Chapter 246

After obtaining Jiao Ma's consent, Xiao Guo was very excited; this time he was aiming for several awards, the more he could scoop up the better for himself, which would increase his influence.

The time was set for early June; Xiao Guo had been busy these days preparing all matters for this event, also needing to contact some partners. This time it wasn't just communication and competition among cats, but also an exhibition of related supplies and food—this is Xiao Guo's main source of income, and now his own brand at his shop has taken off, so he can use this event for extra promotion; thus, Xiao Guo is preparing to make a big move with great ambition.

After spending Children's Day at home with Xiao Youzi, Zheng Tan headed to the pet center; Xiao Guo had drawn up several task plans, and Zheng Tan needed to familiarize himself with them. Jiao Ma also began preparing for Zheng Tan's trip; despite Xiao Guo's various assurances, she remained uneasy, spending over three hours at the computer making a list, printing it out to hand over to Cha Li, who would specially look after Zheng Tan, and she personally went to the pet center to talk with Cha Li for over an hour; Zheng Tan heard all the instructions until his ears were calloused, yet he didn't mind—this feeling of being valued and important was quite nice.

The event was in Linzhou City; Xiao Guo chartered a bus this time, plus a few accompanying vehicles, and over eighty percent of his own work team came along. From Chu Hua Shi to Linzhou City, the drive would take about ten hours. However, Xiao Guo had prepared in advance and wasn't worried about how many inconveniences might arise during those ten hours.

The cats brought for the exhibition totaled six, three from Xiao Guo's shop. There were also cats from other pet stores or clubs of the Green Wing Association; Chu Hua Shi also had other participants, but those exhibition cat owners did not travel together with Xiao Guo's group—they would fly to Linzhou on their own if they wanted to act collectively, they could coordinate later; those who didn't want to act collectively need not contact Xiao Guo and his team.

Unlike the other few cats cooped up in cages, Zheng Tan enjoyed much more freedom, occupying a seat alone, lying there to sleep. Cha Li sat beside him.

Cha Li is now a genuine cat nanny, and also Zheng Tan's dedicated caretaker during his "work" hours.

Cha Li glanced at the cat beside him, sleeping soundly and at ease, then looked ahead at the person who had to pull a cat out of its cage to soothe it because the cat kept meowing. He sighed. The cats under his care had different temperaments, each with its own advantages and annoyances. Although the cat next to him was bold and psychologically tough, it had too many bad habits.

Cha Li opened the folder in his hand, flipping through the several sheets inside. Among them was Jiao Ma's "precautions" for taking care of her family's black cat. Actually, he didn't need these; Cha Li already had some understanding of Zheng Tan's habits from their long cooperation. But each time he looked at those "precautions," his stomach clenched. Oh well, as long as nothing goes wrong during the event, everything else is acceptable.

Midway, the convoy stopped for a break, had lunch, used the restroom, etc.; Zheng Tan also had Cha Li take him to the restroom at mealtime to take a big dump—he never used cat litter or anything like that, only the toilet washroom.

After eating and drinking his fill and expelling metabolic waste, Zheng Tan returned to the vehicle and continued to sleep carefree.

Cha Li sent a text to his girlfriend: "These cats are really hard to serve."

But this time was different—there was an extra person on the bus, plus a cat. This cat came from a club in Chu Hua Shi; its owner was a woman in her forties or fifties. Previously she had her cat sitting in the rear sedan, but finding it boring, after the break she moved to the bus, now she's boasting to people about how good her cat is, how precious, and how many awards it has won before.

Zheng Tan had been sleeping soundly, but the woman's somewhat sharp, piercing voice woke him up; actually, many people on the bus were preparing to rest, yet they hadn't expected this extra person. I heard her husband is a vice‑chairman level figure in the Green Wing Association, though his speaking authority isn't as great as Xiao Guo's; still, everyone on the bus had to give him face, so even if they were annoyed inside, they wouldn't show it.

Zheng Tan couldn't stand it—the woman was too noisy, and listening to her annoyed him. He got up and looked over; the cat she held in her arms was an exotic shorthair, indeed cute and well‑behaved, but its owner was nothing special, just too loud.

Perhaps sensing Zheng Tan's unfriendly gaze, the cat glanced at him, then curled back into its owner's arms.

The woman, who had been bragging that her cat could render all the other following cats worthless, felt the movement in her arms, quickly stroked the cat's fur to soothe it, and while doing so kept calling out "my sweetie," "my little darling," and similar endearments, which gave Zheng Tan goosebumps.

The woman followed her cat's gaze toward Zheng Tan and glanced at him, her heart jolting—not because she was timid, but because she suddenly met the cold stare of a black cat, sending a chill down her spine. She didn't like all‑black cats, finding them too fierce‑looking; earlier she hadn't even noticed that Xiao Guo's side had brought an all‑black cat, in her view only her own cat existed. Now that she knew, she felt ill at ease, and her cat, sensing her unease, shrank back, leaving both person and cat suddenly silent.

The people on the bus glanced at Zheng Tan, then at the person and cat, feeling amused; although this black cat had a bad temper, it sometimes came in handy. No wonder the boss liked to bring it out to keep order.

When the convoy stopped at a gas station to refuel, the woman grabbed that exotic shorthair and got off to another vehicle; while getting off she kept complaining about how Xiao Guo brought such cats, losing face and such, but after Xiao Guo gave her a glare she reluctantly switched to the other car.

Around eight o'clock that evening, the convoy arrived in Linzhou and checked into a hotel that had been pre‑arranged, where the pets could also be settled.

Zheng Tan remained an exception—he was taken straight inside and even had a bed to himself. That night Jiao Ma called Cha Li to check on Zheng Tan's condition.

After resting a day at the hotel, the event would take place the day after tomorrow, i. e., this coming Saturday, lasting two days. On Saturday morning from nine to ten, the exhibition cats had to enter the venue for veterinary inspection before the activities could begin.

Although this was described as an unrestricted cat‑breed exchange event, there were also cat‑only public exhibition items, divided into four groups—kitten, adult, neutered, and house cat—for public exhibition competition; the first three groups would surely consist mostly of prestigious breeds.

This event gathered rare breeds from various countries—Persian cats, hairless cats, Exotic Shorthairs, Devon Rex cats, Ragdoll cats, Maine Coon cats, etc. —with a total value of nearly ten million yuan in international fame cats, enough to feast the eyes of those who came to watch. Besides that, Saturday's program also included a charity sale and some cat‑care knowledge lectures and prize‑quizzes.

On Sunday there were several specially arranged interactive sessions. Many people dislike cats, and the main reason they give for not being close to them is the cats' temperament. Most cats like to scratch people; they're friendly when happy but ignore you when upset—this fickle, aloof attitude—so the organizers wanted to show people another side of cats.

Zheng Tan, on the bus listening to Cha Li and the others chat, learned that this interactive segment had invited some specially trained cats, as well as some exceptionally gentle cats that act cute and sell cuteness, to let the surrounding audience get closer to the cats, or improve their impression of them.

Zheng Tan's task was on Sunday; Xiao Guo gave Zheng Tan the task of 'parkour'. For Zheng Tan, it wasn't difficult, and moreover, this time he would be working with a stunningly beautiful woman.

Beautiful women are indispensable everywhere. Being able to work with a beautiful woman, Zheng Tan's mood improved a little.

Word has it that there will also be pet health and medical talks and consultations, exchanges on daily care techniques for pet cats, and the venue will set up a series of free activities for pet cats—grooming, disease prevention, physical examinations—aimed at spreading the fashionable, healthy concept of cat lovers; there will surely be many people, and many cats as well.

On Saturday, Zheng Tan and the other cats participating in the event underwent examinations. Here, Zheng Tan saw all kinds of cats, including a few hairless cats; he stared at them for a long time. Fortunately, the temperature is still somewhat warm now; if it were winter, he'd probably have to wear clothes and stay in a heated room. There were also rex cats and folded-ear cats, which Zheng Tan found interesting. Usually he's used to the flat-faced look of exotic shorthair cats like Garfield, but seeing these various strange cats was quite novel, especially from a cat's perspective.

I don't know if it's because of the different angle, but whereas I used to think all kinds of deformed and weird cats were strange, now they seem fine; Zheng Tan can read many emotions from these cats' eyes—some that look fierce are actually timid, some that look mighty are actually weaklings, scared easily. During the checkup, one cat farted and scared itself; it was a silent fart, and if not for someone nearby telling him, Zheng Tan wouldn't have known, but after learning about it he still chuckled to himself for a long time.

Looking at all kinds of cats, Zheng Tan wondered what it would be like if Peanut Candy came; but it's best not to dwell on the impossible.

Peanut Candy has always been free-range; Li Yuanba personally raised it, and it loves to pick fights—its destructive power is too great, so Xiao Guo and the others dare not bring Peanut Candy along. If it came, it probably wouldn't stay peaceful; I heard the total value of the cats participating in this exhibition is nearly a thousand yuan, and if one carelessly scratches those champion cats and causes them injury or depression, Xiao Guo would have to compensate with his life.

Inside the venue, adorable Persian cats, plump British Shorthairs, and the like stared with big, watery eyes at the passersby; occasionally they would let out a cute meow while being held by their owners. Judging by their calm demeanor, they probably aren't first-timers at such events.

The Garfield cat, nicknamed 'Prince,' was also brought to compete. Many citizens also brought their whole families to take photos with the 'Meowstar people', and in some nearby areas one could see multiple animal welfare organizations promoting animal rescue concepts and knowledge, carrying out charity sales, with crowds gathering everywhere. (To be continued...)

ps: (5.4)