Chapter 439 - 438: What If: Did the Big Shots Vie for Favor Today? 7

Chapter 439: Chapter 438: What If: Did the Big Shots Vie for Favor Today? 7

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng were walking up ahead. When they noticed the boy hadn’t kept up after a bit, they turned and snapped, "Hurry up!"

"Coming..."

The skinny boy flinched, startled. He scrambled to pick up the plastic bottle Mu Tangfeng had kicked, shoved it into his backpack, and limped after them on his injured leg.

Mu Tangfeng was full of disdain. "Why are you picking up that filthy thing? Stay away from me."

Boys at that age were typically full of pride, but poverty had long forced the skinny boy to abandon such superficial concerns.

Still, his face flushed red. Standing before the glamorous young masters, he felt a sense of shame and inferiority. After a moment, he clutched his backpack tighter and forced himself to retort, "Do you think I’m like you guys? I have to collect plastic bottles to sell for money."

Jiang Xia was baffled. "You can get money for those?"

Mu Tangfeng was just as confused. "Garbage can actually be traded for money?"

Having been pampered their whole lives, the two truly didn’t understand the struggles of the poor. They only saw the idea of selling plastic bottles for money with novelty and confusion, not with any sense of contempt or mockery.

The skinny boy pressed his lips together. The embarrassment in his heart inexplicably faded, replaced by a sliver of pride—pride that these young masters were so ignorant of such things.

He gave a slight nod.

"Yeah. A pound of plastic bottles sells for one yuan."

He’d been beaten up by those three guys earlier today. It all started when he saw them throw away a plastic bottle. He couldn’t resist going to pick it up, which gave them an excuse to cause trouble. They even tried to steal the money he’d made from selling scraps. It wasn’t much—only about ten yuan—but that was his food money for the whole week.

"Only one yuan..."

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng both muttered to themselves. They finally looked up, sizing up the skinny boy’s worn-out school uniform, and their attitude toward him softened a little.

The two led him to the spot where they had found Shi Lan, only to see that the ugly cat who had been looking at its reflection in the puddle was gone.

"Fuck, where’s the cat?"

Mu Tangfeng couldn’t help but swear. Jiang Xia was indignant, too. "It’s all because those guys wasted our time."

"In the state that ugly cat was in, you don’t think it’ll starve to death by tomorrow, do you?"

The two of them couldn’t help but worry. The cat was ugly, sure, but they had made it cry with their insults. For once, they felt a rare sense of guilt and wanted to make it up to it.

Mu Tangfeng looked at Jiang Xia. "This is all your fault. I told you to go check on the cat earlier."

Jiang Xia shot back, refusing to take the blame. "Why didn’t you go? Didn’t I tell you I’m allergic to animal fur?"

"But that cat barely had any fur! It was all matted and sticky. It was hideous."

"Then why didn’t you go?"

"Because it was too filthy, wasn’t it?"

The two started bickering back and forth. Listening to their argument, the skinny boy guessed it was about a cat. Fearing their crossfire might turn on him, he did his best to shrink into the background and make himself invisible.

However, Shi Lan hadn’t left. She had been secretly following the two of them, originally planning to find a chance for revenge. ’After all, they were the ones who insulted me.’ But after seeing them help the bullied boy, she temporarily abandoned the idea.

Right now, taking advantage of her small size, she was hiding in a dry drainage ditch not far from them. Only her small, furry head peeked out. ’Should I go out there or not?’

’I seem to be in the body of a stray cat now, and I’m in much worse shape than Pumpkin ever was. My stomach is even starting to cramp from hunger.’

’If I don’t get something to eat soon, I might really starve to death.’

’But my soul is still human. I can’t bring myself to dig through a trash can for food. I have to find myself a meal ticket, and fast.’

Shi Lan hesitated, wondering if she should latch onto these two.

After a long moment of deliberation, seeing that they were about to leave, Shi Lan finally stumbled out of the drainage ditch. She kept her distance, however, her round green eyes watching them warily.

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng were still arguing. The skinny boy was the first to spot her.

"Is this the cat?"

The arguing stopped abruptly. The two boys looked down, and smiles simultaneously appeared on their faces.

"Ah, ug—AHEM, little cat, you didn’t leave?"

Mu Tangfeng managed to swallow the word "ugly" just in time, afraid the fragile-hearted cat would start crying again.

Jiang Xia’s face lit up with pleasant surprise. He excitedly took two steps toward the cat. "This is great! You’re still here."

The stray cat’s body had a strong, instinctual fear of humans. Shi Lan couldn’t stop her fur from bristling, but she forcefully suppressed the urge to bolt. She just stared at Jiang Xia with wide eyes. After a moment’s hesitation, she let out a soft meow.

’My meal ticket... I need a meal ticket... a body has to eat...’

Jiang Xia’s eyes lit up. He shot a triumphant look back at Mu Tangfeng. "Did you hear that? The ugly cat was being cute with me. It likes me."

Hearing the words "ugly cat" again, Shi Lan couldn’t help but grit her teeth in secret.

Mu Tangfeng’s tone was sour—after all, he had been the one to find it. "Says who? It just meowed once. You’re so conceited."

Jiang Xia didn’t care. In fact, that single meow made even this ugly cat start to look more pleasing to his eyes.

Shi Lan was famished and dizzy. She couldn’t stand any longer. Her body swayed, and she collapsed.

"Little cat, are you okay?"

Jiang Xia cried out anxiously. Even Mu Tangfeng suppressed his germaphobia and moved a little closer.

Unfortunately, Shi Lan no longer had the strength to respond. As her consciousness faded, she heard the two boys frantically telling the skinny boy to pick her up and take her to a vet.

When she woke up again, Shi Lan felt a little better. She opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings, confirming that she was at a veterinary hospital.

Then, two large heads leaned into her view. Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng shouted excitedly, "Doctor, it’s awake!"

Shi Lan’s gaze fell on their faces, so close to hers. For the first time, she noticed they both had celebrity-like looks. They were handsome, brimming with youthful energy, and their expressions were full of spirit.

Perhaps to celebrate the fact that she was still alive, she curled her lips into a slight smile. Because of this strange grin, her ugly, gray, and dusty cat face gained a lively sparkle.

Even Jiang Xia couldn’t help but comment, "What’s going on? I’m starting to think this cat is kind of ugly-cute."

For once, Mu Tangfeng agreed, but he quickly added, "It’s a shame about the hair loss, though. It’s still ugly."

His comment was a little milder this time. Only then did Shi Lan realize she felt a chill all over her body.

Just then, the doctor came over. He must have overheard the boys, because he explained, "The cat is too skinny and has ringworm. Shaving the fur off will help it grow back better."

"She likely fainted from hunger. Go buy some rice water to feed her."

As he spoke, the doctor used a small tube to drip some warm water into Shi Lan’s mouth. She eagerly swallowed it, and the warmth spread through her empty stomach.

"Rice water?"

The young masters had never even heard of such a thing. Too lazy to go themselves, they each pulled out a hundred-yuan bill and stuffed it into the skinny boy’s hand. "Hey, you go buy it."

"By the way, what’s your name?"

It was too much trouble to keep calling him "hey," so for once, they actually bothered to ask for his name.

The skinny boy stared at the two crisp, red hundred-yuan bills and replied quietly, "My name is Wang Xiaotao."

Then he added, "The rice water won’t cost this much. One hundred is more than enough."