Selene stared at her phone screen, her fur standing on end, making her look like a huge furball. It was the delivery guy calling. The cheerful ringtone echoed through the room. Given the poor sound insulation of the old building, the two people outside the bedroom could probably hear it clearly.
Selene froze. Answering the phone wasn’t an option, but neither was ignoring it. Finally, she leaped under the bed, deciding to play dead.
Mrs. Maple looked suspiciously at the bedroom door. She tentatively called out, "Selene? Are you in there?"
There was no response.
Mrs. Maple walked to the door, knocked, and placed her hand on the doorknob.
Mr. Maple, standing beside her, disapproved, "It's not right to open a young girl's door without permission..."
Mrs. Maple gave her husband a look, "What if there's a thief inside? I'm worried about her, that's why I want to check."
Mr. Maple hesitated. Just as Mrs. Maple was about to press down on the bedroom door handle, the doorbell rang from behind them.
"Ding-dong, ding-dong—"
Then came a knock at the door.
A voice called from outside, "Excuse me, is anyone home?"
Mrs. Maple and Mr. Maple exchanged glances. Finally, Mrs. Maple walked to the front door and opened it.
Standing outside was a delivery guy in uniform, holding a white plastic bag filled with individually packaged fresh meat.
"Is this where Ms. Selene lives? I couldn’t reach her by phone and finally found the place."
Mrs. Maple instinctively turned to look at the bedroom, suddenly realizing, "Oh, yes, this is it. She must have gone out and left her phone at home."
"Alright, please accept the delivery for her. I have other orders to deliver." The delivery guy quickly handed the bag to Mrs. Maple and ran towards the stairs.
Mrs. Maple looked at the bag of meat in her hand, a bit exasperated, "Selene is really forgetful. Good thing we’re here. Otherwise, in this weather, the meat would have spoiled outside."
"Put the meat in her fridge, and let's hurry to buy the fruit."
"But doesn’t she usually not cook? Why would she suddenly buy groceries?"
"People can learn to cook, can't they?"
"True, eating out all the time isn't healthy. By the way, I need to remind her tomorrow—ah-choo! We really can't keep a cat here. Look at this place, it's covered in cat hair..."
As the door closed, Selene, lying under the bed, finally exhaled.
What a series of unfortunate events! Now, she probably had to move. The thought made Selene feel despair.
She had worked so hard to rent this place. Even though it was an old building without an elevator, the police station was nearby, the security was good, the landlord was friendly, and the rent was affordable—perfect for a financially-strapped single woman like her.
Renting a place alone was manageable, but with a "cat"? That was uncertain.
Maybe she could try to negotiate with Mrs. Maple tomorrow.
For now, the immediate concern was dinner. She was starving.
Selene crawled out from under the bed, ran to the bedroom door, and leaped to hang her paws on the doorknob, using her weight to press it down and open the door.
As soon as she exited the room, she was overwhelmed by various scents.
But the one that excited her the most was the smell of fresh beef. What humans consider a raw, bloody smell was sweet and savory to her feline senses.
Selene rushed into the kitchen... only to find she couldn’t open the upper section of the refrigerator.
But this wouldn't stop a smart cat with a human mind.
Selene used all her strength to push a plastic chair to the front of the fridge, then climbed on it to open the fridge and pull out the plastic bag of beef.
Mission accomplished.
Selene closed the fridge door, jumped off the chair, and carried the plastic bag to the dining table.
She placed the plastic bag down, took out two disinfectant wipes from the pack on the table, and cleaned her paws and claws thoroughly before opening the plastic bag.
Inside was fresh, red beef. Fortunately, she had noted in the order to have the butcher cut the beef into strips.
Unable to cook the meat, she would have to eat it raw.
Despite her initial hesitation about raw meat, the aroma overwhelmed her fear.
Beef should be fine... Many people eat raw beef, right?
Selene reassured herself as she hooked a strip of beef with her paw and put it in her mouth.
The taste!
The orange cat’s eyes widened.
She never expected beef to have a sweet flavor. The tender, smooth beef rolled over her tongue like a creamy candy, with a unique meat aroma that was incredibly delicious.
This was far better than those awful cat foods!
Tears of joy filled Selene's eyes as she devoured the beef strips.
Five minutes later, she burped contentedly.
Finally, a satisfying meal.
Selene lay on the couch, feeling a bit bored.
It was only 7:58 PM. Normally, by this time, she would have finished dinner and started playing mobile games.
But now...
Selene looked down at her two chubby paws. Playing games was out of the question; her already questionable skills would only worsen, and she didn't want to ruin others' experiences.
Maybe browsing social media would be better.
With that thought, Selene happily pushed her tablet over from the side of the couch.
Thankfully, she had bought a mini version, which wasn’t too heavy, making it easy to hold and use.
Selene used one paw to press the tablet screen, entering her password and unlocking it.
Then, she tapped on the social media app icon with her paw pad and started checking today’s trending topics.
Nothing interesting...
Wait, Selene suddenly perked up.
She saw a trending topic: #LandlordConvincedByCuteCat#
What’s this?
Curious, Selene clicked on the topic and found it was a foreign news story.
A blogger had a Ragdoll cat and finally found an ideal apartment. But the landlord didn’t allow pets. Taking a chance, the blogger sent cute photos of her cat to the landlord, who was charmed and allowed the pet.
The comments were lively.
"I would allow it too. Who can resist such a cute kitty?"
"It looks so polite! Too cute!"
"Another ploy to make me get a cat, sob sob."
...
Selene stared at the screen, deep in thought.
Why not try it? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and even if it was a hopeless situation, she had to give it a shot.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Selene pressed the camera icon with her paw.
A magnified cat face appeared on the screen.
A fluffy round face with a pink nose, and above it, two large, round green eyes, like bright emeralds.
She was quite cute!
Selene wasn’t a big fan of cats, thinking they were too aloof. If she were to have a pet, she would prefer a dog, especially a large breed.
Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, Samoyeds... Those were her dream dogs.
Buying a house with a yard and raising a dog was her ultimate life goal.
But now, with a tight budget, she couldn’t afford a house or a dog.
Now she had to deal with the current mess.
Selene set the camera to take timed photos and started posing.
Wide-eyed head tilt, paw-raised bow, sweet wink, squinting smile...
After a series of shots, Selene reviewed the photos.
She was a natural model!
Each photo was adorable.
Selene couldn’t wait to log into WeChat on her tablet. As soon as she opened the app, she saw several voice messages from Mrs. Maple.
"Selene, the plumbing has been checked by your uncle. It was just a loose part, no other issues."
"You left your phone behind, but I put the meat in your fridge."
"By the way, do you have a cat? I’m allergic to cat hair. We agreed you wouldn’t keep pets in the apartment. Please respond when you can."
Selene quickly started typing.
After a few days of practice, she had become quite fast at typing with her paws.
**[Selene: Thank you, Mrs. Maple. Sorry for the trouble for you and Uncle!]**
**[Selene: Yes, I picked up a stray cat. It looked so pitiful that I decided to take it in.]**
**[Selene: Auntie, look at its photo. Isn’t it cute?]**
Selene sent three carefully selected photos.
Hopefully, Mrs. Maple would let her stay because the cat was so cute.
After a few minutes, Selene received a message from Mrs. Maple.
**"It is cute."**
Selene barely had time to be happy before the next voice message arrived.
**"But keeping a cat is still not allowed."**
**"It’s not that I’m being unreasonable, but there are too many issues with keeping pets. It’s not just about the damage to furniture. My daughter and I are both allergic to cat hair. My granddaughter will start school in this area next year, and this apartment is reserved for her occasional stays."**
**"I originally planned to rent this place until the end of the year. Now, it’s a few months early, but it’s about time. You can start looking for a new place. I’ll refund the remaining rent."**
No room for negotiation. Online stories were indeed unreliable.
A bit awkward...
Selene quickly replied: **Okay, I’ll start looking for a new place. Sorry for the trouble, Mrs. Maple.**
After sending the message, Selene reopened her social media app, looking at the source of her frustration.
Annoyed, she took a screenshot of the chat and, after blurring the profile pictures, posted it with the trending topic.
**[Selene: #LandlordConvincedByCuteCat# Why didn't my landlord agree? It's all lies! Isn't my cat cute enough? [Image.jpg] [Image.jpg]]**
After posting, Selene closed the app and started downloading various rental apps.
Since she was now wide awake at night, she might as well do something useful and look for a new place.
What Selene didn’t know was that within minutes of her post, a pet blogger she had previously collaborated with shared it, making her post go viral.
---
“Bro, check out this hilarious post on social media.” Mason entered the room, laughing heartily.
The young man at the desk didn’t look up, responding casually, “What post?”
“You know that trending topic about someone sending cute cat photos to a landlord who then allowed pets?”
“Mm, and?”
“Well, this blogger tried the same thing, sent her cat’s photos to her landlord, but her landlord coldly refused and told her to move out within a week, hahaha—”
“Gotta admit, the cat is really cute, like a plush toy. People are asking how she got the cat to pose so well.”
Hearing this, Rowan finally put down his stylus.
He turned slightly, casually brushing aside the hair falling over his forehead, revealing his smooth brow and high nose bridge.
The warm yellow light cast a realistic glow on his exquisitely sculpted face, giving it a lifelike quality.
“Let me see.”
---
Selene stared at her phone screen, her fur standing on end, making her look like a huge furball. It was the delivery guy calling. The cheerful ringtone echoed through the room. Given the poor sound insulation of the old building, the two people outside the bedroom could probably hear it clearly.
Selene froze. Answering the phone wasn’t an option, but neither was ignoring it. Finally, she leaped under the bed, deciding to play dead.
Mrs. Maple looked suspiciously at the bedroom door. She tentatively called out, "Selene? Are you in there?"
There was no response.
Mrs. Maple walked to the door, knocked, and placed her hand on the doorknob.
Mr. Maple, standing beside her, disapproved, "It's not right to open a young girl's door without permission..."
Mrs. Maple gave her husband a look, "What if there's a thief inside? I'm worried about her, that's why I want to check."
Mr. Maple hesitated. Just as Mrs. Maple was about to press down on the bedroom door handle, the doorbell rang from behind them.
"Ding-dong, ding-dong—"
Then came a knock at the door.
A voice called from outside, "Excuse me, is anyone home?"
Mrs. Maple and Mr. Maple exchanged glances. Finally, Mrs. Maple walked to the front door and opened it.
Standing outside was a delivery guy in uniform, holding a white plastic bag filled with individually packaged fresh meat.
"Is this where Ms. Selene lives? I couldn’t reach her by phone and finally found the place."
Mrs. Maple instinctively turned to look at the bedroom, suddenly realizing, "Oh, yes, this is it. She must have gone out and left her phone at home."
"Alright, please accept the delivery for her. I have other orders to deliver." The delivery guy quickly handed the bag to Mrs. Maple and ran towards the stairs.
Mrs. Maple looked at the bag of meat in her hand, a bit exasperated, "Selene is really forgetful. Good thing we’re here. Otherwise, in this weather, the meat would have spoiled outside."
"Put the meat in her fridge, and let's hurry to buy the fruit."
"But doesn’t she usually not cook? Why would she suddenly buy groceries?"
"People can learn to cook, can't they?"
"True, eating out all the time isn't healthy. By the way, I need to remind her tomorrow—ah-choo! We really can't keep a cat here. Look at this place, it's covered in cat hair..."
As the door closed, Selene, lying under the bed, finally exhaled.
What a series of unfortunate events! Now, she probably had to move. The thought made Selene feel despair.
She had worked so hard to rent this place. Even though it was an old building without an elevator, the police station was nearby, the security was good, the landlord was friendly, and the rent was affordable—perfect for a financially-strapped single woman like her.
Renting a place alone was manageable, but with a "cat"? That was uncertain.
Maybe she could try to negotiate with Mrs. Maple tomorrow.
For now, the immediate concern was dinner. She was starving.
Selene crawled out from under the bed, ran to the bedroom door, and leaped to hang her paws on the doorknob, using her weight to press it down and open the door.
As soon as she exited the room, she was overwhelmed by various scents.
But the one that excited her the most was the smell of fresh beef. What humans consider a raw, bloody smell was sweet and savory to her feline senses.
Selene rushed into the kitchen... only to find she couldn’t open the upper section of the refrigerator.
But this wouldn't stop a smart cat with a human mind.
Selene used all her strength to push a plastic chair to the front of the fridge, then climbed on it to open the fridge and pull out the plastic bag of beef.
Mission accomplished.
Selene closed the fridge door, jumped off the chair, and carried the plastic bag to the dining table.
She placed the plastic bag down, took out two disinfectant wipes from the pack on the table, and cleaned her paws and claws thoroughly before opening the plastic bag.
Inside was fresh, red beef. Fortunately, she had noted in the order to have the butcher cut the beef into strips.
Unable to cook the meat, she would have to eat it raw.
Despite her initial hesitation about raw meat, the aroma overwhelmed her fear.
Beef should be fine... Many people eat raw beef, right?
Selene reassured herself as she hooked a strip of beef with her paw and put it in her mouth.
The taste!
The orange cat’s eyes widened.
She never expected beef to have a sweet flavor. The tender, smooth beef rolled over her tongue like a creamy candy, with a unique meat aroma that was incredibly delicious.
This was far better than those awful cat foods!
Tears of joy filled Selene's eyes as she devoured the beef strips.
Five minutes later, she burped contentedly.
Finally, a satisfying meal.
Selene lay on the couch, feeling a bit bored.
It was only 7:58 PM. Normally, by this time, she would have finished dinner and started playing mobile games.
But now...
Selene looked down at her two chubby paws. Playing games was out of the question; her already questionable skills would only worsen, and she didn't want to ruin others' experiences.
Maybe browsing social media would be better.
With that thought, Selene happily pushed her tablet over from the side of the couch.
Thankfully, she had bought a mini version, which wasn’t too heavy, making it easy to hold and use.
Selene used one paw to press the tablet screen, entering her password and unlocking it.
Then, she tapped on the social media app icon with her paw pad and started checking today’s trending topics.
Nothing interesting...
Wait, Selene suddenly perked up.
She saw a trending topic: #LandlordConvincedByCuteCat#
What’s this?
Curious, Selene clicked on the topic and found it was a foreign news story.
A blogger had a Ragdoll cat and finally found an ideal apartment. But the landlord didn’t allow pets. Taking a chance, the blogger sent cute photos of her cat to the landlord, who was charmed and allowed the pet.
The comments were lively.
"I would allow it too. Who can resist such a cute kitty?"
"It looks so polite! Too cute!"
"Another ploy to make me get a cat, sob sob."
...
Selene stared at the screen, deep in thought.
Why not try it? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and even if it was a hopeless situation, she had to give it a shot.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Selene pressed the camera icon with her paw.
A magnified cat face appeared on the screen.
A fluffy round face with a pink nose, and above it, two large, round green eyes, like bright emeralds.
She was quite cute!
Selene wasn’t a big fan of cats, thinking they were too aloof. If she were to have a pet, she would prefer a dog, especially a large breed.
Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, Samoyeds... Those were her dream dogs.
Buying a house with a yard and raising a dog was her ultimate life goal.
But now, with a tight budget, she couldn’t afford a house or a dog.
Now she had to deal with the current mess.
Selene set the camera to take timed photos and started posing.
Wide-eyed head tilt, paw-raised bow, sweet wink, squinting smile...
After a series of shots, Selene reviewed the photos.
She was a natural model!
Each photo was adorable.
Selene couldn’t wait to log into WeChat on her tablet. As soon as she opened the app, she saw several voice messages from Mrs. Maple.
"Selene, the plumbing has been checked by your uncle. It was just a loose part, no other issues."
"You left your phone behind, but I put the meat in your fridge."
"By the way, do you have a cat? I’m allergic to cat hair. We agreed you wouldn’t keep pets in the apartment. Please respond when you can."
Selene quickly started typing.
After a few days of practice, she had become quite fast at typing with her paws.
**[Selene: Thank you, Mrs. Maple. Sorry for the trouble for you and Uncle!]**
**[Selene: Yes, I picked up a stray cat. It looked so pitiful that I decided to take it in.]**
**[Selene: Auntie, look at its photo. Isn’t it cute?]**
Selene sent three carefully selected photos.
Hopefully, Mrs. Maple would let her stay because the cat was so cute.
After a few minutes, Selene received a message from Mrs. Maple.
**"It is cute."**
Selene barely had time to be happy before the next voice message arrived.
**"But keeping a cat is still not allowed."**
**"It’s not that I’m being unreasonable, but there are too many issues with keeping pets. It’s not just about the damage to furniture. My daughter and I are both allergic to cat hair. My granddaughter will start school in this area next year, and this apartment is reserved for her occasional stays."**
**"I originally planned to rent this place until the end of the year. Now, it’s a few months early, but it’s about time. You can start looking for a new place. I’ll refund the remaining rent."**
No room for negotiation. Online stories were indeed unreliable.
A bit awkward...
Selene quickly replied: **Okay, I’ll start looking for a new place. Sorry for the trouble, Mrs. Maple.**
After sending the message, Selene reopened her social media app, looking at the source of her frustration.
Annoyed, she took a screenshot of the chat and, after blurring the profile pictures, posted it with the trending topic.
**[Selene: #LandlordConvincedByCuteCat# Why didn't my landlord agree? It's all lies! Isn't my cat cute enough? [Image.jpg] [Image.jpg]]**
After posting, Selene closed the app and started downloading various rental apps.
Since she was now wide awake at night, she might as well do something useful and look for a new place.
What Selene didn’t know was that within minutes of her post, a pet blogger she had previously collaborated with shared it, making her post go viral.
---
“Bro, check out this hilarious post on social media.” Mason entered the room, laughing heartily.
The young man at the desk didn’t look up, responding casually, “What post?”
“You know that trending topic about someone sending cute cat photos to a landlord who then allowed pets?”
“Mm, and?”
“Well, this blogger tried the same thing, sent her cat’s photos to her landlord, but her landlord coldly refused and told her to move out within a week, hahaha—”
“Gotta admit, the cat is really cute, like a plush toy. People are asking how she got the cat to pose so well.”
Hearing this, Rowan finally put down his stylus.
He turned slightly, casually brushing aside the hair falling over his forehead, revealing his smooth brow and high nose bridge.
The warm yellow light cast a realistic glow on his exquisitely sculpted face, giving it a lifelike quality.
“Let me see.”
---
