Chapter 74

The person behind Ye Hao quickly stepped forward to block, but Ye Hao raised his hand to stop them.

Those who followed Ye Hao up to this floor were a few trustworthy people, and those who always stayed by his side were his confidants.

For example, the one blocking Ye Hao's front right now is Baizi, who has a crew cut; Baizi only knows that this place has always been Wei Leng's exclusive area, and today the person in charge of the venue is Dragon Qi, and neither of these two would be the type to make such a noise. As for the young guy that the door guard said Wei Leng brought over, I haven't seen him, so I can't comment.

However, this noise really makes people feel hopeless.

Sorry, Baizi didn't expect Zheng Tan; although the door guard said Wei Leng brought over a cat, Baizi had never heard a cat make such a sound, nor imagined a cat could do something so earth‑shattering and ghost‑weeping.

Seeing Ye Hao raise his hand, Baizi stepped aside, but his gaze remained fixed on the inside, fearing something strange might suddenly rush out.

As the door gradually opened, the sound from inside the room echoed through the entire third‑floor corridor; the hair on the arms of the guards at both ends of the corridor stood up in an instant, they glanced that way and then quickly looked away. Since it concerned the boss, they were better off not being curious.

Ye Hao and Baizi quickly entered and closed the door. The third‑floor corridor instantly fell silent again, as if the howling had never happened, while everyone on the third floor wondered what had happened in that room.

After entering, Ye Hao immediately saw the source of that noise.

On the sofa lay a black cat, sitting almost like a person, leaning against the sofa and holding a microphone in its arms. Fortunately, Dragon Qi had turned off all the audio equipment; otherwise, the sound that leaked out when the door was opened just now would have been even more terrifying, requiring extra amplification and music.

Also lying on the sofa was a person, presumably passed out from drinking too much; this must be the young guy Wei Leng brought in.

As for Wei Leng, he wore a large headset, sat in a chair beside the sofa, and wore a constipated expression.

And Dragon Qi sat in the corner, one elbow resting on his knee, head tilted, hand rubbing his forehead, the other hand hanging at his side holding his glasses; his sleeves were full of scratches and tears from being clawed, with several spots already ripped.

Regarding Dragon Qi's recently bought suit, Baizi knew about it; he'd heard it cost several thousand dollars, but tonight the suit is ruined.

Dragon Qi pinched his brow, noticed the room's door opening, looked up and saw Ye Hao and Baizi; he was overjoyed as if seeing his own father, sprang up from his chair, ran over and said to Ye Hao, "Brother Hao, leave the rest to you; I'll go check the downstairs venue!"

As Dragon Qi spoke, he prepared to slip out, but Ye Hao grabbed his collar and dragged him back inside. Now Ye Hao still didn't understand the situation, but seeing Wei Leng and Dragon Qi's helpless looks, he knew the situation was tricky; trying to slip away wouldn't be easy.

After Dragon Qi wearily gave a brief explanation, Baizi asked strangely, "Did it really drink that much alcohol? I've never seen a cat drink before."

"Now you have." Dragon Qi jerked his chin toward Zheng Tan on the sofa.

Ye Hao said nothing, just looked at Wei Leng, who spread his hands to indicate he couldn't do anything either.

Walking up to the sofa, Ye Hao stared at the cat before him. When his subordinates reported, he knew this must be the cat Wei Leng brought, because its capture had caused some overt and covert changes in Chu Hua Shi, prompting a massive search for this black cat.

Before, no matter what Wei Leng said, Ye Hao thought he was exaggerating; but now, seeing the cat's true form, Ye Hao suddenly felt Wei Leng had actually underestimated its abilities.

A cat that can drink alcohol and howl like this in its own world is probably unique.

Although Zheng Tan was drunk out of his wits, after becoming a stray his vigilance had increased greatly; from the moment the door opened, he sensed a strange presence, so his howling was somewhat absent‑minded, but now that a stranger approached, he had to pay attention.

Zheng Tan stopped howling and stared at the person before him.

A person and a cat stared at each other.

Ye Hao was sizing up the cat before him, while Zheng Tan's mind wasn't fully clear; he was wary but still a bit dazed.

The noise in the room finally subsided, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief; the howling had been grating, making people's nerves unconsciously tense, but now that it was quiet, they felt much more relaxed.

After staring at the person before him for several seconds, the last vestige of Zheng Tan's consciousness determined he didn't know this person, so he threw the microphone in his hand at them, rolled over, and walked to the side.

Ye Hao raised his hand and caught the flying microphone, surprised in his heart. The cat's throw was strong—not something an ordinary cat could manage; if someone reacted a bit slower, they'd likely get hit by the microphone.

After venting all that passion and inner feeling, when he calmed down, Zheng Tan felt his head heavy and dizzy, wanting to sleep. The last flicker of consciousness let him notice Wei Leng nearby, and he remembered Wei Leng had promised Jiao Ma to keep him safe, so he knew he could sleep now and leave other matters to Wei Leng to handle.

Another thing that annoyed Zheng Tan was that, having just settled down to sleep, he discovered another person lying on the sofa; he couldn't even remember A Jin being here, he sniffed—the scent wasn't unfamiliar but not familiar either, and he was sure it wasn't a member of the Jiao Family.

Zheng Tan walked over, lifted his leg, kicked, and directly sent the sleeping A Jin flying off the sofa; then he walked around the sofa, lay down in the middle, and adjusted his posture to sleep more comfortably.

The room was silent; A Jin, kicked off the sofa, was still asleep, possibly because the floor was carpeted so he didn't hurt, and even if he had, given how drunk he was, the chance of him waking up was slim.

Meanwhile, the four people in the room, including Wei Leng, were shocked by Zheng Tan's actions.

Wei Leng knew the cat's strength was about that of a normal cat, but he hadn't expected it to be this strong—directly kicking A Jin away; even his master's family cat wouldn't do that, would it?

As for Ye Hao, Dragon Qi, and Baizi, their minds began to fill with various speculations and ideas.

Immortal?

Cat demon?

Monster?

Mutant?

Or perhaps a secret weapon of some special department?

"This cat…" Ye Hao pointed at the black cat lying sideways in the middle of the sofa and looked at Wei Leng.

Wei Leng waved his hand, "Just a bit special; you know enough, don't spread it."

This damn thing is only "a bit" special?!

Dragon Qi looked at A Jin kicked to the floor, then at his own sleeve, and felt deep regret. Had he known the cat was abnormal, he wouldn't have blindly rushed to grab the microphone and ruined his suit.

Ye Hao dragged over a chair, lit a cigarette, took two puffs, fell silent for a moment, then said, "You mean that thing could get this cat to help?"

"I have that idea." Wei Leng nodded.

From bringing the cat to Ye Lou, entering this private room, Wei Leng observed the cat's and Dragon Qi's side's movements. He brought the cat over because he genuinely hoped it could help, and also wanted it to become more familiar with Dragon Qi and the others—these are all people Wei Leng trusts; Ye Hao is a childhood friend, while Baizi and Dragon Qi are Ye Hao's confidants who have followed him since early on.

If both sides become familiar, then even if the cat runs into trouble later, when Wei Leng and He Tao etc. are temporarily absent from Chu Hua Shi or too busy to help, they could still call on these people for assistance. After all, in the city, most threats to cats come from people; if Ye Hao owes a favor, the cat gains another layer of protection.

"However, whether it will actually work and whether the cat agrees to cooperate—we'll have to wait until it wakes up. I've already called its home; tonight I'll let it sleep here, and tomorrow I'll ask its opinion." Wei Leng said.

If Wei Leng had said this before tonight, Dragon Qi and Baizi wouldn't have believed him; but now they remain silent, and at the same time they are also considering his proposal to cooperate with the cat.

"Also," Wei Leng lifted his head, his face growing serious, "Regarding this cat, I hope everyone can keep it confidential."

"That I naturally understand."

Ye Hao tilted his head, and Baizi and Dragon Qi behind him immediately said, "We know, Brother Leng; we definitely won't spill it."

"Hmm." Wei Leng grunted, then turned his attention to A Jin asleep on the floor, oblivious to everything, shook his head, and told Ye Hao, "This kid has a good connection with that cat; they have a band, and they're all underage. Let them come here first to do some work, get familiar, and learn a bit."

No need to be too specific; Ye Hao grasped Wei Leng's general meaning: "Fine, Dragon Qi, you arrange it later."

"All right, Brother Hao." Dragon Qi replied.

After finishing the matter, Wei Leng changed the subject, talking about Director San Ye's performance business.

"So, getting involved with this cat might not be bad for you. Just think about Shaoguang Group's recent moves and you'll see." Wei Leng said.

Recently Shaoguang Group's moves have indeed been big; after Director San Ye's return, as many expected, each comeback brings a major move.

Long Qi took A Jin out of the room, Baizi guarded outside the door, and inside the room, besides Wei Leng and Ye Hao who were discussing matters, there was only the black cat lying asleep on the sofa.

The next day, when Zheng Tan woke up, he shook his head, his mind still a bit fuzzy, but the memories of last night slowly came back. Zheng Tan silently cursed himself, saying last night he had been completely like a lunatic, a complete idiot, really ruining his image; fortunately, the Jiao Family people hadn't seen it, otherwise they would surely have thought his family's cat had gone mad.

After drinking, protein loss in the body was severe, Ye Hao had someone prepare a very abundant breakfast. Wei Leng and A Jin sat at the table; A Jin had originally planned to go to the hospital first, but Long Qi said he had already sent people over, who would help with the transfer and handle the remaining matters, letting A Jin eat breakfast first and not worry too much.

Zheng Tan stood on the table, and whatever he saw, he had Wei Leng fetch some and put it on the plate in front of him.

Wei Leng felt that this cat was really becoming a grandpa and needed to be served.

After finishing breakfast, A Jin wanted to go see his four partners, and Zheng Tan also prepared to go take a look, after all they had once performed together selling songs. (To be continued...)