CHAPTER 368: CHAPTER 365 [ONE LESS PERSON]

Chapter Three Hundred Sixty-Five: One Less

The Chen Family’s cat was missing.

It was only discovered by the family a day after the Gray Cat had vanished. Although the Gray Cat wasn’t particularly noticeable on a regular basis, in Ou Xiuhua’s eyes, it was too lazy to even bother with a sigh, and it didn’t enjoy being close to people. It spent its days either dozing off in its cat bed or slipping out of the window and wandering up to the rooftop to bask in the sun.

Ou Xiuhua knew her cat liked to sunbathe on the rooftop simply enough. The Chen Family’s building was an old, work-unit-built apartment building. Their home was on the fifth floor, the top floor, but the stairs actually continued half a level higher to a small door that led to a rooftop terrace.

Occasionally, when Ou Xiuhua hung bed sheets and quilts to dry during the change of seasons and there wasn’t enough space on the balcony, she would take them to the rooftop terrace. It was there she would sometimes see her cat lying, basking in the sunlight.

This cat was different from other people’s cats; despite its beautiful gray fur, it was not fond of moving around.

Whenever Ou Xiuhua occasionally took something to tease it, the Gray Cat would simply watch lazily and quietly, showing no interest in the objects in her hands.

This cat didn’t even like playing with balls of yarn.

That such a cat could go missing for two days before the family realized it was Xiao Yezi who first noticed.

After discovering the disappearance of the cat, the household...

Well, truth be told, Ou Xiuhua didn’t experience much turmoil.

Her grown son was gone without a trace, and now a cat was lost. At times like this, she really didn’t have the heart to search.

At first, she thought perhaps it had wandered out into the residential complex to play. There were some feral cats and dogs around, and it might have gone off to scavenge for food.

But another day passed, and the cat didn’t return.

Did it hurt? Yes, it did. They searched high and low, running circles inside and outside the residential area, but there was no sign of it.

After all, it was a cat that her son had raised.

Now that her son was no more, keeping this cat at home was somewhat of a memento.

And now the son was gone, and so was the cat.

But as for how deeply sad she was, it wasn’t quite that. The loss of her son was too immense to overcome.

There just wasn’t much sorrow left to spare for a cat.

It was Xiao Yezi, however, who was teary and upset for two days.

After Sun Keke heard about the incident, she also came by. She ran to a local print shop and printed a stack of "Missing Cat" notices. Then, she dragged Xiao Yezi around the streets in front of and behind their residential area, sticking notices onto lampposts and utility poles along the way.

"How about I buy you another cat?" Sun Keke held Xiao Yezi’s hand, attempting to comfort the young girl.

Xiao Yezi blinked but shook her head. "No, I just want our family’s Gray Cat."

"How about I buy you a cuter one? A white one?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"That cat was raised by my brother."

Sun Keke fell silent. The girl turned her head away and wiped the corner of her eye.

So, the older and younger girl, hand in hand, walked even farther down another street, posting more missing cat notices.

On their way back, to console the child, Sun Keke also took Xiao Yezi for ice cream.

·

The college entrance exams had ended, and Sun Keke had done well. She had estimated her scores and felt confident about the universities she had applied to.

However, Sun Keke refused the family’s offer to take her on a vacation during the summer break, something they had discussed for after the exams.

With Chen Nuo gone, how could School Belle Sun have the heart for vacations?

Instead, she spent all her time at the Chen Family’s place. During the summer break, she had even more time to visit them.

She would accompany Ou Xiuhua on grocery shopping trips or occasionally take Xiao Yezi to the park, to watch a movie, or something similar.

If not that, she would buy Xiao Yezi a few new outfits.

Sun Keke had not yet handed over to Ou Xiuhua the card Lu Xixi had given her.

She was unsure how to give it to her. She worried that such a large sum of money would frighten Ou Xiuhua.

Now, Sun Keke could largely be considered an Ability User too. Her spiritual power had grown stronger, her senses sharper, and she could even "teleport" to a specific location.

She was beginning to understand more and more just how magical the world Chen Nuo had inhabited actually was.

Such a large sum of money would probably terrify an ordinary person like Ou Xiuhua and might even lead her to wild speculations.

Previously, Chen Nuo had staged a "lottery win" act to be considerate of Sun Keke’s family’s feelings.

Now, bringing out this huge sum of 10,000,000 all of a sudden could cause who knew how much trouble.

After giving it some thought and still unable to come up with a good solution, Sun Keke eventually called Zhang Linsheng and Brother Lei over.

These two were trusted insiders of Chen Nuo and knew some of his secrets.

The huge sum of 10,000,000 gave Brother Lei and Zhang Linsheng a hard time too.

But in the end, it was Brother Lei who came up with a sort-of solution.

"As for Chen Nuo’s family, they shouldn’t be short on money now," Brother Lei said seriously after composing himself. "There should be some money left from what he left behind before he passed. The profits from the bike shop every month—we’ve been handing over the dividends in full, without fail. For daily expenses, that money is more than enough. Recently, there haven’t been any big expenses for the family. And didn’t Principal Sun help resolve Xiao Yezi’s school issues?

"My idea is to take out part of it and invest it in the bike shop. I see it clearly now: this electric bike industry is likely to boom for many years to come. Think about it. Cars are getting more popular, but in Jinling City, with its millions of people, it’s impossible for every household to own one. Besides, parking is a hassle. Many people need electric bikes for commuting, grocery shopping, and picking up kids. This industry, conservatively speaking, has at least another decade of growth ahead! Our shop on Daming Road is doing extremely well! I’ve been thinking that if we had enough capital, we could open a few more branches in other areas and cover all the main urban districts of the city. I never got the chance to discuss this with Chen Nuo. Now that we have the money, let’s invest it in the bike shop. After all, this business belongs to the Chen Family."

As he spoke, Brother Lei rubbed his smooth scalp. His hair could grow back now, but to avoid scaring acquaintances, he had to secretly shave his head at home every few days. His scalp was itching because he had just shaved it today.

"Brother Lei, what do you mean?" Sun Keke asked.

It was indeed a solution. With the bike shop acting as an intermediary, there was no need to directly present the full ten million to Ou Xiuhua. As the business expanded, the monthly profits and dividends could be increased. This would provide a steady, long-term stream of income and wouldn’t be too conspicuous.

·

And so, the plan to open new stores was settled. In the following days, Sun Keke personally accompanied Brother Lei to look at potential shop locations. Moreover, following Chen Nuo’s original strategy when he opened the Daming Road bike shop, they aimed to buy rather than rent the premises whenever possible.

Although Sun Keke didn’t possess foreknowledge like Chen Nuo, the transmigrator, she agreed with this principle he had established.

The girl’s reasoning was simple: business always involves potential profits and losses. Currently, the business was profitable, and the market outlook was good. But what about the future? What if things took a downturn? If the bike shop stopped making money, what would happen to the Chen mother and daughter? It was better to buy the shop properties outright. That way, even if the business eventually failed and the bike shop closed, the properties would still belong to the Chen Family. They could live off the rental income.

After a week of looking, they had seen over twenty shops and finally settled on two good targets at the right price. However, Brother Lei still needed to secretly investigate if there were any hidden complications with the properties or any issues with the ownership.

Sun Keke took out 5,000,000 to purchase the two shops, which was also enough to cover the renovation costs.

The remaining 5,000,000 was kept in the bank as a reserve fund.

For over a week, in the heat of summer, School Belle Sun had followed Brother Lei all over the city looking at properties. She had sweated profusely and her skin had tanned a little.

Old Sun knew Sun Keke was busy with errands, going out to the bike shop every day to help. Although he wasn’t clear on the specifics, he saw his daughter bustling about daily. Despite her weariness, she seemed to be in much better spirits, so he let her be.

Then, on an early August day, Sun Keke had just met with the landlord of a store with Brother Lei and paid the deposit when she received a phone call from Xiao Yezi.

"Keke! The cat is back!!" Xiao Yezi joyfully exclaimed from the other end, her voice sweet and charming.

·

The Gray Cat returned twenty days after it went missing, looking like a filthy stray. It had lost a significant amount of weight and was covered in grime, as if it had rolled around in a sewer; its fur was matted and clumped. It also appeared very weak and listless.

When Sun Keke arrived at the Chen Family’s and saw Xiao Yezi happily sitting on the living room floor, holding the cat, she first pursed her lips, put down the items in her hands, and went over to grab the cat.

"It’s so filthy; let’s give it a bath immediately."

The Gray Cat lazily glanced at Sun Keke. It lay listlessly in Xiao Yezi’s arms, only shifting slightly in resistance when Sun Keke reached out to grab it.

Xiao Yezi took it upon herself to bathe the cat. She carried it into the bathroom, turned on the showerhead, and used special cat shampoo, washing it three times before the Gray Cat’s fur finally revealed its original color.

While Xiao Yezi was blow-drying the cat’s fur, Sun Keke had already gone to the kitchen, taken out some thawed beef, cut it into strips with scissors, and put them in the cat’s bowl.

Excited, Xiao Yezi insisted on feeding the cat herself. Holding the cat with one hand, she picked up strips of beef with the other, feeding it piece by piece.

After one bite, the Gray Cat turned its head away, shaking it.

Sun Keke washed her hands and stared at the Gray Cat, feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Is that a hint of disdain in its eyes?

"MEOW~~~" the Gray Cat meowed.

Xiao Yezi didn’t react much, but Sun Keke suddenly froze. In a daze, she thought she heard a muffled voice.

"I want Wagyu beef~~"

Huh?? Sun Keke was stunned. But listening intently again, she couldn’t hear that voice anymore.

Sun Keke focused her gaze on the Gray Cat, which then looked up to meet her eyes. After they stared at each other for a moment, the Gray Cat finally lowered its head and obediently ate the beef.

Sun Keke frowned but then breathed a sigh of relief. Hmm... it must have been an auditory hallucination.

·

In the afternoon, Sun Keke left. Today marked the last reunion for Class 4 of their senior year. After the college entrance exams, the whole class had agreed to have a meal together today.

Sun Keke wasn’t really in the mood, but she couldn’t resist her classmates’ enthusiastic invitations. Besides, they had been classmates for years, and it wouldn’t have been good to act too aloof—it wasn’t in her nature to be cold anyway. So, she still had to go.

After Sun Keke left, Xiao Yezi played with the Gray Cat for a while longer. Ou Xiuhua hadn’t gotten off work yet.

Xiao Yezi, holding the kitty on the couch, slowly grew tired and fell asleep.

The Gray Cat swiftly wriggled out of Xiao Yezi’s arms, deftly jumped onto the coffee table, and lay there, quietly watching the young girl.

"MEOW~~"

Little one, your brother should be able to return... This time, I truly did my best...

·

There wasn’t much to say about Senior Class 4’s last high school reunion. The boys let loose and drank heartily, while the girls eventually got emotional and, by the end, were in tears.

When the reunion concluded, several girls were clinging to each other, weeping as if it were a life-and-death parting.

Sun Keke and Du Xiaoyan hugged each other. Classmate Du Xiaoyan had a bit of a crush on Luo Qing (Young Master Luo), but after he didn’t reciprocate her advances a few times, those feelings had faded.

Now, as they embraced, they both wiped away some tears.

Du Xiaoyan was arguably the girl Sun Keke was closest to in class, and only she had a vague idea about Chen Nuo’s disappearance.

At that moment, the two girls were whispering to each other aside.

"Keke, we’re about to start university. You... you have to take good care of yourself from now on."

Classmate Du Xiaoyan also had good grades; they had once attended tutoring sessions together at Old Jiang’s house. For a poorly performing school like No. 8 Middle School, students who sought tutoring even before the educational reforms clearly had some ambition.

At this point, Du Xiaoyan sighed. "Chen Nuo... he was very nice, but now he’s gone. You have to move on. We’re still so young... You can’t always, always..."

Sun Keke sighed inwardly. She knew Du Xiaoyan meant well and couldn’t really argue. She just gently squeezed Du Xiaoyan’s hand and said softly, "You’re also going to university in Jinling. We’ll still be in the same city, and our schools aren’t far apart... We can still hang out together often in the future."

While they were talking, the class president raised his glass again and gave another speech, drawing everyone’s attention.

The class president had also gotten into a university in Jinling. It was said that an education company had even included him in a sponsored training program, with the company covering all his university tuition fees.

The class president’s face was now flushed red from drinking. After delivering a speech full of youthful pride, he lifted his glass high. "I hope that many years from now, our friendship as classmates will never fade! To have been your classmate for three years, and to have been your class president for three years, is my..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly collapsed under the table with a THUD.

Luo Qing and a few other boys laughed as they helped the class president up from under the table. Then, they all raised their glasses together, completing the ritual of the class’s final reunion.

No one mentioned Chen Nuo. It seemed as if he had already faded from everyone’s memory.

The only minor incident occurred after the reunion ended, at the restaurant’s exit. Classmates were either fetching their bicycles, heading for the bus, or waiting for taxis.

While waiting, another boy from the class, his face flushed, walked up to Sun Keke and handed her a love letter.

"I don’t mean anything by this, but I liked you before. I just didn’t dare to say it and was too embarrassed. Everyone was busy studying, and you... well, you had a boyfriend. Now that I’ve said it, I don’t expect you to accept. But, at least I’ve been true to myself. I don’t want to look back years from now with regret. I don’t want to curse my younger self years later for being too cowardly. Alright, now that I’ve said it today, I can face that bald, overweight version of myself decades from now. When I was young, I was brave enough to express my feelings to the girl I liked. My youth has no regrets!"

After speaking, the boy, whom Sun Keke remembered as always being simple, honest, and reserved, suddenly seemed to exude a surprising heroic spirit, one that commanded respect.

The boy smiled brightly at Sun Keke, then turned and left with a carefree air.

Sun Keke considered it for a moment, then tucked the love letter into her pocket. It wasn’t just a love letter, but someone’s personal rite of passage, a tribute to their youth.

Sun Keke watched as her classmates gradually departed, scattering like stars...

My high school life... those tender, verdant years of youth... all ending tonight, just like this.

What a pity... that one person was missing.

·

[Chen Nuo will be back soon~]

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