but never downloaded it, and no one had thought of using it this way before.
"By the way," she chuckled before letting the actors go on break, "Although the release date is still far away, we can start promoting now. We can release some non-spoiler materials."
The specifics could be discussed between the actors' agents and the production team.
The production team also needed to be contacted to build momentum and lay the groundwork in advance.
Other child actors were managed by their agents, but Cheng Luwei's social media accounts were in his own hands. He had been deeply immersed in filming and hadn't been online much. Finally, he could take a few days off.
Laying in the hotel bed, he felt a bit out of place: "I always feel like something is missing... the meows... Maybe I should ask Teacher Chu Tingwu to lend me a cat?"
His assistant, who was also looking at his phone, was speechless: "Cheng Ge, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up by Teacher Chu's cat?"
This had actually happened before. A supporting actor had teased a tortoiseshell cat with a prop.
The first time, the cat tolerated it.
The second time, the cat suddenly sprang up without hesitation, slapping the supporting actor's forehead with a loud "smack," startling everyone.
However, the person was fine because the cat hadn't extended its claws, leaving just a big red mark and a dizzy head.
Director Mu Lou didn't say anything at the time, and Chu Tingwu glanced at the scene but also said nothing. The supporting actor himself felt guilty and didn't say a word.
But later, when reshooting the scene, Mu Lou noticed the inconsistency in the supporting actor's face and casually cut that part out.
Cheng Luwei: "I'm not talking about Three-Five-Five. Teacher Chu Tingwu isn't familiar with the local cats? Can't she introduce me to a cat that can keep me company for a couple of days?"
Assistant: "?" Why does that sound a bit off?
The assistant changed the subject, urging Cheng Luwei to be more reliable: "Teacher Chu Tingwu isn't in the hotel. She took her cat home earlier. Let me see... Oh, she posted a notice saying she'll be live streaming tonight."
During Chu Tingwu's time on set, she had to stop live streaming for a long time due to filming needs.
Cheng Luwei curiously leaned over: "What's she going to live stream? Catching mice?"
Assistant: "Cheng Ge, have you never watched Teacher Chu's videos?"
Cheng Luwei: "Uh... I skimmed through them, including the ones related to the movie. But there are too many long videos, so I just read some text information. I do know she's quite skilled."
Although he was also a child star, Cheng Luwei's path to stardom wasn't smooth.
Before playing righteous characters, he had a fixed childhood image, was criticized for not growing up well, and struggled to find his niche. Fortunately, he met a director who recognized his potential and started on the current path, avoiding becoming someone as mediocre as his name suggests.
However, it was precisely because of the low points that his mentality was better than those of child stars with smooth careers. Even after failing to transition, he didn't lose hope and continued to look for a path that suited him better.
He opened his phone and looked: "Huh? The most popular video on the homepage is different from what I saw before."
Fenghua Video Network would feature the video with the highest likes and views on the UP's homepage, rotating the display. Cheng Luwei remembered it being a live stream clip from Chu Tingwu, but this time, the corner of the homepage video had a "joint" logo, indicating a joint submission.
The collaborator was... Jin City Police Station?
Cheng Luwei immediately sat up straight.
He watched the video with a serious posture and paused it when a comment floated by on the screen:
[Assisted in capturing 77 thieves? Wait, how many? Chu Master, where did you get these thieves from?]
Cheng Luwei showed it to his assistant: "I think I wasn't wrong. Look, isn't the most popular video of Teacher Chu Tingwu about catching mice?"
Assistant: "=。="
Cheng Luwei: "We're about to start promoting and release some information, but not too much. How about this, I'll share this video and link it to my 'catching mice' part?"
He thought it was a good idea, and since Chu Tingwu was going to live stream later, he could check it out.
-
Chu Tingwu's fans experienced a "roller coaster" of emotions this winter.
The high point was that their cat... no, their host collaborated with other organizations again, releasing a joint video and once again choosing a "bizarre" collaborator.
Last time, it was with the official media account of Fallen Phoenix City, uploading a live competition recording.
Fans were thrilled.
This time, it was with Jin City Police Station, releasing a holiday anti-theft video.
Fans: "Great!"
Then they clicked to watch and realized something was off.
...This footage, haven't we seen it before?
Isn't this the same video as last time, with the same footage? The old thief... teacher? Damn! It's a real thief!
Despite being the same video, with different editing and collaborators, the audience had a new experience.
In Chu Tingwu's fan group, people were hotly discussing:
[How did she shoot this video?]
[I guess it went like this: Approach a thief, pat his shoulder: "You can steal now, I'm starting to film." What the hell, how did she shoot it? Where did all these cooperative thieves come from? For the sake of our video, they really steal and then go to jail—I even found jail information online! That's some dedication!]
[Chu Chu: You don't want to cooperate, but you have to! (Chu Master chopping vegetables.gif)]
[It's simple. Find a thief, film, report to the police, and then move on to the next... So, can anyone tell me how those returned property shots happened? I saw online that the original owners claimed their items, saying they only found out their stuff was stolen when the police called them, which means the police didn't return the items to them, right?]
[Maybe everyone was an actor, except the thief. The online posts were also fabricated. They had previously agreed with the police to cooperate and then made these amazing statements to pique everyone's interest, making the video go viral. Jin City Police's plan succeeded... Sorry, I can't keep this up!]
[Forget it, our discussion is useless. The police did give Chu Mi a medal, so she didn't do anything wrong. If we really can't figure it out, we'll ask her during her live stream.]
That's what the fans thought.
Then a day, a week, a month...
Chu Tingwu didn't go live, didn't update her videos, only posting a dynamic saying she was busy lately.
The fan group exploded.
—Chu Cat, don't be too much. You never stopped updating even when you were in high school. How can a vacationing high school student be busier than a student in school?
—Chu Master, my cat just had kittens, and I wanted you to help name them. If you don't show up, my cat will think its name is "Mimi," and it'll become a cat that anyone can take away. You can't escape responsibility!
—Teacher Chu, Happy New Year. Have you updated? Not yet? Then did you see this red envelope? I'd give it to the cat before giving it to you!
Despite the many comments urging updates, Chu Tingwu remained true to her usual style—ignoring them.
It wasn't until New Year's Eve that they saw an update announcing a live stream that evening.
Fans: "!?"
You're back!
On New Year's Eve, which was quite normal, everyone had some free time no matter how busy they were. Around 5 PM, fans saw the livestream screen light up—
Chu Tingwu appeared as her usual self, though her clothes had changed for winter. As the cold season arrived, even Three-Five-Five's fur had visibly thickened.
She was currently at the market buying groceries with Three-Five-Five.
On New Year's Eve, while most supermarkets might be closed, in small cities like Fallen Phoenix City, the traditional markets were still selling produce, albeit with limited choices. She took the opportunity to introduce the person beside her: "This is my assistant."
Though having an assistant while still being underage wasn't surprising—after all, having a full team was normal for a major content creator with... wait, when did she surpass 1.5 million followers? Chu Tingwu's assistant seemed to simply follow her around helping out.
Some people forgot about asking for updates and instead inquired in the comments about when her team would be hiring assistants: "Would an assistant who isn't allergic to cats, can eat anything, and knows to run home when it rains be acceptable?"
Most people, naturally, asked what she had been doing for the past month.
Chu Tingwu replied: "Just work, we only get time off during the New Year."
She continued: "This year I'm spending New Year at my teacher's house, so I'm buying some groceries to bring over, and I'll also say hello to some friends I haven't seen in a while."
The teacher she referred to was "Teacher Zhang Youyi."
Zhang Youyi had recently returned from traveling and brought gifts for Chu Tingwu, asking her to come pick them up during winter break.
Unexpectedly, the young girl had been quite busy and only found time during the New Year period—so naturally, she was invited to spend New Year together, along with Three-Five-Five.
Although they hadn't seen each other for some time, they had maintained regular communication online.
After buying enough groceries, Chu Tingwu specifically went to greet You Zhenzhen.
During holidays like New Year, Fenghua Video Network would send gifts to their content creators. Since Chu Tingwu didn't have a fixed address before, You Zhenzhen had been receiving the gifts on her behalf—fans knew about her existence, as the 365 APP was tied to Chu Tingwu, and some were greeting her in the comments while also asking for updates on merchandise.
You Zhenzhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This year, she had used work as an excuse not to go home for New Year, staying in her rented apartment, and was now considering adopting a cat.
Upon learning that Chu Tingwu wouldn't be spending New Year with her, she gave her some extra ingredients she had on hand.
Then Chu Tingwu went to see Hang Ling, another familiar face, and took the opportunity to introduce Man Xing to these people she knew well—after all, Director Yang was still an investor.
The viewers in the comments were quite familiar with everyone, and there were even fans from Little Sun Hospital coming over to ask for video updates.
Then, as Man Xing was loading some gifts into the car and Chu Tingwu was walking down the hospital steps, someone approached from the front, and she went, "Uh..."
That person casually waved at her: "Teacher Little Chu."
Then, he leaned in to greet the camera: "Hello everyone."
The comments—
[...]
[Hm? Who's this?]
[Who is this? Doesn't Chu Chu's livestream usually blur faces? A friendly stranger with a cat head?]
[Setting aside everything else, those muscles are well-trained, brother's got a nice physique, how did you train?]
[Maybe! This is! A friendly fitness trainer! He's about to pull out a flyer from behind his back.]
Cheng Luwei, unaware that his face was blurred: "?"
The assistant who saw the comments and screen: "=.="
Chu Tingwu whispered: "System..."
The system habitually blurred anyone who hadn't appeared in the young one's camera before, and even celebrities got no special treatment. Only after getting the young one's prompt did it remove the blur.
The comment section froze for a moment before erupting in a long string of screams.
Cheng Luwei squinted his eyes: "Teacher Little Chu... why do I feel like something's not quite right?"
Chu Tingwu: "It's your imagination."
[Just joined, what happened? Oh my, this person looks like Cheng Luwei! Isn't this Chu Chu's livestream?]
[Your imagination.]
[?]
[Yes, your imagination, this isn't Cheng Luwei, this is just a robot that looks like him.]
Newcomer fans were confused for a while before finally concluding: "Huh? Has the system's special effects gotten so advanced that it can swap in celebrity faces?"
The assistant: "=.="
Brother Cheng... any idea why "Fitness Trainer Cheng Luwei" suddenly started trending online?
Cheng Luwei was quite an easygoing person, and when Chu Tingwu made small talk, he didn't mind.
He took out his phone to look at the comments, seeing people asking why he suddenly appeared and how he knew the content creator so well. Cheng Luwei gave Chu Tingwu a knowing look, suggesting they could subtly chat about the movie.
Cheng Luwei: "Actually, I got to know Teacher Little Chu because of cat selection, as everyone knows, she's definitely an expert in this area."
Without directly mentioning the movie, he changed the subject: "Fallen Phoenix City is Teacher Little Chu's home base now, she probably knows all the cats here. I was hoping she could help me pick a suitable cat—I'm on holiday these few days and can play with the cat, but I can't take it away, so I'm wondering if there are any cats that can be hired with canned food, to keep each other company during Spring Festival. I'll be happy, and it'll be happy too. But without developing too much emotional attachment."
[Old Cheng, the way you put it, you sound like such an honest player.]
[Laughing, I also want to know if there are cats like that, preferably offering home visits/services, I have cat food and canned food ready at home, and can even give it a bath!]
[A bath? The cat will accuse you of betraying its kindness! But I've actually encountered such cats in my area, it randomly favors one of four or five households each day, like a communally raised cat? Its cat morality is truly perfect, but unfortunately it's too far to send over.]
Because Cheng Luwei appeared in Chu Tingwu's livestream, fans spread the word, and the ordinary stream quickly rose to the top rankings—though not to first place, as there were truly many celebrities streaming on New Year's Eve.
Chu Tingwu pondered thoughtfully, then nodded: "That can be arranged."
She accepted this request.
"However, I still need to see some friends, and then we'll go to my teacher's house, we can pick one then."
Cheng Luwei was mostly joking, but he would be happy if such a cat actually existed. Now he was curious: is your teacher running a cat shelter?
And to find such a cat, shouldn't they be looking at local adoption agencies?
But since Chu Tingwu didn't explain, he kept his doubts to himself, deciding to quietly observe what this young girl would do.
When following Chu Tingwu into the car, he hesitated and quietly reminded her: "I can't go to places with too many people, or I might get surrounded by fans."
He was, after all, a nationally recognized actor, and many people would recognize him.
Chu Tingwu nodded, and then drove straight to... the Fallen Phoenix City Police Station.
Cheng Luwei: "?"
He felt that "Cheng Luwei Spends New Year's Eve at Police Station" would trend as soon as he got out of the car! So why the police station?!
Chu Tingwu didn't get out of the car, she just gave a greeting and let Three-Five-Five out, and soon after, two cats appeared around the corner.
Three-Five-Five walked in front, with an orange cat slowly following behind. Upon seeing Chu Tingwu, it gave a soft "meow."
Unsurprisingly, Cheng Luwei saw the young girl beside him respond with a cat call of her own.
The car door slid open, and the orange cat leaped in, gave Cheng Luwei a glance, and meowed again at Chu Tingwu.
Cheng Luwei: "..."
At that moment, he realized this was the original model for "Tiger Head" from the movie, now called Long Zai, the police cat, and indeed he was a little police cat, still wearing his uniform.
But when he saw him, Cheng Luwei didn't notice the uniform first, but rather the cat's demeanor and eyes... and those muscles under the uniform!
So there really are orange cats in this world that look capable of fighting but are actually very reliable... big, big orange cat!?
Although he had seen videos before, seeing this cat in person gave a completely different impression.
Chu Tingwu didn't pat the cat's head, and Cheng Luwei didn't reach out either, because he saw Chu Tingwu speak to the orange cat and then make a gesture to introduce himself to the cat.
Cheng Luwei: "!"
He was being scrutinized by the cat, and he was more nervous than when he was auditioning for a role.
In the end, the cat's ears twitched, and it let out a soft meow.
It extended a paw and placed it on Cheng Luwei's knee. Cheng Luwei carefully placed his palm on top of the cat's paw. The cat's ears twitched again, and its eyes sparkled with light.
Finally, Chu Tingwu slipped a small red envelope into Long Zai's uniform and said goodbye. Long Zai meowed and rubbed against Chu Tingwu's palm.
After the car left, Cheng Luwei was still looking out the window—
Previously, he would constantly initiate conversations in front of the camera, considering Chu Tingwu's young age and helping to liven up the atmosphere.
But now, his gaze was fixed outside, his body turned halfway, silent.
[Frantically screenshotting... Lao Cheng's expression is really handsome. I think this resolute look is the most handsome of all his roles!]
Cheng Luwei: "I fell in love with him at first sight."
Chu Tingwu: "He's male."
[Still handsome, sis?]
Cheng Luwei waved his hand: "No, no, not that kind of love at first sight! Ah, I was just thinking, if I had a cat like that, I'd be so proud! But with my job, there's no room for him to showcase his abilities. It's better to just admire from afar..."
You're clearly not just admiring from afar; you're cherishing him in your heart!
Cheng Luwei remained silent, and Chu Tingwu could see that he seemed to have some new ideas about the character's image.
The assistant also remained silent. He had gotten on the car but didn't appear on camera. Now, he was scrolling through New Plum, too lazy to think about what kind of hot search might emerge.
However, after seeing this cat, Chu Tingwu seemed to be going to spend the New Year at her "teacher's house."
Halfway through the journey, Cheng Luwei wanted to kick the assistant off the car, asking him to quickly buy some gifts—Chu Tingwu mentioned that it was an old lady in her seventies, and he couldn't just show up for a meal during the New Year without any presents.
Chu Tingwu: "Teacher Zhang said there's no need for gifts. If you feel bad about it, just help out in the kitchen when cooking."
Cheng Luwei: "Alright."
He quite enjoyed being with Chu Tingwu. To put it sentimentally, after becoming a star, there weren't many people who made him feel so comfortable, even if she was just a fifteen-year-old kid.
Chu Tingwu didn't seem to care about your identity, whether you were a big star or a small role, a director, or her assistant. Her attitude towards you was solely based on how you treated her.
—Although they hadn't known each other long, Cheng Luwei felt that this was a "little" friend with whom he didn't need to worry about being betrayed.
Bored in the car, they also talked about fitness and quickly discovered a common interest: they had both learned rock climbing.
Cheng Luwei: "I learned for half a year and still go occasionally. I can teach you if you have a chance."
He was confident in his skills.
...But he didn't know that he might have underestimated Chu Tingwu's abilities.
Chu Tingwu blinked: "I can also teach you parkour."
Cheng Luwei: "That's too dangerous; my agent probably wouldn't allow it."
Although parkour isn't an extreme sport and rock climbing is, indoor rock climbing is much safer than outdoor parkour, so he probably wouldn't get a chance to learn it.
When the car stopped, it was already completely dark outside. The small villa ahead was lit up, and the lights in the courtyard were on, bright as day.
Cheng Luwei knew they had arrived and curiously stared at the black shadow under the window: what was that?
Chu Tingwu opened her mouth.
Cheng Luwei thought: Meow.
"Meow—"
Indeed!
He turned his head and saw the shadow move. The next second, another shadow swooped down from above, startling the assistant who had just gotten out of the car with the gifts.
Shikuai: "Why did you come back so late, meow!"
Wu Classmate: "Dinner's ready, dinner's ready, we can eat, meow!"
The black cat at Chu Tingwu's feet circled around her, and the crow above kept flapping its wings. Chu Tingwu pushed open the villa's courtyard gate, and Aunt Mei also happened to open the inner door, smiling and waving at them: "Come in quickly, we've been waiting for you."
Chu Tingwu looked at her feet and couldn't help but smile: "Why is Shikuai outside?"
Aunt Mei: "He was caught stealing food earlier and was punished to stand outside."
The aroma of food had already wafted out, and half the dishes were on the table. But what puzzled Cheng Luwei was that Chu Tingwu had brought all the ingredients from the car.
The assistant was curious: "Are we making so many dishes?"
They couldn't eat that much.
Chu Tingwu: "No, this is for the cats."
—With the extra ingredients from You Zhenzhen and Cheng Luwei's request, she decided to make a cat meal and invite the nearby cats to eat.
Everyone said a few auspicious words. Shikuai's little cat head wasn't blurred, but Teacher Zhang and Aunt Mei's faces were blurred as usual.
So, when they sat down, only Cheng Luwei noticed a problem with Teacher Zhang's eyes, while the fans in the live chat didn't realize anything was wrong and were very happy—
[Tonight, we gather here to celebrate seeing all the main actors of the 'Long Zai' microfilm in the live broadcast. I declare today as the main actor meet-and-greet day! Ah, if only we could see this microfilm turn into a feature film... but the shooting difficulty is too high...]
Many fans started following Chu Tingwu because of that microfilm she released. It was a pure, human-actor-free microfilm, entirely shot by animal actors.
On New Year's Eve, the audience saw four important characters one after another, and many were moved—
[Even the police station's little cat has to work overtime during the New Year!]
Well, the focus of the sentiment was a bit off.
In the live chat, there were also a few messages wishing Teacher Zhang a happy New Year... The system checked and found that they were indeed students taught by Teacher Zhang, who could recognize their teacher even without seeing their face.
After a harmonious dinner, Chu Tingwu led Cheng Luwei to the kitchen: "Help chop the vegetables, and then distribute the cat food later."
No difficulty at all.
A few of them went to the kitchen to help. Halfway through, Chu Tingwu called out to Three-Five-Five, who then went out the door.
The assistant also helped buy disposable plastic bowls and started arranging them according to Chu Tingwu's instructions. But looking at the number of bowls, he was puzzled: so many, even if feeding stray cats, there aren't that many stray cats in this neighborhood... And isn't the stray cat management in Fallen Phoenix City quite good? During the winter, stray cats are usually taken to shelters. Who exactly is this food for?
As he was puzzled, the door opened, and he saw his Cheng brother holding a small shovel while Chu Tingwu carried a pot out.
Assistant: "=="
Behind them came two cat meows. He turned his head and saw cats appearing at the end of the road, under the bushes. These cats were both common and pedigree, all looking clean and well-groomed. They gathered at the gate, obediently crouching, looking up at the humans and meowing, clearly unafraid.
Chu Tingwu asked Cheng Luwei to distribute the food: "I thought about it, stray cats haven't been vaccinated, and their temperament isn't suitable for the service industry you require..."
Cheng Luwei: Wait?
Chu Tingwu: "So these are all house cats nearby."
Cheng Luwei: He could tell, some even had collars on!
Chu Tingwu: "You feed them, and if you see one you like, I'll talk to it to see if it's willing to earn some extra money by visiting."
Cheng Luwei: "..."
Do you only talk to cats? Really only to cats? What about the cat owners! His experience tonight was too thrilling; he felt either he'd be trending on the hot search tomorrow or be accused of cat-napping!
The live chat also expressed surprise. Among the shocked messages, one stood out.
[Oh my gosh! That British Shorthair with the green bib is my son! That bib was hand-knitted by my mom! I recognized it at a glance, wait a minute, let me put on my slippers and catch the cat!]
You little cat, you actually have two faces, and you even sneak out to make extra money behind your family's back!?
I'm impressed!
-
While Chu Tingwu's live stream was in chaos, on the other side, Orange's owner was also live streaming.
New Year live streams are quite common, and her cat also has a group of loyal fans who are very concerned about what Orange has been up to, as it hasn't appeared for over a month.
So the owner shifted the camera to Orange, and since the production team had mentioned that they could start promoting (and the filming would take place in Fallen Phoenix City after the New Year, so the news probably wouldn't be kept secret for long), the owner directly said: "My Orange has gone to film a movie! The youngest cat in the family has made its debut! Come on, Orange, wish the aunties a Happy New Year!"
Orange sat upright on the table and let out a "meow."
The aunties were also quite surprised: This kid... suddenly, it's looking so robust?
The owner: ...Why does that meow sound so formal?
She took out Orange's favorite toy mouse, waved it in front of it, and then threw it out.
Normally, Orange would immediately pounce on it and play with the mouse for half a day.
However, in the camera, Orange did pounce, but before doing so, it glanced at the owner, then pinned the mouse down, bit it, and swiftly jumped back to the sofa, placing the mouse in the owner's palm.
It straightened its chest and let out another meow in that same tone.
Live chat:
[Did you replace the cat?]
The owner: "..." She didn't!
What on earth did this kid learn during its military training!
