Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 353 - Chapter 353 Chapter 346 Open Sesame

Chapter 353: Chapter 346 Open Sesame Chapter 353: Chapter 346 Open Sesame The day before Zheng Tan and his group were set to return to Chuhua City, Yang Yi called to say that a few shots needed to be reshot, asking Charlie to delay his departure by two days.

Since Yang Yi had called directly, Charlie and the others found it hard to refuse. After all, Yang Yi had offered them quite a few conveniences; he had been covering all their food and drink expenses these past days, and they didn’t have to worry about a thing.

It was just a delay of two days, not a big deal, really. A phone call to their families and their boss would do the trick.

The Jiao Family was somewhat disappointed. According to the original plan, Charlie and his group would depart on Friday and arrive by Saturday, or Sunday at the latest if any issues cropped up en route. This would allow the Jiao Family to enjoy their weekend off and have a reunion, but with the change in plans, those who were most upset were Zheng Tan and the Jiao Family.

Zheng Tan felt that Jiao Ma had something she wasn’t saying when she was on the phone, just urging Zheng Tan to come back as soon as he was done. But now, that would be delayed by another two days. Since Yang Yi and Kong Han had spoken up, the Jiao Family couldn’t really say much. After all, they’d been busy for so long, and it was only the final stage left. Even small details had to be attended to for a more perfect finale that would leave no regrets.

Zheng Tan still trusted his instinct. What exactly was going on with the Jiao Family?

This time, only Charlie and Zheng Tan had come to see Kong Han. The other few hadn’t, because Yang Yi mentioned that one cat was enough.

They had been told it was just a few simple shots to reshoot, but upon arrival, Zheng Tan had a feeling they’d been tricked. First, none of the other members of the film crew were there, nor was Mr. Jiang, and this so-called reshoot was merely walking a few steps according to Kong Han’s request. Was that even necessary? Moreover, what did this have to do with the plot of the film?

Charlie had his doubts as well, but since Yang Yi and Kong Han had decided, he didn’t feel it was his place to question it.

During noon when Charlie was asleep in the arranged guest room, Zheng Tan finally saw the other person in the room who hadn’t shown up all morning. Although invisible, Zheng Tan could sense her presence; a scent confirmed it, and he always felt like he was being watched. Now, Zheng Tan was certain.

“How about it? Li Wei, the effect is quite good, isn’t it?” Kong Han said, pointing at the scenes shot that morning on the screen, speaking to Li Wei.

Li Wei wasn’t looking at the screen any longer but instead stared at Zheng Tan, who was also scrutinizing this tall, commanding woman. He hadn’t observed her closely at the beach, but now he saw that she was indeed not simple.

Her name was Li Wei?

It sounded familiar.

The memory was too distant; probably from before his transformation into a cat. He couldn’t recall who exactly, couldn’t match a face to the name, but he was certain she wasn’t just a “small model” as she claimed. Moreover, her familiarity with Yang Yi and Kong Han made it even less likely that she was an insignificant figure.

“It would be better with some more training,” Li Wei commented.

“Of course, it has not been professionally guided after all,” Yang Yi chuckled. “Even though it isn’t a fancy cat breed, it holds its own well enough, much like you models. One doesn’t necessarily need a stunning face, but the temperament is a must. Plus, it has stage experience and won’t get stage fright. It’s far better than the other candidates you’ve collected.”

Zheng Tan felt baffled, what exactly were these two talking about? Had anyone asked for his opinion on the matter?

Seeing that Li Wei was quite pleased with Zheng Tan, Yang Yi then asked, “Heitan, how about taking part in a catwalk show?”

Not expecting Zheng Tan to understand much, Yang Yi just mentioned it casually, believing that the decision would ultimately rest with the Jiao Family.

A catwalk show?

Even for humans that would be quite something, but now he was merely a cat, what kind of show could he participate in? Something with a Beauty and the Beast theme?

In Zheng Tan’s confusion, the afternoon session continued. However, Li Wei left due to some urgent matter, and Kong Han did not ask Zheng Tan to do any more walking back and forth but seriously took some photographs instead.

Although a director, Kong Han was also involved in photography, much like Yang Yi, who had a passion for it.

On Sunday, Yang Yi treated Charlie and the others to a meal, and then on Monday they all went their separate ways.

He left the coastal city behind, but the confusion in Zheng Tan’s mind remained.

By the time they arrived back in Chuhua City, it was already Tuesday afternoon.

At that time, the Jiao household was empty. Mr. Jiao was busy in the courtyard with some kind of selection process approaching, for which he was one of the candidates, so his schedule was packed. Little Youzi was at school, now in second grade which was busier than the first; Jiao Yuan’s situation was the same as always, returning once a week; Jiao Ma, on the other hand, came back daily as the school had a shuttle service between Chuhua University and Chuhua Attached Middle School.

Originally, Charlie had intended to take Zheng Tan to the Pet Center first and wait for the Jiao Family to pick him up when they were free, but Zheng Tan couldn’t wait. It didn’t feel urgent while outside, but upon returning to Chuhua City, there was a strong impulse to rush back home.

So, when the car reached the vicinity of Chuhua University, Zheng Tan became eager to get out. As soon as the car stopped at the intersection, he began clawing at the window.

Charlie had no choice but to go with it. He knew this area was familiar to Zheng Tan, so he sent a message to Mr. Jiao, who responded quickly, saying he was currently in a meeting but aware that Zheng Tan was returning today and had been monitoring his phone. After reading Charlie’s message, Mr. Jiao texted back to let Zheng Tan go ahead and that the key was left in its usual spot at Big Fatty’s house.

Zheng Tan had been caught by Mr. Jiao once taking the hidden key from Big Fatty’s balcony, and since then Mr. Jiao had left the key there for Zheng Tan a few times. Big Fatty often lay in the sun on the balcony, and his demeanor wasn’t as simple and cute as it appeared, strangers couldn’t get close, so the key was very safe there.

Charlie read Mr. Jiao’s message back and began to roll down the window. Before he could even speak, a black shadow dashed out.

Their car was parked by the sidewalk; it was a pedestrian area with no traffic, relatively safe. Moreover, this was well within Zheng Tan’s usual strolling range. Charlie wasn’t concerned about that. What he wanted to say was that there were several of Zheng Tan’s large bags still in the car, containing daily necessities as well as local specialties from their trip.

Seeing Zheng Tan disappear without a trace, Charlie could only give up. He took the items to the Pet Center first, and later let the Jiao family come and pick them up or find time to deliver them himself.

Zheng Tan ran towards the courtyard. Instead of taking the main road, he scaled the wall, flipping from outside to inside the school, practically going in a straight line. He knew this area too well. Even if he had been away for three months, the moment he set foot here, the layout of the place instantly came to mind.

The sky wasn’t as clear as the city depicted in the movies, and the air quality wasn’t great, but Zheng Tan didn’t mind these things anymore. He felt invigorated and even in the mood to scare a crested myna foraging on the grass.

In the campus, compared to gray magpies and sparrows, there were far fewer crested mynas, but they were not too hard find. Occasionally, you could see a crested myna pecking on the yellow, withered grasslands in the winter sun.

The sparrows were still as noisy as ever. So tiny, yet so numerous.

A gray magpie stood tall atop a fir tree. When it saw students passing by, it would suddenly swoop down, flap its wings, and squawk to scare the passersby, causing several female students to scream out loud.

The birds on campus were still as clever, as mischievous as ever.

Everything was the same as before, yet there were differences.

When he left, it was early autumn, the residual heat of the summer hadn’t dissipated, and everything was green. But now, returning in winter, the parasol trees had yellowed, and their leaves had thinned. After any cold rainstorm, the ground would be covered in leaves by nighttime — an alarming sight — and the next day early in the morning, many students would take their cell phones and cameras out for photos.

In the kindergarten, it was time for an outdoor class. The little kids, looking like round little balls, ran around outside. Zheng Tan wasn’t sure if they were bundled up in too many clothes or were naturally plump.

Zhuo Xiaomao was saying something to two children, who were staring with round eyes and open mouths in disbelief. Zheng Tan knew right away that Zhuo Xiaomao was bluffing again.

Perhaps sensing Zheng Tan’s gaze, Zhuo Xiaomao looked over and then, grinning, ran to the fence. She stretched out her hand through the bars and high-fived Zheng Tan as he ran past.

Not lingering here for long, Zheng Tan quickly headed to the courtyard.

Ah Huang and the sheriff were chasing a small Pekingese on the courtyard’s lawn. Zheng Tan had never seen this puppy before; it must belong to someone who got it while he was away. The two were so absorbed in their chase that they didn’t notice Zheng Tan.

Arriving at his building, on the balcony on the first floor, Big Fatty was napping on a fur mat the old lady had prepared, curled into a ball and batting its paws in its sleep.

Sensing Zheng Tan’s arrival, Big Fatty moved its ears, gave a “meow,” and then closed its eyes again, savoring the drowsiness.

Zheng Tan fished out the cat card and keys from a half-open box and opened the door to go home.

There was no one at home.

Zheng Tan looked around each room and then jumped onto the sofa in the living room, rolling from one end to the other.

How does that saying go again? A gold cage, a silver cage, is no match for one’s own cat nest.

During the filming, the house Yang Yi arranged was very good, and the treatment was excellent. He didn’t need to worry about anything, but it didn’t give him the same sense of comfort despite fatigue that he felt now.

After rolling around, Zheng Tan lay on the sofa, glanced around the living room, and finally rested his eyes on a magazine wedged under the leg of a cabinet.

It was a fashion magazine. Jiao Ma wasn’t too interested in these types of magazines, after all, as teachers like them couldn’t really dress too fashionably; they needed to set an example and be dignified. Now that Little Youzi had been promoted to junior high and was accustomed to it, Jiao Ma finally transferred to Chuhua Attached Middle School to teach high school. The school’s dress code for teachers was quite strict, plus, at her age, she didn’t care much for fashionable attire anymore.

Although Jiao Ma didn’t often buy such magazines, several of her friends did enjoy them. Sometimes, when they visited, they would bring magazines and just leave them behind after reading, and this one was probably among them.

What caught Zheng Tan’s attention was the person on the cover of the magazine, who was none other than Li Wei.

Zheng Tan pulled out the magazine and took a look. There was a feature on Li Wei. To his surprise, she was a world-famous supermodel.

No wonder the name sounded familiar. Back in the day when Zheng Tan and some friends were talking about models, someone had mentioned her. But just by looking at Li Wei’s face, he didn’t find her particularly attractive, so he didn’t pay much attention. However, Zheng Tan remembered that at that time, this model’s status in the industry was very high, even higher than the ranking listed in the magazine now.

A small-time model?

He wasn’t buying it.

After flipping through a few pages, Zheng Tan stuffed the magazine back under the cabinet. Whether she was a world-class supermodel or not, it didn’t matter to him at the moment.

In the afternoon, Mr. Jiao came home early and sent a text message to both Jiao Ma and Little Youzi, then drove with Zheng Tan to the Pet Center to pick up the luggage. It was the least they could do rather than have someone else deliver it again.

Just as they entered Xiao Guo’s door, Zheng Tan heard Xiao Guo yelling.

“Sesame, open the damn door for me! If you don’t open it, you won’t have anything to eat tonight! Not just tonight, but tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that too! Do you hear me? Open the door!”

Zheng Tan, Mr. Jiao: “…”

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (NovelFire.net) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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