Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 255 - Chapter 255 Chapter 248 Does this kind of accidental event

Chapter 255: Chapter 248 Does this kind of accidental event happen often? Chapter 255: Chapter 248 Does this kind of accidental event happen often? Just as Zheng Tan thought, the red rat looked indeed clever and cute, but behind that facade lay a fierce nature and, fundamentally, a tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong.

The way those researchers treated the red rat made it clear that, in this period, it had not encountered any threat at all. It got the best food and drink, even the wood for gnawing was custom made, with hardness meticulously calculated and chosen from several types suitable for its teeth grinding needs. Even after killing two of Dean Xie’s carefully bred lab mice, no one punished it; instead, they contacted other research institutes with their lab mice to discuss countermeasures, implementing a “sustainable development” strategy; for all you know, it might even start receiving international aid. Anyway, the red rat’s future looked prosperous.

Zheng Tan heard that any new decisions made in the institute regarding this rat had to be through a meeting and approved by several authoritative figures before implementation. Because everything was done in favor of the creature, it had grown sassy lately. Mr. Jiao said it would even bare its teeth directly at the scientific researchers, not giving anyone face, always causing trouble with impunity, playing in the sink if it didn’t finish drinking water. Now it even became picky with food, demanding everything fresh, threatening starvation otherwise, though it never truly succeeded in fasting. The caretakers always found new ways to pamper it. Zheng Tan saw two recent photos taken by Mr. Jiao; the red rat had grown a size larger and noticeably chubbier than when Zheng Tan first caught it.

Some rodents have to scuttle about in the sewers scavenging for food, like house mice, while others are lavishly pampered, like this red rat. It’s enough to infuriate one rat with envy towards the other.

Once, when Zheng Tan went to Mr. Jiao’s office to climb through a window, he happened to run into Dean Xie, who was about to drive out. But instead of scolding him, Dean Xie gave Zheng Tan a very warm smile.

After returning home, Zheng Tan got the answer from Mr. Jiao.

Recently, Dean Xie had reaped a lot of projects and support from various quarters thanks to the red rat, and Mr. Jiao was one of the beneficiaries. Although the red rat was no longer considered Mr. Jiao’s “private property,” Mr. Jiao had also benefited greatly. With the consent of a few bigwigs, the “Associate” title in his “Associate Professor” designation was about to be dropped quickly. Moreover, Mr. Jiao found it much easier to apply for projects now. As the saying goes, having connections in high places makes things easier. Sometimes, success depends just on a word from some people, and even in this circle that is considered a “sanctuary” and wears a halo, changes had been quietly taking place. Therefore, when Yuan Zhiyi came over once, she couldn’t help but express to Mr. Jiao, “Your cat has been quite a catch, damn worth it!”

Every time Yuan Zhiyi visited the Jiao family, she made it a point to worship Heitan, which she explained was not about paying respects to a cat, but to the God of Wealth.

Zheng Tan had grown indifferent to Yuan Zhiyi’s behavior, thinking she was just being silly.

“Your cat is truly godly, Old Jiao, let me tell you, ever since I started worshiping this Lucky Cat, my company has been on a positive development trend. Hey, let me show you my collection,” said Yuan Zhiyi, who talked a lot when drunk, flaunting his phone album to Mr. Jiao.

Zheng Tan leaned over and saw that there was an album in the phone named “Lucky,” filled with pictures of the Black Cat – Zheng Tan and various black custom-made Lucky Cats displayed in Yuan Zhiyi’s office and home.

“Don’t make him out to be so divine, it’s just coincidence, a series of occasional low-probability events,” Mr. Jiao replied.

Just as Yuan Zhiyi was about to argue, Mr. Jiao’s phone suddenly rang.

Mr. Jiao signaled “let me take this call” to Yuan Zhiyi and pulled out his phone to look. The number displayed on the screen was unfamiliar, and Mr. Jiao did not rush to answer but waited a while. If the caller hung up swiftly, he intended not to bother with it; he often encountered such calls, which after answering, turned out to be either sales, misdials, scams, or occasionally inquiries about the red rat. He didn’t want to answer any of it.

Unexpectedly, the call persisted this time, with the caller seemingly insisting on “I’ll keep calling if you don’t answer.”

Mr. Jiao then pressed the call button, without rushing to identify himself, “Hello?”

Zheng Tan pricked up his ears to listen to the voice on the phone, suspecting it might concern the red rat, since its fame hadn’t yet died down. However, it seemed the caller wasn’t talking about the red rat but something else. Zheng Tan couldn’t hear it clearly, catching only a few words.

“…Yes, it’s me… Yes… It’s my family’s cat…” Mr. Jiao said, glancing over at Zheng Tan on the couch.

Yuan Zhiyi, who was about to quench his thirst, immediately perked up his ears and stopped drinking. He stood still, holding his glass, listening to Mr. Jiao’s phone call, occasionally glancing toward Zheng Tan.

“It’s convenient. I’ll be home tonight. The address is East District B Building Fifth Floor… Okay, see you later then.”

After hanging up, Mr. Jiao looked at Zheng Tan with puzzled eyes, wondering what this cat had done that nobody knew about in the year he’d been away.

“Whose call was that?” Yuan Zhiyi asked.

“The man said his name is Yan He, asked for my name, and if Black Cat was mine, then said he’d come over later to discuss something,” Mr. Jiao had never heard the caller’s voice before; it was the first conversation with this person named “Yan He,” and the topic evidently related to their family cat. He had initially suspected it might involve the red rat, but the caller never mentioned anything about it from beginning to end. What else could it be about, then? And to come over in person to discuss – his tone made it sound as if he were granting Mr. Jiao a great favor.

Yuan Zhiyi’s expression became serious, “In any case, the Lucky Cat must not be sold!”

“No kidding, did I even need you to tell me that?!” Mr. Jiao tidied up the living room and then discussed with Yuan Zhiyi what they should do next.

“…Yan He’s name does sound familiar.” Yuan Zhiyi decided not to leave right away and to stay a little longer, to see what the visitor was really after and to back up his brother. Although he was just a not-so-famous company boss, over the years, he had his own way of judging people after attending numerous social functions, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you suss him out later, and we’ll share any trouble that comes.”

Zheng Tan was even more puzzled. He carefully thought about what he had done over the past few months, and it seemed that he hadn’t done anything outrageously wrong that would have people come to make accusations or hold him accountable. However, the name Yan He did ring a bell, but he just couldn’t remember where he had heard it before.

About half an hour later, Yan He arrived at the Jiao family, and Zheng Tan found out who he was.

No wonder the name sounded familiar; wasn’t Yan He the son of that old lady who lived by the lake? But he usually heard the old lady refer to him as “Xiao He,” and others called him “Mr. Yan,” so he hadn’t connected the name “Yan He” with this person.

As for Yuan Zhiyi, his reaction was even more exaggerated. Sitting on the sofa with a “don’t mess with me” attitude, prepared to intimidate the newcomer, he immediately sprang from the couch upon seeing Yan He, a smile blossoming on his face in an instant, “Mr. Yan, it’s you!”

Zheng Tan: “…” So, within the first second of the meeting, Yuan Zhiyi had already changed sides?

Yuan Zhiyi had met Yan He at a banquet once, where they had a formal conversation. At that time, one of Yan He’s subsidiary companies needed a reinspection of their goods due to some issues with the quality inspection department, and the diagnostic reagents and medicines they purchased had some problems. Thus, Yan He was looking for another company to help with the testing. Yuan Zhiyi took the opportunity to promote his own company, they exchanged business cards, and then Yan He never contacted Yuan Zhiyi again, clearly not impressed with Yuan Zhiyi’s company.

But now, Yuan Zhiyi hadn’t expected to run into this potential big client whom he thought he wouldn’t be contacting for a long time.

However, as Zheng Tan observed Yan He’s reaction, it was clear that Yan He didn’t remember who Yuan Zhiyi was at all.

Yuan Zhiyi introduced himself, and Yan He, whether he truly remembered or was just being polite, responded with a smile and then cut to the chase.

It turned out, the old lady had agreed to follow the old man who had come looking for her to the Southern region. She likely wouldn’t return for a while, and Yan He didn’t really want her living here either, as it was too far away. Even if she did come back to Chuhua City, he wouldn’t be able to take care of her, so she would just live in another property he owned in the city. With nobody living in the lakeside house, it would be a waste to keep it, so he planned to sell it. But the old lady had grown attached to the house over time and was picky about the buyer. Several potential buyers had approached, but she rejected them all, not liking any of them. That was until a few days ago when she noticed the group photo in the newspaper and saw Zheng Tan.

“At that time, none of us realized that the cat in the newspaper was this one from your family, but the old lady recognized it at a glance. She said it was fate and sent me over when I had time to ask if your family was interested in buying a house,” Yan He summarized the situation.

Mr. Jiao and Yuan Zhiyi were both shrewd people; they knew Yan He’s words were half true, half false. Who would believe the house couldn’t be sold? Didn’t everyone have a circle of interested friends or relatives? However, Yan He must have come because of the old lady’s instructions; otherwise, the busy boss wouldn’t have condescended to visit personally.

Indeed, Yan He had originally planned to sell the house to a relative of his friend. The relative was also a good choice, and the old lady was almost ready to agree when she saw the newspaper article and recognized the cat. After inquiring, she saw that the Jiao family of four people plus a cat lived in such a small house; they would need to buy a bigger one sooner or later. The old lady felt that if she had come this far in life, it was partly because of Zheng Tan’s blessing. She wasn’t short of money; what mattered to her was affinity, whether with people or cats. At her age, there were some things she valued that others might find incomprehensible. And Yan He, being filial, would agree to her wishes even if he didn’t understand them–for him, a house was nothing compared to his mother’s wishes. He could afford to let it go.

Yan He didn’t stay long after explaining the situation. He told Mr. Jiao to think it over and get back to him quickly, since the old lady would be heading South soon and was waiting for an answer.

Once Yan He left, Yuan Zhiyi exclaimed dramatically, “Old Jiao, do these kinds of coincidences happen often to your family?”

Yuan Zhiyi didn’t believe for a second that Yan He hadn’t seen the soaring trends in real estate. To still plan on selling at a low price now was like receiving a windfall from the sky! Why couldn’t such good fortune happen to him?!

Mr. Jiao didn’t respond, as if deep in thought.

“Old Jiao, just agree to it. There’s no other chance like this one!” Yuan Zhiyi urged from the side.

Mr. Jiao remained silent for a while and then looked at Zheng Tan, who was also posing deep in thought on the sofa, “Let’s visit the old lady tomorrow.”

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (NovelFire.net), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.NovelFire.net to continue reading.)

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