(Quick Transmigration) Even If You Become an Animal, You Still Have to Serve an Iron Rice Bowl - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: 

On the third day after being brought home, Shen Qiu squatted in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought for the entire day.

His new home was on the 23rd floor of a residential complex. Not only did he have to take the elevator to go out, but after hearing Qin Yan talk about how he had sneaked out before, Shen Qiu’s new owner specifically bought window locks online and installed them in places he couldn’t reach.

The door was always locked, too. Both escape routes were sealed off.

Shen Qiu let out his eighth sigh of the day. This caused Xing Lu to be unsure whether to laugh or cry. 

Xing Lu was Shen Qiu’s new owner, a successful career woman who genuinely treated him well.

Before bringing Shen Qiu home, she had already prepared everything a cat could need: A deluxe cat tree, a wide variety of cat beds, and scratching posts for him to choose from.

She even dedicated an entire room in her ¥100,000 per-square-meter house as a cat room. ¹

As for food, she provided the best raw meat diet for cats, made entirely from meat fit for human consumption. 

During his first meal at his new owner’s home, Shen Qiu ate until his belly was round. After finishing, he kept hiccuping non stop afterward. Xing Lu recorded it and shared the video with Yang Yue, and they both had a good laugh about it.

On the second day, she took him for a bath, where he received a luxurious ¥888 grooming package that included a cat spa. ²

Afterward, his long fur was shiny and glossy, as if it had been treated with a premium shampoo. 

Shen Qiu genuinely sighed with contentment, thinking, “Being a cat is pretty great.”

However, his resolve was firm. By the third day, he began formulating a plan to return to the Criminal Investigation Unit.

But faced with the two locked exits…

Cat Helpless.jpg.

Xing Lu noticed that his face was full of bitterness and resentment, and couldn’t help rubbing the cat’s head gently. 

“Alright, stop thinking about escaping using that little head of yours. Mommy’s going to work so behave at home, okay?”

Shen Qiu’s eyes drooped, pretending not to hear.

Xing Lu didn’t mind. She happily stroked the cat from head to tail, fully enjoying the feeling before grabbing her bag and heading out the door. 

Shen Qiu had previously followed the part-time housekeeper outside, so a precedent had been set. Xing Lu was extra cautious when opening the door this time. Before leaving, she pointed at Shen Qiu as if to say, “Behave yourself.”

Shen Qiu licked his paw and sighed.

No matter how nice his new life was, it couldn’t compare to his previous days working on missions at the police station. He ran around the house once more and then fixed his gaze on the locked front door.

He measured it with his paw, studying how to press the button on the door handle to unlock it.

Clasping both paws together, he tried turning it, but his cat paws couldn’t exert enough strength.

He changed tactics, hanging his entire body on the lock and swinging back and forth in the unlocking direction.

Surprisingly, it actually worked. 

With a “ka-da” sound, the lock clicked open!

“Meow!” See? There’s nothing too difficult for this future police cat to handle!

Shen Qiu spun around in place, then happily opened the door and closed it behind him. He pressed the elevator button in a calm and relaxed manner. ³

Ten minutes later, he strolled through the front gate of the police station.

The dog trainer was in the middle of a training session with the police dogs. However, the dogs all got distracted simultaneously, causing the trainer to immediately notice Shen Qiu, who was strutting around like he owned the place.

The dog trainer chuckled.

 “Hey, weren’t you adopted? How’d you end up back here again?”

Shen Qiu remained silent, sitting to the side to watch the police dogs train.

Since he was sitting up so high, the police dogs could only whimper at him a couple of times, but couldn’t do anything else. They had no choice but to keep training.

The trainer was already somewhat familiar with Shen Qiu and knew he wouldn’t cause trouble. After sending a quick message to Yang Yue, they didn’t pay any more attention to the cat. 

By the time Xing Lu received Yang Yue’s message and rushed over to take Shen Qiu back home, it was already evening.

Shen Qiu didn’t resist and obediently followed her home.

After they got back, Xing Lu reviewed the surveillance footage and couldn’t help but lecture him thoroughly.

The next day, Xing Lu replaced the lock with a keypad lock.

However, this was no challenge for Shen Qiu. After all, he had been a police officer in his past life. He secretly watched Xing Lu set the password and snuck out again that very afternoon.

One person and one cat tried to outsmart each other for several days after that. No matter how many times the password was changed, Shen Qiu managed to crack it and escape every single day.

When Xing Lu received yet another message from Yang Yue and another video from the building management showing the cat riding the elevator, she was completely unfazed.

After going to the police station for the past few days to retrieve the cat, she was already on familiar terms with the criminal investigation team’s members.

Lao San thought this couldn’t go on and suggested, “Why don’t you take him to get sterilized? I saw online that cats who keep trying to run away are probably in heat.”

At that time, Shen Qiu was resting on Xing Lu’s shoulder and initially didn’t react to what was said. However, once he realized what “sterilization” meant, he felt a cold breeze down below, making his lower half feel cold. 

When he saw that Xing Lu was really considering it, he instantly let out a miserable yowl.

 “Meow!!!”

With a leap, he jumped off Xing Lu’s shoulder and dashed onto the roof of the police station.

He was furious, baring his sharp claws at Lao San. 

“Meow meow meow!” You’re such a pervert! How dare you talk about neutering me!

Lao San shrank his neck, while the others couldn’t help but laugh.

Qin Yan rubbed his temples. “Qiuqiu’s really smart. If you say things like that in front of him, aren’t you just asking to be scratched?”

Lao San muttered, “I just forgot, that’s all. Besides, he’s the one who keeps running back here. The police dogs in our station are all distracted by him.  They can’t even focus on their training anymore.”

Shen Qiu refused to take the blame, turning his butt toward Lao San. He was just a little kitten who wanted to be a police cat! Was that so wrong?!

In the end, it was Xing Lu who spoke gently and persuaded Shen Qiu for a long time. After repeatedly assuring him that she wouldn’t take him to get neutered, Shen Qiu hesitantly came down from the roof.

He didn’t forget to threaten them while meowing in cat language. 

“Meow meow…” If you dare take me to get neutered, I’ll run away from home!

After Shen Qiu returned home, he felt like the situation couldn’t continue. 

The progress of returning to the police station was too slow. What if one day Xing Lu really  took him to get neutered…

He shuddered at the thought, unable to imagine the consequences.

Because of this, he temporarily settled down and prepared to come up with a long-term plan.

However, before he could figure out his next move, an unexpected event suddenly occurred.

On a sunny day, Shen Qiu was napping soundly on the living room couch when he suddenly heard the noisy “beep beep beep” of the keypad lock.

“Password incorrect.”

“Password incorrect.”

“Password correct.”

Shen Qiu’s first instinct was that something wasn’t right.

Neither the housekeeper nor Xing Lu would input the password wrong so many times!

He instantly woke up, his small head poking out from the couch.

A strange man walked into the foyer, his fierce face scanning the surroundings. His eyes locked directly onto Shen Qiu’s through his peephole.

In an instant, the man’s face twisted into a vicious snarl, his voice full of malice.

“This damn woman! She’s rich enough to keep a cat but won’t even lend me any!”

He tried to strike at Shen Qiu, but Shen Qiu dodged.

Not lingering any longer, the man moved to the master bedroom.

Shen Qiu quietly followed him.

He watched as the man rummaged through the cabinet, finding a jewelry box.

Stealing something?

With me around, you think you can steal?

Shen Qiu sprang into action, slapping the man’s hand harshly with his paw, leaving a red mark.

The jewelry box fell back into the cabinet, and the man’s fierce gaze was fixed on Shen Qiu.

“You little beast, believe it or not, I will kill you!”

Shen Qiu jumped back three feet, his tail slapping the ground continuously. 

He smelled something very familiar on the man.

It was the scent of drugs!

Who exactly was this man? How did he manage to guess the correct password to enter?

Most importantly, what was his relationship with Xing Lu?

A series of questions flooded his mind, and while trying to avoid the man’s pursuit, he became distracted and accidentally allowed his tail to be caught. 

A sharp pain shot through his tail, and he screamed in distress.

“Meow!”

He unsheathed his claws and slashed at the man’s hand, drawing blood almost immediately.

The man’s eyes turned red with anger, but Shen Qiu had already taken the opportunity to run far away. 

Two legs couldn’t outrun four, especially with so much furniture blocking the way. 

The man momentarily couldn’t do anything to Shen Qiu and fearing that Xing Lu might return, he hastily grabbed some jewelry and fled.

Before leaving, he ruthlessly threatened Shen Qiu.

“You little beast, wait for me! Next time, I  will definitely skin you alive and stew you for dinner!”

The front door slammed shut with a loud “bang,” and pain surged through his tail. Shen Qiu was filled with lingering fear.

He had been reckless earlier, completely forgetting that he was just a cat. If the man hadn’t fled in a panic to avoid being discovered, he would have been caught sooner or later. 

If the man hadn’t hurried to leave for fear of being caught, he would have been captured for sure.

Licking the fur on his tail, Shen Qiu paced back and forth nervously. 

But… What exactly was going on with that man?

Was he Xing Lu’s… friend? Or a relative?

Due to this incident, Shen Qiu couldn’t continue sleeping. He waited until Xing Lu returned home at ten, and rushed over to her as soon as she arrived. 

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination but her face looked a bit off. 

Her mood almost seemed a bit down. 

Usually, she would look for him as soon as she got home. Today, even when he ran up to her, it was like she couldn’t see him.

“Meow meow meow?” What’s going on?

Xing Lu snapped out of her daze.

“Good boy, Qiuqiu. Are you hungry? I’ll get you some meat to eat right away.”

She walked to the kitchen absentmindedly and almost tripped over the trash can.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong. 

Was it a problem at work?

After staring at Xing Lu for a while, Shen Qiu stepped forward to bite her pant leg.

“What’s wrong, Qiuqiu?”

He tugged Shen Qiu towards the monitor. Since adopting him, Xing Lu had installed security cameras all over the house and kept them on whenever she was away.

Shen Qiu pointed at the monitor with his paw, then at her phone.

Xing Lu hesitated. “You want me to check the footage?”

“Meow!” He nodded vigorously.

Xing Lu assumed it was just one of his clever little tricks, so she opened the historical footage. A whole day’s worth of video wasn’t easy to watch so she casually scrolled through it, prepared to deal with it half-heartedly. 

In the next second, her eyes widened.

“Zhang Jibo?!”

So she did recognize him. Shen Qiu’s tail thumped against the floor, making a sound. 

In disbelief, Xing Lu rewound the footage to the moment that Zhang Jibo entered the room.

The surveillance camera clearly recorded everything, including the man’s words.

As soon as she heard the first sentence, Xing Lu’s face turned deathly pale. 

Watching Shen Qiu’s tail being grabbed, she felt heartbroken and immediately picked up the twenty-pound cat. 

“Qiuqiu, does your tail still hurt? It’s Mommy’s fault. I’ll change the lock right away!”

After holding Shen Qiu for a while, Xing Lu’s complexion finally returned to normal.

Shen Qiu thought she would call the police, but she didn’t. She simply put some meat in his bowl and sat beside him, silently watching him eat.

Shen Qiu couldn’t figure it out. Could it be that Zhang Jibo was someone important to her?

Even after what happened, she still didn’t call the police.

Shen Qiu was eating while thinking so his eating speed slowed down a bit. 

Xing Lu thought he was still frightened and kept apologizing with a heart full of regret.

After a moment, she paused and said, “Qiuqiu, do you think… the person who was following me tonight could be him?”

Following her?!

Shen Qiu’s fur instantly stood on end, and he started circling around Xing Lu.

“Meow meow meow?!” Why would someone follow you? If you were being followed, why didn’t you call the police?! 

After confirming that Xing Lu wasn’t injured, he sat down across from her with a serious expression.

“Meow!” Call the police! You must call the police!

Unfortunately, Xing Lu couldn’t understand his words. She just thought he was still scared.

She knew that Shen Qiu was smart, but no matter how smart a cat was, it couldn’t understand human speech. She just couldn’t find anyone else to talk to so she had murmured a few words to her cat. 

Seeing this, she picked up Shen Qiu and held him in his arms.

“There, there, Qiuqiu. Don’t be scared. Mommy promises that the bad guy won’t be able to get in tomorrow.”

Shen Qiu was so anxious that he started pawing at her pocket, trying to get her to take out her phone and call 110.

In the end, Xing Lu misunderstood and thought he wanted a kiss. She cupped his face and smothered him with kisses, then buried her face in his fluffy belly and took a deep breath.

“Ahh! Qiuqiu, you’re so soft and smell so good!”⁴

What kind of nonsense is this?!

Shen Qiu: I am no longer clean…

Expressionlessly, he pushed her face away with his paw and sighed internally.

So helpless and anxious…

That man named Zhang Jibo was definitely not a good person. If he dared to break in and steal things the first time, who knows what he would do next time?  He might come back to rob them outright. 

Drug addicts were unpredictable and irrational.

That night, Xing Lu contacted someone to install a more advanced fingerprint lock and added facial recognition.

But it seemed she was still shaken. Neither of them slept well that night.

The next day, Xing Lu left for work with dark circles under her eyes. Shen Qiu, on the other hand, slept until noon and was woken up by the sound of someone banging violently on the door.

The sudden noise scared him so much that he almost rolled off the sofa.

He hurried over to the video doorbell and took a look. It was that Zhang Jibo guy again.

Unable to do anything about the new lock, he was just standing there, raging helplessly. 

Through the video feed, Shen Qiu could see that Zhang Jibo looked dazed, his eyes unfocused, just like someone high on drugs.

Such a person was undoubtedly dangerous.

If he was still human, he would have called the police immediately and restrained the guy. But he was just a cat…

Frustrated, he paced back and forth, his tail swaying like a fan.

He prayed that Zhang Jibo wouldn’t go after Xing Lu again. Otherwise, something bad is bound to happen!

Maybe his prayers worked, because Xing Lu returned home from work at six o’clock as usual. She seemed more relaxed than yesterday, with no sign of being followed.

This allowed Shen Qiu to breathe a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully exhale, Xing Lu received a phone call.

“Hello, Police Department. Is this Ms. Xing Lu? Could you please come to the city police station?”

She was preparing food for Shen Qiu and had the speakerphone on.

Both the human and the cat froze.

“Police station? Hello, may I ask what happened?”

“Excuse me, Ms. Xing Lu, do you know Zhang Jibo?”

Shen Qiu’s tail stopped moving, and Xing Lu’s expression shifted slightly.

There was a brief pause. “Yes, he’s my ex-boyfriend.”

“In that case, could you please come over as soon as possible? We have some matters to check with you.”

Xing Lu agreed and hung up, staring blankly at her phone for a long moment before setting down food for Shen Qiu and getting ready to leave.

“Qiuqiu, be a good boy and stay at home. Mommy will be back soon.”

Shen Qiu immediately blocked her path.

There was no way he was letting her go alone.

A drug-addicted ex-boyfriend? That sounded extremely dangerous!

No matter how much Xing Lu coaxed and reassured him, Shen Qiu refused to budge an inch.

Left with no choice, she put a leash on him and took him along.

On the way to the police station, Shen Qiu sensed danger from being followed.

But whenever he looked back, there was nothing there.

When they arrived at the police station, Yang Yue came out to greet them. The first thing she said to Xing Lu was, “Prepare yourself mentally.”

~~~

^{1. [十万一平 (shíwàn yìpíng) —¥ 100,000 is about $13,817.31 so this is a very high-end house. In comparison, the average price per square meter in the US (according to May 2024 data) is $2,508.011.]↩}

^{2. [价值888的洗护套餐 (jiàzhí 888 de xǐhù tàocān) — ¥888 is about $122.70. It looks like the average cost is around $122 though this is only in the US. Note that the average wage in China is generally lower compared to the US so what may be considered cheap can be very pricey in China.]↩}

^{3. [从善如流 (Cóngshànrúliú) — Idiom that means readily following good advice. I have no clue how this fits into the sentence, so I translated it as “in a calm and relaxed manner.” MTL did not pick up on the idiom and just cut it out so it wasn’t very helpful here.3]↩}

^{4. [球球你真软，真好吸 (qiúqiú nǐzhēn ruǎn, zhēnhǎoxī) — 吸 means to breathe/suck in/inhale so I’m pretty sure she’s either sniffing him or blowing raspberries on him?]↩}

T/N: A chunk of my text was missing so I ended up being really confused. I had to go back to edit it a second time before realizing that my missing text had accidentally been placed at the end of the chapter. My bad.  

4.0k characters to 3.0k words | Translation Time: 6 hours