Chapter 236: Chapter 229 Why Bother Arguing with a Cat Chapter 236: Chapter 229 Why Bother Arguing with a Cat At that moment, “Xiao Gao” was looking at Zheng Tan and walking towards him.

Upon seeing the malicious glint in Xiao Gao’s eyes, Zheng Tan knew he was out for revenge, definitely because of the trouble Zheng Tan had caused him days before. However, Zheng Tan didn’t immediately run away, wanting to see what this guy was up to. He didn’t feel overly threatened but was curious about how this person planned to retaliate.

As “Xiao Gao” walked towards Zheng Tan, he reached for the sports canvas bag slung across Zheng Tan’s body. The bag was bulging, stuffed full of things, and by the looks of its tightly stretched strap, it seemed quite heavy. Zheng Tan wondered what it could possibly contain.

What was inside? Zheng Tan stared at him.

“Xiao Gao” did not seem to have the intention to immediately pull anything out of the bag, probably waiting for the perfect moment.

Watching the person approaching closer, Zheng Tan withdrew his foot, readying himself to run at any sign of trouble.

As “Xiao Gao” suddenly pulled something out of the bag, Zheng Tan turned and ran towards a nearby copse with lots of trees. While running, Zheng Tan continuously cursed at “Xiao Gao” in his mind.

Dammit, he actually bought a water gun! Aren’t those things meant for children?

Indeed, what Xiao Gao held in his hand was a water gun that looked like a toy, but unlike other toy guns, he had modified it to spray water farther and more accurately.

Zheng Tan, hearing the sound of the water hitting the leaves of a nearby plant, swiftly changed directions, but still got hit by a few “shots.” The water had a hint of lemon scent. Zheng Tan didn’t have many thoughts about the scent, only wondering why the other party would add a lemon smell to the water. If it was just ordinary lemon water, he wasn’t afraid at all, as this level of attack was nothing to Zheng Tan; he just needed to take a shower afterwards.

The person behind didn’t give up even as the cat ran farther away, and Zheng Tan listened to the footsteps chasing him from behind. There weren’t many people walking around here, and even if someone saw this scene, they might not understand what was happening, let alone intervene without knowing the full story.

However, Zheng Tan wasn’t worried; after all, he was on his turf at Chuhua University, a place he had roamed around for nearly three years, making him very familiar with it. He even knew generally who would be where at any given time. From the moment Zheng Tan met “Xiao Gao” and noticed his malicious intent, he had already devised an escape route in his mind.

After chasing and spraying for a while, “Xiao Gao” slowed down, opened his canvas bag, and took out a specially mixed water bottle. His water gun was empty. “Xiao Gao” swiftly unscrewed the bottle cap, refilled the water gun, and continued the chase. He knew which direction that cat had run, and even if he lost him now, he could still catch him later around the cat’s home.

“Xiao Gao” crossed a small grassy area and turned a corner, then saw the black cat again. But what made “Xiao Gao”‘s eye twitch was not just the sight of a black cat, but also an adult Bull Terrier, which, although it looked humorous with a black mark around its eyes as if it had been punched, didn’t make “Xiao Gao” laugh. At that moment, the Bull Terrier was staring at him, its crooked triangular eyes shining with excitement and fierceness.

It was bad enough this cat was cunning, but this scene somewhat upended Xiao Gao’s notion that cats and dogs don’t get along. Normally, if a cat and a dog got along well, one of them, especially the dog, would be more docile. But neither this cat nor the Bull Terrier seemed mild-mannered, looking more like accomplices on the same side.

Xiao Gao could naturally tell the difference between a dog that bites and one that doesn’t, and this Bull Terrier definitely seemed like it would bite fiercely!

Zheng Tan stood behind Zhuangzhuang, letting the much larger Bull Terrier stand in front as a shield from the “shots,” while he watched “Xiao Gao” with a triumphant flick of his tail.

Zhuangzhuang’s owner would come here every day at this time if there was nothing else to do, as this spot was just behind the staff activity center. Recently, a piece of equipment had been stolen in broad daylight, so Zhuangzhuang’s owner brought him here to guard against thieves, not at the front door, but in this quieter backdoor area. Needless to say, the front was monitored, and this shady spot with lots of grass was perfect for Zhuangzhuang to joyfully dig holes.

Even though Xiao Gao saw the leash on the Bull Terrier, he did not want to mess with the dog. Even if the dog couldn’t bite him, its barking could surely attract many people. Besides, he always felt that the dog leash wasn’t very reliable.

“Come out!” “Xiao Gao” called out in a low voice to the dog hiding behind it.

Zheng Tan, standing behind Zhuangzhuang, lifted his chin at “Xiao Gao.” I’m not coming out, what are you going to do about it?!

“Xiao Gao” stood there for a while, until his phone rang in his pocket. After casting a glance at the cat, he turned and walked away in another direction, starting to speak on the phone.

Seeing “Xiao Gao” leaving, Zheng Tan pushed Zhuangzhuang, who had snuggled close with a wagging tail, to the side and stood up to pat its head, thinking about when to bring some bones as a reward for it.

Watching the direction “Xiao Gao” had left, Zheng Tan lifted his leg and walked that way. He hadn’t gone far when he heard “Xiao Gao” speaking on the phone. Xiao Gao was sitting in the woods next to the plastic basketball court, facing the court. Zheng Tan also frequented this area and the sports field not far from this basketball court, often sitting in the grove behind its bleachers, contemplating cat life.

“Xiao Gao” looked back and, not paying further attention to Zheng Tan, continued his conversation.

“What are you up to, are you free now?” asked “Jing Gui” on the other end.

“I wasn’t doing much, just taking revenge on a cat. Oh, didn’t you say last time that cats hate the smell of lemons? It didn’t work though.”

“The cat we used to have really hated lemons. After I wiped the sofa with lemon, that cat never scratched it again. And every time it saw me holding a lemon, it avoided it like the plague. But since you say lemons didn’t work, you might as well try menthol oil next time. The guy next door to me also has a cat, and his cat hates menthol oil.”

“I’ve got better things to do than that, like landing a big deal!”

At that, Jing Gui laughed, “Honestly, I don’t get it. Why make such a fuss over a cat? It’s just a cat.” Since they were good friends, Jing Gui was usually quite casual with his words.

“All right, cut the chatter. Just tell me why you called.”

“Alright, there’s a big deal that I can’t handle, just helping someone get in touch with you. They’ve heard of your reputation ‘Liu Ba’ and want you to take over. The price is negotiable…”

Having said their piece and ending the call, Xiao Gao, or “Liu Ba” as Jing Gui had referred to him, put his phone back in his pocket and snorted, not as a mockery of others but himself. Indeed, this was unnecessary. Time is money, and he’d rather be making money during this time, or even sleeping with a chick instead of running around here spraying cats with water guns? Thinking about it even felt childish, feeling his IQ drop when confronted by a cat.

But…

Liu Ba glanced at the black cat hiding behind a tree watching him, feeling rather helpless. This cat was different from ordinary cats. He had seen all sorts of people and pets outside, but black cats like this one were rare. To put it nicely, it was called “spirit;” more bluntly said, it was “spooky.”

Whether it’s people or spirited animals, it’s not easy for anyone to come into this world. Generally, unless it was a life-and-death grudge, Liu Ba would not easily kill. He liked to engage in interesting and profitable big deals, but he always had a limit. He understood that going beyond this limit, he might not be able to live as leisurely as he wished.

Forget it, the water had been sprayed, and the cat shot a few “shots.” Let’s consider it revenge, no need to make too much fuss over a cat. He lit a cigarette, didn’t take many puffs, just clasped it between his fingers, watching the plastic ball court, silently lost in thought.

Zheng Tan couldn’t see his expression from behind, but he felt suddenly that this person had taken on a somber and somewhat world-weary demeanor. Was it just an act?

As the cigarette nearly burned out, Xiao Gao flicked the stub into a trash can a few meters away, stood up, stretched his arms, took a deep breath, and watched the young students running and sweating on the basketball court, he remarked nostalgically: “My youth,” he paused, then changed his tune and sang, “Never comes back like a little bird—”
As soon as he finished singing, Zheng Tan spotted a blue shadow flying overhead, then landing on a tall plane tree branch by the plastic court.

Liu Ba had noticed it too, raising an eyebrow. He really hadn’t expected someone to keep such a rare bird here and daringly let it out on its own, even if it had a tracking ring, that wasn’t safe, unless the owner was confident.

Just about to leave, Liu Ba sat back down, curiously watching the bird in the tree.

On the plastic court, there was a sizable crowd, evidently, there was a match, not a formal competition, but an inter-departmental friendly match. What was interesting was that currently the two teams, one from the School of Literature characterized by more wits than brawn, and the other from the School of Computer Science characterized by more brawn than wits. One could see the stark contrast just by looking at their respective cheer squads. Watching the posturing dudes on one side and the outwardly reserved girls on the other, and the players each with their own schemes on the field, this match was truly significant! For a friendly match, it certainly put “friendship” first.

The score wasn’t too spread out, hovering around a seven or eight-point difference, with the Computer Science Department leading.

As the Computer Science Department grabbed a rebound and started an offensive push, their cheer squad got excited, with one guy shouting, “Men of the Computer Science!”

Typically, the next call from that side would have been a collective shout of “Crush the School of Literature,” but before they could say it, a sudden voice from above interrupted.

“Ready to welcome the guests!”

Pfft—
Liu Ba, who had just opened a new bottle of mineral water due to thirst, promptly sprayed the water he had just sipped out.

Meanwhile, on the court, as the Computer Science power forward was about to make a stylish hook shot, he tripped, his hand slipped, and he flung the ball straight onto the head of a teacher from the School of Engineering who had come to referee the game.

Zheng Tan shook his ears; not having seen the bird for a while as it had gone south for the winter only to come back, it seemed its mouth had grown even cheekier (to be continued. If you enjoy this content, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote or buy a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read).

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep