Chapter 010

"Hey, that guy over there is pretty handsome~ Want to give it a few tries?"

Just as the two were talking, a sudden shout came from nearby. They turned to see the owner of an archery stall waving a toy bow and arrow at them.

Su Cheng glanced at Gu Ruoxue beside him, noticing her expression remained completely indifferent—clearly, she had no interest in the stuffed animal prizes.

"No thanks."

Su Cheng shook his head and declined.

He checked the price—ten yuan for just three arrows. Even if he managed to hit something, the wholesale cost of these plush toys was probably less than ten yuan for three. Besides, he had zero experience with this kind of game.

The stall owner, undeterred, shifted his attention to Gu Ruoxue and eagerly coaxed, "Little miss, I’ve got loads of adorable plushies here~"

As he spoke, he pulled out a pile of various stuffed animals—bunnies, piglets, and more—and arranged them on the table. Then, leaning toward Gu Ruoxue, he continued his pitch: "Just knock down any one of them, and you can pick whichever you like."

Gu Ruoxue gave the pile a blank look and replied flatly, "Sorry, I’m not intere—"

But before she could finish, her sharp eyes caught something in the pile—a panda plush.

It instantly seized her attention.

And successfully piqued her interest.

Her gaze locked onto the panda with burning intensity.

Su Cheng noticed this immediately. He raised an eyebrow, glancing between Gu Ruoxue and the black-and-white plush, quickly putting two and two together.

Of course. A panda was still a cat.

Gu Ruoxue’s cat obsession was acting up again.

"Um… is that panda in the middle for sale separately?"

Gu Ruoxue pointed at the cute panda and asked the vendor.

"Of course not! If I sold them, why would I bother running a game stall? Might as well just sell plushies directly. Makes sense, right?"

The owner shook his head, but seeing Gu Ruoxue’s obvious interest, he quickly flashed a warm smile and added, "But if you manage to hit it, the panda’s yours. So, wanna try?"

Gu Ruoxue turned to Su Cheng and lightly stomped her foot—her meaning couldn’t be clearer.

But Su Cheng just waved his hands helplessly. "I’m completely clueless at this. If I try, it’ll just be a waste of money."

"What kind of man says he can’t do it?!"

The stall owner fanned the flames. "Besides, you’re young! How will you know if you don’t try?"

"No experience? Then take your time figuring it out."

Gu Ruoxue pulled a red bill from her bag, handed it to the owner, and calmly took a seat nearby—clearly planning to spectate.

"I’ll throw in three extra arrows for you."

The owner cheerfully pocketed the money and handed Su Cheng a bundle of plastic arrows and a toy bow.

Left with no choice, Su Cheng set the items aside and reluctantly accepted the toy set.

"The rules are simple—just knock down a plush with an arrow!" The owner plucked the panda from the pile and placed it on a stand, then demonstrated by shooting an arrow and toppling a nearby bunny. "See? Easy. Knock it down, and it’s yours."

Cornered, Su Cheng took a deep breath, gripped an arrow, aimed at the panda, and slowly drew back the bowstring.

"Whoosh!"

With a sharp whistling sound, the arrow shot forward—only to slam into the wall beside the panda, its tail quivering for a few seconds before finally going still.

Su Cheng wasn’t discouraged. He still had 32 tries left. If he kept at it, he’d hit it eventually.

But after dozens of attempts, he still hadn’t knocked the panda over. Even when he hit it, the plush barely budged. His confidence plummeted.

The odds were one hit every ten shots.

But hitting it wasn’t enough—it wouldn’t fall.

He realized his shots lacked the force needed to topple the panda, and he silently cursed: Scammer!

He even suspected the panda was rigged in place.

"Keep at it, young man!"

The stall owner’s encouragement only made things worse.

It was nearly 1 PM. The winter sun hung high, casting a golden glow over the street, warm and bright—but Su Cheng’s mood only grew colder.

This was beyond embarrassing.

Gu Ruoxue had asked him for help for the first time, and he was failing miserably. A crushing sense of defeat weighed on him.

Gritting his teeth, he nocked another arrow, steadied his aim, and locked his gaze onto the panda. For a moment, his usual calm and focus returned.

Then he released.

"Thwip!"

The arrow struck the panda dead-on—but the plush didn’t even twitch. Not a single shift in its posture.

Su Cheng’s expression darkened. He glanced at his last three arrows, then at Gu Ruoxue, seated gracefully under the sunlight, radiant and breathtaking. Her usually impassive face softened slightly as she gave him an encouraging nod.

She didn’t speak, but her expression was clear—she believed he could do it.

He let out a bitter chuckle, then inhaled sharply, grabbed another arrow, and fired.

"Thwip!"

Another hit. The panda wobbled its head slightly but stayed firmly in place.

Refusing to give up, he shot again—only to miss entirely.

Staring at his last arrow, a wave of despair washed over him. It felt like his entire life—nothing ever worked out. Every challenge he faced, from the moment he crossed worlds, repeated in an endless cycle of failure.

He used to think persistence would eventually lead to success. But after countless defeats, that naive belief had long since shattered, leaving only confusion in its wake.

This helplessness was unbearable.

And now, it was worse than ever—because this time, he was carrying someone else’s hopes.

Failing alone was one thing. But letting others down? That was something he couldn’t accept.

"Haaah…"

He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and cleared his mind. When he opened them again, his resolve was steel.

In one fluid motion, he picked up the last arrow, drew the bow, and fired—but this time, his target wasn’t the panda.

It was the bunny beside it.

"Thud!"

The bunny toppled over instantly.

The stall owner froze.

So did Gu Ruoxue—before nodding in quiet approval.

"I want the panda."

Su Cheng’s voice was firm as he locked eyes with the owner.

From the start, the rule had been simple: Knock down any plush, and you can pick one. But once the owner realized Gu Ruoxue wanted the panda, he’d steered Su Cheng toward an impossible task.

Out of thirty-two attempts, he only hit the panda four times, yet it never fell—while the rabbit toppled with a single shot. It was blatantly rigged, and once he realized it, why would he keep aiming for the panda?

So, he chose to shoot the rabbit beside it instead.

Even after succeeding, though, he still wasn’t happy.

After all, he’d spent a hundred bucks to win a plush toy worth just a few dollars.

“Wow, impressive!”

The stall owner forced a dry laugh, said nothing more, and handed the panda to Su Cheng while taking back the bow and arrows.

Su Cheng accepted the panda, turned toward Gu Ruoxue, and handed it to her with a faint smile. “Here, for you.”

Though Gu Ruoxue’s face remained icy, her eyes flickered with an indescribable emotion. She sat up straight, took the panda with both hands, and hugged it against her chest, resting her chin on its fuzzy head.

“Thanks. See? You can do it.”

Hearing Gu Ruoxue’s praise, Su Cheng scratched his head awkwardly. “Spending a hundred bucks on a cheap plushie—what’s so impressive about that?”

“Even if the cost outweighed the reward, you still succeeded in the end. That’s worth celebrating.”

Gu Ruoxue glanced at him before lowering her gaze to the toy. “You’re not as hopeless as you claim. Success isn’t just about the result—it’s about the process. To me, this was you pushing forward.”

Her tone was indifferent, even cold, but to Su Cheng, it felt like a sudden revelation, giving him a flicker of confidence in himself.

“I get it now.”

“Get what?”

Gu Ruoxue looked up, puzzled.

Her tone made it seem like she’d been talking to the panda, not him.

“Huh? I—”

“You what? Let’s go.”

She shot him a glance over her shoulder before walking away.

Su Cheng opened his mouth but swallowed his words. With a sigh, he picked up his things and turned to glare at the stall owner. “You old scammer, just wait. Next time I come, I’ll make sure you lose your pants.”

The owner nearly wet himself in fright, ducking behind the counter to secretly call the police for help.

…Or at least, that’s how it could’ve gone.

In reality—

The owner just smirked at the sucker. His stall had plenty of rigged games and marketing tricks. So what if this kid saw through one?

Come back with more money anytime.

He wouldn’t even bat an eye.

“Kids these days—no sense of reality!”

The owner leisurely held up the hundred-yuan bill, checking its authenticity. Once confirmed, his face wrinkled into a grin. In a small town, making a hundred bucks by noon was a solid haul.

………………………………

At the school’s back-hill convenience store,

Su Cheng and Gu Ruoxue were building a cat shelter in the elderly shopkeeper’s yard. Meanwhile, the balding cat lounged in the old woman’s rocking chair, kneading her thighs with its tiny paws.

The sight left Su Cheng deeply aggrieved.

This cat had been vicious before—so why was it suddenly fawning over Granny, even massaging her legs? The sheer unfairness of it all was infuriating.

It acted sweet around Gu Ruoxue too, shedding all its previous scheming and ferocity.

But the moment he got close? Hissing, arched back, claws out—ready to unleash a flurry of paws.

He couldn’t figure it out.

He’d even tried bribing it with treats! But no, it’d rather scratch him. Was it that mad about the haircut?

“This cat clearly hates me. Maybe I should just stay away.”

Every time Su Cheng approached, the cat would catch his scent and go full battle mode—teeth bared, ready to pounce. Exasperated, he decided to keep his distance from the little baldy.

“Does running away solve anything?”

Gu Ruoxue side-eyed him, her voice cool.

“Then should I slap it silly? See if it still acts up!”

Su Cheng gritted his teeth. He’d tried being nice, but the cat just spat in his face.

And now Gu Ruoxue expected him to keep trying?

Being a simp was bad enough—but at least those guys were simping for people.

Was he really supposed to grovel to a cat?

No wonder he was pissed!

“Meow!”

As if sensing his threat, the balding cat suddenly leaped out from the shop, snarling.

“You see that?!”

Su Cheng jabbed a finger at the feline, appealing to Gu Ruoxue. “Today it’s hissing at me—tomorrow it’ll be eating children!”

His words only enraged the cat further. It charged, fangs glinting, poised to strike.

“Oh crap—!”

Su Cheng paled and bolted, but the cat chased him like it had unlocked turbo mode.

“I used Flash and it’s still chasing me?!”

He zigzagged desperately, yelling all the while.

Gu Ruoxue, meanwhile, stood by watching the chaos, making no move to help. After a while, she simply went back to arranging the cat shelter.

“Meow! MEOW!”

Finally, Su Cheng managed to grab the cat by the scruff and haul it over to Gu Ruoxue, panting.

“I surrender, okay? I won’t mess with it anymore—I’ll even get it a wig! Just make it stop.”

Gu Ruoxue took the cat and stroked it—but the moment it broke free, it launched a flurry of paws at Su Cheng, sending him stumbling back.

He was genuinely wronged here. The cat started it!

Luckily, Gu Ruoxue understood. She didn’t blame him, just kept soothing the cat until it finally calmed down—though it still bristled whenever Su Cheng got close.

Defeated, Su Cheng slumped onto a tiny stool in the corner, watching Gu Ruoxue and the cat cuddle and play.

“I give up. This baldy’s impossible. Don’t invite me next time.”

He was hurt. The cat attacked first, yet he was the one getting scolded.

But this time, after his outburst, the cat didn’t react. It just curled up in Gu Ruoxue’s arms, purring as she petted it.

“‘Balding cat’ sounds so harsh…”

Gu Ruoxue tilted her head, stroking the cat’s fur, lost in thought. Then, as if struck by inspiration, she suggested, “How about ‘Flerken’?”

Su Cheng blinked. “You spent that long thinking and landed on ‘Flerken’?”

Unfazed, she tried again. “Mr. Grumpkins.”

Still no reaction from the cat. Finally, she cradled it gently and murmured, “How about… Marmalade?”

“That’s the genius name you came up with?!” Su Cheng gaped at her.

"Is 'Little Yellow' not good enough?"

She retorted, then glanced at Su Cheng with indifference. "At least it's better than your weird name ideas."

"Weird names?"

Su Cheng bristled, immediately firing back with nonsense: "How are my names weird? They all have meaning behind them. For example, this cat is an orphan, a stray, and fast as the wind—now that you've adopted it, there's a saying: 'Even the swift wind finds its way home.' So we could name it—"

Just as he was about to blurt it out, he abruptly stopped. Gu Ruoxue was staring at him expectantly, her beautiful eyes wide, as if urging him to finish.

The sight made Su Cheng's heart pound wildly. Glancing at the cat's fur, he realized its story mirrored his own. Flustered, he backtracked: "Orange... yeah, let's call it Orange Cat."