And there's Bei Sining's voice.
His convulsing hand gradually relaxed.
"...Did you hear that? Don't go crazy, I'm not... um."
The person in his arms, who was facing him and kneeling, suddenly wrapped their arms tightly around his back and buried their face in his chest.
Bei Sining loosened her grip, allowing him to hold her even tighter.
Wen Zheng gripped the back of his shirt, his fingers turning white and convulsing, then turning bloody as if in retaliation. He was strangling the man with tremendous force; if it were another part of his body, like his neck, Bei Sining would have been strangled to death by now.
The cat felt suffocated in its chest and dared not speak; in fact, its heart was beating even faster.
That wasn't a normal physiological reaction caused by being moved or physical contact; it was panic.
Panic and pain.
"What's wrong..." Bei Sining's voice was hoarse: "Fine, I'll tell you what I'm doing, or you can hit me..."
"Who are you?" Wen Zheng suddenly spoke.
Bei Sining was startled: "What? Who?"
“You look a lot like a friend of mine, but he has nothing to do with cats and could never suddenly turn into a living person. Ah, do you know each other?” Wen Zheng recited without any emotion.
"………………"
Wen Zheng slowly loosened his grip, his breathing returning to normal. When he looked up, it was clear that his eyes were red. Bei Sining swallowed hard, not daring to check if the front of her clothes was wet.
"Pick him up and take him downstairs first." Wen Zheng braced himself against the ground to stand up, swayed slightly, and turned around coldly: "Take him to the hospital, we'll talk about the rest later."
As he spoke, he checked his pockets to see if his phone was still there, and then called Bai Shuang, who had gone to the police station.
After a while, police cars and ambulances arrived one after another, and people came and went, but Wen Zheng remained calm throughout.
The loss of control just now was as if it had never happened. Bei Sining wanted to ask, but had no way to ask. She could only act as a puppet, doing her best to escort the person to the hospital.
Yu Jin's test results showed no major problems, so Wen Zheng told Bai Shuang and Deng Puyue to find a hotel to sleep in first.
On New Year's Eve, they were enjoying their time together, but I ended up dragging them to a remote area. I guess I feel a bit bad about that.
But since they had been friends for many years, the two waited until Wen Zheng was sure everything was alright before leaving.
Few doctors were on duty during the New Year's Eve period, and there weren't many patients in the inpatient ward either. Seeing Wen Zheng's disheveled appearance but not Bei Sining's good looks, the doctor specially opened a ward for them to rest.
The snow fell heavily, and the moon was half-hidden by the clouds, with snowflakes flying everywhere.
Wen Zheng sat on a hospital bed with his eyes downcast. After a while, Bei Sining, who had gone out to get hot water, came in.
Bei Sining... or rather, this cat spirit, doesn't seem like someone who's born to serve tea and water. Especially when he's dressed in ancient costume. His imposing aura and stunningly handsome appearance make him seem like he was born to sit on the dragon throne and be served by eighty-eight eunuchs in turn.
He carefully entered, holding a glass of water in both hands, probably thinking that Wen Zheng, who had his eyes half-closed, was asleep, so he moved even lighter.
"Change back." Wen Zheng suddenly spoke, his words like a thunderclap in the silent room. Bei Sining jumped, spilling some water.
He said angrily, "You're not asleep?! You didn't move at all, you scared me!"
...See? He's always right, always right.
But behind these minor, seemingly insignificant flaws lies a powerful and reassuring strength. In a breathtaking moment, the black cat's black speed line, like a bolt of lightning, shattered his gloomy state of mind.
For the first time in my life, my "save me" spell received a response.
The smell made my nose sting.
"Change back." He said it again. The disgruntled cat spirit, though its fur stood on end and it looked very unhappy, still surrendered and transformed back into a strong, large black cat.
"Get on." Wen Zheng patted the bed, and Da Hei jumped up, finding a comfortable and familiar position to curl up and lie down. Wen Zheng asked, "There are security cameras in the ward, is this okay?"
The black cat's ears twitched, and a deep male voice echoed in the void: "It's alright, I covered it up with magic."
"So you've done this before?"
"..." The cat spirit didn't want to be interrogated, its tail swishing from side to side like a large, furry broom. Watching it for a while was quite hypnotic.
There were so many questions he wanted to ask, yet he felt they weren't so important anymore. Wen Zheng hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes, his breathing gradually becoming steady.
Then, unconsciously, she pulled the warm, large cat closer to her chest.
...
In my dream, I returned to that night of raging fire and boiling oil.
He was held captive by firefighters, screaming in terror. Thick smoke and flames mingled with the acrid smell of burning, slowly extinguishing his hope.
The child's crying was endless, calling for his father and mother, but the person who should have protected him like a superhero was no longer there.
"Mommy! Mommy's burned to death!" he cried, pointing to the black figure in the fire. The figure was like a black beast, roaring and howling. Soon another figure appeared opposite him, both in agony. He pointed there again, calling for his father, his father…
The logic in the dream was chaotic and unclear. This time, Ms. Liu did not descend from the sky like a female warrior. Instead, a fairy floated down.
Is she a fairy? Dressed in flowing white robes, her long hair swaying in the wind, and a warm smile on her face that seems to bless all living beings.
She held a clean bottle in one hand and pulled out a willow branch with the other, sprinkling the sweet rain onto the fire.
Wen Zheng heard himself, who was acting like a silly little fool in his dream, suddenly shout excitedly, "Mom! This is my wife! I married a cat spirit!"
Ms. Liu suddenly picked up a vegetable basket and hit him on the head: "Idiot, that's clearly a Bodhisattva."
"It's a cat spirit! It's a cat spirit!"
The Bodhisattva's stunningly beautiful face suddenly contorted, and she smashed the vase on the ground: "I'm not a cat spirit!"
"!"
Wen Zheng suddenly woke up with a start, sat up abruptly, and gasped for breath.
His anxious explanations in his dream were anything but funny; they only left him with endless frustration. In his confusion, he reached for the bed—it was empty.
Big Black has disappeared again.
Just as her mind was about to explode, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Bei Sining came in carrying something. She was taken aback and said, "You're awake?"
"Where did you run off to!" Wen Zheng shouted loudly, almost as if he was venting his anger, and his own eardrums hurt from shouting.
After yelling, his palms were sweaty. He was panting and wondering, "Why did I yell at him?"
The room was silent for a few seconds. Bei Sining slowly walked to the bedside and placed the paper bag in her hand on the bedside table without expression.
Then he raised his hand.
Without thinking, Wen Zheng instinctively closed his eyes and leaned back slightly.
This is an action to avoid an attack.
“…Why would I hit you?” Bei Sining’s voice sounded rather frustrated: “What did you mean by that?”
Wen Zheng: "…………"
“You have a fever. Don’t you know how uncomfortable you feel? I just went to see your doctor and got some medicine. He said to take it if the fever hasn’t gone down by dawn.” He paused and then said, “Next time, remember to create a clone. You like cats, right? Remind me if I forget.”
Wen Zheng listened intently, understanding each word individually, yet the overall meaning seemed somewhat unclear.
Bei Sining dragged a chair to the bedside and said dejectedly, "I give up. You humans are so fragile and stupid. What am I supposed to do?"
Author's Note: Ms. Liu: What exactly am I in my son's dreams?
Cat spirit: I was just about to ask...???
(Today's volume was a bit short. Tomorrow we'll wrap up volume two, and volume three will be Ningning's main focus!)
(Ningning: You guys are just taking advantage of the fact that I can't say "damn it" or "fuck"...)
Chapter 80
The next day, Yu Jin's sister rushed over.
Wen Zheng was eating while turning on the air conditioner and sharing a stool with Yu Jin. Bai Shuang and Deng Puyue were taken aback when they arrived with the police.
Bai Shuang, unaware of the situation, saw his surprised expression and joked, "What's wrong? Is it not allowed for people to have older sisters?"
Wen Zheng and Bei Sining exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say, and afraid of upsetting Yu Jin, who was still sitting on the hospital bed.
"It's alright." Yu Jin put down the empty bowl of porridge in his hand, smiled and said, "It's not... like that. I can see her."
Although this person had done something foolish yesterday, Wen Zheng didn't treat him like a fragile, wounded soul. He figured he should handle his own affairs; since he'd said he could, he packed his lunchbox, and the group went out together.
In the corridor, a police officer led a stylishly dressed woman toward them. Wen Zheng couldn't help but slow down until the woman brushed past him.
"Does it look like it?" Bei Sining asked.
"It's hard to say." Wen Zheng threw the trash bag into the trash can in the corridor.
They may have been very similar in their childhood, but after adolescence and going through so many different life experiences, these Geminis have become quite different in appearance.
Yu Lan wore light makeup, which looked a bit rough, suggesting she had rushed over. Her expression also showed some worry and anxiety.
She wore a royal blue coat and a knee-length wool skirt, and her skin was smooth and radiant.
Wen Zheng closed his eyes and briefly compared the face he had just seen with Yu Jin's. He then realized that their facial features were indeed similar.
"It doesn't resemble him at all!" Bei Sining said with dissatisfaction. "Could that kid have made that up in the game too?"
"Probably not." Wen Zheng calmly followed the policeman into the next room and said, "Let's ask him later."
Yesterday, he smashed eighteen glass windows of the Moon Exploration Primary School with his bare hands, climbed over the school's wall, and even blew open the door to the rooftop. He has to pay for all of this.
Wen Zheng promptly paid the fine, took a picture of the bill as a souvenir, and planned to ask the troublemaker for the money later.
After completing the procedures, Bai Shuang and Deng Puyue drove back first. Wen Zheng decided to settle everyone in before leaving, and after sending them out of the hospital, he returned to the ward.
Bei Sining followed him silently the whole way.
After waiting for half an hour, the door opened. Yu Lan seemed to have been crying; she wiped away tears with the heel of her hand as she closed the door, looking much more haggard than when she arrived.
Upon seeing Wen Zheng leaning against the wall, she was surprised but immediately recognized him—he was the man the police had mentioned who had come from distant Rongcheng to rescue her brother.
"Mr. Wen?" she asked softly, glancing at Bei Sining, who had changed into ordinary winter clothes, seemingly hesitating about which one to choose.
"It's me." Wen Zheng stood up straight. "Would you mind talking?"
Yu Lan nodded nervously and said, "I'll treat you to coffee; there's one right next to the hospital."
The shop was quite charming, but unfortunately, there weren't enough customers on the first day of the new year in this small town. The quiet atmosphere was dampened by the cheerful New Year's music, and Wen Zheng and Yu Lan both took off their coats and hung them on the back of their chairs.