Chapter 3: Pampering to be happy 3
This plan, which Bai Xiaocong called the "wish plan", took us three hours to develop.
The last class of the day was a self-study class. Before our plan was implemented, I was sitting in the classroom, beside the standing textbook, secretly looking at Tian Moli who was sitting in front of me on the right. She was lying on the table, staring out the window with lifeless eyes.
In the past two days, through the surveillance video provided by Bai Xiaocong, I know that Tian Moli's listlessness at this time comes from her parents. Her parents think that the pet cat that hurt their daughter is not worth getting back, so they refused to help find it. They think that Teodora is just a willful pet, a toy they gave to their daughter to pass the time, and this toy dared to hurt their daughter. It's fine if they don't pursue the trouble, but how could they find it back.
But Tian Moli insisted on getting Teodora back. She had a big fight with her parents: "To you, she is a pet. To me, Teodora is a friend and family member who has been with me longer than you!"
These days, I have been observing her. After she lost her parents' help, she took out all her pocket money and used newspapers, radio, and flyers to look for Teodora.
I stole a glance from my desk at the missing cat notice that Tian Moli had posted. The reward money written on it almost made me, the future heir of the pet clinic who (I thought) was honest and reliable, who would return lost items and treat money as dirt, sell my soul to the devil because of that series of numbers...
"well……"
"well……"
Tian Moli and I sighed at the same time.
“Beep, beep, beep—”
The crisp ringing of a cell phone broke the quiet atmosphere in the classroom. The students who were originally looking down to review their lessons or do their homework, all looked in the direction where the sound came from.
Tian Moli seemed to have just been awakened by a ringing phone. She took out her cell phone from the desk and casually pressed the answer button.
Operation plan...has it started?
I didn't have time to hide my expression and stared straight at Tian Moli's expression.
Her expression changed from nonchalant at first to extremely excited at the end. Finally, she ignored everything and pushed open her desk and ran out of the classroom.
"Hey? What happened to Tian Moli?" a girl asked in a low voice.
What happened suddenly was like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan. Everyone started discussing heatedly about what had just happened.
"Didn't Tian Moli say that people who make noises when walking are the rudest? Look, she actually did something so rude today!" A girl who usually doesn't get along with Tian Moli said sarcastically.
"That's right, I really regret not taking a picture of that scene just now, it's such a pity..." The people around echoed.
“Crash——”
When I heard everyone talking about Tian Moli like this, I knew the inside story but couldn't say it out loud, so I could only push the desk away and stand up.
"Xiaoduo, what's wrong with you?" Xu Xiaonuan blinked and looked at me in confusion.
"Um... Student Tian Moli doesn't look well. I want to go over to check on her..." I clenched my fists, regretting my rash action just now, and hurried to make amends.
"Oh , that's right...then you go..." The class monitor stepped forward at this time, pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and nodded at me, "If classmate Tian Moli is very uncomfortable, you can accompany her home, I will help you ask for leave."
Class monitor, you are such a good person!
Although I really wanted to hug the class monitor's thighs and flatter him hard at this moment, out of concern for Tian Moli, I finally just nodded and ran out of the classroom quickly.
There was no trace of Tian Moli in the corridor any longer. I looked around and ran towards the stairs.
"Xiao Xiaoduo...classmate?" Just as I was about to rush out of the teaching building, a voice called me.
I turned around and saw Master Lu Zhan, holding textbooks in both hands, walking towards me from the corridor on my right.
"It's still class time, where are you going?" Lu Zhan tilted his head slightly, his brows full of confusion.
"A classmate of our class is not feeling well, I...the class monitor asked me to come and check on him..." There was no way for me to tell Master Lu Zhan where I would be going next, so I could only make up an acceptable excuse.
"Need my help?" he said.
"No, it's not a big deal!" I immediately refused.
What a joke! How can I let other people know about this?
Without waiting for Master Lu Zhan to react, I waved at him before he could speak, and then rushed to the place where Bai Xiaocong and I had agreed to meet.
The agreed place was a small road behind the school where there were few people.
According to our prior plan, Bai Xiaocong used a voice changer to call Tian Moli and asked her to go to the back door of the school. Then Bai Xiaocong carried the pretending to be sick Teodora and returned him to Tian Moli.
I followed Tian Moli quietly, lowering my footsteps. Tian Moli, who was preoccupied with her own thoughts, did not notice my presence. She quickly walked to the agreed location - waiting under a tree, looking anxiously towards the back door.
"Classmate Tian Moli..." I opened my mouth, but before I could finish my sentence, Bai Xiaocong came out from behind the tree holding a large cardboard box.
Today, Bai Xiaocong was not wearing the weird cartoon pajamas like before, but an extremely simple outfit of white shirt and black pants, with a third grade badge of the neighboring school pinned on his collar.
The bangs that covered his eyebrows before were now combed to one side, revealing his smooth forehead. After taking off his black-framed glasses with thick lenses, his eyes, as bright as stars, reflected the gentle afternoon sunlight. Because he had been staying at home for a long time, his skin was so white that it was almost transparent. At this moment, it was slightly pink due to exercise, like a juicy peach. The crystal sweat condensed into tiny drops of water on the tip of his high nose.
It was obvious that he didn't seem to like this kind of formal clothes, because the collar that should have been buttoned was now undone. Even the collar that should have been stiff became a little wrinkled for unknown reason, and stuck weakly to both sides of his swan-like slender neck.
"Awoo——" A warm, furry thing at my feet made a slight sound, bringing me back to my senses.
I lowered my head and saw Abaibai standing at my feet. It rolled its eyes at me a little bit, as if it understood everything.
Understand...understand what...
Although I didn't know what Abaibai's expression meant, my face started to feel hot for some unknown reason.
"Yesterday I saw a kitten thrown on the roadside. When I went over to check, I found out that it was hit by a car. Although it was rescued by a doctor, it is said that its condition is very critical... I saw the missing cat notice you posted, and I thought they are a bit similar. Do you think they are?" Bai Xiaocong said as she handed over the cardboard box in her arms.
Tian Moli took the box, took a look inside, and burst into tears sadly.
"Tian Moli, are you okay? The class monitor asked me to come and check on you."
As I spoke, I took a step forward and saw Teodora lying in the cardboard box, dying. His originally shiny white fur had lost its luster due to some tricks used by Bai Xiaocong. There were also some lumps of dirt and dust on his long fur, making him look dirty. His emerald eyes were tightly closed, and he was snoring sadly, as if even breathing had become extremely difficult.
Pretend...as if...
I looked at Teodora with mixed feelings, then looked at Bai Xiaocong who seemed to be in a trance. Abaibai was sitting on the ground with a look on his face that said, "This is my idea, my contribution, praise me now."
"Owner……"
With a "meow", a childish voice came from Teodora.
"Did you...did you hear any sound?" Tian Moli raised her tear-stained face and looked at me.
I blinked and shook my head.
"Master... because the Cat God said that I can go to heaven, so he gave me a chance to say goodbye to you..." Teodora said in a baby voice.
"Theodora? Are you Theodora?" Tian Moli hugged the cardboard box tightly in her arms and shouted sadly.
"Master... Teodora is not a bad cat. Teodora... doesn't want to hurt the master, meow..."
"I know, I never blamed you, wuwuwu——"
"But Teodora still hurt the master, so she was separated from him. It was probably the punishment from the cat god... Actually, Teodora wanted to tell the master that I have always loved you. We have been together since I was a kitten. Teodora feels super happy to have you as her master..."
"Wow, Theodora, I also feel very happy to have you by my side, so please don't leave..." Tian Moli cried and stroked Theodora's head.
"No, Lord Cat God is waiting for Teodora. The only regret Teodora feels is that he can't be with his master. What if the master is lonely without Teodora?" Teodora struggled, and crystal tears flowed from his green eyes. "If, if the master has another pet in the future, please spend more time with it. It doesn't need precious jewelry, gorgeous clothes or expensive perfume. As long as the master talks to it and stays with it, it will be fine, meow..."
"No - I don't want any other pets, I only want Teodora - I will spend more time with you in the future. If you don't like perfume, we won't use it; if you don't like jewelry, we won't wear it. Teodora, don't leave me -" As Teodora's voice gradually weakened, Tian Moli's voice was almost hoarse from crying.
"I'm sorry... If... there is a next life... I... still want to be your cat... and stay with you..."
Teodora spoke the last sentence intermittently, looked at Tian Moli deeply, and then closed his eyes.
"Wuuuuu - Theodora, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me, wuuuuu -" Tian Moli, who always wiped her seat with a white handkerchief before sitting down, did not dislike Theodora's dirtiness at all this time. Instead, she stretched out her hands and wanted to hug Theodora.
No! If Tian Moli picks him up, our plan will be exposed——
Because our plan was to install a sound-generating device under the box containing Teodora, with a sound recorded in advance, which Bai Xiaocong would play out at the right time. The purpose was to let Tian Moli understand Teodora's troubles. In order to make the situation look more real, Bai Xiaocong and I had to pretend that we didn't hear anything in order to paralyze Tian Moli's attention.
"Woof, Xiaoduo, I seem to hear someone coming this way. If we continue like this, we'll be exposed--" A Baibai shook his ears to remind me.
"Tian Moli..." In a hurry, I patted Tian Moli's shoulder, "Theodora looks very bad. You know my family runs a pet clinic, so, no matter what, let's go get another checkup, okay?"
"Teodora - can you come back to me?" Tian Moli looked at me slowly, with tears in her eyes.
"It's not too late to go there now. If he stops breathing, there will be no hope..." I took a quick look and saw that Teodora, who was breathing very evenly, secretly opened one eye and blinked at me.
"Please save Teodora, I can give you all my pocket money--" Tian Moli held the cardboard box and stood up with difficulty.
"This - don't worry about it for now -" I said.
Although I am super excited, okay...
Bai Xiaocong and I looked at each other, and I saw the joy of completing the task in his eyes.
