Goddess Development Plan

"Stupid perverted cat, what are you doing here?!" The moment she saw Tina, Chu Lian was completely dumbfounded. How did this dumb cat end up in her school bag? No wonder she hadn't seen it after washing up this morning—turns out it had followed her to school.

"So cute! Chu Lian, is this your cat?" Li Xiu'er, who was next to her, seemed utterly captivated by the white kitten. Especially when the little thing let out a meow and sat there with a pitiful, accusing look directed at Chu Lian—it was practically illegal levels of cuteness.

Even Chu Lian, knowing this cat's real nature, found herself doubting what she was seeing. How had it changed so much in just a short while? It looked a little bigger, a bit more beautiful, and now carried a touch of lazy elegance.

Reaching out to pat Tina on the head, Chu Lian saw the satisfied look on its face and said, "Her name is Tina. A friend gave her to me yesterday. I thought she was still at home. I didn't expect her to follow me to school. This is bad—pets aren't allowed at school. I don't even know what to do with her now. I'll have to talk to the teacher later."

Letting out a sigh, Chu Lian picked Tina up and held her in her arms, gently stroking her back. Seeing her half-close her eyes in contentment, she couldn't bring herself to scold her.

"I think it should be okay. After all, it wasn't like you brought her on purpose—she jumped into your bag on her own and came with you, right? No need to worry too much." Li Xiu'er kept her eyes fixed on Tina and, after hearing Chu Lian's explanation, tried to defend the cat. Then, unable to resist its cuteness, she asked, "Can I hold her?"

Chu Lian looked at Tina, then at Li Xiu'er, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "I think... it should be fine. Try holding her..."

"That's wonderful! Come on, Tina, let me hold you, okay?" Without waiting for a response, she took the cat from Chu Lian's arms and hugged it to her chest, gently tickling its chin.

Seeing the stupid cat snuggling even more contentedly against Li Xiu'er's chest, Chu Lian couldn't help but clench her fists and mutter internally: "It's nothing, I'm still in my development phase. It's nothing, I'm still in my development phase. It's nothing, I'm still in my development phase... Like hell it's nothing! Why has Xiu'er developed so well?! And I'm still like this! We're the same age, about the same height, but she's so much bigger than me! This is so unfair, so unfair..."

Her silent wailing seemed to be noticed by Tina, who slightly opened her sleepy eyes, glanced at her with pity, then closed her eyes again and continued to enjoy Li Xiu'er's generous assets.

Meow, as expected, my flat-chested idiot master is a rare case. All the other girls have developed nicely, only she's still a washboard. Lying here feels amazing. I'm definitely coming to school with her more often. So many girls here—I want to try them all. So this is the school the flat-chested idiot master was talking about... a paradise of big-chested life, it's absolutely amazing! Meow~~

"This damn cat..." In the system space, Ayase swirled the wine glass in her hand and sighed lightly. "Fresh out of training and already bullying its own master. Clearly hasn't learned its lesson. Next time, I'll make the punishment even more humiliating."

Though everyone else had seen the adorably fluffy white cat appear on Chu Lian's desk, none dared to approach or ask. After all, her musical performance days ago had left such a deep impression that most students in Class 1 now felt a sense of distance from her.

Compared to other kids their age, they were definitely talented in some way. But next to Chu Lian, they fell far short—there was simply no comparison. For middle schoolers, it would be strange not to feel inferior or in awe. And once those emotions took hold, the resulting distance was inevitable.

Chu Lian had already sensed this. When she first arrived, many classmates had greeted her warmly with smiles and laughter. But today, even with a mask on, it wasn't like she had changed so much that no one recognized her. Yet not a single person approached her. Most simply stood silently aside, and a few forced out a weak "good morning."

This was why Chu Lian, despite being the center of attention, had no one approach her. Li Xiu'er was the exception—having always idolized her, she felt no pressure, only joy in seeing her idol grow ever more brilliant. Others either felt too inferior to get close, or admired her too much to approach without her invitation.

Thus formed an awkward scene: the most outstanding person was also the loneliest. Even Cai Ya, Wang Tingsi, and Lux had groups chatting around them—only Chu Lian had Li Xiu'er alone.

Fortunately, Tina's appearance greatly eased the strange tension, lightening the atmosphere. The way Chu Lian cradled the kitten made her look like an ordinary, sweet neighborhood girl who simply loved cute things—with not a trace of arrogance.

"So being too outstanding really does make people feel even more distant from you... I'd noticed it, but there's no easy fix for now. Still, that stupid cat might have unintentionally solved this awkwardness. Or maybe... it planned this from the start?" With a gentle smile, Chu Lian glanced around, nodding politely when she met adoring gazes. This helped maintain her approachable image, much like when she first arrived.

Talented people with pride aren't necessarily disliked. On the contrary, they can be admired. But if they remain humble and kind, their popularity rises even more. Most people prefer those who are both brilliant and likable.

Monday morning reading was usually a time for students to freely choose what to do. Unless there was something important to announce, reading was still encouraged. But if a student wanted to speak, they were allowed to go up and talk.

Chu Lian understood this well. She saw it as the perfect opportunity to bridge the gap with her classmates.

So, she asked Li Xiu'er, "Xiu'er, do you know when our class trip is scheduled to start?" She needed to confirm the date so she could plan what she wanted to do next.

Li Xiu'er was still playing with Tina and hadn't noticed that Chu Lian's thoughts had gone through countless shifts in such a short time. When she heard the question, she blinked in surprise, then answered, "The school said it's next Monday, May 11th. Where we go will be up to us. They'll provide funding and paperwork, and a few teachers will accompany us. The rest—where we go and how we travel—is entirely up to us."

She didn't know why Chu Lian was asking, but figured she had her own reasons. As the class's cultural committee rep, Li Xiu'er paid close attention to these things and was among the first to know.

"The 11th, huh? Next Monday. Seven days left. That should be enough time to prepare. But once we leave, we'll be gone for half a year... I wonder if those people will follow. If they do, it'd be a disaster for them. Still, I have no reason to stop them. I can only do my best to plan ahead."

This timing made her uneasy, since she was currently on the verge of triggering an Abyss-level dangerous mission. If it activated during the trip, the people around her could get hurt.

She couldn't be sure whether they'd follow her or not. If they didn't, that would be best—more time for her. If they did, it could be dangerous.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Only one of them might follow you, and they won't harm anyone else. Just relax..." Ayase's lazy voice suddenly echoed, like a shot of reassurance that steadied her unease.

"Then..."

She stood up, walked to the podium, and facing the class, said, "Um, would anyone be interested in hearing something from me?" After speaking, she winked and smiled behind her hand...

"It's about the class trip..."