Chapter 103: Your Cat Dad Seems to Be Buying a Car

Holding the cat's thigh, this was something Jiao Wei had never imagined before; in fact, no normal person would think along these lines, yet Jiao Wei now truly encountered it.

Jiao Wei didn't know who the two people drinking erguotou with Wei Leng in this high-end, classy place were, nor did he know what identity or background the "Fang San Shu" they discussed had, but he could be certain both were important figures, and that the seemingly unreliable "Fang San Ye" was obviously of a higher rank.

Ye Hao only stayed here a short while before leaving; Jueye followed him out, while Zheng Tan didn't mind, since he wasn't familiar with that big cat anyway, and he was just here to play out of boredom.

When the performance at the "East Palace" began, Zheng Tan lay on the opened railing looking down; Wei Leng, as before, started making small talk—previously he'd probed A Jin, now he probed Jiao Wei, still revolving around Fang San Ye. Wei Leng was genuinely curious about Fang San Ye's thoughts; after coming to Chu Hua City, despite being "busy with myriad affairs," he still sent a cat a climbing frame.

Unfortunately, Wei Leng would be disappointed this time; Jiao Wei had only briefly met Fang San Shu once, and otherwise knew nothing.

Wei Leng gazed at the cat lying there listening to the performance, sighing inwardly, wishing he could help gather intelligence but unable to. Not only on Ye Hao's side, but also at the Tian Yuan Gene side, several partners had already approached Yuan Zhiyi to inquire about Fang San Ye; Wei Leng had originally wanted to help, but couldn't find anything. As for Associate Professor Jiao's side, it wouldn't be appropriate to probe there—doing so would seem pushy, and Associate Professor Jiao had no intention of leaning that way; being able to connect with Fang San Ye was lucky. All thanks to that cat; everything else still required personal effort.

Thinking of the lucky cat Yuan Zhiyi kept in his office, Wei Leng wanted to laugh; it was specially made for him, pure black. Regardless of whether he used to be in scientific research, as a businessman he always had such particularities.

After taking a sip of wine, Wei Leng sighed in his heart: truly just a lucky cat!

Not staying too late, at around nine o'clock Wei Leng had someone drive Zheng Tan and Jiao Wei back.

The driver had made this trip many times; he knew the route well, driving straight in from the east gate of Chu Hua University and stopping at the courtyard gate. Jiao Wei also got out here.

Watching the black cat leap out the window toward the family building, Jiao Wei still felt a sense of absurdity—this cat's life was more carefree than a person's!

Who would believe this if I told them!

But if it truly could solve the family shop's troubles, then I'd have to believe it.

The night moon was bright; Mid-Autumn Festival was just two days away.

Jiao Wei looked up at the sky, headed toward the small restaurant; he returned without stopping by the shop first—his parents wouldn't be at ease otherwise.

When Zheng Tan returned to the Jiao household, he saw Jiao Yuan unpacking a package.

Mooncakes?

Glancing at the calendar on the wall, he really had almost forgotten—but unfortunately, Mid-Autumn Festival is still not a national statutory holiday, so Jiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi still have to go to school.

However…

Zheng Tan looked at the two boxes of fancy mooncakes placed there; according to Jiao Ma's style, she wouldn't buy such "wasteful money things," so they should have been bought loose at a cake shop. Thus, they must have been sent by someone else.

When holidays arrive, gift-giving begins—whether in officialdom, business, or the workplace, all kinds of gifts are exchanged; even though Mid-Autumn Festival hasn't yet been made a national statutory holiday, it still gives many people an excuse and opportunity to give gifts. People like Fang San Ye and Zhao Dong are the targets of those who rack their brains to present gifts, and these two boxes are what Zhao Le sent over tonight.

Originally there were three boxes; Jiao Ba took one to the courtyard, dividing a few pieces to give to Yi Xin and Su Qu.

Since they had already eaten dinner, Jiao Ma only allowed Jiao Yuan to eat one; he could take another tomorrow morning, and if he felt hungry after two classes he could take it out to eat.

"Mom, Hei Tan also wants to eat—give him a few?" Jiao Yuan shouted to Jiao Ma in the room.

"Each of you may eat only one, and Hei Tan may eat only one! Recently Hei Tan has gotten fat." Jiao Ma, busy answering the phone, said, then hung up and continued her call.

Xiao Youzi peeled a salted egg yolk mooncake for Zheng Tan, who held it and nibbled on the sofa, but his ears pricked up, listening to the movement in the bedroom. Making a phone call still turned out this mysterious? Didn't want the two kids to know?

Wei Leng and Xiao Youzi couldn't hear the phone call in the bedroom, but Zheng Tan could, though not clearly; at least he could catch a few keywords, seemingly involving the upcoming National Day holiday and… buying a car?

Zheng Tan twitched his ears, stopped chewing the mooncake, and listened intently to the sounds in the room; unfortunately, Xiao Yuan talked too much, so Zheng Tan simply threw down the mooncake, went to the bedroom door, leaned close, and listened to the movement inside.

Seeing Zheng Tan's movement, the two children eating mooncakes glanced at each other, put down their mooncakes, tiptoed to the bedroom door, and pressed their ears against it to listen.

The person making the phone call inside, Jiao Ma, would never have imagined there'd be eavesdroppers at the door; she was still chatting enthusiastically.

When Jiao Ba returned, he saw exactly this scene: the two children standing at either side of the door, ears pressed to it, and below them a cat also doing the same, its tail tip occasionally twitching, as if thinking something sly.

Seeing Jiao Ba return, Xiao Yuan showed no embarrassment at being caught red-handed; instead, he excitedly asked Jiao Ba, "Are we going to buy a car?"

Jiao Ba chuckled inwardly; this kid had been eavesdropping just for this matter—"We have the idea, but it's not settled yet."

Although there was already a plan, Jiao Ba still didn't want to say too much, lest something change later and disappoint the two children.

Xiao Yuan and Xiao Youzi, after all, are just kids; hearing Jiao Ba's words they didn't think deeply, just knowing there was a possibility was enough; they returned to the sofa to sit, continuing to eat the unfinished mooncakes while watching TV.

"Finish eating, then get ready for bath and sleep—don't stay up too late." Jiao Ba told the two children; as he walked past Zheng Tan, he reached out and poked Zheng Tan's forehead, "You too, go to sleep early. Also, exercise more lately—you've gotten a bit round."

Zheng Tan tugged his ears, went to the mirror in Xiao Youzi's room, and took a look—he hadn't really gotten much fatter.

Recalling his recent life, it seemed that aside from sending Xiao Youzi back and forth, it was just eating, sleeping, and watching military training. As for rations, following the Jiao family's three meals a day, he also ate some other foods intermittently; although he was a bit picky, compared to other cats his diet was too broad, and besides, he really hadn't exercised much, so there were some signs.

Won't he turn into a fatty like Da Pang after a while?

Regardless of whether he's fat or not, Zheng Tan picked up running again the next day, something he'd abandoned for a long time.

Zhao Laotaitai finished dancing and returned, still swaying her crimson feather fan; seeing Zheng Tan jogging, she called out, "Yo, Hei Tan. Long time no see you running."

The elderly lady beside Zhao Laotaitai also said, "That cat looks healthier than before."

So-called "healthier" here just means a bit fatter; however, people here think it's good to keep pets a little plump—if they're too skinny, others might think you're abusing the pet. Just like in Dongqu Dayuan, where the universally recognized best-fed pet is… Da Pang that fatty! Most people, upon seeing Da Pang, first say, "This cat is really well-fed!"

Back then, Da Pang's elderly owner feared obesity might bring illness, had him checked; aside from being a bit plump, there were no serious problems—he could run and jump, and everyone still thought it quite remarkable.

No matter what, Zheng Tan decided to pick up running again, which he'd neglected for a while; anyway, the weather is gradually cooling, so it won't be as deadly hot as summer.

Recently, there have been more people on the school plaza; club recruitment is lively.

Members of the roller skating association lined up in formation, skating along the school's main road, their arms tied with some letters that could form slogans; their gear was neat, and when a group swished past with a huala-huala sound, they looked cool and satisfied some people's desire to show off, so many freshmen would go to the roller skating association's spot on the plaza to inquire.

There's also the cycling association; a group rides flashy bicycles, sometimes holding up banners, sometimes shouting slogans, looping around campus. On the plaza, their association area still displays some photos—pictures taken when they rode out together during holidays to travel. There are also slogans like "Ride the World" that satisfy some people's desire to cycle out during the National Day holiday.

Occasionally you can see students dressed like anime characters; that's the anime association. Chu Hua City sometimes holds anime exhibitions, which include cosplay, and they participate, so during each club recruitment and anime exhibition, you can see those eye-catching cosers on campus.

This is what Zheng Tan saw while running; many clubs only advertise on the plaza. Zheng Tan stood afar and watched a while—there were people in costumes, in dance skirts, even in martial arts uniforms and taekwondo outfits; those are all high-popularity clubs.

When Zheng Tan attended university before, he never took part in such things; back then he seemingly didn't notice these, spent most of his time off-campus, and many activities one would encounter in university he only learned about after coming here.

Zheng Tan also spotted Jiao Wei—not because his eyesight was exceptionally good, but because he glanced at the relatively obscure clubs on the outskirts; there were few people there, and that club had only Jiao Wei alone; however, due to the angle, Zheng Tan couldn't tell what club it was, nor was he particularly interested.

After jogging a bit more, passing the Life Science Institute, he ran up to the tree outside Jiao Ba's office window to look; the office was empty, Yi Xin and Su Qu weren't there, presumably busy with experiments.

Not lingering long, Zheng Tan returned to Dongqu Dayuan to rest a bit, not expecting to see again the four-wheeled vehicle of Fang San Ye parked downstairs; at that moment Fang San Ye was leaning by the car door fumbling with his phone. Seeing Zheng Tan, Fang San Ye was quite pleased.

"Hey, I was just about to call your cat dad, but no one's home—help me open the door." Fang San Ye then put his phone away.

Zheng Tan eyed him suspiciously; Wei Leng and Ye Hao had said this guy was "busy with myriad affairs," so why does he now have free time to come here?

He leapt up, swiped his card, and got the key from Da Pang's house. After returning as a stray, Zheng Tan found it troublesome to hide the key in a tree, so he just stashed it on Da Pang's balcony—after all, Da Pang usually just squints on the balcony keeping watch. If Da Pang goes to visit relatives, Zheng Tan will hide the key back in the tree.

For Zheng Tan being able to open the door himself, Fang San Ye wasn't particularly surprised; he'd already learned this from Jiao Ba. During the stray period, he even knew this cat could turn on hot water and use a hair dryer by himself.

This time Fang San Ye brought over several boxes of fancy mooncakes; he plans to return to the capital for Mid-Autumn, but here there are too many gift-givers, and he can't eat all these himself, so after giving some to his subordinates, Fang San Ye also sent some over to the Jiao household as a side gesture; after sending them, he'll drive straight back to the capital.

After Fang San Ye put the things down, he called Jiao Ba.

After hanging up the phone, Fang San ye said to Zheng Tan, who was lazily sprawled on the sofa: "Your cat dad seems to be buying a car. Although he didn't say so, I heard some people talking over there."

After saying that, Fang San ye looked at the cat climbing frame again, saw scratch marks on it and a few cat hairs, realizing it was indeed being used, and left satisfied. (To be continued...)