Chapter 438 - 437: What If: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 6

Chapter 438: Chapter 437: What If: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 6

He Hanshi would never have imagined that one day he’d be saying such things to a cat.

Shi Lan was nestled in his arms, her ears drooping. She didn’t feel like listening.

’I’m just a cat. Why do I need to understand so much?’

But since she wasn’t responding, He Hanshi just kept talking.

It was the first time Shi Lan had found him so naggy. In the end, she reluctantly placed a paw on his hand as a sign of agreement, and only then did he shut up.

In truth, even if He Hanshi hadn’t said anything, she wouldn’t have run off.

The world wasn’t always kind to pets. Besides, He Hanshi’s family was so well-off. She had her own judgment; this was her long-term meal ticket. Barring any accidents, she had no intention of leaving.

That’s what Shi Lan thought, anyway. But who could have predicted that an accident was just about to happen?

One moment, she was lying in her luxurious, meter-wide, ten-thousand-yuan cat bed. The next thing she knew, she woke up in a dim alley.

Even the most prosperous places have their filthy little corners. Shi Lan was always careful about her safety. The places she had lived before were all decent residential complexes. Even in her earliest, toughest days, she would avoid shady spots and steer clear of danger.

So, she had never been to a place this filthy. She was surrounded by discarded trash and the stench of dead rats, making her want to retch.

Shi Lan looked down and saw a black garbage bag, which had held who-knows-what, stuck to her paw. She frantically shook it off and immediately ran out of the alley.

After running aimlessly for a while, Shi Lan heard the sound of people arguing.

She wasn’t one to poke her nose into other people’s business. She had no intention of going over, wanting only to find He Hanshi quickly and figure out what on earth had happened.

But as she happened to pass a puddle, her gaze swept over it, and her fur suddenly stood on end.

’Is that ugly thing in the reflection me?’

’How could there be such an ugly cat?’

Its fur was matted everywhere and looked coarse. There was a black patch around its right eye, and the rest of its fur was a patchy yellow. Most importantly, it was skin and bones, and filthy from head to toe—nothing like the plump, cute orange cat she had been just a short while ago.

Shi Lan felt like her world was collapsing!

After finally accepting that she’d become a cat and started living the good life of a rich man’s pet, she had now turned into another cat—and such an ugly one at that. She was afraid even He Hanshi wouldn’t recognize her if he were standing right in front of her.

She stared at her reflection in the puddle, pitying herself, and couldn’t stop the tears from welling up over her tragic fate.

Just then, a harsh, mocking voice reached her ears. "Haha, Jiang Xia, look! That ugly cat is looking at itself in the water."

"Look at its face. It’s not about to cry from its own ugliness, is it?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xia turned to look and also burst out laughing.

"Why does its face look so much like a one-eyed wolf? Its ugliness is truly one-of-a-kind."

Shi Lan was already heartbroken that her good life was over, and now it would be hard to find a meal ticket looking like this. Hearing the two of them mock her, she couldn’t hold back her tears, which dripped down and splashed into the puddle beneath her.

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng, who had just been casually mocking an ugly cat as they passed by, instantly fell silent.

After a long moment, Jiang Xia finally spoke, his voice full of disbelief. "Is... is that cat... crying?"

Mu Tangfeng licked his dry lips. "I think so."

They exchanged a single sentence and then fell into a strange silence, but they could still hear the kitten’s soft sobs.

For once, the two young masters, who were used to throwing their weight around and doing nothing productive, felt a rare pang of guilt.

Mu Tangfeng poked Jiang Xia’s arm. "Hey, you go check on it."

Jiang Xia’s eyes widened, and he immediately shook his head. "No way. I’m allergic to animal fur."

"If anyone’s going, it should be you."

Mu Tangfeng’s face scrunched up, turning red. "I’m not going. It’s so filthy."

Back and forth they went, but neither took a single step closer.

Finally, they glanced at each other, reached a silent agreement, and simultaneously headed toward the sounds coming from another noisy alley.

In the alley, several people were fighting. Or rather, three people were one-sidedly bullying a scrawny boy.

"What’s all the noise?"

Jiang Xia yelled irritably. Mu Tangfeng followed close behind, kicking a nearby plastic bottle out of the way.

The three bullies, who were about to see who was being so reckless, turned their heads. The moment they saw Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng, the angry looks on their faces vanished, replaced by fawning smiles. "Young Master Jiang, Mr. Mu, what brings you to a place like this?"

"It’s too dirty in here. If there’s something you need, we can talk outside."

"Don’t touch me!"

Mu Tangfeng’s eyes flashed as he shot an icy glare at the person who was about to approach him.

The person wouldn’t have dared to touch him; he was just trying to show him the way.

Now, he was so scared he didn’t dare move a muscle.

Jiang Xia asked again, annoyed, "I said, what are you doing? Who’s that on the ground?"

The leader of the group scratched his head guiltily. "Uh, he’s a student from Class 7 of the third year. I was asking him for protection money, but he wouldn’t pay up."

"Protection money?"

"You have the nerve to collect something like that?"

Jiang Xia looked shocked and kicked him. "Who said anything about collecting protection money?"

The boy on the ground, who was groaning in pain, looked up at the two of them and let out a pained, scornful laugh. "He said you told him to collect it. And now you’re putting on an act?"

"What, you’re rich young masters, but you still need to cheat us poor people out of our money?"

Anger instantly flared in Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng, their expressions turning ugly. The scrawny boy saw them raise their legs and thought they were going to beat him out of shame and anger. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the next moment, a cry of pain rang out.

He frantically opened his eyes to see their feet landing on the leader from both sides. "When did we ever say we were collecting protection money?"

The leader, who had been kicked several times, fell to the ground in a sorry state. But he didn’t dare show the slightest bit of resentment toward them. After all, these two young masters were known for hounding anyone who displeased them until the person voluntarily applied to withdraw from school. With their powerful family backgrounds, not even the principal dared to say anything to them, let alone small fries like him.

Mu Tangfeng, disgusted that his shoes were dirty, scuffed them on a clean spot on the side, muttering that he’d throw them away when he got back. He then turned and said menacingly, "Get lost. Next time I hear you’re doing shady business in our name, don’t even think about hanging around here anymore."

Not satisfied, Jiang Xia gave each of the three bullies another kick. "Good thing, I hadn’t gotten into a fight yet today. Finally a chance to stretch my muscles."

The three of them scrambled away meekly, gathering their things in a panic.

With a few less people, the alley fell quiet again. Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng, still thinking about the little cat outside, stared at the scrawny boy lying on the ground and asked, "Do you know how to take care of a cat?"

The boy wasn’t sure if these two were good or bad, but in any case, their reputation at school was terrible.

He didn’t want to deal with them. But Mu Tangfeng was impatient and, being a germaphobe, couldn’t stand the filth here. He snapped harshly, "Hurry up and answer."

The scrawny boy flinched. Worried about their methods and afraid he’d also be forced to drop out of school, he clutched his backpack tightly and nodded timidly. "I do."

"Good enough. Come with us."

The expressions on Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng’s faces softened slightly.

The scrawny boy was completely bewildered. Not daring to anger them, and already aching all over, he really didn’t want another beating, so he obediently followed.