Chapter 216: Chapter 213: Too Foolish or Too Bold Chapter 216: Chapter 213: Too Foolish or Too Bold Zheng Tan opened a secret drawer on the cat climbing frame. This particular compartment was specially cleared out by Zheng Tan to store business cards and similar items. Previously, he hadn’t considered collecting business cards; after all, who gives a cat a business card?

But now that he knew more people, there were always some who were rather unique and thought outside the box. For instance, during Wei Leng’s wedding in Ermao and his fellow apprentices’ suite, Zheng Tan had received many business cards. Ermao had helped collect them, and later handed them to Zheng Tan back at the courtyard.

Those who had business cards gave business cards, those who did not simply cut out a piece of paper roughly the size of a business card and wrote down their contact addresses and such. Ermao’s master did just that, inviting Zheng Tan to come visit him sometime and even meet “Dashan.” It wasn’t clear if that invitation was for Zheng Tan or for the Jiao Family behind him, the latter seemed more likely. To these people, what could a cat understand? Managing to collect business cards was already deemed quite impressive.

Pei Liang’s business card was quite professional-looking, a bit more sophisticated since he often traveled and met many people, so he cared about such details. Pei Liang also suggested that Zheng Tan should accompany the Jiao Family on a trip there, to visit scenic places and enjoy some leisure time.

Zheng Tan actually wanted to travel and enjoy some scenic places, but with his current cat appearance, it was impossible to move alone, and the three Jiao Family members were tied down as well. Even on holidays, Jiao Ma wouldn’t dare to take the two kids too far. If they wanted to travel far and enjoy the scenery, they could only wait for Mr. Jiao to return.

Zheng Tan counted the days since Mr. Jiao had left; only half a year had passed, and there was still a wait ahead.

Wei Leng was now married, had a wife, and had recently been busy trying to conceive—giving up smoking and drinking, and no longer visiting Night Building, sticking strictly to rules. Ermao, on the other hand, was often out and about, carefree and joyous with Qin Tao and others. Considering the options, Wei Leng and Ermao were the only ones who occasionally served as Zheng Tan’s “ride” and driver for outings. Now, both were busy with their own matters, making Zheng Tan’s desire to go out impossible.

As for Fang Shaokang, he was now busier than ever, managing large businesses. Zheng Tan had no expectations there.

After looking through the business cards, Zheng Tan sighed in his heart, locked the drawer again, hid the key, stretched lazily, and decided to go for a walk.

Ah Huang and the sheriff were focused on watching sparrows near a few trees in the courtyard; Da Pang was lying on the grass sunbathing, looking incredibly lazy.

Zheng Tan left the courtyard, planning to circle around the main campus road. There weren’t many people around at this time, and traffic was sparse.

Zheng Tan walked carelessly down the main road when suddenly he heard a scolding voice behind him. Turning around, he saw a modified tricycle, more like the kind used for hauling cargo, but the cargo space at the back was smaller and required no pedaling, as it could function as an electric vehicle. There was also a basket at the front.

Riding on the tricycle was an old man with a Border Collie following behind. The dog was the target of the old man’s scolding and had, moments before, run off into some bushes after sniffing something interesting. Judging by its size, the Border Collie was probably not yet adult, but it had plenty of energy. Upon being scolded, it immediately dashed from the bushes and continued to follow the tricycle.

The old man controlled the speed of his tricycle, which was not fast, but the Border Collie, being distracted, had fallen somewhat behind. It wasn’t until the old man passed by Zheng Tan that the dog, like a gust of wind, rushed past Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan, walking on the sidewalk, watched the old man riding on the road, who hadn’t noticed him. After running past Zheng Tan, the Border Collie suddenly stopped, looked at Zheng Tan, wagging its tail and running toward him. It seemed very curious about Zheng Tan the cat, though it showed no malice.

Any ordinary cat, regardless of the dog’s intent, seeing a big dog running towards them, would instinctively run or at least crouch, fluff up their fur, and growl. But Zheng Tan didn’t plan on associating with this dog; he knew it would be called away by the old man soon enough.

Indeed, before the Border Collie could get close, the old man riding ahead called it back. The dog obediently returned. If it were Sahara, you could call a few times and she’d act as if she hadn’t heard, maybe even run further away.

After climbing up a slope, Zheng Tan saw the Border Collie jump onto the old man’s tricycle and crouch in the cargo area, its chin resting on the edge, curiously observing its surroundings.

Zheng Tan thought about it and was sure he had never seen this dog before. Or perhaps in the past few months, he hadn’t roamed around the campus to avoid acquaintances slapping the “Divine Beast” label on him. So, he had ventured out less frequently, spending the summer outside, and though he strolled around in September, he hadn’t covered every place. Maybe there were new members, and it was normal not to have seen them.

Shaking his head, he no longer dwelled on it as it didn’t matter much whether there were new members or not. Then he continued leisurely along the main road.

When he passed by the Physics College building, Zheng Tan glanced over and saw the tricycle parked not far from the entrance. Nearby, the Border Collie was sniffing around the grass. As for the old man, he was standing at the entrance with two other people, including the old man who rode the bike. One was a stranger, but the third person was well known to Zheng Tan.

Thinking about it, it had been a while since he last saw Buddha. Understandable, as Buddha was always busy.

Buddha was as usual, his face always exuding an unshakeable seriousness, standing there with a powerful presence. However, the other two seemed to be quite significant as well, speaking in a relaxed manner, indicating that the three of them knew each other well.

Zheng Tan was a distance away from the entrance to the Physics College and hadn’t planned on getting closer; he was just passing by during his stroll. But as he prepared to leave, the Border Collie sniffing the wildflowers on the grass saw him. The dog immediately, excitedly wagging its tail, ran towards Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan: “…” Dammit, it’s just a cat. What’s there for this dog to be excited about!

Zheng Tan ignored the dog frantically jumping around in front of him, and kept walking along his usual route.

The old man riding a bike was talking to two friends, but he was also keeping an eye on his dog, glancing over when he saw it rush out.

“Oh? It looks like that black cat I’ve seen on the road before,” the old man said.

The other two also looked over, especially Buddha.

“Heitan?!”

“What? Ye He, you know that cat? Whose is it?” the old man asked.

Ye He was Buddha’s real name. The students had started calling him Buddha because his name resembled Ye Henala, and he had a commanding presence; only the teachers called him “Dean Ye,” “Professor Ye,” “Teacher Ye,” and those of similar status called him Ye He.

“Tan Fang, quickly call your dog over, don’t let it bite the cat,” Buddha told the old man.

“It’s fine, Cola won’t really bite; he just wants to find a friend to play with. He just arrived not long ago and hasn’t made many friends yet, so he’s excited to see a new friend. My son used to have a black cat at home too, and Cola, with no companions at home, would always cling to that cat to play, but unfortunately, the cat would run as soon as it saw him and would end up hiding on top of tall cabinets. Now we’ve brought Cola here, and he’s lonely at home. You could tell he was longing for companionship on the road just now; he probably feels that any cat that looks like that is an old friend, someone he feels close to.”

The old man explained what had happened on the road earlier, and Tan Fang’s first impression of Zheng Tan was: This cat must be either very stupid or very brave, otherwise, how could it be so calm when facing a dog many times its size?

“Ye He, do you think there’s something wrong with that cat’s intelligence?” Tan Fang asked Buddha.

“Nonsense, that cat is clever, and it’s not afraid of dogs. It lives over at the East District courtyard near the Life Science Institute, in a teacher’s home. This cat is quite famous over there, almost everyone in the district knows it. I also got to know about it through a student. Tan Fang, call your dog back!” Buddha was still worried the dog might harm Zheng Tan.

“Alright then,” the old man called the dog back, but he thought to himself that he would take the dog for a walk after dinner.

Tan Fang had just moved to West District courtyard this summer. He used to live outside, but this year he decided to move into the university housing because his granddaughter had been admitted to Chuhua University, and he wanted to live with her and take care of her. He wasn’t very familiar with many things at the university.

While Zheng Tan continued his stroll around the campus, he was unaware that the old man on the electric bike was inquiring about him.

Tan Fang was surprised by what he found out. Although he knew the information was not comprehensive and might be exaggerated, from what he did know, it was clear this cat was quite cunning, especially concerning its role in catching a thief. People say a dog catching a mouse is meddlesome, so what about a cat catching a thief? It even took over the dog’s job. As for the credibility of these claims, they were just rumors and shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but there’s usually no smoke without fire. He decided it was worth checking out sometime, especially since his own dog had finally found a playmate at the university; he was free anyway, so going to take a look seemed like a good idea.

After dinner.

Zheng Tan lay on the couch, tugging at his ear, reluctantly watching the old man and the dog in the living room.

Near the couch, Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi were crowded around the Border Collie called “Cola.” Perhaps it was because dogs tend to evoke children’s enthusiasm more easily, but Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi seemed to like the Border Collie.

Meanwhile, Jiao Ma was warmly smiling and chatting with the old man named Tan.

Tan Fang had merely mentioned he was a retired professor from the Physics College, but Jiao Ma was perceptive enough to guess from the old man’s casual mention of Buddha’s name that his status was similar to Buddha’s.

Recognizing someone of a status similar to Buddha’s made Jiao Ma somewhat nervous, even though the man appeared very approachable. Jiao Ma didn’t dare to take it lightly. Getting to know a big shot, regardless of whether he was from Mr. Jiao’s college or not, could be beneficial when Mr. Jiao returned. These old men were quite influential. Therefore, Jiao Ma had been extremely courteous,
Often, human interactions can become much closer and more familiar starting from pets. The old man primarily talked about pets which gradually led Jiao Ma to talk about her own cat, easing much of the pressure she felt. However, her smile soon stiffened.

“I now take Cola out for a bike ride every week since your cat is so sensible and often goes out as well. Next time I take Cola out, I might as well take your cat out for a walk too,” Tan Fang said, as if he was doing them a favor.

Jiao Ma: “…” Why does everyone like to take our cat outside?! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep