Chapter 244: Why Bother Quibbling Over a Cat?

At this moment, Xiao Gao was looking at Zheng Tan and walking over here.

As soon as Zheng Tan saw the malicious glint in that guy's eyes, he knew he was seeking revenge, surely because of the trouble Zheng Tan had caused him a few days earlier. However, Zheng Tan didn't just turn and run; he wanted to see what this person was actually planning to do. He didn't feel overly threatened or frightened, but he was curious about how the guy intended to get revenge.

As Xiao Gao walked toward Zheng Tan, he reached toward the sling bag Zheng Tan wore across his shoulder; the bag was bulging, stuffed full of things, and judging by how taut the strap looked, it seemed quite heavy, though he had no idea what was inside.

What the heck is in there? Zheng Tan stared at the other person.

Xiao Gao didn't seem to intend to pull something out of the bag right away; he was probably waiting for the best moment.

Seeing the person approach closer, Zheng Tan drew back his foot and got into a stance ready to bolt at a moment's notice, prepared to run if anything seemed off.

When Xiao Gao suddenly pulled something out of the bag, Zheng Tan turned and ran off to the side, choosing mainly small woods with many trees. While running, Zheng Tan kept cursing Xiao Gao in his mind.

Damn, this guy actually bought a water gun! Isn't that something only kids play with?

Yes, Xiao Gao was holding something that looked like a toy water gun, but unlike ordinary toys, he had modified this water gun, giving it much greater range and accuracy than a typical toy gun.

Zheng Tan heard the sound of water jets striking leaves on a nearby plant, quickly shifted his position, but still got hit a few times. The water this person sprayed had a hint of lemon. As for that flavor, Zheng Tan didn't think much of it; he just wondered why the guy bothered adding lemon to the water. If it were just plain lemon water, he wouldn't be scared at all—this level of attack meant nothing to him; he could just wash it off later.

Seeing the cat run farther and farther, the person behind didn't give up, and Zheng Tan heard footsteps pursuing him from behind. There weren't many people around, and even if someone saw this scene they might not know what was happening, let alone step in to meddle without understanding.

However, Zheng Tan wasn't in a hurry, after all, this was his turf at Chu Hua Da Xue. Having lingered there for nearly three years, he knew the place inside out—who did what where and when was clear to him. From the moment he encountered Xiao Gao and sensed the guy's ill intent, Zheng Tan already had an escape route in mind.

After Xiao Gao had chased and sprayed for a distance, his steps slowed. He opened the bag, inside which was a mineral water bottle containing his specially prepared water. The water gun was empty, so Xiao Gao quickly twisted open the bottle cap, filled the gun with water, and then continued the pursuit. He knew which direction the cat had run, and even if he lost it now, he could still intercept it later by waiting around the cat's home.

Xiao Gao crossed a small grassy patch, turned a corner, and saw the black cat again. What made Xiao Gao's eye twitch was that there wasn't just one black cat there, but also an adult bull terrier. Although the dog looked comical, with a black patch around its eyes as if someone had punched him, Xiao Gao couldn't laugh; at that moment, the bull terrier was staring at him, its crooked little triangular eyes flashing with excitement and ferocity.

The cat's cunning was bad enough, but this scene somewhat overturned Xiao Gao's notion that cats and dogs don't get along. Normally, when cats and dogs coexist peacefully, at least one party—especially the dog—should have a mild temperament, yet neither this cat nor this bull terrier is mild-mannered; they look like teammates on the same side.

Xiao Gao could naturally tell the difference between dogs that bite and those that don't, and this bull terrier up front would definitely bite viciously.

Zheng Tan stood behind Niu Zhuangzhuang, letting the bull terrier, who was several times his size, stand in front to block the 'shots', while he looked at Xiao Gao, tail hooked, feeling smug.

Niu Zhuangzhuang's owner normally comes here to loiter whenever he's free at this time of day. This area is the back‑door zone of the staff activity center; it's said that equipment was stolen here in broad daylight not long ago, so the owner brought Niu Zhuangzhuang here to guard against theft—not at the main gate, but in this rear‑door area where few people pass. Anyway, the main gate is watched, and the back door has many shady spots and large lawns, giving Niu Zhuangzhuang plenty of room to frolic and dig holes.

Although he saw the bull terrier with a chain on it, Xiao Gao didn't want to provoke the dog; even if the dog couldn't bite him, its barking would surely draw a crowd, and he also felt the dog's chain wasn't very reliable.

"Come out!" Xiao Gao called softly toward behind the dog.

Zheng Tan stood behind Niu Zhuangzhuang, raised his chin at Xiao Gao. "Old man's not coming out—what can you do to me?!"

Xiao Gao stood there waiting a while, until his phone rang in his pocket. He glanced at the cat over there, then turned and left in another direction, answering the call and starting to speak.

Seeing Xiao Gao go off, Zheng Tan shoved the tail‑wagging, nuzzling Niu Zhuangzhuang aside, stood up, and patted its head, thinking about when he'd drag over some bones to reward the guy.

Having noted the direction Xiao Gao left, Zheng Tan lifted his foot and walked that way. Not far along, he heard Xiao Gao's voice on the phone; the man was sitting in the woods beside the plastic basketball court, facing the court. Zheng Tan often came around here to stroll, and not far from the basketball court there was a sports field where he liked to sit in the trees behind the stands, pondering the life of a cat.

Xiao Gao glanced back, saw no need to pay attention to Zheng Tan any further, and continued his phone call.

"What are you up to? Do you have time now?" the other side, Jin Gui, asked.

"Nothing much, I'm getting revenge on the cat. By the way, you said last time that cats hate lemon scent, right? It didn't work."

"The cat we used to keep really hated lemon; after I rubbed lemon on the sofa, it never scratched again. And whenever it saw me holding a lemon, it would avoid me at all costs. But since you say lemon didn't work, try wind oil next time—my neighbor also has a cat, and his cat detests wind oil."

"I'd rather take on a big job than waste time on this!"

Jin Gui on the other end chuckled upon hearing that. "Honestly, I don't get why you're making a fuss over a cat—it's just a cat." Since they were on good terms, Jin Gui often spoke casually.

"Alright, drop that—tell me why you called."

"Okay, there's a big job I can't take, but I'm just passing along a request for you. They've heard of your great reputation as Liuba and want you to handle it. The price is negotiable……"

After finishing the matter and hanging up, Xiao Gao—that is, the 'Liuba' Jin Gui referred to—put the phone back in his pocket. He let out a snort of laughter. He wasn't laughing at others; he was laughing at himself, because it really wasn't necessary. Time is money, and with this time he could certainly be making money instead. He could even go sleep with a girl—running around here with a water gun spraying a cat? Just thinking about it feels childish; running into a cat makes his IQ seem to drop.

But……

Liuba looked at the black cat hiding behind a tree, watching this side, feeling quite helpless. This cat was unlike ordinary cats; out in the world he'd seen all kinds of people and pets, but a cat like this was truly rare. Put nicely, it had 'spirituality'; put bluntly, it was 'weird'.

Whether a person or a spiritually endowed beast, just making it through life isn't easy. Unless it's a mortal feud, Liuba wouldn't directly go for the kill; he enjoys playing with various lucrative, interesting big jobs, but he always has a limit, and he knows that exceeding it might prevent him from living as carefree as he wishes.

Forget it—he'd already sprayed the water, the cat had taken a few 'hits', so he could consider it revenge; no need to quarrel over a cat. He lit a cigarette, didn't take many puffs, just held it between his fingers, stared at the plastic court, and remained silent.

Zheng Tan couldn't see the other's expression from behind, but he had a sudden sense that the person had become deep and carried a hint of world-weariness. Could it be an act?

When the cigarette had burned down almost to the butt, Xiao Gao flicked the ash into a trash can a few meters away, stood up, stretched his arms, took a deep breath, and looked at the sweating young students running on the basketball court, sighing, 'My youth——' He paused, thought of something, changed his tune and sang, 'A little bird just won't come back~~'

Just as he finished singing, Zheng Tan noticed a blue flash swooping from above, then landing on a high branch of a plane tree beside the plastic court.

Liuba obviously saw it too, raised his eyebrows, and really hadn't expected anyone to keep such a rare creature here, let alone let the bird roam freely—even with a tracking ring it wouldn't be safe, unless the owner was confident.

Liuba, who had been about to leave, sat back down and watched the bird in the tree with interest.

By the plastic basketball court there were plenty of people; obviously there was a game, not a formal tournament but a friendly match between departments and classes. What's interesting is that the two sides were, on one hand, the literature school with excessive yin and deficient yang, and on the other, the computer science school with excessive yang and deficient yin—just looking at their cheer squads shows the stark difference. Moreover, see the guys striking poses to show off on one side and the girls affecting reserve on the other, plus the players on the court each with their own motives; this match is extraordinarily meaningful! A friendly match, truly 'friendship' first.

The score wasn't blown out, hovering around seven to eight points, with the computer science institute leading.

When the computer science side grabbed a rebound and was about to launch an offense, their cheer squad got excited, and a guy shouted, 'Computer science guys!'

Originally, the people on that side would have shouted in unison, 'Crush the literature school!' but before they could speak, a sudden voice rang out from above.

"Come~out~to~meet~guests~!"

Pfft——

Because he was thirsty and had just opened a bottle of mineral water to drink, Liuba directly sprayed the water that had filled his mouth out.

Meanwhile, on the court, the computer science institute's big forward, about to attempt a flashy hook shot, stumbled on his foot, his hand slipped, and he flung the ball out, which happened to smack the head of an engineering institute teacher who had come to serve as a substitute referee.

Zheng Tan twitched his ears; after not seeing each other for a while, this bird had gone south for the winter and returned, its mouth becoming ever more cheeky. (To be continued….)

ps: (5.2) Back! These days have been really damn tired; when it gets hot I'm easily irritable, and I can't calm down to do anything.

After looking at his debts, taking a deep breath, the debt‑repayment side quest opens again. However, today will just be one update; better to sleep early. These past few nights, counting the time spent swatting mosquitoes, he's only gotten five to six hours of sleep, so coming back it's still best to hit the hay early.

He flipped through the records, feeling moved, and thanked the friends who had supported him with votes and tips these past few days! I'll strive to repay my debts!