Chapter 2: Encountering a Drunk Cat at Night

Words : 1375 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Late into the night, Lu Liang was getting ready for bed. Suddenly, he heard a faint metallic clicking sound. It was quiet but erratic and grating. His single apartment was convenient and simple—furnished and ready to move in—but it was on a low floor with thin walls, offering poor sound insulation, nothing like a proper complex. Most of the residents were young people, partying until two or three in the morning, which was practically routine. At first, Lu Liang ignored it, even trying to bury his head under his pillow, but the noise just wouldn’t stop. “Who the h*ll is making that noise?” He got up, visibly annoyed, and opened the door, where he saw a girl with long hair standing with her back to him. It was late March, and Shanghai’s temperatures were still in the single digits, but she wore a short skirt, a wool coat, and thigh-high white socks over a pair of Lolita platform shoes. From her knees up to her thighs, there was nothing to ward off the early spring chill, suggesting she couldn’t be very old. The girl’s forehead rested against the door as she poked the keyhole repeatedly with a key, the source of the annoying noise. Smelling the strong scent of alcohol, Lu Liang frowned. “Can you keep it down? Some people are trying to sleep.” The girl turned around, visibly drunk, and asked, “Mister, if alcohol tastes so bad, why do people like drinking it?” She hiccupped, and then, without warning, threw up on the floor, filling the air with the sharp stench of alcohol and sourness. Lu Liang yelped and stepped aside, watching her sway as if she were about to collapse, so he quickly steadied her. No matter how pretty she was, looking like this left him utterly unamused. With unconcealed disgust, he said, “Where’s your phone? Call someone to come get you.” The girl hiccupped again, fumbling around in her bag with a silly grin. “Oh yeah, I forgot it.” “…Do you remember any numbers?” “Nope~” Frowning deeply, Lu Liang had no intention of dealing with this drunken mess. He picked up the key, now covered in vomit, planning to open her door and just dump her inside. Only then did he realize the key had broken off inside the lock, which explained why she couldn’t get it to work. “Huh? Why is this key so short?” The girl stared at the key in a daze, clearly dizzy, and shifted her weight onto Lu Liang. With an unfortunate slip, Lu Liang ended up on the floor, his hands and elbows smeared with vomit. Staring at his hands, he shook with anger and immediately called the police to take the girl away. … Around six the next morning, at the Qiaotou police station. “Officer, can I leave now?” Lu Liang yawned, looking exhausted. The officer hesitated before carefully wording his question. “Lu Liang, you didn’t accidentally touch any… inappropriate areas, did you?” “She’s not saying I tried anything, is she?” Lu Liang’s frown deepened. “No, no, nothing like that. She’s just very drunk. We’re just asking as a routine check.” The officer quickly clarified. In these situations, they needed to be thorough. Clarifying things could only benefit Lu Liang. Being a good Samaritan had become costly; as officers, they didn’t want people to be discouraged from helping others. “I understand.” Lu Liang sighed with relief. He answered all their questions without issue. A few minutes later, he left the questioning room. The girl was sitting on a nearby chair, offering him an awkward, apologetic smile. Lu Liang shot her a cold look but said nothing, waiting for the officer handling evidence to return. Next time, he’d think twice before helping someone in a mess like this. What a hassle. He’d thought a quick call would solve everything, but instead, he’d ended up stuck here all night. Fortunately, the apartment was new, and the surveillance footage was crystal clear. “Li Manli, do you have any questions?” After repeatedly reviewing the footage, Li Manli had seen herself clinging to Lu Liang and throwing up all over him. Her face turned bright red with embarrassment, unable to think of anything to say. “Give him a proper apology. He helped you and ended up spending the whole night here because of it,” an officer advised her. “I’m really sorry, sir.” Li Manli quickly stood up and bowed in apology. “Alright then, I’ll be going now.” Lu Liang’s expression remained cold. Did she just call him “sir”? Did he really look that old? The officer gave a small smile and sighed, “Thanks for your cooperation, Lu Liang.” “Cooperating with law enforcement is every citizen’s duty,” Lu Liang replied with a polite smile as he left the station. Li Manli, still uneasy, asked, “Officer, he lives right across from me. He won’t cause trouble for me, will he?” “Just buy some fruit and apologize properly. He doesn’t seem petty.” The older officer gave her some advice. The younger officer also reassured her, saying, “Don’t worry. If there’s ever an issue, you can always reach out to us.” “Thank you.” Li Manli hesitated for a while, then decided to follow their advice. Searᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She’d just moved in and didn’t want to have to find a new place again, so she bought a bag of fruit to offer as an apology to Lu Liang. But after pacing around for a long time, she couldn’t bring herself to knock on his door. Her mind raced with thoughts—what if he was a bad person? What if he wouldn’t leave her alone? Then, hearing faint sounds from inside, she panicked and was ready to retreat to her room. Her plan to apologize flew right out the window. Only then did she realize that her keyhole was jammed. On the verge of tears, she felt a surge of despair. Suddenly, the door behind her opened. She saw Lu Liang stepping out. Li Manli forced a nervous smile and waved. “Hello.” Lu Liang didn’t respond. He simply looked at her with an impassive face, got into the elevator, and left. Relieved, Li Manli frowned, muttering with a huff as she glared at his retreating figure. “Petty jerk.” Meanwhile, Lu Liang strolled leisurely into the office. “Brother Lu, you’re finally here. Manager Liu was fuming!” A young girl, barely out of her teens, greeted him, looking worried. She had joined near the end of last year, struggling to meet her sales quota, and Lu Liang had introduced her to a few clients, helping her close her first deal. She had been grateful ever since. ꞦÂŊȫ????ĚȘ “It’s no big deal.” Lu Liang shrugged, heading to his workstation, where he was surprised to find his computer locked. In a hushed voice, Xiao Wen explained, “Manager Liu just came in this morning and had Manager Wu lock your computer.” A voice echoed from the office, “Xiao Wen, you haven’t closed a deal this month. Aren’t you supposed to be out scouting?” Lu Liang glanced over. “Manager Liu, a few days without seeing you, and you’re finally looking a bit more like a person.” At that, muffled laughter filled the room. “Looking like a person” implied that before, he was anything but. Liu Jianchun’s face twisted in anger. “Lu Liang, it’s work hours. You’re not part of this company anymore, so leave.” Lu Liang poured himself a cup of water and sat at his desk, crossing his legs. “Manager Liu, it takes three days of absence to count as voluntary resignation. Today’s what, day one? Do you even have the authority to fire me?” “You, you…” Liu Jianchun’s hand shook with rage, but technically, he didn’t have the right to fire Lu Liang. Lu Liang was a veteran at Lujing, winning several sales awards, which made him a salaried contract employee. Unless he committed a serious violation, firing him would mean paying him an N+1 severance package.

Chapter 2: Encountering a Drunk Cat at Night

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