Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 361 - Chapter 361 Chapter 354 No More Grievances

Chapter 361: Chapter 354: No More Grievances Chapter 361: Chapter 354: No More Grievances The exposure of the campus bike theft ring gave a bunch of students, who were just waiting to take their final exams and go home, something to pass the time.

In a certain male dormitory, a person sat in front of the computer munching on fried chicken pieces delivered by takeout, a bottle of beer beside him, his legs propped up on the table, fingers typing away on the keyboard. His roommate walking behind him, came over and peered at the screen for a look.

“Searing words, who are you talking about? From the pure hearts of kindergarten kids to the great harmony of societal development?”

“Someone’s stealing bikes, our university’s people. More than three hundred bicycles.”

“Why so worked up? It’s not like your bike got stolen. Watch your language, young man, haven’t you heard that a gentleman doesn’t speak ill when cutting ties?”

“Bro, have you ever had your sneakers taken away while they were drying outside? Has anyone ever swiped your clothes off the line or stolen your blanket, taken your water bottle? Same experience, no, even worse than those situations with the blanket.”

“…Damn! That’s deep experience! Blast! Must criticize harshly! Move over, you type too slow, I’ll do it!”

“Gentleman cutting ties?”

“Screw that!”

…

Scenarios like this were many; students would talk about it when they visited their classmates’ dorms.

The end of the year, no other matters, just this big event.

Maslow’s Theory divides human needs into five levels, which from the lowest to the highest are: physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

College students are right in the middle of the second and third levels of what they need in life, and are gradually moving towards the fourth and fifth levels, making them a group that is easily influenced by emotions.

Often, the first thing they think about is not how to cover up the scandal or look at the bigger picture. With parents letting go and only semi-engaged with society, with their rough edges not yet smoothed, they boldly express their views based on likes and dislikes, venting their emotions.

Just like now, many are thinking about how to reduce the bad influence on the university, but more people would directly express their thoughts, curse if they need to, with no intent to cover anything up.

Sai Ma Car Shop was splashed with foul water, had things thrown at it, and had lots of swear words, not suitable for children to hear, written in paint.

Don’t think that students at prestigious schools are all well-behaved; plenty of them can cause trouble.

Some said that the people from Sai Ma Car Shop mixed with gangs, but what of it? Not everyone is afraid.

After that incident, the police got involved in the investigation, and the university took this issue very seriously; they had to.

Two days later, when Zheng Tan went out again, he found that Sai Ma Car Shop had been closed down. He heard the owner was taken away by the police, and those four students from Chuhua University involved in the theft had been expelled and were also taken away for investigation along with the bike shop owner.

Generally, the university has several disciplinary actions for students, such as warnings, demerits, probation, and expulsion. Expulsion is a very serious punishment. Once expelled, the university will not recognize you as a student, your past grades and honors will all be voided, and this will be recorded in your file. Joining the military would be impossible as well, as you would be directly disqualified during the political screening process.

It was said that during the investigation, the students implicated a few others: students from their own and other universities, as well as other nearby bike shops. On the same day that Sai Ma Car Shop came under investigation, another bike shop near the university closed its doors, and the owner fled overnight.

They were able to do all this because the owners of the bike shops facilitated the connections, and sometimes there were even customer orders. Whatever type of bike was requested, that’s what they would steal. Even if these students graduated, the people at the bike shops would draw new students in; there would never be a shortage of people doing this. Sai Ma Car Shop had been operating near the university for many years, and countless students might have been involved in it.

Many couldn’t understand why, even when it had risen to such a level and at such a prestigious university, those students would still steal bikes.

According to the students’ confession later on, it was because the money came fast: most months, they could make over ten thousand. Of course, the amount that ended up in each individual’s hands might not be that much, but for many students, especially those from less affluent families, it was a significant income.

But poverty is not an excuse for theft. Wang Xing’s family was also not well-off, and that kid even occasionally came over here to collect bottles for extra money. So what about these so-called “sons of heaven”? Using an old saying: intelligence not vested in the right path.

No matter how good the school, no matter how noble the academy, there are no shortages of people with poor character.

Character has never been proportional to ability.

In fact, many students knew there were tricks involved with those second-hand or refurbished bikes they bought, but as long as it did not affect their own interests, and they could spend less money for a relatively newer-looking bike, who would bother to meddle? It’s just that after this incident blew up, they followed suit and spoke out.

Some things are unavoidable. Even if stolen bicycles are ridden out in the open, basically nobody stops them. Chuhua University is so big, it’s not possible to carefully check every bike that comes in and out. Only in some suspicious cases, like people walking out with a bike with the lock on, would they check student IDs and make a record.

This incident undoubtedly slapped the face of the security department, which also told everyone that additional cameras would be installed at the beginning of the next year, focusing on places like bike sheds and dormitories.

As for the Sahara incident, a student posted to explain. He was already home, hadn’t been online for days, and only found out through a phone call from a classmate after the theft incident became public. After learning about it, he immediately found an internet cafe and posted to state the truth.

It turned out that it was a student of Ruan Ying’s, who often went to play basketball with her. When Sahara was taken out, he was tied near the court. One day, while everyone was playing basketball with a crowd of people around, they heard Sahara barking but didn’t pay any attention, until Ruan Ying followed the barking and saw that the student’s bike was already gone.

Perhaps it was at that time that Sahara set her sights on those people, targeting them whenever she saw them, but Ruan Ying didn’t link it to the incident, since they were all students and didn’t look like troublemakers.

Once everything was cleared up, Sahara also shed her ‘mad dog’ label. Not only was it removed, but she even received praise from many people. However, whether it was criticism or praise, Sahara, confined at home, knew nothing about it.

The commotion in the university forum gradually subsided, and after the students had their excitement, they rushed home for the New Year, leaving the campus increasingly deserted.

With Sahara out of the picture, the remaining silent battles were left to Academician Ruan and his peers; other small fries stepping in would only serve as cannon fodder. In any circle, reaching a certain height always involved countless struggles, just like Mr. Jiao, who was also in competition with some other professors. While handling fair competition, one had to guard against foul play; though it’s good to be kind to others, it’s always wise to stay vigilant.

Just as Mr. Jiao told his graduate students, while being a student one might devote themselves entirely to research, once they actually become a teacher, they might not have the same time and mindset anymore.

A week later, on a certain day, after Zheng Tan went for a stroll outside, he returned to the courtyard and encountered Ruan Ying, who was carrying a number of bags. Compared to the heat of the incident a week ago, Ruan Ying was now in a much better mood.

Seeing Zheng Tan, Ruan Ying waved at him, “Heitan, come on, let’s go to my place and play with Sahara.”

Zheng Tan also wanted to see what state Sahara was in, being cooped up at home without even going out for a walk. After Ruan Ying called out, Zheng Tan followed her.

Walking beside Ruan Ying, Zheng Tan noticed the items in the plastic bag by their smell. She was carrying things like chicken liver, peanuts, walnuts, sausages, and the like.

Following Ruan Ying to Sahara’s home, they entered to find Sahara lying next to the sofa. Usually quick to run to the door at the slightest noise, she now merely lifted her head, glanced their way, and lay back down, looking dispirited and uninterested.

“Sahara, Heitan is here,” Ruan Ying said, going over to rub Sahara’s head. Unfortunately, Sahara just wagged her tail listlessly and did not perk up.

“I know, I know, I wronged you, and you’ve been wronged. I’ll go cook you some dog food,” Ruan Ying said.

Sahara’s nose twitched, but she still did not get up.

After Ruan Ying entered the kitchen, Zheng Tan approached Sahara. The animal just lifted her eyelids briefly and then continued lying down.

Was she really so stricken?

Most pets, like cats and dogs, might endure many injustices in their lives. You can tell people, “Speak up if you feel wronged,” but animals are different. Even the most sentient pets can’t express their thoughts and feelings in human language.

Of course, the likes of parrots, already gifted with the talent for language and high intelligence, are a different story. If you wrong them, they’ll immediately start cursing you out with a barrage of vulgarities they picked up from who knows where, complete with a regional accent.

I heard that once when General’s owner, Professor Qin’s child, went to a bubble tea shop, the shop would give customers a bank card-sized cardboard card with thirty spots on the back. Each purchase got a stamp, and after collecting thirty stamps, they’d get a free drink. When General went with Professor Qin’s child, he grabbed the card and flew to the cashier, saying, “Come on, stamp it!”

The cashier girl, after several listens, still couldn’t understand what the bird was saying. She thought General’s speech was unclear, only to find out from Professor Qin’s child that the bird was speaking a regional dialect from somewhere else.

Was this unintentional? Or showing off? Or bragging? Or just being annoying?

Zheng Tan was more inclined to believe the bird was just being annoying.

Right from the start, Zheng Tan found parrots like General disagreeable simply because they could speak human language, whereas Zheng Tan, who used to be a real human and still possessed a human’s inner self, could not speak human language, nor even meow like a cat.

Around Zheng Tan, only the sheriff had decent linguistic talent and could bark back at dogs. The rest were no good; cats meowed and dogs barked; Zheng Tan, couldn’t make any sound at all.

This was a rather depressing fact. Yet, not driven crazy by it, Zheng Tan felt he had a pretty strong mental resilience.

Looking at Sahara, who lay there without a fuss or rebellion, one might assume she was deeply aggrieved. But upon closer examination, you’d notice her eyes drifting towards the kitchen and her ears twitching, attentive to the noises there.

Zheng Tan lifted his hand to touch Sahara’s ear, which was warm. Suddenly reminded of something, Zheng Tan touched his own ear, which was cool.

Contemplating why a dog’s ears might be warm while a cat’s are cool, Zheng Tan was roused by a noise and noticed Ruan Ying carrying over a bowl of food. The previously wilted Sahara now stood up wagging her tail energetically, smacking her lips expectantly.

“Not feeling wronged anymore?” Ruan Ying asked.

“Woof!” Sahara barked joyfully as she jumped.

Ruan Ying placed the bowl in front of Sahara, who didn’t hesitate to start eating, the vigorous wagging of her tail indicating how good her mood was.

A bowl of food, a few words of comfort, some pats, and a stroke of the fur were all it took for her to bounce back to life. Perhaps this was why so many people liked dogs.

Wronged?

What is that? Can you eat it? (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to cast your recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.NovelFire.net.)