The Nutrition is Too Good - Chap 30
Chapter 30 – A Lifetime
Rong Mian asked the hotel reception for a wet tissue and carefully wiped Shen Yan’s necklace.
Coincidentally, Kong Sandou had also changed his clothes and followed them. They cautiously protected the necklace worth eighty thousand yuan and knocked on Shen Yan’s door together.
Shen Yan was overjoyed to have recovered her precious necklace and kept thanking them. She directly took out all the snacks from her gift bag and gave them to Rong Mian and Kong Sandou.
Rong Mian had eaten crab and was quite full, so he asked Kong Sandou to take it away.
Kong Sandou happily carried the snacks back to his room to enjoy them. It was then that Rong Mian realized that he had left Zhong Yi alone in the restaurant.
Rong Mian returned to the restaurant and found that Zhong Yi had already left.
Rong Mian and Zhong Yi’s rooms were opposite each other. Rong Mian speculated that Zhong Yi must have returned to his room, so he took the elevator to his own floor and indeed saw Zhong Yi at the other end of the corridor.
Rong Mian walked up to Zhong Yi and asked, “Did you forget to bring your room key?”
Zhong Yi seemed to hesitate for a moment and then looked up after a while, saying, “I have something to tell you.”
Rong Mian sensed that Zhong Yi’s emotions seemed a bit off, but he obediently opened his own room door and let Zhong Yi in.
“Do you want a drink?” Rong Mian asked. “This hotel is very generous, and the drinks are free, even though I don’t like soda.”
Zhong Yi replied, “No, thank you.”
Rong Mian pursed his lips.
He turned around and stared at Zhong Yi’s face, pondering for a moment. After a while, he walked to his side, tilted his face up, and gently kissed Zhong Yi’s cheek.
Zhong Yi hesitated for a moment but still remained silent, leaving Rong Mian feeling a bit unsure.
“…Next time, I can peel the crab for you to eat,” Rong Mian said hesitantly. “Although I’m not very skilled, I can learn.”
Zhong Yi shook his head.
As if gathering great determination, he took a deep breath, lifted his head, and met Rong Mian’s eyes.
“I actually saw you on the beach earlier,” Zhong Yi said through gritted teeth. “I heard you calling that black Shiba…”
Rong Mian fell silent for a moment and then let out a soft sigh.
He said, “So you found out after all.”
As soon as these words left Rong Mian’s mouth, Zhong Yi truly felt a chill run down his entire body.
“But it’s actually okay if it was you who discovered,”
Rong Mian said. “Just as you saw it, Kong Sandou is a black-haired dog and her sense of smell is very strong. Shen Yan has a strong perfume scent on her, so Kong Sandou was able to find it quickly.”
Just now, Kong Sandou remembered the scent of Shen Yan’s perfume residue on the jelly packaging, then walked around the beach to roughly pinpoint an area.
She called Rong Mian and secretly transformed back into a dog under the coconut tree. She continued to use her dog nose to accurately search and locate for a while, and soon succeeded in digging out the necklace from the sand on the beach.
Although Zhong Yi already knew that he was a cat, Rong Mian didn’t know if Kong Sandou was willing to reveal her true identity, so at that time, he chose to conceal it from Zhong Yi and went to find Kong Sandou alone.
However, he didn’t expect to be discovered by Zhong Yi after all.
There is only a bar light was turned on, making the room dimly lit. Zhong Yi remained silent for a while, with a blank expression on his face.
So Rong Mian asked softly, “Are you okay?”
Zhong Yi truly felt like either he was going crazy or the world was going crazy.
He was stunned.
“No, it’s such a big person.”
Zhong Yi felt absurd, he felt his breath starting to chill, and he gestured with his hand, “How, how could she suddenly turn into such a big dog?”
Rong Mian looked at Zhongyi’s profile with some frustration and whispered, “She can transform whenever she wants.”
Zhong Yi took another painful breath.
Zhong Yi: “Then, what does she eat every day?”
Rong Mian: “Sandou isn’t picky with food, she can eat a lot, even vegetables. Her favorite might be pork ribs, but she also likes drinking water.”
Zhong Yi: “Doesn’t it feel awkward for her to walk on two legs now?”
Rong Mian stared blankly at Zhongyi’s face.
Zhong Yi also realized that he was starting to speak incoherently. He turned his face away, took a deep breath after a while, and said, “I need some time.”
Zhong Yi struggled more than Rong Mian expected to accept the news. He felt lost.
With his hands covering his forehead, Zhong Yi continued to ponder in pain for a while. Suddenly, he looked up and asked, “How long have you known about this?”
Rong Mian thought for a moment and replied, “I’ve known San Dou for three years.”
Yi Zhong paused and asked another question, “So, are you… her owner?”
Rong Mian was taken aback and said, “Of course not, we are friends.”
The title of “owner” carries a lot of weight for small animals. It means a lifetime of responsibility and care, and besides, Rong Mian himself is a small animal.
He found it strange and unusual that Yi Zhong would ask such a question.
Zhong Yi’s expression was really peculiar. Rong Mian thought carefully and realized that Zhong Yi might be afraid of slightly larger dogs like Kong Sandou. Suddenly, it all made sense to Rong Mian.
“Sandou has a very good temperament. She rarely transforms into a dog form and she has completely adapted to life as a human. She won’t bite anyone.”
Rong Mian reassured Zhong Yi, “You don’t have to be afraid.”
Zhong Yi paused and said, “I know.”
Zhong Yi could tell that Kong Sandou was diligent in her actions and had a good relationship with Rong Mian. She always had a simple and happy demeanor, so she definitely didn’t have any malicious intentions.
However, when it came to supernatural things like this, if Zhong Yi hadn’t witnessed it with his own eyes that day and today, it would have been really difficult for him to accept.
Zhong Yi not only felt like he had wasted his biology education in middle and high school, but he also had a feeling of having wasted the first half of his life. He really needed some time to process it.
Zhong Yi felt like everything he saw now was off. He even started to doubt if the bedside lamp would one day turn into some muscular guy and say, “Good morning, it’s bright outside, you can turn me off now.”
Zhong Yi looked up and met Rong Mian’s eyes, and his heart gradually calmed down.
It’s just a matter of time.
Zhong Yi thought that Rong Mian probably had a hard time accepting it at first too, but now he had adapted well. He just needed some time to digest it properly.
Rong Mian patiently waited for Yi Zhong to recover. However, after a whole day of filming, he couldn’t help but feel tired, so he covered his mouth and yawned quietly.
Zhong Yi cleared his throat and said, “… You should go and sleep first. I’ll leave now.”
Rong Mian softly murmured, “Mm.”
But he still stood there without moving, patiently staring at Zhong Yi’s face as if waiting for something.
Zhong Yi paused for a moment, lowered his head, and kissed Rong Mian on the mouth.
Rong Mian’s eyes were bright, and only then did he wave his hand to Zhong Yi and whispered, “Goodnight.”
Zhong Yi slowly walked out of the room and closed the door.
He felt that this little kiss had a truly comforting power, as his cold hands and feet gradually warmed up, and he finally started to relax.
So much had happened that day, and Zhong Yi’s scalp was still tingling.
Moreover, for some reason, Zhong Yi always felt like something was off.
However, Zhong Yi’s mind was currently in disarray, and he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong, nor could he figure out what was off. He knew he needed to go to sleep soon.
Zhong Yi furrowed his brow and glanced at the door of Rong Mian’s room.
He murmured to himself, “… What’s wrong?”
Shen Yan, who played the role of a People’s Teacher, was actually the mastermind behind the entire drama, and today Zhong Yi was filming a crucial confrontation scene with her.
This scene had nothing to do with Rong Mian, so Kong Sandou happily took Rong Mian and found a coconut tree full of coconuts. Itched by curiosity, he wanted to pick one and give it a try.
However, the tree was too tall, and it was difficult for them to climb. So, in the end, they sat down where they were and settled for playing with the sand on the beach instead.
Kong Sandou worked hard to build a rough hemisphere and asked Rong Mian to guess what it was.
Rong Mian tried to identify it for a while and said, “It’s a basketball.”
Kong Sandou felt disappointed and said, “I clearly built Uncle Yun’s face.”
They both realized that they might lack a bit of artistic talent, so they chose to sit under the shade of a tree and watch Zhong Yi and Shen Yan filming.
After some thought, Rong Mian decided to tell her about Zhong Yi discovering that Kong Sandou was a Shiba Inu, yesterday. Kong Sandou waved her hand casually, indicating that it didn’t matter.
However, Rong Mian still felt a bit puzzled and an indescribable sense of unease when he remembered Zhong Yi’s strange state last night.
Just as Zhong Yi finished filming this scene, he noticed Rong Mian’s gaze from a distance and was about to walk towards her when a staff member intercepted him and said something to him.
Rong Mian saw Zhong Yi pause for a moment, nod, and follow the staff member away.
Before Rong Mian could react to what had just happened, Shen Yan secretly pulled Rong Mian to her side.
Also, other actors in the group, the director’s team, extras, and most of the staff were present, and everyone, except Zhong Yi, gathered together.
Shen Yan started speaking, and Rong Mian learned that Zhong Yi had just been intentionally sent away because the day after tomorrow is Zhong Yi’s birthday.
Everyone decided to sing a birthday song for Zhong Yi when they finish work tomorrow. Shen Yan has already bought the cake and is planning to surprise him with the whole crew.
Rong Mian listened dazedly as they talked about flowers, cake, and gifts for a long time, and then realized belatedly that tomorrow would be a very important day for Zhong Yi.
Actually, little animals don’t have the concept of birthdays. When they were at the cat cafe, everyone celebrated their birthdays on the day they were brought back by Uncle Yun.
The birthday cat has the privilege of not having to work on that day and can sleep in the hammock all day, which only Uncle Yun can do on regular days (except for Kong Sandou, due to weight issues, but she will have an extra chance to play with a ball in the park). They also get a top-notch cat food can with colorful candles during dinner.
However, Rong Mian knows that when humans have a birthday, it is customary to give a gift, but he didn’t prepare anything for Zhong Yi and doesn’t know what he should give.
So Rong Mian went back to the room and made a video call to Yun Min.
First, Rong Mian showed Yun Min the sea and coconut trees outside the window, as well as the complimentary drinks from the hotel minibar.
“Uncle Yun, Zhong Yi’s birthday is coming up,” Rong Mian said, “but I don’t know what to give him.”
On the screen, Yun Min’s expression froze for a moment.
Rong Mian continued talking to himself, “There are many fish in the sea here, I can catch some and give them to him, but he doesn’t seem to like fish very much. Or maybe I can ask Sandou to pick a coconut for him, but then it wouldn’t be a gift from me…”
“Mianzi,”
Yun Min hesitated for a moment, then interrupted Rong Mian, “I want to confirm something with you first.”
Rong Mian was taken aback and agreed.
Yun Min hesitated and then spoke, “What was the price you mentioned to Zhong Yi for the VIP guest?”
“You told me I could give him a discount, so it was five hundred per month.”
Rong Mian seemed surprised that the topic suddenly shifted here. He looked at Yun Min somewhat confusedly and asked, “He told me at that time that he would transfer the money to you. Did he give less?”
Yun Min’s expression became complicated again.
“It’s not about giving less.”
Yun Min sighed again and said, “I don’t know what he means by this, but it’s five million. We really can’t accept it.”
Rong Mian remained silent for a long time.
What does five million mean? With five million, you can buy many top-notch canned cat food, replace all the windows in the cat café with Uncle Yun’s favorite high-end curtains, open several more branches of the cat café, and even buy a treadmill that Kong Sandou has always wanted.
You could even buy dozens of necklaces that Shen Yan lost today.
Rong Mian wasn’t very good at math, but back then, he and Zhong Yi discussed a price of five hundred per month. With five million, that would be ten thousand months.
That’s a lifetime.
“Uncle Yun.”
After a moment, Rong Mian softly said, “I understand. I will talk to him.”
Rong Mian could feel his heart pounding rapidly.
In Rong Mian’s mind, Zhong Yi was a very special person. He knew that Zhong Yi was his VIP guest, but in reality, Zhong Yi held much more significance to Rong Mian than ordinary customers.
While Yun Min was an elder figure in Rong Mian’s eyes, Zhong Yi held a completely different role in his heart.
Zhong Yi is an awkward but gentle and kind-hearted person.
Rong Mian didn’t know what exactly this feeling was, but he knew that he really liked the crab claws Zhong Yi peeled for him, enjoyed the wontons and sausages Zhong Yi made for him, and also cherished the feeling of kissing Zhong Yi.
He simply liked Zhong Yi a lot.
Stray cats are naturally sensitive and cautious, difficult to tame and hard to claim as their own.
But if Zhong Yi wanted Rong Mian to accompany him for a lifetime, Rong Mian felt that he would be willing to agree.
Rong Mian knew what he wanted to give Zhong Yi.
“Yun Shu, do you still remember the bell collar you bought for me before, the one… that I didn’t want to wear?”
Rong Mian asked softly, “Can you… send it to me urgently?”
Author’s Note:
Hurry up, hurry up! Zhong 1’s brain is working at full speed. It’s probably just a matter of the next chapter.
