Chapter 20
Big Orange was the strongest, fiercest, and most legendary mouser in the entire village—the undisputed feline king of Qian Family Village.
Earlier that day, Senior Qian had spent a full ten minutes boasting of Big Orange’s illustrious deeds. He had explained how every dog in the village steered clear of him, and how he could easily bag a dozen mice in a single night. Once, a neighboring village had even borrowed him to clear their infested silos; when Big Orange finally returned, an entourage of smitten female cats had followed him all the way back, gazing at him in starry-eyed adoration.
Now, the little hamster stared blankly at this extraordinarily sturdy, muscular ginger beast, whose cold, unblinking eyes were locked dead onto him.
The hamster cowered, his neck retreating into his fur.
Big Orange remained remarkably calm and imposing. Sitting high above, he looked down at the tiny, helpless furball. This was a cat known for bringing down hamsters nearly the size of small dogs. And what about him?
The little hamster looked down at his own plump, rounded belly. Running on those stubby legs was definitely not his strong suit. At most, his entire body was only the size of Big Orange’s front paw. He wasn’t even large enough to make a decent mouthful.
Swallowing hard, the hamster let out a tiny, trembling squeak.
The very next second, the cat’s whiskered face seemed to shift. Big Orange actually smiled—a distinctly furry, patronizing grin. To the little hamster, that smirk was dripping with pure sarcasm.
Is this beast actually looking down on me?!
The little hamster saw red.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” What are you smirking at?! The little hamster can fight, you know!
Big Orange didn’t bother waiting for the tiny creature to finish throwing his tantrum. Leaping effortlessly over the iron railing, he dropped straight down. He cleared the catwalk with fluid grace, landing soundlessly on the grain without scattering a single kernel.
Lowering his slightly dusty nose, the cat took a deep sniff of the odd intruder from the city.
“Meow~”
The little thing smelled surprisingly delicious—almost like fresh sweet cream.
Licking his chops, Big Orange began circling the hamster, who had tucked his head down while continuing to squeak in quiet defiance.
The little hamster swallowed nervously. His two pink front paws trembled against his chest, clenching into tiny fists. Staring wide-eyed at the looming predator, he clearly caught the mocking, cat-and-mouse amusement in Big Orange’s eyes.
This was an utter insult!
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” The hamster let out two sharp protests.
Big Orange merely snorted, twitched an ear, and tilted his chin with supreme indifference.
A cat! An ordinary barn cat actually snorted at a magical spirit mouse!
This was intolerable! Just as the hamster was about to launch a counterattack, the cat raised a broad paw and gave his round head a light swat.
The blow was gentle enough, cushioned by the cat’s velvety paw pads, but the humiliation was absolute. The little hamster swallowed hard, deciding that discretion might be the better part of valor. He chattered a few more times, while Big Orange watched him curiously, clearly wondering what this clean, sweet-smelling morsel was planning to do next.
Big Orange settled down gracefully, wrapping his thick tail around his front paws. His eyes narrowed into slits, yet his ears remained high and alert, monitoring every rustle in the granary.
“Squeak, squeak…” The hamster propped a paw on his hip, puffing out his chest to deliver a stern warning. Just you wait! You’re going to regret this!
Big Orange tilted his head with a lazy smirk, thoroughly amused. What kind of trick could a chubby little city mouse possibly pull?
In the next instant, the clever little hamster dove straight down into the loose grain!
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Earth Escape technique!
Big Orange blinked. …I truly gave this city mouse too much credit.
Meanwhile, Qian Mingtian was going door-to-door through the village, announcing that anyone wanting to offload their harvest could sell it directly to him, as he had secured a reliable buyer offering twenty-five cents more per catty than the commercial distillery.
At the very same time, Yu Xiaoyuan—the generous benefactor funding the entire purchase—was sprinting for dear life through the granary. With his ears pinned flat against his skull in full “airplane mode,” he scrambled frantically across the grain heaps, disheveled, covered in chaff, yet determinedly fluffy.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak~”
Run! If I don’t run, the little hamster is going to be lunch!
By sunset, when Qian Mingtian returned to the granary to call his guest for dinner, he found Yu Xiaoyuan sitting sullenly in the far corner, looking deeply wronged. Standing a few paces away was Big Orange, the village terror, his tail lashing rhythmically as his eyes remained glued to the young man.
Qian Mingtian was both amused and baffled. The wealthy Young Master Yu had actually been cornered by a village cat!
Stepping forward, Qian Mingtian waved his arms to shoo the feline away. “Go on, hunt some proper mice. Why are you harassing my classmate?”
“Meow~”
Big Orange was beside himself with confusion. He patted Qian Mingtian’s trouser leg, then trotted back to circle the strange human, letting out urgent, questioning mews.
Yu Xiaoyuan, of course, knew exactly why the cat was having an existential crisis. The moment the little hamster realized he couldn’t outrun a professional predator, he had completely abandoned fair play and transformed straight back into a human right before the cat’s eyes!
Watching a bite-sized hamster suddenly balloon into a towering human had thoroughly shattered Big Orange’s worldview.
Taking shameless advantage of the cat’s frozen state, Yu Xiaoyuan had even leaned down and yanked out two of the beast’s whiskers! Those prized trophies were currently tucked safely inside his spatial storage. Hmph!
As Qian Mingtian pulled him to his feet, Yu Xiaoyuan was still grumbling under his breath, resolved to teach this arrogant feline the bitter truth about human deceit. He was not a mouse to be trifled with!
“Senior, your cat assaulted me!” he accused shamelessly, calling in reinforcements the second he had the chance.
“Big Orange!” Qian Mingtian immediately turned to scold the bewildered cat. “He’s my classmate and our honored guest! How could you pick on a guest?” He bent down, giving the cat’s head a gentle tap. “Shoo! Go catch some field mice. My mom stewed a pot of chicken for lunch and saved some breast meat for you. If you want any, you’d better behave, understand?”
“Meow?!!”
The cat was utterly stunned. Big Orange stared from Qian Mingtian to the smirking human, the fur along his spine bristling in pure outrage. The injustice!
The little hamster was thoroughly delighted. Smug and victorious, Yu Xiaoyuan leaned down toward the cat’s ear and whispered, “Listen well, kitty. Bully me again, and this little hamster will have your master tan your hide.”
“MEOW!” Enraged, Big Orange lunged forward, claws out, ready to shred this giant, fraudulent hamster!
“Senior Qian, look! He’s attacking me again!” Yu Xiaoyuan dodged nimbly, pointing an accusing finger at the hissing cat. “He’s trying to scratch my face!”
“Big Orange! That’s it—no chicken for you tonight!” Qian Mingtian pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated that a corporate heir could be petty enough to pick a fight with a barn cat. Still, the young master’s antics were undeniably entertaining.
“Meow-yowl-yowl!” Big Orange cried out to the heavens. Where was the justice in this world?! An elite mouser, disgraced and framed by a hamster!
Yu Xiaoyuan strutted out of the granary behind Qian Mingtian, his head held high with satisfaction.
“Today, the little hamster scores one point!” he declared softly.
“Pfft.” Qian Mingtian couldn’t help laughing, reaching over to playfully swat the back of the boy’s head. “Look at you, acting so proud after picking on a cat.”
Changing the subject, Qian Mingtian gestured toward the main road. “There was a nasty car accident on the expressway earlier—brake failure, apparently. Word is the car was an exotic luxury model worth over ten million yuan. Zhang Wei and the others ran over to gawk when they heard it was a Bentley. Do you want to check it out?”
“Huh?” Ten million? Yu Xiaoyuan paused, asking instinctively, “Was it a dark blue Bentley?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. I heard the paint was a custom metallic finish…”
Yu Xiaoyuan froze in his tracks, his eyes wide.
“It definitely was custom,” he murmured under his breath. “In the entire city, there is only one dark blue Bentley with that blue paint.”
