Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 354 Pampering
The next morning, Lin Ge was urged to get up by Liu Junshu.

He slept in the old man's bed last night, lying on the soft blanket in the corner of the bed, his whole body curled up as if he were wrapped in white clouds, and he slept very comfortably.

But Liu Junshu showed him a photo she had taken on her phone at some point, in which Lin Ge was sleeping sprawled out on his back. He was lying on his back like a human, with his limbs outstretched, and even his eyes and mouth open, with his nose wet as if it were still bubbling.

"Hehe... Just like when you were little, you have no sleeping posture at all. I was woken up by you kicking me in the middle of the night, and you're much stronger than when you were little. By the way, you seemed to be having a dream last night, mumbling and babbling on and on."

Liu Junshu winked at Lin Ge teasingly, making Lin Ge feel embarrassed and speechless.

He never knew his sleeping posture was so exaggerated. Of course, it could also be because the blankets were so soft and comfortable. In any case, Lin Ge refused to admit that the cat in the photo was his usual form.

After getting some food early in the morning, Lin Ge went to the market with Liu Junshu to buy groceries.

She was pulling a small cart and wearing a long coat, looking no different from an ordinary old lady. Lin Ge, bored, followed her. They walked out of the school and strolled leisurely for another ten minutes or so, arriving at a place called Xinma Shopping Plaza next to a nearby hospital.

As soon as he stepped inside, the lively atmosphere startled Lin Ge.

Everywhere he looked, there were people, densely packed with elderly men and women. The supermarket was unexpectedly bustling with business, which surprised Lin Ge. The elderly people were carrying baskets, pushing carts, and carrying half-full bags of rice without showing any signs of fatigue. One old woman even carried dozens of large yams on her shoulder as if she were carrying a bomb, while her other hand was full of potatoes, showing none of the frailty usually associated with the elderly.

"Mimi, you'll wait for me outside, right?"

Seeing so many people, Liu Junshu was also a little troubled. She had only come to take a look after seeing the advertising flyers, but she hadn't expected the business to be this good.

All five or six cash registers had long queues, and the few weighing stations inside were also packed with people. In other words, even buying just a cabbage for 2.5 yuan could take more than half an hour just to wait in line.

This kind of place is naturally not suitable for a short cat to join in the fun. If someone accidentally steps on it or kicks it, it might lose half its life.

Lin Ge nodded, looked around, and noticed a furniture storefront on his right. Aside from a few elderly women haphazardly displaying and organizing their supermarket purchases, the space was fairly spacious. Lin Ge found a table with a mild smell, squatted down, and quietly waited for the elderly women to return from their shopping.

"Meow?"

A tiny kitten suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It looked like it had just been born, its fur still short and bushy. The little guy's legs seemed a bit weak, and it walked unsteadily.

But for some reason, it ran over excitedly after spotting Ringo. The little guy couldn't climb onto the table or touch Ringo, so it could only jump and bark from below. Ringo ignored it, so it kept barking.

"Shut up!"

Annoyed by the noise, Lin Ge lowered his head and bent down, pressing one hand on the kitten's head and pinning it to the ground, unable to move.

"Meow meow~"

The little guy struggled desperately, but how could it possibly match Lingo's strength? After a while, it simply gave up resisting, lay still, closed its eyes, and began to play dead.

"Let's see if you dare bother me again!"

Lin Ge gave a smug snort, released his grip, stood up, and continued looking towards the supermarket. But there were just too many people inside; the old lady's figure had been completely swallowed up by the crowd. Even though Lin Ge strained his eyes, he couldn't find any trace of the old lady.

"Meow~"

The kitten, now free, stared at Lin Ge resentfully and meowed twice more. Suddenly remembering something, it hopped around and ran towards the back of the storefront.

It reappeared quickly, carrying a toy mouse in its mouth. The mouse was about the size of a fist, made of black cloth. Lin Ge glanced at it casually and ignored it, but the little guy, still carrying the mouse, ran back to Lin Ge and started bothering him again.

"Little ancestor, what exactly do you want?"

Lin Ge was annoyed by the harassment, mainly because the little guy was too small to be hit and didn't understand discipline, which left him feeling helpless.

"Meow!"

The kitten tore at the mouse twice, then flung it into the air with a flick of its head, where it was caught steadily by Lin Ge's paw.

"Meow!"

The kitten was even happier with its graceful movements.

"then!"

Lin Ge's eyes darted around, and he forcefully tossed the little mouse far into the back of the shop. Watching the little guy tumble and tumble as it chased after it, Lin Ge finally had a chance to turn back and look for Liu Junshu.

Upon seeing this, he was suddenly startled.

Near the imported food section, Liu Junshu was stopped by a woman wearing a fur coat with a fur collar. Liu Junshu stood there calmly and expressionlessly, while the woman pointed to the sleeve of her coat and glared at Liu Junshu, questioning her.

Lin Ge vaguely saw that there was indeed a stain on the woman's sleeve, but why was it certain that the old lady had touched it? As more and more people gathered around to watch the commotion, Lin Ge quickly ran over.

He squeezed through the crowd, nearly getting trampled and almost bumping into a cart. It took Lin Ge a lot of effort to get to Liu Junshu's spot. As soon as he got there, he heard the woman repeatedly shouting things like "pay up."

“This dress of mine is a famous Italian brand, very expensive! Now you’ve dirtied it like this, what are you going to do about it? Old lady, I’m not an unreasonable person. Call your son or daughter now, I’ll only ask them for a solution, I won’t bother you.”

The woman made a few more accusations, but finally backed down after being persuaded by a few busybodies nearby. She sighed and spoke kindly, then gestured for Liu Junshu to come with her to a quiet place outside, where they could patiently resolve the matter once their children arrived.

Haha, most elderly people wouldn't dare bother their children with something like this, fearing they'd be blamed for being a burden or disrupting their children's lives. If everyone gangs up on them and scolds them, wouldn't they obediently hand over the money?
"Mimi, what brings you here?"

Unexpectedly, Liu Junshu ignored her completely, only looking at the panting cat with a surprised expression.

"Isn't it because I'm afraid you'll be bullied?"

Lin Ge rolled his eyes and hurriedly squeezed through the crowd. He was surrounded by elderly people, whose thin arms and legs couldn't withstand his pushing and shoving. It took him a while to find an opening, circle around, and squeeze into the middle.

The woman was still chattering on, but Liu Junshu ignored her and just beckoned to Lin Ge, saying, "There are too many people here, come over and let me carry you. Why are you getting involved in such a small matter? Wouldn't it be better to just wait for me to finish shopping?"

"Ow!"

Lin Ge called out impatiently, his face stern, and stepped in front of Liu Junshu, blocking her and the woman.

Seeing the menacing cat, the woman paused, then took a step back, afraid of being scratched. She glared at Liu Junshu and said, "Grandma, what kind of attitude is this? I'm warning you, this dress is worth over ten thousand yuan! If you're cooperative, we can let it go with a little compensation! But if you're uncooperative like this, don't blame me for being impolite! I'll give you the dress, and you compensate me for the original price! Otherwise, we'll call the police."

“Alright! Give me the receipt for this dress, and I'll compensate you according to the invoice price.” Liu Junshu was surprisingly easy to talk to, smiling and nodding at the woman. Then she squatted down and somewhat laboriously picked up Lin Ge: “Oh dear, you are indeed a bit heavy. In the blink of an eye, you've become a big cat. Hey! Don't come and pull me. Madam, I've already made it very clear that I didn't put those stains on you. I only bought fish and shrimp today, no poultry, and I didn't go there. Besides, the stains on your clothes have been there for at least a week, and there are even signs of washing. To be honest, it's really heartbreaking that the clothes aren't clean, but that's not a reason for you to come and extort an old lady like me. As for you saying you're going to call the police, that's fine too! According to our country's laws, your behavior should be classified as extortion. If your dress is really worth more than ten thousand yuan, then it's a criminal offense involving a large sum of money. I suggest you think it over.”

These words left the woman opposite her pale and then flushed, and the onlookers suddenly understood. So this was a guy trying to extort money after his clothes were ruined; no wonder he looked so mean!

The woman panicked and quickly retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about! I saw it clearly, it was the fish from your bag that rubbed against me! Why do you say it was some kind of bird? Do you have any proof? And you're trying to extort me? Do you think I don't know the law? Your actions clearly constitute intentional damage to someone else's property, and the damage is expensive. If you don't pay, you'll go to jail! You want to argue about the law? I'll see who ends up in trouble!"

He spoke with such conviction that he won over some of the older onlookers. Mainly, they also felt Liu Junshu was spouting nonsense; the stain wasn't even dry yet, how could it be from last week?

In short, you've thought it through.

Liu Junshu shook her head, not intending to reveal her identity as a biology professor.

This identity is for academic research and technical support, not for showing off or for arguing. And either you did it or you didn't! Liu Junshu didn't even realize she was so nearsighted that she didn't even know if she'd bumped into anyone.

“Hey ma’am, why don’t you stop being so stubborn! To be honest, the cost of committing a crime is very high these days. You might not care about having a criminal record, but it will affect three generations of your family and your children and grandchildren! If this matter isn’t resolved soon, it could really escalate to the police and get you locked up. To be honest, it will not only worry your son and daughter, but it will also affect their careers. They’ve worked hard for decades, right? And then they lose their jobs because of one of their parents’ lack of understanding. Who can they complain to?”

A kind-looking middle-aged man standing nearby couldn't help but offer some advice.

As soon as he said that, the onlookers nodded in agreement.

Yes, yes! We've worked hard all our lives, how can we cause trouble for our children? It's just a little over ten thousand yuan, just a bit of retirement money, so let's not let our children know!
Besides, at such an old age, being detained in a police station would be incredibly embarrassing!

Grandma, stop getting in the way! It's no big deal to admit your mistake when it's time to apologize! Just pay up to avoid trouble...

Tsk, could it be that they're broke? Well, there's nothing we can do then. We'll just have to bother their children and ask them to borrow some! These old folks, they can't even take care of themselves and they're just causing trouble for their children, tsk tsk tsk tsk...

Various opinions arose, mainly because once someone took the lead in defining the nature of the matter, people would no longer have any doubts.

Especially seeing that this old lady couldn't even come up with 10,000 yuan, while I, although I line up every day at three or five o'clock to get eggs, take a bus, and get rice and oil, I still have a pension! If I encounter something like this in the future, I definitely won't trouble my children! If it can be solved with money, then it's not a problem!
"Tsk tsk, a person can't be poor! Being poor brings all sorts of trouble! If I can't even come up with ten thousand yuan, then I'm out of luck today! Old lady, if it's really not possible, just give me five thousand yuan to compensate, and I'll take the rest myself, okay?"

The woman sneered, maliciously provoking the elderly man while simultaneously lowering the price to reduce his psychological burden.

Ten thousand yuan would definitely sting for the elderly! But if the price is reduced to five thousand, many elderly people will choose to let it go. After all, they've already given a 50% discount; how much cheaper can they get by continuing to make a fuss, right?

In this woman's view, just like the previous times, this seemingly gentle old man would surely give in quickly.

She was selective in her targets, always choosing elderly people who appeared intellectual. These older men had never been particularly ruthless; even the most eloquent tongue couldn't withstand a few sarcastic remarks. Plus, they valued money little, making them easy targets for her scams. They were even willing to suffer in silence rather than report the fraud, perhaps out of concern for their reputation. Compared to such individuals, this shrewish woman's foolishness made her only a second choice.

"Mimi, what do you think we should do?"

Ignoring the various comments and pointing fingers around her, Liu Junshu simply smiled and lifted the cat's head in her arms, calmly and naturally staring at and playing with the cat.

"What's there to think about? Just call the police! Letting these scammers get away with it would be irresponsible to the people!"

Lin Ge lazily flicked his tail, wondering what Liu Junshu was wasting her time on. It was just an obvious scam; the con artists took advantage of the elderly's reluctance to call the police for fear of disturbing their children, choosing instead to pay to avoid trouble, which allowed them to succeed time and again.

"Yes, we should just call the police. After all, Mimi is a police cat now, and I can't be out of touch, right?"

Liu Junshu chuckled as she spoke, completely ignoring the noisy woman beside her. She awkwardly held Lin Ge with one arm while slowly reaching into her pocket with the other to take out her phone.

"Hey! Old lady, don't wait until you're face-to-face to learn your lesson!"

The woman panicked immediately upon seeing Liu Junshu's attitude.

She quickly looked at her companion beside her, signaling him to hurry up and find a way to stop this stubborn old man.

"Grandma, you can't do this!"

The middle-aged man who had been pretending to be an innocent bystander and inciting the onlookers to despise Liu Junshu stepped forward without changing his expression and reached out to snatch Liu Junshu's phone.

"Ow!"

Lin Ge's eyes widened, and with a howl, he swung his claws at the bastard who had reached out to the old man.

"Hiss... You beast!"

Two scratches appeared on the back of the middle-aged man's hand. He was in pain and quickly pulled his hand away before cursing loudly.

“If I were you, I definitely wouldn’t show up at this time. After all, there are security cameras in the supermarket, and this woman is destined to go to the police station to explain the situation today. If you come to stop her now, won’t you be mistaken for her accomplice?”

Liu Junshu wasn't afraid at all, or rather, she believed Lin Ge could protect her. So, with a single sentence, she made the middle-aged man's expression subtly change, and also made the surrounding onlookers begin to suspect the relationship between the man who had incited the crowd and the woman opposite him. Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was Liu Junshu's words that the police were coming, which completely panicked the middle-aged man. They could only bully an elderly person who didn't know the law; if someone actually called the police, why would they dare to stay any longer?
The middle-aged man immediately turned around, walked away without a word. As for such a trivial matter as being scratched by a cat, who had time to worry about it at that moment?
"You...you're the kind of person who's unreasonable and argumentative, a scourge on the elderly! Fine! I'm unlucky to have met you today. I won't make you pay, you can keep the money for your coffin! Humph! Get out of the way, what are you looking at!"

The woman quickly fled, and her painstakingly devised extortion plan was forced to be abandoned halfway.

"Still trying to run!"

Lin Ge quickly tried to stop the woman; how could he just stand by and watch the suspect escape so easily right in front of him?

"Mimi, don't chase after her. You're so small and thin, what if you get hurt?"

Liu Junshu still felt sorry for Lin Ge and quickly hugged him tightly, saying, "It's okay, the camera is right here! Even if you hadn't come over, I would have called the police and used the camera footage to prove her innocence. Besides, the camera captured her face, so I'm sure she won't get away with it. This person probably hasn't done this before. If you force her to stop, aren't you just pushing her to the brink? Heh... Even if you're a police cat, you can't always be so reckless, can you?"

"What can a mere ordinary woman do to me?"

Lin Ge retorted irritably, but didn't dare to break free forcefully. He knew Liu Junshu's words were for his own good; after all, even a cornered beast fighting back wasn't without danger. He was just a cat; who could guarantee he wouldn't get hurt?
But... as a police cat, watching the suspect escape was still quite frustrating.

Understanding Liu Junshu's thoughts but disagreeing with her excessive concern is what troubles Lin Ge now. Although he has come to accept Liu Junshu's affection, he ultimately has no intention of becoming a pet cat. Therefore, the kinder the elderly Liu Junshu is to him, the more he feels he will gradually fall into her gentle embrace. Perhaps one day, he might even lose interest in being a police cat and obediently become an ordinary cat enjoying life…

"No! We can't be this unmotivated! Ling Ge, don't forget you're not an ordinary cat! What about your will and sense of mission? How can you compromise so easily!"

Lin Ge was startled and quickly shook his head.

(End of this chapter)