The Cat and the Bat (Part 1)

Bruce lay on the hospital bed. Harvey adjusted his upper body slightly higher before pouring him a glass of water.

Bruce said with some distress, "She's so unpredictable, moody, and temperamental. She's really like a cat. I can't figure her out, and now I'm just worried her volatility will hurt others. After all, I have Gotham's best medical resources, but others might not."

"You should be grateful you didn't suffer a ruptured kidney. That dagger was short, only leaving a shallow scratch on your organ. Otherwise, you'd only have one kidney left now."

Harvey put down the kettle and said, "When I was in school, there was a girl I liked, and I was crazy about her. I pursued her passionately. One day, when we went on a date, she deliberately threw a bottle far away just to tease a cleaner."

"At that moment, I thought, how could she do that? She's truly terrible and doesn't deserve my affection. But later, I realized it was my love for her that had molded her into a perfect person in my mind. In reality, she had always been bad-tempered, liked to mock others, and looked down on anyone in the service industry. She never changed herself, but because of my intense love, I had infinite expectations of her."

"I broke up with her, and she thought it was inexplicable. At the time, I didn't realize I must have seemed like a lunatic – first pursuing her madly, confessing my love, and then suddenly breaking up cleanly. To anyone, it would seem like a humiliation, so she was very angry."

"Thinking back, it was normal."

Bruce felt a bit ashamed to speak, but he still said, "That girl's problems are much more serious than your ex-girlfriend's, and she has the potential to physically harm others."

"The problem isn't there. The problem is, when you met and fell in love with her, didn't you know about this flaw?"

Bruce thought, Didn't he know? He knew it all too well. He had even met her while she was in the middle of committing a crime.

He couldn't help but think it was absurd: How could I fall in love with a criminal? And at her crime scene?

After Harvey left, Bruce fell asleep due to exhaustion.

In his dream, the brilliant lights of the jewelry store illuminated the pearl necklace scattered on the floor. Suddenly, all the lights went out, as if everything had returned to that dark alley, with only the pearl necklace shining with a faint luster.

Batman never liked jewelry, especially things that sparkled, much like a real bat.

But his mind was full of the girl holding the shiny gems with a sly smile.

In his daze, the luster of the pearls in his memory suddenly became less detestable. The dream ended, as always, with a flock of shadowy bats streaking across the sky.

The next day, Schiller was quite surprised to see Bruce in his counseling office. He looked Bruce up and down and said, "Your injuries have healed? You can walk already?"

"It still hurts a bit, but it's fine now. My internal organs weren't severely injured and are almost healed."

Schiller said, "Then it seems you won't be wasting my coffee." With that, he poured only a cup for himself. Bruce was speechless and said, "Could I have some water?"

After they sat down, Bruce said, "Harvey doesn't know my real identity, and I think it's best not to tell him yet. But I'm very troubled. The female thief who stabbed me keeps appearing in my dreams."

"I'm even starting to feel resistant to putting on the Batsuit. When I encounter her, I don't even know what I should say to her."

Schiller never dreamed that Batman's first counseling session would be about Bruce's teenage romantic troubles.

As everyone knows, in the comics, Batman and Catwoman are true love. The screenwriters dedicated a vast amount of ink to their love story. Indeed, a dark knight with a deep-seated hatred and a cunning, beautiful criminal—even with the backdrop of the dark Gotham City—would still resonate with a large number of readers.

Schiller said, "It seems Harvey has already counseled you, but it doesn't seem to have helped much?"

"Harvey's right. I knew she was a thief before I fell for her. I even met her when she was stealing from a jewelry store. I don't know how I fell for a criminal; it's too absurd..."

Schiller asked, "What do you think made you become Batman?"

Bruce pondered for a moment and said, "Many things."

"And what do you think made her become a thief?"

Bruce fell silent.

"So, you're here sulking without knowing anything about the woman's past or family."

"Are you sure you really like her? Or do you just want a romantic one-night stand?"

"I haven't even slept with her yet," Bruce said.

"Should I applaud your chastity?" Schiller said, then his gaze fell on Bruce's waist. "You haven't slept with her, and she already stabbed your kidney. I'm starting to worry about your safety now."

"Do you think I should talk to her?" Bruce asked.

Schiller sighed and said, "You like the thief. Are you going to talk to me instead of her? Whoever you like, go talk to them and date them, understand?"

Schiller said somewhat helplessly, "Otherwise, what do you think dating is about? You've been leaping across Gotham's rooftops for days, and you still don't know each other's parents. You haven't slept with her, you're not dating her, and you know nothing about her. If it were me, I'd stab you too."

Bruce paused and said, "Alright, I'll go talk to her."

The next day, Batman caught Catwoman again at an exhibition hall. Although he didn't know Catwoman's past and family, he knew her habits like the back of his hand.

When Catwoman saw him, she cursed under her breath and immediately tried to escape.

But she didn't get away. Batman grabbed her cape again. Catwoman cursed, took a deep breath, and turned around, saying, "Let me go! You weirdo! Don't make me use my claws!"

Batman said, "Let's talk."

"What's there to talk about between us? Don't get in my way!"

Ten minutes later, the two were on the roof of the exhibition hall. Catwoman waved her hands in resignation and said, "Okay, okay, my little boy. What do you want to talk about? Give me a lecture? I practically have your lectures memorized."

"No, I just want to hear your story," Batman said.

Catwoman was a bit surprised. She was silent for a moment, glanced at the pointed ears on Batman's cowl, and said, "Alright, considering your taste in attire."

"...I come from the slums in the east, you know, the biggest and most chaotic one. My mother was an alcoholic, and my father was a drug addict. But I was lucky; I didn't get addicted. I grew up with a madam who was a retired acrobat. She taught me a lot. Of course, she had a bad temper, and I got hit a lot, but at least I learned real skills."

"When she tried to sell me to some smelly middle-aged man, I ran away. I was 12 that year."

"Later, some meddling orphanage insisted I live there. I said fine, I'll go. Then, someone wanted to adopt me, but I offended the administrator there. He wanted to abuse me, so I stole his diamond necklace and ran away again."

"I met the leader of a group of thieves. We all called her Mama Luck. She specialized in training girls like me to steal for her. I practiced acrobatics, so my skills were good, and I was her favorite."

"But good times didn't last. She discovered the diamond necklace I always kept hidden on me. You know, it's very valuable, enough for her to retire. She wanted me to hand it over, but I didn't want to, so I ran away again."

"Later, I met a sister named Maggie. She was very good to me, but her boyfriend always beat her and even wanted to kill her. When he was about to act, I killed that man and became a wanted person. I didn't want to implicate my sister, so I've been drifting ever since. However, sometimes when I earned money, I would send it back."

"That's it, a very ordinary story, not very exciting. I don't think it's as exciting as your life experiences, right? Big hero."

Batman seemed a bit silent. He said, "Not exciting? Not exciting enough?"

Catwoman shook her head. She said, "Oh, I forgot, you're a young master who grew up in the rich district. People like you probably went to school step by step, right?"

"But it wasn't like that where I grew up. There wasn't even one or two students in a whole neighborhood. Actually, my mother loved me very much, but she was a bit controlled by alcohol. She spent much more time with cats than with me."

"My parents didn't have the ability to support my education, and neither did my neighbors. It was already good if one of the parents was sober; at least they wouldn't starve to death. I also heard that both parents were drunk, and their child climbed onto the stove and was scalded to death."

"Of course, the upbringing of people like us is similar. The luckier ones, like me, learn a trade. The best way out is to work for the gangs. If you can become a dealer at a casino, that's a really respectable job. Maggie's boyfriend was a casino enforcer; he was so popular that several hostesses there would cling to him."

"Actually, Mama Luck was also good to me. Sometimes she acted like a real mother. Whenever I stole a lot of jewelry for her, she would praise me and even give me candy. Of course, she would hit or scold children who couldn't steal anything, but in my opinion, they were just young. If they practiced for a few more years, they'd be about the same."

Catwoman spoke intermittently in a light and lively tone, describing this life with considerable interest.

For example, when she was practicing acrobatics, she fell from the eaves for the first time and landed on someone. It turned out that the unlucky drunkard had just managed to get a dozen dollars from someone else, and it fell into Catwoman's hands. She used this money to buy food for the cats her mother raised and even received a kiss from her mother.

Batman remained silent the whole time, listening quietly. Catwoman also stopped speaking and looked at Batman. "Okay, okay, I know this story has disappointed you. I don't have a rich and exciting college life, nor do I understand your career goals. We are completely different people. You rich people probably have no interest in this slum life, right? After all, it sounds dirty and messy."

Batman's voice was a little low as he said, "No, this is the most exciting story I've ever heard."

Catwoman raised her eyebrows. "You have such a sweet tongue. You've flattered me so much that I'm a bit embarrassed. Actually, I'm also very happy because not many people are willing to listen to me talk about these things. Maggie's health isn't good, and she can't go out. When we chat, she prefers to hear about my adventures in the rich district, listening to me describe the dresses and necklaces worn by the rich ladies."

Batman asked, "Do you like jewelry that much?"

"I knew you were going to ask that," Catwoman said, blinking her eyes.

"At first, it was just because I could get better treatment from Mama Luck by exchanging these jewels. I didn't want to be beaten."

"But later, when Mama Luck asked me for that diamond necklace, I realized that what I actually liked was their original luster, not how much they could be sold for. I felt heartbroken thinking that Mama Luck would sell these treasures."

"That charming luster, especially the light shining under the lamps, is the most beautiful thing in this world! My lifelong dream is to have a huge castle filled with all these beautiful gems..." Catwoman's tone became lighter and lighter, as if happy bubbles were about to burst.

Chapter forty! What a great achievement!

Also, the author writes 3k-4k per chapter, so there are fewer chapters. Those with the same word count as me are already in their seventies or eighties, but I feel that short chapters aren't satisfying to read, so I'll keep updating like this. Although it's three updates, it's also ten thousand words a day, so aren't you going to give me some monthly votes or rewards!

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