Chapter 77

Wei Leng left and didn't come back the next day.

Zheng Tan felt a bit disappointed; he had spent the night mentally preparing, imagining all sorts of high-end spy scenes, but after Wei Leng left there was no word, and Zheng Tan wondered if Wei Leng's call to Jiao Ba and Jiao Ma had been rejected.

As for Wei Leng not coming for two days straight, the Jiao family were the happiest. That day, after Zheng Tan returned, Jiao Ma immediately took him to Xiao Guo for a physical check-up; the result was "healthy", or more precisely, "in very good condition".

Jiao Ma and Xiao Guo's older brother also didn't get it—if the cat had really drunk too much, it shouldn't be completely fine; at least it should be listless or irritable.

They didn't realize that Zheng Tan, taking advantage of this "drunken frenzy", had also released the pent-up frustration he'd held for a long time. Perhaps they couldn't imagine a cat having such psychological issues, but the fact is exactly that.

For people, when psychological barriers aren't released, over time they can develop mental illnesses—ADHD and irritability from lack of focus, depression and anxiety from study pressure, OCD and irritability from setbacks, etc.; from ten-year-olds to seventy-year-olds, every age group has its own psychological barriers.

Zheng Tan's psyche remains human; even though he reluctantly accepted becoming a cat to survive, this mental hurdle isn't easy to overcome. Getting drunk to act crazy may ruin his image, but it's indeed a good way to vent. Zheng Tan doesn't know how long he'll stay in cat form, nor when this psychological barrier will be completely gone. But at least he's found a relatively good outlet—a free method to lighten his mind.

Well, when he feels depressed again, he'll go to Ye Lou, get drunk and howl; anyway the Jiao family won't see, nor will anyone around, so they won't know about his image‑ruining scene, and as for what Ye Hao's side thinks—whether they suffer—it's not something Zheng Tan considers.

That's Zheng Tan's conclusion after lying on a tree thinking all afternoon the day he came back. Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang was busy with his affairs while Ye Hao and Long Qi etc. had no idea they'd been taken a liking to by a cat, or rather, that their turf had caught a cat's eye.

This week there's no need to go to Xiao Guo's for a commercial shoot. No call from Wei Leng either. The house is empty—those who work go to work, those who study go to study, and Zheng Tan lounges in the tree of the courtyard. He used not to know what those shrubs beside the lawn were, but now he knows they're all Michelia flowers.

The air is filled with a faint fragrance.

Zheng Tan lounged on a tall phoenix tree, yawned, stretched, and watched Niu Zhuangzhuang digging holes again on the lawn below. After seeing Sahala dig a hole once, this guy has been fixated on the lawn. In the campus, most surfaces are concrete; only flower beds and lawns can be dug. Whenever Niu Zhuangzhuang is let out, he always finds a spot on the lawn to dig, sometimes stashing unknown items, sometimes just digging for the sake of it.

Could this also be a way to vent emotions?

Zheng Tan doesn't get it. He's not a dog, and besides, he can't even figure out many cats' psyches—though a cat's mind is inherently hard to read.

Idle and bored, Zheng Tan plans to visit the West Family Residential Area; he hasn't seen Xiao Zhuo in ages. Come to think of it, Xiao Zhuo should have passed her due date and probably had the baby by now, yet since returning he hasn't heard Jiao Ba or Jiao Ma mention it.

It seems the only way to figure it out is to go find the answer himself.

Just like with Ren Chong's affair, Zheng Tan only learned of Ren Chong's downfall when he went to the Life Science Building to find Jiao Ba and overheard students gossiping. Rumor had it Ren Chong was involved improperly with a female student from the Economics College, and also had a fling with a campus belle from the Foreign Language College; Professor Ren used to have a wife who was abroad, reportedly of good breeding, a missy temperament—when she found out she flew here and slapped Ren Chong in front of many people. There were also rumors that Professor Ren had triad connections.

Amid these events, various damaging rumors spread across the campus. The school originally wanted to give Ren Chong a temporary leave of absence until the storm passed, since he was indeed capable. But later, for unknown reasons, they forced his resignation. Many students guessed Ren Chong must have offended some big shot at the school; otherwise he wouldn't have been dismissed so outright.

Zheng Tan recalled that face always wearing a false gentlemanly smile, then thought back to the rumors he'd heard, feeling that Wei Leng and Zhao Le, among others, had a hand in it—after all, Zhao Le would be familiar with the little gossip from other colleges. As for the forced resignation, it was probably the work of "Fo Ye" and Old Man Lan, etc., since Jiao Ba lacked that influence.

Actually, relationships like Ren Chong's with students are quite common; people just don't know about them, or if they do they keep quiet, and they're even more prevalent abroad. Such affairs can be big or small, depending on who's pulling the strings behind the scenes.

While figuring things out, Zheng Tan felt rather moved—at least, when he got into trouble, many people helped him, even "Fo Ye" with his ever‑straight face lent a hand. Still, "Fo Ye"'s help was mostly thanks to Xiao Zhuo. It wasn't for nothing that he sent over a bunch of nine‑leaf grass.

Zheng Tan walked toward the West Family Residential Compound, wondering about Xiao Zhuo's current situation.

Upon entering the gate of the West Family Residential Area, Zheng Tan felt he was being watched—not by people, but by other cats.

He looked up at a tree where a tabby cat lay, resembling A Huang but a bit larger; the cat perched on a branch gazing at Zheng Tan, and from that distance Zheng Tan could sense its hostility.

He flicked his tail, couldn't be bothered with it, and kept walking deeper into the courtyard.

Along the way Zheng Tan met several cats; when he used to come here they weren't fully grown, but now they're sizable, and the West Family Residential Area has plenty of cats—just unknown whether the police chief has ever clashed with them.

Arriving at the building where Xiao Zhuo lives, Zheng Tan waited at the entrance for a while, then slipped in through the gate when someone went inside.

Just as before, Zheng Tan chose to take the stairs; riding the elevator would draw a crowd staring at him like a rare spectacle, a gaze he dislikes, so to avoid the hassle he still thinks climbing stairs is easier.

He rushed up to the sixth floor in one go, reached the door of 606, listened with his ear to the door, heard nothing, then jumped up and pressed the bell.

He didn't know if the nanny was still around, guessing he'd be rejected again.

He waited a few minutes, but there was still no movement inside.

Zheng Tan found it odd, jumped up and pressed the bell several more times, yet still no one came to open the door.

Could she still be in the hospital after giving birth?

Zheng Tan doesn't know much about women's matters and can't figure it out. He squatted by the door and waited another ten minutes, but still no one opened the door; pressing his ear to the door he heard no other sound from inside.

Forget it, let's go back.

Zheng Tan also didn't plan to wait longer; seeing this, he knew no one would come to open the door.

He turned to leave, but after just a few steps, as he passed the elevator, the doors opened and Zheng Tan glanced inside.

He didn't see Xiao Zhuo, but instead saw the long‑absent "Fo Ye".

"Hei Tan?" the person in the elevator asked.

"Fo Ye" held a folder, looking somewhat weary.

Zheng Tan really hadn't expected to run into this iron‑blooded figure from the Physics Institute here, nor did he know how to interact with "Fo Ye"—she wouldn't give him snacks, probably wouldn't let him sleep on a chair, and he'd heard people like her often have OCD or cleanliness obsessions.

Just hearsay; he'd never seen it himself. Zheng Tan only heard such talk from students while strolling around campus. As for how true any of it is, that's unknown.

"You came to see Xiao Zhuo, right?" "Fo Ye" asked.

Zheng Tan flicked the tip of his tail, unsure how to answer.

Buddha Master didn't wait for Zheng Tan to answer, glanced at his wristwatch, turned and entered the elevator, gesturing to Zheng Tan outside: "Come in, let's go down together."

Zheng Tan stood there, thought a moment, then stepped inside.

While the elevator descended, Zheng Tan felt the atmosphere inside was a bit eerie, overly solemn, making him nervous. Maybe he should take the stairs next time—more space would be more comfortable.

Originally Zheng Tan thought Buddha Master would just see him out of the building, but after passing the security gate, Buddha Master showed no intention of returning inside.

"Xiao Zhuo said you understand speech, let's go." Saying that, Buddha Master lifted his foot and headed toward the west compound's side gate.

Zheng Tan blinked, not quite grasping Buddha Master's meaning, but still lifted his foot to follow.

The guard at the side gate of the west compound's residential compound had just made a phone call, chatting for a while, hadn't slept his nap, was feeling tired, stretched his arms and yawned, mouth wide open, when he saw Buddha Master walking this way.

He hadn't finished the yawn, forcibly stopped it, the guard quickly sat up straight, trying to look energetic and professional.

The guards here all have a mental scale: they know who's easy to talk to and who's not to be provoked, otherwise they wouldn't do this job. And Buddha Master is someone they dare not provoke; everyone knows his identity, and knows he has his own way of speaking and acting—no point trying to flatter her to gain favor.

However, the guard found it strange today: Buddha Master usually just comes here to nap or rest after being busy, but today he doesn't look like he's had a nap, and moreover, the renowned Buddha Master actually has a cat following him?!

Does Buddha Master like cats?

Really, no one has ever said that. But it's not impossible.

For those who want to know Buddha Master's preferences, the guard wondered whether he should sell some gossip? (To be continued...)