Chapter 70

Sitting in the back seat, Zheng Tan looked at the scenery outside the car window to judge the route Wei Leng was currently taking.

Zheng Tan knew he wasn't particularly smart, but his memory was decent; he still remembered the route he had taken last time in Fang Shaokang's car, and by cross-referencing it with the city map he had seen, he could roughly guess which area the destination lay in.

Although it wasn't the city's exact center, it was still in a prosperous district, different from the bustle around Chu Hua Da Xue; this area truly had a strong commercial atmosphere.

Around Chu Hua Da Xue, the consumers are mostly students, whereas here most are office workers, with white-collar employees and successful people making up the majority, and most of Chu Hua Shi's wealthy also concentrate in this area.

The car drove along the boulevard, pausing at a red light for a moment; Zheng Tan saw the road sign outside the window, the street name on it somewhat familiar, then glanced at some of the towering buildings nearby, and was drawn to the large "Shaoguang Jiudian" sign.

Holy shit, isn't this the hotel marked on the membership card given by Uncle Fang San?!

Zheng Tan leaned toward the car window to take a look. He didn't understand design and couldn't articulate the building's features, but looking at the hotel, he felt the sharpness and coldness of the steel and concrete piled up in the city had softened considerably, carrying a hint of nascent vigor yet retaining the domineering air of a future heaven's pride.

It was clear that Fang Shaokang had certainly put considerable effort into the design of this building.

While Zheng Tan was looking out at the building, Wei Leng turned his head, glanced at Zheng Tan, and said, "Outside is the Shaoguang Jiudian; I heard you get along pretty well with Fang San?"

"Fang San?" Fang Shaokang has quite a few nicknames. But it's not like we're on great terms, right? We've performed together quite a bit.

Wei Leng didn't really expect a cat to answer his question; he had heard many rumors about Fang Shaokang, a person quite legendary and equally inscrutable. Wei Leng always felt that Fang San was like a cat—you could hardly guess what he'd think or do next. Perhaps a genius's mind is simply different from ordinary people's.

He shook his head, the green light had already come on, and Wei Leng continued driving.

Upon arriving at the destination, the sky had already darkened. Various lights on the surrounding streets lit up, preparing to welcome people coming out for nighttime activities.

Wei Leng drove the car all the way to a fairly large bar, parked it in the lot, and got out with Zheng Tan.

Entering through the main door would look bad. According to the rules, pets shouldn't be brought in here. But if Wei Leng insisted, the doormen wouldn't really stop him. Still, Wei Leng knew it wasn't proper, and he didn't want to use the main entrance; he greeted Zheng Tan and prepared to go in through a side door, which is reserved for staff, where the guards are actually stricter and more skilled than those at the front.

After getting out of the car, Zheng Tan looked at the bar ahead; although he hadn't entered yet, he almost felt the explosive, scorching atmosphere inside. He had thought that kind of life was gone forever and he could never set foot in such a place again. Whenever he saw those bars, even just a small one, it would bring back memories of his former decadent, lavish lifestyle.

Looking back suddenly, it felt as if it were just last year.

Not everyone who comes to a bar is like the former Zheng Tan; bars aren't necessarily linked to decadence and decline. With rapid economic growth, urban consumption levels keep rising, and most people clearly feel their burdens growing heavier. As fashion trends spread and social attitudes shift, local bars have gradually become the new darlings of young people, and are also steadily becoming the new elite venues for entertainment and relaxation.

After a busy day, there are always work dissatisfactions, career frustrations, emotional and other pressures that add to one's burden, leaving people feeling tired and numb. At such times, many invite a few friends to go bar-hopping for a brief self-indulgence, to vent inner pressure, learn to let go, temporarily discard work reports and deceitful scheming, making life more colorful.

Zheng Tan raised his head to look at the large bar; since he wasn't facing the front, he couldn't see the front sign, but there was also a sign on the side of the rooftop.

Ye Lou—yeahclub.

Compared to its English name, Zheng Tan still felt "Ye Lou" sounded better. Often the English and Chinese names don't mean the same thing; different people understand them differently. Since the bar's owner chose both names, he surely had his reasons.

Ye Lou is located in Chu Hua Shi's prosperous district teeming with white-collar elites; the surrounding area also has many blue-collar workers, business is naturally good every day, and convenient transportation allows all customers to reach it easily, not limited to the local population.

As for whether it can retain customers, that depends on Ye Lou's methods; however, Zheng Tan saw the parking lot nearly full, with many people already streaming in before it was fully dark, indicating the bar's popularity is indeed good.

Small groups of people came over from the street one after another; Zheng Tan glanced at them with a hint of envy, but he didn't expect to suddenly see a familiar figure.

Zheng Tan's perception is now keen, and he trusts his judgment; even if the figure across the street is partially obscured by passersby, that brief flash was enough for him to catch the image, and looking at that silhouette he was certain he knew the person, though he wasn't sure exactly who.

To figure it out, Zheng Tan ignored Wei Leng's greeting and walked toward the opposite side of the street.

Seeing the cat ignore him and instead walk outward, Wei Leng muttered a curse under his breath and lifted his foot to follow.

At this moment everyone was only looking at the brightly lit buildings, at their destination for this trip, and wouldn't notice whether there was a cat around, let alone a black cat, which is hard to spot under these lighting conditions. Besides, no one would expect a cat to be wandering here at this place and time.

Zheng Tan watched the passing vehicles, and when the gap between cars widened slightly, he darted across to the other side of the street, opposite "Ye Lou".

Directly opposite the main door of "Ye Lou," on the other side of the street, a person squatted under a lamppost, appearing quite young. He held a cigarette between his fingers but rarely took a puff, and his gaze remained fixed on "Ye Lou" across the street, his eyes filled with longing and confusion, his whole body exuding an air of disappointment.

People like this are commonly seen; in this commercialized urban area, those who are depressed and unfulfilled, or who once harbored ambitions, fought their way up, only to be ruthlessly knocked down and left in agony, appear in large numbers every day, and the locals have grown accustomed to them. Even if someone gets drunk as a skunk and collapses in the gutter, no one will spare a word. When sanitation workers sweep the streets early in the morning, they simply push their big brooms past without a second thought. This is the coldness of a prosperous metropolis, a social norm under harsh reality.

The young man with a stubble of greenish hue used his cigarette‑free hand to rake through his hair, messing it up further; he knew what he looked like now—completely lacking any image. His hair was like a bird's nest. After several days without washing, he still smelled.

He also recalled the scruffy stray dog he had seen that morning while buying breakfast, its tail tucked in, its whole body filthy. Its fur was tinged yellow—not a bright gold, but with the hue of dried leaves; its matted long hair hung loose with clumps of dirt. Its eyes were obscured. It watched the hurried passersby, would clamp its tail and slip to the side, its gait noticeably lame when running, yet when it stopped it would again look at the walking crowd, as if searching for something, yet also expecting something.

He remembered pushing aside the dog's fur that hung over its forehead, nearly covering its eyes, and seeing those eyes—full of expectation and pleading, so piercing that he couldn't bear to look another second. In the end he left only a small, meat‑less bun, fleeing in disgrace. He feared he would become like that stray dog. But that dog still had his offered bun, while what about him?

Perhaps this is what genuine vagrancy really looks like.

Had his choice been wrong? Ignorant of heaven's height and earth's depth, he had brought himself to a bloody head.

Should he turn back? But he was truly unwilling!

The young man, head bowed, lost in thought, suddenly felt his cigarette being flicked.

He lifted his gaze upward and saw a pair of black cat paws, then moving further up, a pair of cat eyes glinting with curiosity.

He blinked, stunned for a few seconds, obviously still not snapped out of his earlier reverie; when he finally reacted, he was again puzzled.

They had passed through several big cities, seen many black cats, those cats merely looked alike but lacked the spirit; yet the cat now before him was truly

very much like that certain bottle‑tapping goofball.

Could it be that his eyes were playing tricks? Not having eaten dinner, his brain low on energy, producing hallucinations?

"Hei Tan! What are you running around for? If something really happens, how will I explain it to your cat parents when I get back?" Wei Leng approached angrily, having just seen the cat dash across the road, which had scared him into a cold sweat.

"Whoa! Hei Tan, it really is you!" The young man's eyes flashed with surprise; the gloom from his earlier contemplation faded a little.

"Oh, you know each other?" Wei Leng glanced at the somewhat disheveled young man on the ground, then looked at Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan ignored Wei Leng; he was now curious how A Jin had managed to turn himself into this state, and what about the other four? Where had they gone? Weren't they supposed to have formed a band, moving together as five?

"We saw it once over twenty days ago, and it helped us out big time. Huh, isn't that Mr. Fang around?" A Jin looked around, confirming he didn't see the man with the SLR camera, Mr. Fang.

Wei Leng raised his eyebrows, "Twenty‑odd days ago… the cat was still out there then, seemed to be with Fang San?"

"Alright, let's not linger here; find a place to sit and talk." Wei Leng greeted Zheng Tan, then waved at A Jin, signaling him to follow.

"Where to?" A Jin hastily tossed his cigarette butt into a trash bin a meter away and asked.

Wei Leng pointed to the opposite Ye Lou, "There."

A Jin staggered, then dropped straight into a kowtow, almost directly facing Zheng Tan and Wei Leng.

Zheng Tan: "……" Should we add three more incense sticks?

"Young man, you really don't need to make such a grand gesture!" Wei Leng said.

"…… No, I've been squatting too long, my legs went numb." (To be continued…)

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