Cat 232: The Collar

Chapter 232: The Collar

At lunchtime, Yan Jiyun finally came face to face with the source of that silvery laughter—his “cousin,” Feng Jingjing.

A regular, well-prepared meal now felt like a luxury from a previous life; tasting fresh beef nearly moved Yan Jiyun to tears.

With a cousin like Jiuyé, this Feng Jingjing had been indulged until she’d grown up a true debutante. Noticing the special chair, dish, and custom beef reserved for Yan Jiyun, a trace of displeasure showed on her face, and she began to play her role as a pampered heiress in earnest.

Feng Jingjing regarded the black cat with distaste. “Cousin, cats are filthy. How can you let it sit at the table and eat with us?”

Jiuyé glanced at her and said flatly, “This is my home. The cat is mine. You don’t need to comment. If you don’t like it, you may stay at another property.” As he spoke, he stroked Jiu Tang’s back, his hand covering the cat’s ears, not wishing for it to hear words that might hurt it.

Yan Jiyun didn’t even lift an eyelid at the heiress. Evidently, Jiuyé wasn’t fond of her either. He was hardly upset, of course—after all, he wasn’t money, beloved by all.

Having heard that her cousin would rather put her out than trouble a cat, Miss Feng Jingjing sulked under her breath and dared not say another word.

Aside from this little interlude, Yan Jiyun found the noon meal quite satisfactory.

It was already his third day in the scenario. Any more idling and he’d soon be wasting precious time.

From listening to Jiuyé’s calls with his subordinates, Yan Jiyun learned of his afternoon itinerary—a brief meeting at the company, followed by an appointment with the local chamber of commerce president.

After lunch, Yan Jiyun lounged on a swing on the second-floor balcony, soaking in the sunlight. He kept an eye out for Jiuyé’s departure, then followed him at once, springing into the car.

Yang Er asked, “Jiuyé, Jiu Tang’s in the car. Should I make it get out?”

Thinking of Feng Jingjing’s attitude toward the cat, Jiuyé said, “No need. Let it come along.”

Yan Jiyun had plans of his own. Within Jiuyé’s house, security was airtight; if he tried to transform into human form here, he’d be recognized by the bodyguards in short order. Out on the street, a change of clothes and the crowd would swallow him whole. Most importantly, he needed to find Gu Wenzhu and He Yuanle.

Gu Wenzhu was a member of the local chamber; perhaps he would attend the meeting. If not, Yan Jiyun knew how to find him.

Each player had their own foothold—so long as they blended into their scenario roles and stayed in character, they wouldn’t be discovered.

Jiuyé’s car glided along Jiangnan’s main avenue. The warm afternoon sun tempted Yan Jiyun into drowsiness; still, just before they arrived, he forced himself to stifle a series of yawns. He was simply exhausted these days—sunlight made him want to sleep. To resist, he leapt out the instant the car door opened. Jiuyé’s embrace was comfortable, but lingering there would make anyone lazy.

Jiuyé, well aware his black cat was no domesticated pet, didn’t try to restrain it.

He looked down and said, “Jiu Tang, our company is just through here. Take a look so you won’t lose your way when you come by to play in the future.”

Yang Er: … Only Jiuyé would treat a cat he’d just met so differently. Envy aside, he couldn’t feel jealous—he wasn’t the cat, after all.

Yan Jiyun was happy to stride into the company behind Jiuyé.

It was a quiet hour; few employees entered or left.

A five-story building, all glass and steel, where everyone wore suits and smart attire, looking energetic and sharp.

Yan Jiyun followed Jiuyé inside, trailed by two bodyguards. Man and cat made an unusual pair, attracting a few curious glances.

“President Jiu.”

“President Jiu.”

“President Jiu.”

Everyone greeted Jiuyé as they passed through to the elevator, all eyes lingering on the elegant man and the black cat at his feet—a charismatic pair, neither outshining the other. The employees were left quietly astonished.

Who would have thought President Jiu would bring a cat to work? Unheard of. In fact, it somewhat humanized him. Then again, other people kept cats as pets or for company; Jiuyé’s cat even rode the elevator itself. Extraordinary men raised extraordinary pets.

Jiuyé pressed the elevator button and entered. Only after Yan Jiyun had slipped in behind him did the doors close.

He told the cat, “I usually work on the fifth floor. Make sure you remember the way to my office, all right, Jiu Tang?”

Yan Jiyun looked up in response—satisfactory, apparently.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor.

Jiuyé stepped out and made straight for his office.

Yan Jiyun swaggered after him, boldly weaving his way through the spacious room.

No sooner had he entered than the secretary came forward with a report.

“President Jiu, representatives from Cheng Corporation are here, waiting in the conference room. Would you like to see them now?”

“I will go now.” Jiuyé glanced at Jiu Tang circling the office and instructed the secretary, “Inform everyone not to startle the black cat. It may go wherever it pleases.”

The secretary, professionalism personified, replied, “Understood.”

Yan Jiyun saw Jiuyé leave and trailed after him, as if to go wandering.

But the mention of the Cheng name piqued his own interest.

He wanted to know whether this Cheng family was connected to Cheng Xueying.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t communicate with Jiuyé while in cat form—unless he had a substitute or copy-cat to take his place.

The conference room was handsomely furnished, if not ostentatious; a stylish meeting space. Yan Jiyun followed Jiuyé in, leapt onto the chair beside him, and sat—clearly intent on joining the discussions.

The visitors from Cheng Corporation, all carrying contracts, struggled to make sense of the cat’s presence but tactfully chose to ignore it.

“President Jiu, here’s our newly revised contract, updated according to our last discussions,” said a middle-aged man, flanked by a young man who tugged at his deep red tie every so often.

Yan Jiyun lay on the table, watching them. The young man’s swinging tie tempted him to play, but he restrained the urge, ultimately hopping back onto Jiuyé’s lap, determined to look away.

Jiuyé absentmindedly scratched the cat’s neck while scanning the contract—his eyes flew down the page, ten lines at a glance. Yan Jiyun tried to follow along, but while he was still halfway through, Jiuyé was already flipping to the next page. This was clearly a professional at work.

Jiuyé had his own team to handle such matters, but before they finished reviewing, he dropped the contract on the table and focused on playing with the cat’s paws.

It actually felt quite nice having his paws kneaded, and from what he’d seen, this was a business partnership for a project in Jiangnan initiated by Cheng Corporation, which lacked funding and wanted Jiuyé to invest, yet the proposed profit splits heavily favored Cheng, giving Jiuyé a paltry return. If it were up to Yan Jiyun, he’d have rejected it on the spot.

Jiuyé was not pleased with the revised contract. Rising abruptly, he said, “The terms are unacceptable. We won’t be signing.”

The Cheng group hesitated. “But, President Jiu—”

Before the man could finish, the young companion said, “If President Jiu isn’t satisfied, no matter. We’re not desperate to work with you.”

The Cheng spokesman shot a glare at the young man, then apologized to Jiuyé. “Forgive him, Jiuyé. He’s President Cheng’s nephew—new to the business, and unaware of the ways of partnership. As for the terms, we can always re-discuss.”

Jiuyé’s gaze was icy. “Unless President Cheng comes personally, there’s no need to discuss this project further.”

Yan Jiyun glanced at the so-called “nephew” and recalled Cheng Xueying’s mention the previous night of her cousin at the back door. Surely this was that same useless man—an utter liability. Leave someone like this in charge a while longer and the whole business would be eaten up.

Why was the Cheng family so desperate to marry Cheng Xueying off to the Liu family? She was smart and capable, but they matched her off and put this fool in the company instead. A losing gamble. Was Cheng management really so incompetent?

Still, their appearance confirmed some of his theories.

He remembered the wedding procession had arrived from the east side of town on day one—a clear sign the Cheng family was the chief power in the east.

The Liu family in the north, Chen family in the south, Cheng in the east. Only the west remained.

Now he’d confirmed the involvement of three families. Perhaps the other three also held parts of the treasure map, and the marriage of Cheng Xueying into the Liu family was orchestrated to obtain it.

Having accompanied Jiuyé to the conference for this very reason, Yan Jiyun’s goal was achieved.

He hopped out of Jiuyé’s arms, and when the man opened the conference room door, the cat darted toward the stairwell.

There would be no one in the stairwell—he could finally turn human again and resume his investigation. Liu Jinghao’s burial would be finished around now.

He needed to find He Yuanle and bring Chen Qin to Liu Jinghao.

Go!

Hmm?

Why couldn’t he move?

Why was Jiuyé holding him down?

Yan Jiyun wanted to hiss—but the meow that came out was tinged with confusion. He really couldn’t get angry facing Jiuyé’s face—after all, food and shelter came from this man.

Jiuyé said, “What are you running off for? The collar I ordered will be here soon. Put it on before you go exploring.”

Yan Jiyun: … He did not want to wear a dog tag!

But Jiuyé’s grip was absolute. The next moment, someone entered carrying a box.

It was the owner of the goldsmith, who respectfully presented a custom collar expedited overnight.

It was crafted from supple black calfskin, with a gold tag bearing four clearly inscribed lines:

Name: Jiu Tang

Owner: Jiuyé

Home Address: XXX Road, XXX Number

Phone: 0989-193XXXXX

Yan Jiyun: …

Was this not just a public execution of his personal information?

[“Wanna Be Human” live streaming room:]

“Hahahahahahaha!”

“Hahahahahaha, dying—owner finally remembers to give the cat a tag. Like, big thumbs up!”

“Jiuyé is awesome. Isn’t this Qi Feng with amnesia? They’re so cute together!”

“Karma at work: back at the top seat, they put a collar on Xiao Jiu. Now the kitty’s getting one too.”

Jiuyé fastened the collar around Yan Jiyun’s neck.

Yan Jiyun, visibly sulky, scratched at it with his paws. Something foreign encircling his neck felt deeply uncomfortable.

Unhappy, he leapt away from Jiuyé’s lap and bolted for the stairs.

Nobody around. He turned human at once and tried to yank off the collar. Three tugs and it wouldn’t budge—the thing expanded to fit his size, yet never choked him.

He tried again. Still, nothing. And then, a red system warning flashed before his eyes:

[Players may not arbitrarily remove gifts given by NPCs!]

Yan Jiyun: …

Damn it!