Side Story 8.5: The World Belongs to Hamsters

"Meow!" The black cat was startled and shook its head vigorously, trying to shake off Xia Yu.

Xia Yu held on tightly to the black cat, but the cat's struggle was too intense, and he felt his grip loosening; it was only a matter of time before he would be shaken off.

There was no other way.

Xia Yu braced himself.

"Squeak!"

Intimidation activated!

The black cat paused and stopped struggling.

However, this was only temporary, as the black cat soon recovered, baring its teeth and preparing to struggle even more fiercely.

But this brief pause was enough!

Stretching out his claws, Xia Yu grabbed the fur on the cat's head.

Granary 63 pinch your head!

"Meow!"

"Meow meow meow!"

"Meow meow meow meow meow"

The black cat's voice went from anger to submission to begging for mercy in just ten seconds.

Humph, think you can fight with me?

Xia Yu pinched the black cat's head again, then relaxed his grip.

However, his claws remained on the cat's head, ready to tighten again if the cat showed any ill intentions.

The black cat understood this and lay on the ground, making a harmless pose.

Xia Yu thought the black cat had given in and released its head.

As soon as his hand left the cat's head, the cat showed its true colors.

With a push of the chair next to it, the black cat rolled to the side.

It wanted to pin down Xia Yu!

Xia Yu remained calm in the face of danger, jumping off the black cat's body just in time. After the cat turned around, he jumped back on, grabbing hold of its head again.

"Meow," the black cat couldn't bear the pain and bolted.

Although the black cat was smart, it still fell short compared to humans and lost its mind.

Xia Yu found a comfortable position and sat on the black cat's head.

The black cat ran wildly through the living room.

In the dining room, Yuxue, who heard the commotion, opened the door and shouted, "Little Black! Don't bully Little Grey!"

The girl stood with her hands on her hips, glaring.

However, what she saw was a hamster riding on the head of the meowing black cat.

Before she could react, the black cat ran under her skirt, then jumped out the window amidst the girls' screams in the dining room.

Hamster Yu sat on the black cat's head. Compared to the cat's body's rough movements, the cat's head was much steadier. This was true not only for cats but also for chickens and humans.

Having left the window, the black cat continued running in the backyard, the wind blowing through Xia Yu's fur, feeling very comfortable.

This low-angle view of the courtyard was also very novel for him.

After a while, the black cat's stamina decreased, and Xia Yu lost interest.

As they passed a patch of bushes, Xia Yu leaped and grabbed a branch.

The black cat did not feel his departure and continued to run, soon disappearing from Xia Yu's sight.

Climbing to the top of the bushes, Xia Yu looked around to determine his location.

Returning to the ground, he headed towards the house.

On the way, he encountered two maids, but luckily there were many hiding places in the garden, so he wasn't discovered.

After passing by the back of the house without incident, Xia Yu found an open window and climbed in.

This was the kitchen window, near the oven. Yan Wei was humming a tune and baking some snacks.

Xia Yu climbed down from the windowsill, approached the oven, and waited for Yan Wei to turn away before running towards the door.

As he passed by a plate next to the oven, he glanced at it.

It was baked white jade buns!

His progress stopped immediately.

There were four white jade dumplings and three red jade dumplings in the plate. The dumplings exuded a sweet aroma, tempting Xia Yu.

He couldn't help but reach out with his mouse claws.

"No!"

A hand grabbed Xia Yu, which belonged to Yan Wei.

"Hamsters can't eat this." Yan Wei took Xia Yu away from the plate.

"Chirp chirp chirp! Just let me have a sniff!" Xia Yu stared at the departing white jade dumplings, thinking that he couldn't eat them for another seven hours, and felt devastated.

He glanced at Yan Wei: You're finished tonight!

Yan Wei didn't know about her impending catastrophe. She placed Xia Yu in a small basket and handed him a sunflower seed: "This is for you."

Xia Yu turned his head away.

"Here." Yan Wei placed the seed in front of him again.

Xia Yu turned away.

"Eat the seed." Yan Wei offered the seed to his face again.

Annoyed by the questioning, Xia Yu snatched the seed and threw it heavily onto the ground.

Not eating!

Yan Wei scratched her head in distress, took out her mobile phone, and called Yuxue to come and fetch the hamster.

Xia Yu didn't want to return to his cage nor reveal his identity, so while Yan Wei was not paying attention, he crawled out of the basket and dashed out of the kitchen.

As a powerless hamster now, wandering alone in the villa was too dangerous. If he was seen by the three generations of Kong Hanyue, Yuxue, and Yin Yin, he wouldn't escape teasing, even if he identified himself.

The remaining people, Xu Youxiang and Yan Wei, were also the kind who would kick him while he was down.

He couldn't go to his room either, as Yuxue might find him there.

Only Yan Wei's and An Siyao's place was safe.

Yan Wei was too soft to protect him properly, so An Siyao's place was more reliable.

Thinking of this, Xia Yu ran towards the stairs, ready to head to An Siyao's room.

The steps he could usually take two at a time now looked like a tall wall in his eyes. He could only climb up from the corner of the stairs and the walls.

This greatly slowed Xia Yu down.

Climbing up another step, Xia Yu lay on the stair, panting.

These stairs were too high!

Why couldn't they have an elevator?

After resting for a while, Xia Yu stood up and was about to continue forward when he suddenly heard two voices behind him.

"Did you find it?"

"No, I don't know where it ran off to."

"What about Little Black?"

"I found Little Black, but I don't know what's going on today. Little Gray actually bullied Little Black."

The two talking were Xu Youxiang and Yuxue.

They were heading towards the stairs!

Xia Yu was still five steps away from the second floor, unable to climb them quickly, and there was nowhere to hide on the stairs, so being discovered was inevitable.

At this moment, it was time to activate the hamster's special ability!

Hamster Death Feigning Style, Ninety-Nine!

Lying on the step, Xia Yu squinted at the approaching people.

He anticipated that upon seeing him lying on the floor, the two would be shocked, and he would seize the opportunity to make a move.

The sound of their footsteps grew closer, and Xia Yu saw Xu Youxiang first, who also saw him.

Xu Youxiang stopped, saying to Yuxue behind her, "Try checking the hamster nest, maybe it went back there."

"Right, I'll go and take a look!" Yuxue immediately went downstairs.

Xu Youxiang continued up the stairs and picked up the motionless hamster Xia Yu.

The hamster didn't move at all, even when she held it in her hand.

However, Xu Youxiang was not worried at all. She stretched out her finger and poked Xia Yu's belly: "Stop pretending to be dead, get up."

Xia Yu was shocked. This woman could actually see through his acting!

There might be a trick - I'll keep lying down to see what happens.

Seeing that the hamster in her hand didn't react, Xu Youxiang asked, "How did you turn into a hamster today?"

Xia Yu's body stiffened. Not only was his acting exposed, but his identity was revealed as well?

"Don't pretend anymore. How could a hamster bully a cat?" Xu Youxiang pointed out Xia Yu's flaw.

Xia Yu couldn't refute it. He opened his eyes and sighed.

"How did you become a hamster?" Xu Youxiang held him and walked towards the bedroom.

"It was a spell accident." Xia Yu vigilantly watched Xu Youxiang, preventing the woman from taking revenge for the night before.

"Do you have to be a hamster for eight hours?" Xu Youxiang entered the bedroom and closed the door.

"Yes." Xia Yu didn't dare to say more, fearing to provoke Xu Youxiang.

Xu Youxiang put Xia Yu on the desk, called Yuxue to tell her they had found the hamster, and then gently stroked Xia Yu in her hand.

The hamster's body was very soft and very comfortable to touch.

However, the hamster was a bit small, so the whole palm couldn't enjoy it at once.

Seeing Xu Youxiang's calm expression, Xia Yu gradually let down his guard.

He pushed Xu Youxiang's hand away: "Don't touch me."

Xu Youxiang stopped touching his back, and instead played with his hind paws.

"This is not allowed either." Xia Yu pushed Xu Youxiang's hand away again.

Putting the hamster back on the table, Xu Youxiang poked Xia Yu's cheek with her finger.

"Stop it, it's uncomfortable." Xia Yu pushed Xu Youxiang away for the third time.

"Now you know what it's like to be uncomfortable?" Xu Youxiang's sudden words made Xia Yu's body stiffen.

It seems that Xu Youxiang's words had a hidden meaning.

He tried to retreat, but was caught by the tail by Xu Youxiang.

Xu Youxiang let out an evil laugh and reached out her claws towards Xia Yu.

Eight hours later, Xia Yu returned to his own body.

He silently went downstairs, grabbed the black cat in the living room, threw it into the cage, and then came to Xu Youxiang's door and pressed the doorknob.

The door didn't open, Xu Youxiang had locked it.

Xia Yu sneered, took out the spare key, and opened the door.

"What do you want to do!? Don't come over!" Xu Youxiang's panicked voice rang out.