Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 316 - Chapter 316 309

Chapter 316: 309 Chapter 316: 309 Zheng Tan had been nestled in a backpack but only poked his head out when he heard Qin Tao’s voice. Just as he was wondering what Qin Tao was doing there, he caught the next thing Qin Tao said.

No matter when or where, Qin Tao always acted like a clown, and no medicine could cure that.

Two minutes later, Qin Tao and Ermao were outside the restaurant, laughing so hard they couldn’t stand straight. Passersby looked at them as if they were insane. Well, not just them, there was a third person who came out with Ermao whom Zheng Tan didn’t recognize, but who seemed to be on good terms with Ermao and Qin Tao.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Fang Wenjie couldn’t help feeling embarrassed under the strange gazes of so many people. He was nowhere near as shameless as Ermao and Qin Tao. As for Fang Mengmeng, she had stepped back quite a bit at the start of Qin Tao’s laughter, distancing herself from Fang Wenjie, and glancing elsewhere to indicate she was not with these clowns. Zhong Yan and his friend felt a bit awkward, not knowing how to react yet as they hadn’t developed thick skins.

Qin Tao and Ermao had come to Beijing to attend a friend’s wedding and had arrived two days early to hang out. They hadn’t expected to bump into Zheng Tan and his group or to see Zheng Tan wrapped in a coat that clashed horribly with his usual style.

“I mean, Black Coal, how did you end up looking like this?” Ermao commented as he grabbed the bear ears on the polar bear hat and snapped a few photos with his phone to show his wife later. He chuckled along with Lele and thought of buying some new clothes for Heimi.

Zheng Tan couldn’t be bothered with them, but he wondered how Qin Tao recognized him immediately.

Just then, Qin Tao exclaimed in surprise, “Ah? This cat is really Black Coal?”

Zheng Tan: “…” It turned out he had overestimated Qin Tao’s eyesight.

Ermao paused in his texting, “If you didn’t recognize him, then what were you laughing at?” He laughed because he was used to the Black Cat always looking serious and formal. Back in Chuhua City, besides a small vest, he hadn’t seen the cat wear much else. The sight of his outfit today made Ermao laugh, much like seeing a burly man in a doll costume. The contrast was just too great.

“I just thought this cat looked stupid, a black face yet dressed all in white,” Qin Tao said.

Thinking that this was indeed the Black Cat from Chuhua City, Qin Tao started laughing again.

Fang Wenjie mentioned that Zheng Tan had come to Beijing to film a documentary, which surprised both Qin Tao and Ermao. They also promised to support and promote it when it was released.

Not only Qin Tao and Ermao, but Zhong Yan also heard this and thought about visiting the forums at his school and nearby campuses once the film was out to promote it, given that those university forums were quite popular and he believed the impact would be good.

The film hadn’t even been released yet; Yang Yi and Xiao Guo also hadn’t started promoting it, but advertisements had already been sent out. Although documentaries rarely had the star effect of movies or TV series, nor were they hyped, and few in the crew were recognizable to the audience, being mostly nobodies. Yet, Yang Yi likely didn’t expect the public relations effect that Zheng Tan’s trip would bring.

Probably realizing they were making a spectacle of themselves, the group walked into the restaurant. Ermao initially wanted to ask Fang Wenjie not to book a separate room and join them since they only had three people on their side today. But after thinking it over, he decided against it, suspecting that their topics of conversation wouldn’t mesh well. Qin Tao would probably continue discussing how a “man’s character is directly related to the type of wife he marries,” while Fang Wenjie would likely keep complaining about his menopausal head teacher. It was better to keep their discussions separate, allowing for unguarded speeches and more fun.

As they entered the restaurant and parted ways, Ermao pulled Zheng Tan aside to speak a few words.

Zheng Tan, still smarting from the earlier mockery, was cool towards Ermao. However, after hearing what Ermao had to say, Zheng Tan turned serious for a moment.

Ermao told Zheng Tan that he had seen Ah Wu yesterday and heard some things, all concerning cats.

Without Ermao’s reminder, Zheng Tan almost forgot about that cat tamer named Ah Wu. Apparently, due to a series of activities to be held in Beijing next year, the relevant departments accelerated the investigation of some criminal cases and potential threats. After arriving in Beijing, Ah Wu was summoned through some channel to assist in the investigation and arrests, and surprisingly, those cats had actually played significant roles.

Ordinary people, whether during the day or at night, wouldn’t think deeply upon seeing a cat. In terms of drug detection, firefighting, search and rescue, and even crime-fighting, only dogs were commonly known, who would consider cats? Those who were caught were even clueless about what had exposed them.

Ermao was just giving a heads-up, not expecting Zheng Tan to get involved but as a reminder not to be fooled or tricked into being used as a pawn, especially not by someone named “Ah Wu.” After all, this wasn’t Chuhua City; no one was looking out for Zheng Tan here. If there was trouble, it wasn’t guaranteed that help could be found in time, because, after all, a cat has no rights and isn’t protected by law; dying would be in vain. If anything really happened, the Jiao family would probably be devastated.

Fang Mengmeng and Fang Wenjie definitely hadn’t heard about this. If it weren’t for the chance meeting with Ermao, Zheng Tan wouldn’t have been aware of it either. However, now that Zheng Tan knew about it, he didn’t think he’d get involved with Ah Wu’s people. Furthermore, during his days in Beijing, he hadn’t seen any familiar cats or other suspicious characters, possibly because he wasn’t paying attention. But considering someone would take him back to Chuhua City in a couple of days, he would have more connections back there in case of trouble.

Thinking it through, Zheng Tan’s concerns were eased. It was just two or three days; as long as he stayed out of trouble, avoided curiosity, and didn’t meddle in affairs, he’d just eat, drink, and sleep until it was over.

Ermao hadn’t let the others hear when he talked about this, and no one would have thought Ermao would discuss such things with a cat, so they didn’t ask further.

Just as Ermao anticipated, Fang Wenjie incessantly griped about his homeroom teacher inside the private room. He then proceeded to criticize every other subject teacher, finding plenty of reasons to complain about those he liked and those he didn’t. If Ermao and Qin Tao had been there, Fang Wenjie might not have spoken openly, not sure if they would turn around and report to his dad.

Zhong Yan and his friend were listening nearby, while Fang Mengmeng, already used to Fang Wenjie’s words, ate uninhibitedly beside him, occasionally adding some food to Zheng Tan’s plate.

When raising Da Mi, Fang Mengmeng had read numerous professional books and remembered which foods were safe to feed and which were best avoided. However, her dad had said that this Black Cat was special and should not be treated as usual. After some hesitation, Fang Mengmeng, following her father’s advice, simply served the food directly.

Relationships always sped up at the dinner table. By the end of the meal, Fang Wenjie had become much more familiar with Zhong Yan and his company, and their conversation had become more casual.

After dinner, the three exchanged contact information. Fang Wenjie offered to have someone drive Zhong Yan and his friend, but Zhong Yan declined. They would take the bus since it was still early and there was a direct bus available. Ermao and his group were still inside eating. They planned to have fun afterwards, but of course, they dared not do anything too outrageous– one was married, another about to be married, and Qin Tao was in a period of reforming. Before Fang Wenjie left, he greeted the three who were still drinking with gusto, probably discussing topics not suitable for minors. Fang Wenjie didn’t get in more than a few words before he was pushed out the door.

The driver who was to pick up Fang Mengmeng and Fang Wenjie arrived soon after receiving the call.

The night was cool, but the car was warm.

Zheng Tan leaned against the window looking out at the night scenery.

Many places were lit up with billboards for a major sporting event happening next year. The continuous flow of traffic and diverse people swiftly passed by with the movement of the car, causing Zheng Tan to miss out on gazing longer, even at a tall foreign beauty he had just noticed.

Probably because he had eaten too much tonight. The digestion and absorption in his stomach and intestines were overly active, reducing the blood supply to his brain and limbs. Coupled with the warmth of the car, Zheng Tan felt drowsy. Fang Wenjie was already asleep beside him, and Fang Mengmeng was yawning.

At a red light, the car stopped.

After another yawn, Zheng Tan glanced outside.

Huh?!

Zheng Tan immediately sat up and pressed his face against the window to look out.

Three meters away from their car, near the sidewalk, there was a row of stone bollards. At that moment, on one of the bollards, a cat was perched– a cat with a white body and a black tail.

Cats with such fur are common around the world, but Zheng Tan could immediately tell that this was the same cat he had seen before with Ah Wu. He remembered it was named either Gui Yuan or something similar.

Due to the tinted car windows, Gui Yuan couldn’t see Zheng Tan inside.

Zheng Tan remembered that this cat used to be accompanied by two other cats, named Lianzi and Babao. However, as Zheng Tan carefully looked around from his window for the other two cats, the car started moving, and soon, he could no longer see Gui Yuan.

The coolness from the car window refreshed Zheng Tan quite a bit. Based on the information Ermao had shared, Zheng Tan speculated about what Gui Yuan and the others were up to. Drug detection? Pursuing criminals? It was indeed possible. When he had encountered them before, they were already well trained, so engaging in such activities seemed plausible. Zheng Tan had even participated in similar actions himself.

No matter what they were doing, Zheng Tan felt it didn’t concern him. In two or three days, he would be heading back to Chuhua City, and whatever was happening in Beijing was none of his business. Thus, Zheng Tan quickly dismissed these thoughts from his mind.

The driver first dropped Fang Wenjie home and then took Fang Mengmeng and Zheng Tan back.

When they reached Fang Mengmeng’s house, Zheng Tan saw Da Mi running outside. In front of Da Mi, a little puffer-coated Pomeranian was darting around with its tail between its legs.

Only upon hearing the car’s sound did Da Mi run over to them, no longer chasing the Pomeranian.

The Pomeranian barked a few times in their direction, bluffing, while Da Mi stepped towards it, causing the dog to immediately run farther away. Whenever Da Mi stopped, it continued to bark.

“Da Mi, you’re bullying it again!” Fang Mengmeng picked up Da Mi as he ran over.

Zheng Tan could clearly see dog fur caught between Da Mi’s claws. It seemed Da Mi was quite fierce, just like its owner, surely a formidable fighter when provoked.

One couldn’t help but marvel; this family’s genes were truly fierce. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)