Chapter 189: Roadblockers

Zheng Tan lay on the sofa, looking down at the leopard‑pattern cat beside the coffee table.

The leopard‑pattern cat just stood there, growling low, but nobody nearby dared to pull it away; looking at it, it was clearly not to be messed with.

"Anna, pull your cat away!" Qin Tao came up to the girl who had brought the leopard‑pattern cat in and said quietly.

The girl named Anna frowned, "It's better not to move it right now; it's angry, and the trainer my parents hired said that if it acts like this, it must have run into something or someone that's giving it trouble—I definitely can't handle it alone."

Anna also found it strange—over on that sofa there were only Tang Cai and the black cat, so whoever made the leopard‑pattern cat act like this certainly wasn't Tang Cai; it had grabbed Tang Cai in the washroom without showing any fear, but if it were the black cat, not even Anna herself would believe it, and most of the people present wouldn't either.

Qin Tao pulled out his phone to call Sha Jie for help; he didn't want a bloody incident here—a cat gone berserk could wreak havoc no less than Tang Cai flying into a rage, especially such a big cat.

When cats face off, it's not about who has more momentum, a louder voice, or more roars that makes the stronger one.

Zheng Tan originally didn't want to deal with this guy; with so many people around, he didn't want to cause trouble—if the cat would just back off sensibly, everyone could stay peaceful.

But things didn't develop as Zheng Tan had hoped; the leopard‑pattern cat was clearly not the type to back down easily.

Perhaps to the others in the room the leopard‑pattern cat's growling seemed senseless, but from its low growl Zheng Tan could tell it was already changing its mind—earlier it had been pure vigilance, but gradually, as some thought was suppressed, it began to show a hint of provocation and attack intent, ears flattened back, whiskers lifted, and when it growled it opened its mouth wide to reveal sharp teeth.

Zheng Tan flicked the tip of his tail, then lifted his paw to push Tang Cai's hand away, and stretched lazily.

Tang Cai was nervously staring at the leopard‑pattern cat; noticing her fingers pushed aside and seeing Zheng Tan's posture, she quickly extended her arm in a protective gesture, blocking him in front. She feared the leopard cat might suddenly lunge forward—though she didn't quite understand why the big leopard cat was behaving this way, she shared the same mindset as everyone else in the room, subconsciously placing Zheng Tan in a weak position.

Zheng Tan appreciated Tang Cai's protective attitude, but he didn't want to be shielded by a girl in this situation; he lifted his paw to push away the arm blocking him, then suddenly paused, twitched his nose, looked at Tang Cai's arm, and saw a claw mark on the sleeve of her motorcycle jacket— the jacket had almost been torn through, and when Tang Cai had reached out to scratch his chin earlier it hadn't been that arm, so he hadn't noticed.

He moved closer, sniffed again, and looked at the leopard‑pattern cat that was growling ever more fiercely. He had originally planned to slap it away as before to make it back off, but Zheng Tan changed his mind at the last moment.

When the leopard‑pattern cat's roar suddenly shifted, Zheng Tan knew it could no longer hold back.

Almost the instant the leopard‑pattern cat lunged at him, Zheng Tan also leapt, dodging its claws, avoiding a head‑on clash, and instead struck it with a paw.

His paw tore through the fur, dragging through the flesh beneath, and a bloody smell rose.

Zheng Tan couldn't handle the police‑style combo of grappling, biting, kicking, and scratching; he preferred something simple and brutal, like that slap last time—or this paw strike now.

This time he didn't slap it away, but he did draw blood.

As they landed, the two cats were close together; the leopard‑pattern cat bore a scratch from neck to belly. Zheng Tan's claws are harder than an ordinary cat's, and because he meant to make it bleed, he drove them in deeper.

Short‑haired cats are at a disadvantage here—they're easy to scratch in a fight, while longer, thicker fur can blunt the claws' impact, at most losing a bit of fur.

Zheng Tan was ready to follow up with another paw, but if it weren't for the size difference—and if he hadn't deliberately avoided the cat's claws when jumping, not leaping too high—he could have struck straight at its head instead of the neck. However, the leopard‑pattern cat retreated just as quickly; sensing his intent, it sprang away, heading toward Anna's direction. Though it kept growling, its momentum had greatly waned. Having worked itself up, charged forward, and then taken another paw strike, it was now afraid again.

Unlike Zheng Tan's dark fur, the leopard‑pattern cat's wound quickly seeped blood, staining the surrounding fur red, and because the cut was fairly long, drops of blood fell onto the carpet below.

Qin Tao and the others watched, jaws nearly dropping—the obvious size disparity made the outcome of this round completely opposite to what everyone had expected.

Anna was about to fling the glass in her hand at Zheng Tan when Er Mao stopped her.

The private room's door opened, and the person Qin Tao had summoned for help entered, with Sha Jie leading the way.

With so many watching, Zheng Tan didn't continue the chase; otherwise he'd give the impression of being a ferocious, highly aggressive danger, and he saw no reason to make more people wary of him just over a leopard‑pattern cat—that wouldn't necessarily be good.

Even so, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. The black cat didn't bare its teeth or growl; it just stared, making people's skin crawl.

Qin Tao felt a chill down his back.

When Sha Jie's companions separated the two cats, Zheng Tan lowered his attack posture, squatting there with a "I'm good" look, until Anna led the leopard‑pattern cat away, whereupon he jumped onto the sofa and lay beside Tang Cai.

Er Mao picked Zheng Tan up to examine him; his fur was too dark to see any injury even if he had one. The check showed that neither Er Mao nor Tang Cai found any wound—only his paw bore bloodstains. Tang Cai fetched a square cloth, soaked it in warm water, and had Zheng Tan wipe his paw clean.

Zheng Tan let Tang Cai hold his paw and wipe away the blood, his mind on other things; during the fight he had felt something odd, but couldn't put his finger on what.

"Looks like we didn't lose out," Er Mao concluded.

Qin Tao stood a meter away from Er Mao and Tang Cai; he lacked their guts. Having just examined the leopard‑pattern cat's wound up close, he wondered if the black cat's paw were a bit bigger and its claws a bit longer, could it have staged a live disembowelment right there?

Seeing Zheng Tan unharmed, Er Mao relaxed, also relieved that he hadn't brought Hei Mi along—otherwise it would have been outright cannon fodder; although Hei Mi can look fierce when angry, its fighting ability is nowhere near that of these two cats.

This was also the first time Er Mao noticed that Zheng Tan's fighting ability differed from that of an ordinary cat. From now on he'd have to keep his own Hei Mi farther away from this black coal‑like cat.

"Aren't you afraid of it?" Er Mao asked Tang Cai, who was wiping Zheng Tan's paw.

"Not afraid. It's helping me get revenge," Tang Cai laughed. Her smile lacked her usual reckless abandon and was much softer.

Er Mao said nothing more; over on the other side, Qin Tao was calling him again, having finally made it to the birthday gathering to have some fun. Qin Tao didn't want to waste it just because two cats were fighting. Besides, to the others, cats were just cats—pure amusement, even if a bit unexpected; after the surprise they wouldn't devote much attention to it, they needed to seize the time to achieve their purpose for coming.

After Er Mao was led away, a girl hesitated, then approached; she was a relative of Tang Cai and currently interning at Tang Cai's father's company. Perhaps seeing Zheng Tan's docile demeanor, seeming non‑threatening, she sat down on the sofa one seat over.

Tang Cai liked talking about cats, and the girl was clearly aware of her preference, so their conversation revolved entirely around cats.

As they chatted about how Anna's cat had been trained to use the toilet, Tang Cai suddenly asked, "Did her family specifically hire someone to train that cat?"

Seeing Tang Cai interested, the girl felt pleased, curried favor with her, and hoped that after she became a regular employee at the company things would go more smoothly for her.

"I heard that cat was given to Anna by a relative during the New Year; though this kind of big cat might have a bad temper, Anna's parents spent a lot hiring a trainer for it—it's meant to be a pet, not a fighting‑arena beast, and if it were too unruly Anna wouldn't dare bring it here. Oh, learning to use the toilet was also part of that training."

"In other words, that cat won't attack people on its own?" Tang Cai lowered her head slightly, making it hard for those nearby to see her eyes,

"Exactly; if it weren't like that, Anna's parents wouldn't let her keep that big cat with her all the time—one careless scratch could disfigure her, and who would she cry to?" the girl replied.

Since it wouldn't grab people without permission, why did that big cat extend its claws at her in the washroom? Without Anna's guidance, could it happen? Tang Cai glanced at the claw marks on her sleeve and said nothing.

Those nearby couldn't see Tang Cai's eyes, but Zheng Tan could detect the anger welling up in them; if it weren't for him being there, her temper would likely flare up again.

Zheng Tan also suddenly realized where that earlier odd feeling came from. Compared to before, the leopard‑pattern cat's wildness had faded considerably—perhaps it was because it had been trained, its ferocity dulled? If it were more hot‑tempered, seeing blood after an injury would make it even more ferocious.

Of course, this was just Zheng Tan's guess; he didn't really know the details.

After the evening gathering ended, Er Mao took Zheng Tan away while Tang Cai wore a reluctant expression. Er Mao had Qin Tao leave two pieces of cake, packed to bring back for the two children of the Jiao Family. Although Zheng Tan's fight had scratched the other cat, Er Mao didn't mention it at all; his words implied that next time no one would dare to "invite" that cat out again, and besides, even if someone attending a gathering spotted Zheng Tan outside, they might not recognize him.

On Sunday, Tang Cai invited them to dinner, only Qin Tao and Er Mao—she called Er Mao specifically so he would bring Zheng Tan out. They ate at a familiar private‑restaurant, then after the meal Er Mao spontaneously suggested they go play at Ye Lou, inviting a few people he'd just met yesterday whose impressions he liked. Zheng Tan didn't join them; having given no prior notice, if he came back late, Jiao Ma would nag him again.

Zheng Tan was dropped off at the school gate; he didn't linger, but jogged straight back to Dongqu Dayuan.

At that time, the road near Dongqu Dayuan had hardly anyone; only half an hour later would teachers returning from evening classes and office overtime start to appear.

Zheng Tan was running; as he approached the estate, his pace slowed.

Ahead, three cats squatted on the road, blocking the middle.

These three cats were ones Zheng Tan had never seen around here before—completely unfamiliar.

As Zheng Tan drew near, the three cats kept their original pose, steadily squatting in front, all staring at him; the orange streetlight stretched their shadows long.

In the distance, some unknown cat was yowling, but these three merely twitched their ears, seeming uninterested in that—just like hearing the rustle of nearby leaves—and remained firmly squatting there.

Zheng Tan was wondering where these three road‑blocking cats had come from when suddenly a sound reached his ears.

「Hei Tan？」

A man wearing a felt hat walked out from the shade under a tree by the roadside. (To be continued..)

ps: (3.11)