Chapter 1 "Whoever makes you cry, is responsible for comforting you"

"Gu Lin, is that right? Hello, my name is Ji Tong."

"It's not the 'tong' in 'pupil,' but 'tongtong'... the 'tong' in Wang Anshi's poem 'New Year's Day,' where 'thousands of households are bathed in the bright sunlight,' meaning the sun is just rising and the sky is beginning to lighten."

"From now on, I'll be your deskmate. I'll protect you."

"Gu Lin, why aren't you saying anything?"

"You didn't have breakfast again? Here, honey flavored."

"Gu Lin, have you seen my scarf? I can't find it!"

"Gu Lin, what do you think the sentence would be if one of the conjoined twins committed a crime?"

"Gu Lin, I don't want to go to class anymore, I want to go to the school gate to make egg pancakes."

“Gu Lin…”

“Gu Lin…”

"Gu Lin—"

"bell--"

The piercing alarm clock shattered the noisy dream, and Ji Tong suddenly opened her eyes as if she had stepped into thin air.

"Tongtong? Wake up?"

"戈戈?"

Two overlapping male voices drifted in from beside the bed railing.

Ji Tong belatedly realized that the bed curtains had been pulled open.

He turned his head and stared blankly at the two heads bobbing around beside the bed.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds later, like a zombie from a Qing Dynasty tale of the strange and supernatural, he sat up straight on the bed with a green face.

He's straightened up, but he's clearly not fully awake yet.

Ji Tong bent her legs, hugged her knees, and slowly buried her head in them.

a long time--

"Annoying."

Cui Mingying and Li Yuan, who were standing by the bed, exchanged a glance.

The two of them naturally knew that the word "annoying" wasn't directed at them, so Li Yuan asked, "Who's annoying?"

Cui Mingying: "Were you dreaming?"

Ji Tong replied irritably, "Hmm."

Choi Myung-young: "Nightmare?"

Ji Tong: “e…”

This time, the "hmm" didn't come out.

Because he actually felt that dreaming about Gu Lin probably, or perhaps, couldn't be considered a nightmare.

Ji Tong's heart was as hard as if it were stuffed with a piece of plastic.

He was already annoyed enough by his own constant chattering in his dreams, but this damned bastard Gu Lin didn't even talk to him in his dream?!

Li Yuan and Cui Mingying watched as Ji Tong's face grew increasingly green.

"Good heavens, it's so late. What's the first class again?" Li Yuan said in a drawn-out tone, pinching Cui Mingying.

Cui Mingying understood immediately: "It seems to be an algorithm?"

“It’s linear algebra,” Ji Tong corrected.

Li Yuan: "Oh, it's linear algebra."

The two sang in unison, and Ji Tong finally snapped out of his dream.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Cui Mingying: "It's 7:15, my goodness."

Ji Tong was startled: "Wasn't the alarm set for seven o'clock?"

The alarm clock was set by Li Yuan.

"The phone rang, but you didn't get up, so I'll let you sleep a little longer."

Cui Mingying patted Ji Tong's blanket: "It's okay, Lao Zhou went to Lianyuan to get breakfast. We'll go directly to Room 208 of the Lijiao Building. We'll make it in time."

Lao Zhou, whose real name is Zhou Tian, ​​is the fourth person in the dormitory.

Ji Tong felt a little relieved and got out of bed, clutching her phone.

"Okay, give me five minutes, it'll be quick."

Ji Tong left the house five minutes in advance.

Dormitory Area 5 was like a barrier; from the moment Ji Tong stepped out, people kept greeting her.

"Tongtong, good morning."

Good morning.

"Ji Tong, good morning."

Good morning, Teacher Lin.

He already had a striking face, and with more and more people greeting him, soon most of the crowd's eyes were fixed on him as if by a search engine.

"Who is this person? He seems to be from District 5 as well. Aren't all the students in District 5 freshmen?"

Why do you seem to know everyone so well?

“Ji Tong, from the Department of Computer Science and Technology, was among the first batch of students admitted early,” another person, who clearly knew some inside information, said. “Look, do you see those two next to him? They were also admitted through special admission, and they were his classmates in high school.”

"Classmates? Three students from their class were admitted through competitions?"

"That's Anjing No.1 High School, what do you think? Ji Tong's class is a competition class, and most of them are guaranteed admission."

The person asking the question said "Awesome".

"Even if they recruited early, surely everyone knows each other? It's only been a short time since school started."

"You don't know this, but the School of Computer Science has launched a major artificial intelligence project this year. Preparations started in May, and it's led by the research institute. Only the two classes in the early admission batch can participate, so even though they are freshmen, they started school three months earlier than us."

...

The gossip, like drifting catkins, was scattered in the wind, leaving no trace and never reaching Ji Tong's ears.

Only a week after the opening ceremony, Ankyo University still bears the marks of welcoming new students everywhere. The promotional signs on both sides of the main road have not yet been completely removed, and together with the hydrangeas and sages below, they form a picturesque scene, making it very colorful to look at.

Ji Tong spotted several familiar faces in the distance. Just as he was about to wave, a girl in a tie-dye dress under the billboard spoke first.

"A new wave of strong cold air will arrive in a couple of days, bringing widespread strong winds, temperature drops, and precipitation. I'd appreciate it if you could all work a little harder today and get all the materials ready. I'll treat you to milk tea later."

"Okay."

"Understood."

"Is that Senior Tu Jing over there?" Li Yuan confirmed.

Cui Mingying nodded.

Tu Jing is a third-year student in the Department of Visual Communication at Anjing University and the head of the university's publicity department.

Li Yuan and Cui Mingying knew each other because Tu Jing was not only their senior at Anhui University, but also a senior at No. 1 Middle School.

Tu Jing spent a lot of time in high school training and didn't spend much time at school. She wasn't even close to her classmates. However, she quickly became acquainted with Ji Tong, who was two years younger than her, after co-hosting a gala. To this day, they still have a very good relationship.

Tu Jing was still busy over there, directing others while helping to pull the drawstrings holding up the plaques for the school leaders.

"The canopy of the sunshade was already torn, it's okay, don't worry about it..."

Just then, "smack—"

Tu Jing suddenly heard the sound of something breaking, and then her hand suddenly felt light.

She immediately realized that the drawstring had broken.

"Oh no!" Tu Jing exclaimed inwardly. "It's the dean's inscribed plaque!"

Tu Jing's heart leaped into her throat, and just then, there was another "snap".

It's like having a nail driven in, finding a delicate balance.

Tu Jing did not hear the sound of the plaque hitting the ground.

She turned her head.

A fair, almost blindingly white hand supported the plaque at the other end.

When Tu Jing looked up again, she saw a face even more beautiful than that hand.

"Tongtong, you are my god."

Tu Jing took a deep breath, raised her right hand, and quickly tapped her forehead, left shoulder, and right shoulder, drawing a triangle in front of her.

The gesture is very common; it's a type of prayer sign.

When Li Yuan arrived later and saw this scene, he laughed: "Senior, you actually believe in this? Shouldn't you be chanting 'Amen' next...?"

Tu Jing: "—Tongmen (a type of facial paralysis)."

Li Yuan: "???"

Wait a minute, what door?

Tu Jing: "When exactly will we be able to achieve one 'one-year-old' family?"

Ji Tong had already carefully placed the rescued plaque aside, and didn't forget to cooperate with Tu Jing's performance.

"That probably won't work; I'm very difficult to raise."

Tu Jing exaggeratedly covered her chest.

Li Yuan: "..."

I'm impressed.

Tu Jing was acting when Ji Tong's phone vibrated.

It was Zhou Tian who asked the other four in the four-person dormitory group where they were.

Ji Tong replied with a cat riding a motorcycle "Coming Soon" emoji.

"Let's not talk about that now, senior. Zhou Tian is still waiting," Ji Tong said, then added, "Oh, by the way, don't take that plaque. It's quite heavy. Artists should be careful with their hands."

Tu Jing exaggeratedly clutched her chest twice: "Honk—"

“Tongmen, I know, I called for your senior sister,” Li Yuan interrupted Tu Jing’s spellcasting directly. “Senior sister, we’re leaving first. Be careful, senior sister. Bye-bye.”

Cui Mingying was the last to leave. After saying goodbye to Tu Jing, she was about to catch up when she was suddenly called back.

"Mingying".

Upon hearing this, Cui Mingying turned around and saw that Tu Jing had suddenly composed herself.

Strictly speaking, Tu Jing doesn't have the kind of appearance that makes people feel close to her; when she's not making any expressions, she even seems a bit aloof.

"There's something I need to tell you first."

Seeing her serious expression, Cui Mingying became serious as well.

"Go ahead, senior."

Although Ji Tong was already quite far away, Tu Jing still deliberately kept her voice very soft: "You should know that I am in charge of guiding undergraduate students to register for school this year."

"Yesterday, the student affairs office gave me a list of students who were unable to register on time due to special circumstances."

“Guess,” Tu Jing paused, “whose name I saw on it.”

Cui Mingying was silent for a moment, then her lips parted slightly: "...Brother Lin?"

"Yes, you didn't expect that, did you? It was Gu—hmm?" Tu Jing's eyes widened suddenly. "How did you know? Gu Lin contacted you?"

"Damn, Tongtong knows that too..."

"No, no! Senior, don't shout!" Cui Mingying jumped up and down, looking back at Ji Tong while frantically waving her hands at Tu Jing. "Brother Lin didn't contact us. We heard it from the assistant counselor of Class 9, just the day before yesterday."

Tu Jing: "What about Tongtong?"

Cui Mingying: "He doesn't know yet."

Tu Jing guessed it.

The air fell silent for a moment.

"Senior," Cui Mingying said, startled by the silence, "Um, you're not going to tell Tongtong, are you?"

Tu Jing almost rolled her eyes: "Why would I tell him beforehand? If he cries, are you going to comfort him?"

Since learning the news, Cui Mingying and the others haven't slept well for two days.

"It's 100% over," Cui Mingying was almost certain. Hearing Tu Jing's words, she became increasingly anxious. "I'm so angry I could cry..."

Tu Jing interrupted directly: "Did you make her cry?"

"Of course not."

"Then why are you trying to coax me?"

"..."

"If you don't have the ability, then talk less."

Cui Mingying pondered for a long time.

"Senior, please speak like a human being."

“In plain terms,” Tu Jing looked away, thinking of a name on the list, “whoever made you cry is responsible for comforting you.”

-

Monday was a full week of classes, with four consecutive long lectures, leaving everyone physically and mentally exhausted.

Li Yuan and his friends didn't even want to eat in the restaurant anymore, so they packed up their roast duck rice and went back to their dorm.

As soon as Li Yuan opened the door, he saw Ji Tong, who had returned to the dormitory early, putting on her shoes.

There was a large pile of familiar tools at my feet.

These include a transfer bag, a trap cage, a landing net, and an air bag containing drinking water, cat treats, and a water bowl.

"Going to see Xiao Yi again?" Li Yuan asked, placing the roast duck rice on the table.

Xiao Yi is a stray cat near No. 1 Middle School, and the "eldest son" of Ji Tong's cat sons.

It has a great name, but for various reasons, Ji Tong only calls it Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi is very wild and can't be kept at home. He also loves to fight, so Ji Tong has to go find him every now and then.

"Yeah, I went there a couple of days ago but couldn't find it. I wonder where it's gone off to again."

Ji Tong quickly tied a tight knot in her shoelaces.

"You better not catch it today, or I'll beat it until it meows!"

Li Yuan and the other two remained silent, their eyes fixed on a bag next to their airline bag, inside which was Ji Tong's jacket.

She wasn't going to beat up the cat; she was clearly worried about the temperature dropping and the cat getting cold.

Some people saw through it but didn't say anything.

"When we came back, the wind picked up and it might rain. Come back soon."

Ji Tong hummed in agreement and then checked the necessities one last time: "That should be enough."

He said "That's enough," but his eyes were still fixed on the storage box.

Two seconds later, Ji Tong took out two more cans of hydrating and health-promoting cat food from the storage box.

Three seconds later, Shuang brought a bag of freeze-dried food.

He brought another bag of thinly sliced ​​duck meat.

I stuffed another bag of new flavored cat food into my cat's mouth.

Ji Tong said reluctantly, "Never mind, I'll just take this much for now."

The three of them: "..."

"Have you ever heard of 'Loving Father's Spending Spree'?" Li Yuan couldn't bear to look. "I'll just call Lalamove for you."

However, Ji Tong was still picking out thin slices of duck meat and wasn't listening at all!

“You don’t understand,” Ji Tong said.

Kittens are definitely not benevolent creatures.

Cui Mingying handed him the trap cage, still somewhat uneasy.

"How about we go together after I finish eating? Are we going to be able to carry all this stuff?"

"It's okay, it's not heavy, you eat yours." Ji Tong waved her hand and walked away carrying her bags through the storms of life.

-

The temperature had dropped significantly at night. Ji Tong had been waiting at several spots where Xiao Yi usually appeared for more than two hours, but still hadn't seen him. Frustrated, he squatted there and ate two liver-protecting pills.

"I'll let you starve, you stinky cat." Ji Tong poured the cat food into a box with a sullen face and placed it at various feeding spots. She waited patiently for another half hour, but still didn't get any. In the end, she left with a little stray she had just caught.

At 10 p.m., the door of the 24-hour pet hospital was pushed open.

The receptionist was idly watching variety shows when she heard a voice: "Welcome, light—"

My goodness, where did this celestial handsome man come from?

Ji Tong walked over familiarly, placed the now-calm kitten on the waiting table, looked around, and asked while taking out her hospital membership card, "Are you new here, sister? Where's Sister Yang?"

The new receptionist was overjoyed to be called "sister": "Yes, I'm new here. Sister Yang is upstairs."

Ji Tong smiled, handed over the membership card, and said, "Could you please help me access Xiao Yi's file? I'd like to see the records."

"Okay, no problem."

The hospital membership card is divided into three levels, and Ji Tong has a gold card, which is the highest level.

The new receptionist immediately took over: "I'll adjust it for you right away."

Ji Tong thought for a moment.

"I'll just give you the code directly. There are too many records on the card, it's hard to find."

The receptionist didn't immediately understand what "too many records" meant, but since this was the first SVIP she had encountered since starting her job, she naturally went along with whatever Ji Tong said.

"Okay, you report it."

“26745…” Ji Tong recited a string of numbers fluently.

The receptionist checked and exclaimed, "Hmm?"

Ji Tong: "?"

"I'm sorry," the receptionist said apologetically, "I might have mistyped it. Could you please repeat it again?"

Ji Tong said "It's nothing," and repeated it again, this time at a slower pace.

The receptionist looked even more confused: "Something's not right?"

Ji Tong: "What's wrong?"

"The cat corresponding to this number is named Gu Linlin, not Xiao Yi. Is there some mistake...?"

“No mistake, it’s Xiao Yi, it’s Xiao Yi,” Just then, a middle-aged woman with short curly hair, around forty years old, suddenly rushed over from around the corner, hurriedly interrupting the receptionist’s voice, “Tongtong, I’m sorry, this clerk is new and doesn’t know Xiao Yi’s situation yet.”

Ji Tong's voice was noticeably muffled than before: "...It's nothing."

The woman, "Sister Yang," who had rushed over, coughed, stuffed Ji Tong's membership card into the front desk's hand, and tried to cover up the situation by sending the person aside.

"Go register."

"...Oh, okay, sure."

What's wrong?

She didn't say anything.

The new receptionist scratched his chin, took the membership card, and scanned it.

A "beep" sounded.

Now she finally understood what the SVIP meant when they said "too many records".

This student owns a total of 24 cats.

They were all stray cats.

16 female cats and 8 male cats.

Because their hospital system prioritizes female cats in the sequence, the front desk staff saw the first page of female cat records first.

The cats come in all ages, and all have adorable names, such as "Rice Cake," "Cranberry," and "Flower Roll."

Following this naming pattern, the male kittens would likely be named "Ramen" or "Potato Chips." With that in mind, the receptionist casually clicked to the next page.

Then I saw—

Gu Linlin.

Gu Erlin.

Gu Sanlin.

...until Gu Balin.

front desk:"…………"

Over here, Sister Yang printed out Gu Linlin's... Xiao Yi's records and handed them to Ji Tong: "Did you go to see Xiao Yi today?"

“Hmm,” Ji Tong flipped through Gu Linlin’s records and complained to Sister Yang, “It’s going to get colder, I don’t know where he ran off to.”

“Every cat has its own personality. Xiao Yi is just like that; he loves to run outside,” said Sister Yang.

“Yes, I love going out…” Ji Tong suddenly stopped talking, and her eyes drooped without warning, revealing the mole hidden on her double eyelid.

"...and he didn't even come back to visit." Ji Tong gritted his teeth.

Sister Yang: "What?"

Ji Tong raised her eyes, her outward emotions like the mole that had been hidden again, now dormant once more.

“It’s okay,” Ji Tong said, tilting his handsome face up. “Sister Yang, could you please tell the ladies and gentlemen in the group to keep an eye out for me?”

"Okay, Sister Yang will ask for you."

Ji Tong giggled: "Sister Yang is the best."

Sister Yang grinned from ear to ear, then turned to the new faces on the waiting platform: "Have you caught another new kid?"

“Hmm,” Ji Tong lifted the trap containing the new kitten: “Little male kitten.”

"Let's follow the usual procedure. First, you need to be hospitalized for a physical examination and vaccination to check your health. Your weight should be within the normal range."

Sister Yang agreed to everything, then turned to the front desk and instructed, "Create a new file for Little Homeless."

Receptionist: "Okay."

Ji Tong took out a small freeze-dried snack from his pocket and used it to soothe the kitten in the trap.

The receptionist followed the admission procedure: "What name do you want for the child?"

Sister Yang coughed loudly again, answering for Ji Tong before he could react: "Gu Jiulin, his name is Gu Jiulin... right?"

Ji Tong paused in feeding the freeze-dried food, then mumbled a response.

"Um."

Because the "hmm" is too soft, it sounds more like a "hum" than a "hmm".

Sister Yang suppressed a laugh and gave instructions to the front desk.

"Register as Gu Jiulin, just call him Xiao Jiu in normal times."

The receptionist couldn't help but say, "Why are the female kittens named Rice Cake and Cranberry, while the male kittens are all named like this? You must be very close to this 'Gu Lin,' haha... haha... haha."

I can't breathe anymore.

Sister Yang pinched her.

-

Half an hour later.

Ji Tong walked out of the pet hospital carrying large and small bags: "That's all for now, Sister Yang. I have to go back to school. If Xiao Jiu has any problems, just call me."

"Also, please keep an eye out for Xiao Yi for me."

"Okay, okay, be careful on your way."

Sister Yang saw Ji Tong off to his car before turning back.

Rain started falling from the sky at some unknown time.

As soon as Sister Yang turned her head, the receptionist was peering in this direction through the door.

"Sis, what exactly happened?"

"What do you do when you're unhappy?" Sister Yang suddenly asked.

Receptionist: "Singing? Traveling? Hiking... do those count?"

“Yes,” Sister Yang laughed, “but our little sugar daddy is quite individualistic. When he’s unhappy, he goes and catches stray cats.”

"The mother cat's name is Rice Cake Cranberry, you already know that."

"Where's the little male cat...?"

The receptionist answered quickly: "His name is Gu X Lin."

"Um."

Sister Yang went back to the front desk and retrieved all the files and records.

All the male kittens had "Ji Tong" listed as their father in the "father" column.

With another click of the mouse, Sister Yang's screen displayed all the medical records from Gu Linlin to Gu Balin.

Each kitten's physical condition, characteristics, and medication were different, but only two words appeared in all the medical records.

That is—

sterilization.

"This 'Gu Lin' classmate you mentioned who has a good relationship with him has had his testicles removed eight times."