Strange Life of a Cat-Chapter 238 - 231 Event Venue

Chapter 238: Chapter 231: Event Venue

Chapter 238 -231: Event Venue

After getting Jiao Ma’s approval, Xiao Guo was very excited. He was aiming for several awards this time, hoping to bag as many as possible to enhance his influence.

The event was scheduled for early June, and these past few days Xiao Guo had been busy preparing for the various matters related to attending. He also had to contact some partners, as it wasn’t just an exchange and competition among cats, but also a display of related products and food. This was a major source of income for Xiao Guo, and now that his own brand in his shop had taken off, he could use this event to promote it further. So, Xiao Guo was preparing for this event with great ambition.

After spending Children’s Day with Little Youzi at home, Zheng Tan started making regular trips to the Pet Center. Xiao Guo had set several tasks, and Zheng Tan had to familiarize himself with them. Jiao Ma also began preparing for Zheng Tan’s long journey. Despite Xiao Guo’s assurances, Jiao Ma was still worried. She spent over three hours at the computer compiling a detailed list to print out and later hand over to Charlie, who was specifically appointed to look after Zheng Tan. Jiao Ma had a long conversation with Charlie at the Pet Center, giving so many instructions that Zheng Tan’s ears were nearly calloused from listening. However, he did not mind it; the feeling of being valued and taken care of was actually quite pleasant.

The event was in Linzhou City. Xiao Guo had chartered a coach bus, along with several accompanying vehicles, and the majority of his work team was coming along. The drive from Chuhua City to Linzhou City would take around ten hours. However, Xiao Guo had started preparing early and wasn’t worried about any inconveniences during those ten hours.

There were six cats participating in the event—including three from Xiao Guo’s shop, as well as cats from other pet shops and clubs associated with the “Green Wing” organization. Other competitors from Chuhua City were also participating, but they didn’t travel with Xiao Guo’s group. They would fly to Linzhou on their own and contact the group for a meet-up if they wished for a collective movement. Otherwise, there was no need to get in touch with Xiao Guo’s team.

Different from the other cats confined in cages, Zheng Tan had much more freedom and occupied his own seat, where he lay sleeping. Charlie sat beside him.

Charlie was now a bona fide cat nanny, exclusively for Zheng Tan during his “work” hours.

Charlie glanced at the cat beside him, who was sleeping soundly and contentedly. Then he looked at someone upfront who had to soothe a cat that was incessantly meowing by taking it out of the cage. Charlie sighed inwardly. Each cat had its own temperament and quirks, with their own advantages and annoyances. Although the cat beside him was bold and mentally tough, he came with too many bad habits.

Charlie opened the folder in his hand and browsed through a few documents. Among them was Jiao Ma’s list of “care instructions” for taking care of her Black Cat. In truth, Charlie didn’t need these; he was already quite familiar with Zheng Tan’s habits after working together for so long. However, every time he looked at these “care instructions,” he felt a pang in his stomach. Well, as long as there were no mess-ups during the event, everything else was acceptable.

The convoy stopped halfway for a rest, with lunch and bathroom breaks. That’s when Zheng Tan let Charlie take him to the restroom at the dining spot for a big squat. He never used cat litter or similar things, and only used the restroom.

Having eaten and drained his metabolic waste, Zheng Tan got back into the vehicle and continued to sleep without a care in the world.

Charlie sent a text message to his girlfriend: Cats these days are such a hassle to serve.

However, this time there was a new addition on the bus, a person plus a cat. This cat came from a club in Chuhua City. The owner was a woman in her forties or fifties who had previously been riding in the sedan behind. Perhaps finding it too dull back there, she had come into the coach after the rest stop. She was now boasting about how good and delicate her cat was and all the awards it had previously won.

Zheng Tan, who had been sleeping soundly, was awakened by the woman’s somewhat shrill and grating voice. At this point, many people on the bus were getting ready to rest, but the last thing they expected was the added disturbance of this person. It was said that her husband held a vice-chairman level position within the “Green Wing” organization. He didn’t have as much speaking power as Xiao Guo, but the people on the bus still had to show her some courtesy, even if they felt annoyed inside, they wouldn’t show it on their faces.

Zheng Tan couldn’t stand it any longer; the woman was too noisy, and he found it aggravating. He woke up and glanced over, noticing that the woman was holding an Exotic Shorthair cat in her arms. The cat looked really cute and docile, it was just its owner who was not that great—too noisy.

Perhaps sensing Zheng Tan’s unfriendly gaze, the Exotic Shorthair looked at him before snuggling further into its owner’s embrace.

The woman, who was almost putting down the other cats in her boasting, felt the movement in her arms and quickly stroked the cat’s fur to comfort it, cooing phrases like “my sweetie” and “my little darling” which made Zheng Tan’s skin crawl.

Following her cat’s line of sight, the woman glanced at Zheng Tan and shivered inwardly. It wasn’t that she was timid, but suddenly locking eyes with those cold eyes of the black cat sent a chill down her spine. She didn’t like all-black cats, as they seemed too fierce. She hadn’t even noticed the presence of a black cat with Xiao Guo’s group before because she had only had eyes for her own cat. Now that she was aware, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy, and the cat in her arms seemed to share her fear, both of them suddenly becoming quiet.

The people in the car looked at Zheng Tan, then glanced at the man and his cat, feeling amused. Although this Black Cat had a bad temper, sometimes it really came in handy. No wonder their boss always liked to use this cat to command presence.

During a stop at a gas station for refueling, the woman carried the exotic shorthair cat off the bus and into another car. As she exited, she continued to complain about Xiao Guo bringing such cats, saying they were losing face and dignity. After receiving a glare from Xiao Guo, she huffed and turned to board another car.

At around eight o’clock that evening, the convoy reached Linzhou City and arrived at a hotel, which was the pre-arranged accommodation where pets could be settled in as well.

Zheng Tan was still the exception, brought directly inside and taking over a bed all to himself. That night, Jiao Ma called Charlie to check on Zheng Tan’s condition.

After resting for a day at the hotel, the event, which was set to start on Saturday this week, lasted for two days. From nine to ten o’clock on Saturday morning, the participating cats would need to enter the venue for a veterinarian check-up before the event could commence.

Although the event was described as an exchange activity open to all breeds of cats, there were also public exhibits for cats, divided into kitten, adult cat, neutered cat, and household cat groups for the exhibition competition, with the first three groups undoubtedly dominated by expensive breeds.

The event gathered rare breeds from different countries, including Persian Cats, hairless cats, Garfields, Cornish Rexes, Ragdoll Cats, Maine Coons, and others, with a total value nearing ten million RMB, certainly a treat for the attendees’ eyes. Besides, Saturday’s agenda included a charity sale and various cat-care knowledge lectures and prize quizzes.

Sunday had several specially arranged interactive segments. Many people disdain cats, and one of the main reasons for not being fond of them is their temperament. Most cats are scratchy, indifferent or overly proud, showing affection only when they please. The organizers aimed to show another side of cats.

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Zheng Tan learned from Charlie’s conversation on the bus that these interactive segments would feature some specially trained cats, as well as some extraordinarily sweet and cute ones, to encourage closer contact with the audience and improve their perception of cats.

Zheng Tan’s task was set for Sunday, with Xiao Guo assigning him “Parkour.” For Zheng Tan, this wasn’t a difficult task, especially since he’d be collaborating with a stunningly fit woman.

Beautiful women were indispensable. Working alongside a beauty even slightly improved Zheng Tan’s mood.

There were also plans to hold a series of activities such as pet health and medical lectures, consultations, pet care technical exchanges, and free beauty treatments, vaccinations, and health checks for pet cats on the spot, aiming to promote a fashionable and healthy feline lifestyle concept. The turnout was expected to be substantial, with a large number of both people and cats.

On Saturday, Zheng Tan and other cats participating in the event underwent the examination, where he saw a variety of cats. Staring at a few hairless cats for a long time, Zheng Tan was glad the temperature was warm; in winter, they’d probably need to stay clothed in a heated room. There were also curly-haired and folded-ear cats, which he found quite interesting. Accustomed to seeing the flat-faced exotic shorthairs and Garfield models, these strange cats were quite novel to him, particularly from the perspective of a cat.

Perhaps due to the different viewpoints, what once seemed grotesque now appeared tolerable to Zheng Tan, who could discern many emotions in their eyes. Some intimidating-looking cats were actually timid, and others with a seemingly strong presence were simply lethargic and easily scared. During the check-up, one cat frightened itself with its own silent fart, which made Zheng Tan silently chuckle for a while after he heard others mention it.

Observing the various cats, Zheng Tan wondered what it would be like if Huasheng Tang were there. But it was best not to dwell on impossible things.

Huasheng Tang had always roamed free, raised personally by Li Yuanba and known for picking fights, which posed too much of a risk for Xiao Guo’s group to bring him. If Huasheng Tang had come, peace would be unlikely. With the participating cats at the exhibition valued at nearly ten million RMB, a mishap with the champion cats scratching or depressing them would mean financial ruin for Xiao Guo.

In the venue, the endearing Persian Cats and the plump British Shorthairs looked around with their big, watery eyes, occasionally emitting a whimper to their owners. Their calm demeanor suggested this wasn’t their first such event.

A Garfield from Xiao Guo’s shop was also brought to compete. Many citizens came with their families to take photos with the “cat stars,” while various animal welfare organizations promoted animal rescue concepts and conducted charity sales in some areas, drawing crowds everywhere. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)