Chapter 354

I don't know whether it's because Li Yuanba is older and lazy to move, or because he has changed the way he educates his child, or because he knows that this kitten's fur color easily attracts trouble; in any case, Little Sesame hasn't been taken around by Li Yuanba.

Back then, Peanut Candy used to be carried around by Li Yuanba wherever he went, but now Li Yuanba basically just stays in Xiao Guo's lounge, not running around everywhere, whereas Little Sesame is different.

Like Peanut Candy back then, Little Sesame grows quickly, noticeably larger than other cats its age, and this trend becomes ever more apparent as it grows. At one month old, this little guy already shows its restless side, running around, full of energy, and together with Paparazzi they are the two most active cats in the studio this summer, even Peanut Candy can't compare.

Now Xiao Guo has placed a cat tree in the lounge; Li Yuanba sometimes jumps onto the high part of the cat tree when annoyed by Little Sesame, and sometimes he lies on the sofa, but the sofa is too low, so even if Little Sesame can't climb up, it will still prowl around.

The cat tree also has a cat nest near the ground, which is where Little Sesame sleeps; Li Yuanba sometimes sleeps there too.

Because the lounge now has this mother-and-son pair, Xiao Guo also changed his resting spot; otherwise he couldn't hope to rest quietly here, as Little Sesame is too restless.

At the end of July, Zheng Tan was picked up by Cha Li and brought to this side of the pet center; that day was his regular working hours.

The temperature had already soared to thirty-eight degrees Celsius; outdoors, especially on the main roads, it was even higher, as car exhaust and air-conditioning emissions pushed the city's temperature up a few more degrees.

But no matter how hot it is, work must go on.

The good thing is that the pet center's studio has air conditioning, so Zheng Tan doesn't have to worry about passing out from the heat. Speaking of which, cats' body temperature is naturally a bit higher than humans', so relatively speaking, most cats are somewhat heat-tolerant, and among the cats in this studio, there are even a few that really like to soak in water; at times like this they enjoy it even more, while other cats run away at the sight of water, these ones happily run toward it.

I heard that Little Sesame is also a cat that likes to soak in water. One day this little guy somehow climbed into a washbasin filled with water; a staff member who came over intending to wash his face saw a cat floating in the basin, and the cat's distinctive spotted fur revealed it to be the boss and his wife's special treasure. At that moment the staff member's face turned pale with fright, after all he was the one who had placed the basin there; if the cat drowned in it, he wouldn't know how to explain himself.

He trembled as he reached out and touched it, but Little Sesame lifted its head, impatiently pushing the staff member's finger away, then paddled twice in the washbasin and continued to "float" there.

A kitten only one month old has weak immunity, so even bathing needs special attention, let alone with cold water.

After hearing what the staff member said, Xiao Guo's heart trembled; he immediately picked up Little Sesame, blew dry its fur, and checked its condition, only to find that the little guy was very healthy; after observing him for a few days, there was nothing wrong, and he still liked to run to places with water each time; Peanut Candy and Li Yuanba just let him be, paying no attention, and Xiao Guo had no choice but to divert his attention to keep an eye on this restless fellow.

Today, as soon as Zheng Tan entered the studio, he sensed that the atmosphere was off.

Today there was no sign of the fully spotted fellow; only Paparazzi was filming over at the shooting site, while the other cats each looked out of sorts, as if on guard against something or afraid, with one even hiding in its nest, refusing to come out no matter how its caretaker tried to soothe it. Having worked together on shoots for so long, given Zheng Tan's understanding of them, this cat would not behave like this unless it had been frightened, sensed danger, or felt strong unease.

Zheng Tan sniffed the indoor air and felt surprised in his heart.

That guy actually showed up?!

Zheng Tan jumped onto the table by the window and looked outside; there were two vehicles that didn't look remarkable at first glance—he hadn't noticed them when he came in from outside, but now taking a closer look, the drivers inside seemed familiar; they were either Tang Qiye's or Ye Hao's driver.

It seems someone brought Lord Jue over here to see his wife and children.

No wonder those few cats in the studio are out of sorts, and even several good-tempered dogs look like they're facing a formidable foe. By comparison, Paparazzi is especially different, as if it hadn't noticed anything at all.

When Paparazzi was first rescued from the disaster zone, it was about two months old in cat years; by the end of July it was four months old, no longer the frail, pitiful sight it had been when first brought in, and had become much sturdier. Its two amputated forelegs left only short stumps; it spends a fair amount of time standing, initially just hopping, and when it jumped it looked like a kangaroo, later it gradually tried to walk on its two hind legs.

The staff at the pet center constantly monitor Paparazzi's physical condition, and its food is specially formulated; its recovery to its present state is due not only to everyone's efforts but also to Paparazzi's own considerable resilience.

Usually, if the other cats ignore it, Paparazzi plays with Little Sesame, running all over the studio, or goes to find the few good-tempered dogs that often participate in shoots at the studio; sometimes it even lies down in a nest to sleep, perhaps because it can't jump or climb to high places like other cats, and having been rescued by dogs, it spends more time with them; the staff sometimes also tease it.

Cats that have experienced great disaster either become more timid, frightened by the slightest rustle, or become like Paparazzi now, with exceptionally strong stress resistance; many cats at the pet center are out of sorts due to Lord Jue's arrival, constantly feeling on edge and fearful, wishing to hide in their nests, but Paparazzi is not like that—this fellow, even with only two legs, still jumps and plays happily as usual.

This is something Xiao Guo and the studio staff are happy to see; regardless of the angle, a cat in such a state full of vitality, when filmed, can convey positive energy, and society now needs some positive energy.

Because the other cats aren't cooperating today, Xiao Guo had the studio staff film Paparazzi first, and asked Zheng Tan to cooperate as well, since there's no hope of getting the other cats to help.

With Zheng Tan's involvement, the likelihood of Paparazzi making mistakes—since it still doesn't know how to cooperate—has decreased; often Zheng Tan guides it into the movements, which also eases the staff's minds. After all, even if Paparazzi is full of energy, it's still just a small cat, and moreover injured; when it tires, they also feel sorry for it.

After the shoot ended, Zheng Tan thought it had been a long time since he last saw Lord Jue, and decided to go over to see whether Lord Jue had changed.

Following the scent and the faint sounds coming from the room, Zheng Tan went to the door, checked the lock, and jumped up to flick it.

The door wasn't locked.

After opening it, Zheng Tan poked his head inside.

Four people stood in the room: Xiao Guo, Yanzi, Tang Qiye, and a person following Tang Qiye. Four cats: Lord Jue, Li Yuanba, Peanut Candy, and Little Sesame.

Lord Jue remains the same, unchanged over four years. He still looks much as he did four years ago. Many people say that once cats are kept in captivity they lose some of their original wildness, like the relatively mild-tempered cats at the pet center. Lord Jue has been with Ye Hao and Tang Qiye for four years, but that killer instinct has not faded; Zheng Tan can sense it. It could kill people back then, and it still can now, or perhaps it has already killed again, after all it is now accompanying Ye Hao and Tang Qiye, and could encounter dangerous situations again.

However, regardless of whether it is a ferocious cat, Lord Jue treats Li Yuanba, Peanut Candy, and Little Sesame quite well, lying beside Li Yuanba and allowing Peanut Candy and Little Sesame to swarm around it, nibbling hands and scratching paws in play.

Xiao Guo kept Tang Qiye company while they sat, talking about his three cats; Tang Qiye smiled, leaned on his cane, and sat on the sofa listening.

Upon seeing Zheng Tan, Tang Qiye also greeted him, knowing who Zheng Tan was.

As for the matters concerning Li Yuanba and the others at this pet center, Zheng Tan guessed that Tang Qiye probably already found out clearly when he first kept Lord Jue by his side. Perhaps Lord Jue has been coming here frequently these past two years, likely with Tang Qiye's tacit approval.

Just as Jiao Ba once said, Lord Jue's lineage and origin destine it to be different from ordinary cats, and this also results in a low reproductive rate; over these years Li Yuanba has fathered two kittens, but both are 'premium'—as for Peanut Candy, there's no need to say how formidable it is; ask anyone who raises cats around here and they'll know, the scope of picking fights has expanded a bit, and the reputation for daring to take on dogs outside is quite renowned. As for Little Sesame, still in its juvenile stage, its physique is equally robust, its spirit is good, and it sports a distinctive coat. As the saying goes, 'quality over quantity'—that's exactly the case.

Tang Qiye again brought up the idea of buying Little Sesame; Xiao Guo politely refused, and Tang Qiye wasn't annoyed, merely saying that if possible they could raise another one, otherwise forget it, it didn't matter—such a cat, one is enough, and more would easily cause trouble and be hard to control.

Everyone was reuniting, so Zheng Tan didn't go over to join the fun; he was about to head out when Xiao Guo called him back.

"Hei Tan, come here for a moment." Xiao Guo said, walking out and leading Zheng Tan to another room, which is his current lounge.

Over these years, Xiao Guo has become accustomed to speaking frankly with Zheng Tan, and no longer treats him as an ordinary cat.

Boss Yang called me last week—he's Yang Yi of Yi Xing Culture, you know him. He said that documentary has already come out; this week CCTV will broadcast it, and they also plan to turn it into a series, with the second installment set to be filmed in Ming Zhu Shi, thinking that if needed, you might have to come over and lend a hand.

Huh?

Has that film come out?

Speaking of which, Zheng Tan still regards that documentary highly; although it's just a documentary that can't make it to prime time or the big screen, it's the first film he's participated in shooting, not a pet advertisement, not a pet promotion video, but a formal, regulated documentary for which he poured his heart and soul, even doing the makeup and dyeing.

I just don't know what kind of response or reviews the film will elicit.

I'm thinking that Boss Yang probably still has you in mind; his company seems to be planning to invest in a few films involving animals, and if this documentary gets a good response, he might ask you to shoot others. Well, the big-screen kind. He paused, then Xiao Guo, fearing Zheng Tan might lose his temper, added: "Of course, what matters is your mood; you and your cat father decide as you see fit, I won't interfere. Even if the combined pay for those films topped the sky, it wouldn't be more than a couple hundred thousand, but Boss Yang runs a big company, so our refusal should be polite, not too confrontational. The day you become as big-shot as crystal the ring-tailed monkey, that's another story—then you can throw your weight around as you like, and we'll still have to cling to your thigh." Xiao Guo laughed.

Zheng Tan snorted in his heart; hearing that 'it's just a couple hundred thousand' kind of pretentious talk makes him want to give the speaker a beating, but—what the heck is 'crystal' supposed to be? (To be continued...)