The moment Grandma Liang left for the park, Xu Jin declared emotional war.
He kicked off his slippers, marched to the sofa, threw himself onto it like a fallen hero, and let out a long suffering groan.
Yunhu, sitting proudly on the armrest, watched him with the calm expression of a creature who had never paid rent in his life.
Xu Jin turned his head.
"…So. She left."
Yunhu meowed once.
"And he left."
Yunhu flicked his tail.
Xu Jin narrowed his eyes.
"And you came back to me only after eating his breakfast."
Yunhu licked his paw peacefully.
Xu Jin shot up into a sitting position.
"No. Don't act innocent. I saw everything. You followed him around the kitchen like a tiny white servant of food. You sat on his lap like it was your birthright. You didn't even look back at me."
Yunhu hopped down onto Xu Jin's chest.
Xu Jin poked the kitten's forehead.
"You abandoned your owner for luxury. For neatly chopped carrots. For warm hands. For… a responsible adult."
Yunhu purred.
Xu Jin froze.
"…Don't purr at me. That won't erase your sins."
He flopped backward again, one arm thrown over his eyes.
"I am not missing him," Xu Jin announced loudly to the ceiling. "I do not care that he cleaned my apartment better than I ever have. I do not care that he cooks like a five-star chef. I do not care that he smells like tea leaves and responsibility."
Yunhu stepped on his stomach.
Xu Jin wheezed.
"…And I definitely do not care that he looked kind of… gentle this morning…"
He coughed and sat up again.
"I mean, normal. Completely normal. Ordinary professor energy. Nothing special."
Yunhu tilted his head.
Xu Jin pointed at him.
"Don't look at me like that. I know what you're thinking. 'Where is the food-bringer? Why are we back to burnt toast?'"
Yunhu meowed.
Xu Jin slapped a hand to his heart.
"…Even the cat is judging me."
He grabbed Yunhu and held him up like a trophy.
"Listen here, demon. If you miss him, that's your problem. I am not missing anyone. I am strong. Independent. Self-sufficient."
His stomach growled loudly.
Yunhu stared.
Xu Jin stared back.
Xu Jin was still holding Yunhu like a guilty criminal when a horrifying memory struck him.
The hospital.
The doctor.
The medicine.
The taxi.
The fact that someone definitely paid for all of that.
His arms froze mid-air.
Slowly… he lowered the cat.
"…Wait."
He sat up straight.
"…The hospital."
Yunhu blinked.
"…The medicine."
Yunhu blinked again.
"…The bill."
Xu Jin's soul left his body for half a second.
He scrambled for his phone on the coffee table and unlocked it.
No new notifications from his bank.
Because—
His father froze his cards.
Xu Jin stared at the screen like it had personally betrayed him.
"…No."
He opened his banking app.
Account: Frozen.
He opened his backup card.
Account: Frozen.
He opened the emergency card.
Account: Frozen with parental love and disappointment.
Xu Jin lay back down slowly, as if surrendering to fate.
"What about dinner?" he whispered to the ceiling. "What will I feed myself? What will I feed you?"
Yunhu meowed softly.
Xu Jin turned to him.
"Don't worry. Worst case scenario… I'll cook again."
Yunhu immediately stepped away from him.
Xu Jin pointed accusingly.
"You doubt me. I see it in your eyes."
Before the despair could deepen further, his phone suddenly binged loudly.
Xu Jin flinched.
Team chat: 'MidnightRaiders'
Player1: Jin!! Online tonight??
Player2: We need you! New tournament opened!
Player3: Stop dying in real life and come die in game!
Xu Jin's eyes sparkled instantly.
Like a starving man seeing a feast.
He sat up straight.
"Money problems later," he declared. "Honor first."
He grabbed Yunhu under one arm, carried him to the desk like a royal companion, and sat before his gaming PC.
The screen lit up.
The keyboard clacked.
The headset went on.
Xu Jin leaned forward, full battle mode engaged.
"Alright, gentlemen," he said into the mic. "Your king has returned."
Yunhu hopped onto the desk, sat beside the keyboard, and raised one paw onto Xu Jin's wrist like a co-player.
Xu Jin smirked.
"Good. My demon general is here too."
And just like that, hospital bills, frozen cards, and dinner worries were kicked far into the future.
At least until hunger attacked again.
Xu Jin had just finished selecting his in-game character when Player2 suddenly spoke into the mic.
"Bro. Who's the Demon General?"
Xu Jin blinked.
"…Huh?"
Player1 laughed. "Yeah, you said 'my demon general is here too'. Is that a new teammate?"
Player3 gasped dramatically. "WAIT. Did Jin finally get a girlfriend???"
Xu Jin choked on air.
"It's a cat," he snapped.
Silence.
Then—
"A CAT???"
"A REAL ONE???"
"Does it have gaming skills???"
Xu Jin glanced at Yunhu, who was now licking his paw with regal indifference."Yes," Xu Jin said proudly. "He's white. Fluffy. Evil. And currently judging all of you."
Player2 sighed. "I've been replaced by a cat. My life has no meaning."
Player3 said solemnly, "All hail Demon General Yunhu."
Xu Jin smirked. "Exactly."
And so the battle began.Minutes turned into hours.Clicks, shouts, victory cries, dramatic accusations of cheating.
Yunhu occasionally stepped across the keyboard, causing Xu Jin's character to spin in circles mid-battle.
"DEMON GENERAL, STOP SABOTAGING YOUR KINGDOM!"
Yunhu sat down directly on the mouse.
Player1 screamed. "WHY ARE YOU SPINNING???"
Xu Jin wrestled the mouse free. "Internal betrayal. Ignore it."
Laughter filled the headset.Time slipped quietly away.Outside, the sky darkened.Streetlights flickered on.
Dinner time passed without ceremony.
It wasn't until Player2 yawned loudly into the mic that reality struck.
"Alright guys," Player2 said, "I'm off. Dinner's ready."
Player3 added, "Same. Mom is yelling. See you later."
Player1 stretched. "We'll come back after dinner!"
One by one, they logged off.Xu Jin removed his headset.Silence dropped like a curtain.
He blinked.
Dinner.
He turned slowly toward the kitchen.Empty counter.Empty fridge except for eggs and a suspicious tomato.
Empty wallet.
Frozen cards.
No grandma.
No professor.
No food.
Xu Jin stared at the scene like a tragic hero in an ancient play.
"…Oh no."
His stomach growled loudly, betraying him.
He turned to Yunhu.The cat tilted his head.
Xu Jin grabbed him gently under the front paws and lifted him up like a tiny white prophet.
"Demon General," Xu Jin whispered, "we have a crisis."Yunhu meowed once.Xu Jin nodded gravely."…We're going to starve."Yunhu blinked.
Then calmly jumped out of Xu Jin's hands and walked to the door.Sat down.And looked up at him.Xu Jin stared.
"…Are you suggesting we go next door?"
Yunhu flicked his tail.Xu Jin swallowed his pride."…This demon truly has no loyalty."