Strange Life of a Cat

Compared to these, the protocols for human paternity tests were already well-established and cost-effective. But for pets, it was different. Take dogs, for example; with so many different breeds, accurate tests would require different protocols for different breeds, making a specialized testing approach prohibitively expensive—it could cost thousands, more than most pets were worth. Who would waste money on that? Recently, she’d heard about a man who paid a hefty sum for a purportedly purebred dog only to end up with a litter of mongrels and even sued. There was talk of a DNA paternity test for the dogs, but once they saw the high cost, they settled the matter privately instead.

“Let’s start with a DNA test—the sample’s already taken,” Mr. Jiao said. He could have simply asked his cat son, but having more concrete evidence would give him peace of mind.

There was a pause on the other end before Yuan Zhiyi suddenly said, “Almost forgot, you have your Lucky Cat’s genetic data in that database you set up. Darn it! You were anticipating this day, weren’t you?!”

Mr. Jiao didn’t respond but instead spoke up, “Send someone to collect the sample later.”

Yuan Zhiyi’s company had several departments responsible for primer synthesis, sample sequencing, and various experiments, serving mainly Chuhua City’s universities, with dedicated personnel for each institution.

“Alright, I’ll call the person responsible for Chuhua University,” Yuan Zhiyi said as she used her mouse to check who was handling sample delivery on her computer, “Oh, and by the way, we’re dropping the ‘acting’ part. When’s the next time we’re going out for a drink?”

“Let’s deal with this matter first.” Mr. Jiao wouldn’t feel at ease until this was resolved.

“Sure thing. I’ll notify you once we have results. Don’t worry, I’ll personally make sure a reliable technician handles your test.”

Because this was a task specifically entrusted by Boss Yuan, the process moved swiftly without waiting in line. The person responsible for the test was an experienced old hand. Two days later, Mr. Jiao received the results.

Comparing them with the genetic data they had set up for Zheng Tan in the database, Mr. Jiao called Zheng Tan into his room for questioning later that evening after getting home.

Zheng Tan, having just finished dinner, was about to visit the kittens at the villa. That afternoon, he’d wandered around the Old Building District and found all the residents had moved out, including the Leopard Cat. Thinking of the scrawny kitten, he decided to take a stroll, only to be intercepted by Mr. Jiao,

“Heitan, let Feng Baikin and them take care of the kitten you found,” Mr. Jiao said.

That’s perfect, I also think they’d be good caretakers. Zheng Tan thought to himself.

Seeing Zheng Tan’s indifferent expression and even a sense of relief, Mr. Jiao was about to call Feng Baikin on his cell phone but thought twice because Feng Baikin might have classes. Instead, he dialed the villa’s number. Aunt Li answered, and upon hearing that they could keep the kitten, she was delighted, even suggesting Zheng Tan visit more often.

While Mr. Jiao was making the call, Zheng Tan jumped onto the desk, curious to see if Mr. Jiao was browsing pet forums online, but he noticed a document next to the mouse, with diagrams that Zheng Tan couldn’t understand.

The diagrams might have been incomprehensible, but Zheng Tan recognized the words below them.

After reading what was written, Zheng Tan felt exonerated and his name cleared, but also a sense of embarrassment.

Mr. Jiao is truly something else! Who else would do such a thing for a cat! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian [qidian.com]. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)