Chapter 319: Digging the Wall's Foot?

"Do you know this cat?" Yang Yi looked at Tang Mo; although he also felt the cat was a bit different, he didn't think much about it, and he didn't expect Tang Mo to actually know it.

"Hmm, quite an interesting cat." Tang Mo also didn't mention seeing it at Uncle Kun's place; he only said how he first encountered this black cat.

"Now that you say that, I actually want to go see that cat again. I'll take more photos while I have these two days." Yang Yi said.

"Only able to stay two days?"

"No choice, there's still business over there; this time I came simply in response to an old artist's invitation, and besides, there aren't few troubles staying here."

Tang Mo understood; the so-called invitation showed that Yang Yi came just to give face to the old artist who invited him, not entirely for the conference, and during this period, people who came to the conference with other ideas would try every way to show themselves in front of Yang Yi using this opportunity; if Yang Yi took a liking to them, their worth could double overnight.

Don't look at Yang Yi appearing like a college student, especially when walking around campus in this low-key outfit, it's hard to tell his background. Actually Yang Yi is only a few years younger than Tang Mo, almost thirty. Yang Yi has an entertainment agency, "Yi Xing Culture"; its name has some reputation within the circle, but outsiders may not know it. The company was established less than three years ago, though its development is quite good; what's important is that it has backing. Every circle has its rules; many people want to take shortcuts, and many try to curry favor with Yang Yi.

Yang Yi met Tang Mo abroad, and they have been cooperating while overseas. Now Tang Mo wants to break into the domestic market, while Yang Yi's company recently plans to film a movie to promote some newcomers; the movie has many shots requiring a large amount of jewelry diamonds. Yang Yi values props highly, probably due to his love of photography, not allowing flaws to appear on camera, so many fake jewelry props were eliminated. That's why Yang Yi and Tang Mo plan to cooperate again. Tang Mo's synthetic diamonds happen to be useful this time. The synthetic diamonds produced by new technology under the lens are almost indistinguishable from natural diamonds. Tang Mo also takes this opportunity to advertise himself.

After Yang Yi examined the sample diamonds Tang Mo gave him, he was very satisfied. "If I don't have time then, I'll send someone to discuss with you."

Several scenes will be filmed here in Chu Hua Shi; Tang Mo also plans to stay a while longer here, able to wait. Bringing a large amount of diamonds. Even if they aren't natural diamonds, precautions must be increased. In the coming days another batch of jewelry will be shipped over; Tang Mo will stay at the old master's territory during this period, which is safer.

After finishing talks with Tang Mo, Yang Yi shouldered his bag, walked out of the restaurant, hailed a vehicle, and returned to the hotel to rest.

The next day, Yang Yi originally planned to check the preparations at the set, but after looking at photos half the night last night, he still decided to go to Chu Hua Da Xue for a visit; having come once, it's rare, and if he encounters something touching about cats, he decides to go back and have a look.

Yang Yi himself actually doesn't have a special fondness for cats; it's his maternal grandfather who likes cats. Seeing the old tile houses and cats at Chu Hua Da Xue reminded him of his childhood at his maternal grandfather's home.

Yang Yi's maternal grandfather's family circumstances were decent; the old man liked raising cats and also liked taking pictures of them with a camera. Back then, photographing wasn't as convenient as now, so one had to conserve film, requiring high skill; thus the old man had considerable experience photographing cats. Each time Yang Yi visited, the old man would show him his photographic results and also display his own photography skills.

Yang Yi recalls his grandfather saying that cats are a very special animal, with personality and also scheming; they are not as easily tamed as dogs, they don't cooperate during photography, having an unruly, do-as-they-please nature, so the technical difficulty is somewhat higher, and there are many particulars about when and what kind of photos to take; therefore, most of the time it's the old man who adjusts to the cats' schedules, of course, in fact the cats' schedules and their owners also have a great relationship, and back then the old man and the cats he raised actually influenced each other.

The old man greatly agreed with Mr. Jing'an's saying that "all landscape speech is emotional speech," borrowing scenery to express emotion, using scenery to contain emotion; the photographer's mission is to record images, and every photograph contains the photographer's feelings.

Looking through old photos from childhood, I found that the person who took them is gone, and the cats in the photos are also long gone. Although I haven't entered the pet-keeping circle that grows richer with economic and social development, Yang Yi's cat photography has continued, possessing a kind of accidental and random quality in life—when he encounters them, he shoots.

So, having rare feelings, he wants to take more photos; perhaps he won't have time to come later, and even if he does come here, who knows whether this place will still be the same; nowadays many universities are undergoing renovation, old buildings torn down, new ones built—by then, will those cats still be around?

Yang Yi woke up relatively early; when he came to Chu Hua Da Xue, he could see many elderly people walking outside; today is Saturday, most students have no classes, so fewer students are seen on the way than usual.

This time Yang Yi entered through a different gate, not the same route he took yesterday when coming for the meeting; this side is near some faculty and staff residences, much quieter, and what one sees are mostly elderly people, many of whom are early-to-bed, early-to-rise types, not like youngsters who stay up late, nor can they.

After taking a few photos, Yang Yi saw an old man holding a bag of steamed buns bought from the cafeteria, walking a bull terrier; apparently tired, he sat on a wooden bench near the lawn to rest, and the bull terrier crouched beside him; when looking around, its small triangular eyes flashed with wary ferocity, but when facing the old man beside it, the bull terrier's gaze was much gentler.

Yang Yi raised his hand and took a few more photos, hearing the old man shout "Xiao Hua'er"; looking over, he saw another old man leading a very large Saint Bernard; the old man's earlier shout of "Xiao Hua'er" must have referred to this Saint Bernard.

Seeing Yang Yi taking photos, the two old men greeted him; hearing Yang Yi say he was a photographer, they quickly urged him to take a few more shots.

"These two get along quite well." Yang Yi remarked, looking at the two dogs whose builds and temperaments differ. A friend of his keeps a bull terrier, which is aggressive; it causes surrounding dogs and cats to flee at the sight of it, so seeing this pair struck him as rather novel.

"Of course, they grew up together; let me tell you, back then..."

If someone familiar with the teachers around here heard "let me tell you," they'd know a long story summarizing feelings or educational words would follow. But Yang Yi didn't mind; he stood aside listening to the two old men talk about what happened in the residential area back then and the heroic deeds of Niu Zhuangzhuang.

As they were speaking, the old man noticed both dogs looking in one direction, wagging their tails.

"Yo, Hei Tan. What are you up to?!" an old man shouted.

Yang Yi looked over. Down the road, a black cat wearing a little vest swayed over slowly, looking languid, walking while yawning. Hearing the old man's shout, it gave a slow glance this way, then continued swaying at the same pace.

This morning Jiao Ba went to the courtyard and then called home. He had forgotten to bring a USB drive, and couldn't leave the lab, so Jiao Ma directly had Zheng Tan go deliver it. Similar things had happened before; one would put on a little vest, place the USB drive in the pocket of the vest, zip it up, and then send the item to the Life Science Institute.

Running there and walking back, Zheng Tan hadn't slept well the previous night, his mind full of those diamonds. He still had work today, so he planned to take a nap beforehand; the nearby benches were all taken by elderly out for a stroll and grocery shopping, and he didn't want to lie on a tree, sleeping on a branch in a vest wouldn't be comfortable. After looking around, Zheng Tan went straight to using the flower pot as a blanket, a soft, warm blanket.

Seeing the cat nonchalantly asleep on the back of such a large Saint Bernard, Yang Yi raised his eyebrows, glanced at the bull terrier beside him, then looked at the obediently lying Saint Bernard, and curiously asked the two old men: "Isn't this cat afraid of dogs?"

"Afraid? Tsk, it's already good that it doesn't bully these two; these two have grown up being bullied by it since childhood." said one old man.

"Hey, Hei Tan's little vest looks nice," another old man said, feeling Zheng Tan's vest, "so sleepy, did you go catch thieves last night?"

The three were chatting there; when it came time to leave, Zheng Tan also stood up, but he stopped at the fork in the small path, waiting nearby for someone to come pick him up to go to the pet center. Wearing the vest today served two purposes: one to deliver items for Jiao Ba, another for the pet center; if he works overtime today, he can also charge overtime fees.

Yang Yi didn't leave, but followed Zheng Tan over; seeing Zheng Tan waiting there, he also watched from a short distance away, still wondering why that cat was foolishly squatting there.

After waiting about ten minutes, Zheng Tan finally saw the person he was waiting for.

Cha Li was driving his "nanny car"—a modified two-wheel electric vehicle dedicated to picking up and dropping off Zheng Tan—coming to fetch Zheng Tan to go to the pet center to film a new episode of promotional video. He heard that recently the higher authorities issued an environment-related policy; various departments have been studying and implementing the latest spirit, and even some social groups have started following suit; Xiao Guo intends to use this topic to film an advertisement promoting green environmental protection.

The electric vehicle stopped in front of Zheng Tan; Cha Li checked the time—he really wasn't late today; it was this cat that arrived early. Thinking that, Cha Li's worries lessened considerably.

Over the past two years, Cha Li has come to understand somewhat Zheng Tan's temperament and preferences; for example, he knows that this cat, worth only a few dozen yuan in some slaughterhouse markets by breed, is nevertheless crucial to the team; it doesn't like pet-related things, including toys, food, and most pet clothing, but instead takes interest in human items, such as computers, televisions, game consoles; once Cha Li even saw Guo Boss putting headphones on that cat to let it listen to MP3. After seeing this often, it's no longer surprising; the set's nanny attendant does his duty conscientiously, deserving the wages Guo Boss pays him.

Although the vehicle and clothing lack the pet center's logo, the water bottle placed in Cha Li's vehicle basket bears the words "Obviously Pet Center" printed on it.

"Pet center? Isn't this cat supposed to be kept by a teacher?" Yang Yi thought.

"May I ask, is this cat yours?" Yang Yi walked over and asked.

Cha Li instantly became alert toward the approaching stranger; seeing the camera in the other's hand, he grew even more wary. Could it be that they're trying to steal the cat?! Peers are enemies; if this cat were taken away, Guo boss would definitely fight him to the death. (To be continued...)