Chen Mo had lain in the cage for over five hours, unable to do anything. He could roughly communicate with Little Ash, but the gray cat was aloof. Though kind to Chen Mo, Little Ash didn’t cling to him.
Little Ash cared only about Little White.
Chen Mo got along well with Little White. He understood both cats’ personalities. Little Ash was dominant—not cold, just extremely wary of strangers. And fiercely possessive.
Little White, though, was naturally naive and obedient. By cat logic, it never refused Chen Mo’s requests. Its full affection for Little Ash was genuine.
What frustrated Chen Mo was this: even possessing Little Ash, he sensed vague thoughts. But understanding them required guesswork.
Hours with Luo Xianxue meant chatting—no boredom. Now, in Little Ash’s body, it was truly dull.
Trapped in the cage, he could do nothing.
When the waiter went to the bathroom, Chen Mo studied the lock. He couldn’t open it.
After another hour, a bald man with a gold chain, smoking a cigarette, emerged from the back room.
He looked at the waiter. “Ah Shan, how many sold?”
Ah Shan sighed. “Boss Guang, just one kitten under a thousand bucks this morning. This place is too remote. No one here can afford fancy pets.”
“No interest in these two?” Boss Guang’s gaze landed on Chen Mo and Little White as he approached.
His meaty face scared Little White, who shrank back.
Chen Mo stood silently in front of Little White. After glancing at Boss Guang, he nuzzled Little White’s body.
Everything looked perfectly feline.
Boss Guang scratched his head, puzzled. For a split second, he felt the gray kitten had human thoughts—a sense of being watched.
But he dismissed it quickly. Just a cat. No human mind.
Probably stress.
Ah Shan glanced at the sunset. Closing the shop door, he replied, “Three families liked them, but our prices are too high. This town won’t sell them.”
Boss Guang snorted. “These top-quality cats could fetch tens of thousands in the city. Locals just don’t know value.”
He lit a cigarette, blew a smoke ring. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll stay a while. Keep selling them at this price. List them on the dark web too. Some guys with special tastes will bite.”
“This…” Ah Shan hesitated. “Boss Guang, a girl brought these two. If she returns to claim them, is selling them right…”
Boss Guang waved him off. “Pfft. Without us, they’d have starved. That girl gave two hundred bucks and left. We’ve spent more on them already. If she wants them back, she can buy them.”
Ah Shan fell silent.
A complex look crossed his thin face.
He’d personally received that girl. She wore tattered clothes, held the cats, and was filthy. Bruises covered her skin.
She’d only asked to treat the cats. The two hundred yuan she handed over was crumpled.
Mostly one-yuan and five-yuan bills. Few ten-yuan notes.
One cat was injured and unconscious. The other starved and meowed constantly. Two hundred yuan wasn’t enough to heal them.
Ah Shan took them in out of pity, hiding it from Boss Guang. Later, he got scolded.
Only yesterday did he put them up for sale.
Seeing Ah Shan’s expression, Boss Guang waved dismissively. “Don’t overthink. We move in a week. Nothing will happen. Selling these adds to your mother’s surgery fund, right?”
“Mm.” Ah Shan nodded, flashing a sunny smile.
Boss Guang nodded, satisfied. “Let’s go. No one comes at night. We’ll grab drinks.”
“Okay, Boss Guang. You go first. I’ll feed the little guys.” Ah Shan locked the door and headed to the puppy cages.
Boss Guang said nothing and walked back inside.
Chen Mo watched Ah Shan release identical puppies, petting and feeding them. His escape plan hardened.
Just as suspected: this wasn’t a normal pet shop. He and Little White were being sold without consent.
Regularly changing locations? Most pets here were likely stolen.
Yun Song was probably nearby. She’d saved him, Little Ash, and Little White. This debt must be repaid.
Chen Mo wasn’t ungrateful. He just wished Little Ash and Little White were stronger. Otherwise, he’d turn into a catgirl to repay her.
One week. His deadline. If he couldn’t escape in a week, they’d move. Finding Yun Song in the human sea would be near impossible.
As a human, it’d be easier. But as a cat? Finding one person was incredibly hard.
Worrying now was useless. Chen Mo began observing carefully.
Compared to Boss Guang, Ah Shan was decent. He treated every animal seriously. His nature wasn’t bad.
Whether petting, feeding, or cleaning, Ah Shan handled animals by breed. Chen Mo glanced at other cages.
Cats were most numerous here. But only he and Little White were Ragdolls.
At night? Unknown. For now, only feeding time meant freedom from the cage.
The chance was slim.
After nearly an hour, Chen Mo and Little White finally ate. Premium cat food—better than others’—plus a bowl of milk.
Other cats watched with envious eyes.
Well, as a noble cat, good treatment was normal.
Chen Mo deliberately ran around while eating. With the door closed, Ah Shan ignored him unless he provoked others. Instead, he gazed at Chen Mo with fatherly doting.
Little White, though, was obedient. It went to Chen Mo when called. Or quietly ate.
At least during this half-hour feeding, he was free.
