The System Mistook Me for a Cat

Even a system calculated to be foolproof can encounter unexpected surprises—like a car breaking down.

Although the system would love to transform into a mechanical assistant and personally repair the car, all it can do now is flap its wings in frustration.

Chu Tingwu isn't overly concerned. She gets out of the car and says, "Let's just run."

The driver calls for a tow truck, the system arranges for others to come and assist, and Chu Tingwu doesn't want to just sit on the highway, so, running it is.

She hasn't run in a while. There are cars coming and going on the national highway, and since she has plenty of time, Chu Tingwu doesn't ask for help from passing cars or seek assistance from online friends. Although her fanbase is large, this isn't a time when she usually goes live, so besides the distant hum of approaching vehicles, only her footsteps echo in her ears.

Until she enters the tunnel, Chu Tingwu runs for a while before instinctively turning her head—

A bicycle speeds past her, and the rider casts a puzzled glance back at her.

Chu Tingwu continues running, but bicycles keep passing her side by side. When she exits the tunnel, several bikes are parked ahead.@@novelbin@@

The leader waves and asks, "Need help?"

They are from the cycling club of Lezhou City, and their bikes are specially designed for road cycling. The bikes don't have rear seats and seem unable to carry a passenger, but after hearing about Chu Tingwu's situation, the captain offers enthusiastically—

"You can sit on the crossbar in front."

Chu Tingwu: "=="

That's for kids, isn't it?!

In the end, Chu Tingwu holds onto the Sister's shoulders, stepping on the side rod near the rear wheel, balancing herself in a tightrope-walker-like stance behind her.

Although she assures everyone that she can handle this maneuver, they are still a bit nervous. Not to mention, this stance puts quite a strain on the strength and core of the person in front.

Once they start riding, however, the one pedaling breathes a sigh of relief—

She expected the extra weight to be significant, but it's actually not that bad... Strange, she even feels lighter than when she usually carries friends.

Chu Tingwu is taller than her friends, appearing to be about 5'7" (170 cm), with a very balanced and strong build.

The others also slow down, staying close enough to help if needed but not interfering. The captain asks Chu Tingwu, "Where are you headed?" She names a spot where she expects the next car to meet her. At the current pace, it should only take about half an hour.

The captain nods, "Oh, someone's coming to meet you, that's good."

Another rider chimes in, "We were wondering from behind—thought you might be running away from home... And running on the highway isn't safe."

The cycling group doesn't pry deeper, shifting the conversation to their cycling experiences—

Chu Tingwu listens quietly, barely needing to focus to guess the professions and personalities of the few people based on her abilities. Some are office workers, others are retired athletes, and a few are students or freelancers. They usually have a group chat and meet on weekends to ride together.

Only a few of them participate in competitions; most do it as a hobby, saving up to buy new gear and exploring new routes, enjoying different landscapes on the way.

The lively conversation is halfway through when the Sister in front suddenly panics, exclaiming, "Oh no!"

She feels the weight behind her disappear, and Chu Tingwu's hands are no longer on her shoulders. She immediately assumes Chu Tingwu has "fallen off," frantically signaling to her teammates while glancing back—

Even at a slowed pace, the speed of cycling is still fast, and turning one's head is a risky move.

But in the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of the ocean to the right.

The sea is far away, only visible through the gaps between skyscrapers, but the sunlight glitters on the water like pearls, rewards for the hardworking.

Chu Tingwu hasn't fallen or jumped off; she merely tucks her hands into her pockets, turning sideways to gaze at the scenery. She doesn't need extra support and stands as steady as a rock.

The group falls silent for a moment, resuming their ride after passing the scene. The captain, holding back but ultimately unable to resist, asks, "Little Chu, are you from Lezhou? Or are you studying here?"

Why would they encounter Chu Tingwu, a runner with seemingly nothing but the clothes on her back, on their cycling road?

She doesn't look like a traveler with a backpack or even appears to carry a phone or electronics, making her seem like a suddenly runaway minor. The only extra movement she makes while running is occasionally looking up, as if watching birds in the sky.

Chu Tingwu raises her arm.

The black dot in the sky grows closer, and when it descends to a certain height, everyone initially thinks it's a seagull, but then notices the subtle mechanical vibe...

Chu Tingwu explains, "This is my live-streaming drone."

She talks about the Red Falcon's descent, the hastily initiated plan, chasing and feeding while manually adjusting the young migratory bird's direction, switching between countless vehicles and means of transportation... chasing the migratory birds.

Using human strength, collective wisdom, with the help and support of many, sprouting wings.

The cycling team doesn't mock or feel it's overreaching; in fact, they're a bit envious—

"Because ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‍it's so romantic," the Sister carrying Chu Tingwu says with a smile, "It's romantic to complete your own ideas."

And having the capability to do so, as well as the support of friends and family, is something to be envied.

Chu Tingwu doesn't mention the hardships along the way, the lengthy travel and inconvenient lifestyle, or the adjustments to the itinerary for the Red Falcon... she doesn't need to, as the cycling team understands.

When she eats and sleeps in the car, others also face bike breakdowns, pushing their bicycles for five kilometers.

Many cyclists are similar to her—driven by a spark of interest, not competing in races, and having family who might only say, "Good exercise," while those who don't understand think it's odd to spend holidays cycling on dangerous roads, instead of resting at home.

—And spending so much on a fancy bike!

"Because spending time and energy on hobbies that seem 'useless' feels shameful," the Sister says with a shrug, "Family thinks, 'If you're going to do it, do it properly,' and I used to feel a lot of pressure, sneaking out to ride. But later I realized, why can't I—"

"Just do it because I like it?"

Is it embarrassing to simply do what you enjoy, even if you're not the best at it? Even if it is, so what?

They have no idea how happy it makes her.

Shaking off this extra pressure, they've ridden to even more distant places, created a public account to help new riders, and even took on cycling gear promotions, earning a small income for the club... facing setbacks but also witnessing landscapes only visible on a bike.

Ahead lies another tunnel.

Chu Tingwu suddenly presses on the Sister's shoulders, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, "There are no lights in the tunnel ahead."

The chatting group freezes for a second, then falls silent, the bicycles one by one entering the tunnel.

Chu Tingwu hears the rapid heartbeat of the group... The tunnel really has no lights! And not all bikes have reflective tires, only two have rear lights that can be turned on, leaving them in complete darkness as cars pass by with their headlights, vanishing into the distance.

Chu Tingwu could hear the thundering heartbeat of the person in front of her, but they didn't slow down and continued to rush forward.

In times like these, having a companion by your side was a greater source of comfort.

So, Chu Tingwu didn't remove her hand from the other person's shoulder. At this moment, they couldn't turn around to check if she was still there.

Meanwhile, the system had finished scanning the entire tunnel. The drone flew up from Chu Tingwu's shoulder, and the spotlight from its underbelly lit up the ground, creating a luminous path that followed them.

The atmosphere suddenly eased.

Only after they exited the tunnel did someone sigh, "Your drone is really useful."

It looked particularly cool and even had a night lighting mode. It seemed to be one of Wu Voice Group's bionic drones, but since they didn't often need it, they hadn't bought one.

After all, operating it while riding a bike was quite inconvenient. Even though the ad mentioned an "automatic follow-fly" mode, none of them had tried it, so they weren't too sure about it.

Should they use the club’s public funds to buy one?

Chu Tingwu: "Don't you guys take promotions?"

"Ah... yes, that's a thing."

What's up?

Chu Tingwu: "Then you could promote this drone. That way, you can try it out and see if it's useful for night rides."

She remembered that the company had always been looking for various UPs, public accounts, and promotions for product placements, and while they didn't have celebrity endorsements, these small promotions never stopped.

The adults just smiled and didn't engage in a conversation about how "accepting promotions isn't that easy." They took Chu Tingwu's words as a child's lovely wish. Some also thought of Chu Tingwu's bird-chasing plan and speculated that she might not be joking and really had connections, but they didn't dare to take it as a promise since they were just casual acquaintances. Only one person hesitated to speak. He had recognized Chu Tingwu immediately upon meeting her—after all, he had cats at home and liked watching the news, with various memes trending on different platforms. But he didn't feel comfortable revealing his recognition.

Until Chu Tingwu met the car coming to pick her up, and an hour later, while they were resting, a call came through from the media department of Wu Voice Group.

Passing through the toll booth led them to Sangcheng.

After nearly a year, Chu Tingwu returned to this coastal city. Familiar sights gradually appeared along the way. Situated in the southern hemisphere, despite being winter, the temperature wasn't low. The sun warmed the surface of the sea, and according to the plan, the red-footed falcon flock would likely be caught up with around the same time tomorrow.

Due to recent events, every time Lolo is beside qiu tingwu, she rests longer but upon narrowing being not the peeming to understand but she carried up a plant penition, moving alert in the urban leaving and better safe.

She reunited with the red-footed falcon, but the "seagull" on her shoulder was still conspicuous. The car parked not far from the beach, where some people were playing and filming. Chu Tingwu placed the birdcage on the roof, seemingly entering a state of tranquility in advance.

"Sister, little girl," a cameraman, who was filming someone from a distance, waved at her, "Is that your family's car? Can you move it? It’s inconvenient for us to get our shots—"

Chu Tingwu: "Me?"

“Yes!” The cameraman smiled. He was filming a tall and handsome guy, along with others in the frame, who didn't seem like actors but weren't purely passers-by either. Chu Tingwu slowly glanced at their group and signaled the driver to move the car.

The cameraman was pleased with her cooperation and said mysteriously, "Did you see that? Our Brother Li is wearing VR live-streaming gear. The content we're filming requires your confidentiality. If you want to try it out, I have another set—or you can come to be an extra. We still need extras for the night shoot."

Chu Tingwu: "Oh…"

Chu Tingwu: "Then, is his equipment not turned on? Otherwise, wouldn't everything be live already? What's the point of keeping it secret?"

The cameraman's attitude turned a bit cold, giving Chu Tingwu a look that seemed to say, "You don't get it, but I do," and waved his hand. "Sangcheng is one of the first to use VR live-streaming. We have the channels. It's new... sigh," he said, losing interest, "kid, just take your birdcage and go back to your family."

The birdcage's door was open; wasn't he afraid the bird would fly away? But he wasn't planning to remind her.

The cameraman didn't remind her, but Chu Tingwu herself made a call.

A few minutes later, the police arrived and took the group away.

—It was possible that some of the others involved in the shoot didn't know, or they might have been deceived, but Chu Tingwu could tell with just one glance that from the cameraman to the lead actor, they were all likely just released scam artists, now plotting further scams and abductions, possibly even involving drugs (though the main members weren't users).

After reporting them, she quietly left. Unlike the scammers, there were indeed people genuinely filming videos on the beach.

One vlogger captured the scene from behind, initially thinking it was a staged performance, but after the police car never returned, he was left in confusion—

Wait?!

He posted the video online.

Netizens recognized Chu Tingwu from her back and the red-footed falcon beside her.

When Chu Tingwu woke up the next day, she found:

In just one night, how did her fearsome reputation spread online?

How did the rumor about "sending someone to jail just for not moving the car" come about?

She had to clarify:

Even if that person hadn't asked her to move the car, she would have called the police!