Chapter 24: A Cat’s Search for Home
Wh–what?
For a moment, Lin Jiangye wondered if he had misheard. At first, he thought the owner had abandoned the cat. But thinking carefully, the white kitten had said it was the owner’s family who threw the cat out—not the owner himself.
That sounded slightly better… though not by much.
“Where’s the cat? Take me to see it.”
Hearing that Lin Jiangye was willing to help, the little white kitten immediately jumped down from his hands.
“I’ll take you!”
Lin Jiangye followed for a few steps, then suddenly remembered the stray cats still eating behind him. Turning back, he saw that the half-full cans were already completely empty. Every cat stared at him with wide eyes, as if to say, Why are you still standing there? Go!
“Let’s go see what’s going on,” Sang Biao declared, shaking out his thick black fur and striding after the white kitten with an imposing air.
Well then. Seems even cats have a gossiping heart.
After quickly cleaning up the plates, Lin Jiangye followed with the tabby and the German Shepherd.
The sight of one human, one dog, and a procession of cats walking together made the elderly men playing chess under the trees keep turning their heads, nearly misplacing their pieces.
The white kitten led them around a corner to the side of a residential building. There, pitifully curled up, lay a blue-and-white cat.
“Cat! I brought a human! He can help you find your owner!”
The blue-and-white cat didn’t respond.
Sensing something was wrong, Lin Jiangye rushed over and lifted it. The cat had fainted!
Perhaps catching the lingering scent of canned food, the blue-and-white lifted its head weakly and sniffed at him.
“I’m… so hungry…”
Its voice trembled with tears.
Fortunately, Lin Jiangye had plenty of cans. He quickly opened one and placed it in front of the cat.
The next second, the blue-and-white plunged its entire face into the can, sobbing as it ate. It was impossible to tell how long it had been starving.
“Slow down. There’s more,” Lin Jiangye said gently, heart aching.
A breed cat like this, once abandoned, usually has no survival skills in the wild. If left a few more days, it might have starved to death.
The blue-and-white barely had time to speak between bites, tears dripping into the food.
This was the most delicious can it had ever eaten.
The other cats waited patiently until it finished. Once the plate was licked clean, Lin Jiangye carefully wiped its face and paws with a wet towel—and then wiped its whole body.
Where had this poor thing rolled around? It was filthy.
The blue-and-white was docile, allowing him to fuss over it. Only after the white kitten nudged it did it timidly look up.
“Human… can you help me find my owner? I’ll have my owner give you nice things!”
Its owner was wealthy—food, toys, anything could be bought!
Lin Jiangye tapped its cold little nose.
“Tell me first—how exactly were you abandoned?”
If the owner knew and agreed to it, there would be no point returning.
Encouraged by his gentle tone, the blue-and-white slowly recounted what happened.
“My owner had a baby.”
One sentence made Lin Jiangye raise his eyebrows.
And?
Why would having a baby mean throwing the cat out?
The blue-and-white pressed against his shoe.
“My owner’s family didn’t like me… When my owner wasn’t home, they scolded me. I didn’t understand the words, but they looked so scary…”
Remembering the times it had hidden trembling under the bed, tears welled up again.
Lin Jiangye sighed and gathered it into his arms.
“Don’t cry. When we find your owner, I’ll help you complain, alright?”
Though fluffy, it was painfully thin beneath the fur.
“So they didn’t like you and threw you out while your owner was away?”
The blue-and-white nodded.
That was insane.
“Did you hear why?”
If they hated it that much, why wait until the owner had a baby?
“They said… I have bugs… I don’t understand… but they really hate me…”
Bugs?
House cats are usually dewormed regularly, especially indoor ones. The probability of parasites was extremely low.
Never mind that for now. If it wasn’t the owner’s decision, there was still hope.
If the owner himself had abandoned it, Lin Jiangye would rather find it a new home.
He asked carefully for the address.
“Or do you remember where they left you?”
The blue-and-white shook its head.
Under further questioning, Lin Jiangye discovered they had driven far away before abandoning it—clearly to prevent the owner from finding it.
Heartless people.
If the original owner hadn’t agreed, what right did they have?
Unfortunately, the blue-and-white couldn’t describe its owner’s appearance clearly enough for police assistance.
“Any distinctive features? Was your home a single apartment, or a standalone house?”
He examined the cat’s coat pattern. Its quality was excellent; it must have been expensive.
Which suggested a well-off household.
Sure enough—
“My home has three floors! My owner lives on the top floor. I live there too! I have my own sunny room!”
A three-story villa.
But villas were common in Yue City.
Then Lin Jiangye realized something.
“What’s your name? And your owner’s name?”
The blue-and-white brightened instantly.
“My name is Pearl! My owner is Xiangyu!”
Pearl made sense.
Xiangyu…
Fragrant taro? Fragrant jade? Or some other homophone?
If only Pearl could write.
“Any other names? Tell me everything.”
Unfortunately, Pearl could only remember those two.
Watching Lin Jiangye’s troubled expression, Pearl wracked its brain.
Think!
Suddenly—
“I remember! Near my home there’s a Feiyu Park!”
Feiyu Park?
Lin Jiangye searched online. No Feiyu Park—but there was a Feiyu Mansion and a Yuegong Garden.
Perhaps Pearl had mixed the names.
They were adjacent.
“That area should be near your home. I’ll go check.”
At least it narrowed things down.
But those places were in Chiyuan District—over a hundred kilometers away.
The people who abandoned Pearl were truly cruel.
Before leaving, Lin Jiangye looked at Sang Biao.
“You’ll need to stay in the hospital for a week. What about them? Come home with me first? Those who want owners, I’ll find adopters. Those who prefer freedom can come back after you recover.”
There were over a dozen cats here.
Sang Biao consulted the group.
Some wanted stable homes.
Some preferred freedom.
But free food was free food.
“Alright.”
A strange smile crossed Lin Jiangye’s face.
No one paid attention.
After loading the cats into the car, he drove straight to the pet hospital.
Sang Biao recognized the road but assumed he was being returned.
However, once all the cats were brought inside, realization dawned.
“Hello, doctor. These are males, these are females. Please neuter them all.”
His smile was gentle and harmless.
The stray cats exploded in outrage.
Wait! Weren’t they going to his house for food?!
“Neuter first, then food. What’s the problem?”
The hospital erupted in furious meowing.
Lin Jiangye was a familiar client—last time, he had brought in a whole group of stray dogs for bathing and neutering.
Now it was the cats’ turn.
A young veterinarian laughed and filmed the scene.
“A bunch of kittens tricked into neutering by a bad human. He did the same to stray dogs before. A pro at this!”
After posting the video, the staff gently placed each loudly protesting cat into cages.
Strangely, none tried to flee.
None scratched or bit.
Absolute angel cats.
Just like the dogs before them—fierce-looking, but obedient, as if understanding they were being helped.
Sure enough, people as angelic as him would bring along angelic cats and dogs.
“You too. Once you’ve fully recovered, I’ll have the doctor neuter you as well.” Lin Jiangye flicked the big black cat on the forehead.
Sang Biao immediately objected. “No! I want to find a pretty little she-cat and have kittens!”
Lin Jiangye let out a dry laugh and knocked lightly on its head. “In your dreams. You’re getting neutered. You won’t even raise the kittens if they’re born. Don’t act like some irresponsible tomcat. Besides, doesn’t it feel miserable when you’re in heat?”
Sang Biao was rendered speechless. From behind the cage bars, it continued grumbling curses at Lin.
Lin Jiangye paid it no mind. He brought the already-neutered cats, along with the German Shepherd, Pearl, and the tabby, back to the car.
On the way, he gave the remaining cats a warning: “There are a few dogs at home. No fighting, no quarrelling, understood?”
Pearl shrank slightly. It was afraid of dogs—even the Shepherd beside Lin made it nervous.
The tabby sensed its unease and leaned over to lick it. “Don’t be scared! I’ll protect you!”
After all, it had beaten every big dog in the house—except the Shepherd. A true second-in-command.
Back at the villa, Pearl stared at the beautiful house and meowed happily. “My home looks like this too!”
Finally having something to compare with, it ran excitedly around the entire villa—until it slid to a halt in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, where several stray dogs were visible outside.
Of the dogs Lin had previously taken in, only five remained. The others had already been adopted.
The police were still helping him find adopters, but it seemed like a long-term battle.
After feeding everyone, Lin Jiangye warned the newly arrived cats not to chase the crows. “They’re family too. No bird-hunting, got it?”
Only after the kittens chorused their promises did he return to his room.
He posted photos of the neutered cats on his social feed, asking if anyone was willing to adopt. Then he messaged Shang Fuyan.
“Are you there?”
The reply came instantly. “What’s up?”
Lin Jiangye explained Pearl’s situation and asked whether he knew any wealthy woman in Yue City named “Xiangyu.”
Since Shang Fuyan was wealthy himself, he probably knew other affluent locals.
Probably.
As luck would have it, Shang Fuyan really did know a wealthy young woman named Xiangyu.
More precisely—Xiangyu, written as “Fragrant Jade.”
Lying in his garden sunbathing, Shang Fuyan sat up abruptly. His fingers hovered over the screen for a long moment before typing slowly: “Why are you looking for her?”
A photo popped up—a fluffy blue-and-white cat.
“This little one was abandoned by the owner’s family. It says its owner is called Xiangyu—probably a homophone. Can you ask her whether she lost a British Shorthair?”
Oh. So it was about a cat.
The tension Shang Fuyan hadn’t realized he’d been holding dissolved immediately.
After replying “Alright,” he contacted the captain of the Chiyuan District Criminal Investigation Unit.
“Are you there? Do you have Tan Xiangyu’s contact information?”
After a while, Shang Fuyan finally received a response and forwarded it.
Seeing the missing-cat notice on his screen, Lin Jiangye exhaled in relief.
The blue-and-white in the poster was chubbier, its facial markings fuller—but the details matched. Pearl was indeed the missing cat.
Thankfully, Pearl’s owner hadn’t given up.
With the address and contact number in hand, Lin Jiangye decided to take Pearl there personally.
Just as he stood up, his phone lit again.
“I’ll go with you. After that, we’ll head to the airport to pick up the raven.”
The raven!
His long-awaited raven was finally arriving!
Lin Jiangye’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He had purchased the raven from Shang Fuyan’s friend and even obtained the necessary permits. The only delay had been flight arrangements.
If not for Shang Fuyan’s assurance, he might have thought he’d been scammed.
They quickly headed to Chiyuan District. Upon arrival, Lin noticed Shang Fuyan had switched cars again.
Before he could comment, Shang Fuyan lifted his phone. “I’ve called her. She’s coming down.”
As he spoke, he peered into the car. Pearl was trembling behind the tabby.
Unfortunately, the tabby was smaller, making it look like the blue-and-white was wearing an extra layer of fur.
“What is it afraid of?” Shang Fuyan didn’t understand. Shouldn’t finding its owner be joyful?
Lin Jiangye pulled him aside and explained quietly, “It’s been abandoned once. If it goes back, who’s to say it won’t be thrown out again? And if those family members refuse to accept it, what will its owner choose?”
When close to home, even humans feel apprehensive.
Pearl had suffered enough outdoors. It survived only because it met kind strays—and a human who understood animal speech.
Would it be so lucky next time?
As Lin explained the kitten’s psychology, he sighed.
Shang Fuyan frowned. He had assumed the cat had simply wandered off.
“If Tan Xiangyu is pregnant, perhaps her family was worried about toxoplasmosis?”
Such incidents happened every year. No matter how much doctors explained, some people still insisted pets were dangerous for pregnant women and secretly abandoned them.
Lin Jiangye scoffed softly. “Unless she’s eating fresh cat feces or raw meat and vegetables, the risk is negligible. Better to monitor diet than blame pets.”
While they were talking, a pale-faced woman hurried out. Her belly was slightly rounded. Several people followed behind her.
“Slow down! You’re pregnant!”
The woman scanned the area and locked onto Lin and Shang. “Excuse me, are you—”
Before she could finish, a blur shot from the car.
“Meowmeowmeowmeow!”
A rapid string of “Mama!” exploded in Lin’s ears.
“Pearl!”
“Mama!!!”
“My baby Pearl!”
“Mama!!!”
Mother and cat were reunited in tears. The tabby watched, eyes misty.
Behind her, the others whispered among themselves, occasionally glaring at Lin—clearly displeased that Pearl had been found.
“Wife… check carefully. Make sure it’s really Pearl. What if someone brought a fake? There’s fifty thousand at stake.”
They were implying Lin had staged this for the reward.
Lin rolled his eyes openly. Shang Fuyan found the expression delightfully vivid.
Even criminals hadn’t drawn such blunt disdain from Lin—though perhaps they had been knocked out too quickly.
Shang Fuyan glanced at the man. Well-dressed, yet foul at heart.
Tan Xiangyu hugged Pearl tightly, eyes red. “Are you blind? One car costs twenty million, the other eight. You think they’d scheme for fifty thousand?”
And she had raised Pearl for years. Of course she recognized it.
The man—and the others—gasped.
Lin and Shang quietly observed the greed and resentment flickering in their eyes.
Especially in Tan Xiangyu’s husband.
His hatred was subtle but intense—especially after seeing Lin and Shang’s faces.
“Thank you. Thank you for bringing Pearl back,” Tan Xiangyu sobbed.
Lin waved it off. Gratitude could wait.
He had a pressing question.
“How exactly did it go missing?”
Tan Xiangyu wasn’t surprised. Many pet owners had asked the same—open windows? Accidentally let out?
But in truth, she didn’t know.
“My mother-in-law said Pearl slipped out when the door opened. After that, we couldn’t find it… And the home surveillance happened to be broken.”
A sly smile appeared on Lin Jiangye’s gentle face.
“Then do you know—”
A figure stepped between them, cutting him off.
“Wife, now that we’ve found Pearl, let’s go home! Look how thin it is!”
Unfortunately for him, Tan Xiangyu was not easily fooled.
She had already doubted the explanation.
Now, seeing his reaction, that spark of suspicion ignited like wildfire.
“Move aside!” Holding the cat in one arm, Tan Xiangyu shoved the man away with the other.
“Go on,” she said, her bright eyes fixed on Lin Jiangye, as if waiting for her suspicions to be confirmed.
Lin Jiangye could tell what she was expecting. A faint smile appeared on his face. “Do you know where I found Pearl? In Xinghui Residential Complex, Wen’an District.”
Tan Xiangyu’s eyes widened instantly. “Where?”
“Wen’an District—”
“Wife, let’s go home!”
“Get lost!!!”
This time, Tan Xiangyu didn’t just push him aside—she slapped him hard across the face.
The two elderly people behind him immediately rushed forward, distressed, supporting their son while glaring at her. “How can you hit someone? You’re our daughter-in-law!”
The mother-in-law even raised her hand high, about to strike Tan Xiangyu.
Unfortunately for her, the slap never landed.
Not only because Tan Xiangyu was staring at them coldly, reminding them that their son had married into the Tan family—but also because Lin Jiangye had stepped forward and firmly caught the old woman’s wrist.
Shang Fuyan calmly pulled out his badge and flashed it in front of the three of them. “Hitting someone in front of a police officer?”
The man suddenly retorted, “Then why didn’t you stop her when my wife hit me?”
“Is that so? You were facing away from me. I didn’t see anything.” A faint curve tugged at Shang Fuyan’s lips, but the smile was ice-cold.
Lin Jiangye shoved the old woman aside and pulled Tan Xiangyu behind him. “According to Pearl, your family threw it away. Not just outside the door—you drove it over a hundred kilometers to Wen’an District and abandoned it there. Clearly, you never intended for her to find the cat.”
Tan Xiangyu’s face went pale, completely ignoring the oddity in his statement.
“It was you?” Her eyes were red as she glared at the family of three.
The man hurried to seize on what he thought was a flaw. “He says he understands what Pearl says. Do you really think that’s possible? He’s lying to you!”
He even put on a pained expression.
Pearl immediately became agitated, meowing furiously at him.
Lin Jiangye translated evenly, “It says you used a round thing that flashes red dots and a red pen to scare it. I think that’s a laser pointer. It also says that when she wasn’t home, you brought women back—and into their bedroom… Hmm???”
Wait.
How did this suddenly turn into an affair?
Lin Jiangye froze in shock. The surrounding people stared at him.
Seeing their stunned expressions, Pearl hurried to add more details to prove it was telling the truth.
“I saw him bring different women! One of them stuffed something into Mama’s coat pocket! I testify! I remember that coat!”
Lin Jiangye’s temple twitched. He translated honestly.
Tan Xiangyu felt something twist inside her. She had always thought Pearl simply didn’t get along with her husband.
Now…
“How about we verify it?” Shang Fuyan suggested mildly. “If Pearl remembers, then the evidence should still be there.”
Whether that was truly neutral advice was debatable.
He knew it wasn’t easy for people to accept Lin Jiangye’s ability—but proving it wasn’t hard.
“Lin Jiangye has never been to your house. He couldn’t know your layout. Besides, he’s a special consultant to the Wen’an District Criminal Investigation Unit. His character and ability have been vetted by the police. I think… you can try.”
The mention of Lin Jiangye’s position stunned Tan Xiangyu—and unsettled the others.
The two elders even looked like they wanted to rush home first to clean up, but when Tan Xiangyu turned to look at them, they froze.
They couldn’t go.
If they went now, it would look like guilt.
Tan Xiangyu caught their expressions. After the shock came disappointment—cold and sharp.
Marrying into her family and still daring to cheat?
Bringing a mistress into her own bedroom?
“Feng Jinye!”
“Wait, wait!” Seeing her about to explode, Lin Jiangye quickly stepped in—not to protect the man, but to prevent her from overexerting herself while pregnant. Nothing had been confirmed yet.
He nudged Pearl to comfort her mother.
Pearl gently rubbed its face against Tan Xiangyu’s.
The familiar scent of body wash softened her anger. She suddenly remembered how Pearl had kept meowing at her recently—but she had been too busy preparing her company’s IPO and had asked Feng Jinye to take care of it.
Take care?
He had certainly “taken care” of things—with other women.
Feng Jinye was still in shock. How could anyone truly understand a cat? Was this some elaborate script?
By the time he came back to himself, they were already at the villa door.
“Wife, I—”
“Don’t speak. I don’t want to hear your voice.”
“If it’s true, we’ll know once we go inside.”
Back home, Tan Xiangyu set Pearl down and let it lead.
Pearl had no excitement about returning home. Its mind was set on revenge. It shot upstairs like an arrow.
They followed it to the third-floor master bedroom.
At this point, it was obvious Pearl hadn’t lied.
Lin Jiangye glanced at Tan Xiangyu. Though pale, she remained composed.
They entered the walk-in closet. Pearl darted inside and soon emerged, dragging a coat.
“Mama! This one! Inside the pocket!”
After Lin translated, Feng Jinye’s face darkened. His fists clenched.
Tan Xiangyu reached into the inner pocket and pulled out two items: an unfamiliar lipstick—and a used condom wrapper.
There was no denying it now.
Pearl lifted its tail proudly and meowed smugly.
“What is Pearl saying now?” Tan Xiangyu asked calmly.
Lin Jiangye blinked before realizing she was addressing him. “Uh… it’s asking if it did well.”
In other words, the kitten was boasting.
Tan Xiangyu smiled faintly. She kissed Pearl’s head and pressed her face into its fur, her voice trembling. “Yes. You’re amazing. My baby is the best.”
Abandoned a hundred kilometers away, survived, found help, returned home—and exposed a cheating husband.
Pearl’s tail drooped when it felt her tears dampen its fur.
“Don’t cry, Mama! I’m here!”
Lin Jiangye felt his heart soften. He gently stroked Pearl and relayed the rest.
How they had scared it with tools until it hid under the bed.
How they had thrown away its food, leaving it hungry until Tan Xiangyu came home.
Tan Xiangyu trembled with rage. This hurt even more than the affair.
She had never imagined her baby had suffered like this.
“Nonsense!” the elders protested. “We fed it well! Look how fat it was!”
Pearl hissed.
“If not for a kind bird feeding me, I would’ve starved!”
Lin Jiangye raised an eyebrow.
A bird?
You’re such a big cat and a bird fed you? Why are you proud of that?
He decided to ask later.
“There’s one more thing,” he added. “Pearl said when they threw it out, they mentioned something about parasites. I suspect toxoplasmosis.”
He wasn’t defending them.
“Did they ever pressure you to get rid of the cat during your pregnancy? Out of ‘concern’ for you?”
Either they were stubborn—or presumptuous.
Neither was good.
Tan Xiangyu’s pale face flushed red with fury. “I explained it to them! I educated them! They agreed!”
And then secretly threw her cat away.
The elders changed tactics, speaking earnestly. “We did it for your own good! The cat is dirty! You can raise another after the baby is born!”
It’s just a cat.
And as for their son’s mistake—weren’t all men like that? She was pregnant, after all.
What was the big deal?
Their argument soon drifted into outdated lectures about a woman’s virtue.
Lin Jiangye and Shang Fuyan both felt their brows twitch.
Incredible. More feudal than relics of the Qing Dynasty.
Tan Xiangyu, however, remained calm.
She listened quietly. Then she looked at the silent Feng Jinye and spoke clearly.
“Divorce. No negotiation.”
