Chapter 240: Chapter 233: Living BC Chapter 240: Chapter 233: Living BC On Saturday, Zheng Tan became familiar with the general details of the event and the venue layout. There were many visitors that day, especially those who liked cats but couldn’t keep one for various reasons. They fully indulged their visual appetites, and as they left, they planned to come back together the next day.

On the way back to the hotel, Zheng Tan listened to Charlie and the others discussing the day’s events. Xiao Guo had gone out to expand his contacts and was reasonably pleased with the first day’s gains; he had won three medals. While not an excellent achievement, it wasn’t bad either—enough to save face. The bulk of Xiao Guo’s profits came from cat food and related products; sales at the cat food section had been good that day, and several people had contacted Xiao Guo for supply.

It was said that the cat of the woman who had caused a fuss on the bus, who was traveling with Xiao Guo’s team, had not achieved a satisfactory result either, and had almost fought with another contestant’s cat. However, though the woman felt some regret about not winning any awards, she still cherished her own cat, which improved Zheng Tan’s impression of her.

Actually, many cat owners participating in the event, even if their own cats hadn’t won any awards and were merely there for a minor role, didn’t mind much. They weren’t like those primarily interested in breeding who advertised their breeding cats as a business. At the venue, Zheng Tan saw several cat owners consoling each other, and some even comforted their own cats, regardless of whether their cats were feeling down about not winning or if they were just trying to remind themselves that participation was what mattered. In their hearts, their own cats were always the best.

Zheng Tan didn’t pay close attention to other people’s discussions, knowing merely that Xiao Guo and their team had done fairly well on the first day was enough; he needed to prepare more for tomorrow’s events. That evening, Zheng Tan and Jin Ling practiced together again.

Actually, it was mainly Zheng Tan who was active; Jin Ling just needed to sit there and be a satisfactory vase.

When Xiao Guo returned in the evening, he was worried that Zheng Tan might have some psychological pressure, but was surprised to find Zheng Tan already asleep on the bed when he entered.

Compared to Zheng Tan’s calmness, Xiao Guo was somewhat worried. Even though the cat performed well during their usual commercial shoots, the venue would be crowded the next day, and the audience, especially screaming children, could negatively affect the cat’s mood. Several cats competing had deteriorated in condition today. Sometimes, being oblivious has its advantages. The cats from Xiao Guo’s own shop competing in the event, if one were to discuss their mental fortitude, there really wasn’t much to say—they were just a bit slow in reacting and too gentle in disposition.

Zheng Tan was different from other cats, Xiao Guo knew, and precisely because the first day’s gains had been so good, he hoped even more people would learn about “Green Wing,” “Mingming Pet Center,” and the product line he had founded the next day.

It should yield good results, right?

That night, despite having drunk a lot and normally falling asleep immediately, Xiao Guo unusually suffered from insomnia and only managed to sleep after midnight.

The next day, on the second day of the event, Zheng Tan got up early in the morning, refreshed after a good breakfast. He picked up a towel that Charlie had just dampened and still warm, wiped his face with it, and then accompanied Xiao Guo’s group to the venue.

Before getting off the car, Zheng Tan looked out the window to see many people gathered outside the venue where several stalls selling various pet daily essentials were set up, along with various cat climbing frames displayed.

There was a long line at another entrance to the venue, and many people had brought their cats because the venue was hosting a series of free services for pet cats, including grooming, vaccination, and physical examinations. Of course, the free services were limited; if one wanted more detailed services, they’d definitely need to book an appointment and go directly to the physical store, and today’s free services were merely a showcase for the cat owners.

The layout inside the venue had also been slightly altered. A space in the center had been cleared for the cat performance and interaction segment.

Xiao Guo had just arrived at the venue when he was pulled aside to discuss matters. When he left, he instructed Charlie and Jin Ling to take Zheng Tan to familiarize himself with the environment.

Zheng Tan watched as the staff checked the cats and their owners who were participating in this segment, confirming once again whether there were any objections to the order of appearance. After all, the sequence had been determined by drawing lots, and no one could blame anyone else. Some changes in order might occur only if unforeseen circumstances prevented timely arrivals.

There were ten cats participating in this segment. Zheng Tan was the seventh. If it started at nine o’clock, and counting fifteen minutes per cat, it would run until eleven o’clock. Of course, the exact timing for each cat was not absolute. Some might finish in five minutes, while others might take longer. What determined these durations were the cats’ performances and their popularity, which could engage the audience more and prompt requests for photos. The more popular a cat, the longer its segment could last.

Zheng Tan glanced at the list in Charlie’s hands and then, uninterested, shifted his gaze elsewhere.

By then, some of the cats and their owners who were participating in this segment had started to arrive. Zheng Tan scanned them briefly. The cats looked sharp and their interaction with their owners or trainers indicated their familiarity with them. Moreover, none of the cats wore leashes, though a few were dressed in cute outfits that seemed quite fitting. Zheng Tan also noticed that most of these cats were not purebred luxury cats, which made sense considering that many luxury breeds have their own deficiencies.

Up on the second floor, some people were already standing, looking expectantly toward the empty space on the first floor.

“BC, let’s go!” Charlie called to Zheng Tan. They needed to go over there to sign in, as the staff needed to verify the attendees against the photos submitted at registration.

Because they were appearing publicly, Xiao Guo had instructed them to refer to Zheng Tan as “BC” during the event. The registration form listed the contestant’s name as “Black C,” with the breed noted as a domestic cat.

With only ten contestants, the verification and signing process did not take long. Jin Ling walked Zheng Tan around briefly before they rested on the side.

“It’s starting, it’s starting!” someone in the crowd called out to their companion.

Zheng Tan swept a glance over the rapidly gathering crowd. Many people were holding cameras and DVs, and a few fathers let their children sit on their shoulders, with the children holding DVs aimed in their direction.

Seeing all the attention, Zheng Tan, who had initially been indifferent, felt that he absolutely must not perform poorly later. Since he had decided to participate in the event, he had to show some skills and ensure that those with cameras and DVs would not be too disappointed.

The first cat to appear had had extra thought put into it by its owner. The clothes on the cat did not hinder its movements, and it made its entrance by rolling a ball while standing on it.

Rolling the ball might seem simple, but it actually wasn’t. Zheng Tan had tried it several times at the pet center when he first started and had failed multiple times before finally getting the hang of it.

“Great!” someone clapped their hands and cheered.

I don’t know if they were a shill.

After that person cheered and applauded, the surrounding crowd also started clapping.

After the cat rolled the ball, it also jumped through hoops and hurdled, which were acts that people had seen on circus shows on TV. However, experiencing it live felt different.

At the end of the performance, the cat stood on the person’s shoulder, bowing to the audience, which triggered another round of applause. It wasn’t too bothered by the flashes from the cameras, merely squinting its eyes, showing a level of composure overall. After the performance, a few lucky audience members who had won entry tickets got to take photos with the cat and its owner.

Zheng Tan watched carefully. Several officials had already started asking people in the crowd to avoid using flash, as not every cat was as indifferent to it as the one in the opening act.

The performances by the following cats were more or less the same, with some male audience members’ attention drifting towards the cat owners who wore cat ears.

A cat ensemble performing with musical instruments garnered a lot of attention. These instruments were different from professional ones, leaning more towards children’s toys yet still capable of making sounds, and they had been specially modified for cats to operate. Although the ensemble only played simple tunes like “Happy Birthday,” and even got a few notes wrong, the people still clapped enthusiastically.

The cat before Zheng Tan performed on the parallel bars, only using its front paws to move from one end of the bars to the other. When playing on the horizontal bar, it added a few more moves, which was quite impressive for a cat.

Zheng Tan had initially thought that people might be dissatisfied with the simplicity of the performances, but it turned out he had worried too much. People didn’t have very high expectations for animals; even if the cats just jumped through a couple of hoops and did a few somersaults, the audience would still feel it was worth coming.

“The seventh participant, from Chuhua City’s ‘Green Wing’ Association, BlackC!” The host hesitated for a moment while announcing the name, as it was rare for a cat to have such a name. Even if it was an English name, it was strange—Black was understandable, but “C”? What did “C” mean? Were there also Black “A,” Black “B,” etc.?

The surrounding audience members got excited when they heard the host announce the name.

“Holy cow, is that THE BC? The real BC! I never expected to actually see BC perform live!”

“I’ve seen its brand’s cat food ads before, and they seemed quite good, but this is live, with no ‘cuts,’ so I wonder how the performance will be.”

“What’s BC? Is it famous?”

“You can tell you don’t really follow the XX pet forums; this cat is very famous on the XX forums. My family uses the cat food brand this cat advertises.”

…

As people discussed who “BlackC” was, the stage crew had already begun setting up the props. As they placed each prop, the attention of the onlookers gradually shifted.

“Holy cow! What is that prop, a wall?”

“Those stools marked with letters… the arrangement is odd. Are they supposed to form a zigzag path?”

“Wow! A real beauty!”

“Is this about to be a Beauty and the Beast show?”

“…Where’s the beast?”

Amid the murmurs of the crowd, Zheng Tan and Jin Ling walked into the arena.

Jin Ling was dressed in a light, fresh style today, looking more like the girl next door. Her smile radiated a sweet, warm feeling that captivated some of the male audience members.

Zheng Tan wore no decorations or little garments, appearing in the arena as is.

As they entered, Jin Ling undoubtedly attracted the most attention, but there were also those in the audience familiar with cats who noticed that the cat appearing now was different from the others.

The cat’s stride was naturally filled with composure and elegance, its tail hanging diagonally downwards with the tip curled up. Coupled with Zheng Tan’s expressionless, “serious” face, someone remarked, “Hey, it really does look like a little black leopard!” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are invited to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote or recommend. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep