Chapter 60
The construction site was a new project undertaken by Lu Yichuan’s company, located in the suburbs, surrounded by vast fields of foxtail grass.
Jiang Heng’s rat-catching skills were limited. His newly established pest control company suffered a crushing defeat within hours, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of foxtail grass and the abundance of cats hiding beneath it. The area was deserted, the foxtail grass growing thick and tall, providing ample cover for the feline population.
The competent cats had been recruited by Little Black, leaving behind a group of less disciplined kittens, entrusted to Jiang Heng’s care. It was more of a daycare center than a pest control company.
Jiang Heng, the kindergarten leader, with his five-centimeter-long legs, ran to the foxtail grass, meowed loudly, and pounced, landing on a napping cat and creating a ripple effect in the feline sea.
“I’m going to confiscate all your dried fish!”
A small head poked out from under him. “The sun is too bright; the rats won’t come out now.”
It purred and tried to groom Jiang Heng’s fur. “Why don’t we take a nap first?”
The surrounding cats purred in agreement, the foxtail grass swaying in the wind, the sunlight warm and gentle, the kittens’ fur radiating a pleasant warmth.
Jiang Heng narrowed his eyes, his tail swishing back and forth, joining the chorus of purrs.
…
When he woke up, the sun was already setting. Jiang Heng stretched his front paws, his hind legs, his back, and finally remembered his mission.
“Time for our patrol.”
A group of round-faced kittens followed him.
The setting sun painted the sky in shades of orange and gold. The long-haired, short-legged cat, followed by seven or eight kittens, walked along the perimeter of the construction site, attracting the attention of the workers.
“Have you noticed? There seem to be a lot of cats on this site. I heard a tabby cat even caught a thief trying to steal steel pipes a few days ago.”
“Didn’t you hear? They’ve set up some kind of stray cat rescue association. Every stray cat can get cat food, but if they want better food, they have to earn it. So now, there are no thieves or rats around here.”
“Cats are that smart?”
“Animals just can’t talk. They know who’s good to them.”
Meanwhile, the kittens who had been patrolling just moments ago were now chasing grasshoppers in the field. The most beautiful cat among them, a long-haired white cat, stood on a ridge and meowed loudly.
“Don’t move! That big grasshopper is mine!”
Jiang Heng, his hind legs pumping, assumed a hunting stance and pounced—
Thud!
He crashed into a rock.
He clutched his head, and the green grasshopper, perched on a blade of grass above him, hopped onto his head, then hopped away.
Jiang Heng: “…”
This was unacceptable! Utterly unacceptable!
“Quick, quick, quick! Catch it for me!”
A group of kittens, about the same size as him or even smaller, swarmed forward, a scene as grand as the six major sects besieging Bright Summit.
The tiny grasshopper, surrounded by seven or eight cats, blinked its minuscule eyes.
Jiang Heng pinned the grasshopper with his paw and grinned triumphantly. “Trying to run? Nowhere to escape this time!”
He examined the grasshopper from all angles. “I’m going to give it to Lu Yichuan!”
The man would surely be moved to tears.
The kittens chirped their disapproval.
“Just a grasshopper? That’s boring.”
“Yeah, yeah, grasshoppers are so easy to catch, nothing special. We should give him something special!”
“We can catch a rat! A big, black rat! A live one! That crawls around on the ground! The two-legged creature will definitely be happy!”
Jiang Heng: “…”
He was clumsy, not stupid.
If he really brought Lu Yichuan a rat, he would be thrown out along with the rat.
Besides, although he was a cat now, he was still a human at heart. He loved chasing his fluffy toy mouse at home, but if he encountered a real rat, he would run for his life.
No one was immune to the fear of those creepy, crawly creatures!
Not even a human turned cat.
Seeing his refusal, the kittens offered more suggestions.
“Then we can catch a bird! A colorful, pretty bird! The two-legged creature will like that!”
A one-way ticket to jail.
“Geckos are also pretty! And they have four legs! We can put it in his bed and give him a surprise!”
More like a fright.
“Long, crispy spicy strips!”
Jiang Heng: “…”
Jiang Heng politely declined his underlings’ life-threatening suggestions and, carrying the grasshopper in his mouth, went to find Big White and Little Black at the construction site.
The grasshopper, held firmly in his mouth, didn’t dare to move, its legs twitching feebly.
It was almost closing time at the construction site. Lu Yichuan was coming for an inspection that afternoon, and Jiang Heng, unable to find him, could only look for Big White and Little Black, hoping they could take him to Lu Yichuan.
He climbed over a small mound of dirt and saw two figures standing guard by the entrance, like gatekeepers.
Jiang Heng walked over, dropped the grasshopper, stepped on it with his paw, and looked up, asking politely, “Aren’t you off work yet?”
The black-haired teenager checked the time. “We should be, but CEO Lu is coming for an inspection today, so our shift has been extended.”
He added honestly, “The foreman said we have to show CEO Lu our unparalleled enthusiasm for work.”
Jiang Heng paused for a moment. “So he made you two stand guard here?”
The two cats, in their human forms, their eye colors concealed by contact lenses, the white cat’s hair color hidden under a cap, were surprisingly the most handsome security guards on the site.
Finally having a proper job, with all-you-can-eat meals at the company cafeteria, Big White was thrilled and took his work very seriously.
“Yes, the foreman said CEO Lu is coming soon and we have to be here to greet him.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people approached in the distance.
The man in the center was tall, dressed in a tailored black suit, his figure slender and easily recognizable among the crowd.
The grasshopper beneath Jiang Heng’s paw let out a desperate chirp and, seizing the opportunity when he relaxed his guard, leaped away.
My grasshopper!
The dusty, long-haired kitten, forgetting all about the approaching crowd, immediately gave chase.
Fortunately, the grasshopper had lost two legs earlier and couldn’t jump very far. Jiang Heng caught it within minutes.
He held the grasshopper in his mouth, looked at the group of people less than two meters away from the entrance, and discreetly hid behind Big White.
The project manager led Lu Yichuan inside, talking enthusiastically. “CEO Lu, the project has just started, but I’m confident that in three months, this place will be completely transformed. The designers and construction team I’ve hired are all…”
He stopped mid-sentence. As they approached the entrance, the two security guards bowed deeply in unison. “Good afternoon, CEO Lu!”
Lu Yichuan paused, his gaze sweeping over the two guards, then lowering to the small cat hiding behind them, pretending to be invisible.
The project manager’s smile widened. “You see, our employees are always so enthusiastic, they’re all excited to see you.”
He paused, not hearing a response from Lu Yichuan, and followed his gaze to the kitten crouching on the ground.
It was a beautiful cat, its fur fluffy and cloud-like, its long tail dragging on the ground, a grasshopper in its mouth. It blinked innocently at him.
The project manager froze for a few seconds, then barked at the security guards, “Where did this cat come from?! Get rid of it!”
The security guards were stunned and instinctively looked at Lu Yichuan.
The man in the center of the group walked over, bent down, and picked up the kitten. Seeing the grasshopper in its mouth, his eye twitched, and he turned his head away, out of sight, out of mind.
“He’s my cat. Any objections?”
The project manager’s expression shifted, and he finally managed a dry chuckle. “Haha…CEO Lu’s beloved cat is here, why didn’t you say so? What if someone accidentally…offended it?”
Lu Yichuan walked inside, where a scene of bustling activity unfolded.
“Isn’t it past closing time? Why are the workers still here?”
The project manager stepped forward, “Everyone is so passionate about their work, they voluntarily work overtime to finish the project early.”
A cold smile touched the man’s lips. “Do you think I’m stupid, or do you think I’m easy to fool?”
The project manager’s smile froze. “C-CEO Lu…”
Lu Yichuan said, “Tell the workers to go home. Calculate their overtime pay and give it to them. Call the foreman; I want to speak to him personally. And…”
He glanced at the project manager. “You’re fired. I’m not paying you to lie to me.”
He didn’t even bother looking at the project manager again and walked inside, carrying the cat, followed by two nervous-looking security guards.
Reaching a temporary shed used for meetings, Lu Yichuan ruffled the kitten’s head and handed it to the black cat. “You’re off duty. I have a meeting. He can play with you for a while. I’ll come get him later.”
The black and white cats took Jiang Heng to the staff cafeteria.
Big White, with his superhuman eating capacity, had already made an impression on the cafeteria staff after only a few days on the job.
Seeing him, the cook immediately filled a large bowl with food and, noticing the black-haired teenager behind him carrying a cat, asked curiously, “Is this your cat?”
Big White stared intently at the food.
Little Black explained awkwardly, “No, it belongs to the boss.”
The cook, not realizing he was referring to the boss, thought it was just one of the managers. “It’s quite beautiful, despite looking a bit dirty.”
Jiang Heng, dirty from playing outside, sheepishly tucked his paws under him.
Little Black held Jiang Heng and asked, “Do you want to eat?”
Jiang Heng looked around, then shook his head.
The food here was meant for manual laborers, focusing on quantity over quality, and the taste…left much to be desired.
Jiang Heng, spoiled by Lu Yichuan’s cooking, wasn’t interested in such greasy, heavy food.
“No, I’ll wait for Lu Yichuan and eat with him.”
Because of Jiang Heng, Lu Yichuan’s meeting was short, and he arrived before the black and white cats had even finished eating.
The workers in the cafeteria didn’t know who he was, but seeing his handsome face and expensive suit, they couldn’t help but stare.
Two faint gray paw prints were still visible on his sleeves, and when Jiang Heng climbed into his arms, he added two more.
Jiang Heng, carrying the barely alive grasshopper, followed Lu Yichuan home.
Li An drove, and Lu Yichuan sat in the back with the cat.
The evening air was cool, the last vestiges of the day’s heat fading.
Jiang Heng opened his mouth, and the grasshopper landed on the man’s lap. “Lu Yichuan, look, I brought you a present!”
With every feeble twitch of the grasshopper on his lap, Lu Yichuan’s eye twitched.
“Who told you to bring this?”
Jiang Heng pinned the grasshopper with his paw. “I brought it myself! When I went to the countryside as a child, we used to catch grasshoppers. They’re crunchy! Delicious!”
He nudged the grasshopper with his nose. “Don’t be disgusted!”
Lu Yichuan: “…”
Li An, ever the sycophant, said, “CEO Lu, this is a gift from your kitty! It means he likes you! Don’t be polite, accept it!”
The man gave him a cold look. “Assistant Li, you’ve just lost this month’s bonus.”
Assistant Li: “…”
Was it too late to take back his words?
