TAM 8

Mo Yao’s eyes turned fierce and his claws and teeth were sharp. At that moment, he felt that he was not a cat but a tiger. His fur bristled, and his presence alone was enough to keep anything from coming close.

The two cats had been about to pounce on him, but they froze frightened by his aura. They stopped and watched him warily.

Mo Yao did not rush forward. He bared his teeth and growled in warning.

The two cats watched him, but their gazes were not fixed only on him. Their eyes shifted toward something behind him.

The moment felt familiar.

But Mo Yao did not dare turn around. He had to stay alert. It might be a trick to distract him. Then he heard a sound behind him.

The two cats no longer hesitated. They turned and ran.

Mo Yao froze briefly and then turned his head. In the darkness, he first saw a pair of eyes glinting with light. Then, with his animal senses, he made out what it was. It was a black cat.

It was the same black cat from the previous night.

The black cat stood far away. It had no intention of coming closer. It looked at his face first, then at his chest and stomach.

That was where the dog feces were.

Being stared at like that by another cat made Mo Yao feel humiliated.

He did not know what the black cat was here for. It did not seem to be with the other two, but he could not be sure it meant no harm either.

He was still angry and he did not mind using it as an excuse to deal with this one as well.

His pupils narrowed, and he slowly crouched down, but then he could not hold it back and gagged once.

The dog feces stank.

The black cat stood still. Even though it was a cat, it somehow had a composed air.

Mo Yao stopped feeling humiliated. He decided it was more important to clean himself. As for the black cat, since it had not attacked, he would not bother with it for now.

Without turning his back, Mo Yao moved sideways, keeping his eyes on the cat. When he left the lawn and got farther from the building, he finally realized where he was. It was the only building on campus that stayed open all night, the Fourth Teaching Building.

Even though it was late, the lights inside were bright. The final exams were still far away, yet there were still people studying through the night, either preparing for graduate exams or other major tests.

Mo Yao circled to the front of the building.

He entered through the main door and walked down the left corridor to the end, where the restrooms were.

The classroom doors on both sides were open, and the lights were on, but there were not many students inside. Some desks were piled with books, yet their owners were nowhere to be seen.

The men’s and women’s restroom doors faced each other, and between them stood a shared sink area.

Mo Yao jumped onto the counter. Out of a student’s sense of decency, he tried not to smear any of the filth on his chest onto the surface.

He pressed a paw against the faucet handle, and water gushed out.

There was no hot water in the sink. Mo Yao tested the temperature with a paw. Fortunately, the weather was not too cold and the water was barely tolerable.

He hesitated for a moment, then lay on his back in the sink. He braced his front legs on the counter and slowly slid down so the water could reach his chest and stomach.

The touch of cold water on his belly was entirely different from that on his paws.

Mo Yao shivered, he wanted to get up, but when he looked down and saw the mess on his fur, he held himself still.

The feces stuck to his fur did not wash away easily. Mo Yao endured the disgust and used his paws to scrub himself over and over.

Halfway through washing, he sensed something and turned his head. The black cat had followed him.

Under the bright light, the black cat’s fur looked even darker. He had no idea when it had arrived. It made no sound. Its forelegs were straight as it sat a short distance from the sink, its black tail curled in front.

Its gaze was cold as it stared at Mo Yao.

Mo Yao felt nervous under its gaze. He wondered why this cat was so twisted, watching another cat take a bath. He turned his body slightly to the side to cover his important parts, but he did not dare to turn his back completely because he still had to guard against being attacked from behind.

After great effort, Mo Yao finally washed off all the dog feces, and his whole body was soaked.

He turned off the water and immediately felt colder. He stood shivering in the sink.

Only then did Mo Yao start to feel dejected.

He was not someone who often felt that way. He was not exactly the most outstanding person in the world, but he was good in every area, and whenever he felt down, it never lasted long.

But now, Mo Yao was exhausted. His wet fur clung to his skin. He even wished someone would pick him up and shake the water off him.

He realized that he was not as fat as he had thought. Of course, he was hungry every night. Where would the fat come from? It was all an illusion made by the fluff.

Even though he had worked hard to clean himself, the stench still lingered around him. It must have seeped into his pores and could not be washed out anymore.

This was the most miserable moment of Mo Yao’s life. He wanted to cry loudly, but he was a proud boy. He could not cry. He could only shake his body, trying to fling off as much water as he could.

There was a mirror above the sink, a little high up. Mo Yao had to climb out of the basin, stand up against the counter, and straighten his body to see himself.

He saw the cat’s face for the first time. Even wet, it was still round. Its eyes were bright, and its nose was pink. It had the face of a pet cat.

What kind of cat was it? Mo Yao knew little about breeds. The only names that came to mind were American Shorthair, British Shorthair, and Ragdoll. Beyond that, he knew nothing. It was probably one of those.

Why would such a beautiful pet cat end up wandering in a schoolyard?

Mo Yao could not figure it out, and he had no energy to think. He started to feel hungry again, and because of the energy he had spent, the hunger was stronger now. His small cat head stopped thinking altogether.

When he turned his head back, the twisted black cat that had been watching him bathe was gone. He jumped down from the counter, rubbed against the walls as he walked, and went to the nearest classroom door to look inside.

There was only one girl in the entire classroom, still studying late into the night.

Mo Yao stood at the door for a long time, then slowly dragged his tail and walked in. He remembered the scene from the previous evening when the panda-eyed cat begged for food from a girl. He decided to throw away his pride and beg for food too.

The girl was so focused on her studying that she did not notice the cat coming in.

When Mo Yao brushed against her leg, she screamed in fright.

Both the cat and the girl were embarrassed.

Mo Yao stepped back, gathered his courage again, and rubbed against her leg once more. But the girl pulled away.

She moved her legs aside, as if she wanted to stand up and murmured softly, “It smells so bad.”

Mo Yao froze completely.

The girl waved her hand and said, “Go away, go away!”

Mo Yao raised his head and looked at her. Her brows were tightly furrowed. She clearly disliked him.

That hit him hard. He had already swallowed his pride to beg for food, yet he was still despised. He lowered his head and walked out of the classroom in silence.

Mo Yao passed other classrooms but did not look inside. His fur was still wet, and his tail dragged on the floor, leaving a long trail of water. His whiskers drooped, his ears flapping down and every strand of fur showed his dejection.

When he reached the front of the teaching building, he saw the black cat again, standing there watching him.

Even his wariness had been worn away by his disappointment. As he passed the black cat, tired of the dampness and stickiness on himself, he suddenly leaned forward and rubbed himself hard against it.

The black cat looked startled. It shifted its hind leg slightly but stayed still.

Mo Yao felt that he had wiped some of the water onto the black cat. His heart felt a little lighter. He raised a paw, patted the black cat’s shoulder and turned away.