Chapter 72: Self‑Inflicted Sin, No Way to Live

When Zheng Tan stuck his head into the red‑wine glass, he found the rim still a bit small, so he could only pull his ears back, otherwise they'd get stuck and hurt.

Having to tuck his ears while drinking—so annoying!

Being human is still better.

Zheng Tan, with his head in the cup drinking, thought about it, his tail tip twitching.

Long Qi watched, quite curious—cats can drink wine? It was his first time seeing that.

Before, Long Qi had heard a buddy talk about making his own cat drink wine, but his cat would rather die than open its mouth. Later he smeared a bit of alcohol on the cat, and the cat would lick its fur. After a lick it would stick out its tongue and shake its head for a while, then after a pause lick again. Eventually his cat just passed out. When that buddy took the cat to the vet, the vet scolded him harshly, because many cats are allergic to alcohol; drinking too much can cause poisoning or even death, so such jokes are unacceptable.

But…

Long Qi glanced over at Wei Leng, who was probing the details of Fang San Ye's performance, listening intently and enjoying it, unafraid of being chased by the Fang family later. Occasionally he glanced this way, and seeing the cat drinking, Wei Leng seemed inclined to stop it.

Wei Leng wasn't worried, but Long Qi was; if anything happened, he'd have to take responsibility. He didn't think the cat in front of him was an ordinary cat—otherwise Wei Leng wouldn't have brought it over. Even if Wei Leng didn't restrain the cat, he kept a close eye on it, fearing something might happen.

What a headache.

The cat won't get diarrhea from drinking, will it?

Will it vomit?

Should we have someone call a vet in advance?

Long Qi's thoughts just shifted when he heard the cat's paw tapping the glass again. Looking up, he saw the black cat on the solid‑wood coffee table staring at him, and the wine in the cup was already finished.

But this time Long Qi didn't pour the wine so readily; he hesitated.

Zheng Tan tasted a hint of wine, nostalgically recalled past days, thought the wine was pretty good, but now the person in front of him wouldn't pour any more? How could that be?!

He lifted his paw and tapped the cup again, this time with more force and a quicker rhythm, clearly urging.

Long Qi stared at the cat before him; he hadn't expected it to be so unusual. A fondness for alcohol? Probably not. A momentary whim?

After tapping the cup, Zheng Tan nudged the wine glass a bit toward Long Qi; pushing any further would make it fall off the coffee table.

Long Qi let out a sigh. He slid the cup inward a bit, then pulled the bottle cork and poured a little more into the cup—slightly more than before.

Setting the bottle down, Long Qi looked at the cat; with such a small frame, that's probably the limit.

Zheng Tan didn't try to guess what Long Qi was thinking; seeing wine in the cup, he stuck his head back in to drink. After finishing, he kept glaring at Long Qi until Long Qi poured again.

After finishing the third pour, Zheng Tan felt a bit bloated, the urge to pee hit, so he leapt off the coffee table and ran toward the bathroom.

The private room had its own bathroom; Zheng Tan arrived at the bathroom door, jumped to turn the handle, opened the door and went in, remembering to close it behind him.

Long Qi, who had been watching Zheng Tan's movements, stared dumbfounded; just then Wei Leng was also looking this way, so Long Qi said, "Brother Leng, this cat..."

"Don't worry about it; it knows what to do," Wei Leng replied calmly.

Long Qi was speechless—how was this cat trained? Truly bizarre.

After Zheng Tan emerged, Long Qi even went to the bathroom to check and found the toilet had been flushed, no cat urine stains around. The faucet had been turned on, the toilet paper used, and the wad in the bin still had a few black cat hairs stuck to it. Remembering the cat's slightly wet front paws when it left, Long Qi thought he was overthinking—it's impossible for a cat to wash its hands and then tear toilet paper to wipe them.

Long Qi didn't know that Zheng Tan had intended to use a hand dryer, but it was inconvenient, so he simply grabbed some toilet paper and wiped himself. The private room was carpeted, so the wet paw prints were hardly noticeable.

Long Qi frowned as he left the bathroom, still apparently not having worked it out.

A Jin had also had a bit too much to drink, and Wei Leng managed to extract the questions he wanted.

Looking at A Jin, who was sitting there staring blankly, Wei Leng pulled the window curtain shut, and the room instantly quieted. He turned on the equipment, handed a microphone to A Jin, and said, "Give it a try?"

A Jin wasn't very sober now, but singing came naturally; when he saw the microphone he instinctively took it, and when the backing track started he began to sing. Whatever Wei Leng pointed at, he sang; if he truly couldn't, he'd just say so and skip it.

Wei Leng actually wanted to help A Jin a bit; from this person's mouth he learned some of Fang San Ye's deeds, and thinking of Hei Tan's face, he figured a small favor wouldn't hurt. Young people—just a little hope can pull them out of despair. Now having A Jin sing is just to see his vocal skill.

Though not an expert in this area, after hearing many songs here, Wei Leng could discern quality. A Jin's singing is decent but not enough; a bit of training and he'll earn a big prize!

Thanks to Ming Yu (2), Boundless Tomb, Night‑watch Lan ╮(╯▽╰)╭, Feng Shui Pull, Unique Huanhuan, kasimgfu, Bloody Slaughter, Water‑Glass Talk, Cold Nine‑Head, Unaware of the Tune, Scorpion. Wing. Lion (2), chy2, lvut, Sand in the Universe (2), xf10, takeme, Liu Yan, Tear‑Gland Warrior's Precious Monthly Ticket!

Thanks to sui‑heart suo‑desire, 330350, Desert Dream Traveler, Yu Huo, Xiao Wen 19, Blue‑Purple Wind, Green Mood for Life, 1 Bookworm 123456789, Morning Warm Sunlight, Gu She Uninhabited, birdcheng, This Is Just a Dream, Dream‑Awakened Her Time‑Space, Nazig Nergal, xiaoliang, Water‑Glass Talk, Cat‑Hair Maomao, Watch My Invisible Grand Decision Unlimited Time, Cold Nine‑Head, Prophecy Ink〓van, Dominant Cat, Echoing for Three Days Like Three Autumns, Heart Pavilion Evening Matters, duduco, Qian∈Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Yan Shan White Water, Tea 猫, Liu Yan, Yellow‑Spring Ghost Phoenix, lazyorange, Flame Alloy, Meow‑Star Sunshine, Water‑Loving Lotus, Nazig Nergal, Ran Ling, Melon Baby, Immortal‑Bonded Wanderer, Desert Dream Traveler, Sky‑Covering Earth‑Shaking Tip!

Thanks to owen by chance, Beyond‑the‑River Heaven, A Burst of Rage, Green Dragon, Flame Alloy, Interpreting the Low‑Key and Unrecorded Friends' Vote Tickets!