My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 39

Watching the girl and the cat hugging each other intimately amidst soft “meow meow” sounds and a constant stream of praise like “Tantan, you’re so good!” and “Tantan, you’re amazing!”—Mu Ning inevitably felt a wave of sour jealousy again.

She had dropped so many hints about how well she had treated the kitten over the last two years. She didn’t expect the girl to be incredibly grateful, but she had hoped her attitude would at least soften a little. And the result? This person completely ignored the parts about providing good food and a comfortable bed, only picking up on the fact that Tantan was a mutated cat. Is a cat really the only thing in your eyes?

Mu Ning glared coldly at Ren Chenxi and Tantan, but as she caught sight of the bright, radiant smile on Ren Chenxi’s face, she froze. Back then, Ren Muhui had carried that exact same smile—happy, proud, and eager, as if showing off a treasure when he introduced Tantan to her. Clearly, Tantan really had been Ren Muhui’s treasure. And back then, if Ren Muhui had even the slightest good thing, he couldn’t wait to offer it to her.

Unfortunately…

That bright smile had ultimately frozen and vanished because of a single sentence from her. In its place came sadness, hurt, and other emotions she couldn’t quite decipher.

Mu Ning stared greedily at Ren Chenxi’s rare smile. The more she looked, the more she felt… it was identical. Ren Chenxi and Ren Muhui were truly identical! Could twin siblings really share the same habits, the same smile, and even the same aura?

Ren Chenxi didn’t notice the darkening gaze of the woman beside her a gaze so deep it looked as if it wanted to swallow her whole. She simply tilted her head back happily, dodging Tantan’s persistent, spoiled nuzzling and face-rubbing.

“Alright, Tantan, that tickles~” She said it, but her arms didn’t loosen their hold on the cat for a second.

Nearby, Jian Dan watched Ren Chenxi petting the cat with envy, desperately fighting the urge to reach out herself. She softly remarked, “Tantan is so cute and beautiful. Look at his fur—it’s so smooth and glossy. You’ve raised him well!”

Jian Dan’s words finally made Ren Chenxi’s hands stop their frantic petting. Though she didn’t want to admit it, it seemed that the cat-hating Mu Ning really had taken good care of Tantan during these two years of the apocalypse.

Ren Chenxi gently smoothed Tantan’s long fur. It was sleek and soft, without a single tangle.

“Thank you.”

It was the “thank you” Mu Ning had been waiting for, but now that it came, Mu Ning found she didn’t care as much. Something else was bothering her more.

“I’ve raised Tantan for two years, and Zhang Tongqi and Sun Jia have cared for him as well. But in those two years, he went from having ‘airplane ears’ and hissing at us in defiance, to gradually trusting us. He started eating the food we prepared and let us bathe and brush him. Occasionally, if he was in a good mood, he’d let us pet his back. But that was it. He has never been this intimate with any of us. The last person he was this clingy with was Ren Muhui.”

After she had driven Ren Muhui and Tantan away that day, Ren Muhui never brought the cat in front of her again. However, Mu Ning had spotted Tantan several times around campus—on the lawn, by the sports field, under benches and every time, Ren Muhui was there with him. Tantan was cold and aloof toward any curious students passing by, just as he had been toward Mu Ning’s group for two years. Only with Ren Muhui would he circle his legs, nuzzle his chin, and meow in that soft, delicate way.

Exactly like the way he was meowing at Ren Chenxi now. The sounds were layered one over another, accompanied by a very loud, vibrating purr. In the two years since Ren Muhui disappeared and before Ren Chenxi arrived, she had only ever heard Tantan hiss with aggression or threat. Once they became familiar, Tantan acted as if he were mute; he wouldn’t even offer a simple “meow.”

Would Tantan really be this affectionate and clingy with a twin sister of his owner whom he had supposedly never met?

Ren Chenxi listened to Mu Ning’s words calmly, without a hint of panic. she simply rubbed the head of the cat that was trying to nuzzle her chin and replied indifferently, “Oh? Is that so? Then maybe Tantan and I are just kindred spirits. He liked my brother, so maybe he’s just transferring that love to me now?” After finishing, Ren Chenxi proactively nuzzled her own chin against Tantan’s furry head and asked with a smile, “Is that right, Tantan?”

Tantan cooperated perfectly, letting out even more enthusiastic meows.

Mu Ning’s face remained somber as she watched the pair. She didn’t believe a single word of Ren Chenxi’s answer. But what if she didn’t? The person in front of her was identical to the Ren Muhui in her memory appearance, habits, smile, even the cat’s affection—yet the way she looked at Mu Ning was completely different.

Mu Ning fell silent, and Ren Chenxi didn’t mind. What if Mu Ning suspected her? Her player information had been altered by the system! Ren Muhui was Ren Muhui, and Ren Chenxi was Ren Chenxi. If Ren Muhui was going to be her scapegoat, she’d just push everything onto him. What was there to fear? Ren Chenxi smiled faintly, hugged Tantan, and stopped paying attention to Mu Ning. She turned and asked Zhang Tongqi directly, “Where is your injured friend?”

“Ah? Oh! Sun Jia… Sun Jia is inside! That’s strange, why is it so quiet?”

Startled by the question, Zhang Tongqi snapped out of her trance. She shot a resentful look at Tantan, who refused to leave Ren Chenxi’s arms, and then led the way to Sun Jia’s room.

For two years, she had practically worshipped Tantan like a little ancestor. And what was the result? If he was happy, he’d grudgingly let you pet his back—and only his back. If he wasn’t happy, he’d turn cold instantly; no matter how sweetly you called him, he’d just lie there like a literal rug, ignoring you completely.

Zhang Tongqi had always assumed Tantan was just like most cats—naturally aloof. But then Ren Chenxi showed up.  Aloof? Ancestor? This was clearly a “simp” cat!

Thus, Zhang Tongqi led the way, while Mu Ning followed behind Ren Chenxi. Though there was a person between them, both women felt the same thing… bitterness. One was sour over a person, the other over a cat.

The door to Sun Jia’s room was slightly ajar, likely because Tantan hadn’t closed it when he ran out. Zhang Tongqi told Ren Chenxi that while the team was out searching for medicine and supplies, they had been worried about Sun Jia, so they left a speed-user named Ge Yijin guarding outside the door, while Tantan stayed inside for company. Ge Yijin was gone now, probably having returned to the third floor to catch up on sleep after pulling an all-nighter. As for Tantan, he likely heard the voices outside and opened the door himself.

Tantan was very smart; if a door wasn’t locked, he would jump up and hook the handle to open it. Ren Chenxi had seen him do this back at the apartment. So, hearing that Tantan had let himself out didn’t surprise her. Instead, she looked down and rubbed his head again, praising him, “Tantan is so impressive, you’re like a little bodyguard now~”

Tsk. These two were being sickeningly sweet!

Zhang Tongqi turned her face away sourly and pushed open the bedroom door. As she did, she called out loudly, “Xiaojia, are you up yet? We brought back medicine for you… Huh? Why is she still sleeping?”

“Still sleeping? Maybe her wound hurt all night again and she didn’t sleep well?” Another girl looked into the room with worry, her voice dropping as if she were afraid of waking her.

“Does this happen often?” Noticing the word “again,” Ren Chenxi peered into the room as well. However, because of the curtains, the dim environment made it hard to see clearly.

“Boss, should we wake her?” Zhang Tongqi stepped back slightly from the doorway, her hand on the door, unsure whether to close it again.

Mu Ning looked at the dark room, then at Ren Chenxi, and said softly, “Wake her up. We don’t know how long she’s been asleep or if she’s had breakfast. Let’s get her up for lunch.”

“Right! It’s almost lunchtime!” Hearing this, Zhang Tongqi hurried into the room and went straight to the window, pulling the curtains open with a “shing.”

The sunlight from outside rushed in, instantly brightening the previously gloomy room. To Ren Chenxi’s surprise, even with the room flooded with light, the injured girl on the bed showed no signs of waking up.

This… she’s sleeping too deeply. Ren Chenxi walked into the room and looked curiously at the mound on the bed. The first thing she saw was a health bar that was only half full. Then, right next to it, was a… debuff!

Seeing that two-layered debuff, Ren Chenxi’s expression instantly turned grim.

“What’s wrong?” Noticing the change in her face, Mu Ning asked urgently, “Is Sun Jia in bad shape?”

This isn’t just a matter of “bad shape” anymore! Ren Chenxi glanced at Mu Ning hesitantly, then looked back at the debuff. “This friend of yours… does she also use drugs?”

Indeed, the debuff on Sun Jia was identical to the one Ren Chenxi had just seen on Fan Juntian. The only difference was that Sun Jia had 2 layers, while Fan Juntian had 5.

“That’s impossible! Don’t talk nonsense! Xiaojia never associates with Fan Juntian and his lot. How could she… how could she use drugs!” The girl who had been worried earlier followed them into the room. Upon hearing Ren Chenxi’s words, her face darkened, and her tone lost its initial politeness.

“Wu Tong, calm down.” Mu Ning glanced at the girl before turning back to Ren Chenxi. “How can you tell Sun Jia is using drugs?”

How? Based on the debuff, obviously! But since she couldn’t explain what a “debuff” was, Ren Chenxi considered making up a lie about being able to read faces. Then, she had a sudden realization. The debuff represented an addiction; it proved she was in a state of poisoning and addiction, but it didn’t necessarily mean she had voluntarily taken drugs. Given the attitude of Mu Ning’s group, they clearly didn’t get along with Fan Juntian. This gentle, delicate-looking girl didn’t seem like the type to hang around a scumbag like Fan Juntian.

However, Fan Juntian… Ren Chenxi had a gut feeling that Sun Jia’s addiction was still linked to him. Looking at the pale girl on the bed with her eyes tightly shut, an audacious theory formed in Ren Chenxi’s mind. She didn’t answer Mu Ning’s question directly. Instead, she looked straight at the girl named Wu Tong and asked a slightly more tactful follow-up: “Are you certain Sun Jia never interacted with Fan Juntian’s group?”

“Duh! I’m positive! Besides, since Xiaojia got hurt, she’s been recovering in her own room. We even bring her meals here. How could she have gone off to do drugs with Fan Juntian?”

“And before she was injured?”

“She was with us! we did everything as a group, so wouldn’t I know if she was using?”

Seeing how much Wu Tong cared about the accusation, Ren Chenxi apologized sincerely. “I’m sorry, I misspoke. Sun Jia probably didn’t ‘use’ drugs, but… she might have been poisoned…”

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