Chapter 27: I Have Another Way to Handle Her

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: I Have Another Way to Handle Her

A red BMW pulled up in front of the pet hospital.

Renee Jennings was about to get out when she suddenly got a call from Henry Stark.

Henry Stark: "Miss Jennings, the person who murdered Mason Zorn has been caught."

Renee Jennings let out a sigh of relief. "That’s good."

Henry Stark gave her a brief summary of the situation.

Mason Zorn had met Liam Hughes while jogging in the park at night. They were around the same age, struggling with their jobs, and neither was from the area, so they had a lot in common.

That night, Mason Zorn couldn’t resist telling Liam Hughes that he’d won the lottery.

He wanted to use the news to encourage Liam, who was just as lost, and to show him that good luck could strike at any time.

But the more Liam Hughes thought about it, the more jealous he became, and a wicked idea took root.

He used a towel to strangle Mason Zorn to death.

When Dean Hughes found out, he worried his son hadn’t been thorough enough. He ran to the park to check, found Cici digging in the dirt there, and shooed the cat away.

He was so anxious that he started going to the park several times a day.

Renee Jennings had happened to run into him on one of those occasions.

She put down her phone and walked into the boarding area, where she saw Cici lying listlessly in its cat bed, looking as if it had given up on the world.

A staff member told Renee Jennings that Cici was on a hunger strike and they could only give it nutritional injections.

Renee Jennings walked up to the cage and whispered, "Cici, the person who killed your master has been caught."

Cici’s tail twitched. The cat’s voice was muffled. "But master can’t come back to life."

Renee Jennings pressed her lips together, unsure how to comfort the cat.

Cici’s eyes were half-closed. "I want to go find my master."

Renee Jennings’s long, thin brows furrowed. "Your master definitely wouldn’t want to see you like this."

Cici lifted its head, then slumped back down. "Master can’t see anything anymore."

Renee Jennings sighed. "Maybe he’s watching you from somewhere you can’t see. He would definitely want you to be okay."

A low, drawn-out, mournful cry arose.

Cici was crying for its master.

After a long silence, Renee Jennings said softly, "If you’re willing, you can come live with me from now on."

[System 009: Mission complete. Reward obtained: Elephant Dictionary.]

**

When Rhea Dempsey saw Renee Jennings walk through the door carrying Cici, she was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Renee Jennings, don’t you dare tell me you picked this cat up off the street too!"

"I did..." Renee Jennings said, feeling guilty.

Rhea Dempsey clutched her chest, too angry to speak.

Renee Jennings gave a sheepish grin. "Well, if you’re going to have one, you might as well have two. It’ll be more lively."

Rhea Dempsey snapped, "In this house, we can either have cats, or we can have you! You have to choose one!"

Cici realized its new master’s family didn’t welcome it.

It felt utterly dejected.

’No one in this world will ever love me like my master did.’

Renee Jennings sensed the cat’s mood and stroked its head. "Cici, this is my mom, Ms. Dempsey. Her bark is worse than her bite."

Cici’s ears drooped as it curled up in her arms, looking like it refused to communicate.

Renee Jennings carried it into her room.

She had turned the bay window into a cat nook. Blueberry was lounging there lazily, but it immediately jumped to the floor upon seeing the newcomer.

Blueberry: "You have another cat now? And you brought it home?"

Renee Jennings: "..."

’Why does that sound so weird?’

Cici was a little surprised.

’I didn’t think there would be another cat in this house.’

Renee Jennings settled Cici in, then turned to Blueberry and said, "Let’s talk outside."

In the living room, one human and one cat stared intently at Renee Jennings.

She cleared her throat and explained, "Cici’s situation is special. Its master was murdered."

Rhea Dempsey looked stunned.

Blueberry, on the other hand, was rather calm.

’Come to think of it, its own previous owner had almost been killed, too.’

It seemed Cici was in the same boat.

Renee Jennings explained Cici’s situation.

"What?" Rhea Dempsey stared at her, shocked. "The cat told you that?"

Renee Jennings nodded, her expression serious. "To be honest, I’m fluent in several animal languages."

Rhea Dempsey raised a hand to feel her own forehead, then felt her daughter’s. "Are you running a fever, or am I?"

Renee Jennings: "..."

She had guessed Rhea Dempsey wouldn’t believe her, so she used Blueberry to prove her point.

Rhea Dempsey sat on the sofa, stunned silent for a full five minutes.

’My daughter can actually understand animals?’

’This is incredible!’

Renee Jennings thought for a moment, then transferred a hundred thousand to her mother’s Alipay.

KA-CHING! The sound of money arriving in her account pulled Rhea Dempsey from her thoughts.

She picked up her phone, saw the notification, and rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

Rhea Dempsey looked at her phone, then at her daughter.

Renee Jennings beamed. "That’s the pet consultation fee I received the other day. It’s for you."

"All of it for me?" Rhea Dempsey was ecstatic.

Renee Jennings nodded.

Rhea Dempsey cheered, "My daughter’s all grown up! She’s earning money for me now!"

After dinner that day, Rhea Dempsey went for a stroll downstairs and couldn’t resist sharing with her neighbors that her daughter was earning money for her.

Unexpectedly, after hearing the news, the neighbors just looked at her, hesitant to speak.

Rhea Dempsey sensed something was off about their reactions. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

One of the neighbors she was on good terms with whispered, "Ms. Dempsey, we didn’t dare tell you the other day. We were afraid it would upset you."

Rhea Dempsey frowned. "What is it?"

The neighbor said, "Ms. Crawford told us she saw Renee Jennings on a date in the park with an old man. He was hugging and holding her, and in the end, he transferred a hundred thousand yuan to her!"

Another neighbor added, "Yeah, Ms. Dempsey, did Renee Jennings have a moment of weakness and do something foolish?"

"Bullshit!" Rhea Dempsey was furious. "That Old Hag Crawford must eat shit, because that’s all that comes out of her mouth! My daughter earned that money fair and square!"

Furious, she went to Old Hag Crawford’s home, but the door was shut tight. No matter how much she pounded on it, no one opened up.

"Rae, what’s wrong?" Dalton Jenson was a little worried, seeing his wife come back fuming after leaving in such a good mood.

Rhea Dempsey plopped onto the sofa, crossed her arms, and said angrily, "Dalton Jenson, you just try having another drink with that Wang guy!"

"Wait, what’s going on?" Dalton Jenson looked completely baffled.

Rhea Dempsey explained what happened, gritting her teeth. "That old hag has ruined the reputations of both our daughters!"

Dalton Jenson’s expression also grew grim. "That’s going too far!"

After listening to the whole story from its corner of the sofa, Blueberry leaped to the floor and ran into the room to report.

Renee Jennings listened while leaning against the headboard, her brows knitted tightly.

’I can’t believe Old Hag Crawford loves to stir up trouble so much.’

Blueberry said fiercely, "That old hag is too much!"

Cici listened in a daze. Wanting to fit into its new home, it mumbled softly, "Is someone bullying Master?"

Blueberry turned to look at it. "Yeah, that fat old hag. She’s super mean."

It then bragged to Cici about its glorious feat of peeing all over Old Hag Crawford.

Cici’s eyes filled with admiration. "Big Sister Blueberry, you’re so amazing!"

Blueberry waved a paw modestly. "Oh, it was nothing, it was nothing."

Then, it volunteered eagerly, "Renee, do you want me to go spray her again?"

Renee Jennings laughed at that. "She’s so nasty, what if she catches you, butchers you, and turns you into soup?"

Blueberry couldn’t help but shudder.

Cici said in a panic, "No, no, you can’t!"

"Don’t worry, I have other ways to deal with her." Renee Jennings’s slender, pale fingers stroked her chin, a glint in her eyes.