Chapter 1

Zheng Tan jumped onto a branch of a parasol tree, squinted his eyes to look at the sunlight filtering through the leaves, used his furry paws to scratch his ears, found a comfortable position to lie down, and yawned.

In the afternoon of September, the sunlight was just right, perfect for a nap.

Zheng Tan was a cat, but he used to be a real human. He didn't understand how this happened; he woke up one day and found himself like this.

In an unfamiliar city, an unfamiliar house, with unfamiliar people and a new, more desperate identity, an enlarged world, and a time that had rewound to the year 2003.

Zheng Tan used to dislike cats, even to the point of hating them. He always thought that cats were on the same level as lunatics. Now, he himself had become such an animal.

Karma?

Zheng Tan admitted that his behavior wasn't very good. He had bullied the weak, set a few small fires, been idle and aimless, and once lived a life of luxury and debauchery. But at least he hadn't killed anyone. By the moral standards he had held since he could remember, there were plenty of people worse than him. Why did he have to be the one to suffer karma?

Confused? At a loss? Angry? Desperate?

In the face of such a clear reality, everything seemed futile. For his once indulgent life, Zheng Tan could only console himself with the saying, "When the wind blows the eggshell, the wealth leaves and people find peace."

Three months had passed, a quarter of a year, and the cycle of nature had turned ninety degrees, calming Zheng Tan's initially tumultuous mood, from discomfort to gradual familiarity.

Sometimes, having no great ambitions and living day by day was a rare and valuable mindset.

This was Chu Hua University, a century-old prestigious institution in central China, known for its vast campus and excellent greenery.

Occasionally, students would walk along the path under the tree, creating an atmosphere that was peaceful yet vibrant.

Zheng Tan was woken from his nap in this pleasant atmosphere by a dog's barking. He moved his ears, and without looking, he knew which two were causing the commotion.

About a hundred meters away, a brown Chihuahua was barking at a camphor tree, and on a branch of the tree stood a black-and-white cat. This cat was currently wagging its tail and barking at the dog below.

On the surface, this was a common scenario that pet owners often encounter. However, what made this situation different was that both the dog and the cat were barking "woof woof."

This cat was named "Chief," now eight months old, slightly smaller than Zheng Tan. It was named after the black cat police chief in the cartoon because of its similar fur color. "Chief" was also one of Zheng Tan's new feline friends.

"Chief" had two characteristics: one was its aggressiveness, fighting without fear; the other was its ability to bark like a dog, very dog-like.

The first time Zheng Tan met "Chief," the cat was perched on a landscape rock about a meter high, barking at the Chihuahua. When "Chief" noticed Zheng Tan watching, it slowly changed from "woof woof" to "meow."

At the time, "Chief's" "dog language" was not very standard, sounding a bit strange, but over time, it became more and more authentic. Most people couldn't tell the difference just by listening.

Moreover, when "Chief" was tired, it would stick out its tongue and pant like a dog, leading Zheng Tan to often suspect that a dog's soul might be living inside this cat.

Ignoring the commotion, Zheng Tan yawned and lay down to continue sleeping. He wasn't worried about "Chief's" safety. "Chief" and the Chihuahua had been fighting since they were young, with plenty of experience. If asked why "Chief" always picked on the Chihuahua, the reason was simple: the Chihuahua was the smallest among the pet dogs in the eastern residential area. Fish go for the freshest, and cats pick the softest persimmons; even cats know this.

Zheng Tan slept until the third class bell rang in the university's teaching area. He stretched, slowly slid down from the tall parasol tree, and jogged along the path. After passing through a peach grove, he would see a wall.

This was the affiliated primary school within Chu Hua University, where many children of faculty and staff members attended, making it convenient for parents to drop off and pick up their children.

Zheng Tan jumped onto the wall, looked at two classrooms on the second and sixth floors, and then walked along the wall toward the school gate.

After waiting on the wall about twenty meters from the school gate for about seven or eight minutes, the school bell rang. It wasn't a sharp ringing sound but a cheerful and lively tune, very humane.

A little girl in a floral dress with a Hello Kitty backpack walked out of the building and immediately looked toward Zheng Tan. When she saw him squatting on the wall, her eyes, which had been expressionless, lit up, and she ran over.

"Big Brother Yuan said they had a small test in their last class, so we might have to wait a bit longer..."

Before the little girl finished her sentence, Zheng Tan saw someone rush out of the stairwell, dragging a backpack like a sack of potatoes, with hair as messy as a bird's nest, and running straight toward them, grinning and giving Zheng Tan and the little girl a "V" sign, indicating that he had done well on the test.

The boy was named Jiao Yuan, the child of the family that now took care of Zheng Tan, and he was in sixth grade. The little girl was named Gu Yuzi, Jiao Yuan's cousin. After her parents divorced, she was brought back from abroad by Jiao's mother and now lived with the Jiao family, attending the second grade at Chu Hua University's affiliated primary school.

Jiao Yuan took Gu Yuzi's backpack, and the two of them, along with the cat, left the school gate and headed toward the eastern residential area.

"Look, Jiao Yuan's cat is here to pick them up again!" someone said.

Many people on the way were already used to this scene. It had been nearly three weeks since the start of the school year, and it had become a topic of conversation among the locals.

The residential area was not far from the school, and they arrived in less than ten minutes.

The Jiao family lived on the fifth floor of Building B in the eastern residential area. Each building had a security gate, and Jiao Yuan touched his keychain to the card reader, and the iron gate opened with a "ding."

Jiao Yuan's keychain had a small round tag, which was the "key" for the security gate. Almost everyone living in the residential area had one. Zheng Tan also had one hanging around his neck, but it was a bit special. The front of the tag had Zheng Tan's current photo, and the back had the Jiao family's address and contact number. It was a combination of a security card and a pet tag, specially made by Jiao's father.

When Zheng Tan entered the building, he glanced at a balcony on the first floor but didn't see the fat guy. He must have been taken to visit relatives again.

At this mealtime, the Jiao family's door was always open. After all, it was a residential area within the university, with security gates and cameras at the entrances, making it much safer than some apartment buildings outside. Jiao's mother was cooking, and there were voices in the living room.

"Then, I'll leave the advertisement to you, Teacher Jiao!"

Zheng Tan paused at the door. He recognized this voice; it belonged to the owner of a pet supplies store near Chu Hua University, surnamed Guo. His brother was a veterinarian, and Zheng Tan's vaccines were administered by him.

Last week, Zheng Tan had heard Jiao's mother mention that Little Guo wanted Zheng Tan to help with a cat food commercial. So, was this visit specifically about the advertisement?