ADTCP Ch75

Tao Zhen was a beautiful long-haired calico cat.

His father, Tao Dajun, was a fierce tabby cat, and his mother, Lin Manyao, was a renowned calico in the animal world. Naturally, Tao Zhen inherited their excellent genes. At a young age, he signed with an animal film company, making him a winner in the feline world with a bright future ahead.

However, despite his seemingly smooth life, he had a small but significant worry.

He struggled to find a partner to share his feline life with, someone to build a happy family like his parents. Unfortunately, he was a rare homosexual in the animal world and had never met a male cat who stirred his heart.

As he approached maturity, Tao Zhen couldn’t help but feel anxious. Every day, he climbed up and down the cat tree at home, meowing loudly.

Finally, Tao Dajun couldn’t stand the meowing anymore. He transformed into human form, stuffed a large pouch of gold coins into Tao Zhen’s paws, coaxed him to go out and play, and firmly shut and locked the front door.

Tao Zhen, with a pouch of clinking gold coins in his mouth, scratched at the doorknob a few times but couldn’t open it. Frustrated, he bumped his head against the door a couple of times and trotted down the stairs with his little bottom and tail wagging.

Since he couldn’t go home, he put down the gold coins and used the animal communicator on his paw to call his good friends, Tong Xia and Gu Xingzhou, to meet at a nearby mixed restaurant that welcomed all animals.

Tong Xia and Gu Xingzhou quickly agreed. One was a rabbit, and the other was a peacock. They had known Tao Zhen since they were in animal kindergarten. Although they were different species, years of companionship had bridged the gap between them, making them the closest of friends.

Half an hour later, a cat, a rabbit, and a peacock gathered at the restaurant entrance.

The enthusiastic dog waiter led them inside and arranged seats suitable for each of their species.

Tao Zhen nimbly jumped onto a stool made of cardboard and rope, happily pouring the gold coins onto the table and slipping one into the dog waiter’s paw.

The cheerful dog waiter gave a loud “Woof!” and wagged his tail as he hurried to the kitchen to prepare their meals.

As soon as Gu Xingzhou had enough space, he spread his beautiful peacock tail and proudly showed it off to the two of them. “What do you think? I just got my tail groomed and adorned with gems. It’s the latest product in the peacock beauty world. When I walked down Peacock Street, so many handsome peacocks were secretly admiring me. They must have been captivated by my charm…”

“Wow…”

Tao Zhen couldn’t resist reaching out with his paw to touch Gu Xingzhou’s tail, staring at the tassel-like feathers for a while, feeling an inexplicable itch in his claws.

Just as he couldn’t control himself and was about to grab it, Gu Xingzhou cautiously retracted his fan-like tail and pecked Tao Zhen’s head. “Tao Xiaozhen! What are you doing!”

Tao Zhen’s head hurt, and he let out a soft “meow,” quickly jumping back onto his cardboard box.

Tong Xia couldn’t stand it anymore. She smoothed her naturally beautiful rabbit ears and mercilessly exposed Gu Xingzhou’s delusion. “Wake up. As a homosexual peacock hoping to attract the attention of handsome peacocks, you are in the minority. They might think you’re just provoking them!”

“…” Gu Xingzhou wanted to scream but had to admit that Tong Xia was right. He reluctantly swallowed his cry but still refused to back down. “What about you? Have you found a partner? Is there a female rabbit willing to be with you?”

—That’s right. Perhaps birds of a feather flock together, and animals of a kind stick together. Both Gu Xingzhou and Tong Xia were homosexuals.

And in these times, being homosexual was extremely difficult, and finding a partner was rare.

Gu Xingzhou waited to see Tong Xia’s dejected expression but didn’t expect her to smile mysteriously. She took the carrot and timothy grass salad from the dog waiter and savored a big bite with a leisurely demeanor.

“If I told you I found one?”

“…”

Tao Zhen immediately wrapped his paws around her arm, his big, bright, and curious cat eyes filled with admiration. “Xia Xia, how did you do it? What does your partner look like?”

Gu Xingzhou quickly knelt and slid over to her, making a 180-degree turn in attitude. “Yes, yes, Your Highness, why didn’t you tell us you were dating? Are there any experiences you can share with us?”

Tong Xia enjoyed their flattery for a moment before putting down the salad and lighting up the communicator on her wrist. “Actually, it’s quite simple. When fate arrives, you don’t need to work too hard…”

As she spoke, a light screen suddenly lit up on her communicator, and a photo of a cold, elegant, slender, and graceful bamboo green snake slowly appeared.

“Here, this is my partner. Her name is Jiang Shan.” Bamboo green snake. Snake. Snakes used to eat rabbits.

The air fell silent for a moment. The calico cat and the peacock were petrified.

Tao Zhen barely resisted the urge to scratch the light screen with his claws and looked at Tong Xia incredulously. “Xia Xia, how… how are you in an interspecies relationship? Even though no one eats each other anymore, how can you…”

Gu Xingzhou wasn’t as gentle as Tao Zhen. He screamed and pecked at the light screen, his beautiful tail fanning wildly behind him, almost knocking off a few diamonds. “Tong Xia, are you crazy? Who do you date if not a snake?! Why don’t you date a tiger? At least they can kill you quickly with one bite!”

Tong Xia’s eardrums hurt from Gu Xingzhou’s shouting. She quickly put away the light screen, protecting Jiang Shan’s photo. “Times have changed. Who says snakes and rabbits can’t be together? My Shan Shan is different from other snakes. She is the gentlest and cutest little snake in the world and would never hurt a rabbit…”

“Pfft! You’re love-blind,” Gu Xingzhou spat. “If you kiss her and she accidentally bites your mouth and poisons you to death, don’t expect us to collect your body!”

“Hey, Gu Xingzhou, are you picking a fight with me?” Tong Xia stamped her feet. “When we reach maturity, we can transform into humans. How can she poison me to death in that form? What’s wrong with interspecies love? Don’t be sour just because you can’t get any grapes…”

“Me? Sour grapes?! Do you know how many eagles and roc birds are vying for my attention?!”

“Oh, really? I’ve never seen that. Why don’t you date them? Theoretically, after they transform, they should be more handsome than you peacocks with your effeminate ways!”

Seeing his two friends about to start arguing fiercely, Tao Zhen panicked and jumped between them, helplessly meowing.

Unexpectedly, Gu Xingzhou showed a skeptical expression the next moment. “…Are they really that handsome?”

Tong Xia added, “They should have good bodies too.”

Gu Xingzhou paused, and his fierce momentum from a moment ago dissipated by half. “Really? Then, it seems… not impossible to accept…”

Tao Zhen: “…”

Tao Zhen angrily meowed for a while, feeling helpless about these two friends with no principles. He still thought it was better to find a partner within his own species. Everyone was fluffy and soft, and it would be so comfortable to cuddle together. They could even groom each other. Could a snake groom?

Moreover, dating a natural predator was too dangerous. Tong Xia was a rabbit, and Jiang Shan was a snake. What if they had a conflict and Jiang Shan bit Tong Xia to death?

Although tigers were handsome, no one dared to date a tiger across species lines, fearing that if they argued, they might be swallowed whole as a snack!

Tong Xia and Gu Xingzhou had already started a serious discussion about the details of interspecies love, completely immersed in their own world.

Tao Zhen crouched beside them, listening for a while, and couldn’t help but sigh sadly. He put the remaining gold coins back into his pouch and slung it over his back. When the two finished talking and Gu Xingzhou enthusiastically sent a message to the “simp” roc bird on his communicator, Tao Zhen took the lead, jumping off the stool and trotting home.

Thinking about his two friends’ affairs, Tao Zhen slowed his steps on the way back.

As a result, when passing through a smelly alley filled with garbage, he unexpectedly caught sight of a fluffy figure.

The calico cat stopped.

The calico cat curiously walked into the alley and carefully pushed aside the garbage.

In front of him was a cat covered in bloody wounds, its eyes closed as if on the verge of death. Only the slightly rising and falling chest indicated it was still breathing.

Its smooth and soft fur was also dirty with garbage and blood, tangled into messy clumps, making the entire cat look extremely disheveled.

How could this be?

Tao Zhen knew that in their feline world, black cats were not well-liked by other cats and held a particularly low status because black cats were introverted, timid, and their fur color was prone to being considered unlucky. As a result, they were often bullied.

But that was many years ago. Now that no one discriminated anymore, how could there still be cats who held onto past prejudices and did such cruel things to an innocent black cat?

Tao Zhen felt a surge of anger. He approached the black cat and softly meowed at it while trembling as he took out his communicator, preparing to call the rabbit police officer.

However, before he could even dial, the black cat lying on the ground slightly twitched and used all its strength to whisper to him, “Don’t…”

Don’t?

Don’t call the police?

Tao Zhen was momentarily anxious, not understanding why the black cat didn’t want him to call the police. But he quickly realized that perhaps the black cat was afraid of retaliation from those cats if he reported it, which was why it was so hesitant. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of pity.

“If not the police, then how about calling an ambulance to take you to the hospital?”

The black cat didn’t seem to understand Tao Zhen’s words, or perhaps it had some negative associations with hospitals. It kept repeating, “No… don’t… don’t go…”

Tao Zhen was completely at a loss. If this were an ordinary cat, after having its good intentions rejected multiple times, it would have left this ungrateful cat behind and walked away. But Tao Zhen wasn’t that kind of cat.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally managed to hoist the black cat onto his back, deciding to take it to another residence Tao Dajun had bought for him to rest.

He didn’t know what this cat had been eating to grow so heavy. Despite being injured, it should have been weak, but its body was so heavy, with faint traces of muscle. Tao Zhen almost couldn’t carry it several times and had to rest after walking a short distance.

Fortunately, the residence wasn’t far. Before Tao Zhen could collapse from exhaustion, the two cats finally arrived at their destination.

Tao Zhen struggled to put the black cat down, then hurriedly ran to the cabinet under the living room TV to fetch an emergency medical kit. He tore open the packaging and carefully applied the bandages.

Under the effects of high-tech healing and medicine, the bleeding on the black cat’s body quickly stopped, and most of the wounds didn’t look as terrifying as before. Tao Zhen couldn’t help but sigh in relief, only then realizing how terrible he smelled.

He was a beautiful little cat who loved cleanliness and couldn’t stand this filth.

Licking himself clean wasn’t an option, so he quickly took a bath in the bathroom with cat grooming products before the blood dried.

The feeling of water on his body was quite uncomfortable, but as the stench of garbage and blood gradually disappeared, he endured it. After washing, he rolled around in a towel and then jumped into the dryer.

After busying himself for half a day, he finally became a fragrant little cutie again, happily trotting into the living room with his tail held high.

This was the first scene Zhu Wensheng saw when he opened his eyes.

Zhu Wensheng had thought he would die from the treachery of his own kind. He had prepared himself to close his eyes and never open them again. But deep down, a voice kept telling him not to give up, so he made one last futile struggle, shrinking his body into the form of a black cat and lying pathetically by the roadside.

But when he truly became like this, he couldn’t help but mock his own ridiculousness. Whether he was a tiger or a black cat, he was an animal despised by his own kind. The former was scorned by his own kind due to genetic mutations, and the latter was ridiculed for being unable to survive in the wild. In the end, there was no difference between a tiger and a black cat.

Until now, the breathtakingly beautiful calico cat appeared.

Zhu Wensheng’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated uncontrollably, and even his breathing seemed to stop. He stared blankly at this fragrant, soft-furred, cute, and angelic little calico cat walking toward him, his round eyes saying:

“You’re awake? Does it still hurt?”

Zhu Wensheng felt a wave of dizziness and nodded blankly, then shook his head.

“I’m Tao Zhen, a calico cat. I just signed with an animal film company,” the beautiful little calico introduced himself, then curiously stared at Zhu Wensheng. “What’s your name?”

Compared to the fragrant Tao Zhen, he himself smelled terrible.

Zhu Wensheng awkwardly stepped back but accidentally pulled at the torn wound on his body, causing him to tremble all over. “I’m Zhu Wensheng…”

“Oh no! Don’t move, or the blood will start again!” Tao Zhen was startled and quickly stopped him. “I was going to take you to the hospital, but you kept saying no, so I brought you back to my place… Why don’t you dare call the police? Are you afraid of those cats who bullied you?”

Zhu Wensheng stiffened and let Tao Zhen reapply the medical pack, smelling the fragrant scent of the little cat. After a while, he whispered, “Thank you for bringing me back.”

Tao Zhen immediately shook his head, his eyes fixed intently on Zhu Wensheng, as if waiting for him to continue.

Zhu Wensheng felt a bit uncomfortable and shifted his gaze before saying concisely, “They despise me for being different and don’t want me living among them. They took everything from my home and drove me out.”

“Many tigers… cats want me dead. I don’t dare go to the hospital.”

Tao Zhen couldn’t believe it and widened his eyes, finding it hard to imagine. What era was this? How could there still be such villains?

“That’s too much! Why are they treating you like this? Should I get my dad to help you take revenge?” Tao Zhen’s heart ached, and he suddenly had an idea. “My dad is a tabby cat. No one dares to provoke him. He can beat up those stinky cats with one punch!”

Zhu Wensheng’s eyes flickered. He knew Tao Zhen meant well, but… even a tabby cat might not be able to help.

He sincerely thanked Tao Zhen and said he needed to resolve this matter himself. Tao Zhen, though concerned, couldn’t interfere too much and said, “Then… you can stay here and recover for now. Revenge can wait until you’re better!”

Zhu Wensheng’s deep eyes fixed firmly on Tao Zhen and nodded in agreement.

Tao Zhen happily meowed and sat down beside him. After a moment, he realized something was wrong:

“But it’s strange. I bought the best first-aid kit on the market. Usually, one is enough to heal a cat, so why haven’t your external wounds healed after all this time?”

Zhu Wensheng’s body stiffened, and he didn’t know how to respond for a moment. Fortunately, Tao Zhen didn’t pay too much attention and thought he had bought a counterfeit product with poor effects. Annoyed, he fetched two more and applied them one after another.

By the third one, Zhu Wensheng had recovered a lot. Tao Zhen sighed in relief and went to the bathroom to get a disposable absorbent ball.

This disposable absorbent ball was prepared for animals to survive in the wild. The biggest difference from washing with water was that it could absorb some dirt and odors but couldn’t fully restore the softness and dryness of the fur.

Zhu Wensheng’s fur was still tangled in clumps, but at least he didn’t smell anymore. The mud covering his face had disappeared, revealing an extremely handsome cat face and a pair of deep, mysterious eyes.

Tao Zhen was momentarily stunned, only now noticing the black stripes on Zhu Wensheng’s body, which were different from ordinary cats, exuding a fierce wildness. This was fundamentally different from some lazy orange uncles or greasy Garfield males.

So… so handsome.

This was the type of cat he liked!

The beautiful calico cat raised his paw and licked it, then after a few seconds, he took small steps forward.

Tao Zhen looked at his own smooth, long fur and Zhu Wensheng’s tangled clumps for a few seconds. His head suddenly heated up. “I… I’ll help you lick your fur?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tao Zhen regretted them, subtly flicking his tail a couple of times, looking somewhat anxious.

Suddenly, he realized that for cats, licking fur was a sign of affection, something only done between close cats.

He was about to quickly retract his words, but Zhu Wensheng’s chest heaved violently a couple of times, and he said in front of Tao Zhen, “Okay!”

The calico cat was stunned for a moment, then happily jumped onto the sofa and began licking the striped cat’s fur.

His little pink tongue, stroke by stroke, quickly combed the tangled fur of the black cat into neatness, leaving behind a scent of sunshine and kitten.

The black cat was stiff at first but soon relaxed, though his deep eyes remained fixed on the calico cat. Gradually, a different kind of light began to shine in them.

The two fluffy creatures snuggled closely together, sharing each other’s warmth and breath.

Finally, after licking all the fur on the black cat’s head and back, the little calico happily rolled over on the sofa, exposing his soft little belly. “Do you feel more comfortable now?”

Zhu Wensheng turned his head and gently touched Tao Zhen’s nose with his own. “Yes.”

“That’s good! I’ve never licked another cat’s fur before,” Tao Zhen meowed, seemingly a bit regretful. “I used to lick my mom’s fur, but I ended up tangling it into a mess and got spanked by my dad. He had to buy me a box of canned food to comfort me…”

“Oh, speaking of canned food, you’ve been outside for so long. You must be hungry! I’ll go get you some canned food. Wait for me, okay!”

The little calico lightly jumped off the sofa and rummaged through the kitchen cabinets for canned food.

Zhu Wensheng also endured the lingering pain in his body and slowly sat up, his gaze firmly following Tao Zhen, softly adding in his heart, “Me too.”

This was the first time in Zhu Wensheng’s life as a tiger that he had been licked by another cat.

***

Considering that Zhu Wensheng had just escaped death’s door, Tao Zhen opened many cans for him. He originally didn’t expect Zhu Wensheng to finish them all at once, but to his surprise, Zhu Wensheng had a good appetite and didn’t leave a single bite.

Tao Zhen watched in astonishment and counted, realizing that Zhu Wensheng had eaten his entire two-week supply in one go. A pang of sorrow welled up in his heart.

He couldn’t imagine what kind of hard life Zhu Wensheng had been living all these years to be so starved!

Perhaps because Tao Zhen’s expression was too shocked, Zhu Wensheng nervously licked his paw and suppressed the burning hunger still in his stomach, saying softly, “I’m sorry… I ate too much.”

He paused and then said solemnly, “Please believe me. I will definitely repay you. Is there anything you want? No matter what it is, I will get it for you.”

Tao Zhen came back to his senses and quickly meowed, “I don’t mind that you ate a lot. Don’t worry! As for repayment…”

At this point, Tao Zhen hesitated, which was rare for him.

He looked at Zhu Wensheng’s exceptionally beautiful black-striped fur and strong body, then thought of his pitiful background… His heart began to race, and he clasped his two snow-white paws together, sitting up straight.

“I… I’ve never lacked anything since I was little. The only thing I’m missing is a partner.”

“Have you ever heard of an old saying? ‘To repay a life-saving debt, one offers oneself in return.’”