Little Black cast a human-like glance at Lin Ran, then looked toward the back seat.
"What are you staring at?"
[Little Black: Where's my food, hooman?]
"I’ll take you out to eat."
[Little Black: Hmph, at least you’ve got some conscience. What happened to your mouth?]
Lin Ran: "Got swollen from love."
[Little Black: Stop bullshtting me.]
Little Black sat in the passenger seat with a haughty expression, making Lin Ran chuckle.
"Alright, you’ve got three options. First, go back to my dorm and hide after eating. Second, stay in this car the whole time. Third, go back to the manor. Which one do you pick?"
Little Black fell into brief contemplation.[The manor means Luo Yao—no thanks. The dorm? Doubt you even wanna go back there. Guess I’ll stick with you. For the next day, this car’s my temporary home.]
"Fine, if that’s what you want. But after this, you’re staying at the manor."
Little Black: ??? What do you mean, the manor?
Lin Ran smirked. "Because this is the manor’s car. After tonight, I won’t be driving it anymore. From then on, you’ll stay at the manor. As long as you don’t come out, Luo Yao won’t know you’re here, and you won’t have to worry about getting ‘eliminated.’"
Little Black stayed silent, having exhausted all its energy and tricks.
Passing by a breakfast shop, Lin Ran picked out a lavish serving of fried fish for Little Black and even got it a cup of douzhi (fermented bean juice).
[Meow— What’s this? Smells interesting.]
Lin Ran: "Authentic old Beijing douzhi. Tastes great—give it a try."
[Meow— Blegh… YUCK! vomits]
On the bustling street, a cat’s head hung out the window, retching violently. Passersby couldn’t help but stare in awe.
"Damn, babe, look—the car ahead has a carsick cat!"
"Where? Let me see… UGH! Its puke just flew into my face… gags"
Meanwhile, the culprit behind this chaos felt zero guilt—largely because he hadn’t even noticed.
When they passed a print shop, Lin Ran suddenly remembered something.
"I didn’t bring Luo Yao a gift this time. Guess I’ll improvise. Wait here— HOLY CRAP, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Don’t puke in my car!"
Only then did Lin Ran realize Little Black was still nauseous.
Slumped back in its seat, Little Black looked utterly drained. [Lin Ran, you’re a walking disaster. I hate you.]
Glancing at the douzhi, Lin Ran understood the cause and accepted the blame, letting the insult slide.
He stepped out and entered the print shop, leaving a lifeless Little Black behind.
"Wow, what a pretty kitty…"
Little Black: Oh no. A demon child.
Inside the shop, Lin Ran made his request to the owner, who replied while multitasking, "Sure, young man. But I’ve got some orders to finish first. Send me the photo, and you can pick it up in about 20 minutes."
Lin Ran considered it—switching shops wouldn’t guarantee faster service—so he agreed.
"Just leave it here when it’s done. I’ll grab it later." He was eager to see Luo Yao first.
"Got it."
Little did Lin Ran know, retrieving that photo would later unfold a tragic tale.
Exiting the shop, he buckled up in the car.
"Time to head to Luo Corp. Wait… where’s the cat?"
Lin Ran got out and scanned the area, soon spotting Little Black—along with a familiar figure.
"Hey, little black cat, wanna play with me?"
[Little Black’s miserable face: Do I look like I’m enjoying this, kid?]
"Wang Anjian?"
The 6-year-old turned his head, tilting it curiously. "Mister, you know me?"
Lin Ran was stunned to confirm it was indeed Wang Anjian—and even more stunned to see the boy cradling Little Black.
"That cat…?"
"He likes me! We’re playing!" Wang Anjian declared proudly, squeezing Little Black tighter.
[Little Black: What did I do to deserve this? First, a breakfast that made me puke, now kidnapped by this gremlin. If you two fight over me, try not to get me hurt, okay?]
Lin Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"Why are you here alone? Where are your parents?"
He immediately regretted the question—Wang Anjian didn’t have parents.
Wang Anjian: "Mom and Dad are working. My mom’s in there."
Following the boy’s finger, Lin Ran saw a graceful woman inside the print shop, editing photos on a computer.
So, the owner was Wang Anjian’s mother. Lin Ran studied her for a moment.
"That cat’s mine. You can play with him, but you can’t take him away."
Wang Anjian beamed. "Okay!"
In a hurry to meet Luo Yao, Lin Ran thought, [Little Black, maybe you should stay here with the kid. Could be nice.]
[Little Black: Fine. Safer than being near Luo Yao. But you better come back for me.]
Lin Ran: "Anjian, can you take care of Little Black for me?"
Wang Anjian: "Yes! Mister, what’s your name? Can I be Little Black’s second owner? What does he eat? Will he run away?"
The barrage of questions was endearing.
"Call me Brother Lin Ran. He won’t run. You can scold him, but don’t hit him—or if you do, be gentle, alright?"
Little Black: ???
Wang Anjian: "Okay!"
Lin Ran hesitated, then pulled out the car keys.
[If you change your mind about staying with Wang Anjian, just hop back in. I left the window open.]
[Little Black: Whatever.]
After saying goodbye, Lin Ran hailed a taxi.
When one stopped, both he and the driver froze.
"You again. Not planning to skip the fare today, are you?"
Lin Ran waved his phone. "It’s paid up now. Don’t worry."
"Great! Where to?"
"Luo Corp again."
As the car moved, Lin Ran found the driver oddly familiar.
Arriving at Luo Corp, Lin Ran went to pay—only to freeze.
Balance: $0.03.
He’d forgotten—he’d spent all his money on gifts for Liu Ruxue.
Slap! He smacked his own face.
The driver frowned. "Whoa, buddy, no need for self-harm. Just pay up."
Lin Ran scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… can I pay by card?"
Driver: "Who pays for a taxi with a card? I don’t have a POS machine."
Lin Ran took a deep breath. "Then I guess I’ll just wish you a #@#�0�6…"