Famous Actresses, Please Keep Your Distance From Me - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Cen Zhi had no idea what Duan Rujin was thinking. She, Wen Lin, and another employee named Hao Man had been busy until nearly 11:00 PM. Three people for five cats—if they had died of natural causes, it wouldn’t have taken this long. The problem was that they had to restore the cats’ bodies to wholeness.

It was a scene difficult to describe. Cen Zhi was technically used to it, but it never stopped her heart from aching.

Zhang Lin, another staff member, drove them to the suburbs for cremation in the middle of the night. While waiting for him to return, the three women sat in the lobby in silence, their minds dazed.

The lights weren’t all on, leaving the atmosphere feeling cold.

Cen Zhi leaned forward, burying her face in her hands. She couldn’t find her breath. After a long time, she heard Wen Lin ask, “Can someone go to jail for this?”

“It’s hard,” Cen Zhi replied. “There’s no Animal Protection Law yet. Pets are considered private property. There have been many news reports where, in the end, they just pay some money and get detained for a few days before being released.”

Hao Man closed her eyes in pain. “Sister Wen, you know the answer without asking. These so-called punishments are just slaps on the wrist. They don’t cause any real consequence.”

Wen Lin looked up at the ceiling, her expression blank. “I thought I had really become numb to death, like Cen Zhi said. Turns out, I haven’t.”

“You can’t become numb to it,” Cen Zhi said, turning to look at her. “When you watch vibrant lives lose their spark, you can never be numb.”

After those words, the three of them let out a heavy, collective sigh.

Close to midnight, Zhang Lin returned. They went to the remains processing room to grind and crush the fragments before finally putting them into urns to be placed in the columbarium. The café owner, unable to process the grief yet, had already paid for six months of storage.

With a heavy heart, Cen Zhi returned home at nearly 1:00 AM.

This was part of the job; she was used to these unexpected moments, but she still felt immense sadness for these innocent animals. She spaced out while showering and while drying her hair.

Perhaps because of her afternoon nap, she wasn’t very sleepy.

After washing her face and lying down, she started searching for news on legal sentencing for such acts, but the answers were disheartening. To file a criminal case, it has to be judged as “intentional destruction of public or private property,” but if the monetary value isn’t high enough, a criminal case is rarely opened. This was one reason why animal abusers acted with such impunity.

When she finished her search and went to Weibo, her homepage showed a blogger she followed reposting the surveillance footage from the cat café.

Everyone expressed grief; some didn’t even dare to click the video.

Cen Zhi didn’t dare to click it either. She had personally stitched and cleaned those lovely cats’ bodies.

Yu Lu, who had just finished her own work, saw the news and sent a link to Cen Zhi. Her WeChat message read: “Oh my god… A-Zhi…”

Yu Lu: “This happened right here in Yuncheng. I want to cry so much.”

Yu Lu: “Can these people just die? Can they just die!!!”

Yu Lu: “How can anyone lay a hand on such cute cats? Holy sh*t!!!”

Cen Zhi lowered her gaze: “I was busy with this all night.”

Yu Lu: “?”

Yu Lu: “Your shop handled these cats?”

“Yes. Just got home at one”

Yu Lu: “…………”

Yu Lu: “You’ve worked hard.”

Just as that message was sent, the “Go Fur-babies Go” group became active. It was Duan Rujin, who wasn’t asleep yet, also talking about the incident.

By Any Means: “This makes me so angry.”

Yu Lu immediately shifted to the group: “I was just lamenting to A-Zhi. I thought you were asleep.”

Yu Lu: “Truly infuriating. Can these people just die!!!”

By Any Means: “Can these people just die!!!”

Cen Zhi watched the chat and finally followed with: “Can these people just die!!!”

They all knew they wouldn’t, but they were powerless.

The mood in the group was low until Yu Lu jumped in to change the subject: “By the way, my video is almost edited. I’ll post it this weekend when the traffic is better.”

By Any Means: “Good.”

By Any Means: “I’ll have a specific plan ready soon on my end, too.”

Cen Zhi: “Goodnight.”

Yu Lu: “Goodnight.”

Yu Lu: “Go get some rest. You were the one handling those cats… sigh.”

Cen Zhi adjusted her position in bed and received a private message from Duan Rujin.

“Were you in a bad mood tonight because of this?” Duan Rujin had quickly connected the dots.

Cen Zhi looked at the words and replied: “Mhm.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I wouldn’t have forced you to have dinner with me.”

“It’s my job.” Cen Zhi paused, then added: “You didn’t force me.”

By Any Means: “Is it convenient to talk on the phone? Cen Zhi.”

Cen Zhi didn’t know what Duan Rujin wanted to say, but she didn’t refuse. Just as she hadn’t refused Duan Rujin’s invitation that night five years ago.

In the space of a single breath, they were on a WeChat voice call.

Only a warm yellow desk lamp was on in Cen Zhi’s room, its light revealing little emotion on her face. She held the phone and heard a pleasant female voice: “Do you know how I met Yu Lu?”

“Filming.”

“Yes. After we became friends, I found out she knew you. It was a coincidence meeting you on her birthday.”

Cen Zhi closed her eyes, her lips moving: “Mhm. Very coincidental.”

“Last year, I attended a small class reunion. Most classmates are doing work unrelated to our major. But Cen Zhi, yours surprised me the most,” Duan Rujin said. “I’m not going to judge if it’s ‘more meaningful’ or not, but yours definitely surprised me the most.”

“And then?”

“So after I heard about it from Yu Lu, I shamelessly tagged along. Then I got bitten by a cat and had to get three rabies shots.”

Cen Zhi let out an “Mhm”: “And after that, I accompanied you for the shots, and now we’re on the phone.”

“Right.”

Cen Zhi couldn’t describe the feeling, but she felt the pent-up gloom from tonight slowly dissolving.

“Thank you, Duan Rujin.” Cen Zhi pursed her lips.

Duan Rujin laughed. “What are you thanking me for now?”

“Thanking you, a big star, for calling me right now to comfort me and ease the weight on my heart.” These words weren’t hard to say; Cen Zhi spoke them sincerely and directly.

There was a long silence. Cen Zhi thought Duan Rujin might have fallen asleep and tentatively called her name: “Duan Rujin?”

“I’m awake.” Duan Rujin’s voice came through. “I was just thinking about something.”

Cen Zhi was puzzled. “Does it involve me?”

“In a way,” Duan Rujin said leisurely. “I was wondering if my job makes you feel such a sense of distance that you’d say something like ‘thanking you, a big star’.”

“A little.”

“Another ‘a little’.” That was the same answer Cen Zhi gave when asked if the reunion was a surprise.

Cen Zhi rolled over and didn’t speak. Sleepiness suddenly hit her, and her consciousness blurred within moments.

Duan Rujin sat on her end of the phone, choosing her words. When she called Cen Zhi’s name again and got no response, she let out a soft sigh: “When will the first ‘a little’ become ‘a lot,’ and the second ‘a little’ disappear?”

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