Chapter 229: It Really Hit the Mark

"How did this guy get here?" Qin Tao bumped Er Mao with his elbow and asked.

"How would I know! This cat often appears and disappears mysteriously."

Er Mao himself was still feeling down, you say how can a cat be so troublesome? From Chu Hua Da Xue to here there's still some distance, right? Could it really be that cats can wander that far? If you were to walk it, you'd do it at night; now it's broad daylight with lots of people and cars, it doesn't make sense.

Just as he was thinking about the reason, Er Mao's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his eyes narrowed, and he answered immediately.

Seeing Er Mao like that, Zheng Tan and Qin Tao thought something big had happened, didn't make a fuss, and quietly waited for Er Mao to finish his call.

"Really coming?!" Er Mao heard the voice on the other end, his tone rose a notch, feeling overly excited, then he calmed down and said: "Okay, I'll head back right away, thank you, I'll treat you to drinks another day."

After hanging up, Er Mao's face darkened: "Damn it! Sure enough, it's him—that cat actually dared to go over there!"

"Which cat?"

"That little bastard that bares its teeth whenever it sees me!" Er Mao said resentfully, "Hei Mi just gave birth not long ago; I finally got a few days of ease, and this little thing comes over again—if these two old flames reignite and have another litter of kittens, I'll be worked to death!"

Upon hearing Er Mao say that, Zheng Tan knew for sure it was Peanut Candy who had run off to the courtyard again.

Qin Tao gloated, "Speaking of which, it's been four months since your Hei Mi gave birth—she could definitely have another litter; I've seen mother cats get pregnant again while their kittens are still with them..."

"Shut up!" Er Mao lifted his leg to kick Qin Tao, "You really deserve a beating."

Qin Tao jumped up to dodge the kick. He also made an orchid finger, "Come on, come on, hit me~"

Zheng Tan, Er Mao: "……" Suddenly they felt this guy was getting more and more despicable.

Er Mao had no time to stay here playing games with Qin Tao, "I'm leaving first, you go chase your goddess on your own—if you succeed, treat us to food, drink, and fun, the whole nine yards."

"Got it, cat slave Mao, hurry back home. I heard cats are hard to keep locked up—even if it's on the third floor and wants to get out, it probably can, with many ways you couldn't even imagine."

Qin Tao hadn't finished speaking when Er Mao took off like the wind.

"Tsk. Look at that behavior. A cat slave." Qin Tao sneered at Er Mao's back.

Probably feeling bored and wanting to talk but finding no one, he looked around, Qin Tao's gaze fell on Zheng Tan. He waved at Zheng Tan, pulled out his phone, opened the photo album, and showed it to Zheng Tan.

Qin Tao's phone was a new model color large-screen phone. Compared to current phones, it's considered high-end, the screen is slightly larger than others', and the photo on it is relatively clear.

Zheng Tan stood on it. There was some distance below, he glanced aside, walked down from a nearby staircase, and looked at the photo on Qin Tao's phone.

Qin Tao crouched and handed the phone to Zheng Tan's eye level.

Needless to say, the girl on the phone is really pretty.

"How about it? Pretty, right? And this is without makeup. Love at first sight! Get it?" Qin Tao tilted his head back, assuming a deep expression, hand over his chest: "It's that gentle lowering of the head, like a water lily shy in the cool breeze."

He even recited poetry. Zheng Tan shivered, feeling disgusted inside; based on the rumors he'd heard about Qin Tao up to now, this guy's love at first sight is way too easy and cheap.

Sure enough, soon Qin Tao's deep expression turned lecherous; he raised his hand and drew a heart shape in the air, "Do you know why a heart is shaped like this?"

Zheng Tan looked at him.

"It's the shape of a woman's buttocks when she bends over." Saying that, Qin Tao shook his head with regret: "Tsk, you, a cat, won't understand what this shape signifies."

Zheng Tan: "……"

Hit the sore spot.

Zheng Tan really wanted to say, "I, damn it, also deeply understand that!" Unfortunately, the screw-you heavens turned me into this! Damn you, do you even know my pain?!

Just like what Er Mao said before leaving, this little bastard really deserves a beating.

As they were speaking, Qin Tao's phone message notification sounded; after looking at the content on his phone, this guy's smile widened, "Bro, I won't keep chatting with you, I'm going to meet the beauty~"

Qin Tao shook the message on his phone in front of Zheng Tan; he didn't expect a cat to understand it, just satisfying his own vanity.

Zheng Tan looked; the sender was "Chen Meiren", and before he could read the message, Qin Tao snatched the phone back.

Qin Tao pulled out a small, exquisite perfume bottle, sprayed it on his wrist, touched his middle and ring fingers to the wrist to pick up some, then dabbed behind his ears, the back of his neck, the hairline, and even smoothed his hair…

This guy not only loves to play the fool, he's also quite flamboyant.

Waiting for Qin Tao to finish primping and rush off to meet the beauty, Zheng Tan sighed inside, another fine cabbage had been munched by a pig.

However, Zheng Tan recalled that familiar feeling he'd sensed from Qin Tao, and realized he himself used to be just like that back then. But looking back now, compared to Qin Tao, Zheng Tan back then didn't have the capital to squander like Qin Tao does; he didn't know why he used to think he was so awesome. Zheng Tan suddenly found his contempt for Qin Tao rather funny—it was like mocking his former self.

Just then, Zheng Tan felt a headache, a tree branch fell onto his head, then dropped to his feet.

Fortunately the branch wasn't too thick, and with Zheng Tan's relatively strong resistance to impact, he didn't get a concussion from being hit all at once.

He looked up, squinting to see the culprit; that guy was panting with mouth open and tongue out, and even barked twice at Zheng Tan.

"Screw your grandpa!"

"Damn, it even knows how to sneak attack!"

Zheng Tan ran up from the stairs and swiped at Ke Le with two claws.

Tan Fang finished a round, saw the cat and dog chasing each other over there, and said happily, "Look, those two are playing really well."

At the same time, Tan Fang felt pleased with his wise decision to bring this cat along; even though he'd just lost a round, his mood wasn't much worse.

After chasing Ke Le and slapping him a few times, Ke Le saw a mouse, went to block it; Zheng Tan didn't feel like playing mouse with it, decided to walk around the area, maybe he'd see a few beauties.

The faculty dormitory area here is on the school's edge, relatively close to some small streets outside. But it's not after school now, so there are few students moving about.

Walking along the side of the small street, Zheng Tan glanced at the snack stalls on either side, smelled the aromas, and really felt a bit hungry.

As he walked, Zheng Tan saw a few young people coming up ahead. Originally Zheng Tan hadn't planned to pay them any mind, but hearing their conversation, he slowed his steps.

"Just because you drive a car worth over a hundred thousand you think you're hot stuff, stuck up? Frog in a well!"

"Exactly, and still trying to hit on Chen Meiren—totally overestimating yourself. Asking for death!"

"If he dares to go again, it won't be as simple as getting beaten and having his car smashed."

"Alright," the leader handed his phone to another young person, "return the phone to your class's Chen Meiren, don't let her find out about this."

Chen Meiren. Isn't that the department belle Qin Tao mentioned earlier? Then the "person asking for death" they're talking about couldn't be Qin Tao, could it?

Looking at those guys' appearance, they seemed to have just beaten someone. Two of them were still holding long bags; from the way the bags swayed, a bit of outline showed, feeling like steel rods or something.

As they walked past Zheng Tan's side, he smelled a bloody odor, mixed with that flamboyant perfume Qin Tao had sprayed on himself.

Sure enough, that guy Qin Tao definitely got beaten.

"Hey, you guys again up to no good?" A girl on a bicycle came out from the side gate over there, saw them, and asked.

"Where is this? We just finished yoga, this is a yoga mat, want to see?" A young man shook the long bag in his hand, giving a roguish smile as he spoke.

The girl pursed her lips, obviously not believing it, but didn't say more, rode off on her bike, not daring to argue with those people.

Several young men didn't even notice the black cat that had just passed them; around here many people keep cats, they had no interest in noticing a cat.

Zheng Tan headed in the direction those young men had come from, turned a corner at the fork, and went into a slightly quieter alley.

Not long after, Zheng Tan smelled blood, hurried over to look, and saw the guy who had been swaggering with overconfidence an hour earlier to pick up girls now lying on the ground, beaten until his face looked like a pig's head. Beside him was the new phone that had used Fatal Fury as its ringtone; its screen had been smashed and the battery knocked out.

Sure enough, Er Mao was right—this girl really got beaten.

Zheng Tan approached, saw the man still panting but with his eyes closed, and raised his paw to pat Qin Tao.

Qin Tao opened his eyes, saw the black cat's face in front of him, and tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Good thing it's you; otherwise, if anyone else saw me like this, I'd lose all face."

Saying that, Qin Tao sat up, wiped his nosebleed casually on his clothes, and sat there silently.

Zheng Tan thought, ran out of the alley, and when he passed a shop earlier he saw a roll of toilet paper at its doorway, probably dropped by the owner while moving goods. It was the low-quality small roll used in restaurants, unused, and wouldn't unravel if rolled.

When Qin Tao heard the sound and looked over, he saw the black cat pushing a roll of the low-quality toilet paper used at street stalls all the way over, as if playing with a toy.

Although Qin Tao normally wouldn't use this kind, the situation was different now; he picked up the toilet paper that had rolled to his feet, tore off some to wipe the dirt and blood stains on himself, at least making him look less disheveled—better than going out covered in blood.

Feeling the rough texture of the low-quality toilet paper, Qin Tao said to Zheng Tan: "Don't tell Er Mao and the others, this is so embarrassing—falling into a gutter." He paused, then added, "A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs."

Qin Tao finished wiping, reached into his pocket, pulled out an already twisted cigarette, the lighter still worked. He lit it, sat there smoking, silent. After finishing a cigarette, Qin Tao used a tissue to wipe away the blood seeping from the wound; it really fucking hurts, but luckily he had protected the vital spots earlier, so his life was fine.

After finishing the cigarette, Qin Tao stood up, took off his jacket stained with blood and footprints, but didn't throw it away, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Thanks, cat brother."

Zheng Tan wasn't at ease seeing Qin Tao like this; although Qin Tao wasn't much, after all he was Er Mao's friend, so keeping an eye on him was better.

Following Qin Tao out the other end of the alley, Zheng Tan looked around; this place was actually a bit closer to the staff dormitory, and it formed a V-shape—only after walking out would one realize the other entrance to the side street wasn't actually far.

After coming out of the alley mouth, Zheng Tan saw that the windshield of the car parked not far from the alley entrance had been smashed with several holes.

Zheng Tan looked at the car and felt it was quite familiar.

Just as he thought that, Qin Tao spoke in a relieved tone: "Thank goodness, this car is Er Mao's—cheap goods, not worth much."

Zheng Tan: "……" No wonder it looked familiar.

Last month Qin Tao lost a bet to Er Mao and they swapped cars; Er Mao gave Qin Tao the car he bought for around 100,000 to drive, while Er Mao drove Qin Tao's million‑yuan luxury car around to show off. Earlier Qin Tao had felt a bit depressed, but now seeing that if his own car were smashed the loss would be huge. Still, if it really were his million‑yuan luxury car, would these people dare to smash it?

He shook his head; Qin Tao stopped thinking about it. Whatever happened, happened—just deal with it.

Some people nearby were pointing at the car and commenting, but Qin Tao didn't care; he opened the door and got in.

There were still a few stones inside the car, presumably the ones used to smash it.

"If it were my car it wouldn't be so easy to smash," Qin Tao complained while disparaging Er Mao's cheap broken car, then he picked up all the stones inside, pulled out a bag, put the stones in it, and tossed it onto the passenger seat together with his jacket.

Qin Tao's gaze at those stones made Zheng Tan feel creepy; he silently mourned for those guys, wondering how Qin Tao could possibly swallow this anger.

But Zheng Tan had no mind to worry about those things; let Qin Tao cause whatever trouble he wants—those people don't look like good sorts either, and they've surely done this kind of thing many times before.

But is it really okay for Qin Tao to drive like this? What if he suddenly feels dizzy and has an accident midway?

Qin Tao had none of those worries; after tidying up inside and checking, seeing the car could still run, he waved at Zheng Tan and drove off.

From the staff dormitory side came the call of cola, Zheng Tan watched the car drive off, still fairly steady, shook his whiskers, and ran back toward the staff dormitory—he should head back, otherwise Tan Fang would leave with the cola without seeing Zheng Tan; that old man looks unreliable, he might actually do something like that. (To be continued…)

ps: (4.18)