Song Shi'an squatted down beside him, took out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Lin Fan: "Isn't it cute?"
Lin Fan replied instantly, "So cute! Bro, did you go to a cat cafe?"
Song Shi'an replied with a smug emoji. While the two cats were eating, he studied the location of the pet store and the service menu.
Besides basic grooming, this pet shop also offers cat spas and fur care services; the selection is quite comprehensive.
He put away the food bowls, placed the two cats in their carriers, and hailed a taxi straight to the pet store.
When I arrived, I found that there was still some time before my appointment, and there were still cats getting groomed ahead of me.
He found a sofa in a corner and sat down, placing the two airline cases at his feet.
A girl next to him was staring intently at her phone, the screen's light reflecting on her face, her expression full of excitement. The volume on the speaker wasn't loud, but Song Shi'an's sharp ears couldn't help it.
"Your Honor, I urge the panel to re-examine all the facts of this case, not just those three minutes that occurred."
Why does that voice sound so familiar? Song Shi'an glanced over there and saw his own face on the screen.
Wearing a lawyer's robe, standing on the courtroom bench, he looked ahead with neither arrogance nor servility.
I glanced at the time; it was past 2 PM. " The Invisible Bystander " had been updated for over two hours.
Today's two episodes feature Su Wenli defending a bullied teenager in court.
While grooming the cat, the caregiver chatted with the girl. "This drama is quite popular. I caught up with it yesterday. The lawyer Su's acting is so convincing. I've watched the first few episodes several times."
The girl nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, two more episodes just aired. When he defended the bullied child, what he said almost made me cry. And what the plaintiff did before was just too inhuman. Attorney Su is so brave to withstand so much online criticism to defend the defendant."
The nurse kept working. "Yes, yes, after he saw all those negative comments online, he still continued to help the child. I almost cried in the store when the verdict was overturned, but I held it back in front of the customers."
The girl sighed, "I hope he can seek justice for more people in the future, and not play the same kind of role as before. I really can't bear to see him die again."
The caregiver picked up the cat. " Glutinous Rice's done, just put it in the drying box for a bit and it'll be done."
The girl said, "Okay, thank you."
The cat was taken to the dryer, and the caregiver turned around.
Song Shi'an stood up, carrying two airline-issue cases. "Hello, which one should I take care of first?"
The nurse and the girl looked up at the same time. Why did that voice sound so familiar? They looked at the fully armed boy in front of them, his face completely covered by a mask and hat.
Song Shi'an squatted down, opened the carrier, took one out, and ruffled its fluffy head a couple of times. "Be a good boy, I'll take you home after you're washed."
The nurse took it and exclaimed, "It's Bring Wealth! Wait, why has it been changed?"
Song Shi'an said, "The family had something to do, so I came to help bring them over for care."
The nurse scratched her head. "That's a bit tricky. Bring Wealth and As You Wish don't like being brushed. They run away as soon as the comb touches them. Last time, even the two of us couldn't catch them."
Song Shi'an looked down at As You Wish, who was squatting in the carrier licking its paws.
This guy was just rubbing his belly against him in his living room. "Both cats are very well-behaved, it shouldn't be like that, right?"
The nurse decided to prove it with her actions. She took a comb out of her toolbox, and before she even got close to Bring Wealth, Bring Wealth had already bristled, its back arching like a small bridge.
The fur would be fine as soon as the comb was removed, but it would become frizzy again when brought closer, repeating this three times.
The nurse shrugged. "See, that's it."
Song Shi'an, not believing in superstition, took the comb and tentatively approached the back of the Bring Wealth.
Bring Wealth turned its head and sniffed the comb, then its hand, before squatting down properly, its tail curling up to cover its paws. The nurse fell silent.
While combing its fur, Song Shi'an asked, "It's been cooperating quite well, what's wrong?" Looking up at the nurse's expression, he replied, "Isn't it fine?"
The nurse hesitated for a while before saying, "It seems Bring Wealth is quite familiar with you; it only lets people it knows touch it. Last time its owner brought it in, it took forty minutes just to brush its fur."
Song Shi'an glanced at the obediently squatting Bring Wealth and suddenly had a bad feeling. "So they don't resist taking a bath, do they?"
The groomer shook her head. "He doesn't resist bathing, he just won't let us brush his fur. His owner used to brush him at home before bringing him over for a bath."
Song Shi'an understood. He took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. "Then I'll groom their stray hairs." Goodness, he paid for a grooming service but still had to do it himself. Shouldn't the labor cost be reduced?
He picked up the comb, pressed one hand on the Bring Wealth, and used the other hand to comb down its back, moving slowly and deliberately, stopping when he encountered knots to gently untangle them.
Bring Wealth squinted its eyes in comfort, making gurgling sounds in its throat.
As You Wish, growing impatient, jumped out of the carrier and nudged Song Shi'an's leg with her head.
Song Shi'an didn't even turn his head, continuing to comb the Bring Wealth with one hand while reaching down with the other to scratch As You Wish's chin, "Wait a minute, don't rush."
The girl waiting to dry her clothes glanced back and forth between her phone screen and Song Shi'an several times.
The scene unfolded precisely as Su Wenli finished his trial and walked out of the courthouse, where reporters swarmed around him, their flashes turning the screen white.
He said expressionlessly, "Everything is subject to the judgment," and got into the car.
The camera gave him a close-up of his profile; his gold-rimmed glasses reflected the light from the car window, and his expression was calm and restrained.
Then the scene shifts, and the righteous lawyer in court stands at the door of Jiang Shuyue's house, pushes open the door, and tilts his head to look at her huddled in the corner of the bed.
" Shuyue, I came to see you tonight. Are you happy?"
The end credits song suddenly started playing.
The girl almost smashed her phone; she was just looking at the most crucial part when it was gone!
She took a deep breath and told herself that getting angry was useless. She glanced at the Glutinous Rice in the drying box, which was still half-dry.
Bored, he glanced around, his gaze eventually settling on the countertop.
A boy wearing a mask and hat was gently talking to a cat while brushing its fur with a comb.
The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. As if possessed, she raised her phone, pretending to take a selfie, and subtly tilted the camera in that direction.
Unaware of her presence, she grew bolder and filmed a seven- or eight-second video right up close to the camera.
I posted it on Xiaohongshu with the caption: Today, while grooming Glutinous Rice, I encountered a very gentle cat. Upon closer inspection, it looks a lot like Su Wenli!
Someone replied to the comments section very quickly.
"Huh? Why wasn't there an update on Glutinous Rice today?"
"You know what, I just finished watching the latest two episodes, and they're really captivating. The guy in your video is so different from Su Wenli; one's a young, handsome guy, the other's a social elite."
"Blogger, are you obsessed with this drama? Everyone looks like Su Wenli to you. But this guy's hands are really nice, and the way he's combing his cat with his sleeves rolled up is so gentle."