Chapter 440 - 439: What-if Storyline: Did the Big Shots Vie for Favor Today? 8

Chapter 440: Chapter 439: What-if Storyline: Did the Big Shots Vie for Favor Today? 8

"Oh, the rest is for your trouble."

The two didn’t seem to care. Worried the cat would stay hungry, they urged him impatiently, "Just go buy it already."

Wang Xiaotao glanced at the cat on the medical bed, swallowed the words he wanted to say, and quickly took the money and ran off.

A few minutes later, he returned with a bowl of rice soup.

Considering that cats can’t eat hot food, he’d even found a way to cool the rice soup down a bit. Under the watchful eyes of Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng, he carefully fed the cat.

After about half a bowl of rice soup, Shi Lan’s empty stomach finally felt a little better, and the hunger cramps subsided.

She let out a few soft, contented purrs. Although Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng didn’t get too close, they were keeping a close eye on her condition.

When they heard the sound, they thought something else was wrong with the cat and hurriedly called the vet back over.

The vet shook his head helplessly. "Don’t be so anxious, young men. When a cat makes that sound, it means it’s comfortable and relaxed. Nothing to worry about."

"Oh."

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng blinked. The thought that the cat was making this sound because of their help gave them a strange sense of accomplishment. It was way more satisfying than getting into a fight.

Just then, Wang Xiaotao walked over with the leftover money. "The rice soup cost three yuan. Here’s the remaining 197. It’s yours."

Mu Tangfeng was displeased. "I said it’s yours, so it’s yours. What, you looking down on us?"

Jiang Xia’s eyes widened. "Yeah, didn’t we say it was for your trouble?"

"But... but this is way too much."

It was almost enough to cover his food expenses for two months.

Pride and desire warred in Wang Xiaotao’s mind. On one hand, he felt that even if you’re poor, you can’t be shameless; he shouldn’t be greedy for things that weren’t his. On the other hand, the young masters were giving it to him as a reward. To them, this money was just a drop in the bucket, but to him, it was crucial. Why couldn’t he take it?

In the end, Wang Xiaotao decided to only accept the extra seven yuan as payment for the errand. Unfortunately, the two wouldn’t hear of it, looking like they’d get angry if he didn’t take it all.

After a moment, Mu Tangfeng added, "It’s not just about running an errand. From now on, you’re going to help us take care of this cat."

"Huh?"

It was the first time Wang Xiaotao had ever heard such a request, but he readily agreed. His family was poor, but raising a small cat wouldn’t be difficult. He couldn’t bear to see the cat become a stray again, either. However, the two of them would definitely need to cover its medical expenses.

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng had no objections.

Having been assigned a new keeper without her consent, Shi Lan listened and sized up Wang Xiaotao. ’It’s hard to go from a life of luxury to one of frugality, but having a meal ticket is better than being homeless and wandering the streets.’ She breathed a sigh of relief.

’I guess these two have a conscience after all. I’ll let it slide that they called me ugly.’

After this encounter, Wang Xiaotao discovered that the two boys everyone called the school bullies were actually pretty kind-hearted. They’d even rescued a stray cat.

Aside from their bad tempers, they were decent guys overall.

’Looks like you can’t always believe what you hear.’

Since it was getting late, and they confirmed that apart from malnutrition from starvation and a case of ringworm, the cat had no major issues, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng reluctantly said their goodbyes.

Wang Xiaotao then took the medicated cat home.

「Meanwhile, at the He family residence.」

Mr. He looked at the scratch on his son’s hand with displeasure. "It seems a stray is still a stray. After all this time, it’s still not tamed."

He Hanshi’s face was grim, his lips pressed into a tight line. He stared as the doctor bandaged his wound, his expression dark. "No, it’s... it’s not the same. Pumpkin would never do this to me."

"It was probably because I insisted on holding her today. She must have been unhappy. It’s all my fault."

He Hanshi explained on Pumpkin’s behalf.

Mrs. He glanced under the sofa. Pumpkin had seemed relatively normal during the day. Although she ate more voraciously than usual, she was generally docile.

But when her son reached out to hold her, she reacted as if she’d been provoked, scratching the back of his hand until it bled. Then she hid under the sofa and hadn’t come out since.

Mrs. He tried calling to her gently, just like she always did. "Pumpkin, come to Grandma."

She waited patiently for a moment, but it was quiet under the sofa. There was still no response. If not for the glint of golden eyes in the reflection on the floor, Mrs. He would have thought she was gone.

Mr. He looked from one to the other. His son was a cat-lover who wouldn’t see reason, and his wife was also quite fond of the cat. In just over a month, the two of them had been completely wrapped around this cat’s little finger.

Before, Mr. He wouldn’t have cared. But if this cat could scratch his son today, it could scratch his wife tomorrow, and maybe even bite someone the day after. Keeping such a wild and untamable pet was too risky.

Mr. He said directly, "We’re taking this cat to a shelter tomorrow. You’re not allowed to keep it in the house anymore."

"No!"

Mrs. He didn’t speak. It was He Hanshi who retorted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Since you won’t let me keep her in the main house, Dad, I’ll just take her to the house I bought."

"Either way, I’m not giving Pumpkin away to someone else."

If they sent the cat away, Mr. He figured his son would leave too, and they couldn’t bear the thought of He Hanshi, with his mobility issues, living alone in his own villa.

Mr. He knew his son always meant what he said. He glanced at his son’s legs and finally relented. "I won’t send her away, but she must be confined to the pet room. She’s not allowed to run around the house."

"Okay."

This time, He Hanshi agreed.

Mr. He sent several servants to catch the cat from under the sofa. Although Pumpkin was chubby, she was agile, darting swiftly between them.

In the process, she knocked over and broke several decorative items and pieces of porcelain, with the total damages exceeding ten million yuan.

Mr. He’s head throbbed. It wasn’t about the money; it was that the arrangements he had so carefully curated were ruined in an instant.

He ground his teeth. "Just catch her already!"

He Hanshi added, "Don’t hurt her."

The servants, caught between the two conflicting orders from their employers, hesitated. In the end, after expending a great deal of energy and sustaining several more injuries, they finally managed to catch Pumpkin. They then took her upstairs to the one-bedroom, one-living-room pet suite that had been custom-built for her.

Pumpkin shrieked shrilly in the servant’s arms. He Hanshi looked into her eyes. The once-bright, intelligent eyes held none of their former familiarity—only strangeness and vigilance.

He frowned slightly and touched the gauze on his hand, a heavy feeling settling in his chest.

’This isn’t my Pumpkin.’

’Where did my Pumpkin go?’

As the one who first found her, He Hanshi knew Pumpkin’s personality better than anyone. It was no exaggeration to say that the Pumpkin he saw today had undergone a complete personality change.

She wolfed down her food, unlike her usual self, who, while eager, still had a certain refined daintiness.

After using the litter box, Pumpkin would always carefully clean her paws. She would never kick litter everywhere; she always buried her waste meticulously.

And she would certainly never disobey him or ignore him.

’So, this isn’t my Pumpkin at all.’

He Hanshi suspected that someone, jealous of his incredibly smart cat, had secretly swapped her in the night. But all of Pumpkin’s physical features indicated that this was indeed her.

’That’s why I can’t send her away. I have to wait for my real Pumpkin to come back.’