“…So-so.” Shu Bai turned her head, but the tip of her tail gently hooked onto Li Yuheng’s wrist.
Li Yuheng scoffed: "You're just being stubborn."
He didn't say anything more, just quietly held the cat and watched the sun slowly sink into the sea.
Half an hour later, Li Yuheng stood up and patted the sand off his pants.
"They're gone."
Shu Bai took one last look at the darkening sea and softly hummed in agreement.
Li Yuheng picked up Shu Bai again, snapped his fingers, and disappeared into the seaside.
…
Autumn's chill crumbled in a sudden cold snap.
The last few withered leaves that were still hanging on the branches yesterday were swept away overnight.
Then, the snow started to fall.
Tiny white crystals swirled in the gray sky, falling onto withered branches, corrugated tiles, and cold streets.
Li Yuheng stretched out his paw to catch a snowflake, watching it melt quickly on his paw pad, leaving a slightly cool, damp feeling.
"Ouch," he shook his paw, "it's snowing already?"
Shu Bai, with her paws tucked in, squatted on the wall, gazing at the world gradually being covered in white: "...Hmm."
An unusual quietness filled the air.
Even the sparrows, usually the noisiest, huddled under the eaves, silent and quiet.
The rumors about the demolition are no longer just rumors this time.
The official announcement has been posted, in black and white, stamped with a bright red official seal.
This old neighborhood, which witnessed their countless fights, arguments, and brief moments of companionship, has finally reached the end of its destiny.
The roar of bulldozers could be faintly heard from the outskirts of the block.
Shu Bai stared at the increasingly dense snow and glanced at Li Yuheng: "Is your mouth blessed? Everything you say comes true."
Li Yuheng raised his chin triumphantly: "That's right! My word is law, and if I say it's going to be demolished, it has to be demolished!"
Shu Bai stared at his smug look, a sly glint in her cat-like eyes: "Hey, you stupid dog."
Li Yuheng subconsciously turned his head: "What?"
With a swift flick of her white paw, a swathe of snow landed precisely on Li Yuheng's face: "Here's a reward for you!"
Li Yuheng was jolted awake by the cold: "Damn it! You ambushed me!"
He shook his head violently, scattering snowflakes, but saw Shu Bai smile smugly.
"Well, you old bastard! You're playing dirty, aren't you!"
Li Yuheng let out a roar, pushed off the ground with his hind legs, and charged toward the top of the wall.
However, Shu Bai was prepared. With a light leap, it landed gracefully on the low shed next to it, which was covered with snow, and even flicked its tail provocatively.
Li Yuheng missed his target, couldn't brake in time, and buried his entire face in the snow on the wall, getting a mouthful of icy cold snow.
He spat out snow foam, then looked up to see Shu Bai looking down at him with a triumphant smile in his cat-like eyes.
"A noob." Shu Bai commented.
How could Li Yuheng tolerate this?
He took a few steps back, ran up, and jumped again.
This time, the target was clear: head straight for the low-lying shed.
Shu Bai didn't expect him to be so persistent. Just as she was about to jump away, Li Yuheng charged at her with inexhaustible strength.
Snow fell softly from the roof, and a cat and a dog rolled around in a ball, tumbling from the roof into the thick snowdrift below.
"puff!"
Snowflakes flew in the air.
Taking advantage of its weight, Li Yuheng pinned Shu Bai down, then scooped up a handful of snow with its paws and slammed it onto the cat's head: "You dare to ambush me? I'll give you an ice and snow face mask!"
Shu Bai was pinned down, meowing and kicking wildly. After finally breaking free from the snow, she turned and scratched Li Yuheng's face: "Get away!"
Li Yuheng winced in pain and loosened his grip.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shu Bai flipped over, grabbed the dog's neck with its front paws, and unleashed a flurry of kicks on the dog's rear end with its hind paws: "Do you submit! Do you submit!"
"I'm impressed by your cat-like face!"
Li Yuheng refused to give in and suddenly arched his body, trying to throw Shu Bai off.
Shu Bai clung tightly to him, the cat practically hanging on Li Yuheng's back, bouncing up and down with his movements.
Li Yuheng started spinning in place like a top, trying to fling the cat away.
Shu Bai was spinning around until she was dizzy, but she gripped even tighter with her claws and continued to attack, saying, "I'll make you dizzy! You stupid dog!"
"You go down first!"
"Stop!"
"I'll stop as soon as you get off!"
"Stop and I'll get off!"
The conversation has fallen into a vicious cycle.
Li Yuheng spun around until he felt a little dizzy, then slipped and fell sideways into the snowdrift.
Shu Bai was pulled down by him and fell down, rolling around in a heap again.
This time, before Shu Bai could react, Li Yuheng grabbed a handful of snow and quickly stuffed it into the hair on the back of Shu Bai's neck.
"you--!"
Shu Bai was startled by the cold, and instantly sprang to her feet, bouncing around and shaking off the snow.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Yuheng scrambled to his feet and laughed loudly, "Feeling cool now?"
Shu Bai shook out the snow, his eyes fierce. Without saying a word, he began to frantically dig at the snow with his claws, snowflakes flying towards Li Yuheng.
Li Yuheng, his face covered in snow, was not to be outdone. He buried his head in his work, making a huge snowball, which he then pushed towards Shu Bai: "Take this! Snowball Cannonball!"
For a moment, their eyes held no tenderness or pity for their good friend cat/dog; only a desire to bury each other deep in the snow.
They fought from east to west, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
Finally, they were all exhausted and collapsed side by side in the snow, gazing at the gray sky and panting heavily.
The snowfield, which had been in chaos just moments before, was now a mess, covered with cat and dog paw prints, as well as various shaped craters they had rolled into.
The snow gradually subsided, and fine snowflakes were still falling, but much sparser than before.
Li Yuheng lay sprawled on the snow, his belly rising and falling with each breath, hot breath coming out of his mouth and turning into a small cloud of white mist.
He turned his head and looked at Shu Bai, who was also sprawled out like a pancake next to him. His black and white fur stood out against the snow and was covered with a lot of glistening snowflakes.
As the boiling blood in Li Yuheng's heart from the fight slowly subsided, an indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up within him.
Being with this cat is always so much fun.
He cleared his throat and suddenly switched to a broken colonel's accent: "Your fighting skills are really good!"
Shu Bai lay sprawled in the snow: "...Did your brain freeze in this heavy snow and you start talking nonsense?"
Li Yuheng maintained his colonel's tone, speaking in a serious tone: "No, no, no~, it's me. I greatly admire your skills!"
Shu Bai: "..."
He sat up, flicked his tail, and, with the lingering snowflakes, lightly slapped Li Yuheng's face.
"Oh. Just admiring?"
His voice still carried the slight panting from their earlier playful fight, but his tone was flat and emotionless.
But the cat's eyes seemed to hide hooks, glancing over sharply in the snowy light.
Since the day Li Yuheng took him to see the sea, Shu Bai has been completely certain.
Which best buddies would risk transforming into human form just to "relax" and show each other the sea for half an hour?
This stupid dog probably doesn't even realize that his natural approach, his boundless intimacy, and even his clumsy "admiration" hide something that has long exceeded the scope of brotherhood.
Shu Bai knew the situation perfectly well, but he was helpless.
He couldn't let his own thoughts see the light of day, let alone expose Li Yuheng, that solid wall of steel and concrete.
What should we do?
Should I just pounce on him and say, "I think you like me. What a coincidence, I do too"?
Just thinking about it makes Shu Bai feel like he could dig out a three-bedroom apartment with his claws.
In all his years, he has never lost a fight or a verbal argument.
Chasing someone? Zero experience.
Li Yuheng's face was tickled by the tail, and he subconsciously reached out his paw to scratch his nose and shake off the remaining snow particles.
Shu Bai's words, "Just admiring?" were like a pebble thrown into his heart, creating subtle ripples.
He vaguely felt that something was wrong with what was said, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, his mind firmly planted with the banner of "good brothers."
Before he could figure out what was hidden beneath those ripples, he habitually ignored that feeling.
"Isn't appreciation enough?" Li Yuheng sat up abruptly. "Then what do you want? I'm very stingy with my praise! You're the first person to receive my 'super good' rating! You should be secretly happy!"
As he spoke, he nudged Shu Bai lightly with his shoulder, a natural and intimate gesture that carried the familiarity unique to good brothers.
"Oh." Shu Bai turned his head away expressionlessly, staring at a bare tree not far away. "So, should I thank you?"
"Absolutely!" Li Yuheng slapped his tail on the snow with a smug look on his face. "But we're like family, a verbal thank you is enough, no need to kowtow."
Shu Bai took a deep breath of the cold air, feeling as if the dog's breath was making his lungs ache.
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