The System Mistook Me for a Cat

Secretary Qiu was about to follow when the car behind them also came to a halt. Someone pushed the door open, and a few people naturally positioned themselves behind Chu Tingwu, leaving Secretary Qiu with no space to stand.

He: "..."

He wanted to move to the front but couldn’t find the right moment—and he hadn’t even told Chu Tingwu which private room they were in. Yet, Chu Tingwu led the group straight to the room without needing any guidance.

Secretary Qiu had initially assumed those people were just passersby, but one of them opened the private room door for Chu Tingwu.

Inside the room were Shen Yue and Jian Ling.

As the door opened, Shen Yue instinctively turned his head and saw his biological daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

Chu Tingwu unbuttoned her coat, one hand in her pocket, walking at the front. When she looked over, her expression was indifferent.

But Shen Yue was stunned.

He had been keeping up with his daughter’s news online—after all, Chu Tingwu’s trending topics weren’t for nothing—but the last time they met in person was at her grandmother’s funeral. Since then, they hadn’t even chosen the same time to visit the grave.

He had heard all sorts of rumors: that Chu Tingwu was funded by a wealthy patron and didn’t need his money, that she had started a company and made a fortune, that she had befriended influential people… He didn’t know how true these rumors were, but it was clear that his daughter no longer needed his help.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Last year, when his relationship with Jian Ling fell apart, he was emotionally distraught. One night, drunk, he called Chu Tingwu, but she didn’t answer.

So he had Secretary Qiu stop sending her living expenses.

Perhaps, at the time, he harbored the thought that she might come back to him… but as time passed, he simply forgot about it.

Now, seeing Chu Tingwu again, Shen Yue fell silent:

For the first time, he realized with clarity that Chu Tingwu was moving forward and would never come back to him.

Shen Yue suddenly felt a profound sense of disillusionment.

Jian Ling greeted Chu Tingwu with a smile. She seemed much more spirited than she had been in Chewan City. Chu Tingwu knew she had passed her exams and would soon be heading abroad once the final handover was complete.

Moreover, the system had reciprocated her efforts by arranging a safer residence and a reliable agent for her.

However, while Shen Yue remained inexplicably silent, Chu Tingwu noticed that her cousin—or rather, the man standing next to her—was giving Shen Yue a rather hostile look.

Chu Mojiang, the eldest cousin, was already forty-nine, a year older than Shen Yue, but according to family hierarchy, he had to address Shen Yue as “Uncle.”

…Perhaps this familial hierarchy also gave him an unusual sense of authority.

Because the first thing he said was, “Mr. Shen, hello. I’m the lawyer representing the concerned party.”

Chu Tingwu: “→_→”

Shen Yue: “?”

Meanwhile, Yue Miao helped Chu Tingwu adjust her clothes, and together with Jian Ling, they discussed the menu. The driver, standing at the back, pretended to be a bodyguard, barely containing his excitement as he tried to add to the young boss’s imposing presence.

Caught in the middle of it all, Chu Tingwu: “←_←”

As her cousin began to argue with her biological father, Chu Tingwu lowered her head and started nibbling on a shrimp. This cousin of hers was no ordinary man—a lawyer of his caliber wouldn’t normally handle such trivial cases. He wasn’t here to discuss legal matters; he had come to celebrate with Chu Tingwu after her exams.

Chu Mojiang was Chu Xiao’s maternal uncle, and he adored the smart kids in the family.

So when he discovered that Shen Yue hadn’t come to see Chu Tingwu after her exams but had coincidentally chosen today, he couldn’t hold back his anger:

“How can you call yourself a father?”

Shen Yue: “?”

Wait, you’re just a lawyer. What does this have to do with you?

Ignoring the baffling “lawyer,” Shen Yue turned directly to Chu Tingwu: “Some kids out there don’t even have enough to eat or wear, but I’ve never mistreated you, have I? Whatever you wanted, I gave it to you. You’ve never lacked money, and you’ll inherit a share of the family’s wealth—after all, you’re my biological daughter. Chu Tingwu, I’ll cut to the chase. I came here to ask you one thing: why would you rather follow your stepmother than stay with me?”

Perhaps he had originally intended to say something else, but now he only wanted an answer to this question.

Compared to other children’s lives, Chu Tingwu had it good. Shen Yue prided himself on being generous when it came to money—if she asked for something, he never refused.

Chu Tingwu glanced at her cousin, who was suppressing his anger, then at Jian Ling, who remained calm, and finally at Shen Yue, her biological father, with whom she no longer shared a blood connection.

He genuinely didn’t understand.

His son was with his ex-wife, and over time, it was natural for them to grow distant. His younger daughter, raised by her mother, was still young, so it made sense for her to stay with her mother—but Chu Tingwu had been raised by her grandmother and had no ties to her stepmother. Why would she choose to follow her stepmother instead?

If the custody rights were still technically his, then at least there should have been a connection between Chu Tingwu and her grandmother…

“At least there’s still a bond between me and Grandma, right?” Chu Tingwu unexpectedly voiced his thoughts. “But the connection between me and Grandma doesn’t need you to mediate.”

Her cousin assumed Chu Tingwu was referring to the Chu family, but he didn’t know that Chu Tingwu was actually saying she and her grandmother no longer shared a blood connection—on the day her grandmother was buried, she had ceased to be her biological relative. But perhaps family didn’t need to be defined by blood.

It was precisely because that connection was gone that she realized it didn’t matter.

Because Three-Five-Five could also be her mother, the system could also be her family, and Grandma would always be her Grandma, even if she had been adopted. Grandma would have wanted to be her Grandma.

She knew that.

She also knew: “You’re not a bad person.”

Shen Yue: “...”

Chu Tingwu: “You’ve never broken the law, you pay your taxes on time, and you even do charity work.”

Apart from his personal flaws, Shen Yue had no major faults. In fact, in the eyes of most people, he was an outstanding individual—if he weren’t, Lu Cenyin wouldn’t have married him in the first place.

Even now, he was a charming, handsome middle-aged man.

Back in school, he had been intelligent and studious, a son his grandmother could be proud of. He was loyal to his friends, successful in his career, and well-regarded by his business partners. When he was pursuing Lu Cenyin, he had been the perfect boyfriend—until shortly after Chu Tingwu was born, when problems began to arise in their relationship.

Chu Tingwu: “You’re not flawed… you just love yourself more.”

Chu Tingwu had once wondered if she had done something wrong. As she grew older, she could still recall bits of her childhood—how she would sit quietly when her parents argued, how Lu Cenyin had promised her ice cream after a doctor’s visit but didn’t buy it on the way home.

But she gradually came to understand—that the “love” others give you isn’t all that important.

Because everyone can only accompany you for a part of your life. And as long as you have the capacity to love others, you’ll never lack people who love you.

The system had told Chu Tingwu that her parents had loved her when she was first born, even showing her hospital surveillance footage, though Chu Tingwu hadn’t watched it.

So, Shen Yue and Lu Cenyin had indeed been there for Chu Tingwu at the beginning, followed by her brother, her grandmother, the system, Three-Five-Five…

She and her biological parents had long since drifted apart, and there was no need for a formal goodbye.

Shen Yue didn’t want to make the situation any more awkward, so the custody transfer to Jian Ling went smoothly.

Neither side finished the meal, but after leaving, Chu Tingwu called Lu Cenyin to report that her league exams were over. Lu Cenyin congratulated her as usual.

Then, at the company—

Man Xing: “Should we throw an early celebration? Maybe organize a raffle or something?”

Lian Tong nodded: “Some colleagues haven’t even seen the main office’s entrance.”

Chu Tingwu: “Can we at least try to keep it low-key…”

She had just finished the league exams; the results weren’t even out yet. It wasn’t like she had made it to the national team!

Man Xing, holding White Beard, tried to argue with the boss:

“But finishing the exams is worth celebrating! Regardless of the results, it’s a turning point in life… I never even made it to the competition class when I was in school…”

Besides, this was the last “provincial league” Chu Tingwu could participate in.

Chu Tingwu: "=="

So isn’t today also worth celebrating? Because she’ll never have another day like this in her life.

Man Xing thought she was right.

Chu Tingwu thought they just wanted an excuse to hand out bonuses.

The system thought that giving out bonuses in exchange for the employees’ blessings for Chu Tingwu’s exam results was a pretty good deal.

...And so, this "year-end party" that wasn’t tied to any holiday was scheduled for the day Chu Tingwu’s competition results came out.

It was still a very ordinary day, with very ordinary weather, but because the company was somewhat unique, employees—whether attending the celebration remotely or in person at the Jin City headquarters—were allowed to bring their cats and dogs along!

As the guest of honor, Chu Tingwu squatted in a corner, staring thoughtfully at the black cat trying to mount the Ragdoll beside it:

Who am I? Where am I? Is this something I’m allowed to witness?

Three-Five-Five lay beside her, letting out a "meow" before turning her head away, completely unfazed by the mating behavior happening nearby.

It wasn’t until the black cat’s owner came over to pull the cat away, and the Ragdoll’s owner came to scoop up their pet.

Ragdoll’s owner: "Mine’s a male!"

Black cat’s owner: "Mine’s also a male…"

Well, as fellow males, they could let bygones be bygones.

Man Xing also found the boss in the corner and said, "The results are out!"

—Chu Tingwu had placed fourth in the provincial exam. Shannan Province didn’t have a provincial team selection process; the top ten directly entered the provincial team. She would join the other nine to compete in the national exam two months later.

-

America, Yarman Neuroscience Laboratory.

The head of the lab, Andis, was puzzled: "What are you all so happy about?"

A subordinate laughed: "Boss, we got an extra month’s bonus."

Andis had been so busy lately that he hadn’t noticed, but now that his subordinate mentioned it, he realized that yes, the wealthy investor who had joined the lab was indeed generous... though this time, it seemed to be for a different reason:

"'Warmly celebrating Chu Tingwu’s achievement of placing fourth in this year’s Shannan Province Biology Competition and winning the provincial first prize, successfully joining the provincial team!' What is this?"

This rustic banner hung outside the lab, and when translated, it seemed to refer to a young girl who had placed fourth in a statewide biology exam, which was also the reason they had received the bonus.

Andis: "..."

Andis: "?"

Did they call everyone here just for this? He knew a bit about this exam—one of his former students from the East had even won an international gold medal... It seemed like Easterners took these exams to secure better educational opportunities. If that was the case, he could just take this child on as his student directly.

But the system refused.

The system was delighted: "Don’t mess things up!"

The child still had the national exam, university, and many more milestones to celebrate! Why was this guy causing trouble? Was his work done? Get back to work!

Andis: "........"

Hey!