Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 278 - Chapter 278 Chapter 271 It Really Is You

Chapter 278: Chapter 271: It Really Is You Chapter 278: Chapter 271: It Really Is You Feng Baikin had planned to spend the evening playing games at home, but when he returned, he found that his gaming laptop had been pulled off the desk by the little cat Tiger who was playing with the internet cable.

After raising Tiger for a month, the previously emaciated and poorly developed kitten had swelled up like it was inflated, becoming healthy and lively. Whenever at home, it seemed to have boundless energy. Feng Baikin’s computer, connected to the internet cable, was subject to Tiger’s playful swaying, and the nearly 20,000-yuan laptop was thus ruined.

The computer had some issues, and Aunt Li suggested just throwing it away and getting a new one. With the electronic industry rapidly advancing with various upgrades and updates, a new one would be more useful. But Feng Baikin was reluctant to part with it, so he rode his bike to a nearby computer repair shop, as he only used this laptop for games and didn’t worry about sensitive information being stolen.

While getting his computer repaired near the school, Feng Baikin ran into a classmate, who, upon seeing that he had no plans for the evening, immediately dragged him to Triumph for drinks.

There were five people drinking here just now, but when Zheng Tan ran into Feng Baikin, the other three were headed to see a performance at the venue downstairs, hoping to bump into some girls or the like. If that happened, their night would be meaningful.

Feng Baikin wasn’t interested in the performance downstairs. He had just stepped out to use the restroom, as the one in the private room was occupied by someone stewing in grievances. Not wanting to compete for it, he took the chance to get some fresh air outside, not expecting to encounter Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan appraised Feng Baikin’s outfit, noting a few suspicious yet small black footprints on his clothes that resembled cat paw prints.

While Zheng Tan was sizing up Feng Baikin, Feng Baikin was also assessing him. Feng Baikin wasn’t sure if the cat by the staircase was the one he knew–after all, there was more than one black cat looking like that. Plus, they were in the VIP area of Triumph, so Feng Baikin didn’t recognize Zheng Tan right away. After a moment of thought, he tried tentatively, “Heitan?”

Zheng Tan looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot.

“Holy shit, it really is you!” The looks could be identical, but the gaze couldn’t lie. Until now, Feng Baikin had only seen this Black Cat look at him with that kind of gaze.

“How did you end up here? Is Professor Jiao around?”

Feng Baikin asked a couple of questions, to which Zheng Tan had no way to answer.

It wouldn’t do to keep hanging around here, so after glancing at Zheng Tan, Feng Baikin headed back to his classmate’s room.

Zheng Tan followed, ready to check out the excitement. After all, he was bored by himself in the private room, and he might witness a live show not suitable for children.

Unfortunately for Zheng Tan, he was disappointed. The private room only contained a young man about Feng Baikin’s age. The not-so-large room was empty of girls–it was just a drunken solo act. What kind of entertainment was this? Were they sulking over their drinks?

Before entering the room, Feng Baikin found a waiter and told him to send someone over there if they were looking for a Cat. The waiter glanced at Zheng Tan, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly, then nodded at Feng Baikin with professional courtesy, while inwardly he was already complaining. They weren’t responsible for this; there was nothing they could do. The big boss had instructed that as long as this Cat didn’t cause any conflicts, it could do as it pleased.

Zheng Tan followed Feng Baikin into the private room. He knew about this type of room: it wasn’t as exclusive as the one he shared with Ermao and Wei Leng, as it was just a type reserved for VIP customers. Moreover, it didn’t have a view of the live performances happening below. In short, to Zheng Tan, this place was just for shooting the breeze, drinking, and doing things inappropriate for children. But it had the advantages of being quiet and private.

From Feng Baikin’s conversation with the other person, who was brooding over his drinks and named Yang Bo, Zheng Tan learned that Yang Bo’s girlfriend had already gone to the venue downstairs with her best friend, leaving several guys upstairs to drink. Three more left just now, leaving only Yang Bo and Feng Baikin. Any hopes of seeing a live adult show tonight were dashed for Zheng Tan.

“Hey, Platinum, where did you pick up a Cat?” Yang Bo asked as he saw the Black Cat follow them in.

“It belongs to the landlord; I guess it followed me here to play. Someone will probably come looking for it later,” Feng Baikin replied.

Yang Bo, due to his mood, didn’t pay much attention to Zheng Tan. Also, if one wasn’t from Triumph, they would hardly recognize the card hanging around Zheng Tan’s neck. Everyone at Triumph, from their staff to security guards, had a booklet with various VIP member cards listed. If you couldn’t memorize it, you wouldn’t work there. Nowadays, those who only had brawn or just a pretty face but weren’t clever, had already been pushed out of the job market.

Not recognizing the card, both Feng Baikin and Yang Bo just assumed Zheng Tan wore a common cat tag or something similar.

Zheng Tan jumped onto an empty single-seat sofa and listened to the two men chat. It was supposed to be a chat over drinks, but it was really just Yang Bo airing out his frustrations. After listening for a bit, Zheng Tan could piece together the story’s development, climax, and even predict the inevitable conclusion.

Anyone who could afford a private room at Triumph, even if not as well-off as Ermao and others, would definitely be well-to-do. And this Yang Bo was upset because his dad was involved with another woman outside, and not just one–there was now an illegitimate child. He was gathering evidence, and today, in a foul mood, he had brought a few buddies to Triumph to splurge, trying to feel better by blowing off money. Upon arrival, he found many people more impressive than himself–those with money, background, or both. To put it bluntly, he “tried to show off but got stepped on, and tried to flaunt wealth but got outshone,” making Yang Bo feel even worse. No wonder he was treating those bottles of expensive liquor as if they were mere water.

Zheng Tan watched the man likely trying to emulate the heroes on TV, drinking heavily right from the bottle. More than half the bottle would just spill out from the corners of his mouth. He must be truly heartbroken to pull off such a foolish stunt.

After wasting another bottle of liquor, Yang Bo set the empty bottle down firmly on the coffee table and went into deep thought for a moment. Then, raising his head solemnly, he asked Feng Baikin, “Platinum, although families like yours rarely face the situation mine is in, I want to ask you something.”

Zheng Tan: “…”

A well-to-do family… if Feng Baikin’s standard is considered well-to-do, then the nation must’ve already sprinted into the ranks of a super superpower.

It seems that Yang Bo hadn’t quite figured out Feng Baikin’s family situation either, or maybe it’s that Feng Baikin really kept a low profile in his daily life.

Yang Bo still thought he had spoken quite euphemistically, not realizing he had said anything wrong at all. Meanwhile, Feng Baikin didn’t mind the incorrect way his name was pronounced or even the somewhat inappropriate remark, and instead said, “Ask.”

Yang Bo let out a long sigh, “Platinum, tell me, when you’re over fifty, approaching sixty, your hair almost gone, your belly big enough to fit another person, and spots starting to appear on your face, you’re drinking at the hotel bar and suddenly a beautiful woman half your age comes over with a hotel room key to find you, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind, or, what’s the first thing you’d say to her?”

“How much.” Feng Baikin answered seriously.

Yang Bo gave a thumbs-up, then hung his head and swung his fists desperately in the air twice before looking up with a hint of hysteria, “Exactly! It’s obvious this woman is either in special services or up to no good. How could that old man of mine think that she fell in love with him at first sight?! Stupid enough to fall right into the trap she dug deserves to get scammed! Dumb as a pig!” He paused, then added, “At least I don’t inherit this defective intelligence from him!”

Zheng Tan: “…”

Yang Bo, perhaps thinking he was drunk enough that only Feng Baikin would listen to him rant, let it all out, listing his father’s wrongdoings, while Feng Baikin could only listen, not saying much. Even if Yang Bo invited him to join in the cursing, Feng Baikin kept quiet. After all, it was Yang Bo’s business with his father, not something a stranger should comment on.

While Yang Bo was bad-mouthing his father, the phone on the coffee table rang.

“Your phone.” Feng Baikin pointed at the coffee table.

Yang Bo, who was in full rant mode, didn’t even glance at the phone, waving his hand, “Wait till I’m done.”

From the sofa, Zheng Tan could see the caller ID displayed on Yang Bo’s phone.

Jing Gui?

Zheng Tan looked at the displayed name, searched through his memory, and then remembered hearing this name when that “Liu Ba” was talking on the phone with someone. At the time, he had thought the name was quite distinctive, so the impression was somewhat deep. Whether this Jing Gui was the same person as that one, Zheng Tan didn’t know. However, Jing Gui seemed to be in the same line of work as a private detective, just like “Liu Ba.” Given what Yang Bo had said earlier about hiring someone to keep an eye on his father and his other activities, Zheng Tan thought they could indeed be the same person.

The phone rang and stopped again and again, and by the time Yang Bo looked at his phone after finishing speaking, it was already the third call.

As soon as Yang Bo saw the caller ID, he immediately picked up the call. After glancing at Feng Baikin, he didn’t go to the restroom to talk but sat on the sofa. However, after listening just for a moment, his facial expression soured even more, “Fine, I’ll add money, just handle it, I only want results!”

After the call, Yang Bo slammed his phone onto the coffee table, “Damn it!”

It was clear there was no good news; Feng Baikin wasn’t dumb enough to ask.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zheng Tan left their private room and walked out of “Triumph,” not planning to return immediately. He intended to go for a run.

Zheng Tan had found an exhilarating sport to enjoy, which was “climbing,” to call it flying eaves and walls would be a bit of an exaggeration, but with the cat’s own body structure and reflexive jumping ability, all it took was the right place to simulate flying eaves and walls.

And the place Zheng Tan chose were the houses around that old residential community. It was very quiet at night, unlike the bright lights and bustling crowds here. The distance between buildings was not too far, so Zheng Tan could run a loop on their rooftops without fear of falling. At first, he was a bit timid but once he got used to it, he became bolder and even found the running quite thrilling.

Under the cover of night, the scattered lights in the community made it unlikely for anyone to notice movements on the rooftops.

After running a loop and feeling much improved in spirits, Zheng Tan walked along the dark path in the middle of the community.

As he walked, Zheng Tan heard a familiar voice; he had heard this voice just over an hour ago.

It was the guy who had a run-in with problematically sourced milk tea and said he needed to have a good talk with Jiao Yuan and the others. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote, recommend tickets, subscribe to monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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