Seeing Zheng Tan getting along "very well" with those kittens inside, "Prince," who had always stayed on the cat climbing frame, couldn't sit still anymore. After testing the waters a couple of times, he jumped in.
However, upon discovering "Prince," the five kittens reacted the same as before, arching their backs and puffing up their fur while emitting warning sounds. The only difference was that now, with Zheng Tan present, the kittens seemed to have more confidence, all huddling close to Zheng Tan, making it inconvenient for him to even lift a foot.
"Prince" took two more steps toward them, and the kittens arched their backs even more fiercely, their warning calls coming one after another, while also pressing against Zheng Tan even tighter.
Zheng Tan was now very annoyed. Why were these five kittens, tiny as farts, clinging to him so closely? He felt uncomfortable all over, but he was also afraid that any big movement might kick, crush, or bump into one of these cats. So, while he was irritated, he also felt somewhat stiff all over. And Zheng Tan's annoyance peaked when "Prince" came closer.
Zheng Tan's ears twitched, and he gave the approaching American Shorthair a threatening look: if you don't scram right now, I'm going to smack you!
Xiao Guo, who was outside the plastic board, also called his own cat in a low voice when he saw this scene, realizing that there was no chance for his cat to shoot the advertisement. The kittens didn't give any respect at all.
Under multiple pressures, "Prince" still retreated slowly and then jumped out of the circle to seek comfort from Xiao Guo.
Seeing the "enemy" gone, the kittens discontinued their alarm and continued to play around Zheng Tan. Zheng Tan walked, and they scampered after him, and when he stopped, they all rubbed against him, rolling around or playing with Zheng Tan's paws and tail.
Compared to the kittens' cheerful mood, Zheng Tan had been wearing a sullen face. Though cats don't have many facial expressions, anyone seeing Zheng Tan at the moment would conclude that "this cat is in a bad mood."
Zheng Tan looked helplessly at the kitten that was rolling around on its back next to his paw. The kitten's paw pads were tender, reflecting a soft glow under the lighting, completely unlike the rough paw pads of adult cats. Zheng Tan's own paws, worn down more than other cats' due to his daily running and tree-climbing, were much rougher.
Zheng Tan watched the kitten wave its tiny paws in the air and lifted one of his own front paws to compare it with the pink little paw pad in mid-air.
Tsk, so small, not even as big as the meat pad in the center of his own palm. But really quite soft.
Click, click, click, click!
The sound of the camera snapping photos rang out, and the flash flickered.
Zheng Tan looked sideways to see Xiao Guo excitedly taking photos with his camera, moving about and changing angles continuously like a monkey, and because there were many obstructions and hindrances around, Xiao Guo's posture while taking photos was particularly bizarre, like those sleazy old men who sneak photos of girls' upskirts.
"Manager, how about we go with this one?" the employees asked eagerly. It seemed that this Black Cat was the one for the kitten food advertisement, as no other cat in the store even came close.
"That's the one! Get ready, let's get to work!" Xiao Guo's eyes shone with excitement, "This ad will definitely bring in a huge number of orders!"
Xiao Guo's concept for the advertisement was simple: the story was of a litter of abandoned kittens discovered by an adult cat who then brings them cat food. There were two types of cat food to be featured, one being kitten milk cakes and the other canned kitten food, both of which were produced and sold by Xiao Guo's company and had passed inspections by a specialized quality inspection department, ensuring quality. This was also one of the reasons Mr. Jiao agreed to let Zheng Tan take on the job.
Before the shoot, Xiao Guo's concern had been that the adult cat might not get along well with the kittens, but now during the advertisement shoot, he realized that being too clingy was also a problem. None of the kittens was willing to stay put inside the prop nest, and even if they did stay, as soon as they saw Zheng Tan, they would run toward him.
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Thankfully, this scenario was easier to handle than if the cats had not gotten along, and the kittens indeed seemed to love both types of cat food, which bolstered Xiao Guo's confidence in his product.
It took four hours to finish the shoot, and the rest was all post-production work, which Zheng Tan had nothing to do with. Right now, he just wanted to leave as soon as possible and not stay around playing the role of a foster dad any longer.
Unfortunately, to Zheng Tan's dismay, the sky turned overcast and it started to drizzle—despite the weather forecast that had promised no rain!
Xiao Guo called Mr. Jiao to say that they would send the cats back when the rain stopped. The rain shouldn't last long; regardless, they would definitely return the cats before it got dark.
So, Zheng Tan had no choice but to continue staying miserably in the studio. Thankfully, the five kittens probably tired from the ad shoot gorged on cat food and then cuddled together to sleep on a heat pad. Given the recent drop in temperature, and with the adult cats absent, the kittens were prone to catching a cold.
Xiao Guo originally planned to have Zheng Tan sleep with the kittens—the heat pad's effect surely couldn't compare to that of a real cat—but it would be simpler and more reassuring.
Zheng Tan closed his eyes and pretended to nap, ignoring Xiao Guo's words. Let whoever wants to do it, do it—I sure as hell won't!
During the break, as none of them had eaten lunch, the hungry crew ordered takeout. Knowing Zheng Tan didn't eat cat food, Xiao Guo prepared a chicken rice meal for him.
Everyone was eating when suddenly the studio door was flung open.
"Guo Xiaoming! Help!"
The person who entered was a young woman, holding an umbrella and looking a bit disheveled with her hair loose and wet, her appearance hard to discern for Zheng Tan, mainly because of the hair covering and the black-rimmed glasses.
She was carrying a pet bag, which she had managed to keep dry despite herself being soaked from the rain.
Xiao Guo, who was mid-bite, nearly choked on seeing the visitor, "Listen, Yanzi, my name is Guo Mingyi, not Guo Xiaoming. How many times do I have to tell you before you get it right?... What's wrong now?"
"It's an emergency, my Li Yuanba is sick!" The woman hastily put down her umbrella and rushed over in a panic.
Hearing the young woman mention the name "Li Yuanba," Zheng Tan almost spat out his mouthful of chicken.
Just how imposing and majestic must it be to earn such a name?
So, while chewing the chicken rice, Zheng Tan turned to look and see just what sort of dignified presence was inside that pet bag.
"What's wrong with your 'Li Yuanba'? I remember you said that your cat was very healthy," Xiao Guo said after scoffing down a couple more bites of rice. He walked over to a free space and table in the corner of the room, as it would be inconvenient to handle the situation from where they were eating—after all, everyone was having their meal, and it wasn't appropriate to treat a sick cat there.
"If it's sick, you should take it to my brother's place. I only sell pet supplies here," Xiao Guo said as he unzipped the pet bag.
"This is an old classmate; I feel more at ease going through the back door," Yanzi explained, her face still showing concern.
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As Xiao Guo unzipped the pet carrier, Zheng Tan finally got a glimpse of the "true colors" of "Li Yuanba."
Damn! This fur color, akin to a fire disaster site, indeed looks special, exuding a badass vibe!
The cat's fur was mostly black, interspersed with some yellow and a few white strands.
From a feline perspective, Zheng Tan thought this cat had a strong presence, not a simple character, and probably fierce when it came to fighting.
This was also Xiao Guo's first real-life encounter with "Li Yuanba," as he had only seen photos online before. After Yanzi got in touch with Xiao Guo, they chatted online, and Yanzi was thrilled to learn about Xiao Guo's Pet Center. She had shown "Li Yuanba's" photos to Xiao Guo, but they didn't talk much. Yanzi had been to the shop to buy vaccines and cat food, but it was the first time she brought the cat.
"Your cat... I sense it's quite fierce," Xiao Guo said. He didn't reach out to pet it, as he could tell from a cat's gaze the mood it was in. Xiao Guo thought it would be best to avoid touching this one, lest he end up with scratches or bites on his hand the next moment.
The cat lay on its side, unruffled, with only a subtle change in its eyes as Xiao Guo approached, exhibiting no other signs of abnormality.
Xiao Guo took only a brief look at the cat before asking, "How did you determine it's sick?"
"It's been lying around sleeping in one spot a lot, hardly moving, whereas before it would go out and play," Yanzi said worriedly. "Even when it's home, it doesn't react when teased. Although it was never very playful, it used to respond in some way. Now it basically ignores all the toys. This has been going on for a while, and it's indifferent to many things, just staying there motionless. My neighbor suggested it might be ill... Guo Xiaoming, is it seriously sick?"
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Guo asked, "Has there been a change in its appetite?"
"Yes, it's eating quite a lot."
Xiao Guo nodded, then said, "Don't worry, your 'Li Yuanba' is just pregnant."
Zheng Tan: "..." How can that statement sound so horrifying?
Upon hearing this, Yanzi reacted even more strongly, as if seeing a Divine Beast, "Impossible, how could my 'Li Yuanba' be pregnant? It's a male cat!"
Xiao Guo gave her an exasperated look, pointing to the lounging cat in the carrier, "You don't even need to see anything else, the fur color says it all, tortoiseshell cats are mostly female. This coloring happens because of random inactivation of the X chromosome.
If the inactivated X chromosome carries the recessive gene, it will appear black. If the inactivated one carries the dominant gene, it will appear yellow. Since the inactivation of the X chromosome in different parts of a cat's body is random, the cat's fur appears mottled like this, alternating between yellow and black, the classic tortoiseshell color."
After listening to Xiao Guo's explanation, Yanzi faltered, "I studied computer science, not genetics."
Yanzi and Xiao Guo were high school classmates, and they chose different majors in college.
"Didn't anyone around you tell you that you were raising a female cat?" Xiao Guo was baffled, considering Yanzi lived in an older residential area where neighbors should be well-acquainted, and there ought to be communication. If one person couldn't recognize it, could it be that no one else could?
"I... I don't really go out much. Our neighbor said it was a male, so I named it 'Li Yuanba,'" said Yanzi, a bit embarrassed.
Yanzi's real name was Li Yan, a very common name, and she was not adept at dressing up. Throughout her life, she had been inconspicuous among her peers. The cat she raised was actually a stray before being adopted by Yanzi and taken home.
"Your neighbor? The guy with the side parting who likes wearing shiny leather shoes?" Xiao Guo inquired.
"Yes, him!" Yanzi nodded.
Xiao Guo snorted, "That fellow brought his cat over last week to get it neutered because he thought it was a male—it's a female cat, what's there to neuter! He probably thinks it's as easy to tell a cat's gender as a dog's."
Now knowing her cat was pregnant, Yanzi asked many questions, which Xiao Guo answered one by one.
"During a cat's pregnancy, it's important to avoid medications and chemicals, especially steroids and fungicides like gray mycin. You also have to pay close attention to the quantity, quality, and type of food you give..."
Yanzi brought a recording device, capturing every word that Xiao Guo said.
"Let's leave it at that for now. You'll look up more information yourself, and if you don't understand something, you can ask me. You can leave a message online or send an email; I think I'll be a bit busy recently, but I'll find time to check the messages and emails."
"Alright, thank you so much! Hey, are those kittens?" Yanzi's gaze drifted to the furry balls in the corner.
"Yep, six-week-old kittens, they've just finished an ad shoot, now they're tired and sleeping."
"An ad? For kittens? Can I take a look?"
After pondering for a moment, Xiao Guo didn't refuse but showed Yanzi some unedited footage.
"So cute," Yanzi admired, then pointing at Zheng Tan, who was resting atop the highest cat tree after a hearty meal, she asked Xiao Guo, "Are those Black Cat's babies?"
"No, their mother is an American Shorthair Cat and their father is a Siberian Forest Cat, that much is certain. You can tell just by looking at the kittens' fur," Xiao Guo explained.
"Then why does it get along so well with the kittens?"
"Probably has a strong affinity for young cats," Xiao Guo answered, not fully understanding this himself.
"Then that Black Cat is really special. Hey, Guo Xiaoming, when my kittens are born, I'll bring them over for a few shots. I might need to borrow that Black Cat by then."
Xiao Guo said nothing; he just looked in Zheng Tan's direction.
Zheng Tan: "..." Damn it! I don't want to babysit kittens!