Chapter 3: The Unreliable OG Cat

Inside the restaurant,
After Kris and the others sat down, OG Cat ordered three dishes: two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, along with a bottle of the cheapest white wine, half a pound.
"Don't worry about saving money for me, order a couple more dishes," Kris said, being somewhat insincerely polite.
"Forget it, you're new and haven’t gotten your salary yet. This is good enough," OG Cat replied. Although he could be a bit blunt, he clearly wasn't a bad guy. He rubbed his cold hands together, then looked up at Kris and asked, "I heard you're from the planning district?"
"Yeah," Kris nodded.
"It must have been tough over there, right?"
"It wasn’t that bad. People just fear change," Kris smiled. "Once you get used to it, it’s the same anywhere."
"True enough."
"..."
The three young men had no generational gap, and since both OG Cat and Kris were easy-going, love to joke around, they quickly got familiar with each other. During the conversation, Kris noticed one detail—Lin, in both his body language and tone, seemed to be somewhat deferential toward OG Cat. His posture was low, as if constantly trying to please him.
Once the food and drinks arrived, Kris raised his glass and said, "Now that we're seated, we're friends. I’m new here, so let’s stick together and look out for each other."
"There’s nothing to look out for," OG Cat replied bluntly. "These days, if you have the ability, you can eat meat anywhere. If you’re useless, no one can help you." He showed his teeth with a grin and added, "But we should definitely stick together. Just for the fact that you dared to stand up to Third Brother, I’ll call you a friend."
"Heh," Kris smiled. "Cheers."
"Cheers!"
They all clinked their glasses and downed them.
"Come on, pour some more," Lin wiped his mouth, grabbed the bottle, and began to refill OG Cat’s glass. "Old brother, about the thing I told you last time, can it be done?"
OG Cat rolled his eyes and picked up a small piece of beef with his chopsticks, teasing, "You’re too sly. Little Yu treats, and you’re asking for favors. How come all your cleverness is spent on that?"
Lin didn’t feel awkward and scratched his head in response, "I’m just... tight on money."
"Fuck, when have you not been tight on money?" OG Cat frowned as he chewed. "Anyway, I asked about your situation. There are no vacancies in administrative positions right now. If you want one, you’ll have to pray. But you don’t have that kind of money, so just wait a bit longer."
Kris was taken aback and curiously asked, "Why do you insist on an administrative position?"
"He's a coward," OG Cat smirked. "Last year, the police commissioner reported up top. In six months, we lost thirty-five people. The world is in chaos right now. He doesn't feel secure in the first team and wants a lighter job."
"Oh, I see." Kris didn’t seem surprised, because the security situation here was a lot more peaceful compared to the planning district.
OG Cat turned to Lin and scolded him with disdain, "Lin, you have to understand something. The world has changed. If you don’t fight and take risks, when will you ever get ahead? I could get you into the administrative department, but if you have no connections, they’ll just push you out in no time. You know what they say? Opportunities come with the times. Just look at Yuan Ke’s older brother. Before the Ninth District was established, he was nothing. But when the world got chaotic, he rose up. Now in the black market area, no one dares to mess with him, right? He’s married six times. Who did he rely on? No one, right?"
"I can’t compare to him," Lin grinned, showing his teeth. "I just want a peaceful life, to be able to feed myself, my mom, and my sister."
"That's all you aspire to?" OG Cat shook his head, disappointed. "I got you into the first team, thinking you'd find an opportunity and get ahead. But now you're just running errands, washing socks, serving tea. No wonder people kick you when they're bored. You don't even have an equal status, yet you’re talking about building connections? Is this how you make friends?"
Lin lowered his head and stayed silent.
"Sigh, with this weak character of yours, your dad named you Lin. I’m so great, but my mom named me OG Cat... where's the logic in that?" OG Cat shook his head in frustration.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's change the subject," Kris intervened to ease the tension.
With that, Lin didn’t bring up the job transfer again. The three of them drank and chatted, and time passed quickly.
By 9 PM, Lin glanced at his phone again and said, "Something came up at home, I have to go. See you tomorrow."
"Not staying for a bit longer?" Kris asked.
"No, I have to head back," Lin replied.
"Then let me walk you out."
"No need, I’ll be fine."
"Take care."
"It’s fine."
"..."
After a few parting words, Lin quickly left, and Kris stayed behind to continue drinking with OG Cat, who had no intention of leaving.
"OG Cat, since we’re drinking together, that means we're friends," Kris said with a slightly flushed face. "Let’s try to give Lin a bit of face."
"I wasn’t insulting him. I’m just trying to get him to step up!" OG Cat pounded the table excitedly, speaking directly. "You know, if someone keeps kneeling, they’ll never stand up. Do you understand?"
Kris nodded thoughtfully.
"I only have him as a friend in the police force. I can’t stand seeing him so desperate," OG Cat shook his head and then stopped himself. "Forget it, I’ll go take care of some business."
"What business?" Kris asked, confused.
"I’ve been observing that girl from earlier. She’s probably not involved with those four guys." OG Cat blinked and whispered, "I think it’s time to make a move."
Kris was confused, "Which girl?"
"Fuck, how can you not get it? The one who got out of the car by the door," OG Cat grinned. "She looks great. I’ve got three boners just from looking at her. Hey, doesn’t she remind you of that actress from back in the day, Jeon Ji-hyun... tall with long legs?"
Kris was sweating bullets, "Bro, calm down. It's not the same anymore, it’s pretty chaotic..."
"It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m gonna try it out!" OG Cat rubbed his palms together, grinning as he stood up and headed for the table near the window.

Outside the restaurant:
Lin stood by the roadside, taking two deep puffs of his e-cigarette. He hesitated for a long time before pulling out his phone, intending to call Kris. However, as his thumb pressed the screen, he remembered that Kris’s new phone hadn’t been connected to the communication system yet. So, he could only dial OG Cat’s number.

Inside the restaurant:
OG Cat straightened his little side part, then walked over to the table by the window where the girl was sitting. Smiling, he greeted her, “Hey there, beautiful, out for dinner with your family?”
The girl, who had been staring out the window, turned her head, looking confused, and asked, “You… need something?”
“Well, haha, I’m a director for the TV station’s star anchor program. We’re holding auditions. Would you be interested?” OG Cat asked, lying smoothly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the short middle-aged man sitting across from the girl exchanged a strange look with his companion and asked in Japanese, “納品のですか (Delivery?)”
His companion glanced at OG Cat and frowned slightly, “隠語ではない (He’s not speaking in code).”
By the time they were talking, the girl had realized what was going on and, with a bright smile, said to OG Cat, “Is it really a TV station? What a coincidence, I’m studying broadcasting.”
OG Cat didn’t expect the girl to be so receptive, and his eyes lit up. He quickly said, “That’s great! Do you have contact information? Leave me your number, and we can talk later.”
As he spoke, OG Cat took out his personal phone and handed it to her. (This wasn’t the one issued by the police department).
The girl took the phone and was about to input her number.
"Slap!"
The short middle-aged man suddenly stood up and grabbed her arm, frowning. “Give him back the phone, it’s time to eat.”
“Uncle, I’m quite interested,” the girl said, smiling as she looked up.
“I told you to give the phone back,” the middle-aged man repeated, his tone stern.
OG Cat tilted his head, casting a quick glance at the man, and smiled widely, saying, “I really am from the TV station. Don’t worry, I mean no harm.”
The girl hesitated, then handed the phone back to OG Cat, saying with a smile, “Well, forget it. Sorry about that.”
OG Cat was pleased by her response, but when the “goblin” interrupted, his mood soured. He opened his mouth to argue, but the girl insisted.
“Forget it, thank you,” she said firmly.
OG Cat paused, staring at her for two seconds before gritting his teeth and saying, “If you say so, then I’ll stop. Sorry for disturbing you.”

One minute later:
OG Cat bent down and sat opposite Kris, a strange expression on his face.
“Did she reject you?” Kris asked, as he picked up some food.
OG Cat blinked rapidly and kicked Kris under the table, motioning him to look down.
Kris was puzzled, but he looked down and saw OG Cat’s right hand holding his phone. OG Cat whispered, “Look at the screen.”
Kris glanced at the phone screen and saw “959595” being entered.
“What does that mean?” Kris asked, confused.
OG Cat rubbed his face with his left hand and lowered his head, muttering, “Damn it… looks like we ran into trouble.”
“Your meaning is…?” Kris asked, still trying to process.
“The four guys and the girl are definitely not together. She kicked me under the table earlier,” OG Cat took a sip of his drink. “But I can’t tell what their plan is. However, something’s off. The girl wanted us to help her.”
At the table near the window, the short middle-aged man glanced at his watch, his expression cold. He whispered to his companion, “Was the guy who just came in an accidental encounter, or was he testing us?”
“It’s hard to say,” the companion shook his head.
“He seems a bit clueless,” the short man’s gaze swept nervously over OG Cat. “Time’s up. We’re not waiting anymore. Let’s go.”
“Alright,” the companion nodded, his voice cold as he spoke to the girl. “Don’t cause any trouble. Come with us.”
The girl, sweat beading on her forehead, stole a quick glance at OG Cat before nodding in agreement.

A short distance away:
OG Cat was fidgeting anxiously, rubbing his face. He leaned over to Kris and whispered, “What should we do? Are we getting involved or not?”
“Creak!”
Just then, an all-electric car pulled up outside the restaurant.