Strange Life of a Cat

The next day, Zheng Tan hid inside Fang Shao Kang’s bag and prepared to leave the hotel.

The reception desk clerk took a few looks at Fang Shao Kang’s huge backpack, she probably didn’t think that this type of low-life would live in such a hotel, she was also curious about what was in the big backpack.

“Sir, you backpack zip is un…” The clerk warned with good intentions, the last syllable “done” was not pronounced because she had seen the cat whiskers from the opened zip.

Her mouth open, the clerk stared at Fang Shao Kang. The guy returned her look with a brilliant smile then sauntered away.

Exiting the hotel door, Zheng Tan shook away the restraints. He hopped out and walked along side Fang Shao Kang, being inside the backpack was too uncomfortable.

“Yo, the car’s here!” Fang Shao Kang said.

Zheng Tan stretched his neck and looked around, but he couldn’t identify which car Fang Shao Kang was actually referring to, there were way too many cars in the hotel parking lot.

Fang Shao Kang walked towards an ordinary looking private car, he waved to greet the person in the driver’s seat.

‘So this is what Fang Shao Kang meant when he said “saved car fare”.’

When Fang Shao Kang opened the car door, Zheng Tan saw another person seated in the backseat. He was around the same age as Fang Shao Kang but he looked more solemn and had some majesty to him.

Solemn or not, Zheng Tan only wished that this person would be more reliable and not be the same as Fang Shao Kang.

“Mayor Yuan, congratulations on assuming office!” Fang Shao Kang lifted his leg and boarded the car, he leisurely sat down and took no heed of what the person next to him would think. He pulled the backpack with mud stains right in and placed it on the empty seat next to him, then patted the left over space in the backseat and said to Zheng Tan who was still sightseeing outside the car: “Come on!”

Zheng Tan looked at the other person in the backseat then at the little spot left in the backseat, and at the empty passenger seat at the front. He jumped into the car and burrowed to the front.

“Hey, this cat!” Fang Shao Kang laughed, leaving Zheng Tan alone and chatting with the person next to him.

Zheng Tan squatted on the passenger seat, he felt that this kind of spacious spot was much more comfortable, way better than the space squeezed out by Fang Shao Kang’s backpack.

Although the car looked like nothing from the exterior, the interior wasn’t too shabby, it was probably modified. He looked at the driver next to him again, there was a sudden sense of familiarity.

It wasn’t that Zheng Tan had seen this person before, but this person gave the same impression to Zheng Tan like Wei Lin did. This person was probably the bodyguard with a side job of a driver, Zheng Tan recalled that Fang Shao Kang said “Mayor Yuan”, so this can be understood.

The driver comrade beside him noticed Zheng Tan’s eyes on him, he turned and took a look at him. It wasn’t appropriate for the cat to squat on the passenger seat but since boss didn’t even have anything to say on this, it was not for him to comment. As long as the cat didn’t interfere with his driving it would be fine, but now seeing that the cat kept staring at him and that the emotion in it’s eyes wasn’t something that a cat should have, it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

‘This cat is so abnormal!’

The driver comrade felt that the goosebumps on his skin had all popped up to an extent that his reactions were delayed when the boss asked him to drive.

Shifting his line of sight away from the driver to the window, Zheng Tan lay flat on the seat and looked through the window at the high-rise buildings outside. Although his eyes were looking out, his ears were raised listening into the conversation behind him between Fang Shao Kang and the other person because he noticed that the two’s conversation involved the last night robbery incident.

Fang Shao Kang held the paperwork that Mayor Yuan passed over, he cursed then said, “These two people are shameless enough to sue me?! Plus, they clearly colluded, I only used the baton to beat one of them and it was only once. The other one wasn’t my fault, I would have beat them until they couldn’t spit another word if I knew this earlier. They’re just two thugs, how dare they flaunt this!”

So that’s what it was, last night the two people that Zheng Tan and Fang Shao Kang disciplined sued Fang Shao Kang for malicious wounding, they even mentioned an attempt of intentional homicide.

“Then you explain why those injuries appear on that person?”

“The cat did it.”

“…”

Mayor Yuan massaged the bridge between his brows, he never anticipated to deal with this kind of thing as soon as he assumed the role.

“Anyhow, it’s not my business.” Fang Shao Kang threw the document in his hand aside, he shrugged, “even if that person really did become an eunuch, then I guess he got unlucky since he deserved it. Why couldn’t he do something else last night instead of following other people and committing robbery, they even brought a pipe along! Besides, that person had a criminal record, even if he knew some people and had some connections, that doesn’t mean he’s not a jerk, his aim is to wangle money.”

A stream of words spluttered out from Fang Shao Kang’s mouth, they all summed up to one sentence, “Anyhow, I didn’t kick the balls .”

Seeing Mayor Yuan had fell silent, Fang Shao Kang chuckled, “Don’t hang that look of dread on your face, this incident gives you a reason to put people on the chopping block. A new broom sweeps clean, there’s a place for you then you shall shine?”

When he finished talking Fang Shao Kang kicked the back of the passenger seat. It meant: ‘Why do I have to be blamed for the mischief you caused?’

Zheng Tan scratched his ears, pretending that he knew nothing. Anyhow, he’s now a cat, who would believe that a cat beat a person into an eunuch? Even the robber that got beaten didn’t dare to speak the truth, if he did who would believe him?! Or maybe it was that they felt embarrassed to say this thing out aloud, they didn’t want people to know that he had almost become an eunuch because of a cat?

Either way, Zheng Tan believed the person in the back could solve this situation, it was nothing for him to be concerned about.

The two behind him didn’t discuss further on those two beaten up robbers, and started to talk about their daily life. Zheng Tan had no interest in listening in, he looked outside the window wondering when he can leave this city.

An hour later, the car stopped.

Zheng Tan jumped out of the car, according to what Fang Shao Kang said, they will change to another car here, that car will take them straight to Chuhua city.

That’s why Zheng Tan was extremely excited, he didn’t need to travel on foot, didn’t need to squat in a bicycle basket, didn’t need to ride a pedicab and didn’t need to sell his talents on the streets anymore! Most important of all, it meant that he would soon return to Chuhua city, back to the serene staff courtyard!

Just thinking about that made Zheng Tan unable to sleep with excitement.

Counting the days, it had been a month since he was captured. That month felt like a year to Zheng Tan, “torment” didn’t do justice to express what Zheng Tan felt during this experience.

The car that was taking Zheng Tan and Fang Shao Kang to Chuhua city was an SUV, it was quite luxurious. Inside the car were some clean clothes, they were for Fang Shao Kang, due to Mayor Yuan’s words, “You must pay attention to your image, don’t let people laugh at you when you’re there.”

Zheng Tan wasn’t too sure who the “people” that will “laugh at you” were that were referred to by Mayor Yuan, neither did he have the interest in guessing, as long as he knew that he would return to Chuhua city everything was fine.

The SUV driver knew Fang Shao Kang, he was sent by Fang Shao Kang’s brother.

Watching the SUV travel into the distance, Mayor Yuan sighed: “He’s almost forty but he’s no better than a cat, people still need to worry about him.”

If Papa Jiao heard Mayor Yuan’s exclamations right now, he would definitely say: “This cat does actually make people worry more.”

After the SUV had drove onto the expressway, Zheng Tan would pay attention to the road signs on the side of the road once in a while. Fang Shao Kang held a map, Zheng Tan would close in and take a look as well, then combining it with the signs to calculate how far they were from Chuhua city.

Initally, Zheng Tan thought they will soon arrive at Chuhua city, but Fang Shao Kang instructed the driver to make a detour. Originally they could take the straight road, however, now they made a turn in the middle of the journey to some cultured and historical city, spending days on sightseeing, taking photos and eating some folk style savory food.

The first two days Zheng Tan wasn’t too happy, but he was quite interested in having fun, but when these things were repeated later, Zheng Tan became upset. He clearly wasn’t in the mood for sightseeing, so what if these cities have a rich history, so what if this food was delicious. Being with Fang Shao Kang made Zheng Tan lose all his interest in traveling around.

However, the driver only listened to Fang Shao Kang’s words, Zheng Tan had no choice. Couldn’t he ask the driver to just take him?

Since he couldn’t change Fang Shao Kang’s mind, Zheng Tan found another way. While he was wandering in some city with Fang Shao Kang, Zheng Tan would find ways to make Fang Shao Kang buy some small souvenirs, any thing that he set his eyes on he would ran over and hug it, then wait for Fang Shao Kang to pay.

Having the favour color and style of each member of the Jiao family in mind, Zheng Tan picked some from each type.

The driver along side Fang Shao Kang changed from the initial surprise to calmness and eventually to indifference. He became used to Zheng Tan picking souvenirs, so if Fang Shao Kang was busy taking photos, he would help to pay. This was the first time that the driver felt that cats were so freaking annoying.

This stopping and traveling, detouring halfway, took a week before they reached Jinghan state, that was the state that Chuhua city was located in. Just when Zheng Tan saw the light at the end of the tunnel, this pest Fang Shao Kang made the driver stop the car again. They played around for a few days in a city not too far from Chuhua city, he said that they were going to go fishing there.

Zheng Tan wanted to plant a slap right across his cheek. Next time don’t be in the same car as these kinds of people, they were way too troublesome.

“I said ten days to half a month, why the hurry to get back?” Fang Shao Kang said, sitting on the edge of the lake and relaxing as he held the fishing rod.

Zheng Tan squatted on a tree to the side, scratched his ear and payed no attention to him. It had been ten days since he got in contact with Papa Jiao, were they really going to wait for a full half a month? Besides, yesterday he used Fang Shao Kang’s phone to contact Papa Jiao, Papa Jiao said that the matters over there were almost taken care of, Zheng Tan could return anytime.

“Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”

A black fur mutt jumped up and down with happiness on the side, this dog was owned by a farmer’s family nearby. It liked to watch other people fish, every time there was some movement it would bark excitedly.

“Bit the bait?!” Fang Shao Kang quickly pulled on the rod, “There’s fish tonight for dinner!”

Zheng Tan yawned, taking no heed of them. He was bored as hell, so he ran over to Fang Shao Kang’s backpack again, unzipped the zip and scooped out the phone from inside the bag.

The driver next to him that was helping to lift the fish bucket had no reaction when he saw this scene, it wasn’t the first time that he had seen this. He would see this cat taking the phone out of the backpack everyday, dialing a number, and then listening to the phone. When it finished the call, that cat’s mood would be extremely good. Every time he saw this scene, the driver would confirm again in his mind that black cats were abnormal.