Cat 161: All Villains

Chapter 161 All Villains

After Yan Jiyun and Yan Weilan entered the painting, they waited for Lan Mo, but Qi Feng never joined them.

He asked, “Why hasn’t Qi Feng come in?”

Lan Mo scratched his head. “No idea. Feng-ge didn’t say, maybe he wants to hide the painting first?”

Yan Jiyun shook his head. “It seems he has other plans. If all of us went in, we couldn’t be sure if someone might steal the painting.”

Qi Feng probably stayed outside as a precaution. He’d drawn a lot of attention earlier and could be recognized by any teacher at a glance. If Qi Feng was careful hiding, there shouldn’t be much problem.

Still, Yan Jiyun didn’t feel at ease. He closed his eyes for a moment, then left the painting again.

Qi Feng was very surprised to see him come out. “Why are you out? Go back in first.”

Yan Jiyun said, “You go in, and I’ll take you all somewhere safe.”

Qi Feng patted his shoulder. “You already had our backs last night. Today, it’s my turn.”

Yan Jiyun tilted his head, looking at him. “Are you sure? I’m actually better at hiding, and my hearing isn’t bad.”

Qi Feng replied, “Don’t worry, these NPCs won’t do anything to me. You, on the other hand, have already caught the principal’s attention. If you show up, there will definitely be questions and you might trigger a troublesome quest.”

He had experience in this regard. Most importantly, as a veteran player, constantly relying on a rookie for protection didn’t match his way of doing things. Though clearing nightmare levels by leveraging his own cat’s abilities was nice, that was his cat, whom he knew well, but Yan Jiyun was more mysterious than any teammate he’d had, so he didn’t want to be protected over and over by him.

The incident Yan Jiyun referred to, about being remembered by the principal, came from the challenge he issued to Shao Xin. According to the game’s logic, now that Yan Weilan had been framed, Shao Xin would seize the opportunity to make things worse and tell his uncle about Yan Weilan “bullying” him. If Yan Jiyun didn’t show up in time, Yan Weilan would continue taking the blame.

He said, “Alright then, let’s agree on a time and a place to meet outside.”

Qi Feng nodded, “In half an hour I’ll bring the painting back to the classroom in the multifunctional building. Count the time and come out.”

Hearing Qi Feng’s explanation, Yan Jiyun was finally persuaded. He slipped back into the painting and told Lan Mo the agreed-upon time.

Lan Mo, seeing the worry on his face, was completely untroubled. “Don’t worry, Qi Feng is strong.”

Yan Jiyun compared their heights. “But he’s just a kid about our height right now.”

Lan Mo paused. “The way you say it, that does make sense. But Feng-ge always follows through. Plus, he has item cards on him, so no need to worry too much.”

Yan Jiyun settled into the spacious sofa, preparing to rest with his eyes closed.

At this moment, Yan Weilan too was much quieter; head lowered, lost in thought. In the end, it was Lan Mo who, seeing the child so silent, tried to chat with him. However, Yan Weilan’s mood for conversation wasn’t high after his blow.

The three waited quietly as time passed. Half an hour wasn’t long nor short, but the waiting was grueling.

Yan Jiyun wanted to leave and turn back into a cat. Staying here for half an hour only wasted his experience card time and his life.

He disliked this feeling of helpless uncertainty. He preferred to have everything in his grasp, no matter how difficult. Half an hour—for now—they could endure.

Having four people as targets was certainly more conspicuous and unsafe than moving alone.

Regardless, he couldn’t sit idly by. When Qi Feng led them out, he wouldn’t have time to focus on other things; now was a chance to review his items and the plot.

After resting, he moved beside the quiet Yan Weilan.

Yan Jiyun fixed him with a serious look. “Class monitor, do you trust me?”

Yan Weilan nodded without hesitation. “Of course I trust you.”

Yan Jiyun said, “The questions I’m about to ask may determine whether we can clear your name. Can you promise to answer me honestly?”

Lan Mo saw Yan Jiyun make a move and didn’t dare slack off, worried he might miss something important—a responsibility on behalf of the Qi Feng squad.

Yan Weilan truly trusted Yan Jiyun, responding with full cooperation: “Anything I know, I’ll tell the truth.”

Yan Jiyun was now certain that Yan Weilan represented that innocent sliver in Teacher Qu’s heart. He used the simplest way to reach him: “Let’s pinky swear.”

Yan Weilan agreed, “Okay.”

Lan Mo, seeing a player get this patient with an NPC for the first time, was quite shocked; they always went head to head before, never gently played pretend with NPCs.

With the pinky swear sealed and Yan Weilan’s mood steady, Yan Jiyun began: “First question: how did your older brother’s rabbit die?”

Yan Weilan opened his mouth: “How did you know my brother raised a rabbit?”

Yan Jiyun answered truthfully, “I overheard you talking to Yan Weicheng. I’m curious about what happened.”

Yan Weilan looked uneasy. “I didn’t kill his rabbit. I really couldn’t save it, but my brother seems to think I did.”

Yan Jiyun looked at him intently, eyes free of doubt: “I believe you. Can you describe what happened before and after the rabbit died? You know, we like detective games—maybe we can figure out why it happened.”

With Yan Jiyun’s affirmation, Yan Weilan visibly relaxed and carefully recalled the rabbit’s death.

“It happened over summer break. My brother bought a little rabbit. At first, it was healthy, but then it started acting listless; even though it ate, it always had diarrhea and got thinner and thinner. I liked the rabbit too and secretly named it Snowy. One day, my brother went out to play with classmates, my other brother went to his favorite flute class, so only I was left at home. That day, Snowy suddenly lay in the cage, wouldn’t eat or drink, even more sluggish than before.

We live near a pet hospital, so I took it to the vet. I didn’t have enough of my allowance, so the doctor gave me just a little medicine and told me how to give it. By evening, it started eating and drinking again. Later, my brothers came home and I relaxed to do homework. But at dinner time, my brother announced that Snowy had died. But I had just cared for it and it seemed okay. Only I was home that afternoon, and I was the one who gave it medicine.”

Yan Weilan was articulate and restored the whole incident. Yan Jiyun registered several suspicious points.

He didn’t jump to conclusions but pressed gently, “Have there been similar cases? Maybe not recently; think back to second grade or first grade. Are there other things that happened, things you didn’t do but everyone thought you did? There must have been, right?”

A glutton doesn’t get fat in a day; Yan Weilan’s personality wouldn’t be shaped by just one event, it had to be an accumulation, finally reaching a tipping point.

Yan Weilan pondered carefully, then nodded. “Yes, similar things have happened. Last year at New Year, our whole family went to my grandma’s for dinner. My little cousin—he’s just two—was playing with us in a room while the adults chatted outside. Suddenly, he started crying and wouldn’t stop, drawing everyone in. He couldn’t say much, just said it hurt. Later, my aunt found needle marks on him. That afternoon, I’d been closest to him, so they all said it was me. My parents scolded me and wouldn’t let me eat dinner. I denied it, but nobody believed me.”

Yan Jiyun asked, “Besides you, did anyone else have contact with your cousin?”

Yan Weilan shook his head. “Everyone did. My cousin liked hugs; he hugged all of us, brothers and sisters.”

Yan Jiyun pressed further. “Did your eldest brother hug him a bit longer?”

Yan Weilan thought for a moment. “Seems like it.”

By now, the answer was obvious. Yan Weilan, smart as he was, didn’t fail to suspect—it was that he didn’t want to.

Yan Jiyun gave him time to process, not wanting to come across as relentless or force a realization.

After all, just these two stories made the truth plain.

In the student food poisoning incident, only Yan Weicheng held suspicion and made accusations against Yan Weilan. While it was subtle and only in private, that kind of repeated blame surely reshaped Yan Weilan’s mindset over time.

Lan Mo exchanged a look with Yan Jiyun and whispered, “Will he get it?”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “He will. Teacher Qu is very smart. Only people who’re truly clever get troubled this way.”

Lan Mo ruffled his blue hair. “Good thing I’m only average.”

Yan Jiyun: “…” Unsure if that was self-praise or self-deprecation.

Lan Mo always championed Qi Feng. “Speaking of clever, Feng-ge is a genius too. If we have a puzzle, he’ll figure it out after thinking for a bit.”

Yan Jiyun agreed, “True, Qi Feng is brilliant.” Otherwise how would he have such a brilliant and handsome cat for a companion?

Lan Mo was surprised to hear approval from Yan Jiyun. Others he boasted to would just mock him as a sycophant.

Tsk, all jealousy because he had a powerhouse taking care of him.

Lan Mo’s liking for Yan Jiyun rose a few notches. “Didn’t expect you to agree. What do you think makes Feng-ge so clever?”

Yan Jiyun started to list Qi Feng’s strengths. “Loves cats?”

Lan Mo realized Yan Jiyun’s focus was different. “But his cat is missing…”

Yan Jiyun offered, “With a smart owner, the cat’s bound to be smart too. If it gets hungry, it’ll come back.”

Suddenly, Lan Mo asked, “Have you ever seen Feng-ge’s cat?”

Yan Jiyun’s heart skipped a beat. Lan Mo’s acuity was concerning; “Caramel” and he could never appear together.

But then Yan Weilan began to sob quietly, and Lan Mo was distracted—he’d never suspect Yan Jiyun and Caramel were one and the same.

Yan Weilan, wiping tears away, choked out, “Yan Jiyun, why would my brother do this?”

Yan Jiyun gently patted the child’s head and offered analysis. “Is it because people praise you for being smarter than they praise your brother?”

Yan Weilan still couldn’t understand. “But we look the same. Others can’t tell us apart. Why would he care?”

Yan Jiyun replied softly, “If your grades outstrip his and you receive more praise, people compare, and envy follows naturally.”

Lan Mo chimed in, “Right.”

Yan Weilan, “But we’re brothers—why push the blame onto me?”

Yan Jiyun, “He’s not merely avoiding blame. He’s deliberately steering others to dislike you. That’s worse.”

Yan Weilan, “Then was the food poisoning him too?”

Yan Jiyun, “Maybe he just wanted to prove he was smarter than you.”

While Yan Weicheng was also a splinter personality of Teacher Qu, he and Yan Weilan were opposed. Yan Jiyun couldn’t explain this; the world they inhabited had its logic. Yan Weicheng’s only way to get rid of Yan Weilan logically was to shift all the blame onto him. As long as Yan Weilan was the scapegoat, Yan Weicheng’s goal was achieved—he was the eventual winner.

Thus, in the struggle between Teacher Qu’s primary and split personalities, the latter had taken the lead.

In the Mermaid scenario, Xiao Yue was killed by the split personality—Teacher Qu’s first persona scored a point.

In the “Childlike Innocence” scenario, should Yan Weilan become the BOSS and be defeated, the first persona would score again; if the framing failed, the main personality would even the score. One to one.

What Yan Jiyun needed was to retrieve the main personality of Teacher Qu. The previous scenario appeared completed, but its ending was fixed—this round, a win was essential.

After Yan Jiyun’s patient account, Yan Weilan stopped crying.

He said, “We were born just minutes apart. We’re equally smart. Really, there’s nothing to prove.”

Yan Jiyun sighed, “Sometimes, bonds between brothers are complicated. Take this as an early taste of the adult world.” Besides, they weren’t even really brothers.

Lan Mo echoed, “Yeah, grownups’ world is super complicated too.”

Yan Jiyun checked the time—five minutes till half-hour.

Yan Weilan had now accepted being framed by Yan Weicheng, though his spirits were still low. But that was already a huge step forward; he now knew whom to guard against—let’s hope he wouldn’t be used once more.

Sigh, who’d have thought a child’s world could be even more complex than adults’.

Three minutes left till the time agreed on with Qi Feng; Lan Mo and Yan Jiyun prepared to exit the painting.

One minute left.

Yan Jiyun grabbed Yan Weilan’s hand and stood from the sofa, surprisingly nervous, silently praying for Qi Feng’s safety.

Lan Mo counted down, “Five, four, three, two, one, let’s go!”

Eyes shut, the three left the painting’s world.

Once out, they didn’t see Qi Feng. Around them was darkness.

Yan Jiyun and Lan Mo tensed. This was not the designated meeting spot.

It was a dank, musty room, with only one open window through which came the scent of a lotus pond. Qi Feng must have tossed the painting in here in a hurry—who knew what he’d encountered in that half hour?

Yan Jiyun reacted at once: “Lan Mo, right now outsiders must be looking for Yan Weilan. Stay here and protect him. I’ll scout ahead.”

Lan Mo guessed Qi Feng might be in trouble. “I’m stronger, faster. You stay.”

Yan Jiyun pressed his shoulder. “Your fighting skills and experience outstrip mine, but when it comes to tracking and hiding, I’m a little better. Lan Mo, you’re the best one to protect Yan Weilan.”

Yan Weilan didn’t get why he’d need protection. “I don’t need anyone to protect me. I can take care of myself.”

Yan Jiyun patted his shoulder too. “Listen: you’re very important to us. Can you do it, Yan Weilan? Stay with Lan Mo and trust us to clear your name.”

Yan Weilan’s eyes sparkled. “Okay. I believe you!”

“And, if you’re afraid of being found, you can always hide back in the painting.” With that, Yan Jiyun slipped out through the narrow window.

Seeing his decisiveness, Lan Mo silently wondered if Yan Jiyun’s skills really bested his, or if it was just an excuse to make him stay. After all, Yan Jiyun had never seen him fight.

Meanwhile, Yan Jiyun had already crept into the woods behind the pond, found a dense spot, and transformed into a cat.

Stretching, he followed the school’s sounds out through the grove.

He was curious how Qi Feng had escaped.

If he’d had the painting alone, he too could have snuck away, ducked into the adjacent dorm, and when NPCs came, slipped out. Likely, Qi Feng would’ve thought the same.

Yan Jiyun’s ears caught adult voices from the administration building.

A ruckus—a group was causing trouble, accompanied by women wailing on the ground.

“If the school won’t give my child justice today, I won’t leave! If you protect a child who’s committed a crime, we have to teach him a lesson!”

“Why should my son be mistreated here? Principal, I’ll report you to the Education Bureau if you don’t hand the troublemaker over!”

“What’s the point of reporting? We should post online that the school’s covering up for a murderous child—and accuse the principal of bribery, of taking money to hide the facts!”

Yan Jiyun hadn’t expected half an hour in the painting to lead to this scene upon return.

But what did this have to do with Qi Feng? Where had they gone?

Nor could he hear Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi’s footsteps—they must have been taken all at once.

Gu Wenzhu and Qiu Xi weren’t fools; they’d never wait for an NPC to catch them, and they always entered scenarios together, working in sync.

But who’d summoned all these parents? Who’d tipped them off?

He didn’t need to guess—on the teaching building’s upstairs, Yan Weicheng was watching the whole scene.

What a calculating child; if only he used his wits on schoolwork, he’d have outshone Yan Weilan already.

The food poisoning scandal was brewing.

Earlier, the tall, thin principal who’d led Yan Weilan off so confidently said, “Parents, please be calm. The child’s guardians are on their way, and the school will help find the best solution.”

“But my child is still in intensive care. What if something happens?”

A kid piped up, “I know who the bad kid is—his name is Yan Weilan, in Class 3–3. He’s really awful!”

Yan Jiyun recognized the voice—it was Shao Xin, the principal’s nephew.

Shao Xin counted as the second most loathsome kid in this scenario—a genuinely rotten child.

The parents were ready to storm Class 3–3, but Shao Xin hadn’t finished, still shouting: “There’re two more bad kids with him—Yan Jiyun and Qi Feng! They not only poisoned, they bullied classmates!”

Damn it!

Even Yan Jiyun could only curse the brat mentally. He was worse than the cat-chasing kids—a pure slanderer.

A parent asked: “Do you know where they are?”

Shao Xin: “I don’t know where Yan Weilan is, but I know where Qi Feng is—he’s in the teachers’ office.”

If the real culprit wasn’t found, the crowd’s fury would fall elsewhere. With the principal catching Qi Feng, he became the perfect scapegoat.

Real-world parents even storm homes to strike at kids, let alone NPCs here—there was no way they’d go easy on Qi Feng.

Apparently the principal’s plan in catching Qi Feng was to divert blame: couldn’t serve up Yan Weilan, so someone else would do.

At this school, from students up to the school leadership, everyone was a villain.

Under the principal’s orders, Shao Xin led the parents to Qi Feng to vent their rage. If Yan Jiyun had been there, he might have been caught, too. Good thing Qi Feng had the foresight to tell them to hide in the painting.

Yan Jiyun shadowed the group. If Qi Feng was gagged, he must have been silenced—and with their level-four instance, he would have carried more items than the others.

Shao Xin brought the parents to the first-floor office—a veritable spot for mischief, visible from all angles, with Qi Feng sitting bound to a chair.

His hands were tied behind, a rag stuffed in his mouth, feet bound to the chair legs.

No wonder he couldn’t get free; this was why. If Yan Jiyun had arrived any later, would his owner be beaten already?

Qi Feng sat upright, calm and patient. The NPCs, however, boiled with frustration, itching to pounce.

Class 3’s homeroom teacher, Wang Ru, stepped forward to justify the restraints: because he was dangerous and would bite if untied!

There, hidden in the bushes, Yan Jiyun fixed Wang Ru with a cold stare: Very well, you’re finished.

Pick on anyone you want, but his owner? These trash NPCs had no right.