Cat-like person
The manga-like appearance of the handsome man was shattered by Chen Sizhe's magic, and his true face beneath was revealed—
The tabby cat was forcibly twisted into human form, its cat face imprinted on the human head. Its dark brown vertical pupils stared sharply at Chen Sizhe in front of it, and its black lips were obscured by its inner canine teeth. Its ears had become airplane ears, and its whiskers swayed with the sides of its upper lip. Its two round eyes bulged out, and its bound body was dressed in human clothing—a suit style from the last century.
"Tsk." Chen Sizhe's eyebrows furrowed, and he instinctively tilted his neck back. The angle of his parted lips was best described as disdain, and everything was understood without words.
Wen Dai, who was some distance away from the cat-like person, raised her hand to shield her eyes. Chen Sizhe's earlier "tsk" sound came out of her mouth, "That's really a mental attack... My eyes hurt a little."
Having been tormented by this thing for months, Dong Ying reacted even more violently. She took a few steps back, covered her mouth, and gagged a few times. Her hand fell onto her arm, scratching it incessantly as if trying to peel off the skin. She was so disgusted that she refused to look at it again. "What the hell is this thing! So disgusting—"
Wen Dai, who had been arguing about her competence, changed her mind. She stood there, her hopeful eyes fixed on Chen Sizhe, which made him turn around.
"Oh, my dear partner, is it alright if I hand it over to you? You're the same sex, right? It's easier to communicate with someone of the same sex." When it came time to pass the buck, she was exceptionally efficient. Wen Dai blinked twice, as if she were flirting.
However, Chen Sizhe, who remained expressionless, was blind to the truth. He turned his face away, refusing to look at the cat-like figure even slightly. He stared at Wen Dai not far away and pulled out his trump card to deal with Wen Dai, "Of course, no problem. I'll pay seven and you three for the reward, that should be fine, right?"
Wen Dai froze, her throat tightening, her slightly widened eyes meeting his directly. "...You cunning little man, Chen Sizhe, you'll die if you don't steal my fortune-telling money, won't you?" She clicked her tongue and sighed, her eyes reluctantly scanning the cat-like figure several times. In truth, she couldn't escape her sensitivity; every glance gave her a headache.
Unable to hide her resistance, Wen Dai slowly moved towards them, stopping beside Chen Sizhe. She pinched the bridge of her nose, secretly hiding her eyes behind her hands, her chin unwilling to lower. "Are you going to tell me your background yourself or what? Don't force me to find out. You won't feel any better if I do that. Forced memories are not as comfortable as honestly recalling them yourself."
However, this cat-like person was an insolent brute even when facing certain death. It sneered, "Don't think I don't know you're using reverse psychology. I think you're just trying to trick me into confessing because you can't see my background. What else can you do besides tying me up?" Its arrogance was truly infuriating.
Efficiency-driven Chen Sizhe stopped his unconsciously fidgeting fingers, straightened up by supporting himself on his knees, and said indifferently, "It's not a cat demon, humph, I knew there couldn't be such an ugly cat demon..." He couldn't help but reveal some uncontrollable contempt.
"The original owner was a man who went abroad to study in his early years and lived there ever since. He died in a car accident at the age of twenty-seven. At the time, he was carrying a bag of dismembered cat carcasses and was about to throw them in the trash can. He had been abusing cats since he was a child, and he didn't stop when he arrived in Country A. All the stray cats in the neighborhood suffered at his hands, and the resentful cat spirits cursed him - 'You brought this on yourself.'"
The past has been exposed, but the evil deeds committed do not bring this cat-like person any remorse. It grins maliciously, its provocative tone particularly infuriating: "So what if I abuse cats? They're disobedient, but who told them to be disobedient? I fed them, I raised them, haven't I treated them well?! Why did they leave me? Why did they try to escape? Why did they dare to accept food from others! They are the ones who brought this upon themselves, you ungrateful beasts!"
His words, however, awakened Dong Ying, who suddenly said, "About half a year ago, I saw a tabby cat while I was feeding cats outside, late at night."
Although Tempe is a safe place, and the city center and campus area are relatively safe at night, Dong Ying was still a little hesitant before going out.
The meowing from downstairs seemed to be just for communication with other cats, but it touched her heart. Dong Ying thought it was fate that she happened to be awake. She carried the cat food and cat treats she had prepared in the room, and after looking around for a while, she opened the door and went downstairs when a cat's "meow" pierced the room.
The temperature difference between day and night was significant, and her thin pajamas were flapping wildly in the wind. Following the sound of meowing, she walked towards a secluded spot and spotted a cat with bright eyes around a corner. Taking a few steps closer, she realized it was a tabby. As she unwrapped the cat food, the tabby abruptly stopped its retreating motion.
"Don't be afraid, come on, eat." Dong Ying said in a very low voice as she bent down and poured the cat food onto the ground.
The unconventional meows she had heard upstairs had turned into gentle "meows." She squatted down in front of the kitten, her face unconsciously flushed with joy.
After a few more rustling sounds, most of the cats that emerged were American Shorthairs, but two large orange tabbies were mixed in. They hesitated and didn't come closer, so Dong Ying poured out several more piles of cat food, held out her hand, and beckoned them, saying, "Come on, come and eat." She opened a large bag of cat treats, took out a few sticks, and fed them.
At the end of the narrow path, a pair of eyes gleaming with a faint light caught Dong Ying's attention. She was feeding the stray cat in front of her with cat treats, but she was looking up at a cat standing quietly in the distance without approaching.
Even after she finished feeding the cat treats to the cats in front of her, the cat still hadn't left. Dong Ying paused for a moment, then stood up and walked into the narrow alley. As she got closer, she was surprised to find that it was actually a tabby cat. Not to mention Tempe, it's extremely difficult to find a stray tabby cat in the entire country of A, unless it's a brown tabby that's being used to deceive people.
"You...you ran away from home?" She softened her voice and slowly took a step to approach the tabby cat, which was rare abroad, but it suddenly disappeared before her eyes.
"..."
The hotel slippers made only a dull thud as they stepped on the floor. Dong Ying took two steps forward and said confidently, "Although I've never owned a cat abroad, I have six cats at home in China, and I've fed quite a few stray cats myself. I know very well what tabby and tabby are, and I couldn't possibly mistake one, even though it was a bit dark at the time. I was very puzzled as to why there would be tabby cats wandering around Tempe."
Wen Dai glanced at the cat-shaped figure on the ground. "Judging from this, this thing has probably been with you for a long time. The psychic link was probably accidentally created by chance, and it took advantage of your vulnerability."
Without wasting any more time, she used her telepathic abilities to summon the immortals behind her, and they picked up the cat-shaped person lying on the ground and took him away.
"Let the underworld judge the rights and wrongs."
She took out a red talisman from her backpack, which was in a plastic bag, and handed it to Dong Ying, holding it between two fingers. "You can put this in your wallet or cardholder or carry it with you. It's good for replenishing your yang energy."
Wen Dai probably found it troublesome to turn around and rummage through her bag, so she put the bag on a chair to the side, unzipped her backpack, and waved her hand twice to beckon Dong Ying over. Chen Sizhe also came over at the same time.
Besides the talisman, the bag also contained various bracelets and bangles, as well as small pouches and sachets.
Chen Sizhe cast a strange look at Wen Dai, his arms crossed, his gaze on her backpack carrying a hint of mockery. "You also have dealings with the wholesale market?"
"If you can't speak properly, then shut your mouth. These are all things I bought, carefully selected, do you understand? Don't speak, I know you don't understand." Just as Chen Sizhe's lips were about to part again, Wen Dai, considering her own feelings, quickly stopped him from saying anything more.
She rummaged through the contents of her backpack, picked up the plastic bag, and showed it to Dong Ying everything from the bracelet to the silver bangle. "You can pick one yourself. I've put a spell on them all—an exorcism spell. Don't worry, I don't do anything weird. You might have to contact me for a while if you want something to replenish your yang energy. It's best if you wear this talisman for three consecutive years, changing it every year. Once you take it off, find a river with running water and throw it away."
The sarcastic remark came from Wen Dai's partner, who usually maintained a cooperative spirit: "Hmph, you're quite unusual. I've never heard of anything like this before. What takes three years? I can solve it in three months at most."
She slapped his arm, and the arrogant man's expression changed drastically, and he immediately hissed.
“Those who know us understand that we are partners, but those who don’t might think we’re competitors… It’s not like I won’t share the divination fee with you. These things were already cursed by me. Do you think only Taoist priests can perform rituals and cast spells? And you’re so confident that you can resolve this in three months at most. Don’t you understand the importance of taking a steady and methodical approach? Don’t lawyers understand the need to be careful and leave room for maneuver in their words?” Wen Dai diligently picked things out of her bag with her other hand to show Dong Ying, her eyes glancing at Chen Sizhe, her words a barrage of criticism.
Dong Ying slowed down her movements as she picked out items, secretly observing the interaction between Wen Dai and Chen Sizhe out of the corner of her eye. She smiled and said, "You two have a very good relationship. It's so interesting."
"Me and him—" Wen Dai's tone suddenly turned upwards before abruptly stopping. On the other end was Chen Sizhe, who sneered. They glanced at each other for a moment, then turned their heads away in unison, their cold snorts perfectly synchronized.
The air was thick with the smell of tension, yet Dong Ying's smile deepened. She picked up a sachet and curiously looked at Wen Dai, asking, "What's this for? It's so exquisitely embroidered. Did you embroider it yourself, Teacher?"
Glancing at the sachet in her hand, Wen Dai stretched out her hands and moved them a couple of times. "A calming sachet. Someone who experiences sleep paralysis can put this by their bedside. I had an experienced aunt embroider this for me. My hands aren't that skillful—I'm neither quick-witted nor skillful."
"You're quite self-aware." The low, husky voice that drifted over made Wen Dai not care whether it sounded good or not. She tapped her back teeth, turned her head and glared at Chen Sizhe. "Sometimes I really want to tear your mouth off, Chen Sizhe. Your dad said your name is 'Good Deeds Leave No Trace,' so your mouth has to leave marks everywhere, right?"
When she turned her head back, her expression changed again. She focused intently on explaining to Dong Ying, consciously avoiding Chen Sizhe out of the corner of her eye. She picked up the silver bracelet and the beaded bracelet and placed them in front of Dong Ying. "They are both for warding off evil spirits. You don't need to worry about the silver ones avoiding water, you can ignore them. But the beaded bracelet needs to be kept away from water."
Dong Ying seemed quite interested in these kinds of trinkets, and bought several of them. This made Wen Dai's furrowed brows, which had been furrowed because of Chen Sizhe, relax, and her peach blossom eyes seemed to have stolen the moon from the sky, broken it into crescent moons, and pasted them on her eyes.
"Teacher, could you please create a QR code for receiving payments? I'll transfer the money to you."
Unaware of what earth-shattering thing Dong Ying would do, Wen Dai unsuspectingly took out her phone. She tilted her chin up and looked at Xiao Min thoughtfully, saying, "I'll charge you four thousand for resolving this matter. Give two thousand to the person next to me. You don't need to pay for these little things you picked out."
"...Received, 200,000 yuan—" The system voice from the phone interrupted Wen Dai's train of thought. She froze for a moment, her incredulous gaze turning to Dong Ying. "Wait, are you a money-giving boy? Sister, you've given too much. How about I return some to you?"
Dong Ying smiled nonchalantly, holding the things Wen Dai had given her earlier against her lower abdomen, her thin shoulders shrugging slightly. "This is nothing to me. I give clothes or items worth tens of thousands of yuan to people I get along with in the game. Besides, you guys have helped me a lot. Giving you these—actually, I feel it's too little. It's just that I've spent a bit too much of my living expenses this month. I'll make it up to you later..."
"Don't bother making any more, you've given too much." Stunned by the unexpected windfall, Wen Dai zipped up her backpack and interrupted Dong Ying without hesitation.
Wen Dai immediately split the 200,000 yuan with Chen Sizhe. Although it was already a large sum, she still felt a pang of regret when she had to transfer half of it.
After saying goodbye to Dong Ying, they took the elevator downstairs. On the way, Wen Dai grumbled unhappily, "I feel like you weren't really helpful this time. I could have done all of this myself..."
Chen Sizhe, who had deciphered her unspoken meaning, glanced at her sideways and let out a sneer. His tone was sharp and sarcastic: "You were the one who wanted to cooperate with me in the first place, and the contract was signed. There's no use going back on your word. I won't return the money you transferred to me."
"I didn't say I wanted you to back out, I was just complaining a bit, don't judge me." The back-and-forth verbal sparring seemed endless, like rain falling from the eaves.
As the car drove out of the underground parking lot and into the rain, Wen Dai spotted a small cat standing under a tree not far away. The tiny, colorful cat stood in front of the tree, its two front paws shifting as if it were fidgeting.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Chen Sizhe glanced around in the rearview mirror, then the car, which was about to drive off, stopped halfway. Wen Dai turned to look at him in surprise, her question still lingering in her mouth, when she saw him get out of the car with an umbrella.
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