Chapter 39
The kitten food was delicious, but Jiang Heng couldn’t ignore his unease.
The villa was large, and even though he explored different areas every day, a cat could easily entertain itself in such a large space.
But whenever Jiang Heng left Lu Yichuan’s sight for more than ten minutes, the man would always find him without fail.
He wouldn’t rush back, just stand at a distance, watching quietly, and only when Jiang Heng was tired of playing would he take him home.
Jiang Heng felt like he was trapped in a large cage.
A cage built by Lu Yichuan.
He seemed free, but his every move was under the man’s surveillance. Lu Yichuan hadn’t left the villa for a week, and he hadn’t seen another human being. Their lives seemed to revolve solely around each other.
Jiang Heng didn’t understand why he was doing this, but he had a feeling that things were heading in a dangerous direction.
Worried, Jiang Heng woke up particularly early the next day.
It was still dark outside when he opened his eyes, only a faint glimmer of dawn visible on the horizon. The man who had been lying beside him was gone, only the residual warmth in the bedsheets remained.
Jiang Heng rolled over and found Lu Yichuan on the balcony.
The man was leaning against the railing, talking on the phone. The balcony door was closed, and the soundproofing prevented Jiang Heng from hearing the conversation.
The morning air was cold. Lu Yichuan was only wearing thin pajamas, his fingers gripping the railing white from the cold. His expression lacked its usual gentleness, replaced by a deep weariness.
Watching him closely, Jiang Heng noticed how pale his lips were against his ashen skin, his face as white as a sheet.
Jiang Heng watched him discreetly, unnoticed by Lu Yichuan. He didn’t know what was said on the other end of the call, but Lu Yichuan’s lips curved into a cynical smile before he hung up.
Dawn gradually broke, the cold morning light illuminating Lu Yichuan’s face. He leaned against the railing, his fingertips rubbing together, looking like he wanted to smoke, but then, changing his mind, he simply stood there for a while, letting the wind blow against his face, before returning to the bedroom.
The moment he entered, Jiang Heng quickly turned his back to him, pretending to be asleep.
He could feel the man standing by the bed, but he didn’t approach immediately. Only after the chill from the balcony had dissipated did he pull back the covers.
As if afraid of waking him, Lu Yichuan’s movements were gentle. Instead of covering him with the blanket, he first pulled the kitten, whose back was still turned to him, closer.
Jiang Heng’s breathing was shallow. He could feel the man’s slightly cool fingers brushing against his head, then moving to his chest.
He had always thought it was just his way of petting him, but now he suddenly realized:
He wasn’t petting him; he was pressing his fingertips against his heart, as if to confirm that he was still alive.
Jiang Heng’s heart clenched involuntarily.
His hand rested there, the touch light, yet Jiang Heng felt his heart, his entire being, constricted, an unbearable ache spreading through him.
Jiang Heng had never been a particularly bright child. Whether it was studying or other things, he always needed more time than others to understand and grasp concepts.
He had always been carefree, without any great aspirations, never thinking there was anything wrong with being that way.
Until now, nestled against Lu Yichuan, his back against the man’s heart, his heart beneath his fingertips.
The usually optimistic Jiang Heng felt a pang of regret.
He regretted his own slowness, his obliviousness to the things that had been happening right in front of him.
The golden sun peeked over the horizon, its rays dispelling the chill of the night.
The man, leaning against the bed, would always meet the kitten’s gaze the moment it woke up and softly say, “Good morning.”
A new day had begun.
Jiang Heng thought, it was time to confirm a few things.
While the man was making breakfast, Jiang Heng went to the full-length mirror.
He examined the collar around his neck. He had been well-fed these past few days, and with Lu Yichuan diligently applying hair growth serum, his fur had grown significantly, and he no longer looked like a bald kitten.
The short fur covered most of the collar, obscuring the inscription. He could only vaguely make out a string of numbers, probably Lu Yichuan’s phone number.
The silent bell at the top was clearly visible, and as he moved, he could hear something rolling inside.
He knew it was a tracker.
Because of this tracker, Lu Yichuan could always find him, no matter where he went.
And now, Jiang Heng extended a paw and skillfully unfastened the collar, pulling it off, along with the red string he had been ignoring.
He glanced at the man in the kitchen, jumped nimbly onto the windowsill, and disappeared.
He knew the paths of the small garden better than anyone. Within minutes, Jiang Heng reached the wall surrounding the villa.
He climbed onto the wall and sat on one of the pillars.
He hadn’t actually intended to leave; he just wanted to test something.
But he hadn’t expected to encounter another cat before Lu Yichuan arrived.
It was a white cat, its fur dirty and matted, but its body surprisingly round, like a gas canister.
The gas canister clumsily tried to climb the wall surrounding the villa, but halfway up, its weight proved too much, and it fell back down.
Looking up, it saw Jiang Heng watching it from above.
The white cat froze when it saw him, then its eyes lit up, and it cried out, “I finally found you! Do you know how much effort I’ve put into finding you?!”
Jiang Heng pawed the ground, confused. “Finding me?”
The white cat twitched its nose, sniffing the air, as if confirming his scent. “Yes, it’s you! It’s this scent, I can’t be mistaken.”
Jiang Heng was even more confused. “But I don’t know you.”
“It’s enough that I know you.” The white cat meowed. “Do you know how dangerous your current situation is? That human you’re with, he’s not normal!”
Hearing this, Jiang Heng turned to look at it. “What do you mean? You know Lu Yichuan?”
The white cat hesitated, then decided to skip the question. “Just come with me first.”
Jiang Heng wasn’t stupid. He didn’t know this white cat; he wasn’t going to just leave with it.
He sat motionless on the pillar. “Why should I go with you?”
The white cat said, “You’re supposed to be with me. We’re from the same world.”
“What do you mean ‘same world’? Do you know something?”
The white cat got up, waddled over, and sat down, looking up at Jiang Heng. Just as it opened its mouth to speak, its eyes widened, and it let out a gasp.
Jiang Heng also froze, then, as if sensing something, he turned around. As expected, he saw Lu Yichuan standing behind him.
The man’s face was devoid of its usual gentle smile, a chilling coldness in his eyes, a storm brewing in their dark depths.
He looked at Jiang Heng, his hand outstretched, just like that day in the woods behind the university.
“Come down.”
Under his gaze, Jiang Heng instinctively took a step forward.
The white cat called out behind him, “Don’t go! Can’t you see? He’s not normal!”
“I…” Jiang Heng opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the man below spoke again.
“Come down, I’ll take you home.”
Lu Yichuan turned slightly, his cold gaze falling on the white cat outside the wall. “Or do you want to leave with it?”
The white cat urged Jiang Heng to jump down and leave with it, but Jiang Heng looked at Lu Yichuan.
He sat motionless on the pillar, as if he hadn’t heard their calls.
He stared at Lu Yichuan, his glassy eyes meeting his dark gaze.
The moment their eyes met, Lu Yichuan’s throat tightened, the words of urging he had been about to utter caught in his throat.
Jiang Heng continued to look at him.
Even though the kitten had grown, it was still small. After being meticulously cared for by Lu Yichuan for two weeks, its thin face had filled out a little, making it look even more adorable.
Very cute.
But under its gaze, Lu Yichuan couldn’t speak. He recognized this look. Jiang Heng had always looked at him like this when he was angry, ever since they were children.
The color drained from Lu Yichuan’s face as if he had finally realized something, his fingers twitching uncontrollably.
After a long moment, he slowly lowered his hand and, his voice hoarse, said to Jiang Heng, “Come home with me, Rongrong.”
Hearing that nickname, Jiang Heng finally understood.
So he really did know he was Jiang Heng.
In those few seconds of realization, Lu Yichuan had already walked to the wall.
He looked up at him, a near-pleading in his eyes. “Rongrong, come down, okay? Come home with me.”
“You can’t go!” the white cat cried. “He’s already kept you locked up for two weeks!”
Lu Yichuan extended his hands towards Jiang Heng again, holding the collar he had taken off earlier.
“Rongrong should be by my side, shouldn’t he?”
He stared at him, as if trying to suppress something, the surging emotions battling against the forced calmness.
Finally, he managed a strained smile. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me.”
“You can’t break your promise.”
Without anything obstructing his view, Jiang Heng finally saw the inscription on the name tag clearly.
The two characters “Rongrong” were engraved right next to Lu Yichuan’s name, as if they were meant to be together, inseparable.
Looking at the tag, Jiang Heng thought back to that chaotic morning at the hospital, when he had once again brushed against death, the man in the hospital gown kneeling before him…
The words “Found you,” only now did Jiang Heng understand their true meaning.
But…
Jiang Heng stretched on the pillar and jumped, landing securely in the man’s arms.
It wasn’t Lu Yichuan who had found him.
He was the one who had traveled so far to find Lu Yichuan.
