The System Mistook Me for a Cat

Shao Lingwu paid for the horses, which were actually gifts he gave to his friends to celebrate the end of the national exam.

However, Shao Lingwu very "generously" stated, "It was Three-Five-Five's idea, I was just the one who executed it!"

Zhou Qiang stepped on his foot:

"Coming up with such a ridiculous idea is one thing, but blaming it on the cat? Really?"

Shao Lingwu glanced around, trying to get Chu Tingwu to back him up.

Chu Tingwu: "→,→"

Shao Lingwu: "Hey!"

The group wasn’t exactly opposed to the "gift," but it was a bit too flashy… and…

Chu Tingwu: "Where are we supposed to keep them?"

Horses aren’t electric tricycles, you know. Where exactly are we supposed to keep them?

They’d have to find a stable.

The equestrian coach who had tagged along had already anticipated this outcome and, holding back a laugh, agreed to take care of the horses. After all, not everyone in Shangjing City has the space to keep a horse. The stable also offered riding lessons, which could be a nice bonus.

Usually, Chu Xiao wouldn’t participate in such activities—he was the type to clean his room twice a day even if he only had a cat, so the best outcome was not to keep the horse at all.

But Chu Tingwu pushed the black horse’s face right in front of him.

Chu Xiao: "…"

The black horse’s eyes were dark and shiny, gentle and innocent. As Chu Xiao hesitated, it shook its mane and snorted.

Chu Xiao: "Maybe I should just adopt an electric tricycle instead?"

While the group stood at the entrance, debating the animals, the media had already snapped quite a few photos. A reporter squeezed through the crowd, curious, and held out a microphone: "Hello, are you students who participated in this year’s National High School Biology Competition?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The three of them: "…"

They weren’t too keen on admitting it.

But denying it wouldn’t help. The reporter asked a few standard questions, then brought up the horses and… the tiger.

Chu Tingwu pointed at the tiger-shaped drone and cleaning robot combo, resigned: "Actually, this is a new product from my family’s company. We’re just leveraging the attention from the biology competition to get some publicity. Feel free to keep filming—"

They needed to leave.

System: "?"

The reporter was still confused, but Chu Xiao and Zhou Qiang had already been trying to shield their faces. In perfect sync, they slipped into the car Man Xing had brought. Man Xing was momentarily stunned but, following her boss’s subtle hint, got back into the car. However, when she turned around, she realized her boss hadn’t gotten in.

Chu Tingwu had mounted the horse.

Since she was bound to be photographed anyway, she decided to own it.

She had never ridden a horse before, but the white horse Three-Five-Five had chosen was indeed an excellent mount. Chu Tingwu could easily sense the horse’s emotions. She had Three-Five-Five sit in front of her, took the reins, and soon had the horse trotting along.

The club’s trainer, quick on the uptake, hurried to follow on horseback. The reporter, on foot, couldn’t keep up with their four legs and could only snap photos from behind.

However, when Chu Tingwu tugged the reins, signaling the horse to stop at a traffic light, she suddenly felt like she had forgotten something…

What was it?

Shao Lingwu: "You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"

The "tiger" formed from the cleaning robot was about the size of a cat. It tilted its head, looking as if it was deep in thought.

Shao Lingwu watched as a leaf slowly drifted down, landing on the little tiger’s head. He then turned and saw the TV camera.

Reporter: "^_^"

Shao Lingwu picked up the holographic Siberian tiger, his expression shifting to one of sincerity and earnestness: "Hello, reporter. Actually, we’re not just promoting our new product. We’re also using this opportunity to promote our online course platform for the competition. Those three earlier? They’re the ones in charge of the courses… Me? I’m just the guy running the channel. We didn’t mean to cause such a scene, and we’re really sorry for disrupting the traffic. I’ll be going now, bye!"

He walked a few steps, then remembered something, came back, and pushed his bicycle, stuffing the tiger into the basket.

System: "…"

It adjusted its posture, the little tiger now clinging to the edge of the basket. As Shao Lingwu rode off, people in passing cars turned their heads in surprise, exclaiming things like "Wow!" before realizing the tiger was semi-transparent.

The group quickly shook off the crowd and regrouped at the entrance of the equestrian club.

The club was located in the outskirts of Shangjing City. The others had cars, but Chu Tingwu and Shao Lingwu had to make do with a horse and a bicycle, respectively.

Shao Lingwu: "→_→"

Chu Tingwu: "Want to hop on?"

But neither of them could get on, and Chu Tingwu ended up dismounting and taking a cab to the club—

The trainers had initially thought Chu Tingwu had some experience, but after talking to her, they realized this was her first time riding a horse… Who rides a horse on the street on their first try?

They had been nervous the whole way, only to find that the white horse was unusually obedient, going wherever Chu Tingwu directed. In contrast, their own horses were spooked by passing vehicles and had to be calmed down.

The trainer sighed: "The last time I saw a horse running on the street was in a movie… Our horses here are used to running in the club’s fields, being taken to competitions, or rented out to film sets."

Horses generally struggle with busy streets, but since Chu Tingwu had already galloped off, they had no choice but to follow.

Chu Tingwu stroked the horse’s head. From her elevated position, she could look down or straight across at most passing vehicles. She could sense the white horse’s curiosity and unease—so, while the trainer thought the horse was adapting well, it was actually Chu Tingwu subtly guiding its attention, helping it overcome its fear and avoid dangers.

Once they reached the faster-moving highway area, the trainer insisted that Chu Tingwu stop riding.

They took care of the horses, waiting for a vehicle to transport them back to the club, along with Shao Lingwu’s bicycle.

The two of them, plus the cat and the system, decided to take a bus to the club’s entrance.

When the four of them finally regrouped at the club, they started discussing the more serious issue—

Chu Xiao: "Keeping a horse is more expensive than keeping a car."

Zhou Qiang: "Let’s just leave Shao Lingwu here as collateral."

Shao Lingwu protested: "I’m worth more than a horse! Kidnapping me would cost more than buying a horse! Go ahead, try it!"

Chu Tingwu: "…" What kind of comparison is that?

Among the four of them, she and Shao Lingwu came from the wealthiest families. If Chu Xiao informed his parents, he could probably afford the cost of boarding the horse and taking riding lessons… but he didn’t see the point. Shao Lingwu, on the other hand, offered to cover the expenses, showing that he had saved up this month—truly touching. Zhou Qiang stood calmly to the side, arms crossed, and suddenly said:

"What did you make up in front of the camera earlier?"

There were already posts online, asking where to sign up for their online courses and where to buy the study materials.

Shao Lingwu: "?"

Chu Tingwu pulled out her phone and saw that there were indeed reports about this year’s National Biology Competition—compared to the total number of students nationwide, the few hundred who took the exam were a tiny fraction, and the test was irrelevant to most people.

But there were always curious netizens who paid attention.

The exam had just ended, and the results weren’t out yet… but the memes were already circulating.

First, there was the robot transforming outside the exam hall (Chu Tingwu: "…"), then the students mounting horses and riding off (Chu Tingwu: "…"), followed by the interview where they said, "We’re just here to ride the publicity wave." All these dramatic events happening in the same place, which happened to be the venue for the prestigious national biology exam.

In Hua Country, good grades naturally carried a certain prestige. Once labeled as national exam candidates, netizens were much more forgiving of Chu Tingwu and her friends’ antics. When they realized the group was also funny (Chu Tingwu: "?"), they became the relatable, approachable kind of top students.

So, the unedited video quickly went viral, with netizens commenting:

"Let them ride the wave! Let them ride the wave!"

【Honestly... I'm really tempted by this product, but I feel like I can't afford it...】

【At first, I thought these juniors were joking, but then I searched using the keywords and actually found a VR livestreamer who uses competition questions for teaching. And then I realized the voice sounded familiar... huh??】

【I’ve seen this junior before (not really), but her family’s company really can produce this kind of product qwq. Although I don’t know how it’s sold, I’m already waiting for it!】

Chu Tingwu: "Why didn’t they cut that part out?"

Shao Lingwu: "Why didn’t they cut these two parts out? QAQ"

They already said it was just to ride the wave of popularity, so why were they so accommodating and actually posted it online? And how come a local official media outlet didn’t air it on TV first? Why the rush? It’s not like they’re some tabloid scrambling for clicks!

Perhaps their internal protests were too loud, because while they were having dinner at the equestrian club’s restaurant... a major national media outlet reposted it.

The well-known media outlet first mentioned the conclusion of the National Biology Competition, praising the students who participated in the exam. They highlighted how today’s middle schoolers are not only skilled in theoretical studies but also have rich extracurricular lives: running their own media channels, starting companies, self-studying while helping others, and loving sports and innovation. They are the spirited, ambitious middle schoolers of the new era... Finally, they reposted the news report along with a photo.

The photo captured Chu Tingwu mid-mounting a horse, the white horse lowering its head as she leaned to the side, her movements crisp and full of youthful energy and vitality.

...Ignoring Shao Lingwu, who was crouching in the corner of the photo with a dazed expression.

He was truly ignored.

Shao Lingwu leaned over to look at the photo and realized the editor had turned him into a blurry mosaic, though the Siberian tiger in front of him was crystal clear. So, he could still identify himself based on the tiger’s position.

Shao Lingwu: "Hey!"

But since the original report included him, it didn’t take long for messages from Shao's Father and Shao's Mother to come through. At the time, Shao Lingwu was too busy devouring his food after exhausting himself from cycling, his phone vibrating incessantly.

[Sweetie, are you starting a business?]

[Is it because Mom and Dad said no to you starting a business before, and you got upset?]

[(Transfer)]

[Starting a business is great too, just do what you love! This promotional method is really impressive, but don’t forget to thank your friends #thumbsup]

[(Transfer)]

[If you run out of money, let us know, don’t be shy. Initial investments are big, and it’s normal to take some small losses.]

[You haven’t already spent all your money, have you?]

[(Transfer)]

[No matter what, make sure to take care of your health. Eat and sleep on time. Making money isn’t everything! Mom and Dad love you!]

[(Transfer)]

Shao Lingwu, chewing on his steak: "?"

Why is my phone vibrating so much? Also, this steak is a bit tough, hard to chew.

Chu Tingwu, sitting next to him: "..."

Just keep eating.

Before she could say anything, she noticed a notification on her phone—the system had transferred her a large sum of money.

Chu Tingwu: "?"

Feeling a bit guilty... maybe she shouldn’t have left the system behind earlier? But it was just a robot (a combined version) controlled by the system. The main body was still with her.

The system, quietly observing the people around it and learning how to guide children, was actually on a completely different wavelength than its "child." At the moment, it was thinking:

I absolutely can’t let my kid fall behind.

System: "Baby, I love you!"

Chu Tingwu: "...Oh."

Why so suddenly affectionate?

Maybe the system really cared about her leaving the robot behind. It must really like that robot, thinking it was a surprise prepared for her. Next time, she’ll try to overcome her embarrassment and take the robot with her when she runs.

Chu Tingwu: "I’m sorry."

System: "?"

Shouldn’t it be "I love you too"?

QVQ