Chapter 154: The Victorious Kitty
The abandoned railway tracks were covered in withered yellow leaves, and in the gaps between the faded sleepers, wild roses grew rampant, swallowing up the rusted rivets.
At the park’s entrance stood a massive old steam locomotive. After its official retirement, workers had repainted it, filling in the missing parts.
An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a security uniform, stood in front of the train, holding a long-handled mop and wiping dust from its surface from a distance.
Seeing Gu Fan and me approach, the security grandpa paused his work and glanced our way. His cloudy eyes, like dull glass beads, gave us a faint once-over.
“Young man, are you here with your girlfriend to take photos for memories? Or is it one of those influencer check-ins? I don’t get you young folks. If you’re taking pictures, wait a bit until I clean it more.”
The security grandpa looked quite aged, with only a few sparse white hairs left on his head, but his tone was surprisingly firm and steady.
Working and living in such a scenic railway park, and with elderly folks often enjoying tai chi or other health activities, the security grandpa’s physical condition might even be better than mine…
My thoughts drifted off, and as usual, I sank into my own world, not responding to the grandpa’s question.
Fortunately, Gu Fan was by my side. He smoothly took over the conversation with the security grandpa.
“We’re locals, first time here. We can take photos later. I just want to know if there are many poisonous bugs or pests in the woods?”
I quietly hid behind Gu Fan, lowering my eyes and leaving the talking to him.
Gu Fan’s thinking is always thorough. Unlike my impulsive self, who just wants to end conversations quickly, Gu Fan can effortlessly pick up any topic thrown his way and steer it toward what he wants to know.
The security grandpa shook his head slowly, resting his mop on the locomotive’s doorframe to save some effort.
“A while back, there were a few poisonous critters, but I took care of them. Now the snakes are hibernating. If you young couple keep it quiet, no bugs will come out to bite you.”
The grandpa’s speech was laced with some local dialect, or maybe he was teasing us on purpose. Either way, I caught him calling us a “young couple” in dialect.
Having already been teased by the straw-hat uncle earlier, my resistance had built up a bit. Still, being mistaken for a couple again made my mind wander—do Gu Fan and I really look that much like a married pair?
Instinctively, I tightened my grip, only then realizing my left hand was still gently held in Gu Fan’s palm. This must have started after he “recharged” me with a hug on the steps, a natural follow-through.
Back then, overwhelmed by an overload of Gu Fan’s energy, my limited brain capacity had completely short-circuited.
My cat ears curled into tight little black balls, and my cat tail flailed uncontrollably, accidentally smacking the nearby handrail. The pain made it writhe like a severed earthworm, twisting up, down, left, and right.
In a total state of shutdown, I was led by Gu Fan down the long stone steps. I only barely snapped back to reality when we reached the park entrance.
But it wasn’t until now that I noticed Gu Fan was still holding my left hand—no wonder the serious-looking security grandpa thought we were a couple… hehe.
After all, it’s the New Year season, and our outfits make it hard to tell our real ages. Maybe the security grandpa thought young people these days just don’t look old?
Lost in my wandering thoughts, Gu Fan had already finished his conversation with the grandpa and was leading me deeper into the park.
Though this railway park was built around abandoned tracks, its area wasn’t small. Even a quick glance from the iron bridge couldn’t capture its full scope.
The park’s pathways were cleverly designed, almost entirely paved with repurposed tracks and sleepers. On both sides, wild lilacs formed a pale purple corridor, their faint fragrance rising as the breeze passed through.
Along the walk, we occasionally saw signs planted in the grass or flowerbeds, detailing rare plants or the history of this railway line.
Neither Gu Fan nor I were particularly interested in these. We just gave them a cursory glance and continued walking down the park’s ribbon-like paths, hand in hand, fingers tightly interlocked in an intimate pose.
The near-noon sunlight was just right, filtering through the treetops and casting shadows on us that sometimes overlapped, sometimes ran parallel.
Compared to the history of this place, I cared more about the hero beside me—the one who had saved me countless times from the dark abyss of my heart.
This heroic gentleman was like a furnace, always offering precious warmth to my perpetually cold hands and feet.
As an “evil” cat-girl creature, isn’t it reasonable for me to crave this radiant warmth?
The heat from my left hand grew warmer, like soaking in a fish-therapy spa where tiny fish nibble at you. Every groove and line in Gu Fan’s palm seemed to kiss my skin.
“Hmm~”
The accumulated happiness candies were overflowing from the jar. I couldn’t help but curve my lips into a soft smile.
My five fingers pressed rhythmically against the back of Gu Fan’s hand, hoping he’d notice… this moment, a history belonging solely to us.
What I wanted was to etch this moment deep into our memories with Gu Fan, so that when we’re old and faded, we can revisit it like flipping through the park’s signs, savoring it slowly.
“What’s up? Is Zhinian feeling cold?”
“Uh, I’m fine.”
Gu Fan noticed my little movements, but because my body temperature is naturally low, he mistook it for me being chilled by the winter breeze in the woods. He started pulling me to find a sheltered spot to sit.
My outfit today prioritized beauty over warmth, but I figured if I bundled up so much that I looked like a round cat-ball with ears and a tail, Gu Fan might find me even less appealing.
With that in mind, I’d rather endure the cold to show off the graceful curves of my figure—my greatest asset right now.
I had to constantly capture Gu Fan’s attention, and making him worry about whether I’m cold was part of that.
I let Gu Fan take off his jacket and drape it over me with one hand. Though our tightly clasped hands parted, I quickly used “being cold” as an excuse to snuggle closer, wrapping my arms around his right arm, seizing the chance to show my warm, generous heart.
Gu Fan’s body stiffened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He calmly used his free hand to fasten the top button of the jacket on me, casually reminding me to “wear more next time.”
I naturally agreed obediently, secretly savoring the pleasure of using my own advantages to tease Gu Fan.