“Brother, it smells so good~”
Cat-senpai’s voice echoed in Xia Xi’s mind, filled with greedy, lip-smacking sounds.
The reason was simple: Xia Xi was standing at the entrance of a night market.
Listening to the lively calls and shouts coming from every corner of the market, he inexplicably felt a little hungry himself.
But even if he was hungry, what could he do? After all, he was currently using Cat-senpai’s body, and as a little cat, Cat-senpai naturally wouldn’t have any human money on her.
“Be good, we’re not eating.”
Xia Xi swallowed hard as he spoke to Cat-senpai in his mind, all the while stealing a few longing glances toward the night market.
He strongly suspected that Cat-senpai hadn’t eaten dinner before he borrowed her body and went out. Otherwise, how could she be so utterly captivated by the smell of food?
Of course, that might only be one reason. The other was simply that night markets in China were irresistibly tempting. As the saying goes, on a Chinese night, you don’t need to worry about bad people—you need to worry about your wallet shrinking and your belly growing.
That’s also why some people end up gaining weight despite their nightly runs.
“Brother~ I wanna eat~”
The voice of Cat-senpai in his mind sounded exactly like the cat-girl body he was currently in—utterly enticing and charming.
Especially with the way this little cat kept calling him “brother.” Who could resist that? He had no idea where she learned it.
“Alright, alright, I’ll figure something out. Really.”
Xia Xi felt helpless. Since he was using Cat-senpai’s body, he really ought to do something to make it up to her.
“Hey, little girl, are you here alone? Wanna have a few skewers?”
Just then, the vendor at the nearest stall called out to him. The man was expertly flipping a large handful of skewers over the fire while waving Xia Xi over.
Startled by the sudden call, Xia Xi’s eyes darted around before he gave a slight tremble and timidly approached the vendor’s stall.
“S-sorry, sir… I don’t have any money. I’ll just sit nearby for a bit. I won’t buy anything…”
Xia Xi’s expression as he spoke was pitifully sweet.
A pair of soft, fluffy cat ears twitched playfully on his head, while the furry tail behind him drooped like a frostbitten eggplant, looking utterly dejected.
The barbecue vendor stared, mesmerized.
Although he believed that a girl who could afford to cosplay like this must be rich, it didn’t matter when such a beautiful girl made such a pitiful expression and alluring look in his life.
After all, what people crave in life is emotional value, right? Since this young lady was providing exactly that, and he was getting quite the eyeful, what harm was there in treating her to a little something?
That was probably the mindset of many well-off people.
They weren’t hung up on material things; they were after that emotional and mental satisfaction. That’s why they frequented bars and clubs, trying to charm pretty girls or handsome guys.
“No worries, little lady. Have a seat over there. Once I finish these skewers for the customers, I’ll fix you a few to try.”
Xia Xi lowered his head, a faint smile curling on his lips, hidden in the shadows. See? Food was on its way.
“But… I really don’t have money…”
The little cat-girl looked almost frightened, as if worried the vendor might force a sale.
A few older gentlemen waiting for their skewers noticed the scene and quickly walked over.
After all, a girl looking like she was about to cry in front of a vendor’s stall didn’t seem like a good situation.
But after understanding what was happening, one of the men laughed heartily.
“Don’t worry, little sister. You don’t need to pay. I’m in a good mood today—dinner’s on me.”
What started as the vendor offering a few skewers turned into this gentleman treating Xia Xi to a full meal.
“Th-thank you, brother~”
The little cat-girl’s voice trembled slightly, as if she were shy and embarrassed by the stranger’s kindness. She tilted her pretty, adorable face upward, making the man’s heart flutter.
Though he had his urges, he wasn’t the type to actually do anything beastly.
In China, good people ultimately outnumbered the bad, especially in crowded places like night markets. Even if there were troublemakers, they wouldn’t dare act openly.
Xia Xi was warmly ushered to a seat in front of the stall by the man. He sat with his legs pressed together, hands resting on his knees, head bowed so low no one could see his expression.
To outsiders, he looked like a bashful young girl. In reality, he was struggling to hold back a rising smirk.
Today, he truly understood what it meant when people said good looks could put food on the table.
It was only because he was using Cat-senpai’s stunning, transformed body that he was being treated to a meal like this. Imagine if he were in the body of a T-Rex or something monstrous—people would be spitting in disgust rather than offering him food.
People nowadays loved to say appearance didn’t matter, that they didn’t care about looks—just like those who claimed the cosplay community didn’t judge based on appearance. But in reality, everyone prioritized looks more than they’d admit. Even when job hunting, being handsome or pretty gave you an advantage. At the very least, the boss would find you more pleasant to look at, right?
“Brother is so amazing~”
Cat-senpai praised him in his mind.
What brother had just pulled off seemed to be the two-legged creatures’ most common tactic: playing pitiful and acting cute to get food.
Brother was really incredible, able to master such a skill so flawlessly!
Cat-senpai was now utterly in awe of Xia Xi.
In the animal kingdom, everyone was learning how to get food from two-legged creatures, since these humans somehow always had plenty to eat.
So in Cat-senpai’s eyes, Xia Xi’s performance was textbook perfection.
“Just average~ Just average~”
Xia Xi felt a little embarrassed by all the “brother” praise and instinctively reached up to scratch the back of his head.
But his hand touched something soft and fluffy—his cat ears.
They say cat ears are a sensitive spot for felines, and based on Xia Xi’s current experience, that was absolutely true.
As soon as he touched his ears and gave them a gentle squeeze, a tingling sensation spread from the top of his head throughout his entire body.
It wasn’t the itchy feeling like when humans tickle feet or armpits—it was a pleasant, soothing kind of痒.
The last time Xia Xi had felt something like this was in Luo Xinyu’s bathroom.
“Does brother really like Xiao You’s ears?”
Xiao You was the name Lin Xuening had given Cat-senpai. It seemed she rather identified with it, since she used it to refer to herself.
Hearing that question, Xia Xi awkwardly stopped rubbing his ears.
He didn’t know what came over him just now. In a moment of thoughtlessness, he’d been fondling his own ears right in front of everyone. How embarrassing!
