78: go home

Chen Fang pressed the doorbell, and a few seconds later, the door opened.

Two figures, both familiar and strange, appeared in the doorway. His father reached out for his suitcase, "Son, come in quickly."

Chen Fang was holding the suitcase handle, about to say something, when he suddenly noticed, what in the world was his father's haircut?

He used to have short, choppy hair, about five or six centimeters long, fluffy and lazy, giving him a poetic aura.

But now, it had turned into an extremely short buzz cut, as if he had just been released from the police station.

Chen Fang scrutinized his head and blurted out, "Dad, your hair... that's quite a thorough shave."

His father, Chen Heng, snorted and touched his own head, "Old Liu, the barber downstairs, had a shaky hand and cut too much, so I had to shave it all off. I'm really fed up, I might as well have cut it myself."

His mother, Qi Shuya, took the suitcase from his hand, "Come on, come on, hurry in."

Chen Fang closed the door and changed his shoes. As soon as he walked into the living room, he noticed a cage in the corner, with a cat of complex appearance inside, blinking its big eyes and looking at him.

It had Siamese fur, with a creamy white body and a face and ears that looked smoked black. But its face was much larger than a Siamese's, like a ball. (Account level is not enough to insert illustrations ╥﹏╥, reference image is in the 'Author's Notes' at the end of this chapter.)

Chen Fang asked while changing his shoes, "What is that? A Siamese or a British Shorthair?"

Chen Heng turned sideways and smiled, "A British Shorthair, a colorpoint British Shorthair. Isn't it cute? I told you in the group last time that your mom saw how cute the kittens at school were and wanted to get one, so we got this one. We brought it over today for you to see."

Chen Heng scratched his pants leg.

In reality... they heard that kittens were good for improving mood, which is why they thought of getting a cat.

But getting him a cat without asking might add to his psychological burden, so they said it was for them. If their son liked it, they would leave it; if not, they would take it back and raise it themselves.

They originally wanted to abduct a stray cat, but after searching around, the five or six they encountered were either 'tattooed big brothers' or 'black-clad bosses'. When those street cats walked past the flower beds, even the pet dogs on walks didn't have the courage to make eye contact with them.

They estimated that they wouldn't be able to abduct a kitten anytime soon, so they turned their attention to pet cats.

This little black-faced cat was a male kitten they had chosen after visiting many pet stores. Its personality was excellent, and it was naturally friendly with people.

Chen Fang changed into slippers and walked towards the cage.

Chen Heng looked at the kitten.

Little Black Face, you have to stay calm, don't be fierce to him!

As Chen Heng worried, he saw the kitten stand up from its lazy lying position, grab the cage's wire mesh with its two front paws, stick its small head out with all its might, its nose twitching slightly, sniffing Chen Fang's scent, and letting out a soft, sweet "meow." It then vigorously rubbed its head against the cage.

The kitten seemed to see that Chen Fang wasn't reacting, and anxiously started circling inside the cage. After one circle, it returned to the edge of the cage, rubbing its head against the wire mesh, emitting a purring sound from its throat, like a motor running. It also extended its paw, trying to reach Chen Fang through the gaps in the cage.

Chen Fang opened the cage door and extended his hand. The kitten immediately pressed its head against his palm, rubbing and squinting its eyes, looking completely content.

A soft, furry, warm sensation came from his palm. Chen Fang took a light breath.

Ah! So cute! This must be the correct use of animal affinity, right?

Snakes, insects, rats, and ants, get out of here. This is the only existence worthy of being close to him!

Behind Chen Fang, Chen Heng looked at this scene, his mouth slightly agape.

This cat wasn't this clingy before, was it? Could it be very clever? Knowing who has the biggest room and trying its best to curry favor?

Chen Fang turned around and asked, "What's its name?"

"Bai Ze," his mother said with a smile, "Or, do you have a name you'd like to change it to?"

They originally didn't want to name it, but not naming it would make the intention of giving him a cat too obvious. To avoid adding to his psychological burden, they gave it a name.

"Bai Ze?" Chen Fang looked at the kitten in surprise, "Bai Ze from mythology?"

"Yes, Bai Ze is its full name, but call it Xiao Bai." His mother pushed his suitcase to the corner.

Chen Fang held the kitten up with both hands.

Bai Ze is a propitious beast in ancient mythology, said to dispel all evil in the human world.

Some texts describe it as having a tiger's head, red hair, long horns, and a dragon's body. Other texts describe it as having a dragon's head, green hair, long horns, and four legs in a flying or walking posture.

They're quite similar, both have four legs.

Chen Fang asked, "Has it been dewormed?"

His mother walked over, "Yes, and it's had its vaccinations too."

"Then come out and play." Chen Fang placed Xiao Bai on the ground. Just as he was about to stand up, he felt his pants being tugged down. He looked down and saw Comrade Xiao Bai grabbing his pants and trying to climb up.

Qi Shuya exclaimed, "Why does he like you so much?"

"Maybe because I ate shrimp on the plane?" Chen Fang picked him up with one hand and put him back on the ground, but the little creature climbed up again.

Helpless, Chen Fang had no choice but to temporarily place it on his shoulder. It felt a bit like the owl in 'Harry Potter'.

"Xiao Fang, if you like it, we'll let you keep it. Do you want it?" His mother tugged at the backpack on his back, gesturing for him to put it down.

Chen Fang took off his backpack, "I might travel frequently for work."

His father leaned against the sofa and said, "If you want to keep it, I'll come over and feed it for you."

Chen Fang tilted his head and looked at the kitten.

Xiao Bai was indeed very cute. Living alone was quite boring, so keeping it would be good.

"If you two can bear to part with it, then I'll keep it."

"Keep it, keep it." His mother's face broke into a smile. "Come on, I'll help you unpack your luggage."

Chen Fang hesitated a little. He didn't recall his mother ever helping him unpack before. Perhaps he had worried her too much recently? She couldn't help with much, but they could talk.

Chen Fang nodded in agreement, "Okay."

His mother was clearly even happier. She pushed the suitcase towards his bedroom. "Old Chen, check the pot."

"Alright, alright."

Chen Fang carried his suitcase to the study on the second floor, opened it, and took out his tablet, laptop, documents, and the copy of 'thirty years' that Zhao Jin had given him.

"Eh? 'thirty years'?" His mother picked up the unopened novel with the blue cover, leaned against the desk, and asked curiously, "Why did you bring this book to Xingcheng?"

"A friend gave it to me."

His mother nodded, "This year's Wenxing Cup is coming up soon."

His father seemed to have checked the pot and followed them into the study, "Wenxing Cup? Then Old Hu will have research material again. It's really comfortable for him, doing contemporary literature. Thematerial is endless."

"Don't mention him, just hearing about him annoys me." His mother's tone carried a hint of irritation as she placed the book on the table.

"Uncle Hu? What's wrong?" Chen Fang asked casually, closing his suitcase and pulling it towards the walk-in closet next door.

"Nothing, he and I have had some conflicting views recently." Qi Shuya smiled and followed Chen Fang out of the study.

In reality, it was more than just conflicting views; it was an undercurrent of tension!

They had worked at the school for over thirty years. Many colleagues knew Chen Fang.

After Chen Fang became famous, they told their colleagues not to spread the word. The colleagues weren't interested in the entertainment industry anyway, and they were more worried that if their identities were exposed and they resigned, the work would temporarily fall on others. So the colleagues followed their instructions and didn't spread the word; the students didn't know that they were Chen Fang's parents.

They also worked diligently and didn't show off their wealth; everything seemed the same as before.

But the change in family circumstances would more or less affect a person's mindset, and Hu Bin was one of them.

He usually enjoyed writing a few small poems and already had an arrogant self-important air, looking down on the entertainment industry.

But it just so happened that among his students, there were fans of Chen Fang, and he became a bit displeased. Once, in the classroom, he criticized a student, saying they shouldn't like celebrity idols like Chen Fang. It just so happened that she walked by and overheard it, and the relationship between them became awkward.

Hu Bin wasn't a bad person; he just looked down on the entertainment industry. After his son's scandal, he didn't say much either.

One could only say that their views were incompatible, and their relationship was simply awkward.