Chapter 10: A Remarkable Day

No one could tell if Seam was truly in poor shape or simply had an extraordinarily gentle disposition. When Mo Fei picked it up, it didn’t struggle at all, merely closed its eyes and lay down, as serene as if nothing in the world could disturb it—so peaceful that Mo Fei felt a pang of envy. This cat seemed far more content than he could ever hope to be.

Passing by a trash can, Mo Fei briefly entertained the idea of tossing it in. But then he thought, if he did, wouldn’t he just have to fish it out himself later? Better not.

He used his phone to navigate to the nearest animal hospital. After examining Seam, the vet declared the situation was not optimistic.

Mo Fei clutched his phone, a look of agony on his face. He’d expected as much. Every test cost money—almost as much as two months’ rent. This cat shouldn’t be called Seam, but Two Months! At this rate, two months might only be the beginning.

The vet eyed Mo Fei’s demeanor and couldn’t help but swallow nervously. At this moment, Mo Fei seemed shrouded in dark energy. When his eyes drooped, it was as though he was pondering who to cut down today; when he raised them, it was like he’d already made up his mind; when he spoke, he seemed ready to recite the names of victims.

The vet’s heart trembled, but he pressed on bravely, “The kitten has several broken bones and some inflammation. It’ll need to be hospitalized, and the ongoing treatment won’t be cheap.”

As he spoke, the black cat lay sideways on the table, head raised, two emerald eyes fixed on them, looking uncannily intelligent.

Mo Fei’s expression twisted. “Treat it!”

He’d picked it up; he couldn’t just let it go now.

He looked at the black cat and met those green eyes, bitterly resentful. “You knew I just got paid, didn’t you?!”

The black cat elegantly licked its paw and turned its head away.

“Don’t pretend you don’t understand!” Mo Fei glanced at the vet’s bill, his vision swimming from black to white.

At least, though the bill was high, he could manage it. Worst case, he’d stop adding meat and eggs to his hot pot meals.

Seeing Mo Fei calm down, the vet relaxed as well. Who’d have thought someone who looked so cold-blooded could be so compassionate towards animals? People truly couldn’t be judged by appearances.

The vet felt reassured. “Please leave your contact information, sir. I’ll let you know when the kitten’s ready for discharge.”

“Notify me?” Mo Fei was puzzled. “Why notify me?”

The vet was equally confused. “You’re the owner, aren’t you? Of course we’ll notify you.”

“No, no!” Mo Fei waved his hands frantically. “I just found it by the roadside—I’m not its owner.”

“Not the owner?” The vet’s look turned strange. These days, there were plenty of people with twisted minds who abused animals, even those who’d treat them just enough to keep abusing them. This person…

Mo Fei didn’t know what the vet was thinking, but judging by his expression, it couldn’t be anything good.

The cards he’d drawn—“Ripper” and “Buddha’s Child”—made his initial impression to strangers polar opposites. One looked like anything but a good person, the other anything but a villain.

Mo Fei suffered in silence, forcing a smile. “Yes, I found it by the roadside.”

He deliberately emphasized “roadside.”

He showed the banner he always carried with him. “See, I picked it up on my way back from receiving this.”

The vet glanced at the banner with “Bravery and Justice” emblazoned on it, offering a perfunctory smile. “Ah, I see. You really are a good person.”

His tone was completely devoid of warmth.

Mo Fei rolled up the banner, abandoning any hope of further explanation.

At some point, the black cat had shifted to a crouching position, its head facing him. From its feline face, Mo Fei could see clear mockery.

This creature, costing him his pay, was laughing at him.

Mo Fei and the cat locked eyes. Then, smiling, he said to the vet, “Actually, I rescued it because I wanted to adopt it. Do you have any pet supplies here?”

The black cat’s pupils narrowed into slits.

Mo Fei felt triumphant.

When he stood at the entrance of the animal hospital, holding cat food and litter, he still hadn’t come to his senses.

He, a grown man, had been provoked by a cat into adopting it on impulse? And spent nearly ten thousand yuan on its treatment and supplies?

Mo Fei felt a dull ache in his chest.

His conscience was fine, but his greed hurt.

He trudged home, cursing himself silently.

A little money and his pride soared; one glance at a corner, and his fate was sealed.

Then again, if he hadn’t just gotten paid, he wouldn’t have bothered checking what was in the corner.

What’s done is done. He could only comfort himself—surely this black cat would bring him fortune.

Old wisdom says, “Cats bring wealth, dogs bring prosperity.”

Oh, money, money.

Mo Fei was still wallowing in the agony of his dwindling funds when he returned to his old neighborhood, and dusk had already fallen.

At this hour, most people were home for dinner. Few lingered outside.

Mo Fei dragged two heavy bags towards his apartment when a van nearly sideswiped him.

It startled him enough to forget his own woes.

The van drove with reckless arrogance through a crowded residential area, almost hitting people without slowing down.

After everything that had happened today, Mo Fei was ready to go home, release some digital fish, and accumulate merit—he didn’t want trouble.

But being bullied right at his doorstep? Impossible.

The cat mocked him, now the van mocked him.

Mo Fei tossed down the bags of cat food and litter, along with the banner, and sprinted after the van, grabbing a broken brick from a roadside flowerbed as he ran.

Catching up to a moving vehicle on foot was unlikely, but he could make it stop.

He took aim and hurled the brick with force, smashing the van’s rear windshield.

The van slowed briefly—Mo Fei expected a confrontation—but instead, it sped off.

Standing in a cloud of exhaust, Mo Fei felt a bit foolish.

He pulled out his phone and sent Officer Xiao Xu a voice message. “I think I’ve gotten into trouble again.”

Officer Xiao Xu replied almost instantly: “Tell me.”

“I just smashed a van’s rear windshield, and the driver didn’t even stop—just ran.”

Mo Fei added, “He slowed down, so he knows he got hit. I suspect he was drunk or high—otherwise, he wouldn’t be so guilty.”

These days, the shameless are kings.

Anyone who nearly hits pedestrians without slowing down is never the sort to admit fault.

If the guy wasn’t guilty, he’d have stopped and beaten Mo Fei up for damages.

The fact that he sped off only proved his guilt.

Officer Xiao Xu seemed to agree, replying, “License plate, location—I’ll have traffic check it out.”

Seeing the message, Mo Fei smiled like a model citizen.

Then came a second message: “If the driver’s clean, you’ll have to pay compensation.”

Mo Fei’s smile vanished. He pocketed his phone and went back to retrieve the cat food, litter, and banner, grumbling all the way.