Starting with taking in female college students

Chapter 70 Looking for the Cat

The Moon Bay Police Station is very efficient.

The very next morning, Li Shiwei sent Chen Rang a text message with photos of several cats. The cats in the photos were almost identical to the ones Chen Rang had described the day before; at least their breed and coat color were nearly indistinguishable.

But for Chen Rang, even cats that look exactly alike are actually quite different. Whether it's facial details or body structure, there are almost no two animals in this world that are exactly the same.

So he simply compared the chat history with Yang Hui and concluded that none of the cats Li Shiwei sent were the winning ones.

"This result is not surprising."

Li Shiwei sent a reply that wasn't exactly disheartening.

As a police officer, she knew all too well that finding clues was a troublesome and luck-dependent process. If it were that easy to pinpoint the target, she would worry that Chen Rang might have made a mistake in his judgment!

She only expressed her gratitude to Chen Rang and said that she probably wouldn't be able to meet with him for some time before abruptly ending the contact.

Chen Rang felt sorry for the girl.

Being a police officer is never an easy job. Enduring the elements and facing danger all day long, even many adult men might not be able to withstand the hardship. Let alone Li Shiwei, who is just a young woman who has just graduated.

If it weren't for the fact that this profession was Li Shiwei's dream, Chen Rang would have tried to persuade her to change careers no matter what.

Now, he is only thinking about how to help Li Shiwei more.

He posted the pictures of those cats in a pet group, which consisted of people working in the pet industry.

These days, anyone who owns a pet cat inevitably has to deal with veterinarians and pet groomers; you might just stumble upon a gem. And only they, like him, can distinguish the differences between various cats.

Soon, colleagues started sending messages.

Everyone was asking Chen Rang what he was doing with the cats. After thinking for a moment, he didn't tell the truth. He only said that a customer had taken a liking to the cats in the picture and was willing to pay a high price to buy them.

"What kind of customer is this, so indiscriminate in their eating habits? The pictures you sent seem to include almost every kind of food!"

Ms. Liu, who runs a pet grooming and boarding business near the No. 1 Primary School, curiously voiced her complaints about the bored and wealthy people. "Why don't they raise a cat themselves from a kitten? Why do they have to steal someone else's?"

But soon, Old Wu from the veterinary drug store on Beimen Road sent a voice message.

"Isn't it because some people have ruined our market? Those backyard catteries and unscrupulous breeding farms make buying a cat feel like a lottery; nobody knows if it's sick or injured. For the average person who doesn't know much about cats, buying from someone else's pet is probably the most reliable option. After all, a cat raised by someone else from a kitten can't possibly have feline distemper or parvovirus, right? I can only say that the owner who went to Chen Rang was smart!"

Old Wu's tone was filled with disdain for the current pet market, admiration for the wisdom of the wealthy, and envy for their capricious behavior.

After that, the group quickly became lively, with everyone complaining about those unscrupulous merchants, and the chat history quickly grew to over a hundred pages.

Chen Rang was somewhat amused and exasperated. These people who had gone off-topic had completely overshadowed his previous messages. The other members of the group who hadn't heard the message wouldn't have known about his request unless they scrolled up.

"What are you doing?"

After helping to wipe the shelves and cabinets, Ni Youlin, wiping her hands, curiously approached. She was much bolder in front of Chen Rang now, even daring to tilt her head to peek at the contents of his phone screen.

"We are saying..."

Chen Rang briefly told Ni Youlin about his request for help in the group chat, as well as the complaints about the uneven quality of the pet market.

"Is someone really trying to buy a cat from you?"

Ni Youlin paused, then turned to look at the little creatures lying, crouching, and poised in various poses all over the room. She was worried that Chen Rang would sell them, and a sad expression immediately appeared on her face.

"I was just making up an excuse!"

Chen Rang glared at her, annoyed.

If someone he's really close to wants a cat and takes a liking to his eight kittens, and the kittens are willing to go with him, Chen Rang wouldn't mind letting him adopt the cats. But if it's just for money, how could he possibly treat his own cats as commodities?

At first, I did dislike them. But after spending so many days together, I've developed feelings for them, and I just can't bring myself to sell them.

"What if we get caught?"

The silly Ni Youlin always misses the point when asking questions.

It seems that whether the case can be solved or not is not important to her. She only cares about the things she cares about, such as whether Chen Rang will be criticized, or whether the lovely cats in the "home" will be taken away.

After thinking for a moment, Ni Youlin generously said, "How about this, if we really find these cats, I'll buy them! Although I'm not the kind of rich person you're talking about, I still have the money to buy cats."

Without waiting for Chen Rang's response, Ni Youlin turned and went to the third floor. She quickly came down with a wallet and took out a bank card from it, handing it to Chen Rang.

"What are you giving this to me for?"

Chen Rang slapped Ni Youlin's hand in an annoyed tone, and when she saw the pain, she quickly pulled her hand back.

But soon, Chen Rang looked down at his palm and was somewhat stunned.

It's not that I regret coming here, but I suddenly realized that I had become so close to Ni Youlin without even realizing it. Something like touching a woman's hand is something you could never do unless you're extremely close.

Ni Youlin, however, did not think that much about it.

She just pouted regretfully, then told Chen Rang very seriously, "Please keep this card for me. All my money is in it. When Aunt Xie comes back tomorrow, I'll need you to transfer money to her for me."

"Tsk! A rich girl's bank card! But why do you need me to transfer money for your house purchase? Do that yourself!"

Chen Rang looked at Ni Youlin's outstretched hand again, but still did not agree.

He didn't want any financial transactions or disputes between himself and Ni Youlin, as this would give the impression that he was helping Ni Youlin for money. Although he wasn't wealthy, he genuinely had no such intention whatsoever.

"whispering sound!"

Her plan thwarted, Ni Youlin secretly pursed her lips, but didn't dare to make a loud sound.

Seeing that the guy seemed a bit disappointed, Chen Rang thought for a moment and felt a little soft-hearted, so he joked, "Judging by your arrogant attitude, how much money do you have in your account? Hundreds of thousands, millions, or tens of millions? You buy houses without batting an eye. Looks like your dad treats you pretty well!"

"..."

Ni Youlin paused for a moment, then quickly lowered her head.

Chen Rang realized that he had said the wrong thing without thinking.

Whether someone is good to their daughter or not should not be measured by money. Based on what he has learned about Ni Youlin over this period of time, she may have nothing but money; and for big bosses, money is actually the cheapest thing.

He quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry..."

"Let me show you how much money I have."

Ni Youlin and Chen Rang spoke at the same time, and then both of them froze for a moment.

Seeing that the girl wasn't as fragile as he had imagined, Chen Rang shrugged and stopped talking, jokingly gesturing for Ni Youlin to open his eyes.

Ni Youlin took out her phone.

The latest Apple phone does look rather arrogant. She silently and slowly operated the system, quickly opening the mobile banking app. Fingerprint recognition brought up her personal information page, and then Ni Youlin frowned, a look of confusion on her face.

She didn't have time to show off to Chen Rang; her hands were busy operating her phone. Under Chen Rang's gaze, her expression grew increasingly unpleasant, and her face gradually turned pale.

Soon, she stood there motionless.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Rang quickly stood up; he had a very bad feeling.

Ni Youlin remained silent.

It wasn't until Chen Rang got close to her that she blankly looked up and showed him her phone screen.

On the screen, a prominent message popped up, occupying the center of the screen: "Your bank card has been frozen." The words were chillingly cold.

"What's going on?"

Chen Rang gasped; this was the first time he had ever seen such information.

"..."

Ni Youlin remained silent, her eyes gradually reddening. She slowly raised her head to look at Chen Rang, and said with a wronged expression, "What should I do? I don't think I have the money to buy a house. Aunt Xie is coming tomorrow, how am I supposed to tell her?"