Fat Cat

The girl gazed at the doll inside the glass cabinet, then suddenly pressed her cheek against the glass. Her soft face flattened against the surface, creating an indescribably comical yet adorable sight.

"Here." Ye Shuang inserted a coin into the machine, and with a crisp metallic clink, the claw crane whirred to life. To demonstrate how it worked for Bai Yuyou, Ye Shuang maneuvered the mechanical claw and picked a doll in a fairly good position. "Once you've chosen the spot, press this button."

As he spoke, he tapped the button. The claw descended, perfectly gripping the doll's head. But the moment it lifted, the doll slipped free and dropped back down—an outcome Ye Shuang had expected.

"That's basically how it works. Got it?" Ye Shuang asked.

Bai Yuyou gave a slight nod. The mechanics were simple enough.

Soon, the girl took control of the claw. Under Ye Shuang’s stunned gaze, she proceeded to pluck out one doll after another.

"Is it broken?" Ye Shuang wondered, watching Bai Yuyou expressionlessly cradling an armful of dolls. His first thought was that the machine must have malfunctioned.

Claw machines weren’t really about skill—they were more like a game of chance. The machines could be adjusted for claw tension, and after a certain number of attempts, they’d grant a tighter grip. It wasn’t much different from the pity system in gacha games. So when Ye Shuang saw Bai Yuyou holding so many dolls, his immediate assumption was that something had gone wrong.

"Ye Shuang… for you." Bai Yuyou then shoved the entire pile of dolls into his arms.

"Haha, don’t you like them?"

"I do."

"Then why give them all to me?"

Bai Yuyou nodded earnestly. "Catching dolls… makes you happy."

"I want… Ye Shuang to be happy too."

Ye Shuang fell silent. Maybe she thought he’d been upset after failing to grab one earlier?

With a soft smile, he cradled the dolls in one arm and gently patted her head with the other. "Then I’ll take them, alright?"

Bai Yuyou nodded, her eyes fixed on Ye Shuang’s warm expression.

"Thank you, Yuyou."

In that moment, the noisy arcade around them seemed to fall silent. Her vision was entirely filled with Ye Shuang’s smile, leaving no room for anything else.

Ye Shuang took Bai Yuyou to try other games afterward. Though she was clumsy and unfamiliar with most of them, she still ended up having fun.

Carrying a bag stuffed with dolls, Ye Shuang led the girl back to the parking lot—where the setting sun cast an orange glow over his white car, softening its edges in the fading light.

Once inside, he drove them away from the arcade.

Evenings were always gentle. As Ye Shuang merged into the flow of traffic, a glance upward revealed the sky painted in hues of tangerine and deep blue, as if the colors had collided to weave the romance of dusk.

The cars around them moved briskly, their drivers likely hurrying home after a long day’s work, minds occupied by mundane household matters.

Yes, even the smallest things could guide someone home.

"Did you have fun…?" Ye Shuang started to ask, but his peripheral vision caught Bai Yuyou—already asleep, her long lashes fluttering faintly as the dying sunlight streaming through the window draped her in a golden-orange veil.

Seeing this, Ye Shuang eased his foot off the accelerator, letting the car slow gradually. Even the occasional honk from outside the window seemed to soften.

Could we live like this forever?

The absurd thought flickered through his mind before he quickly suppressed it.

"…"

When Bai Yuyou woke, she found the car already parked. Rubbing her eyes drowsily, she blinked in confusion.

"Tired from playing?" Ye Shuang asked.

Between the basketball machines and other physically demanding games, it wasn’t surprising she’d worn herself out—especially after a full day of exams followed by the arcade.

"School soon," Bai Yuyou murmured.

Then, with a slump, she rested her head against Ye Shuang’s arm.

"Ha…" Ye Shuang chuckled helplessly. "Seems like you’re still half-asleep."

After getting out of the car, they headed upstairs. But just as they neared their door, a series of meows reached their ears.

"Hm?" At first, Ye Shuang thought it was Yīwàn (their cat), but upon reaching the doorstep, he spotted a round, ash-gray lump of a cat sitting on the doormat.

"Meow!"

The chubby feline trotted over to them, then flopped onto its back, wriggling to expose its belly.

"This pig looks suspiciously like a cat," Ye Shuang remarked, crouching to rub its stomach. "You’re way too plump to be a stray, aren’t you?"

It was a British Shorthair—a blue-gray variant, known for being lazy and good-natured. A cat like this wouldn’t last a day against streetwise strays, so its impressive girth had to mean it belonged to someone.

"Must be around fifteen or sixteen pounds," Ye Shuang muttered, hefting the cat and feeling its weight.

The blue cat stayed docile in his arms, not resisting.

Bai Yuyou watched it with quiet curiosity.

"Meow!" From behind the door, Yīwàn’s voice rang out—clearly, the two cats had caught each other’s scents.

"Whose cat are you? Do you live in this building?" Ye Shuang asked.

Of course, the cat didn’t answer.

But as Ye Shuang studied it, a translucent window materialized before him—

[Creature: Huoguo

British Shorthair. Currently on an unauthorized outing. Original residence:…]

A glance at the address confirmed it lived upstairs.

"This cat belongs to someone on the floor above. Let’s take it back," Ye Shuang said.

Bai Yuyou nodded, unfazed by how he’d figured it out.

With the cat in tow, they climbed the stairs and knocked on the designated door.

After a moment, it opened to reveal an elderly man with thinning white hair, his face dotted with age spots and a cane in hand.

"You are…?" The old man’s clouded eyes studied them before landing on the cat in Ye Shuang’s arms.

"Ah, Huoguo! So this is where you’ve been."

He dropped his cane and reached for the cat, but Huoguo leaped from Ye Shuang’s hold and began rolling around at the old man’s feet instead.

"Thank you, young man. Huoguo’s been missing for days. I accidentally left the door open, and… well, at my age, with no one else at home, I just couldn’t catch up." The old man sighed, then wobbled as he tried to bend down for his cane.

But before he could, a hand reached out first.

Bai Yuyou picked up the cane and handed it to him. "Don’t fall…"

"Heh, no worries. You’re a kind girl." The old man smiled, then paused, his gaze lingering on her. "You… live downstairs, don’t you?"

"Yes," Ye Shuang confirmed.

"Young man, you... aren't from her family, are you?" The old man looked at Ye Shuang with suspicion, as if he knew something about Bai Yuyou.