Chapter 113: Becoming a Spirit
Wang Jia’an and Gu Haiyan studied the consent form very carefully, analyzing every word and even consulting a lawyer friend.
Once they confirmed there were no hidden issues, they signed it promptly: “If you do end up on the show, make sure to tell us which one it is. Then we can see if we can catch you on TV.”
Hearing this, Gu Qinghuan felt a bit embarrassed: “No need!”
Gu Haiyan then called Gu Min: “Mom, I have to tell you, Qinghuan’s school is filming a program…”
Gu Qinghuan covered her ears and ran—if she couldn’t stop her, she might as well pretend she didn’t hear!
Over the next month, the atmosphere at Mingde School grew quite lively.
Whenever a strange vehicle entered the school or equipment was being set up on campus, everyone knew the filming crew’s arrival was drawing nearer.
All the students of Class 3 successfully obtained signed consent forms from their parents. When Chen Zelin submitted them, the Academic Director Zhang Xuehai couldn’t resist teasing: “Class 3 students really are lively.”
Chen Zelin could only play dumb: “Yes, yes, it saves me the trouble of monitoring the editing too.”
In contrast, in Class 10, out of 20 students, 11 refused to participate in filming and applied to attend online classes instead, meaning they wouldn’t come to school.
Shen Mingzhe had recently become unusually silent. He rarely spoke in the office, and even went to the cafeteria alone.
However, most of the time, he was focused on textbooks, lesson plans, or revising courseware. He was working much more diligently than before, which made everyone feel a bit reflective.
After all, Shen Mingzhe had once been recognized as an Outstanding Teacher in the province. This setback seemed to have brought him back to his original intentions. Everyone hoped he could maintain a positive attitude and dedicate his energy to education.
Gu Qinghuan was once again dragged to the office by Bai Hanshan.
“I have a question,” Bai Hanshan said with a complicated expression, “did you bring that long-haired calico cat into the office?”
“What?” Gu Qinghuan didn’t understand. “When feeding it cat treats, I could try holding it. I think eventually I could get it into a carrier.”
Bai Hanshan held his forehead: “According to student council members, the cat seems to have permanently settled in your office.”
Gu Qinghuan: “…Huh?”
She wasn’t in the office all the time. Plus, she always left the window slightly open for the cat. She thought it was just there when she happened to visit.
“Though it could be because the weather is getting colder and the cat wants a warmer spot, since it’s now settled in your office, it should be easier to catch, right?” Bai Hanshan said.
“Then I’ll try tomorrow at noon,” Gu Qinghuan decided immediately.
By noon, Gu Qinghuan enlisted Song Yi and Zhan Chuchen—both tall with long limbs, perfect for easily catching a cat.
Qin Yue also wanted to help, and Gu Qinghuan figured an extra pair of hands would be useful.
Zhan Chuchen was extremely excited. Although she liked cats, cats didn’t like her; growing up, they always ran from her.
Her family had considered getting her a cat from a proper cattery—bred cats are usually gentle and wouldn’t fear her.
But Zhan Chuchen preferred Chinese rural cats, thinking local cats looked cooler. Plus, adopting rescued stray cats appealed to her. She had been struggling to find a stray cat willing to approach her.
Before even entering the office, Gu Qinghuan heard a cat screaming. She tried to distinguish the sound, confused: “That doesn’t sound like the calico…”
She opened the door and saw the calico cat lazily lying on a scratching board. Next to it was a yellow-black tabby cat—the one making all the noise.
After Gu Qinghuan’s dog bed had been occupied by the calico, she had ordered the scratching board overnight to give the calico a proper spot.
Luckily, the calico loved the 100cm-long pillow-shaped scratching board and no longer lay on Gu Qinghuan’s dog bed.
Seeing Gu Qinghuan, the calico flicked its tail, meowed, stretched, and graciously rubbed against her leg.
Zhan Chuchen, standing nearby, was almost in tears from envy.
The tabby cat ran over too, trying to sniff the calico’s rear, only to get a hard swat and retreat a few steps.
Gu Qinghuan observed: “Oh, it wants to mate with you.”
The calico didn’t understand human speech and was just hissing fiercely at the tabby.
Gu Qinghuan signaled Qin Yue and Song Yi. Following their plan, one closed the windows and the other the door, instantly turning the office into a sealed room.
The carrier had already been placed in the office to familiarize the calico with it. Qin Yue carefully moved it over and opened the door.
They all quietly put on thick gloves. Fortunately, with winter clothing, even if the cat resisted, it wouldn’t scratch them.
Gu Qinghuan took two dark cloth bags from the cabinet: “I’ll catch the calico, while Song Yi and Zhan Chuchen block it with these bags…”
Before she finished speaking, Qin Yue poked her arm, indicating she should look at the carrier.
Gu Qinghuan turned and saw the calico pushing the tabby into the carrier and trying to close the door.
Qin Yue: “This cat really isn’t possessed, right?”
Gu Qinghuan quickly grabbed the spring latch, smoothly preventing the door from closing.
The four stared at the tabby inside the carrier, while the calico contentedly returned to the scratching board.
“Now what do we do?” Song Yi scratched his head.
“One is neutered, two is neutered!” Gu Qinghuan clenched her fists. “Since we’ve caught it, we’ll take care of it first!”
“I think it can’t be neutered yet?” Zhan Chuchen asked.
“Right, it has to wait a week. For now, we’ll keep it at the hospital. We can’t release it; it might be hard to catch next time,” Gu Qinghuan nodded.
Zhan Chuchen’s eyes lit up: “Can I take care of this?”
“You sure?” Gu Qinghuan asked. “It might be noisy. Male cats also spray.”
“I know,” Zhan Chuchen nodded. “I’ll just spend more time at the vet with it. Maybe it’ll warm up to me and want to stay close.”
“You want to adopt this tabby?” Gu Qinghuan looked at the tabby sitting still inside the carrier. “This is a flying tabby, you know?”
“No problem. It depends on whether it wants to bond with me. If not, we can neuter it and release it,” Zhan Chuchen said.
“Weren’t you originally interested in the calico?” Gu Qinghuan pointed at the calico comfortably sprawled on the scratching board.
Zhan Chuchen hesitated, then admitted: “I think this tabby is a bit dumber; it might be easier to handle.”
The three glanced at the tabby in the carrier. The tabby stared back through the gaps with wide, pure, confused eyes.
Since being confined, it neither cried nor struggled, seeming rather… dumb.
