TNC chapter 23.4

MARCH 25, 2023 ~ CHEERINGRADISH

His personality was naturally like this, unpleasant, extremely cold.

No matter what he did, even if it was out of kindness, it was not reciprocated, and he was only blamed, he was long used to it.

Qin Xiao thought that it was his own problem. His personality was not good, cold and serious, and not easily accepted by other people.

That was why, on normal days, Qin Xiao simply spoke little, this way, it could at least let people be a little more comfortable.

Doing ideological work, it was like educating children. Guo Chao Ming was not good at it, Song Bei wanted to hug the cat, but the aggrieved cat did not let him hug it; it jumped to the back of the box and hid like a kid that was angry.

It stubbornly ignored them.

Of course, Bai Xia Xia could understand Qin Xiao’s words, but she was acting like she did not understand. Cats could be smart, but they could not inexplicably, also comprehend the sophistication and hidden dangers of human society too.

She had made up her mind to just be a simple intelligent cat, other things could be handed to other people.

And coincidentally, she had encountered Song Bei and the others in a stroke of luck…

When she was returning, Bai Xia Xia had thought about it, about whether she should fill it with monkey wine. If she did, the things that she had done would be exposed.

Even if Guo Chao Ming guessed about it, he did not have any evidence. She would be extremely safe, and nobody would know what Cat had done.

But… Bai Xia Xia did not want to let herself live foolishly, moreover, the quests did not allow her to be muddleheaded either.

She had to slowly, take the initiative to do some things.

Song Bei was the colonel of the base, she could, with the help of their strength, finish her quests while not exposing herself, she could have it both ways.

Bai Xia Xia pondered it over and over, then chose this kind of compromise.

Even though she had only interacted with them for a few, short days, Bai Xia Xia trusted them.

Even if it did not work out, and Song Bei and the others could not accept her being this intelligent, they would not harm her.

Now… she had to keep up the act of a very smart but simple cat.

Wait, why did I say keep up the act? Bai Xia Xia: I’m originally very smart!

He who touches rouge will be stained red, he who works with ink will be stained black, zhen must stay a bit farther away from Xiao Guo Zi these days.

Song Bei moved away the boxes one by one, and from the gaps between the boxes, he saw half of the back of the head and flat airplane ears from the cat that were revealed.

It was truly a bout of feeling wronged.

“Kitty?”

The kitty moved a bit further in again in anger, this time, Song Bei could see the fluffy ears.

Colonel Song recalled his partner political commissar’s methods that always fooled people, then took them to somewhat apply mechanically[1] and started to reason with the cat. 

“Xiao Qin wasn’t trying to blame you, you did very well, we’re all grateful to you. Xiao Qin’s meaning was, it’s very dangerous outside, you need to be careful.”

Song Bei was afraid that Bai Xia Xia did not understand, so he vividly fabricated an impromptu underworld fairy tale: “When a cat that’s too intelligent is found out by humans, they immediately catch you and take you away, and cook you to eat!”

The cat’s tiny ears trembled, seeming as if it was scared. It tentatively poked its head out, with its jiojio placed on the boxes; its heterochromatic eyes revealed confusion and grievance, like they were saying, Cat is so cute, why would they take away Cat.

Bai Xia Xia: What kind of rotten story is this! Not only do I have to act as a green tea b*tch as a cat, to think that I actually have to act as a simple and naïve white lotus[2] too…

“Because, they want to be as smart as the cat too, they think, that if they eat up the smart cat, this way, they can also become even more intelligent.”

Guo Chao Ming’s eyes were almost rolled to the skies.

Song Bai guided patiently: “Do you understand? There are too many bad people outside, you saved Qin Xiao, so none of us want you to be in trouble. In the future if you want to do something, first give us a notice, okay?”

“Meow, meow!”

“Meow!”

The cat tilted its head, as if it still did not understand well, then nodded with its chin.

Growling sounds were emitted from its throat, and with flattened ears, it warily used small steps to come out from behind the boxes.

As if it was very concerned that in the next second, it would be taken away by humans and eaten.

Bai Xia Xia: Drama spirit possession.

Guo Chao Ming was left speechless: “Colonel, this ideological work that you’ve done, it’s truly… rotten.”

Bai Xia Xia drilled out from the boxes, hesitantly ran to Qin Xiao’s side, then looked at the young military officer’s eyes and face that were lowered from being a bit frustrated. It was unknown how, but Bai Xia Xia could see that this person’s mood was not very good, so she cheerfully patted the back of Qin Xiao’s hand: “Meow!”

“Don’t be sad, to think that you’re even self-isolating yourself.”

Guo Chao Ming: “Old Qin, what peerless cutie have you picked up ah?”

“Speak! How many more little kitties did you sneakily feed behind my back!” Before Bai Xia Xia appeared, he knew nothing about this matter. With Qin Xiao’s cold personality, he actually purposefully ran out of the base, to feed a baby kitty.

“Just this one.” He was never one to be liked by people ever since he was young.

Even cats and dogs were afraid of him, with this constitution that was hated by cats and detested by dogs, there were rarely cats or dogs that dared to approach him.

Only this one was different; at that time, it looked like it was about to die, and when Qin Xiao got close to it, he thought that it would run away scared, but who would have thought, it did not fear him at all.

And just like that, he fed it day by day, and instead, it saved his own life.

Translator’s comments:

Only Mommy Song Bei would have the patience to create a fake story and convince a cat. Let us all remember, that Song Bei doesn’t know that the cat has a human soul.

Translator’s notes:

[1] Idiomatic expression ‘生搬硬套 (shēng bān yìng tào)’: lit. translation: ‘unfamiliarly take something to use it forcefully’. It means ‘to mechanically use the experience of others and copying their methods’.

[2] White lotus is a Chinese slang to describe someone who is pure on the outside but the opposite on the inside.