Chapter 240

Zheng Tan didn't expect to see this person at Ye Lou; spending at Donggong isn't a small amount—could it be that this person really isn't short of money?

Nowadays, con artists live far more comfortably than most white‑collar workers who toil in offices; they've driven luxury cars, dated high‑quality women, and often frequent high‑end venues—even Zheng Tan can't help sighing at the difference.

That person didn't notice Zheng Tan's gaze, or perhaps even if he did, in that place below he's already accustomed to drawing lots of attention.

Actually, judging by the light and angle, people downstairs can't easily see what's happening in the upstairs private rooms; Zheng Tan isn't afraid of being seen, and compared to the music he doesn't appreciate, he's more curious about what identity this con artist actually has.

Today's performance at Donggong ends around 10:30 p. m.; some people will leave, but for others their night life is just beginning, still lively and lasting until about 2 or 3 a. m. Wei Leng, a married man, won't linger here; he's getting ready to leave with his wife, and Zheng Tan will surely go with them—otherwise he'd have trouble getting home.

In the parking lot, when Wei Leng drove, he initially didn't close the windows tightly; after staying inside a while, he let in more air to clear his head a bit.

Now there are many cars around Ye Lou, and it takes a while to get onto the main road after driving out. Zheng Tan sat up, looking outside through the half‑open rear window. He glanced around, and his gaze fell on a car not far ahead.

Zheng Tan didn't see what brand the car was, nor could he recall some models, but he could tell it wasn't a cheap vehicle. Unlike the luxury sports car that Hetaoshixiong and the others were looking for, this one leans more toward business, is steadier, and actually suits the con artist's current role better.

Zheng Tan never expected that catching a ride with Wei Leng to clear his mind would lead to running into that "high‑class con artist" twice. Saying it's fate's narrow road is a bit of an exaggeration, after all there's no real grudge.

At this moment, the high‑class con artist in Zheng Tan's eyes was gallantly opening the car door for that curvaceous lady, then closing it and walking to the driver's side, about to pull open the door, when he paused. He glanced over at the car slowly passing by.

The neon and street lights outside Ye Lou were on. The angle of the light happened to shine on Zheng Tan's cat head peeking out of the half‑open car window; given the brightness of those lights, anyone without vision impairment would clearly see the cat's head there.

One moment he was imagining how he'd go at it later, the next moment someone couldn't help but want to smash the steering wheel and took two careful looks at the rear window of the slowly passing car. His heart instantly became unsettled. Damn! Really spooky!

Zheng Tan couldn't see that person's eyes; the glasses reflected light, shielding them. However, Zheng Tan noticed that when the person looked his way there was a brief stiffness, as if he'd seen something impossible. But the person quickly concealed it, as if that fleeting rigidity were merely an illusion under the neon lights.

After leaving Ye Lou's parking lot, speed increased and the windows were closed; when Zheng Tan looked back, he didn't see that person's car.

Although he ran into that person twice tonight, Zheng Tan didn't think he'd have any involvement with the con artist, believing the latter wouldn't bother cheating the Jiao family.

Returning to the compound, Zheng Tan's life remained its usual rhythm—doing what needed to be done—without any ripples caused by the con artist.

Spring warm, flowers blooming, insects multiplying—just look at the active birds around and you'll know. However, around the compound, the active creatures aren't just birds; there are cats too.

Jingzhang and A Huang, upon seeing those little hopping insects on the ground, were as excited as someone who just saw their favorite feces when they spotted a pair of twos.

And Da Pang, whom the old lady had sent out to move about, was probably looking for a quiet, undisturbed place to sleep, so he clambered up that crabapple tree nearby, resulting in the scene Zheng Tan saw: "a tabby cat pressing down the crabapple."

In Zheng Tan's eyes, this crabapple tree isn't particularly sturdy; he heard that long ago there used to be a little path here, with crabapple trees lining both sides, but when the school was built most of them were dug up, leaving only a few, and over the years only this one survived. Now this sole crabapple tree is being weighed down by Da Pang the fat cat, and Zheng Tan sees the branches looking like they might snap.

Indeed, cats are also a major threat to plants. In places where cats often roam, plants must be resistant to biting, scratching, and pressure.

After watching Jingzhang and the others eat a few small insects of unknown species in the compound, Zheng Tan ran out for a stroll. Indeed, such fine weather only feels truly fulfilling when you get out and wander about.

After passing the affiliated hospital, Zheng Tan walked along the flowerbeds and walls beside the street; the area near the hospital isn't noisy, and although there is a commercial street nearby, it's still some distance away and not on the same line as the hospital, requiring a turn along the way.

Zheng Tan didn't turn; he kept going straight down this street. According to the map, a bit farther ahead you can see the lake, which is fairly large, with some real estate developed around it. Earlier Er Mao mentioned that his great‑aunt lives in a lakeside house, though he didn't know which lake, after all Chu Hua Shi has more than just a couple of lakes.

Zheng Tan hadn't really thought about looking for Er Mao's great‑aunt; that old woman is too much trouble, and he has no mood to visit her.

After passing a big hotel and some nearby small shops, Zheng Tan saw the residential area marked on the map. He jumped onto a large plane tree by the road to have a look; part of the area consists of small villa clusters, another part of high‑rise elevator buildings. I've heard that some professors at Chu Hua Da Xue bought homes here—close to campus, with a nice, quiet environment.

Once Zheng Tan heard Jiao Ba mention that he had considered buying a place here; a colleague of his had originally bought a unit, but due to a job transfer planned to sell it, Jiao Ba went to check it out, thought the neighbors weren't great, and so didn't buy.

However, Zheng Tan was actually glad Jiao Ba didn't buy; compared to that, he still leans more toward Dongqu Dayuan. For Zheng Tan, the size of his dwelling doesn't matter—what matters is where he can play and who he can play with.

After climbing over the nearby wall, Zheng Tan walked along some of the paths inside. The greening here is indeed good, no wonder Jiao Ba took a liking to it; I heard they even hired an elderly professor specializing in landscape design back then, so the landscaping naturally has some expertise.

A little Pekingese barked in its yard, and upon seeing Zheng Tan it barked ferociously, though it couldn't get out; Zheng Tan ignored it and continued to observe the surrounding houses and layout with interest.

This residential area has been built for several years; the trees are lush with foliage. Zheng Tan also saw a few cats playing there. When they noticed Zheng Tan, they showed no strong hostility—at most wariness mixed with curiosity—as if they were surprised by this sudden stranger carrying an unfamiliar scent.

They meant no harm, and Zheng Tan had no intention of fighting over territory. Each went his own way.

The lakeside residential area. Not far from the lake, tall fences have been erected; outside the fence is a lane wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side, and beyond that lies a green belt. Further out is the lake. The lakeside is lined with warning signs and railings, and quite a few people have fallen into the lake around here.

Leaving the residential area, Zheng Tan walked along the lakeside lane, jumped up a tree to look around, and checked the road ahead.

He hadn't expected it, but this glance actually let Zheng Tan find something that caught his interest.

It was a car, a high‑end model, and looked rather familiar. Zheng Tan wasn't entirely sure if it was the same one he'd seen at Ye Lou that day, so he jumped down from the tree, slipped through the fence, and headed over.

The car was parked in the villa district; actually the villas here all look much the same, except for a few whose owners lavishly renovated them, and the differences aren't great. Zheng Tan checked the villa's number plate and pricked up his ears to listen for any movement inside.

Inside there were voices—a conversation between two people, one being the con artist Zheng Tan had noticed, the other the elderly lady he'd seen at the hospital. Their talk sounded fairly relaxed, and Zheng Tan heard the old lady laugh.

As it turned out, this old lady lived right here.

The gate was shut, but the window beside it remained open; Zheng Tan listened from below to the conversation inside, which roughly went: because a company colleague had run into some trouble, the "high‑class con artist" took the colleague to the hospital for a look‑over and then brought him home. That colleague was a beauty, and this scene happened to be spotted by the old lady out for a walk; recognizing an acquaintance, she invited him in for a cup of tea.

As they chatted, the man launched into his own struggle story; Zheng Tan listened with goosebumps rising, for the man painted himself as the proverbial "other people's child"—poor origins, a tragic background, excellent grades, hardworking and enterprising, daring to strive, capable, entering a big corporation, gaining the boss's favor, ultimately becoming a social elite, while also spilling the sweet‑and‑sour bits of that journey, which made the old lady view him more fondly.

Zheng Tan snorted in disgust—utter nonsense! Who was that phony rich‑second‑generation layabout on the mountain again?

The man didn't keep talking only about his career success; after business came love life, and wouldn't you know it, he started talking about that female colleague he'd brought over today.

The more Zheng Tan listened, the more off it felt; this guy's talent for fabricating stories is truly top‑notch—if he hadn't seen another side, Zheng Tan would have been fooled just like the old lady. Come to think of it, he's really curious whether, when spinning these tales, the guy also puts on a bashful expression; can someone with such thick‑skinned audacity actually pull off looking shy?

After thinking it over, Zheng Tan jumped onto the windowsill and peered inside.

No kidding, the man's smile really did have a touch of bashfulness, and the old lady, amused, was reminded of past events.

"Back in the day…" the old lady was about to launch into her own story to encourage the young man before her, but she didn't expect that, as she slightly turned her head to look out the window, she'd spot a black cat perched on the windowsill.

"Yo, isn't that that cat?!" the old lady's attention snapped to it at once, and she called the housemaid to see if there was suitable food to bring out and feed the cat.

Meanwhile, the con artist sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of tea in a listening pose, couldn't help but twitch his face; although his surging emotions didn't show, deep down he was greeting the whole alpaca herd.

Numb! Damn it!

He had finally managed to get the old lady onto a topic, and was about to draw out a story, when this black cat interrupted him! (To be continued…)

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