DA chapter 31

 

The cat pressed its front paws against the cabin wall and braced its hind legs on the floor. It spread its paws outward, level with its shoulders, and bent slightly into an awkward horse stance.

Whenever the cat tried to slack off and press its belly against the wall, a cold snort came from behind. As if facing a great enemy, the cat immediately straightened again, terrified of angering Lin Jia once more, because the next consequence might be more than just physical punishment—it might cost the cat its life.

Lin Jia sat on the sofa, his gaze heavy as he watched the cat’s back. His fingers constantly rubbed against each other.

He had not personally witnessed the confrontation between the cat and Deputy Chen. The cat had relayed everything that had happened between them, but Lin Jia could not know whether anything had been omitted or altered.

He could not determine if the cat had revealed any flaws, nor how Deputy Chen viewed the cat. The only certainty was that Deputy Chen knew the cat and Lin Jia were on the same side.

If the cat had already been seen through, or if it were caught later, with the cat’s brain, it absolutely would not keep its mouth shut. It would surely spill everything like beans pouring out with a clatter.

And Lin Jia, being on the same side as the cat, could no longer remain uninvolved. Of course, Lin Jia could not strangle the cat now—that would draw even more attention from Deputy Chen.

Heh.

A businessman who calculated everything carefully had tripped up over a single cat and was forced to stand on the same side as it—an utter humiliation.

The cat had no idea what Lin Jia was thinking. It twisted its head and panted, pleading, “Lin Jia…”

It really couldn’t hold on anymore.

But when it caught sight of Lin Jia’s firm, heartless profile, the cat straightened its head again.

Its legs trembled as if they would turn into propellers and lift it into the air at any moment.

At that moment, there was a soft knock on the door, and Xiao Yao’s voice came through: “Brother Jia.”

Lin Jia opened the door.

Xiao Yao had come with a lot to say, but when he saw the cat in horse stance, he froze. “What’s going on? Am I seeing things? Why does Toast look like it’s doing a horse stance?”

Lin Jia replied blandly, “Physical training.”

Xiao Yao found it amusing. “Do cats need physical training too?”

Lin Jia: “Mm.”

He prayed that if the stupid cat ran into danger again, instead of freezing enemies with bizarre cat cries, it would at least be nimble enough to run. If it could do that, he might feel slightly more at ease.

Not wanting to dwell on the foolish cat, Lin Jia asked Xiao Yao, “Did that couple appear?”

Xiao Yao shook his head. “Not yet.”

Yesterday, after the questions about the Fishman, the director appeared quickly before everyone’s eyes. But today, the couple still had not appeared.

Because they had not appeared, everyone waiting for them remained with their hearts hanging in suspense.

Xiao Yao came to find Lin Jia to see if he had any thoughts. Waiting like this always made people uneasy, especially when the Fishman was mutating at a visible rate.

Each passing second was part of their lives being spent.

However, after Yan Xu had just mocked Xiao Yao for being brainless, he could not bring himself to ask. He hesitated for a long time, waiting for Lin Jia to speak first. But he only received a disdainful glare in return.

That one glance gave Xiao Yao the same guilty fear as being caught slacking off by a superior at work.

Lin Jia raised his hand and glanced at his watch. “Watch the cat. Make it hold for another half hour.”

The cat nearly fainted at those words.

Xiao Yao blinked. “Ah…okay.”

Lin Jia walked toward the door. Only then did Xiao Yao react. “Brother Jia?”

Lin Jia answered, “I’m going to look for something.”

Xiao Yao did not ask further, only nodded. “Be careful.”

Before leaving, Lin Jia turned back to look at the cat. The cat hurriedly held its posture properly, not daring to slack off. Only then did Lin Jia leave.

He did not linger in the corridor but headed straight for the archive room.

The reason he had entered D2481 Fish Belly was mainly to make up for the financial deficit and help the cat merge. Now that the cat had identified the wrong person, the situation needed to be resolved quickly.

Earlier, when he and Yan Xu went to the rooftop, Lin Jia guessed the password, “2003,” because, compared to other number combinations, this string seemed more meaningful. At least, Lin Jia could sense the significance of “2003”: a year.

He was now going to the archive room to look for records related to 2003.

Since everyone was waiting for the couple to appear, the archive room was not as crowded as before. Lin Jia was able to leisurely search for what he wanted.

The archive room had already been rummaged through, and documents were scattered everywhere.

Lin Jia remembered that the archive room contained Welfare Institute personnel files. There were too many of them, however, and in the early stages of Fish Belly, they lacked the direction needed to sort them out.

He went directly to where the personnel records were stored and picked up a thick stack.

This time, he had clues: the little girl, 2003, 2010.

But even with those details, he still found a pile of files that matched. Looking at the stack in his hand, Lin Jia remained calm. He had never imagined that finding the little girl’s file would be that simple.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

Xiao Yao stood there, holding the cat whose limbs were trembling wildly, and called softly, “Brother Jia.”

Lin Jia understood that the couple had finally appeared. He folded the documents in his hand.

Xiao Yao happened to be wearing a hoodie. Lin Jia walked over, hooked a finger into the hood, and stuffed the files inside.

Xiao Yao did not dare to make a sound.

Lin Jia asked, “Where are they?”

Xiao Yao answered, “Probably in the reception room.”

Lin Jia looked at him. “Probably?”

Xiao Yao nodded. “The director came again and told us to gather in the reception room.”

No one dared to disobey the director, so Xiao Yao immediately came to find Lin Jia. The cat also took the opportunity to escape punishment.

By the time Lin Jia and Xiao Yao reached the reception room, everyone else was already there, standing neatly in a row.

Just before entering, Lin Jia lifted the cat out of Xiao Yao’s arms and set it down outside.

The cat had already done something stupid once and did not dare do it again. Wobbling its plump body, it sneaked away.

Hearing the faint movement outside, the director looked over and said unhappily, “Where did you two run off to? Why are you only arriving now?”

Lin Jia did not explain, only said, “Sorry.”

The director had a very good impression of Lin Jia and, since he apologized promptly, her expression softened. Even Xiao Yao escaped punishment.

The director said, “Quickly, go stand there. Don’t keep them waiting too long.”

Xiao Yao hurriedly replied, “Okay, okay, okay.”

While he spoke, Lin Jia had already stepped forward and joined the orderly crowd.

Beside him, Yan Xu turned his gaze slightly, first looking at Lin Jia, then at Xiao Yao, who stood half a step behind Lin Jia.

Lin Jia’s expression did not change, though he inwardly clicked his tongue in annoyance. Since they arrived late, they had no choice but to stand beside Yan Xu. Xiao Yao was equally unaware.

Annoyance aside, Lin Jia’s attention remained mostly on the couple.

Inside the reception room, the couple from the photo appeared. They sat on the sofa facing the group and smiled at them.

Though the husband and wife appeared proper, carrying an air of simple honesty, they were still NPCs manifested by the Fishman. Everyone remained extremely tense, especially because they were lined up like this, making the director’s intention obvious: they were like goods placed on a shelf for selection.

The director cheerfully announced, “This is Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang. This time, they will take one treasure away from our Yile Welfare Institute.”

No one spoke. After all, they weren’t orphans of the Yile Welfare Institute, and they didn’t look forward to having a new father or mother. Who knew what fate awaited anyone taken away?

Seeing that these “children” stood there silently, the director became irritated. However, with the couple still present, she could not explode on the spot. Instead, she awkwardly found an excuse: “Sorry, these children are all rather shy around strangers.”

The couple was very understanding. “It’s alright, it’s alright.”

Even though they didn’t mind the children’s shyness, the director said unhappily, “Don’t just stand there foolishly. Haven’t you learned any songs? Quickly sing one for Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang.”

Seeing the director’s expression darken, no one dared to leave her hanging. Yet, no one dared to step out first, either. They all looked at Yan Xu.

Lin Jia had only made it through before by lip-syncing, so naturally, he didn’t want to sing first. Capitalists were hypocritical. Others would openly express their desire for someone else to set an example, but Lin Jia would not. He remained completely calm, not even glancing at Yan Xu.

Although he gave Yan Xu no visible attention, he knew Yan Xu would not resist. From the moment they entered Fish Belly, Yan Xu had done everything to test the danger on behalf of Deputy Chen.

Earlier, Lin Jia had thought that if the cat were truly Deputy Chen, then having such a loyal subordinate as Yan Xu would be extraordinary luck. For a boss, beyond money, what one desired most was talent.

Just as Lin Jia expected, Yan Xu showed no resistance. He opened his mouth to sing, but the director said, “Together.”

She even picked a song.

Perhaps by the same logic that shared responsibility lessens blame, everyone visibly relaxed.

The song the director chose was easy—just a familiar nursery rhyme. Someone began the first line, and soon everyone joined in.

Eleven adults in the Welfare Institute reception room faced adoptive parents and sang a children’s song in chorus.

The scene was indescribably strange.

When the song ended, everyone’s faces showed awkwardness. Before they could recover, the couple spoke up.

“That was very good.” They applauded and offered praise, then lifted a hand and pointed at one of them. “Would this friend be willing to stay and chat with us?”

The director hadn’t seen who they were pointing at yet and immediately answered, “Of course.”

Only afterward did she look in the indicated direction, a trace of regret appearing on her face.

Though one might say all children are equally dear, a bowl of water could never truly be level. Privately, the director would have preferred Lin Jia to be chosen. She liked this calm, clever, obedient child.

The person chosen was an elderly man who was one of Zhang Tudou’s team members. His face instantly turned pale, and he took a step back to avoid the pointing finger.

But Zhang Tudou grabbed him and threatened him coldly, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

The man opened his mouth to argue.

Zhang Tudou continued, “Being chosen doesn’t necessarily mean death. But have you forgotten how the first two died?

They were killed by the director.

Now, the director was staring directly at him.

The man immediately lost his voice.

The director placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, as if flipping a switch. She answered for him: “Of course he’s willing. Why wouldn’t he be?”

 

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