I'll give my daughter one more second.

"Wu Shen, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Qi Hai stopped mentioning what had just happened and looked at Wu Shen with concern.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. My throat just suddenly felt a little itchy, it's nothing serious." Wu Shen said dismissively, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had stopped Nanami from continuing. Otherwise, the fact that Yukino lived across the hall from him might have been exposed.

Nanami! I know you mean well in trying to explain, but this is only making things more complicated!

"Yukinoshita... We're just club members, yet we're at the supermarket together. Does your club activity include supermarket internships?" Utaha tilted her head and asked thoughtfully.

"The Service Club is basically a jack-of-all-trades club; we do all sorts of random requests. We were just asked to buy ingredients for a party."

Wu Shen found himself becoming more and more adept at making up nonsense.

"Fine, I'll believe you this once. But you don't need to make such an excuse. Isn't it your freedom to date whoever you want?" Shi Yu tossed her hair, a relieved expression on her face.

"Let's stop here for today. I'm going back now." Before Wu Shen could decide what to say next, Shi Yu turned to leave.

"Wait! Shiyu, you should be free in a bit, right? Do you have some free time?" Unexpectedly, at this moment, Aoyama Nanami blocked her way.

"Is there a problem?"

"Shiyu has decided to get a cat, right? I don't have a training class today, so since Shiyu's here, why don't you come to my house and pick up the kitten? It's not far from here, only about ten minutes away." Seemingly afraid Shiyu might change her mind, Nanami was eager to hand the kitten over. Only then could she truly relax.

After all, Nanami had experienced several instances where she had agreed to something only to suddenly change her mind the next day. She simply couldn't stand such ups and downs.

“Okay. It’s good to take it now, so we don’t have to make another trip later.” Shi Yu nodded.

“I’ll go too. After all, I’m in charge of this now, and I hope to see it through to the end,” Wu Shen, who had been silent all along, suddenly said.

Given the rare opportunity to safely contact Shi Yu, how could Wu Shen easily let it slip by? Moreover, as the person involved, Wu Shen also hoped to witness a perfect ending to this matter.

"It's perfect that we can come together."

Nanami nodded in agreement, and Shiyu had no objections either, so Wu Shen followed them to Nanami's apartment building.

It seems that Qi Hai moved to this city alone to study, so like Wu Shen, she lives alone in a rented apartment. Qi Hai's home is very tidy, with all kinds of items and furniture arranged in an orderly manner. There is not much dust or stains on the floor, which is obviously the result of regular cleaning.

"This is the kitten, isn't it cute?" Nanami walked into the inner room and picked up the cat that was sleeping on the wardrobe. The black cat was surprisingly docile, and didn't make much of a move even when Nanami disturbed its rest.

"A very rare pure black cat," Shiyu said, somewhat surprised.

"Because there's always a saying that black cats are unlucky and bring bad luck, people deliberately avoid them when choosing a cat. I hope Shiyu doesn't mind?" Nanami asked worriedly. This was her biggest concern.

“That’s pure prejudice.” Before Shi Yu could even comment, Wu Shen spoke up first. “In China, people believe that black cats can ward off evil spirits, keep demons and monsters away, and bring good fortune to their owners. In Egypt, black cats were also worshipped as gods.”

"The so-called ominous belief about black cats likely originated from the most foolish witch trials of the Middle Ages. At that time, black cats were associated with witches and were equally hated by people. Believers instilled in people the idea that 'black cats are the embodiment of witches, messengers of hell, possessing the power of Satan, and must be destroyed.' That's how the belief that black cats bring bad luck came about."

"So there are so many stories about black cats?" Nanami hugged the black cat and observed it carefully.

"Humans always like to scoff at things they can't understand as 'mysterious,' but they never bother to think about or explore the principles behind them." Wu Shen's expression was somewhat self-deprecating, as if he were recalling something.

Having power but not studying its principles, merely using it without considering oneself superior—what's the difference between this and some people in Africa using the AK-47 as black magic, aiming it with faith? It's just as absurd and laughable.

"Wu Shenjun, how did you suddenly connect the black cat to something so profound? And it's like you've become a completely different person." Shi Yu took the black cat from Qi Hai and gestured a couple of times in front of Wu Shenjun before speaking.

"Sorry, it was just a spontaneous thought. I was being too talkative." Wu Shen shook his head, realizing that this was not the right occasion to talk about these things, so he stopped his long-winded speech.

"It's alright. Wu Shen seems to know a lot about folklore and legends. You can tell me about it sometime. I'm also planning to try writing novels on this subject in the future. It wouldn't hurt to learn more about this kind of thing." After saying goodbye to Qi Hai, the two walked home, and Shi Yu said to Wu Shen while hugging the pure black cat in her arms.

"Please spare me this. I'm terrible at dealing with these things," Wu Shen said with a wry smile, declining Shi Yu's suggestion.

"Could it be that Wu Shen is surprisingly afraid of horror stories?" Shi Yu keenly sensed Wu Shen's resistance, and a sly smile appeared on her lips.

"In a sense, I am indeed very scared." Wu Shen shuddered, as if recalling some unbearable past events.

"Speaking of which, has Shiyu thought of a name for the black cat yet?" Wu Shen glanced at the lazy black cat nestled in Shiyu's arms and suddenly remembered this.

“Since there’s a saying that black cats bring bad luck, let’s just call it Satan,” Shiyu said after thinking for a moment.

"That name sounds incredibly powerful. But it's a female cat, right? Are you sure you want to name it Satan?" If Wu Shen remembered correctly, both Yukino's white cat and Utaha's black cat were female.

"Then let's call it Liuli (琉璃). Does it sound good?"

"Liuli? How did you transform from Satan to Liuli? That's quite a leap." Wu Shen's expression became a little subtle. "Well, at least it's more believable than the name Satan."

"I saw a nickname like this online before and thought it sounded nice, so I copied it. If Wu Shen were to name it, what would he choose?"

"...I don't have any ideas. The name Liuli is fine." Wu Shen thought for a moment and shrugged.

Actually, the first name that popped into his head when asked this question was the most unreliable "Black Cat Detective." Rather than risk being ridiculed by Shi Yu, Wu Shen preferred to remain silent. Why did Black Cat Detective even come to mind first? Was it because the image was too deeply ingrained in his mind?

Author's Note:

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Don't worry about not having enough money for the road ahead; who in the world doesn't know you?

(?′?`?)

Chapter 101 The Butterfly Effect

"Want to come to my house? My parents are working the night shift again today. If you come, we can have a ghost story session."

Seeing Wu Shen's reaction, Shi Yu became interested again. She wondered if Wu Shen's parents had often scared him with ghost stories when he was a child, which was why he reacted so strongly.

"No! Shiyu, you're so magnanimous. Let's just forget about this. Besides, what if your parents suddenly have to change shifts again? To be honest, one heart-pounding experience is enough." Wu Shen quickly refused; what happened last night had already left him with psychological trauma.

"Okay, to be honest, I couldn't stand it if something like that happened again." Shi Yu also felt lingering fear when she thought about it.

Wu Shen tried to tease the cat in Shi Yu's arms, but the result was similar to that of Liuli and Xueqiu; they both ignored Wu Shen. If his hand got too close, the cat would warily extend its paw and stare at him, as if it were about to scratch him at any moment.

Left with no other choice, Wu Shen had to withdraw his hand. It seems he truly lacks the "animal affinity buff." Perhaps it's a side effect of the "loli affinity buff."

"Didn't you say that black cats have the ability to ward off evil spirits? Is it because you have a lot of evil energy on you that it hates you so much?" Shi Yu joked.

The two walked and talked along the way. When they reached a fork in the road, Wu Shen stopped and glanced at his spare watch. They had already been delayed quite a bit because of their trip to Qi Hai's house.

"Mai is waiting for me at home. I need to go home and prepare dinner for her. Can I go ahead first?"

"Let's go back quickly, don't let Wuyi go hungry. This is a crucial time for development. Her diet can't be neglected in the slightest." Shiyu and Wushen were in agreement on this matter, and Shiyu was even more concerned about Wuyi.

And so, the two parted ways at the crossroads.

On his way home, Wu Shen found a grocery store and bought an international calling card. Then he went to a roadside phone booth and made a call to his mother on the other side of the river.

In this situation, not having a mobile phone is really inconvenient, and Wu Shen felt he couldn't delay any longer, otherwise something bad would happen sooner or later because of not having a phone. However, he had only been working at the supermarket for a week, and after deducting his living expenses, the money he had saved was not enough to buy two mobile phones. He had no choice but to ask his family for reimbursement.

Dial the number according to the information on the international calling card, hear the voice prompt to enter the password, then enter the country code, area code and mobile phone number, and after a series of "beep" dialing tones, the connection is established.

"How many times have I told you, we're not buying insurance." Before Wu Shen could speak, a familiar voice came from the other end of the line. However, the content of those words almost made Wu Shen vomit blood.

"This is Wu Shen. Mom, I'm not selling insurance." Wu Shen was both amused and exasperated, and quickly clarified, otherwise the other party would hang up on him.

"Son? Why did you change your phone number?"

"My old phone broke down unexpectedly. I'm calling to borrow some money to buy a new one. I'll pay you back when I've saved enough from working."

"We're all family, there's no need to borrow or not. I'll deposit money into your card tomorrow, remember to buy a good quality one," Wu Shen's mother said casually.

"Okay, I understand." Wu Shen felt a warmth in his heart.

"Compared to this, are you getting used to life over there?"

"It's alright, nothing I'm not used to."

"Did you encounter anything?"

"No, you were right after all. Although I don't know the reason, I've never seen it here. Coming here to study seems to have been the right choice." Wu Shen smiled. "Mom, you must know the reason, right?"

"It's actually quite simple to find out the reason. Just go to your fiancée in Japan. She'll tell you everything."

"No, no, wasn't the engagement already canceled?" Wu Shen suddenly felt a little panicked.

“If it’s canceled, we can make a new one. Anyway, it was an agreement between her mother and me. But nowadays, we value free love, so we won’t force it. After all, it was just a verbal agreement.”

"That's good." Wu Shen's lips moved slightly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, since you don't want a fiancée, when are you going to find a girlfriend to bring home for us? I'm eager to have my grandchildren."

"Cough cough cough! Can we not talk about this? I'm so young, and you're already talking about marriage and the next generation." Wu Shen was embarrassed. He felt immense pressure from his mother's demands and wishes.

Actually, there is a granddaughter, but she's already five or six years old, and her looks are rather suggestive. Wu Shen pictured Wu Yi in his mind and mentally complained.

As night quietly fell, on another road, Shiyu was getting out of a taxi with a kitten in her arms and returning to her residential area.

"Sister Shiyu didn't disappoint me at all, she adopted the kitten very smoothly." Turning around at the loli's clear and melodious voice, Shiyu couldn't help but frown.

"It's you again. Who are you? How do you know so much about Wu Shenjun?" Shi Yu approached the little girl slowly, her expression turning serious. After their last encounter, Shi Yu no longer considered her an ordinary little girl.

"Shh, don't speak loudly. Otherwise you won't be able to hear that voice."

What was that sound?

"Didn't you hear that? The sound of a bright blue butterfly gently fluttering its wings when I completed the request with Shiyu's help." The little girl smiled sweetly and stood quietly by the street.

"A turquoise butterfly? The sound of flapping wings?" Shi Yu looked around but didn't find anything special. Instead, she was confused by the loli's mysterious words.

Shiyu was familiar with some theories related to butterflies, namely the famous butterfly effect.

When a butterfly's wings flutter occasionally in the Amazon rainforest, the resulting air vibrations create a chain reaction that could potentially trigger a tornado in Texas two weeks later.

This means that even a very small change in initial conditions can lead to extremely large differences and changes in the future through a continuous chain reaction.

Shi Yu thought that it was just adopting a cat, how could it possibly affect anything important?

"Can't you hear me? That's a real shame, but these are all minor matters." The little girl spread her arms, looked up at the sky, and uttered a soft, beautiful melody, "Please flap your wings even harder, until you unleash a storm of change and utterly destroy that irreversible fate!"

Her gaze drifted towards the night sky, finally settling on a plane that happened to pass overhead. On a flight from England to Japan, a silent young woman rested her hand on the window, watching the dazzling nightscape outside.

Author's Note:

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