Chapter 22
Due to the influence of the trending topics, a large number of netizens flooded into Yun Chuman's live stream. Not only that, but it also boosted the viewership of the other two groups. Content related to the live variety show "Every Family Has Its Own Affairs" also continuously appeared on the trending topics.
—Those attracted by the clips, does it really not have a script? A cat challenging a human cub to a duel is just too unbelievable!
—I didn't believe it at first either, but then I saw this cat belongs to Mo Rongwen's family. Oh well, then it's nothing.
—Anyone who watched the entire preview episode of Mo Rongwen's live stream can tell you, his cats are all very individualistic. The Gold and Silver duo are totally like gangster bosses. Challenging someone to a duel is something they're capable of.
—I just want to know what the duel is about. The production team is so cunning, not even including the whole clip and leaving everyone itching for more.
The production team saw this comment and cried foul. It wasn't that they didn't want to include it, it was just that Yun Juan hadn't revealed it yet!
"As long as the viewership goes up, what does cunning matter? Call us inhumane if you want!"
Li Rufei was practically beaming with joy at the sight of the viewership and trending topics climbing.
The assistant, no longer worried about losing his job, pushed up his glasses and nodded, "Exactly! And the netizens weren't wrong either. Our Director Li is cunning. Even if Little Juan says what the competition is, he won't let us edit it in."
The staff member, hearing this, suddenly realized it seemed true.
"If all the content is released, who will watch the live stream? Since you predicted my thoughts, that's an improvement," Li Rufei patted the assistant's shoulder proudly, "It's all thanks to my excellent teaching."
The assistant pretended not to hear. He had never met someone as shameless as Director Li, who always managed to include a self-praise in every three sentences. He deliberately changed the subject, "It seems little Juan is going to say how to compete!"
Li Rufei's attention was immediately diverted. His eyes were shining as he looked over.
Yun Juan, Yun Shu, the Golden and Silver duo, and the fluffy creatures behind them stood facing each other.
Except for the husky being particularly tall and prominent, and the two little chinchillas being particularly short, the human cubs were about the same height as the fluffy creatures.
Two children stood hand in hand with serious and earnest chubby little faces.
The Gold and Silver duo sat on the ground, squinting at them. While the two chinchillas beside them tried to project an imposing presence with their bulging bellies.
Both sides were on high alert, but the more serious they were, the more comical the scene became. It even tinged with a touch of cuteness.
The silver shaded cat raised its chin, deciding to accept Yun Juan's condition: "Meow?"
【How do you want to compete?】
Yun Juan could roughly guess what the little cat wanted to say from its expression and the tone of its meow. His brow relaxed and he suddenly laughed at the silver shaded cat.
The Gold and Silver duo opposite them were startled, instinctively perking up their flat ears.
“Don’t be nervous, I told you I won’t use violence.”
Yun Juan smiled faintly. "How about we have an acting contest?"
The Gold and Silver duo and the two Chinchillas tilted their heads simultaneously, bewildered at what they were competing in.
Yun Shu smiled sweetly. "I heard Elder Brother Mo is a movie star. You've been around him for so long, you must have learned a lot! As for acting, although Elder Brother has received training, I haven't, so it's not like we’re bullying you, right?"
Her eyes were clear, her smile sweet, and her words made perfect sense.
Yun Juan didn't give the fluffy creatures time to react, continuing, "We'll act out each other's roles. Little Shu and I will imitate small animals, and you'll imitate humans. Then Brother Mo and Mommy will be the judges. What do you think? It's fair, isn't it?"
No matter how clever the Gold and Silver duo were, they were still little cats after all. They were overwhelmed by the two children's incessant chatter, vaguely sensing something was wrong, but unable to pinpoint what it was.
Yun Juan bent down slightly, approaching them, and chuckled, "It can’t be that you're scared?"
The silver shaded cat immediately bristled. Scared?
It had never been afraid in its life. Back when it was a stray, it and its brother became the boss of the area in less than a week. If they hadn't met their owner, their territory could have taken over the entire city.
It was afraid of two human children? It would be a laughingstock among cats!
The silver shaded cat bared its sharp teeth, wrinkled its nose, and meowed, "Meow!"
Yun Juan suppressed a laugh and solemnly extended his chubby little hand: "If you agree, give me a high five. A man's word is his bond."
The silver shaded cat twitched its whiskers, stretched out its paw, retracted its claws, and touched its paw pad on Yun Juan's palm.
Yun Shu blinked, leaned close to Yun Juan's ear, and whispered, "Elder Brother, the silver little cat's paws look like little flowers."
The silver shaded kitten twitched its ears, opened its mouth, and meowed fiercely. Who looks like a flower! It didn't look like a flower at all!
Yun Juan instinctively shielded Yun Shu behind him.
The Gold and Silver duo were taken aback and a hint of admiration flashing in their eyes.
The duel's details were thus decided and Mo Rongwen and Yun Chuman were assigned the task of being judges.
Mo Rongwen had achieved fame at a young age, winning numerous awards. His abilities were recognized and he had been invited to be a judge at various film festivals. Before today, he had never imagined he would one day be judging his own furry friend's acting.
"Mr. Mo, this is my first time being a judge and I have no experience. I'll need to ask you for advice on things I don't understand."
On the other hand, Yun Chuman seemed quite excited. She sat on the sofa, holding a notebook she had just found, and asked while writing, "Besides the voice, acting, and performance chart, is there anything else we need to consider?"
Mo Rongwen looked at her strangely. Was this person's ability to accept things too strong?! A voice, acting, and performance chart! She actually wanted to show a cat a voice, acting, and performance chart?
He shrank back into the corner of the sofa, blinking blankly. The current situation was more sci-fi than any science fiction movie he had ever filmed.
The empty living room only contained the two of them. Yun Juan, Yun Shu, and a bunch of furry creatures had gone to prepare for the competition—or rather, to get the costumes for the performance from the production team.
Yun Chuman's strong ability to accept things stemmed from the fact that she herself had transmigrated into a book. This time, it was only animals being a bit smarter. Could it be any more absurd than transmigrating into a book?
And since she was genuinely looking forward to being a judge, she didn't mind Mo Rongwen's indifferent attitude and actively discussed with him, "Mr. Mo, who do you think will win this duel?"
Mo Rongwen: ...
Why was this guy starting an interview? Could he not speak?
Yun Chuman continued with a smile, "If you ask me, it should be Yun Juan and Yun Shu. Yun Juan, as a child star, has undeniable acting skills. Although Yun Shu hasn't performed publicly yet, her expressiveness is amazing. I think you can look forward to it."
Mo Rongwen's expression was subtle. He turned his head and tentatively asked, "Does Ms. Yun mean my furry kids have absolutely no chance of winning?"
"That's for sure. Even your fluffy little one's acting skills can't compare to my two kids," Yun Chuman said matter-of-factly.
Mo Rongwen frowned. "I don't want to hear you say that, Ms. Yun. As a judge, the first thing you must do is avoid bias."
When it came to his profession, he abandoned his social anxiety and stuttering. "I'm quite optimistic about Xiao Jiong... ah, you know, my family’s pug. Under my influence, its acting has become superb. I believe its performance will definitely be no worse than Yun Juan and Yun Shu."
Yun Chuman was stunned. This was supposed to be impartial? Three hundred layers of filters!
"Since Mr. Mo says so, I'll look forward to it a little, but I still stand by my opinion. Little Juan and Little Shu are definitely better."
"Xiao Jiong is better," Mo Rongwen insisted stubbornly, guaranteeing it with his status as a movie star! His Xiao Jiong's acting was absolutely on par with most actors!
Yun Chuman paused for a while and persisted, "Little Juan and Little Shu."
Mo Rongwen glanced at her. After a long pause, he quietly retorted, "...Xiao Jiong."
The live stream chat was flooded with laughter.
—This inexplicable competitive spirit, hahaha!
—Hilarious, are these two five years old when combined?
—Let the duel start already, or Yun Chuman and Mo Rongwen will start fighting first!
At this time, Yun Juan, Yun Shu, and the furry creatures finally returned.
Yun Juan was wearing a little yellow dog onesie, and Yun Shu was wearing a tabby cat onesie. Small and round, they blended seamlessly into the furry group.
On the other side, the pug had changed into a little black suit, and a chinchilla had changed into a light blue outfit that looked like pajamas.
After entering the living room, the two sides split into two groups. Yun Juan and Yun Shu went to the right side of the living room against the wall, while the furry creatures went to the left.
The silver shaded cat sat on the floor, glanced at its companions, and twitched its ears twice.
Actually, it wanted the Ragdoll or Pomeranian to go up and compete, since those two were good-looking.
However, that idiot Ragdoll still had no idea what was going on and was completely clueless. The Pomeranian simply snorted, indicating it disdained imitating two-legged creatures.
The Husky and its own brother, the Golden Shaded cat volunteered to duel, but one didn't even know what acting was, and the other was just reckless—they were useless.
The fat Orange had absolutely no interest in the competition.
The hairless cat was the most infuriating. Not only did it refuse to participate in the duel, but it also mocked it for arguing with children, saying that by human years, they could be the two children's uncles.
Thinking of this, the Silver Shaded couldn't help but bare its teeth at the hairless cat. Baldy!
However, it was still quite satisfied with the final result. The Pug and that smaller chinchilla were always acting geniuses. Imitating two-legged creatures was easy enough!
Thinking this, it raised its head and looked at the two children opposite it with its eyes filled with confidence.
Yun Juan nodded politely and smiled, "You two go first."
"Meow!"
Ignoring any show of being reserved, the silver shaded cat pushed the pug and chinchilla forward.
The pug strolled slowly to the middle of the living room. Its gait was slightly swaying. While the chinchilla trotted after it.
After his argument with Yun Chuman, Mo Rongwen had accepted the fact that he would be a judge for the human cubs and the furry creatures' acting skills. Moreover, he was gradually placing high hopes on his own furry friend.
He earnestly said to the two in the middle of the living room, "Go, Xiao Jiong and Xiao Yi! Don't be nervous!"
"Woof!"
"Squeak!"
The pug and chinchilla responded.
"Please begin your performance," Yun Chuman said.
The pug and the chinchilla exchanged a glance and scurried to the corner.
Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, the pug curled into a ball, its eyes filled with sorrow, whimpering softly, looking pitiful and mournful.
The chinchilla simply laid down on the floor, its little paws twitching in the air, its eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, like a salted fish.
The room fell silent.
Yun Chuman and Yun Juan and Yun Shu looked utterly bewildered.
The Gold and Silver duo proudly raised their chins. The husky barked in amusement before rolling on the floor in mock despair. The other furry creatures looked at the two performing and then at their own owners and couldn't help but nod—they were very similar!
The pug and chinchilla were imitating none other than Mo Rongwen, who had returned home depressed after being forced into social interaction.
Because he was the human they interacted with most, he was naturally their first choice for imitation.
Mo Rongwen: …
Thank you so much for your keen observation of me!
His cheeks flushed red. He already anticipated his next trending topic!
And indeed, it was realised. Soon, #FluffyPetsImitatingMoRongwen'sLazySlouch# became a trending topic.
Actually, no one would have recognized that the two were imitating him. Even if they were incredibly similar, no one knew what he was like at home.
However, he hadn't hidden anything during the preview episode, so anyone who had seen the preview livestream could recognize who the two were imitating.
The viewers in the livestream chat burst into laughter.
—Hahaha, so similar! No wonder they're the movie star's pets. Their acting is better than some people's!
—I did a comparison picture right now. Even the details are similar!
—Absolutely amazing!
The comparison of Mo Rongwen's and the two fluffy pets' expressions quickly spread online and his aloof image crumbled.
"Mr. Mo, what did you think of their performance?" Yun Chuman regained her senses. Naturally she remembered the preview episode and couldn't help but smile as she turned around and asked.
Mo Rongwen's cheeks were still slightly flushed. He gritted his teeth a few times before finally stating truthfully, "Out of ten points, Xiao Jiong and Xiao Yi would get seven and a half."
Yun Chuman nodded, unable to resist giving him a thumbs up. His composure and fairness at a time like this were truly professional.
The chinchilla scrambled to its feet, jumping and skipping happily towards its friends.
The Pug was clearly dissatisfied, deliberately sneezing at Mo Rongwen as it passed, and giving a disdainful snort.
Mo Rongwen was already resigned. He said expressionlessly, "Next, please have the two children come up and perform."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu walked hand-in-hand to the center of the living room.
Yun Chuman immediately clapped enthusiastically. The two children's lips curled up and their eyes curved.
They bowed to the judges before letting go of each other's hands. They squatted down on the floor together.
Yun Juan stuck out his tongue, excitedly looking around. The little dog ears on his costume swayed back and forth.
Yun Shu, lying on her side, slowly licked her little paws. Her eyes occasionally glanced at Yun Juan beside him.
Just as Yun Juan looked up, she suddenly stretched out her paw and slapped him on the cheek.
Then she nimbly jumped onto the chair next to him, perched on it, tilted her little head, and looked at Yun Juan with a smirk.
"Woof woof..."
Yun Juan let out a muffled groan.
He shook his head, realizing what was happening, and lunged fiercely towards Yun Shu, but because he couldn't jump high, he only bumped into the chair.
"Meow~"
Yun Shu lazily drawled out a meow, leisurely settling into a peasant's pose on the chair.
Yun Juan looked a little angry. He laid low and his butt stuck up and wiggled, as if preparing to jump with all his might.
Yun Shu yawned nonchalantly and casually licked the fur on her paws.
Having gathered its strength, Yun Juan leaped forward. Yun Shu extended its paw just in time and Yun Shu's head bumped into it, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud.
He paused for a moment before beginning to bark. His head tilted back: "Woof woof woof woof!"
Yun Shu's eyes slowly turned to him: "Meow meow meow~"
After drawing out two meows, she slowly stood up. Her front paws gripped the chair, her body stretched lazily backward, and she nimbly jumped down from the other side. She walked away with cat-like steps.
The silver shaded cat was stunned. Was this human little girl really not one of them. A cat in disguise? It seemed so!
But it quickly became mad: "Meow meow!"
[The human little girl just called me an idiot!]
"Squeak squeak squeak," the chinchilla quickly soothed him.
[Two-legged creatures don't understand cat language. It's all a coincidence. Don't be angry.] Yun Chuman's eyes lit up. Yun Juan performed very well. He was clearly a child who liked to observe life, perfectly portraying the puppy's simple and silly appearance.
But Yun Shu's performance was even more surprising. She was the spitting image of a little cat. Her movements and expressions were incredibly natural.
Mo Rongwen was also surprised. His first reaction was that Yun Chuman hadn't lied.
He frowned. Subconsciously biting his nails, his eyes constantly glanced at Yun Shu, who was asking her elder brother how he performed.
Just as he was thinking, Yun Chuman suddenly asked, "Mr. Mo, how many points do you think Little Juan and Little Shu get?"
Mo Rongwen replied without hesitation, "Nine points for Yun Juan, ten points for Yun Shu."
"I think so too."
Yun Chuman smiled at the two children and announced loudly, "So the winners of this duel are Yun Juan and Yun Shu!"
"Yay!"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu jumped up happily, high-fiving each other in celebration.
The silver shaded cat was unhappy. It arched its back and its fur stood on end: "Meow meow meow meow!"
[You cheated! You two-legged creatures can mimic our calls, but we can't speak human language, so we're bound to lose!]
Yun Juan had been listening to it long meowing and this long string of cat language was really hard to decipher.
But seeing its frustrated look…
He raised an eyebrow: "Not convinced?"
"Meow meow meow!" The silver shaded cat angrily slapped the ground with its paws.
"Then let's have another match. This time you decide the competition," Yun Juan said calmly.
"Meow!"
The silver shaded cat was finally satisfied. It looked at its group of friends behind it. Some were playing, some were sleeping. None of them seemed smart. It really did take strength to beat two human children, but it couldn't use force.
Just as the silver shaded cat was struggling with its decision, two chinchillas found a hair on the ground and patted it and Yun Juan.
Seeing them looking over, the two chinchillas each grabbed one end of their hair and pulled hard in their own direction.
The silver shaded cat's eyes lit up: "Meow!"
[Let's do this!]
Yun Juan frowned: "Tug-of-war?"
The silver shaded cat nodded approvingly. Not bad, this human child was very clever, communicating smoothly, unlike its own master, who always found it impossible to understand. So frustrating!
The two chinchillas, pleased that he had guessed their meaning, happily held hands and spun around.
"What do you think, Little Shu?" Yun Juan asked, turning his head.
Yun Shu's gaze swept over the fluffy fur behind the silver shaded cat and she nodded with a smile: "Okay, but this is the last time. If you lose again, you can't throw a tantrum."
"Meow!"
[It's a deal!]
To show its sincerity, the silver shaded cat first revealed its paw pads.
Yun Shu's eyes widened at the pink and tender paw pads.
Yun Juan wanted to laugh at her expression and nudged her, saying, "Go give it a high five."
Yun Shu nodded vigorously, went over, and gave it a high five. She hopped back to Yun Juan's side, exclaiming, "Elder Brother, it's so soft!"
The silver shaded cat visibly stiffened.
Yun Juan put his index finger to his lips: "Shh~"
Yun Shu covered her mouth, nodding with a smile. She understood; she understood—the silver cat would be shy.
The live stream chat was flooded with comments.
—Ahhh, those two little ones are so cute! I want to take them home!
—Little Shu's acting is amazing! I didn't even notice before!
—Haha, those two kids won big this time! They bullied the fluffy ones because they never been to school."
—Friendly reminder: Little Juan and Little Shu haven't started school either. They're evenly matched, haha."
—Why can't the fluffy one can’t accept the result? Another round?"
—Tug-of-war? With the husky around, those two kids are doomed to lose."
—Mo Rongwen's kids are quite cunning."
—I think only the silver shaded cat and that chinchilla are good at causing trouble."
Seeing his furry kids going back on their words, Mo Rongwen was somewhat disapproving. He stammered to Yun Chuman, "This...this...I'm sorry, I'll go stop them."
"It's okay, I already said they should handle their own affairs, we shouldn't interfere."
Yun Chuman quickly pulled him back.
"Are you serious? This is clearly unfair! Our Haha, that husky, is very strong." Mo Rongwen earnestly advised.
"Really?"
Yun Chuman didn't mind. She hadn't missed Yun Shu's gaze. The two children probably had an idea.
She smiled and walked up to them, squatting down to say, "Little Juan and Little Shu, you two did a great job!"
Yun Juan frowned, reflecting on his actions, "Younger sister helped me come up with a little trick, but I forgot to do it."
"Elder Brother still performed very well!" Yun Shu quickly comforted him. Her little face had turned red from Yun Chuman's praise.
Yun Chuman patted their little heads, "Come on, Mommy will take you to change into your sportswear to prepare for the next duel!"
"Okay!"
The two children responded in unison, each taking one of her hands and happily following her upstairs.
Yun Chuman turned back, "Mr. Mo, can you ask the production team for a rope for the tug-of-war?"
Mo Rongwen hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Sure."
Yun Chuman thanked him, smiled politely, and led the two children upstairs. The news of the human babies and the furry creatures having a tug-of-war competition once again attracted a large number of netizens. It went without saying the production team readily agreed to ensure the competition proceeded smoothly.
When Yun Chuman took the two children downstairs, she saw a thick rope laid out on the lawn of the small garden, with tug-of-war lines marked. The Gold and Silver duo were leading the furry creatures in warm-up exercises.
Yun Chuman smiled and handed something to Yun Shu, winking at her. Then she said to the two children, "Go ahead, I'll cheer you on from the sidelines!"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu simultaneously rushed over, kissing her cheeks on either side, and said softly, "We kissed the goddess of fortune, we'll definitely win!"
Then they held hands and ran away shyly.
Yun Chuman couldn't help but cover her face. Her lips curving upwards involuntarily. These two kids were so smooth!
The viewers in the live stream were all incredibly envious.
—Waaah, I want to be the lucky goddess for these two little ones too!
—I'm so envious! I wish I could be Yun Chuman!
—Where did these two little ones learn all that? They're so talented for such a young age!
Just as Yun Chuman was still savoring the children's words, Mo Rongwen sidled up to her and anxiously asked, "Are you really not going to stop them?"
Not even looking at him, Yun Chuman stood up and simply smiled, "Mr. Mo, don't you think it's quite therapeutic to see human cubs with furry creatures? Don't be so tense. Nothing will go wrong. Just relax and watch them."
Mo Rongwen's tense mood was interrupted by her words. He then realized he was standing in the sun and feeling warm all over, surrounded by a small garden full of flowers, with pretty children and adorable animals standing on the lawn.
It did seem…somewhat therapeutic. He unconsciously relaxed.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu stood facing the Gold and Silver duo again.
Yun Juan smiled at them. Silver shaded cat's fur almost stood on end.
He said slowly, "Can I say a few words before we begin?"
The silver shaded cat tilted its head, stared at him for a while, and then meowed. Saying anything was useless unless it was automatically admitting defeat!
Yun Juan looked at the excited husky with its tongue lolling out, his eyebrows drooped, and slowly said, "Your name is Haha, right? Do you remember I just helped you? I heard you're very loyal, so shouldn't you help me this time?"
The husky was stunned. That made sense!
The silver shaded cats looked at it warily and its airplane ears perked up. Why did it have a bad feeling?
The husky hesitated, looking left and right, and finally moved sideways in slow-mo to behind Yun Juan. Turning its head, it avoided the silver shaded cat's gaze. It couldn't help it! It owed the human child! Brothers, don't blame it!
"You're so good, thank you." Yun Juan wrapped his arms around its neck.
The husky's tail uncontrollably swung, and it even rubbed its head against his cheek.
At this time, the hairless cat slowly walked up to Yun Shu and casually sat down beside her.
Yun Shu exclaimed in surprise, "Are you going to help me?"
The hairless cat looked up at her and gently licked her finger.
It liked this little human girl and couldn't stand the silver shaded cat bullying the smaller one. Besides, that stupid dog had switched sides first, so its arrival wasn't a problem.
Yun Shu scratched its chin in delight and the hairless cat purred contentedly.
Then Yun Shu opened her hands to the opposite side, revealing what Yun Chuman had just given her—cat treats lying in her hand.
The orange cat's eyes lit up and it darted over with lightning speed, bringing along the ragdoll that had been sleeping against it.
The little Pomeranian looked around, raised its little head high, and followed the ragdoll to Yun Shu's side. It wouldn't play with an ugly cat!
In the end, besides themselves, the Gold and Silver duo' camp was left with only a pug and two chinchillas.
The pug blinked and slowly walked off the field: "Woof!"
[I'll be the referee!]
The Gold and Silver duo plus the two chinchillas: ...
What was the point of this little fight?! Just admit defeat and learn how to speak human language!
Author's Note:
【Yun Family Diary】
Yun Juan: Let me think about how to teach the fluffy creatures to speak human language...
Yun Shu: Let me think about what to play house with the fluffy creatures.
The fluffy creatures: Who's the dog here?!
Yun Chuman: Today I'm the lucky charm for my two little ones, hehe~