Others could toss around phrases like "I’m the only one for the job," but Yang Qi knew his place and would never say it himself.

After a few brief messages in the group chat, playing along with everyone’s excitement, he logged off.

After washing up, Yang Qi leaned against the headboard and checked the time. It wasn’t too late, so he called his grandmother.

The call connected quickly, and his grandmother’s voice, both kind and a little reproachful, came through the receiver.

"Xiaoqi, why are you calling again? It’s expensive!"

"Because your grandson missed you," Yang Qi replied with a laugh.

"Oh, you silly boy~" His grandmother sounded a little flustered.

The older generation was usually more reserved with their feelings.

Yang Qi didn’t press the cheesy sentiment. He switched to small talk, asking his grandmother how things were at home and reminding her to take care of her health. He assured her that everything was fine on his end and that work was going well.

On the other end of the line, his grandmother fussed over him, reminding him to eat his meals on time and not to get too tired. After about ten minutes, she started rushing him off the phone again, "The bill is expensive, hang up, hang up."

Yang Qi could only laugh, say his goodbyes, and hang up.

Listening to the dial tone, he felt a warmth spread through his chest.

It wasn’t convenient to set up a Spirit Gathering Array for cultivation in the hotel room.

So Yang Qi just went online to check the news.

His phone suddenly vibrated, signaling a new group message.

He opened it and saw it was from the Liudong Study Group chat.

Song Wan had tagged him and sent a video file with a caption.

[Yang Qi, come and see how it is! The first video showcasing the results of Overlord’s ’special training’ is all edited! [Feeling Proud]]

Yang Qi tapped to play the video.

The video opened with a shot of Overlord sprawled on the sofa, paws tucked under his chest, fast asleep. He looked both lazy and imperious.

Song Wan wasn’t in the shot, but her voiceover could be heard, calling out gently, "Overlord, Overlord, can you bring Mommy a tissue, please?"

She called twice, but Overlord didn’t react at all, not even twitching an eyelid.

In the voiceover, Song Wan seemed to have anticipated this. A rustling sound could be heard, followed by her voice, now laced with a tempting tone.

"Come on, Overlord, look what I have here... A little dried fish!"

On screen, a hand appeared, dangling a small dried fish in front of Overlord’s nose.

Only then did Overlord slowly crack open one eye. He glanced at the dried fish, let out a massive yawn, stretched languidly, and reluctantly hopped off the sofa.

With a slightly arrogant gait, he gracefully leaped onto the coffee table and plucked a tissue from the box. Then, with the pristine white tissue in his mouth, he faced the camera and strode forward, head held high.

The afternoon sun streamed through the window, glinting off his glossy fur. His gaze was disdainful, exuding a wild yet "forced-to-perform" sort of arrogance.

He walked right up to the camera, placed the tissue on an outstretched hand, and immediately let out two sharp MEOWS.

Song Wan’s smiling voiceover chimed in, "Overlord is so well-behaved. Here, a dried fish as your reward."

On screen, the hand offered the dried fish to Overlord’s mouth.

Overlord lowered his head, sniffed the snack first, and then began to munch on it. As he ate, a series of muffled purrs and meows rumbled in his throat.

Song Wan’s voiceover returned at the perfect moment, filled with adoration.

"My Overlord is the most loving cat, he even knows how to get Mommy a tissue now~"

However, watching the video, Yang Qi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Song Wan couldn’t understand the meows, but Yang Qi could.

The two demanding meows from before actually translated to:

’So annoying. This female Two-legged Beast is such a pain.’

And the mumbling meows while he was eating were—

’If I wasn’t starving, there’s no way I’d eat this stupid dried fish.’

’Sigh, when will I get to eat Spirit Rice Porridge again?’

’No, no, I can’t think about it anymore. The more I think, the hungrier I get.’

...

’That fellow is still so haughty deep down.’

’But at least he’s obedient enough to know that completing a command earns him a "reward."’

Yang Qi mused. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

For an animal whose intelligence had been awakened, the allure of a food like Spirit Rice Porridge, which was rich in Spiritual Qi, was immense. Once tasted, it was impossible to forget.

After being returned to Song Wan, Overlord had surely been craving it constantly.

When Yang Qi was training the cat, he had made a "pact" with him: as long as Overlord behaved, listened to Song Wan, and acted well after going back, Yang Qi would bring him back every so often for more Spirit Rice Porridge.

It seemed that for the sake of this "Spiritual Food," Overlord was putting on a decent performance. At the very least, he was willing to "cooperate with the act."

He exited the video. In the group chat, Gao Zhenyue, Ye Haibing, and Qian Yu were already in a lively discussion, all praising how clever Overlord was and how interesting and well-paced the video was.

[Gao Zhenyue: That look in Overlord’s eyes is priceless! It’s got this whole ’I’m the king of the world, now bring me my dried fish, you peasants!’ vibe!]

[Ye Haibing: Song Wan, your editing on this is really good! The background music is on point, too. He’s lazy at the start, majestic in the middle, and cute at the end. The contrast is adorable!]

[Qian Yu: Hehe, I helped with the editing.]

Yang Qi chimed in with his own praise.

[It’s very good. Overlord is very expressive.]

Song Wan quickly replied.

[Thanks, everyone, but it’s mainly because Yang Qi’s ’training’ was so good. I’ll treat you all to dinner this weekend to properly thank Yang Qi and to celebrate the launch of my short video ’career.’]

[No rush on the dinner.]

Yang Qi replied.

[You should focus your energy on growing the account first. The beginning is the hardest part of being a creator. Quality content and a consistent posting schedule are key. The first video got a good response, so you need to be patient and plan your next steps carefully.]

[Gao Zhenyue: Right, right, Brother Qi is correct. Song Wan, don’t worry about treating us to dinner yet, just focus on brainstorming content. Maybe you could film some ’high-difficulty’ moves, like Overlord opening the refrigerator door?]