I Got Famous Making Cooking Livestreams In Space

Translator: Sy

Editor: SipsTea 

Chapter 8: The Uncontrollable Tears

Lin Ning had two plates of Crystal Shrimp Dumplings. He packed them separately, placing one of the containers in the refrigerator. After that, he put the cat food on the dining table.

When everything was complete, he fixed his gaze on the kitty. The cat had been watching him the whole afternoon, no longer appearing as aloof as before, which made Lin Ning happy. He signaled it over.

“Hey Kitty, come eat~”

The kitty leapt onto the table, kind of annoyed with being called “Kitty” again. It strided elegantly towards the cat food, but its swaying tail was a telltale of its good mood. The cat sniffed the food cautiously, felt the food wasn’t as appetizing as the shrimp dumplings, and turned away. Two steps later, it stopped in front of the plate of shrimp dumplings.

The cat thought both the cat food and dumplings were all made for itself, and it wanted the dumplings. They smelled really good. Its stomach growled uncomfortably as the delicious smell filled its nose. The cat lowered its head to take a bite of the savory little dumplings.

Lin Ning reached his hand out and tried to swipe the plate away from the kitty. This set of dumplings were made for humans, not cats — he was worried it might cause the kitty an upset stomach. But the cat was nimble. As Lin Ning’s hand drew closer, a furry paw struck forward and pressed firmly down on his hand to stop him.

Its swaying tail froze. He promised me good food, and now he’s going back on his word?

Lin Ning coaxed gently, “You can’t have this. You’re a kitty, so you can only have cat food.” He pointed at the food in the basin. It was huge, definitely more than enough for a cat.

The kitty squinted, reluctantly lifting its paw from Lin Ning’s hand. But it didn’t bother looking at the cat food — its pupils, bright like stars, glared hard at Lin Ning.

Was that expressionless cat trying to say “But I want this and that’s final”?!

Wasn’t that way too cute?! The way it protected its food from him? 

Although its eyes were fierce, the way its paw moved to stop him was gentle, as if it was scared of hurting him. This tsundere cat was going to be the death of Lin Ning. It’s round little head even seemed to cock sideways angrily, and that was enough to defeat the willpower of a cat person like him. 

Lin Ning conceded. “Fine. You can have some, but not too much. I’ll take some for you, but you’ll eat your cat food after this like a good kitty, alright? I put a lot of effort into making your food, so if you don’t like it, I’ll make something better next time, okay?” His tone was soft and sincere, as if he were speaking to a fragile little baby. The look he gave the kitty seemed fragile, too, brimming with concern and sympathy.

Lin Ning’s face was really handsome. He had red lips, bright eyes, and pearly white teeth. His features were perfectly balanced between a naive teenager and a kind young adult. Just a smile from him could melt a person’s heart, so him taking a top ten spot in the idol show back then was no joke — this was the face of a fighter! If he were in the entertainment industry, there’d only be a few people out there with looks worth challenging Lin Ning’s.

Lin Ning leaned forward suddenly, smiling brightly. It really was a charming smile. The cat couldn’t dodge this flourishingly beautiful ambush in time. Its body stiffened.

Are people nowadays really this naive?! First he lets some random animal into his home, now he’s walking around with that stupid smile on his face. This guy’s a born target for bullies. Did he ever pause to think about how screwed he’d be if the cat was a bad guy?

The cat turned away coldly, heat rising to its face, but it still picked on a few shrimp dumplings to eat. The skin was thin, its filling thick in contrast. Juice seeped out as it took a bite. Starting with a surface that popped as its teeth sank in, it tore it apart to reveal the tender, fresh flesh of the shrimp.

 !!!

The cat’s eyes brightened and it started eating faster. It polished its plate in two bites, not forgetting to lick its lips elegantly after, its pink tongue peeking from beneath its fur. It fell into silence again upon seeing the clean, empty plate.

That wasn’t enough.

But it couldn’t bring itself to act cute and beg for food — that would sully its pride. After a moment of struggle, it ultimately trudged towards the cat food, disappointed. Under Lin Ning’s hopeful gaze, it took a bite. It was tasteless, specially made to fit a cat’s palate. Sure, the human put in a lot of effort preparing the food, but…

It was human, too! It didn’t want to be treated differently. Even though its body became that of a cat’s, it still had the palate and habits of a human. Getting used to cat-specific food was impossible. But Lin Ning worked hard the entire afternoon, it couldn’t bear to hurt his feelings.

In the end, it finished the basin of cat food as politely as it could.

As Lin Ning ate his own dumplings, he observed the kitty carefully. It had a cold, harsh appearance. It sat straight and sternly like a tiny commander. If he were to place it in a group of other cats, it would probably be the one to lead his fellow cat friends. Although it was eating its food as instructed, Lin Ning still saw a trace of disappointment on the cat’s stoic face. Its fluffy ears drooped slightly, and it wasn’t as energetic as it was when it was eating the dumplings.

Pfft… this kitty is weird.

Both the cat and the human ate silently. Lin Ning ate a little more, but was starting to feel the awkwardness hanging in the atmosphere, so he turned the TV on. Televisions in the future were transparent slabs that showed images and footage only when turned on. This was Lin Ning’s first time turning one on at home.

The screen played a singing programme. This was one of the most popular shows throughout space that many star singers performed their trademark pieces on. Lots of dream-chasers made their names big by performing on that stage, too.

“Next, let’s invite our fourth guest, Jiang Feng, to perform his song, ‘I Cheer For You’! Jiang Feng has been consistently topping our music charts these past few years, not only possessing an incredible skill in singing and dancing, but also talent in songwriting. He has numerous songs that have won Interstellar Awards, and as things stand now, has a solid footing on the Singer’s Stage…”

The footage cut to a handsome young man. As he stepped onto the stage, the crowd cheered, and the special guests applauded enthusiastically. The stage lights dimmed and switched colours gradually, bathing the stage in a red glow, as if Jiang Feng was floating in the heart of a red galaxy. 

Even though the cat tried to eat in dignified, unbothered silence, it couldn’t help but peek at the screen.

“You say the summer sky’s too blinding,

We should pick a winter night to watch the lanterns.

You say an old city’s too full of feelings,

We should find a mountain high to leave our yearnings.

You side with blooming willows,

And dance with a peach dress in your embrace,

But then come down the fallen leaves,

And the ambition you bore soars the skies…”

The moment he opened his mouth, Jiang Feng had the audience’s hearts captured. His voice was mesmerizingly mellow, made clean and heavily clear with the first-rate stage equipment. The lyrics were mild and tender, but the story behind the song was full of conflict.

Even the cat remembered this song well.

It happened during the turbulent era of the Interstellar war a few years ago. The top female Interstellar general Lin Rou was declared missing-in-action in a teleportation leap mid-war, her whereabouts still unknown to this day. She was adored by the public for her outstanding military achievements — even the army highly respected and admired her. The people prayed for her and the airship she was in, hoping for her safe return. But as time slipped by, the possibility of her survival slipped lower, too, and songs and memorials dedicated to her memory piled.

One of the most famous examples of this was the song Jiang Feng composed the night before the finals of the idol trainee show, performed on stage with red-rimmed eyes as a tribute to the country’s hero. As the final note rang out, tears trailed down his cheeks, and the crowd cried along with him.

He became famous overnight the moment his performance video went viral. The distance between his ranking and the other competitors grew larger and larger, and the programme ended with him emerging as a rising superstar, debuting with a C-position.

The amount of awards Jiang Feng won through that song alone was impossible to count, he was even lifted to a status of the nation’s most patriotic artist, his fans spreading his name and praise everywhere.

As Lin Ning listened, tears welled up from the corner of his eyes. It was as if there was a hand over his heart, squeezing it tightly until it hurt so much he could hardly breathe. The emotions the original owner of this body left behind surged and crashed like waves, dragging Lin Ning under its currents as if this pain was something he himself experienced.

The cat watched Lin Ning react to the song as if his soul had been ripped out of his body. As if in deep thought, its tail swayed, an arc of light flashing in its eyes.