ALL NOVEL Chapter 5: Still Pretending?
Xue Jing's expression was somewhat peculiar.
"Has this cat never learned how regular cats call? How is it so squeaky?"
"What are you pretending for?"
Xue Jing inserted his hands under the cat's front legs, lifting it up to meet his gaze.
The cat wore an innocent and naive expression, just like any ordinary kitten.
"…"
"You can speak human, can't you?"
Xue Jing was open and straightforward, planning to have a heart-to-heart talk with the cat. What exactly was it, why could it speak, what was that platinum tail ring about, and how could they find something similar? Why had this extraordinary talking cat fallen to the point of nearly being shattered in the world of stray cats?
However, the cat in front of him looked utterly innocent, as if it didn't understand a word, posing just like an ordinary cat with nothing special about it.
"Meow~~"
"Stop pretending. I've heard everything. Speak up."
"Meow?"
"As long as you speak, you can have as many little fish snacks as you want."
"Meow~"
The cat licked its paw, remaining indifferent.
Xue Jing raised an eyebrow, "Still pretending?"
Xue Jing placed the cat on his lap, holding its scruff with one hand while the other reached towards the base of its tail.
This was one of the most nerve-dense areas on a cat's body. Most cats loved being petted there and would arch their backs instinctively.
Xue Jing's fingers moved deftly, scratching the fur at the tail's base. Immediately, the little black cat's eyes widened.
"Meow!!!"
It let out a cry that could almost be described as tragic, its hips lifting high as if against its will. Its limbs began to struggle, yet Xue Jing held its neck firmly, rendering it immobile except for its continuous meowing.
After a while, Xue Jing ceased his actions. By then, the cat had given up the fight, slumped on Xue Jing's thigh, completely weak, tongue lolling out, eyes rolled back, panting heavily as if utterly worn out.
However, despite this ordeal, it never uttered a single coherent word, maintaining its semblance of an ordinary little kitty.
Even Xue Jing was starting to doubt himself.
Could the divine extraction ability from the skill panel have stripped it of its knack for human speech? Had it truly become just a regular cat?
If it weren't for that distinctly pinched "meow" it let out upon waking, Xue Jing might have believed it.
Yet Xue Jing truly had no way to deal with it.
As long as the cat refused to engage him in genuine, open conversation and insisted on pretending, he couldn't very well resort to torture to force it to speak.
Especially after just benefiting from its previous help, Xue Jing's moral flexibility wouldn't allow him to go that far.
Shaking his head, he spoke, "Alright then, we'll leave it at that for now. Are you hungry?"
The cat responded with a feeble "meow."
Xue Jing took that as a yes.
Xue Jing placed the cat on the sofa, then stood up and went to the kitchen to fetch a large bowl. Returning to the table, he tore open the supermarket bag, took out the pack of cat food, ripped it open, and poured the contents into the bowl.
He set the bowl filled with cat food in front of the cat, fully expecting the poor creature, likely having suffered much among stray cats, to devour it immediately.
To his surprise, the cat merely glanced at the food, clicked its tongue, and decisively turned its head away, showing not the slightest interest in even a second look.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Xue Jing’s heart was stirred.
This reaction... was very odd.
It wasn’t the typical picky cat disdaining unappetizing food; rather, it seemed as though the food in front of it wasn't even considered part of its diet.
A flash of inspiration crossed Xue Jing's mind, and suddenly, he understood.
Perhaps he had been mistaken from the start.
He recalled what the cat had said earlier.
"I didn’t expect... the world of stray cats... to be so harsh."
The first possibility was that it was a house cat, never having strayed outside, hence unfamiliar with the world of strays.
It was upon hearing that statement, coupled with its apparent weakness capable of being bullied by stray cats, that Xue Jing instinctively perceived it as just a cat that, due to unknown reasons, had learned to speak.
But there was another possibility... It was unfamiliar with the stray life and could speak human language, not because it was a cat, but because it was some kind of creature in the guise of a cat.
The most plausible being... a human.
Xue Jing narrowed his eyes, said nothing more, turned, and went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner for the day.
Once he left the living room, the cat, oblivious to Xue Jing's deductions from its inadvertent actions, immediately stood up from the sofa.
It leapt to the ground, stealthily crawled to the corner leading from the living room to the kitchen, and cautiously peeked out with half its feline head to confirm that Xue Jing was indeed busy cooking, then sighed with relief.
"I didn't expect him to hear me speak earlier."
The cat was somewhat troubled, its tail flicking as it gazed at the ring on its tail.
"GOD-1391: Cat Tail Ring... That scoundrel! After pocketing so much money, he didn't even bother to clearly explain this artifact's specific effects. I transformed and now I can't change back!"
The cat displayed a very human-like expression of gritted teeth.
After a brief moment of impotent rage, the cat refocused its thoughts and glanced at the surroundings of the house.
"This is a perfect hiding spot. The people from the security company would never imagine I've turned into a cat and am hiding in an ordinary person's home."
Recalling its experiences being chased and bitten in stray cats' territories, it shuddered.
"I'll stay here and wait until I've mastered this divine artifact and can transform back, then I'll leave."
The cat plotted inwardly.
"But... to keep this kind-hearted boy from getting involved, I'll just act like a regular cat."
It understood all too well that such a compassionate person, willing to take home a talking cat, would easily become entangled if they developed feelings. From the start, this possibility must be cut off.
Without communication, there would be minimal involvement. Once the time is right, it would simply disappear without a trace, never to cross paths again.
"Even though he's already heard me speak, it doesn't matter. It's all just his imagination. All I need is for him to think he's just a cat-loving boy who imagines his cats talking!"
"As long as I don’t admit it, and keep pretending to be an ordinary cat, no one can expose me!"
Determined in its heart, the cat nodded with satisfaction, its tail perked up excitedly, swaying back and forth.
Xue Jing busied himself in the kitchen for quite a while, preparing three simple home-cooked dishes: spicy stir-fried beef, bitter melon scrambled eggs, and tomato pork soup.
[You’ve completed a dish, Culinary Experience +20]
[You’ve completed a dish, Culinary Experience +21]
[You’ve completed a dish, Culinary Experience +20]
[Culinary Lv2]
Xue Jing opened the refrigerator, took out the leftover rice from yesterday, portioned it into two bowls, and heated it in the microwave. Once warmed, he placed them all on the dining table.
He didn't say a word and started eating from one of the bowls of rice.
Meanwhile, the cat, having been hungry for two days and planning to force itself to eat cat food, stared blankly at the delicious and aromatic dishes on the table.
The enticing aroma seemed to turn into a little hand, leading it by the nose, pulling it closer to the dining table without even noticing it had knocked over its bowl of kibble.
By the time it came to its senses, it found itself sitting upright at the table, right in front of the other bowl of white rice that Xue Jing had brought out.
Awkwardly, it turned its head and found the handsome young man shoveling rice into his mouth while giving it a knowing look, as if to say, ‘Still playing dumb?’
The classroom buzzed with an undercurrent of mischief as Xue Jing settled into his usual seat, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
His eyes darted around, spotting Du Shiwei engrossed in an animated discussion with Chu Minyi about the latest supernatural phenomena making rounds on social media.
"Have you ever seen anything stranger than a talking cat?" Du Shiwei's voice carried a layer of excitement that hushed the room, drawing curious gazes from nearby classmates.
Xue Jing chuckled softly, aware of the feline secret purring comfortably by his feet, maintaining its facade of being an ordinary pet.
Nearby, Guan Yingzhi whispered conspiratorially to Li Ge, "I heard rumors about a sorcerer who's been casting spells around town. You think it’s got something to do with a certain furry friend we know?"
The class's geography teacher entered, clearing his throat loudly to garner attention.
Order slowly restored, the cat's ears twitched, pretending to nap while remaining alert for the faintest hint of trouble.
Xue Wan, always perceptive, shot a knowing look at Xue Jing. "You've been spending a lot of time with that cat lately," she teased softly, causing the cat to flick its tail in mock irritation.
As the lecture proceeded, the unnamed bald old man at the back took fervent notes, his eyes occasionally drifting towards the window, drawn by the allure of mischievous whispers of magic in the air.
Meanwhile, beneath a desk, a student recorder discreetly taped the ongoing lecture, capturing the chorus of youthful ambition and unguarded secret-sharing.