Chapter 17
I was startled by his sudden appearance.
He was a typical person who didn't sit properly. At this moment, his legs were crossed on the table, his elbows were on the table, his body twisted back and forth, and his face was staring at me with a half-smile. With the pair of earrings on his ears, he looked a bit like the gangsters I had seen before, but Teng Zheng obviously looked more serious and good-looking than them.
He whispered to me, "Seeing you're doing so well, I'm beginning to doubt what you said before about stealing to make a living."
I ignored him, secretly hoping that others would line up soon.
Seeing that I didn't want to talk to him, he didn't get angry. Instead, he changed the subject and kept pestering me: "How did you get to know that guy? He didn't say anything bad about me, did he?"
I turned around and squinted my eyes to examine him: You said before that you didn't kill the cat, why are others saying bad things about you?
Teng Zheng was once again looked at strangely by the cleaning lady.
His slow reaction reminded me of his guilty behavior at the door before, which made me ask him: Why do you feel guilty if you didn't kill it? Are you a cat abuser?
The cleaning lady didn't repeat this sentence as forcefully as I did.
When Teng Zheng heard this, he became furious!
"What! A cat abuser? Me?!" Teng Zheng suddenly raised his voice, forcing his relaxed posture to straighten up. "I'm a cat abuser? Don't accuse me of that. This is a huge injustice! If you think taking harsh measures to capture dirty stray cats is cat abuse, then I think that's completely unreasonable! In my opinion, a cat abuser is someone who is cruel to cats. At most, I'm not a cat lover!"
Teng Zheng did not hide anything and told me clearly that he really did not like cats, but he would not hurt them.
As for why he doesn't like it, it can be traced back to when he was a child, when he was hurt by various wild cats.
Teng Zheng said that he also liked small animals such as cats and dogs when he was a child, but this enthusiasm gradually disappeared after being hurt time and time again.
When he was in an orphanage, besides making friends with children of the same age, he also fed the stray cats and dogs around him. However, children have no sense of propriety after all, and some animals are particularly wary of their surroundings. As a result, Teng Zheng was scratched many times.
He defines this phenomenon as repaying kindness with enmity, where kindness is shattered after repeated disappointments.
Thinking of his enthusiasm when he first met me, I thought he was an orphan, but he shook his head to deny my guess.
Teng Zheng is not an orphan; he ended up in the welfare home by accident.
When Teng Zheng was born, his parents were both diligent white-collar workers. Their grandmother collected rent from the two apartments they owned, and they lived comfortably. A year later, just as his mother was about to be promoted to manager for her significant contributions to the company, a phone call from his grandmother nearly tore the family apart.
Teng Zheng, who was being carried while shopping, got lost. The place where he was lost was in a blind spot of surveillance, so he disappeared without a trace.
Teng Zheng was only one year old at the time. He couldn't remember what the person who took him away looked like, nor why he ended up in the orphanage. He only knew that he lived there for nearly eight years, during which time he saw many children taken away, but he alone remained, lingering through the changing seasons of spring and autumn.
He often wondered why his parents abandoned him and why he was not adopted, until one day, an aunt from the welfare home showed up and helped him find his parents through his birthmark.
Teng Zheng had a crescent-shaped birthmark on his ankle since he was born. This birthmark was once revealed by his grandmother who was carrying the child to collect rent. The woman happened to be the family whose rent was being collected.
Eight years later, Teng Zheng returned home. Regardless of whether he still remembered the past, his family had indeed changed. In the years since he'd been missing, his parents hadn't given up searching, but the loneliness of their home had also led to the birth of a younger sister. His grandmother also passed away, driven by self-blame. All the burdens fell squarely on the shoulders of the couple.
In order to make up for the grievances he suffered over the years, his family spoiled him. His mother resigned from her job and became a rent collector, while his father continued to stick to his job and replaced his mother as the new manager of the company.
It's understood that the couple reported Teng Zheng's disappearance to the police shortly after he went missing, but the welfare home submitted Teng Zheng's case two years later. However, the technology and databases at the time weren't as advanced as they are today, so a match wasn't made in time, leaving Teng Zheng homeless for years.
However, Teng Zheng was indeed wiped out for two years, and no one knew how he lived during those two years.
Thinking of this, Teng Zheng couldn't help but sigh: "I was born with a rich and prosperous life. God has given me a silver spoon in my mouth."
I thought so too after listening to his story.
I used to wonder where Teng Zheng got the courage from even though he had graduated from university but still lived a carefree life every day.
Now I finally understand that he can be supported even if he doesn't work.
"To be honest, it was my sister who pushed me into this job of rescuing stray cats. She loves them. We have cats and dogs at home, and we also have two parrots." Teng Zheng once again refuted my previous statement, "If I really abused cats, I wouldn't keep these at home."
"Besides, I was only adopted by an orphanage for a few years and didn't suffer much. I'm not that mentally abnormal. I wouldn't do something like skinning and bone removal. I consider myself a good person."
As he spoke, a hint of grievance could not be avoided in his tone.
I couldn't detect any falsehood in his words, but it was impossible for me to believe them completely. At most, I would admit that I had wronged him: "Don't blame me for having fantasies about you." However, suffering doesn't necessarily lead to abnormal psychology. I've seen many people who are blessed by fate appear kind on the surface, but are actually antisocial.
Teng Zheng smiled and said, "I know you have a kind heart, little mute."
I glared at him.
He continued to sit cross-legged in the swivel chair, rocking. "Although you've found a job now, where are you going to live? If you have nowhere to live, I have a vacant house. I won't charge you a penny, I'll give it to you for free. Would you like to consider it?"
To be honest, I really want to think about it, not for myself, but for Li Ying'an.
But Li Ying'an and Teng Zheng only met once, and their relationship was not related at all. Unless I use the deceased orange cat as a threat to make Teng Zheng less willing to provide it, their relationship might become even more strained.
And Li Ying'an would definitely not feel at ease moving in.
I still prefer to stay in cat form and squeeze into the 20-square-meter rental house with Li Ying'an, and I don't want to deal with Teng Zheng.
I refused him: I have a place to live, don't worry about it.
"It seems you still don't want to be friends with me." As it was getting close to the end of the workday, Teng Zheng chatted with me shamelessly and unscrupulously. "I'm actually quite willing to be friends with you. You thought I was an orphan and that's why you approached you, but you're not entirely wrong. My denial only said that I'm not an orphan, but the main reason is your own physical disability."
Teng Zheng likes to make friends with children with physical disabilities, and also attracts such people to come and be friends with him.
It's not that he intends to take advantage of others. His family conditions also make him disdain to do so. This habit was inherited from him when he lived in the welfare home for a long time.
Just like when he loved cats and dogs, he wanted to protect people like them who favored the vulnerable. However, the number of times cats and dogs scratched him wore out his patience. People can still understand each other's communication. Now, three of his brothers are "certified disabled people", and he has no grudge against them. Instead, they stick together like brothers.
No matter how sweet his words are, I just think he is pitying me. I stay out of it and don't need his pity at all.
Who said I am not a human being?
Not long after, I had my first lunch break in my first job. I didn't have a single minute left for rest for the whole two hours. I planned to go to the emergency room with Teng Zheng after lunch.
But I suddenly realized that I had no money to eat.
At this moment, Teng Zheng also noticed my difficulty. His laughter suddenly floated to my ears, a laughter that was not mocking at all, but full of pride.
"I'll treat you to a meal," he said, waving his phone at me generously, "but you have to be my friend."
I didn't have to pay attention to this sentence. I could turn into a cat and eat and drink as I pleased. But the bad thing was that I needed Teng Zheng to take me to the homeless shelter that I was not familiar with.
Resisting my unwillingness, I secretly complained that he was a piece of shit, but I finally agreed silently.
I have to say that Teng Zheng's mouth is as talkative as that of an old housewife in the market, and he can't stop talking even during meals. No matter whether I respond to him positively or not, he will talk about everything from the south to the north of the world to relieve his boredom.
Sometimes I would wonder if he was deliberately delaying my progress in finding Xiaoju, but more often, I would reflect on why I didn’t say I was deaf and mute.
At least that way, Teng Zheng wouldn't be chatting to a deaf person.
"You haven't told me your name yet?"
While poking the fish in the bowl, I suddenly remembered my two names. After much hesitation, I finally said neither of them: I don’t have a name.
Teng Zheng probably understood what I meant by waving my hand, and suddenly realized: "No name, are you kidding me? You need an ID to find a job now, even if you're disabled. I don't believe the place you work doesn't require an ID. It's a scam, I can sue it."
But I am just a stubborn person and I won’t say anything.
This made Teng Zheng laugh out loud.
He turned his face away, letting out a short, sharp breath from his nose. His gnashing of teeth gradually turned into an indulgent smile: "I know your name even if you don't tell me."
I didn't believe Teng Zheng's words at first, until an information sheet full of names and IDs was placed in front of me. Then I realized that it was necessary to fill out a form and register to enter the rescue room.
I was forced to take out the ID card I carried with me, and under Teng Zheng's gaze, I crookedly wrote the words "Li Feng" on it.
Before I could put my ID card back into my pocket, Teng Zheng snatched it from my hand and said, "You are not only a little mute, but also a little liar."
I wanted to take it back, but I was not tall enough. In front of Teng Zheng, who was a head taller than me, I was like a child. I was so angry that I wanted to turn into a cat and run over him to scratch his face.
Letting me stare at him fiercely, Teng Zheng held up my ID card and said, "Your place of residence is quite unique. It ends at the city level. This is the first time I've seen you in such a situation."
Seeing that Teng Zheng was still trying to talk, I rushed to find Xiaoju. In a moment of desperation, I took advantage of his inattention and mercilessly kicked him. As Teng Zheng bent over and rubbed his leg in pain, I snatched his ID card without hesitation, stowed it safely in my pocket, and walked into the emergency room without turning back.
When I walked in, I was stunned.
It wasn't the free world I'd imagined. There were cages of all sizes, filled with pitiful and slovenly cats. They didn't seem satisfied with their living environment, meowing in low or high pitched voices. Some cats even purred in a warning tone when they saw strangers.
Teng Zheng walked in pretending to be lame. "These cats were caught not long ago, and they haven't been neutered yet. Take a look around, maybe your good friend hasn't had his eggs castrated yet and is still here."
Cats are sterilized at the hospital in batches. After sterilization, they remain in the rescue room for two weeks of observation to ensure they are free of any problems before being released with their ears clipped. During this observation period, the cats' information is posted on the official website, and some caring individuals use this information channel to find their favorite cats and adopt them.
Teng Zheng did not find any trace of Xiaoju on the official website, and I also confirmed through his phone that those cats were not Xiaoju.
I looked around at the trapped cats but couldn't find Xiaoju. Teng Zheng said that if Xiaoju really wasn't here, it was very likely that Xiaoju had been sent for sterilization.
Without further ado, since I couldn't find my friend Xiaoju here, it is most likely that it is not far from the hospital.
Unexpectedly, before we even walked out of the rescue room, a person who was both a stranger and familiar to me appeared at the door.
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