Cat 231: Break That Bad Habit!

Chapter 231: Break That Bad Habit!

After Yan Jiyun and Jiuyé finished a circuit around the Chen residence, they discovered that the injuries of the eldest Chen son were nothing like the rumors circulating outside. Of course, they didn’t need to investigate further to know that the story of the young master’s month-long untreatable injury was a rumor spread by the Chens themselves.

The eldest young master, Chen Qin, had never been injured at all. That raised another question: Why pretend to be unhealed? Was he plotting to exploit the Liu family, or did he have some other scheme? And was Liu Jinghao’s death necessarily connected to him?

It was all too suspicious.

Yan Jiyun glanced once more at his quest—there were still no details. Later, he’d need He Yuanle to approach Chen Qin; he still had teammates who could help with the investigation.

Jiuyé spent less than ten minutes in the Chen residence before leaving with Yan Jiyun, never having so much as sipped his tea.

As they were leaving, Yan Jiyun overheard voices from outside the Chen family sitting room. It was the second Miss Chen, Chen Minmin, and her maid.

“Miss, Master just told you not to come to the front hall. Let’s hurry back.”

“You go if you want. I finally got to see Jiuyé; why shouldn’t I try to talk to him longer?”

Their voices weren’t loud, but Yan Jiyun heard every word. He thought to himself, “Jiuyé has real allure in this scenario; whether it’s courtesans or sheltered daughters, all vie for his attention.”

The maid urged her, “Didn’t young master just say Jiuyé spent last night at Jiangnan’s most famous dance hall, with their star performer Liu Rongzhi? He’s not your type, Miss. It’s not appropriate.”

Chen Minmin ignored her, lovestruck: “You haven’t seen Jiuyé. Graceful, handsome—truly a dragon among men. You know my brother’s considered good looking, but Jiuyé’s in another league entirely. I feel like Jiuyé’s presence alone would eclipse my brother.”

Hearing Chen Minmin lavish every conceivable compliment upon Jiuyé, Yan Jiyun couldn’t help but size him up again. Left and right, he certainly seemed an extraordinary man. Whether in the game or out in the real world, the girls who liked him must be legion.

The maid nudged her again, “Miss, please, let’s go.”

Chen Minmin said, “Don’t bother me. Standing here, they can’t even see us.”

The maid sighed, “But what if Master gets angry later? He’ll scold you for lacking propriety as a host.”

Chen Minmin suddenly sneered, “You forget, I’m the one who brought Jiuyé here. Our family tries all year to connect with him and always fails.”

The maid tugged at her sleeve. “But Miss, if you act like this, you put yourself at a disadvantage. Jiuyé already brought you home—he’s noticed you. It would be better to ask around about his schedule and bump into him ‘by accident’ later.”

Chen Minmin considered this, “Your cousin works as a waiter in that dance hall, doesn’t he?”

The conversation shifted to Chen Minmin arranging to have someone track Jiuyé’s movements at the dance hall.

After listening in, Yan Jiyun echoed her sneer. These NPCs certainly had plenty of schemes.

“Tsk. As long as Jiuyé doesn’t visit the dance hall to see Liu Rongzhi, Chen Minmin’s plan won’t succeed.”

For Jiuyé’s mental and physical well-being—and to ensure some peace in the coming days—he had to keep him from the dance hall. Besides, none of the NPCs they had encountered so far were trustworthy anyway.

Yan Jiyun set his mind on this course of action.

Breaking in a new scenario wasn’t easy; this was the game’s third day, and he hadn’t even completed the first quest. Who knew what the other players were doing. Was he really the only one not progressing?

There was no side-quest prompt in the Chen residence, so it must relate to the main storyline.

Jiuyé found the Chen house unimpressive. Jiu Tang didn’t seek out the second Miss, either—a walk through the gardens hardly rivaled his own estate. It was time to let Jiu Tang see where her future home might be.

Untroubled, Jiuyé cradled his own cat and told the reluctant Mr. Chen, who was eager to foster connections, “Mr. Chen, thank you for your hospitality, but I have other matters to see to.”

Mr. Chen glanced at the time. Barely ten minutes had passed—Jiuyé had come and gone in a flash.

He pleaded, “Won’t you stay a little longer?”

Jiuyé: “No need.” After all, bringing Jiu Tang home was far more important than anything else.

Mr. Chen and his elder son, their ruse now uncovered, escorted them out. Yan Jiyun wrapped his arm around Jiuyé’s neck, observing their expressions.

Jiuyé carried him into the car; the motorcade soon slipped from view.

Yan Jiyun gazed out the window for a while. The father and son wore awkward expressions.

Just as the car rounded a corner, he glimpsed Mr. Chen slap his son’s shoulder furiously, yelling, “How could I have raised such a stupid boy!”

The car sped off—whatever else the Chens said, Yan Jiyun didn’t catch. As he turned back to lounge on the sofa, Jiuyé’s face leaned in, close.

Jiuyé asked, “What’s so interesting out there?”

Yang Er, driving, chimed in, “Jiuyé, is it that the little cat hasn’t ridden in a car before, and is curious about everything?”

Jiuyé disagreed. He’d been observing Jiu Tang closely and noticed her interest wasn’t in the scenery outside, but the people.

First it was the second Miss of the Chen family, now the Chen father and son. Moments ago, she had intentionally darted in front of the elder son, startling him into dropping his lame act.

Jiuyé pressed down on Yan Jiyun’s head. “Little one, you certainly have a unique kind of curiosity.”

Truth be told, Yan Jiyun hadn’t the slightest interest in scenery; he only blinked innocently before resting his paws and chin on Jiuyé’s leg—a most comfortable position.

Jiuyé instructed Yang Er, “Have Ling Yuan come to my study when we’re back.”

The car finally stopped in the city’s busiest district.

Yan Jiyun didn’t have a map of Jiangnan Town, nor did he know its layout. However, he remembered the map from Liu Jingyi’s treasure chart. After a stroll through the city center with Jiuyé, he started to recall a few routes—some of which felt eerily familiar. Though the map was crude, a careful comparison showed real correlation to the whole city.

Most would expect a treasure to be buried on a mountain, perhaps in a mine—but what if the map was drawn to mislead? Perhaps the true location wasn’t in the hills at all, but somewhere in Jiangnan Town itself.

Since this was a scenario, he couldn’t leave the game without completing the quest; even finding an exit wouldn’t help.

What important secret did Jiangnan Town still conceal?

Jiuyé’s car stopped in front of an elegant residence—not an old Chen-style house.

This place was modern. No stone lions flanked the entrance, only a large iron gate. The guards, recognizing the familiar license plate, opened up. Inside, a grand drive ran some two hundred meters to the main house—a European-style mansion soon came into view.

Statues at the entrance, fountains—gardeners were at work with shears, pruning branches.

A residence like this in the heart of Jiangnan City proved Jiuyé was either very wealthy or very powerful—no wonder he moved with equal ease in both legal and illegal circles.

Regardless of how Jiuyé came by his status, this was the most luxurious setup he’d seen yet.

Once the car halted, a servant came to open Jiuyé’s door.

The butler, immaculate in a suit, stepped out from within. “Jiuyé, you must have suffered spending last night elsewhere.”

Yan Jiyun took in the European-style decor—pale tones everywhere, reminiscent of the house he and Qi Feng lived in, in the real world.

He heard Jiuyé say, “Not too bad. By the way, from now on, whatever treatment I have at home, Jiu Tang gets the same.”

The butler, discerning as ever, kept a straight face. “Jiu Tang has already been assigned a custom menu, assuring both nutrition and health.”

Yan Jiyun’s mood soared. A life of food and comfort on demand was just ahead—what bliss!

He leapt to the floor to begin surveying his new home.

He’d enjoy the best of everything these coming days: no worries for food or shelter, only his tasks to attend to—and dinner to come home to. The perfect plan.

Jiuyé didn’t watch him for long before giving further orders to the butler: “Make sure everyone knows—stop treating Jiu Tang as a stray. Also, arrange for a custom collar. She may not always be indoors, and I’d rather not have some careless person cross her outside.”

The butler understood perfectly: this mysterious black cat was now the master’s favorite, a little sprite to delight and be indulged.

He relayed the message quickly throughout the house, even to the patrol dogs.

Yan Jiyun toured the first floor; when he saw Jiuyé heading upstairs, he followed.

Soon enough, the man Jiuyé had summoned, Ling Yuan, arrived from outside and went straight to the study.

Ling Yuan was tall and burly, his youthful face partially obscured by a beard that made him appear older than his years.

Yan Jiyun slipped in behind Ling Yuan as he entered the study. Ling Yuan was about to shut the door when Jiuyé called out, “Wait—leave it open.”

Ling Yuan: “Open?”

Yan Jiyun swaggered in, settled on Jiuyé’s desk, and found a clear spot where he could lie without disturbing any files. When his paw nudged the pen holder, he simply kicked it aside. Jiuyé, noticing, moved it to the other end of the desk.

Ling Yuan stared, dumbfounded. “Where did this cat come from?”

The butler, carrying tea, smiled behind him. “Young Master Jiu Tang, of course.”

Ling Yuan opened his mouth to ask where the cat had come from. The whole city knew Jiuyé had spent last night at Liu Rongzhi’s, but no one had said he’d come back with a cat. His heart blazed with gossip.

“Where’d you find a cat this black?”

Yan Jiyun turned away, treating him to a disdainful roll of the eyes.

Ling Yuan asked Jiuyé, “Is it glaring at me?”

Jiuyé ignored the question and got right to business. “Do we have any business with the Chen family?”

Ling Yuan perked up professionally. “The Chen family to the east? Yes.”

Jiuyé: “I paid them a visit just now. Chen Jinfac’s eldest is faking a limp. Find out why.”

Ling Yuan, well-versed in Jiangnan’s gossip, replied, “There may be a link to Liu Rongzhi. The gist is, Liu Jinghao got into a fight with Chen Qin…” He relayed the story, then added, “But the Chen family’s business isn’t exactly clean.”

Jiuyé: “You mentioned Liu San—on his wedding day, it became a day of mourning?”

Ling Yuan: “Correct.”

Jiuyé: “Who did he usually associate with? Is Chen Qin involved?”

Ling Yuan: “You’re suggesting their relationship wasn’t simple?”

Jiuyé pinched Jiu Tang’s forepaw. She tried to pull away, to no avail—she was no match for Jiuyé, and could only endure it.

Jiuyé continued, “One’s dead, one fakes injury. The Chens’ money is dirty; the Liu family has already fallen.”

Ling Yuan said, “I’ll look into it right away.”

Yan Jiyun loved Jiuyé’s social position—it made things so much easier.

With his resources, the Liu-Chen feud would likely be unraveled soon.

If he took Jiuyé as the central figure and assembled a list of Jiangnan’s most prominent families, all the clues could be sorted in short order.

Jiuyé lived in the city center, the Lius in the north, the Chens in the south—leaving the west and east. Who represented those quarters?

Ling Yuan headed for the door but suddenly turned back with a sly grin. “Oh, Jiuyé, your cousin called this morning—she said she’ll be staying over tonight.”

Just as he spoke, musical laughter rang out downstairs. “Cousin, are you home?”

Yan Jiyun looked back at Jiuyé, delivering a grand, exasperated eye-roll.

He jumped down, bounded to the door, leapt up, and shoved it firmly shut with his forepaws.

The laughter and Ling Yuan’s babbling were both cut off.

Jiuyé chuckled in a low voice. He walked over, scooped up the black cat, and planted two kisses on its face.

“You really are adorable.”

Yan Jiyun pressed his front paw to his face: “You’d better break that bad habit of kissing your cat!”