“Meow—!” The little cub, Yuanyuan, let out a startled cry, her voice echoing like that of a frightened kitten.

From the darkness of the grass below, a fat tabby cat lazily emerged and plopped down, squinting its eyes in a manner that screamed disdain.

“What’s this? A human scared of a cat? How pathetic,” the tabby cat seemed to mutter with a look of utter contempt on its feline face.

It was the same voice from before!

Yuanyuan stood frozen in place, staring at the tabby cat for a long moment before she realized… the one talking was the cat!

“How can you talk?!” Yuanyuan gasped in shock.

The tabby cat paused its grooming, lifting its paw mid-lick. Its expression shifted slightly at her words. “Huh? You can understand me?”

“Yeah! You’re amazing! Are you a magical creature too?” Yuanyuan scooted closer, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“What’s with the ‘too’?” The tabby cat, clearly intelligent, immediately honed in on the keyword. “Wait… are you a magical creature?”

Yuanyuan nodded enthusiastically. “I used to be a snowball kitty, but when I came to this world, I turned into a person!”

The tabby cat stared at her, silent, its face showing complete disbelief and disdain.

Though Yuanyuan wasn’t the best at reading the room, she could at least read expressions. “You don’t believe me, do you!”

“Then why don’t you turn me into a human and prove it?” the tabby cat challenged, its tone full of righteous indignation.

Yuanyuan’s eyes went wide in shock. She stood there, dumbfounded.

Seeing her hesitation, the tabby cat smugly resumed licking its paw, clearly expecting this outcome. “You know, if you keep hiding here, you’re going to get caught. I’ve seen plenty of people get found in this exact spot—there’s a big hole down there. Anyone who crouches down can see you clear as day.”

Yuanyuan quickly crouched lower and peeked beneath the bushes. Sure enough, there was a large hole!

Wearing a white dress, she stood out like a beacon against the green grass. No wonder she’d be easy to spot.

“Where should I hide then?” Yuanyuan asked, her voice tinged with panic.

“I guess I’ll do you a favor and show you,” the tabby cat grumbled. Its raspy voice and slow, deliberate movements gave it the air of an old, seasoned warrior—a real big brother of the streets.

After weaving through twists and turns, the tabby cat led Yuanyuan to a hidden nook behind a stone wall. The narrow crevice was dimly lit, and lush greenery spilled down from the top, dotted with clusters of tiny white flowers. Yuanyuan tucked herself in, disappearing into the wall of flowers as if she were part of the scene.

“Thank you!” Yuanyuan beamed, now safely hidden. She immediately tried to befriend her new companion. “What’s your name?”

The tabby cat lazily sprawled on the grass, yawning widely. “I’m a cat.”

Yuanyuan: “…”

It wasn’t often that someone could leave little Yuanyuan speechless.

“Don’t you have a name?” she asked again, not giving up.

The tabby cat shot her a sideways glance. “I’m a stray. I’m not like those pampered house cats with no dignity. Why would I have a name? Getting a name is the first step to being domesticated. I refuse—”

“Then I’ll call you ‘Dahua’!” Yuanyuan interrupted cheerfully, resting her chin on her hands as she smiled up at him. “You seem really strong, and your fur is all speckled and stripey like flowers. Dahua sounds powerful, don’t you think?”

“Did you even listen to what I just said?” The tabby cat flashed its sharp claws, about to give the little human cub a lesson about not casually naming stray cats.

But when it turned its head to face her, it was met with Yuanyuan’s warm, innocent gaze. Her smile radiated like the soft sunshine of a spring morning, making the cat feel suddenly… lazy.

The tabby cat hesitated, then reluctantly sheathed its claws, tucking its paws underneath itself. With a deep, gruff voice, it mumbled, “Fine.”

After all, she was so cute, letting her give him a name didn’t seem so bad after all.