Chapter 11: It Likes Her!
“Hello, express delivery.”
Su Wudeng hurried over to open the door. It was the equipment she had ordered yesterday.
“Just leave it inside, thank you.”
She figured it was time to visit the Great Prosperity Era again. The current litter of Snow Crystal cats was practically spoken for, and she hadn’t even figured out what the next wave of pets would be.
Su Wudeng sat at the table and opened the newly arrived cheese tea she had ordered, instantly filling the room with a rich, milky aroma.
The Snow Crystal cats, possessing an incredibly sharp sense of smell, immediately began crying out. “Meow! Meow!”
Su Wudeng shook her head helplessly. She walked over with a few bags of treats and patted the kittens. “You little gluttons.”
The most energetic kitten actually leaped right out of the incubator and landed squarely on Su Wudeng’s shoulder. It rubbed its furry little head against her cheek, purring like a tiny motor.
“Alright, alright, I know you’re the most impatient,” Su Wudeng laughed, gently scooping the kitten up and placing it back on the floor.
The moment she opened the treat bag, before she could even pour them out, the other kittens rushed over, swarming around her ankles.
“Don’t worry, everyone gets a share, I promise!”
Once Su Wudeng finished feeding them, she noticed a particularly timid little kitten hiding in the corner. It watched everything with wide, anxious eyes, not daring to step forward and compete with its siblings. Yet, it clearly wanted the treats; its tiny pink nose twitched in the air, completely torn between its fear and its hunger.
Su Wudeng recognized this one. It was the smallest of the litter, and by far the most faint-hearted. Perhaps that was why when Coco and Chu Yansen were choosing their kittens, this little one had watched with longing eyes but ultimately stayed back.
She called out softly, “Come here, little guy. Don’t be afraid.”
But the kitten remained glued to its corner, too terrified to budge.
Su Wudeng slowly approached, pouring a few treats into her palm and extending her hand. The irresistible aroma finally won out over the kitten’s fear. It hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to step forward, delicately licking the treats from her hand and eating with immense relish.
“Good boy,” Su Wudeng murmured, gently stroking its head and feeling its velvety fur. “Remember, when you find someone you like, you have to take the initiative.”
The kitten let out a couple of soft meows. Who knew if it actually understood?
Meanwhile, over at the Iron Wolf War Pet Shop.
Xiaowei and her boyfriend had managed to snap a photo of Su Wudeng receiving her mechanical pet delivery.
Xiaowei swiped through the photos on her phone, letting out a sharp, mocking laugh. “She claims her shop only sells real pets, yet she’s secretly buying mechanical units behind everyone’s back. Talk about a complete hypocrite.”
What infuriated her most was that her supposed ‘good friend’ Su Wudeng had somehow acquired real Snow Crystal cats and hadn’t said a single word to her. Was she still throwing a tantrum? Xiaowei had clearly been looking out for her best interests.
Her boyfriend, Zhao Zhengzhi, had a dark expression. They had originally planned to host their grand opening yesterday and had even rolled out a massive promotional video. But out of nowhere, the popularity of another video had skyrocketed, completely crushing their launch and forcing them to pull back in disgrace to reschedule. What made it even more infuriating was learning that the viral video had been uploaded by Su Wudeng right across the street!
He finally realized why she had steadfastly refused to sell her shop—she had somehow found a source for authentic pets.
How could Zhao Zhengzhi tolerate being upstaged like this? He immediately dropped a massive amount of cash to hire an army of internet trolls to smear Su Wudeng’s shop at all costs.
But he was calculated about it. He didn’t want to just throw money away; he wanted to use the controversy to drum up hype for his own store. The angle he provided to the trolls was simple: “These living pets are weak and fragile. They can’t possibly compare to cold, durable, high-powered mechanical beasts!”
The strategy worked perfectly. Backed by heavy funding, the trolls flooded the internet, causing the public perception of the Snow Crystal Cat video to plummet. The initial wave of praise was instantly buried under a mountain of harsh criticism.
But Zhao Zhengzhi wasn’t satisfied yet.
“Expose the fact that she’s buying mechanical pets!” he ordered. “The controversy is at a boiling point. It’s time to cash in.”
He turned to his girlfriend with a cold smile. “Xiaowei, tell the trolls to pivot. Start aggressively promoting the ‘Silver Moon Wolf 9000’ series I invested in.”
The Silver Moon Wolf 9000 was a masterpiece clad in silver-white titanium alloy armor, sporting claws that could easily tear through solid steel plates. He had dropped a staggering five million credits to secure these cutting-edge units. In a remote sector like this, it was a total dimensionality reduction strike.
“Also, launch a massive grand opening promotion! Ten percent off everything in the store!” Zhao Zhengzhi sneered fiercely. “I refuse to believe a few fragile cats can compete with my Silver Moon Wolves!”
He wouldn’t rest until Su Wudeng’s shop was pushed into complete bankruptcy. Only then would his fury be appeased, leaving his Iron Wolf War Pet Shop as the undisputed king of the pet street.
Back at Pet Love Home, Su Wudeng finished packing her gear.
“System, initiate traversal!”
In the blink of an eye, she stepped back into the Great Prosperity Era. Even though this was her third time visiting, the ethereal, fairyland-like landscape still took her breath away.
“First things first, I need to choose a good spot to set up base.”
She scouted the immediate perimeter, careful not to wander too deep into unfamiliar territory, before finally settling on a beautiful waterfront location. A crystal-clear stream meandered right past what would be her front door. Under the pristine sky, the water sparkled beautifully. A lush forest stood a short distance away, its ancient trees filling the morning air with a crisp, revitalizing scent.
Taking a deep breath, Su Wudeng felt a profound lightness wash over her entire body. Satisfied, she began deploying her new home.
Calling it “building” was an overstatement; it was simply a matter of selecting the coordinates and activating the equipment. Within moments, a simple, incredibly comfortable titanium steel cabin materialized along the stream.
She decided to christen the place with a little celebration. Ever since transmigrating into this world, her life had been a non-stop blur of stress and survival. She had almost forgotten how to actually enjoy life.
She set up a small wooden table in front of the cabin and laid out an afternoon tea spread. The aroma of freshly baked bread drifted through the air, blending perfectly with the rich fragrance of freshly brewed black tea.
Su Wudeng took a slow sip, letting her muscles completely relax. Looking out at the breathtaking scenery, she closed her eyes contentedly.
“Now this is living.”
Meanwhile, at the edge of the nearby forest.
A creature that looked remarkably like a husky suddenly jolted awake from its nap. It shared the classic husky markings—striking blue eyes paired with a sharp black-and-white coat. But strangely, it carried a gleaming, full-sized longsword strapped to its back.
The husky sniffed the air, its eyes lighting up instantly.
What is that incredible smell? I’m absolutely starving!
It let out a sharp bark, causing a small squirrel to poke its head out from a nearby tree trunk. The squirrel let out a chattering laugh. “You lazy bum! You have got to be the absolute laziest creature in the entire Sword Heart Husky clan!”
“All you do is lounge around all day instead of hunting for food. What are you doing, waiting for meat to fall from the sky?”
The husky rolled onto its back, sticking all four paws straight up into the air. “You’re just narrow-minded. Why exhaust yourself working hard all day when you can just eat enough to get by? My ultimate goal in life is to achieve the dream of eating while lying down!”
The squirrel scoffed disdainfully. “Eating while lying down? Don’t make me laugh. If you don’t go hunt right now, you’re going to starve to death.” With a flick of its tail, the squirrel vanished back into its tree hollow.
The husky, however, considered itself far superior. Ignoring the squirrel, it sat up and intensely focused on tracking the savory scent drifting through the trees.
“No way, this smells way too good. I have to check it out!”
Scrambling to its feet, the stout canine trotted purposefully toward the source of the aroma, the longsword on its back swaying rhythmically with every step.
Back at Pet Love Home.
Su Wudeng had handed the shop keys over to Coco and Chu Yansen before leaving. Since she currently had zero inventory to sell, the two of them were perfectly content just hanging out in the back room playing with their reserved kittens.
This was Coco’s first time meeting Chu Yansen, but she had taken an instant liking to the handsome older brother. Crucially, they shared a massive obsession with the Snow Crystal cats and loved taking endless photos of them.
“Brother Chu, look! This is how Xiaoxue looked when she was sleeping yesterday,” Coco said proudly, flashing her phone screen. “Isn’t she the cutest thing ever?” She had officially named her kitten Xiaoxue.
Chu Yansen smiled warmly, nodding in agreement. “Incredibly cute. Look at this one—I caught a video of Snowball drinking milk yesterday.” On the screen, the tiny kitten clumsily wrestled with the feeding bottle, occasionally biting the plastic rim.
Coco watched, completely captivated, before letting out a soft sigh. “I’m just really worried I won’t be a good pet mom. They’re so tiny and fragile…”
Her words struck a chord with Chu Yansen. Honestly, his own knowledge of the Snow Crystal cats was just as limited as Su Wudeng’s. Why didn’t he compile a comprehensive care guide?
Right then, the front doorbell chimed.
“Hello, is anyone…”
A young woman pushed the door open, freezing when she saw a handsome man and a little girl standing in the shop. Her voice cut off abruptly. What’s going on? Wasn’t the shop owner supposed to be a young woman?
Chu Yansen stood up politely. “The shop owner stepped out to handle some business. Can I help you?”
The woman recovered her composure. “Oh, hello. I’m Zhong Huihui. I spoke with Shopkeeper Su about adopting a kitten, so I came over as discussed.”
The moment she finished introducing herself, her gaze locked onto the kittens playing nearby. Her inner voice screamed in absolute ecstasy: An authentic, living Snow Crystal Cat! Oh my God, they’re so incredibly precious!
After receiving the shopkeeper’s message yesterday, she had made an instant decision, immediately buying a ticket to travel to this planet. Seeing the kittens in person, she knew it was the best decision she had ever made.
Coco’s eyes lit up. Another future cat owner! She skipped over and took Zhong Huihui by the hand. “Big sis, are you here to get a cat too? Come on over, let’s take care of them together! Let me introduce everyone to you.”
“Look, this one is mine, Xiaoxue.”
“And that one over there belongs to Brother Chu, Snowball.”
“Which one do you like?”
Zhong Huihui squatted down, following Coco’s guidance to gently stroke a kitten’s head. The tiny creature let out a contented purr, leaning heavily into her palm.
“So soft… So warm…”
She loved the Snow Crystal cats with every fiber of her being. But looking at her surroundings, a wave of self-doubt hit her. A man like Mr. Chu was clearly filthy rich, and Coco’s family seemed very well-off. She, on the other hand, was just an ordinary corporate worker. Would the shopkeeper really allow someone like her to adopt such a rare, precious creature?
She watched with a trace of envy as Coco and Chu Yansen began preparing feeding bottles for their respective kittens.
When she snapped out of her thoughts, she realized a slightly smaller Snow Crystal Cat had padded over to her feet at some point. It was staring up at her with massive, unblinking eyes, carefully extending a tiny paw to hook onto her pant leg.
Zhong Huihui’s heart rate spiked instantly.
“It looks like it really likes you,” Chu Yansen noted with a warm smile.
An uncontrollable smile broke across her face. She gently rubbed the kitten’s soft belly, whispering softly, “I like you too, little guy. I wish I could be your owner. I promise I’ll give you all the love in the world.”
“Meow~”
As if understanding her vow, the kitten leaned its head forward, eagerly rubbing against her hand.
It was the weakest and most anxious cub of the entire litter, usually completely overshadowed by its bolder siblings. But it had mustered up every ounce of its courage to walk over to Zhong Huihui.
Because its shopkeeper mom had told it: When you find someone you like, you have to take the initiative.
It liked her!
