Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 295 - Chapter 295 Chapter 288 Domestic Violence

Chapter 295: Chapter 288 Domestic Violence Chapter 295: Chapter 288 Domestic Violence Zheng Tan walked to the East District courtyard with Qin Tao’s dad, aware that others were following them, associated with Qin Tao’s dad. During a turn, Zheng Tan caught a glimpse of Qin Tao’s dad signaling to the others through the corner of his eye. It seemed to mean that they didn’t need to follow anymore.

As they entered the courtyard, Gatekeeper Uncle even stopped Qin Tao’s dad to ask him a few questions.

“I’m here looking for someone, a friend asked the cat to lead me here,” Qin Tao’s dad pointed to the Black Cat up ahead.

Gatekeeper Uncle suddenly understood, “Oh, a guest for the Heitan’s family, huh?” Then he didn’t say much else.

Qin Tao’s dad, watching the Black Cat ahead, which hadn’t stopped but continued to walk at a steady pace, wondered to himself, could a cat really be so persuasive? This was certainly a first for him.

Glancing at the old houses in the courtyard, Qin Tao’s dad didn’t quite get it. He’d heard that Wang Family’s Second Son was renting here, but with the houses so old and small, could it really be comfortable living? His good-for-nothing son would definitely refuse to live there.

Although he had been doubting Fang Shaokang’s words and whether the Black Cat could actually lead and choose the right path, their path so far had been correct.

When they reached Building B, before Mr. Qin had time to think about what to do next, he saw the leading cat jump up and rub against the card reader at the entrance, and with a “click,” the door opened.

Qin Tao’s dad: “…”

Mr. Qin quickly entered the building before the door closed, climbing the stairs, and stopped in front of Ermao’s door on the third floor.

Zheng Tan looked at Qin Tao’s dad, he wasn’t stupid, he knew this person probably knew the place. Otherwise, why would he so confidently stop here after reaching the third floor? Yet, this man stood in front of the door without knocking or making a sound, with a conflicted look on his face. Zheng Tan really wondered what was going on in the man’s mind.

Ermao’s door was usually left unlocked, but it had been locked recently because Ermao and Qin Tao wanted to talk about confidential matters in private.

As Qin Tao’s dad made no move to do anything, Zheng Tan couldn’t hold back. Was knocking on a door really such a big deal? Talk about overthinking it.

So, while Qin Tao’s dad was thinking about what tone and words to use to avoid starting a fight upon meeting, he saw the Black Cat leap up and slap the security door with a “bang”.

Mr. Qin’s heart immediately hung on a thread, but his face wasn’t conflicted any longer. Instead, he sternly set his features, like someone about to collect a debt, to Zheng Tan’s utter speechlessness.

Actually, Mr. Qin didn’t mean to look so fierce on purpose, it just happened reflexively. He might not even have been aware of the expression on his face.

Inside the room, Ermao was discussing further investigation results and subsequent measures with Qin Tao when they heard the door bang. Wearing slippers and a juvenile cartoon cotton pajama set, Ermao’s hair a mess, he went to open the door. Normally, a knock like that would definitely mean the cat upstairs, so Ermao didn’t think twice.

When the door opened, and Ermao saw who was standing there, the insult he was about to hurl at Zheng Tan got forcefully swallowed, his face twitching as he thought, “This is bad.”

“That idiot…,” Qin Tao, who had been ready to ask Ermao what business the idiotic cat had coming over upon hearing the noise, looked up only to see his dad standing at the doorway. The word “cat” he was about to say turned into “merchandise,” and he didn’t finish his sentence. His tone was quite bad when he confronted Mr. Qin, “What are you doing here? Have that much free time, has your company gone bankrupt or what?”

Ermao stood at the door with his face in his hands.

Although Mr. Qin had intended to have a proper talk with Qin Tao, his face turned dark upon hearing those words, and he said fiercely, “Have you had enough trouble? If you’ve had enough, then get back here!”

Zheng Tan stood behind Ermao, watching the father and son exchange tirades, one thinking about how to intervene in the impending fight, and the other considering making a quick escape, when Mr. Qin fell silent for a moment before sternly asking Qin Tao to step outside to talk.

At first, Qin Tao didn’t want to go out; he suspected that he would be taken away by his dad’s bodyguards as soon as he did, although he already had the intention of going back. However, he definitely didn’t want to go back in such a humiliating way. After standing off with his dad for three minutes, Qin Tao still followed him out the door. There were many things he couldn’t avoid; if they wanted to take someone by force, he could still be taken from here.

After the two fathers and sons went downstairs, Ermao said to Zheng Tan, “Black Coal, could you please follow them and see what happens? If anything goes wrong, come and get me quickly.”

Ermao didn’t dare to follow lightly — Qin Tao’s dad had given Ermao a warning look when he left, indicating that Ermao shouldn’t get involved. And based on Ermao’s understanding of Mr. Qin, it was highly likely that a fight would ensue. When it came to fighting, Qin Tao wasn’t as capable as his dad. Qin Tao might appear robust, but that was all for show at the gym, for the purpose of picking up girls. But Mr. Qin had actually trained seriously, so from childhood to adulthood, even with resistance, Qin Tao couldn’t best his dad.

Thinking of the possibly tragic Qin Tao, Ermao shook his head and went back inside to look for any relevant medicine.

Zheng Tan was already a bit curious, and hearing what Ermao said, he decided to follow.

The father and son walked along the same path Zheng Tan had seen when he encountered Mr. Qin. Both were silent; the bodyguards that followed were stopped by Mr. Qin, who didn’t want them to continue, leaving space for him and his son to talk alone. Upon seeing this, Qin Tao breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed being forcefully taken away wasn’t imminent.

They walked in silence, one after the other, with Zheng Tan following behind, wondering if the two had forgotten where they were headed. Where exactly were they going?

They kept walking until they reached a forested area. At this time of day, there were no other people around, and they could see if anyone approached. Qin Tao didn’t want to walk any further and stopped by a tree.

“Just say whatever you want to say, I’m tired of walking.” To shake off the effects of the drugs as much as possible, Qin Tao had received treatment with someone Ermao found for a few days. He tired easily now, but his mood was a lot better than before, no longer as irritable.

Mr. Qin wasn’t aware of the reason for this and was very unhappy with Qin Tao’s lack of stamina, deeming it the result of overindulgence, which made his comments rather harsh.

So, Zheng Tan witnessed the two of them starting to argue again. Without an audience, they could fight as much as they wanted, with no need for restraint.

Zheng Tan squatted on a tree not far away and watched as the two exchanged a few words before getting physical.

While resisting, Qin Tao accused his dad of tracking and investigating him. Otherwise, how could he have found Ermao’s place?

Meanwhile, Mr. Qin denied tracking him while beating him up. He was only led over there by a cat.

Just as Ermao had guessed, Qin Tao was mostly on the receiving end of his dad’s blows, with no choice–there was a level of difference in their strength. However, Zheng Tan noted that even though Mr. Qin seemed to be hitting hard, each strike only inflicted pain but would not actually break Qin Tao’s bones or cause internal injuries. Zheng Tan wondered if Mr. Qin had a principle that a child should not be hit in the face, as Qin Tao really didn’t have any marks on his face.

Zheng Tan watched the father and son, thinking that this might be considered domestic violence. He guessed that Qin Tao had been “domestically violated” since he was young, poor guy.

While Mr. Qin was hitting him, he hesitated for a moment because Qin Tao said he had found the culprit, which gave Qin Tao the opportunity to push him hard. Retreating, Mr. Qin’s foot happened to step on a raised lawn brick. He twisted his foot and fell seated on the ground.

Gulping for air, Qin Tao’s face was full of anger, and the seated Mr. Qin did not get up either, just sitting there with a sullen face.

The scene quieted down again, with only the sound of Qin Tao panting heavily. Mr. Qin knew that Qin Tao telling the truth about finding the real culprit, and although Qin Tao was angry, he was not in the same agitated state as a while ago. But Mr. Qin could not swallow his pride, and with his twisted foot, he couldn’t stand up, so he just sat there with a cold face.

Just when Zheng Tan felt the stalemate might continue indefinitely, Qin Tao moved. He walked over to his seated dad and turned his back to him, squatting down.

“Come on up.”

Mr. Qin obviously didn’t expect Qin Tao to do this and was startled for a moment.

“Hurry up, the bell for class is ringing. In a bit, students will come through here. Are you going to just sit there and become a laughingstock?” Qin Tao said impatiently.

Mr. Qin looked suspicious, his first thought being that this kid was up to some trick. But after looking at Qin Tao, he got up, using the foot that wasn’t twisted to stand, and then climbed onto Qin Tao’s back.

“Damn! What have you been eating! You’re dead heavy!” Qin Tao cursed as he got up, staggering with the added weight.

“Can you handle it?” Mr. Qin asked.

“Less talk!”

“Don’t let us both fall on the ground and become a laughingstock after a few steps.”

“Are you worried about losing face? Didn’t you say you lost all your face because of me long ago?” Qin Tao sneered, “By the way, let’s make a deal–if I carry you out today, you stop having people follow me.”

“With how foolish you are, how can I rest easy without arranging someone for you? Look, the moment I called someone off, something happened to you, do you still blame me? I send people to protect you, and you complain publicly that I interfere with your personal life and invade your privacy! You get screwed over but don’t look for the reasons and instead slander your old man. You don’t recognize a good heart! Without the brains, don’t talk about self-respect. Business is like a battlefield, and interests are like sharp blades, don’t think it’s just talk. Gain some sense, will you? How can you be so stupid! If you were half as smart as Wang Erxiao, I wouldn’t bother with your damn affairs!” Mr. Qin didn’t stop there, still angry, slapping Qin Tao’s head, “You’re so stupid!”

Zheng Tan saw clearly that although Mr. Qin’s arm motion was fierce, the slapping on Qin Tao’s head wasn’t very hard. As for the “Wang Erxiao” mentioned by Mr. Qin, it seemed he was referring to Ermao.

Qin Tao’s steps were faltering, and he spoke with a catch in his breath.

“I warn you if you slap my head again, I’ll just drop you here, seriously, the older you get, the more annoying you are!”

“You’ll be even more annoying when you’re old.”

“That won’t happen, I’ll never be as annoying as you when I’m old.”

“You won’t understand until you reach my age. You don’t know what it’s like to be old until you’re old.”

“You should let Grandpa hear that. Wonder if he’d whip you directly. Ah, just remembered, you can call someone to carry you back.”

“Didn’t bring my phone.”

“…Bullshit! I saw it just now!”

In the winter forest, some deciduous trees’ leaves had turned yellow and sparse, while evergreen species were mixed among them.

A narrow path wound through the woods, where yellow leaves mingled with green ones.

Zheng Tan was perched on a tree, watching Qin Tao carry his dad, stumbling along the green lawn bricks.

Suddenly, Zheng Tan no longer felt pity for Qin Tao. Instead, he felt a bit envious.

Beep beep beep–

The familiar sound of a horn shifted Zheng Tan’s attention. He looked over.

Professor Jiao, who had just finished reporting expenses and was taking the shortcut home, rode by on his electric bike. He glanced around and spotted the Black Cat in the tree.

“Heitan, what are you looking at?”

Zheng Tan’s mouth twitched, and he leapt from the tree, running towards the electric bike. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (NovelFire.net). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to continue reading.)