451 I Want a Ca (1/2)

Chapter 451: I Want a Cat

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

”Haha!” Luo Qingyu's laughter broke the silence in the shop.”What? The language of cats? You mean, like, meowing?”

Ting Ying felt embarrassed by his laughter, and she waved her hands. ”Forget it, I'm just joking...”

Zhang Zian didn't know why Ting Ying had asked such a question. After pondering for a moment, he answered cautiously, ”I can understand some. Since I am a cat trainer, of course I need to understand what the cats are thinking and what they want, catering to their needs so that they can cooperate with my training. So, I am a cat trainer, also a cat whisperer at the same time.”

Luo Qingyu had an indifferent expression. ”Are you serious? Then, can you tell me what the cat that scurried by my foot was saying?”

Zhang Zian didn't answer Luo Qingyu because he was not a customer, and it would be a pure waste of time to respond to him.

Ting Ying's face had a flicker of excitement. Her emotions were surging, and she could barely restrain herself. The rims of her eyes were red, and she was about to cry.

”Finally...I've finally found...” she mumbled to herself. Since she saw that bizarre statue of the cat god after entering through the door, she found that this pet shop was brimming with an inexplicable fantastical atmosphere. With the fully-grown cats resembled the forest elves on the cat tree and storage rack staring at her, with the energetic kittens playing around in the shop, with this pet shop owner claiming to be a cat trainer, knowledgeable in the language of cats…everything seemed to resemble a fantasy movie.

Studying at Binhai University, Ting Ying was an adult now, and reasonably, she should have passed the age when she was fond of fantasizing and dreaming. But how she wished that this was true, how she wished that this pet shop owner was indeed a cat whisperer, and that the kittens in the shop possessed magical powers. As for herself…how nice it would be if she could live her childhood again, and once more become that carefree princess. This had been her frequent fantasy ever since she watched the movie Nine Lives.

I want a cat. Ting Ying had been touched by this movie the first time she watched it. Later, she bought the blu-ray version of it and watched it over and over on the television. Every time she watched it, her sleeves were drenched by her tears.

The little girl in the movie was so much like her years ago. Both lived in a big house, had a loving mother, and a father who was too busy managing the company to remember her birthday. Both wanted a cat as their birthday present.

Ting Ying's father had been busy all year round, always away from home. After returning home briefly, he would have to leave very soon. Her mother always said that daddy was earning money to support them so that they could live in the big house and lead an affluent life. That's what her father had said too. He always said that this would be his last project, and that after completing this project he could retire. Then he would go nowhere, but stay at home everyday and play with Little Ting Ying. Nevertheless, there was always another project waiting for him.

Just like the little girl in the movie, Little Ting Ying was very lonely in her childhood. For fear of forgetting what her father looked like, she could look for images of her father in family videos, anticipating what it would be like when her family returned on her birthday. Although her father always forgot her birthday, her mother would remind him. On her birthday, no matter how busy her father was, he would squeeze out a day from his schedule to spend time with her. Sometimes he would even take a plane back home…

One time, after coming home, her father looked seriously into her eyes and told her that this was truly his last project, which would give him a sufficient amount of money for the rest of his life and her mommy's life. It would cover all the tuition fees if she went to college, graduate school, and even a doctoral program. He said that he would never leave her again. Little Ting Ying believed him.

”The project will be finished before your birthday this year, and I will get back in time to celebrate your birthday.” Her father held her high in the air. ”My little princess, what do you want for your birthday present this year?”

Smiling from ear to ear, Little Ting Ying said happily, ”I want a cat. A fluffy and beautiful cat that I can comfortably hold in my arms!”

Father smiled. ”Okay, when I'm back, I will bring a cat that will absolutely make my little princess satisfied!”

After her father left, she started to count the days on the calendar, and looked forward to her birthday. Even in her dreams, she dreamt that everyday was her birthday, and as soon as she woke up in the morning, she could see her father's smiling face and a kitten lying beside her. A fluffy and beautiful cat that she could comfortably hold in her arms, just as she had wished for.

The little girl in the movie was very lucky. Her father was very lucky. Before the incident occurred, he happened to walk into a magical pet shop, and encountered a mysterious owner who claimed to be a cat whisperer. Her father bought a cat that possessed nine lives and had already lost seven of them. By consuming another life of itself, this cat helped save the precious life of her father.

Little Ting Ying was not that lucky. On the day of her birthday, her father didn't bring a cat home. It was the grievous news of an engineering accident that arrived…

In some sense, her father had fulfilled his promise. Though an accident occurred in his last project, he had earned enough money, including his previous savings and the compensation from the accident, to cover the tuition for Little Ting Ying's college, graduate school, and doctoral program. It would also support Ting Ying's mother for the rest of her life. But they were willing to exchange everything for his life. Since then, Ting Ying stopped celebrating her birthday, which was also the anniversary of her father's death.

She knew that the movie was fictitious, and that the story was false, but how nice would it be if it were real… Perhaps, in a secluded corner somewhere in the city, there was indeed a pet shop full of magic. Inside the shop, there would be a bizarre cat god statue, the pet shop owner would claim to be a cat whisperer, and his words would be full of philosophy. The cats in his shop could take away sorrow and bad luck, bringing happiness and joy to people.