A busy and fulfilling weekend passed.
After sleeping in for two days, Zhang Zian got up early again on Monday morning. He simply cleaned the shop and prepared lunch for Famous and the two police dogs — — stewed beef with potatoes.
Last night, he received an official notice that all the crew members, except for him, would return to the set on Monday morning. As for him, he would go with Director Feng Xuan to the Binhai City Police Dog Training Base to select dogs as stunt doubles to temporarily bring these dogs back from the brink of death.
The police dog training base was usually not open to outsiders, and Zhang Zian had never been there before. He didn't know what was going on, but he still had some expectations.
Lu Yi Yun came very early as usual. As soon as she entered the shop, she smelled the mouthwatering smell of beef. When she heard that Zhang Zian was leaving the shop to report to the set, she suddenly felt guilty and worried that she couldn't handle the customers.
Zhang Zian encouraged her and told her to relax. If she could make a deal, then do it. If she couldn't, then don't force yourself. There were many more customers now than when he first took over the pet shop. It was inevitable that they would ask some strange questions. Even he couldn't handle it, let alone Lu Yi Yun, who had just arrived.
As he was talking, two car horns sounded outside the door. Zhang Zian turned his head and, as expected, Xiao Liu had come to pick him up again.
After giving Lu Yi Yun a few more words, he left the shop with Famous and got into Xiao Liu's car.
After Zhang Zian left, the shop became quiet.
Compared with the weekend when customers came in one after another, Lu Yi Yun enjoyed the quietness on Monday morning. She turned on her computer, spread out her drawing tools on the cashier's table, and let Jasmine lie on her lap. She was ready to draw for a while before the first customer came.
When Zhang Zian fed Snowy Lionet raw beef brisket, he also fed Jasmine a few pieces. Jasmine was very full. It yawned loudly and curled up into a ball. It was used to treating its owner's leg as a second cat's nest.
Before Lu Yi Yun started drawing, she stroked the cat for a while. She gently stroked the hair on the back of Jasmine's neck. She didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but she felt that after eating raw beef brisket for a few days, Jasmine's body had become a lot stronger, and its hair had become smoother and more comfortable to touch. She looked at the time on the lower right corner of the computer and whispered to herself, "Three more minutes, not one more second..."
Time always seemed to pass very quickly when he was petting the cat. Often, before he had enough fun, time slipped away unknowingly.
In the quiet pet shop, the painting of the girl and the cat was originally an excellent picture, but it was suddenly broken by a scream!
"Help! Help! "
Lu Yi Yun was so scared that her whole body trembled, and her hands trembled. She might have accidentally pulled on Jasmine's fur. Jasmine meowed softly, jumped down from her lap, and scurried towards the direction of the sound.
"Jasmine! Jasmine! Come back! Don't run around! "
The sudden cry for help scared Lu Yi Yun. She didn't know what was going on. Why was there a cry for help coming from the pet shop? Did Zhang Zian leave the TV on when he left?
In the blink of an eye, Jasmine had disappeared without a trace.
She looked around in bewilderment and out of the shop. In the early morning, pedestrians and vehicles hurried to and fro. No one had the intention to stop and enter the shop. Although she felt sorry for Zhang Zian, in fact, she usually prayed for fewer customers. However, at this time, she hoped that someone would come in to give her courage.
Wang Qian and Li Kun wouldn't come so early. They were college students, so they slept late and got up late. Except for special circumstances, they basically wouldn't come earlier than 10 o 'clock every day. After they came, they had a lot of things to do. They had to clean the cat litter, take the puppies out of the newly opened back door of the shop, and walk the puppies in the uninhabited green space nearby.
What should I do? Should I call the police?
She held her phone, and her palms were full of sweat.
After standing there for a long time, she decided not to call the police. She didn't know how to deal with the police. What if the police came and found out that it was a false alarm? She didn't know the private phone number of the police officer named Sheng Ke who often came to the shop.
"Jasmine! Jasmine! "She called a few more times, but Jasmine still didn't come back.
The shop became quiet again. Lu Yi Yun gathered her courage and walked a few steps into the inner room.
Everything was as usual.
The black and white kitten was chasing and playing with a few Abyssinian cats. The golden and white kittens were lazily lying on the cat tree and sleeping. The other kittens and puppies didn't have any unusual behaviors.
From the corner came the buzzing sound of a TV. She knew that there was a small TV there. An old cat wearing a bamboo hat and a long gown was always lying there watching the TV. It was a special scene in the Amazing Fate Pet Shop. Anyone who saw it would think it was funny. Everyone thought that it didn't understand the content of the TV and was just pretending to watch it.
She tiptoed over to the TV, and the old tea-colored cat tilted its head and glanced at her. She didn't know why, but she always felt that its eyes were very kind and kind, just like the eyes of her grandfather who stayed in the countryside.
It grinned, as if it was smiling at her, and moved to the side to make space for her. It waved its paw at the empty space, as if inviting her to watch TV together.
The fluff in the middle of the old electric blanket had been polished, and a few tawny cat hairs could be seen.
Lu Yi Yun wasn't sure if she had misunderstood it. Was this old cat really inviting her to sit down and watch TV together?
The TV was showing a movie she had seen before. It was Ip Man 3. Of course, she didn't watch it in the cinema. After all, she didn't have a friend who could go to the cinema with her, and she didn't even know which way the gate of the cinema was facing.
She waved her hand, indicating that she didn't want to watch it. Then she gestured and asked, "My cat, Jasmine. It's so big and yellow. Do you know where it is?"
Lu Yi Yun felt stupid. Why would she talk to a cat so seriously?
The old tea-colored cat seemed to understand what she meant. It moved back and continued to focus on the TV. When it saw the highlights, it would even shake its head, as if it was enjoying the show.
It couldn't be, right? Could it really understand TV?
Lu Yi Yun thought for a moment. Since Zhang Zian could teach a kitten to dance, it didn't seem strange that he could teach an old cat to watch TV. But what was the point of teaching it?
She didn't get an answer from the old tea-colored cat, so she walked over to the cat tree and looked at the golden cat anxiously. The sun shone through the window and on its body. Every hair on its body was shining with a golden light, as if it was made of gold.
The cat seemed to have a bad temper. She had seen it meow at Zhang Zian several times, but Zhang Zian always gave in. She had been afraid of it ever since she entered the store.
The golden cat sensed her gaze and opened its eyes. Its green eyes met hers, which were as clear as ice and as sharp as a spear.
Lu Yi Yun was scared and took two steps back. She gestured and asked, "My cat, Jasmine. It's so big and yellow. Do you know where it is?"
She felt that her hands were shaking. The cat's gaze was too aggressive. It was hard to imagine how Zhang Zian had been able to endure it... No wonder he was on par with the Ashera cat that looked like a leopard.
The golden cat only took one look at her and lost interest. It yawned lazily and closed its eyes again, as if even a meow was superfluous.
A few meows came from a slightly lower position. The white cat stared at her, stuck out its pink tongue, licked its lips, and meowed three more times.
Lu Yiyun was very familiar with this expression. Every morning, she would pull the corner of Zhang Zian's trousers and ask for raw beef brisket. Zhang Zian's expression was always very embarrassed, and he had to separate one hand to hold the waist of his trousers to prevent his trousers from being pulled down … Every time this happened, she would always look away in embarrassment.
"I don't live here. I don't have raw beef brisket." She waved her hand again.
The white cat pouted in disappointment and closed its eyes to take a nap like the golden cat.
"I'm sorry." She bowed her head and apologized. She wondered why she was apologizing so seriously when she didn't do anything wrong.
She walked around the room and searched carefully, but she couldn't find Jasmine. Whether it was on top of the shelf, under the recliner, behind the cat litter box, or in the bathroom … She looked everywhere, but she still couldn't find Jasmine. When she passed by the recliner, she stared at it for a while and resisted the urge to lie on it. She thought that the store manager was very cool when he was lying on the recliner. He could handle any kind of customer with ease. She wanted to be this kind of person, who was neither humble nor arrogant, neither shy nor speechless in front of strangers.
Maybe this recliner was some kind of golden finger, and she could get some skills and points by lying on it. Maybe she could even get some kind of inexplicable store system …
She shook her head and stopped her wild imagination. It was probably because she read too many online novels.
It was more important to find Jasmine.
"Jasmine! Jasmine! "
Lu Yi Yun whispered a few more times, but Jasmine still didn't appear.
"Help! Help! "
The cry for help came again.
Although she was mentally prepared, Lu Yi Yun was still scared out of her wits. This time, she heard it clearly. The cry for help came from upstairs, the second floor where Zhang Zian lived, and it seemed to be a young girl.
Her legs trembled slightly, and some bad thoughts emerged in her mind. Did Mr. Store Manager kidnap and imprison young girls? Reports about this kind of thing were common on the Internet, both in China and abroad.
So, Mr. Store Manager is this kind of person?
No! No!
Lu Yi Yun denied her own thoughts. Mr. Store Manager was not such a person.
It wasn't that she blindly trusted Zhang Zian, but she felt that such a pervert could not show sincere love for pets. She believed in her own eyes and intuition.
If that was the case, then what was the cry for help about?
She was hesitating, but she saw the black and white cat sitting two or three meters away, blinking its silver-gray eyes and looking at her.
Before coming to the pet shop to give Jasmine a bath, Lu Yi Yun had never seen or heard of a cat with silver-gray eyes. Every time she saw it, she was surprised. It was as if it came from the second dimension, from a different world. The boundary between reality and illusion was blurred by it.
There were many customers in the pet shop, but only a few people had seen it. It often disappeared when there were customers, and no one knew where it went. It must be good at hiding. But when there was only Lu Yi Yun in the shop, it never hid.
"Do you know where my Jasmine ran off to?" She asked hopelessly.
The black and white cat tilted its head, as if it understood her words. It raised a front paw and pointed to the stairwell leading to the second floor, meowing.
"Upstairs?"
Lu Yi Yun had more or less guessed the answer. It was impossible for Jasmine to run out of the store. Since it had searched the first floor, it must have run to the second floor. However, the call for help from upstairs made her stop.
The black and white cat nodded.
"Can you understand me?" she asked in surprise.
Whether it was the tea-colored old cat, the golden cat, the white cat, or the black and white kitten, they all gave her a very strange feeling. They were not like cats, but more like people. If she were to use the common characters in comics, they would be the old butler in the castle, the arrogant young lady, the head maid in the white maid dress who was always with the young lady, and the mysterious child who was ignorant of the world.
So what was Zhang Zian's character?
A young man who accidentally entered the castle?
It sounded like the character of the main character in comics …
The young illustrator's brain was unconsciously wandering again.
The black and white kitten didn't answer. It walked a few steps in the direction of the stairwell, then turned back and waved at her.
"You want me to follow you up? That's not very good … After all, this is Mr. Store Manager's private residence … "She hesitated.
It blinked its silver-gray eyes and waved at her again.
"… Okay. I will apologize to Mr. Store Manager when he comes back, "Lu Yi Yun said to herself as if she was comforting herself.
She followed the black and white kitten, step by step, up the stairs to the second floor.
"Um … is anyone there?" She gathered her courage and asked in a low voice. In fact, she hoped that no one would answer.
"Help! Help! Help me! "
Most of the rooms on the second floor had their doors tightly shut. Only one door was left ajar, leaving a small gap. The cry for help had come from this room.
Strange, where did the black and white kitten go?
She had been following it, but when she went up to the second floor, it disappeared.
Lu Yi Yun stared at the unlatched door, as if it was a trap to lure her in. Jasmine must have run into this door and then been trapped.
Since she was already here, whether it was for the girl who was calling for help or for Jasmine, she could not retreat.
She gathered her courage, grabbed the door handle, and pushed it open.
It was a very ordinary living room, with an old-fashioned sofa with worn leather, a mottled old coffee table, a carpet with no original pattern, and an outdated TV.
A ball-shaped chandelier hung from the ceiling, with a string tied to the calf of a grey parrot. It was hanging upside down, staring at Lu Yi Yun with its little black eyes, and shouted, "What are you waiting for, you worker? Hurry up and put me down! Also, get this damned cat out of here! "
Lu Yi Yun was speechless.
The grey parrot flapped its wings and kept swinging like a pendulum. The string was not long, and it was tied to its leg, so it could not fly far and could not find a place to land. It could only be hung upside down like this.
Jasmine squatted under the grey parrot, looked up at it, licked her lips from time to time, and tried to jump up to catch it. Unfortunately, it was too far away, but it still brought great psychological pressure to the grey parrot.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you hanging yourself?" This scene was so strange that Lu Yi Yun could not help but ask.
She knew that this grey parrot could talk a lot and liked to join in the fun. Many customers were deeply surprised by its ability to talk.
"Quack? Is there something wrong with my brain? Why would I hang myself? "It shouted angrily," That idiot Zhang Zian hung me up! "
"Mr. Store Manager would not hang you up for no reason. Did you do something bad?" Lu Yi Yun asked.
"Something bad?" It screamed, "I just accidentally pooped on the bedsheet! Zhang Zian is so narrow-minded! He hung me up for such a trivial thing. He deserves to have no girlfriend! "
Lu Yi Yun was speechless. So disgusting!
"Is this your cat? Get this damned cat out of here first! It has bad intentions towards me! "the grey parrot shouted noisily.
Lu Yi Yun had never seen someone so arrogant when asking for a favor.
"Its name is Jasmine," she said.
"Jasmine or lily, just get it away!" it cried. "If it goes on like this, I will become cat poop. This is a huge loss for human civilization!"
"Jasmine, come here," she said to Jasmine.
Jasmine reluctantly looked at the grey parrot, meowing as it returned to her side.
She carried Jasmine out of the door and closed the door, wondering what to do with the grey parrot.
Zhang Zian must have hung it up here to punish it. Would he be angry if she put it down without permission?
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and put me down! There are scissors on the coffee table! " The grey parrot flapped its wings and tried to fly a few more times. Soon, it ran out of energy and was hung up upside down again.
"Did you imitate the voice of a girl and call for help?" Lu Yi Yun asked.
It proudly shouted, "Who else could it be except me? Didn't I sound like her? "
"Yes, it did." She nodded.
"It's good that you know. Why don't you put me down?" It glared at her.
"Wait a minute." Lu Yi Yun took out her phone, "I will call Mr. Store Manager and ask him."
"No!" The grey parrot tried to stop her, "Hey! I told you no! "
Before she finished dialing, her phone suddenly rang. It was Zhang Zian.
"Hello?" She answered the phone.
"Hello? Xiao Yun, go to the second floor and put the grey parrot down in the living room. I forgot about it when I left, "Zhang Zian said on the other side of the phone.
"Oh, I was on the second floor. I heard its voice and came up." She defended her behavior.
Zhang Zian paused for a moment, as if thinking for a while, and then asked, "Its voice … Did it scold me?"
"No!" The grey parrot cried, desperately winking at Lu Yi Yun.
Lu Yi Yun answered truthfully, "It scolded you as an idiot."
"Oh, then hang it for another 15 minutes," Zhang Zian decided decisively, "What else did it say?"
"It said that you deserve to not have a girlfriend."
"Another 15 minutes!"
The grey parrot cried with grief and indignation, "You are heartless! You are cruel! You are unreasonable! Quickly put me down! "
"That's all for now. I have something to do here. See you tonight." Zhang Zian ignored its protest and hung up.
Lu Yi Yun calmed down, looked at the time, and put the phone back in her pocket.
"Mr. Store Manager said to hang you for another 30 minutes. I will start the countdown now," she said.
The grey parrot scolded, "You are also an idiot! Can't you be more decisive? Didn't you say you would be a good Samaritan? If he wants you to die, are you going to die too? "
"Of course not." She shook her head, "Don't treat me like an idiot."
At this time, there seemed to be people passing by in the alley outside the window.
The grey parrot seized the opportunity and imitated the girl's voice to scream, "Help! Help! "
The pedestrians heard the scream and stopped.
Lu Yi Yun heard people talking outside, "I think I heard someone asking for help. Should I call the police?"
"I think I heard it too..."
She walked to the window, opened it, and said to the pedestrians passing by, "Sorry, there is no need to call the police. I am watching a horror movie."
The pedestrians looked up at her and then left in disappointment.
The grey parrot screamed with all its strength, "Quack! Quack! You stupid humans are all idiots! "
"I advise you to save your energy. There are still 29 minutes left," Lu Yi Yun seriously suggested.
If she used the common characters in comics, then this grey parrot should be a stable boy who always liked to cause trouble, right?
She quietly sat in the corner of the sofa, holding her chin and silently counting down, while immersing herself in the fantasy of the comic.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
