The System Mistook Me for a Cat

The friendly match was scheduled for six in the evening. Most of the visitors who had received the notification, along with reminders from the cats, had already made their way to the spectator area.

The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, with the wind rolling over the grass like waves in a green sea. Some people stood, while others simply sat cross-legged on the ground. At first, many were not accustomed to this environment where there were no ticket sellers, no human staff, and almost everything was handled through interactions with machines.

Most people wondered: If there’s no human service, who should I turn to for help or answers to my questions?

But they soon discovered that the projected cats had taken over the role of "human service," handling guidance, companionship, and answering questions. The AI was responsive, with almost no lag in conversations, and it was subtly guiding—

The visitors didn’t feel like they were being led by the cats to make decisions. For some, it was because these cats were the ones they had raised in the game, watching them grow little by little. Since the conversations didn’t break character, of course, they wanted to talk to the cats more and record every interaction.

For others, who were guided by randomly generated cats, they became even more attached. They noticed that the cats never mentioned anything about "shopping," which made them worry about the cats’ "performance metrics." Even though it was explained that these guide cats were data-generated, after spending half a day with them, how could they bear to see the data "destroyed"? Just today alone, dozens of visitors had approached the staff to ask what would happen to the guide cats after their work was done:

"Are they not disposable data, right?"

Sheng Anli, who was resting nearby and watching her colleagues hard at work, thought: This is… terrifying.

Her colleague maintained an almost unchanging smile and recited a line they had repeated many times: "Your request has been forwarded to our superiors. Rest assured, the cats’ data will not be directly destroyed. They may be reassigned. If you’re interested, please follow our official account. Once you’ve registered your feedback, we’ll notify you of any updates."

Chu Tingwu: "Disposable data… it’s not really destruction, is it? With so much random data, new cats can be generated for new visitors anyway."

It was precisely for the visitors’ enjoyable experience that these data cats were created. They weren’t advanced AI like the system; they appeared lively but were essentially following a set of underlying logic.

The system asked Chu Tingwu if they should explain it to the visitors like this in a couple of days:

[It’s still in the pool, you just didn’t draw it out~]

Chu Tingwu: That sounds a bit too much like pushing for in-game purchases, doesn’t it?

Would that make the visitors feel compelled to come back again and again?

She fell silent for a moment. The friendly match had already begun its warm-up phase, and the map slowly appeared. Some visitors stood up to get a better view.

The atmosphere was lively but not chaotic, with human voices blending seamlessly with electronic sounds. Chu Tingwu noticed that even though the area was a bit crowded, no one stepped on the cats.

Chu Tingwu: "An animation, maybe…"

Her voice was drowned out by the surrounding cheers, but the system always heard her clearly.

Chu Tingwu’s thoughts were simple: Perhaps the visitors were just caught up in the moment. Maybe, after a while, the image of these "cats" in their hearts would be replaced by other random data. But since, at this moment, they wished for their existence, why not make this feeling last a little longer?

Let’s create a simple animated series about "cats living on a ranch."

The system was always ready to cheer for Chu Tingwu’s decisions. The moment she proposed the idea, it immediately started preparing. In fact, the entire animation could be "drawn" by the system itself. But after hearing its plan, Chu Tingwu stopped it.

"Let’s watch the match first," she said with a smile. "The animation isn’t urgent."

The friendly match on the stage was in full swing. To enhance the viewing experience and immersion, and to ensure the participants (many of whom were ordinary people who had never been on stage before) didn’t regret their decision, the voices of the projected characters were the original voice lines from the game. Players could choose lines to say, but once the match started, they couldn’t use their own voices—

Otherwise, someone might blurt out a curse in the heat of the moment, and with so many children in the audience, it would be awkward.

As Chu Tingwu stood at the back watching the match, a few people sneaked up behind her.

They crept closer, and one of them held up a handful of air and placed it on Chu Tingwu’s head.

Chu Tingwu: "…"

Shao Lingwu: "Did she see us but pretended not to notice, letting us put it on her? Or was she really too focused on the match to see us?"

Chu Xiao: "Of course she knew we were behind her. She just didn’t bother turning around because she could take all three of us down with one hand."

Zhou Qiang: "If you keep talking like that, you’re really going to get taken down with one hand… We carried this crown all the way here, and someone isn’t even acknowledging it!"

Chu Tingwu turned around.

The crown fell and disappeared the moment it hit the ground.

Because it was just a projection.

Chu Tingwu: "=="

The three: "==!"

Chu Tingwu: "I’ll compensate…?"

Why was this crown so easy to disappear? Who came up with the idea that it would vanish upon touching the ground?!

The system: "Oh, that’s the daily champion reward from the neighboring Xuetong district. The crown is supposed to float above the winner’s head—but you suggested adding a little easter egg, that if the winner didn’t want the crown and gave it to someone else, it would become ‘very heavy’ and easily fall off, even if untouched."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Because it didn’t belong to them!

Chu Tingwu: …So it was me all along. ==

The group wasn’t too concerned about the crown, though Shao Lingwu was a bit disappointed. They squeezed in next to Chu Tingwu, and soon, cheers and screams erupted from the front as the projections’ glow overshadowed the starlight. Before long, a warm cat head squeezed between Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang.

Three-Five-Five rested its paws on their laps, looking perfectly content with its chosen spot.

Egg Yolk wagged its tail and lay down behind them, licking Shao Lingwu’s hand when he turned around, which startled Chu Xiao. He quickly moved to a spot in front of Chu Tingwu, where the little dog wouldn’t dare approach—under the protection of his aunt.

Chu Tingwu slowly shared her idea of creating an animation with them.

Amid the background noise of clashing skills and weapons, Zhou Qiang covered one ear and thought for a moment: "That sounds good."

Since meeting Chu Tingwu, Zhou Qiang had seen her accomplish almost anything she set her mind to. With resources and support, all her ideas seemed to take flight effortlessly. But Chu Tingwu shook her head:

"I want someone to help me with it, but I’m not satisfied with the version they’re currently working on. So, I want to create a rough version myself, because I’m not sure if my idea is better…"

Chu Xiao understood: "You’re not happy with the first draft from the contractor, but you’re not sure how to improve it, so you want to make your own version to convince them—but in the end, you still want this contractor to handle the project. No one else will do."

What kind of contractor is this?

Though they were a bit puzzled, they didn’t press Chu Tingwu about her relationship with the contractor. Instead, they asked her directly what kind of effect she wanted.

Chu Tingwu: "Something cute."

The animation’s purpose was to promote the ranch, with the main characters being a group of cats living there. The plot would be very simple, suitable for viewers aged 0 to 99, with a cute and heartwarming art style. Each episode should be no longer than five minutes, perfect for quick viewing.

Zhou Qiang propped her chin on her hand, watching as Wu Zetian faced off against Li Shimin in the midlane: "What you’re asking for is so simple. You could just hire an animation company, or even a small studio, and they could make it for you."

But if Chu Tingwu only wanted something at that level, she wouldn’t have brought it up to them.

Chu Tingwu nodded: "I want the cutest thing in the world."

Zhou Qiang: "…Maybe I should go pick up the crown that fell."

"Oh?" ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‍Chu Tingwu extended her hand, then flipped it over. In the next second, the semi-transparent crown appeared in her palm. "I can pick this up myself."

*Snap—*

The translucent fireworks representing one side's victory exploded in the midair. Looking up, the stars seemed to flicker as well, though it might have been an illusion born from the excitement. Game characters shouted their lines as they roamed the competition arena, and the audience cheered their names.

On stage, an even more dazzling crown and trophy appeared, their golden glow illuminating the surroundings. The characters raised the trophy, and finally, the team representatives—the professional player captains—stepped forward to speak. When a human voice emerged from the towering character's position, it seemed to signal the end of the game and the arrival of the night's final performance.

The first day of the collaborative event was about to conclude successfully... Next up was the holographic projection of the new promotional video for *Yuan Tang*, followed by the interactive new animation version for the audience to enjoy together!

Under the cover of night, no one noticed a group of people quietly slipping away and entering the unopened second floor of the hotel.

---

Zhou Qiang took out the projector, Chu Xiao pulled over a table, and Shao Lingwu glanced around before opening his phone to play various cat sounds.

Chu Tingwu: "?"

Shao Lingwu: "Based on your request, I think it would be better to give the cats human-like thoughts but not human forms. So, to emphasize their cuteness, we can just replace all their dialogue with cat sounds."

Chu Tingwu: "But the one you think is cute... is actually the cat cursing."

Shao Lingwu: "Isn't it cute when it curses?"

Chu Tingwu: "..."

"Got it," Shao Lingwu said, jotting down notes. "The audience will find it adorable, but the other cats in the animation will find it annoying!"

[Generating these cat sounds is easy for me too... And according to the data, this sound is indeed one that humans find extremely cute. I can do it just as well...]

Though inexplicably kicked out of the work circle by the little one, the system couldn't help but boast about its own hardworking nature.

Chu Tingwu nodded, though it was unclear whom she was agreeing with.

Zhou Qiang: "Let's set aside character design and voice acting for now. The script is more important."

"My suggestion is a simple script. There's nothing in this world that everyone will find cute. But if you want most people to fall in love with it, you need to lower the barrier to entry. You're in the media business, so you know this is the age of short videos. That's why each episode should be shorter—"

Chu Tingwu didn't catch the rest of the sentence.

Because the system was loudly buzzing in her ear.

[Right in front of you is the cutest little treasure in the world. You obviously think it's cute too, so why do humans always refuse to acknowledge their own feelings...]

Chu Tingwu: "..."

Enough! Don't just casually strip people who don't know her of their humanity!