Chapter 130

Since this person was arranged by Fang Shaokang, Zheng Tan didn't plan to restrain himself too much; moreover, according to Fang Shaokang, future chances to interact with this person would only increase, and it would inevitably be exposed, so Zheng Tan had no intention of deliberately acting like an ordinary cat in front of Tong Qing.

While picking at the short fur on his head, Zheng Tan noticed Tong Qing's expression in the mirror; this person is usually too silent, you couldn't get a word out of him with a pole, but just now his fluctuating complexion made Zheng Tan chuckle a bit; fortunately, Tong Qing's inner strength is indeed sufficient, and he won't develop too large a psychological shadow like Long Qi did, and after a moment he recovered.

After Zheng Tan finished looking in the mirror, he turned to face Tong Qing, waiting for his next words. Zheng Tan is not stupid; from the moment he entered the restroom he had been paying attention to Tong Qing's actions, and it seemed that Third Master Fang had something to convey.

Tong Qing took a deep breath to calm down—although doing deep breaths in a restroom feels a bit awkward, compared to the earlier shock it's nothing. The black cat in front of them sat on the sink, looking at them calmly, as if it knew they had something to say.

After another deep breath, Tong Qing did a quick mental preparation and then said, "The kid in the backyard is named Liu Yao, he's Manager Liu's son; the boss said, playing with that kid might bring a big deal for your cat dad's company…"

Zheng Tan listened to Tong Qing's words, thinking as he listened, and the tail he had originally tucked beside his paw unconsciously began to sway twice.

That Manager Liu?

Zheng Tan recalled for a moment; although upstairs he hadn't caught much of their conversation, he could still distinguish a few individuals. The Manager Liu that Tong Qing mentioned was the puppy's owner, and he bore Zheng Tan no ill will.

Since it concerns him personally, Zheng Tan definitely needs to think it over more. He has never been to the company of Jiao Ba and Yuan Zhiyi; reportedly it has been gradually getting underway, not as difficult as at the start, but within Chu Hua Shi it remains an obscure small company. Its reputation is limited to a few universities and a few companies with business dealings. It pales in comparison to the enterprises under the big figures seen today. If he could help secure another big deal, Jiao Ba would earn a bit more profit sharing, the Jiao Family would accumulate more savings, and this would determine his future quality of life.

Tong Qing spoke while observing the cat in front of him. The black cat before him lowered its head slightly, yet its ears stood straight up, and the tip of its tail twitched rhythmically, as if it were pondering something.

What a peculiar cat. No wonder the boss told them to get straight to the point; nothing else needed attention.

Besides telling Zheng Tan that he could indirectly bring in business, Tong Qing also analyzed the existing factors in this matter according to Fang Shaokang's intention.

Merchants like Lao Liu and his associates are all sharp; even if theoretically business could arise, why would they give a big order to someone they don't know, a small company they don't know? The key lies in that backyard kid!

Don't look at Lao Liu being nearly forty; so far he has only this six-year-old son, who was conceived accidentally during his carefree days outside, something Lao Liu never knew about. Liu Yao's mother only brought the child to him last year, because she needed money; in a transaction she exchanged the son for some cash and then left.

Due to low sperm viability, Lao Liu had been undergoing treatment, but even now physical and psychological therapy had little effect; despite trying many methods he still couldn't conceive, and he had basically given up hope. He never expected this unexpected joy; after multiple DNA tests confirmed it was his, Lao Liu became excited and treasured Liu Yao as if he were a precious gem.

Unfortunately, likely due to Liu Yao's unreliable mother, the child's disposition is rather gloomy; so far he hardly speaks, dislikes interacting with people, and even animals avoid him.

Why did Lao Liu, after great effort, eventually give away the golden-coated Tibetan Mastiff he had obtained? Because that Tibetan Mastiff would avoid Liu Yao upon seeing him, or else issue a warning low growl.

Lao Liu does like dogs, but his son is more important; besides, after all these years he only has this one son, whom he treasures, so he couldn't let a dog make his son unhappy. Thus he gave away the golden-coated Tibetan Mastiff and obtained the current lion-headed red Tibetan Mastiff.

After Tong Qing finished speaking, Zheng Tan's first thought was that Fang Shaokang had actually investigated their secret matter thoroughly, and he couldn't help but marvel at Fang Shaokang's methods. His second thought was, 'Damn, do I have to sacrifice my looks to please this brat? Will I get my fur pulled, tail tugged, and ears scratched?!'

If that were really the case, Zheng Tan would absolutely refuse to go, anyway Yuan Zhiyi's company wouldn't collapse just from losing a potential big client.

At the door came intermittent scratching sounds, produced by the puppy locked outside; unlike other puppies that whine when upset or annoyed, it expressed its desire directly through action—scratching the door, biting the door.

The person Lao Liu sent to watch the dog felt quite embarrassed; this dog truly was a damn disgrace, still a Tibetan Mastiff! Seeing it scratch the door, they dragged the puppy back, but soon the puppy returned to the door and began scratching again, back and forth relentlessly, making Lao Liu's subordinates want to kick the puppy twice.

Seeing the puppy run toward the restroom door again, Lao Liu's subordinate was about to drag it away once more, but this little fellow would bite anyone except Lao Liu, so they couldn't hurt the puppy and also had to guard against being bitten. Being a subordinate wasn't easy either.

Just as this person bent down to find a better angle to drag the puppy away, the restroom door opened, and Tong Qing standing inside gave the person at the door a look as if they were a pervert.

Lao Liu's subordinate almost wanted to spit out a few mouthfuls of indignant blood; with this posture, strangers might think they had some weird fixation on staring at the restroom.

Tong Qing listened to the other's explanation with a blank face, offered no opinion, and followed the black cat that was already heading toward the backyard.

Lao Liu's subordinate also didn't know whether the other had taken in his explanation, but he couldn't dwell on it much, since the puppy was already trotting along behind them.

Zheng Tan arrived in the backyard; the child named Liu Yao was still playing alone with his toy car as before, noticing the stranger entering the backyard. He lifted his head and glanced, his gaze lingering on Zheng Tan for two seconds before returning his attention to the toy car.

Although the child's glance was brief, Zheng Tan still sensed something off from that look.

Gloominess is gloominess, with a hint of hostility. Perhaps it is precisely this gloom and hostility that makes some sensitive animals keep their distance from Liu Yao. Zheng Tan had once seen Yi Xin and others right after their dissection experiment; the few cats or pet dogs around them would avoid them, and Zheng Tan thought those that didn't flee were just thick-skinned, failing to notice the faint lingering chill. It was just like the chill that emanated when Jiao Ba taught Zheng Tan how to kill rats.

Lao Liu's previous golden-coated Tibetan Mastiff probably also sensed the child's pervasive gloom and hostility, which is why it was wary of him. As for the current lion-headed red Tibetan Mastiff, it seems to belong to the thick-skinned type.

Someone who knows dogs well can certainly tell which is better between the golden-coated Tibetan Mastiff and the current lion-headed Tibetan Mastiff; a good appearance doesn't mean everything is good. Even a lion-headed Tibetan Mastiff can be rather dim-witted. But precisely because of that, this lion-headed Tibetan Mastiff has been kept until now,

Although it doesn't show much closeness to the child, as long as it can occasionally play with him it's fine; if it reacted like the previous golden-coated Tibetan Mastiff—issuing a wary low growl at the sight of Liu Yao—it would be close to being abandoned.

Aside from appearance, there's probably nothing about this dog that can surpass the golden-coated Tibetan Mastiff Lao Liu previously obtained; however, the puppy is still small, and what it will grow into is uncertain.

It is said that a Tibetan Mastiff recognizes only one master in its lifetime; since the puppy was brought over not long ago, it's unclear whether it will recognize Lao Liu or little Liu as its master. For this kind of Tibetan Mastiff, not raised on the plateau and with little exposure to wild environments, living as a pet dog in a big city and playing with people all day, how much combat ability could it have?

Never mind; as long as it can guard against thieves and protect people, it's a good dog—weak combat ability and slightly low intelligence are sufficient. Zheng Tan also couldn't be bothered to worry about that.

Not far from Liu Yao stood a young woman who looked quite gentle; this should be Lao Liu's current wife. Regardless of her true feelings toward Liu Yao, in public she had to put on a motherly appearance.

Occasionally Madam Liu would remind Liu Yao to watch out for scratches from nearby branches, or ask if he was cold, etc.

Liu Yao gave no response, as if he hadn't heard, and continued to grip the remote control and operate his toy car.

Seeing Tong Qing and Zheng Tan enter the yard, Madam Liu merely glanced at them in surprise, then her gaze fell on the person behind Tong Qing; a subordinate of Lao Liu walked over and gave a brief explanation, after which Madam Liu slightly nodded, indicating she understood. In fact, Madam Liu was quite impatient; at such a time she should be chatting with other women on the front lawn to boost her standing in the circle, but with Liu Yao here, recalling Lao Liu's instructions, she couldn't just abandon him, so she forced herself to keep a smiling face and stand there, while also having to ask after Liu Yao's comfort. Liu Yao drove his toy car into her feet; even if it hurt, she couldn't say anything.

Seeing people come into the backyard, Madam Liu moved her somewhat stiff legs and smiled as she called to the dog, "Mantou, come over here."

Mantou?

Zheng Tan looked at the puppy and wondered who gave it that name; when it was young it was fine, but once it grew up, big and mighty, if someone on the street shouted 'Mantou' at it, it would lose face—no matter how imposing, the name would make it seem petite and delicate.

Look at 'Jueye'—that sounds much more high-end; I suppose some researchers studying this could write a paper on it, such as 'On the Importance of Names'.

As for Mantou, who had just picked up a twig to gnaw on, upon hearing someone call him he turned his head, still holding the twig in his mouth and chewing slowly; he glanced at Madam Liu for two seconds, then turned back and continued to gnaw the twig, doing so with utter seriousness.

Zheng Tan was idly watching Madam Liu's somewhat stiff smile when he suddenly heard a fast-approaching 'hiss' sound.

Liu Yao's toy car was coming toward Zheng Tan.

Tong Qing was about to intervene, but recalling the scene earlier at the long table outside, he held back.

Facing the approaching toy car, Zheng Tan didn't panic; he raised his paw to press down, more than capable of handling it with his abilities, but he didn't expect the car to suddenly brake sharply not far from him.

Could this brat just be trying to scare him? Zheng Tan speculated. If so, the brat wouldn't be too bad.

Liu Yao looked over, eyes filled with confusion; he didn't understand why this cat was different from other cats—when other cats saw a toy car approach, they would arch their backs and leap away or sprint off from a distance, but the black cat nearby simply lifted a paw calmly, showing no fear at all.

The toy car hadn't stopped long before it started up again, this time circling Zheng Tan at a leisurely pace, going round and round.

Zheng Tan narrowed his eyes; this brat was clearly aiming at him—he didn't even need to go over himself, the brat's 'hand' reached out.

Indeed, a brat is a brat; even if he speaks little, is silent, and gloomy, he's still a brat, and sometimes they do things without regard for principle or reason, simply following their own whim.

Even the puppy that had been gnawing on twigs with vigor slowed its chewing, curiously watching Zheng Tan's side.

As for the other people standing around, each had their own thoughts: some thought this black cat was surely doomed, some felt their young master's behavior was wrong and that disciplining a cat also depended on its owner; others had seen this black cat slap the offspring of a badger with a paw and were nervous, fearing the cat might lash out and hurt someone. Liu Yao had a slight injury, and they knew they couldn't just let it slide—deducting wages would be a light punishment.

Zheng Tan, however, remained calm, lazily swishing his tail twice, watching the toy car circle before him; suddenly a playful urge rose, and ignoring Tong Qing's instructions, he seized the opportunity and leapt onto the toy car.

Zheng Tan spent more time with Xiao Youzi at the Jiao household; Xiao Youzi didn't have such toy cars, mostly dolls. Jiao Yuan felt he had grown up, and toy cars were for kids—he'd rather play with guns. Moreover, Zheng Tan saw that the toy car's design had involved a lot of thought, certainly not cheap, and the Jiao family wouldn't spend big money on such a toy. Zheng Tan's memory does include playing something similar, but back then he was still human, and now looking back he feels a faint nostalgia.

The toy car's quality is decent; to people it looks like a small plaything, but to Zheng Tan its size is passable, and after squeezing in he can still perch on it.

However, because Zheng Tan suddenly jumped onto the moving car, it came to an immediate halt, the 'hiss' sound still ringing, proving the motor was still active.

Zheng Tan was not very satisfied—could he not move with just this little weight? This toy car looks like it couldn't possibly bear his current weight of about ten or so catties, could it?

But soon, Zheng Tan felt a change in the toy car beneath him, and then the toy car carrying him slowly began to move.

At this moment, Zheng Tan suddenly wanted to shout: "Get up—giddyap!" (To be continued...)

ps: Had a meeting tonight, came back a bit late. Thanks to everyone who voted and donated! From a rough look, there are quite a few people sharing pictures in the book review section~