“What is a little kitten doing out front,” a soft voice came from behind.

Zou Yue glanced back at the dark figure approaching him with a small bowl in hand. Bohai waved at him.

“What are you doing here Uncle Bo?”

Familiar uncle walked out of the house from behind him that could only mean that he had unknowingly walked over to uncle’s house. “Sorry I didn’t realize I was on your yard,” he mumbled with an awkward look. His eyes went towards the small bowl in uncle’s hand.

“I heard some movement in the lawn I thought it was our neighbour’s cat,” Bohai showed him the minced meat on the bowl.

Zou Yue nodded.

“What are you doing here, kid?”

.

“I—I got lost,” he grimaced when he noticed uncle’s raised brows. “I know I know. I should have taken up your offer to show me around,”

“Yes, should have. You probably would not have ended up here in front of my porch,” the uncle chuckled loudly.

Suddenly, there was a small shuffling from the bush behind him.

Zou Yue snapped up and stepped back a little. “Uncle come here. It might be a snake.” he gestured for him urgently.

Bohai laughed out loud.

Still Zou Yue did not lose his vigilance.

To his surprise a small white cat jumped out from the bush and gently brushed against uncle’s legs.

“I feed her snacks every night so she sneaks out of her house,” he whispered, gently caressing her soft fur. The cat immediately jumped onto his lap and started to eat the minced meat with relish.

“Oh,” Zou Yue sat down next to him, yet he maintained a small distance from him. His eyes vigilantly noted the cat’s behaviour.

“Are you scared of cats?”

“No…. But I’m not fond of them either,” he mumbled with an awkward smile. Of course he can’t explain that he got scared because of the number of mutated cat beasts he had fought in the apocalyptic period. Those incidents really left a mental scar in him.

He gulped slightly. “Uncle. Can you help me catch a cab or to a bus station?”

“Why? Its late, stay here. I have a free room you can crash for the night,” he casually mumbled.

“My mum will worry.” Zou Yue pouted.

Bohai intently peered at him. “You still don’t trust me?”

“It’s not like that. It’s just my parents are fiercely protective of me. So it’s very likely they might even drive this far in search of me,” he mumbled, dwindling with his thumb.

“Only child?”

“Yes,”

“No wonder, I have two more brothers, so it was a completely different experience.” Bohai stood up and stretched like a lazy cat. “Come in; at least eat something to fill your stomach.”

He walked in without a word.

Zou Yue had no other option but to follow him. Uncle had a smaller house, but it had everything neatly arranged.

“It’s not much,”

“But I love it. It’s very clean. Trust me, if you see my room you might scream,” Yue mumbled as he sat down at the dining table.

“Why? You don’t look like a person who is untidy.” Uncle placed a hot cup of tea.

“No, I have a rat that loves to scare people with its poo,”

Bohai laughed out loud. “Funny kid,”

Dinner went without any hitch and after which uncle helped him get a night bus. Thankfully, the sleeper busses were still running that late.

Waving goodbye, Zou Yue got into his bed. His eyes dropped on its own.

Two hours later the bus lurched a little, waking him up. He sat up, wiping at his eyes. His familiar street was seen out the window.

He got down and ran to his house excitedly.

The lights in his house were still on.

“Mum…” he mumbled as he opened the door.

His parents were waiting for him in the main hall.

“Young man, you are in so much trouble,” his mother growled.

“Um… hi, my bus ran late.”

“That is no excuse to come so late. Look at the time.” She gestured to the clock. It was 2 A.M already. “You know how unsafe it is to be roaming around so late. And why didn’t you pick up our calls!!”

“There was no signal there mum…. I was only at the house with the familiar uncle. I was safe.” He whispered with a pout.

“I can’t accept this. You are grounded for two days.”

“Mum!”

“Three days,”

“Dad, aren’t you going to help me,” he threw a pitiful looked at his father.

“Sorry kid, I can’t help you out,” his father shrugged.

“Four days, you are grounded for four days, get back to your room,” she shouted.

Zou Yue tottered back to his room with a pout.

Seeing his down turned expression, his father sighed a bit. “You don’t have to be so harsh on him,”

“But we have to. He is not a kid anymore yet he still doesn’t know how to act. Worrying his parents so much,” she mumbled, wiping at her forehead. “It’s totally dark out there. What if my precious baby got mugged? I only have one son Zou baba, I can’t stand and watch if anything happened to him.”

Zou Wei sighed, holding his forehead. If his wife came to know of the injustice that had happened to his son, she might even faint from shock. ‘That Fan Xui… I have to find him and exact revenge for assaulting my son,’