TAM 9

When morning came and he opened his eyes, Mo Yao lifted the blanket and got out of bed. He hurriedly put on a T-shirt and shorts, and while he hopped forward, he hooked his heels into his shoes. He opened the dormitory door and ran outside.

It was the weekend. The whole dormitory building was very quiet, and he ran all the way downstairs without seeing a single student.

When he ran to the greenbelt beside the dormitory, Mo Yao stopped. He was breathing lightly and he looked around, but he did not see a single cat.

Early this morning, before dawn, the last moment when he had been that cat was when he had crouched in the grass here and logged out. The reason he had chosen this spot was so that he could get up early today and try to see if he could find that cat.

Mo Yao had a question in his mind. If all the other cats were real, then when it was daytime and he was human, did that cat still exist? In other words, did he become the cat’s body, or did his soul enter the cat’s body?

What a fantasy problem that was. It was so fantastic that as a university student, Mo Yao felt embarrassed to tell anyone about it.

Unfortunately, he did not find the cat in the grass. He did not know if it did not exist or if it had already run away.

Mo Yao was disappointed. He had even thought that if he found the cat, he could take it to the cafeteria for breakfast, because the feeling of hunger had been too painful.

When he returned to the dormitory, everyone else had already gotten up.

Chen Xinyong was still sitting on his bed playing on his phone. When he saw Mo Yao come in, he complained, “What are you doing so early in the morning?”

Mo Yao had rushed out in a hurry, and his movements had been noisy enough to wake everyone.

He walked to his own bed and sat down. He yawned and said without much energy, “Sorry.”

The bathroom door opened, and Si Yuan walked out. The dormitory went quiet for a short moment.

After Si Yuan finished getting ready and left, Zhang Ziyu went out too, talking with his girlfriend on the phone while he walked. Only Chen Xinyong and Mo Yao were left. Chen Xinyong asked, “Got any plans today?”

“No.” Mo Yao lay back on his bed.

Mo Yao was neither hungry nor tired. None of the sensations that belonged to the cat’s body had remained, but the he still retained the emotions, like the smell of dog poop at night that had never existed in this body but still stayed in some memory cell on his cerebral cortex.

He had planned to stay in the dorm all day reading and playing games, but in the afternoon, Chen Xinyong called him to help with the college student council.

Back in his first year, Chen Xinyong had actively applied to join the student council, and now he was still one of its officers. Their college would host a lecture next week, and they had to hand out flyers for two days over the weekend. In the afternoon, when Chen Xinyong saw Mo Yao idle in the dorm, he dragged him along.

Mo Yao stood at a crossroad in the campus holding a pile of flyers. He handed them out to every passing student carelessly. He did not get upset whether they took them or not, because his attention was on the teaching building ahead.

That building was the fourth teaching hall where students could study overnight.

Mo Yao deliberately went around to the lawn outside the building to look. The dog poop on the lawn had already been cleaned, but when he looked closely, he could still see traces.

Those faint traces made him recall the scene from the night before, and every flyer he handed out carried a bit of his anger.

Two girls walked by and took his flyers. They seemed interested in the lecture and asked, “Which day next week?”

Mo Yao lowered his head and was about to point out the time and address printed on the flyer when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dog outside the fourth building’s lawn. It lifted its rear, getting ready to poop.

He instantly shouted, “Hey!”

The two girls froze in fright.

Mo Yao stepped forward and wanted to pick up a stone to throw at the dog. He yelled, “No peeing or pooping in public!”

Many students nearby looked at him, even Chen Xinyong at the intersection who was handing out flyers also turned to look.

The dog got scared, tucked its tail and ran away.

Mo Yao took a deep breath and looked down. His tone was calm. “The specific time and address are here. You’re welcome to come to the lecture.”

When they finished for the afternoon and were about to leave, Mo Yao was stopped by Tian Shen.

Tian Shen was a third-year student and the current president of the college student council. When Mo Yao had been in his first year, he had joined the college basketball team with Tian Shen, and they had a good relationship.

“Free tonight? If you’re free, let’s eat together.” Tian Shen put his hand on Mo Yao’s shoulder to stop him from walking away.

Mo Yao asked, “What for?”

Tian Shen said, “Why do you care what for? Isn’t free food good?”

Chen Xinyong was cleaning up with the other student council members. He looked at them but said nothing and left.

Tian Shen indeed had no special reason. It was his birthday and he had invited a few close classmates. When he saw Mo Yao, he decided to bring him along too.

They had dinner at a small restaurant outside the school. Since there were many of them, the owner set up a table on the street. Everyone at the table except Mo Yao was a third-year student.

Tian Shen had been a student officer since middle school. He was best at dealing with people. His WeChat friends list was almost full, and he knew people both inside and outside the college. Everyone who saw him could talk with him.

Mo Yao was not close with the others, but since Tian Shen was there, he did not feel too awkward.

When they were halfway through the meal, a bicycle suddenly braked and stopped right next to their table. It was so close that Mo Yao lifted his head to look and saw that the rider was Si Yuan.

Si Yuan kept one foot on the ground while he sat on the bike seat. He looked at Tian Shen without saying anything.

Tian Shen stood up first. “Why are you so late?”

Si Yuan said, “I was busy with something. You all eat. I’m heading back today.”

“That won’t do.” Tian Shen came over and pulled him. “It’s my birthday today. If you don’t drink with me, how can I let you leave?”

Tian Shen dragged Si Yuan off the bicycle. He even pushed the bike aside and parked it properly, then went back to the table and called for a seat for him.

“You’re in the same dorm as Mo Yao, right?” Tian Shen said as if he just remembered. “I even checked your dorm once.”

The person sitting beside Mo Yao stood up voluntarily and gave his seat to Si Yuan, then brought another chair over.

Tian Shen said, “You two sit together. Eat and drink well. Don’t be stiff.”

Si Yuan sat down next to Mo Yao. His legs were long, and the chair was a little low, so he had to spread his legs slightly. The distance between him and Mo Yao became quite close.

Mo Yao couldn’t help turning his head to look at him.

Si Yuan seemed to notice Mo Yao’s gaze, so he also turned his head and looked at him.

They looked at each other for a while. Mo Yao became a little stubborn, turning away first would mean losing. But Mo Yao gave up a moment later. He comforted himself, thinking it was normal not to provoke a lunatic.

Then they continued eating and drinking. Both Mo Yao and Si Yuan drank a lot. Tian Shen was generous, and since it was his birthday, Mo Yao couldn’t refuse him. After a while, his head was spinning.

Si Yuan didn’t show much reaction. He finished several bottles of beer without changing his expression. His look grew colder and colder. No one could tell if he was drunk or not.

After dinner, everyone went back. Tian Shen and his group walked ahead, talking and laughing. Mo Yao followed behind them alone, walking unsteadily.

Suddenly, Si Yuan rode up from the side and turned the bicycle to block his path.

Mo Yao almost ran into the bike. He stared at Si Yuan in confusion.

Si Yuan said, “I’ll take you back.”

Mo Yao said, “I don’t want to.”

Si Yuan looked at him and stayed still.

The restaurant was right outside the school, but it still took more than ten minutes to walk from the school gate back to the dormitory. Mo Yao looked ahead and saw Tian Shen’s group already far away, still talking and laughing. He looked at Si Yuan again and then lifted his leg to sit on the back seat of the bicycle.

Si Yuan pedaled toward the dormitory.

When they passed Tian Shen and the others, Mo Yao still called out a farewell, then sat silently on the back seat.

The night air was cool. All of it blew against Si Yuan’s back. Mo Yao felt dizzy. He held the bottom of the seat with both hands and lowered his head. After a while, he realized that his forehead was resting against Si Yuan’s back, so he raised his head again.

“Si Yuan.” The alcohol was getting to him, and Mo Yao asked without logic, “Has your girlfriend ever sat on the back of your bike?”

Si Yuan didn’t answer. Mo Yao thought he hadn’t heard. Then suddenly he heard him say, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Mo Yao froze for a moment and said, “What a coincidence. I don’t either.” He was feeling sad. He bumped his head lightly against Si Yuan’s back. “Why are we so miserable?”

Si Yuan stopped the bike.

Mo Yao got off naturally and walked toward a small path nearby.

Si Yuan looked at his back. “What are you doing?”

Mo Yao turned his head and placed his index finger on his lips. “Shh. I’m looking for my brother.”

“Who’s your brother?”

Mo Yao put his index and middle fingers together on top of his head to show ears. “Meow.”