After they agreed, Wen Zheng continued, "A friend of mine who was also going to pick up the cat was with me. He didn't want to go at first, but he couldn't resist my invitation. I asked him how my cat was, and my friend, I don't know whether he was happy or not, said to me, 'It's alright.'"
"Wow," one person exclaimed, "Don't worry about it. If that's just his personality, he might not be good at saying nice things. Maybe it's already a compliment?"
Wen Zheng subtly curled the corners of his mouth: "I think so too. After my friend left, I brought my cat home, cooked him a big meal, and comforted my cat—that person didn't dislike you, he just wasn't good at expressing himself."
Everyone praised, "That's wonderful, Xiao Wen! You're so understanding and considerate!"
Cui Tiantian also said, "I never dreamed that Xiao Zheng would be so patient with cats and people! ...And in the end?"
Wen Zheng: "In the end, the cat got angry."
Everyone: "…………?"
After that, proceeding clockwise, all the older women had finished speaking before it was Yu Jin's turn.
He stood up, his expression revealing neither nervousness nor apprehension.
“Because my colleague hit me, I went to the police station, and my company received a warning and a fine. On Sunday, my boss gave me some compensation and fired me. I had nowhere to go, so I randomly opened a travel recommendation and bought a ticket to Rongcheng.”
The older women thought matters of the heart were commonplace, but matters of work and making money were of utmost importance. They fell silent for a moment, listening intently as Yu Jin recounted his experiences.
"Rongcheng is a very beautiful place. Even in winter, many shrubs are still green. I found a small hotel and put down my luggage. The owners were a kind couple. Based on the job postings on the forum, I went to several restaurants, but I couldn't find a job."
"The owners thought I was too short and not a local, so around 8 p.m., I bought two steamed buns and went back to the small hotel."
His tone was calm, unlike others who either cried or laughed.
"There were two bottles of purified water in the room. The shop owners were already asleep, so I didn't disturb them. I poured myself a bottle of purified water to drink. When I went to take a shower, I found that the sink in the bathroom was not working, so I could only wet a towel with purified water and wipe myself down briefly."
"The next day..." He paused, then said in a subtle tone, "The landlady told me that the two bottles of purified water would be charged separately, regardless of whether I finished them or not, it would cost a thousand yuan per bottle. And the stopper of the other bottle was open even though I hadn't touched it."
"..." Cui Tiantian: "Wait, um, if something like this happens, we can call the police, right?"
Yu Jin said helplessly, "I called the police, but it was no use. The price tag for the bottled water was on the check-in information page, and the water was certified by a company I didn't recognize, and it was indeed worth 800 yuan on the market. The hotel added a service fee of 1,000 yuan per bottle, and the police couldn't find fault with that. If they wanted to investigate the company's certification, it would involve other departments, so they could only tell me to go home and wait for news."
He said softly, "The elderly couple asked me why I hadn't come to them when the tap wasn't running. I said I was sorry to disturb them since they were both asleep. They said..."
Everyone stared at him intently.
"'You're just too thin-skinned, who else can you blame?'"
A slight ripple suddenly appeared in his calm eyes, and he was actually smiling.
"I'm not going to talk about it anymore. There are so many more things like this. I've called the police three times in three days. The police must be getting impatient with me by now."
...
Afterwards, Wen Zheng found Cui Tiantian and told her that he wouldn't come next time.
Cui Tiantian, sporting an orange head, let out a long "Eh!"
"What's going on? I just noticed you've become much more lively and cheerful. You should keep up the good work!" Cui Tiantian tried to persuade him: "Look at that 'unlucky guy,' he's so unlucky, yet he still participates..."
"That's not the reason, I'm sorry."
Cui Tiantian stared blankly at him, gradually understanding a subtle unspoken meaning from his expression.
Wen Zheng said, "Thank you very much for your help during this time. I wish you all the best in your work."
After saying that, he tied his scarf, put on his earphones, and turned around decisively, just like every Thursday after class.
Suddenly overwhelmed with a strong sense of reluctance, Cui Tiantian stood up and shouted, "Xiao Zheng!"
Wen Zheng stopped in his tracks.
"I'll consider you graduated now. Let's get in touch again when you come back. I'll treat you to a meal so we can all get together!"
"……OK."
As he walked around the corner, the chanting in his earphones had just begun; Yu Jin was waiting for him there.
"Wen Zheng." He smiled amicably, though he was actually older than Wen Zheng and couldn't quite bring himself to call him "brother." "I was in a bad mood last time and forgot to thank you properly. We're quite destined to meet again, could we add each other on WeChat?"
Wen Zheng looked at him for a while, gave a faint "hmm," and scanned the other person's business card.
Yu Jin wasn't one to pester people. After adding him, he said goodbye and was about to leave when Wen Zheng stopped him, saying, "Don't test others."
“?” Yu Jin turned around.
"The world you see is the result of your own choices." Wen Zheng paused, then added, "If you really run into trouble, call me. Even if I don't come here anymore, you can still contact me."
“…Okay.” Yu Jin smiled, revealing a dimple.
…………
The weather was unpleasant, with a biting wind blowing in your face. Wen Zheng carried the groceries and scrolled through his phone for a while, until his fingers started to stiffen.
The cat was waiting for him at home, and he bought fresh chicken and fish.
He had spent the last two days interacting with Bei Sining in the game, and he started thinking of an excuse to get Bei Sining to come over in person.
The cat beauty pageant is in a week, and I don't know if I'll have a chance before then.
It has been confirmed by him that Bei Sining and Dahei can coexist. I wonder if he used some kind of clone method—it seems that cat spirits are not just about eating, playing, and sleeping.
Just then, the phone rang. Wen Zheng listened for a while and was somewhat surprised.
It's that professor from Weibo that day, named Xia Yaqiu.
After a moment's thought, Wen Zheng accepted the invitation and immediately dialed Bei Sining's number.
He endured the north wind and waited quite a while before the other person's noble voice finally rang out: "Hmm?"
Wen Zheng was unaware that his expression had softened: "A professor who plays the piano is looking for you and wants to ask you some questions. Would you like to go?"
Author's Note: Big Black: Where's my food?! Why isn't it back yet?!
(Hi everyone, this is Xingxing, who tried to finish before midnight but missed it. I bought a bunch of things that Zhengzheng and Mingzhu liked while shopping, and I'll be giving them all away in a giveaway once I finish writing this!)
Chapter 63
Wen Zheng thought Bei Sining would agree quickly, but to his surprise, she said she would think about it.
Is Bei Sining unhappy?
Wen Zheng was worried, but then realized he had been out long enough, so he picked up the groceries and jogged home.
As he pushed open the door, the smart home system didn't utter a single word before Wen Zheng slapped it back down. Big Black was no longer watching the projector or perched on the table looking outside. Wen Zheng quietly pushed open the bedroom door, revealing a large, dark figure nestled in the center of his bed.
Sleeping? Are you feeling unwell?
Wen Zheng walked over quietly, reached out and touched the base of Da Hei's two ears, and gently tugged them in the middle.
Soft fur slid along with the skin, and warm blood flowed beneath it. The big black dog grunted in its throat, its ears twitched back and forth, and it flattened its paws even further.
It seems there's no problem.
So? Are you hungry?
With that thought in mind, Wen Zheng didn't delay any longer. He went to the kitchen and made a red and white meatball and baked a slice of lean pork jerky.
Although he knew that Dahei could eat anything, and he didn't restrict its diet by occasionally giving it cakes, candies, ice cream, and beer, he was still worried about the cat's health. So when he cooked for himself, he used less oil and salt, learning a healthy lifestyle from the cat.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of cooking, and the oven hummed and vibrated. Wen Zheng, wearing oven mitts, opened the cabinet door, and a wonderful fragrance wafted out with the heat. Suddenly, something soft brushed against his foot. Wen Zheng looked down and chuckled softly, "Hungry?"
This was my first time making dried meat. I didn't add chili or five-spice sauce, but I still added sugar, salt, and oil. It smelled very good after baking, no wonder Dahei was curious.
Before it could cool down naturally, Wen Zheng, relying on the thickness of his palm, pinched off a small piece, blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to Da Hei.
It was the first time Dahei had eaten from his palm. After thinking for a while, it stuck out its little tongue and swished it away twice.
It feels hot and tingly.
Everything was set on the dining table, and Dahei settled into its seat. Wen Zheng began to tell the cat about the evening health group, emphasizing Yu Jin and describing him at length.
“He seemed very well-behaved,” Wen Zheng said. “He was also very polite. After everyone else left, he checked the tables and chairs and emptied the trash that others hadn’t taken with them from under their desks.”
Big Black grunted and puffed, its claws tightening and then loosening.
“When others were speaking, no matter how boring it was, he listened attentively. If it wasn’t just an act of trying hard… he must be a person with high emotional intelligence. And his IQ and comprehension wouldn’t be bad either.”
Wen Zheng's original intention was to analyze whether Yu Jin's impoverished life of working odd jobs everywhere was true. He accidentally praised him a few more times, and Da Hei finally couldn't eat anymore. His round eyes glared at him, full of anger.
Wen Zheng pursed his lips, then changed the subject: "However, I'm not interested in him. I'm more curious about another friend of mine. He's the one who has both emotional intelligence and intellectual ability, and is skilled in both academics and martial arts..."
Big Black flicked its tail, then lowered its head and continued to huff and puff.
Wen Zheng stopped talking about Yu Jin and instead opened Weibo to read some news about the upcoming pet beauty pageant.
Wen Zheng had already posted the news of Dahei's participation on his Weibo, and the comment section was filled with joyful screams. The enthusiasm was no less than that of Clara's fan club.
The thing is, what they said wasn't very cheerful, something about how even though it's very dark, blah blah blah, we still blah blah blah...
Of course, some people with even stronger filters, no, those with the eyes of truth, said, "Big Black is clearly so beautiful, are you all blind? It deserves to win the beauty pageant! I have never seen a cat with such perfect lines, as beautiful as a fine gemstone!"
Wen Zheng swore that he didn't make the order. And it wasn't just one person who said so.
Once upon a time, when he took the first photo of Dahei, there was a barrage of skepticism and criticism.
What does this mean? All my efforts over the past month haven't been in vain. Sure enough, as long as I keep posting Dahei's photos, more and more people will understand it. And once it enters the beauty pageant and is seen by even more people, Dahei will definitely…
"Roar." The black cat raised its paw and swatted away Wen Zheng's hand that was messing with its head.
...or maybe only I can touch it.
When Wen Zheng came out of the shower that evening, he saw Bei Sining's text message reply, saying that she had thought about it and agreed.
Wen Zheng forwarded the time and location that Xia Yaqiu had sent, and added a sentence: "I'm free that day, can I go and see her?"
Bei Sining quickly replied: [Who told you not to come?]
Big Black was sleeping soundly beside him, with a pair of red and blue holographic glasses hanging on the headboard.
How did it manage to appear at the same time as the cat, lying down while replying to his text messages? Wen Zheng turned over, lifted his eyelids, and saw a dark blue.
Bei Sining is not stupid; on the contrary, he is actually very meticulous and careful in hiding his identity.
Is there any taboo surrounding this?
Humans and transvestites... are on completely different paths?
Wen Zheng almost laughed at himself, but his good routine allowed him to quickly fall into a deep sleep.
After his breathing became lighter, the big black dog beside him opened its eyes, its golden pupils shining in the darkness.