Chapter 49
Jiang Heng wasn’t born optimistic. For a person to grow up cheerful and outgoing requires a great deal of love; only love can dispel fear and insecurity.
But his parents hadn’t given him that much love. The love that sustained him, that allowed him to grow up happy and carefree, had all come from Lu Yichuan.
When Jiang Heng was five, he had been left in the care of a nanny. The careless nanny hadn’t even bothered to cover him properly at night, and he had developed a high fever, burning up all night until he was finally discovered the next morning during breakfast.
When Jiang Heng woke up, he was in the hospital, no family members around, only Lu Yichuan sitting by his bedside, doing his homework.
Seven-year-old Lu Yichuan immediately noticed he was awake and pressed the call button.
Jiang Heng’s face was flushed with fever. He didn’t know what was wrong, just that he felt terrible, and he started to cry.
Lu Yichuan wiped his tears with a small handkerchief, trying to comfort him clumsily. “Don’t…don’t cry. You’re sick, but the doctor said you’ll be fine soon. You won’t die…”
Jiang Heng whimpered, “Mommy…I want Mommy…”
The little boy by the bed looked helpless, and with the nurse’s help, he called Zhao Huailan.
Zhao Huailan was very busy then, having worked non-stop for several days. Sparing ten minutes to comfort Jiang Heng was already pushing it.
“Be good, Xiao Heng. I’ve already fired that nanny. It’s just a fever. Listen to the nurse, and you can come home once your fever subsides. Mommy will give you some pocket money then; you can buy whatever you want…”
She also gave Lu Yichuan some instructions. “That Jiang Zhuo is too much of a handful, bringing him to the hospital would just be chaotic. Yichuan, can you help Auntie take care of Jiang Heng? Auntie is too busy to come back. I’ll buy you a present when I have time.”
She spoke quickly, rattling off her words and then hanging up before Jiang Heng could even say anything. It took him a moment to process what she had said.
“Isn’t she coming to see me?”
Five-year-old Jiang Heng looked around the hospital, the white walls blindingly bright, the nurse leaving after changing his IV drip. The room felt empty, with only Lu Yichuan by his side.
He was still young then and didn’t understand what it meant to be neglected. He just cried uncontrollably, his small face red and wrinkled, gasping for breath.
Lu Yichuan held his hand, the one with the IV drip, and clumsily wiped his tears. “Don’t cry. Your mother said she’s just very busy, she doesn’t have time, not that she doesn’t want to see you.”
Jiang Heng clutched his hand, tears streaming down his chin and onto his neck, soaking his collar. “B-but I feel so bad, and she didn’t even talk to me… Does…doesn’t she love me anymore?”
Seven-year-old Lu Yichuan couldn’t handle such complex emotional issues and could only offer a simple, “It’s okay, my mother doesn’t love me either.”
He stayed by Jiang Heng’s side until he finally cried himself to sleep, curled up against his pillow.
When Jiang Heng woke up again, the IV drip had been removed. His hand was numb, and it was dark outside, but the room was brightly lit.
Lu Yichuan was sitting at the desk by the window, writing something.
Jiang Heng stared at his back for a few seconds, then, clutching the blanket, his voice still hoarse, called out, “Yichuan-gege…”
Lu Yichuan turned around, his eyes lighting up when he saw him awake. He put down his pen, rushed over, and touched his forehead. “The doctor said your fever has subsided. How are you feeling? Better?”
Jiang Heng didn’t answer, just stared at him, then grabbed his hand. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore…”
His eyes were red-rimmed, his face still flushed, tears blurring his vision, his voice still carrying a childish lilt.
Lu Yichuan looked at the small hand clutching his and pursed his lips. “I won’t abandon you.”
Five-year-old Jiang Heng held his hand tightly, as if drawing warmth from him.
His mother didn’t care about him, but Lu Yichuan would always be there for him.
He instinctively clung to Lu Yichuan’s hand, like a fragile seedling finally finding a sturdy tree to cling to.
From then on, he became inseparable from Lu Yichuan.
The Jiang family was wealthier than the Lu family then, and everyone said Lu Yichuan was only friends with Jiang Heng to curry favor with his family.
But Jiang Heng knew that Lu Yichuan was smart and mature, capable of things beyond his years. Even without him, Lu Yichuan would still be the same outstanding Lu Yichuan.
He was a star, destined to shine.
But Jiang Heng wasn’t.
He was clumsy and cried easily, not smart, not brave, easily overlooked. Without Lu Yichuan, no one would even notice him.
So he tried his best to stay close to him, to cling to him, seeking the love he had never received from his own family.
But the love Lu Yichuan gave him was always more than he asked for.
The day Jiang Heng was discharged from the hospital after his fever, little Lu Yichuan clumsily helped him put on his jacket. The bright yellow cartoon jacket made Jiang Heng’s face look even paler, the flush from the fever still lingering, tears still clinging to his eyelashes.
Lu Yichuan buttoned his jacket. “Don’t be afraid. Your mother doesn’t want you, but I want you.”
Jiang Heng hadn’t understood the weight of those words back then, just clutched his clothes, afraid of being abandoned.
After that, Lu Yichuan was a constant presence in Jiang Heng’s life, fulfilling his promise, taking care of him meticulously.
From his initial insecurity and anxiety, Jiang Heng gradually became cheerful and confident. Like a carefree bird, he soared through the sky, knowing there was always someone supporting him.
He gave all his light to Jiang Heng.
Until Jiang Heng’s third year of middle school, when Qian Lu, Lu Yichuan’s mother, confronted him.
Jiang Heng rarely saw her lose control; more often, he saw the injuries on Lu Yichuan. Lu Yichuan also subconsciously avoided any contact between him and his mother.
Outwardly, Qian Lu was still elegant and poised, every strand of hair perfectly in place.
By then, the Lu family had risen in status, while the Jiang family had declined, their positions reversed.
The elegant woman looked Jiang Heng up and down, her gaze cold and indifferent, none of the warmth she had shown him when he was younger.
“It’s been a while. You seem to be doing well. Lu Yichuan has taken good care of you, you’ve gotten quite chubby.”
Jiang Heng fidgeted with the handle of his coffee cup, unsure how to respond.
Qian Lu put down her coffee cup, the sound echoing in the quiet café.
“To be honest, I dislike your eyes. So clear, so transparent, easy to see through.”
She tapped her long, pale fingers on the table. “You live such a simple life, unaware of the burdens others carry for you.”
Jiang Heng’s heart skipped a beat, his throat tightening. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The woman smiled, her lips a slash of red. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here to tell you…” She paused, “…to stay away from my son.”
Jiang Heng opened his mouth to protest, but Qian Lu interrupted him. “I’m telling you, not asking you.”
“Of course, you can choose not to listen.” She continued calmly, taking out a few photos from her bag and tossing them in front of him. “I don’t like forcing others, but because of you, my son has become very…disobedient. And disobedience comes with a price.”
Jiang Heng’s palms were clammy. His trembling fingers picked up the nearest photo.
It was a casual snapshot, the light and shadow divided into two halves, one brightly lit, the other shrouded in darkness.
A boy was kneeling in the shadows, his back straight, but his shoulder stained with blood.
Jiang Heng’s hand trembled, and the photo slipped from his grasp. He looked at the other photos, but he didn’t have the courage to pick them up.
Qian Lu tapped her long nails on the table. “I can’t do anything to you directly, but someone has to pay the price for disobedience, don’t you agree?”
Jiang Heng’s face paled, and he couldn’t speak.
He knew Lu Yichuan had many problems, and he had always been careful around him, trying not to be a burden.
He hadn’t expected that he would become the source of his problems.
Lu Yichuan always noticed when something was wrong with him.
The boy always smiled when he was with him, his clothes clean and tidy, his eyes warm when he looked at him.
“What’s wrong, Rongrong? You seem unhappy.”
Jiang Heng sat on the sofa, hugging his knees, watching as Lu Yichuan brushed his slightly longer hair away from his eyes.
He looked up. “Lu Yichuan, let’s not be so close anymore, okay?”
The boy’s hand froze. “What do you mean?”
Jiang Heng averted his gaze, picking at the sofa cover. “I think…we should…spend some time apart.”
The hand hovering over his head dropped. “Is that what you really want?”
Jiang Heng lowered his head and didn’t speak.
After a long moment, Lu Yichuan said, “Okay.”
That was all he said.
Then he stood up and left the room.
Click. The door closed, and a heavy silence settled over Jiang Heng. He lowered his head, tears silently falling.
They drifted apart after that, until the eve of Lu Yichuan’s college entrance exams.
“The Lu family’s business is moving north. Jiang Heng, I’m moving.”
Jiang Heng was stunned, then after a long moment, managed a dry, “Oh.”
“Does Rongrong want me to leave?”
Jiang Heng looked down, his shoes scuffing against the steps, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, “Be…be careful on the road.”
He didn’t dare to look up. After a few seconds, he heard Lu Yichuan say,
“I understand.”
Jiang Heng thought sadly, it seemed he had truly lost Lu Yichuan.
Some people are like drugs. The separation itself might not be painful, but the withdrawal symptoms are agonizing.
And Jiang Heng couldn’t quit.
He watched Lu Yichuan from afar, saw him excel, saw the growing number of people around him. As he had expected, Lu Yichuan was gold, he was shining, and even without him, he was living well.
Jiang Heng could only strive to become better, to shine brighter, hoping to catch his eye.
He studied hard for two years and finally got accepted into A University. He looked at the acceptance letter with joy, no longer caring that he wasn’t the Jiang family’s biological son, all he wanted was Lu Yichuan.
All he wanted was Lu Yichuan…
But why did he have to be the one to die?
…
Jiang Heng was timid and cowardly; he had always waited for Lu Yichuan to come to him. But this time, he wanted to do something himself.
The villa was quiet at night. Jiang Heng woke up and saw that the person beside him hadn’t stirred.
He called out tentatively a few times, then, seeing that the man was sound asleep, jumped off the bed.
It was quiet outside, even the chirping of insects had subsided, only a crescent moon hung in the sky.
A black and a white figure were squatting outside the wall, turning their furry faces to look at him.
The white cat spoke first. “How was it? My medicine worked well, right?”
Jiang Heng sized up the wall, grabbed the railing, and climbed up. He jumped down on the other side before answering the white cat’s question.
“It worked perfectly! I called him so many times, but he didn’t even react.”
The white cat chuckled.
The black cat swatted its head and looked at Jiang Heng, its expression complex. “You…you really want to see the Divine Cat Lord?”
Jiang Heng said nervously, “I haven’t prepared anything, will the Divine Cat Lord be angry?”
“Probably not…” the black cat started, then hesitated, as if wanting to tell him something, then stopped. “Forget it, follow me.”
Jiang Heng immediately followed the black cat.
He was a short-legged Munchkin cat, and even when running, his speed was…concerning.
The black cat looked at the moon, then at Jiang Heng’s legs, and crouched down in front of the little kitten. “Get on.”
“Are you sure?” Jiang Heng said as he climbed onto the black cat’s back.
After Jiang Heng was securely on its back, the black cat turned to look at the still-jiggling white cat. “You go back.”
Then, like a flash of lightning, it darted away.
Jiang Heng instinctively clung to its fur, his jaw dropping as the scenery whizzed by –
“Whoa~”
Without the slowpoke, the black cat moved quickly, and they reached the summit in no time.
Moonlight streamed through the trees, illuminating the small wooden cat statue at the entrance of the dilapidated building.
The black cat stood in front of the statue and repeated the same words as before, “This is the Divine Cat Lord.”
Jiang Heng, without even glancing at the building behind the statue, squatted down reverently, thought for a moment, then bowed deeply, muttering,
“Divine Cat Lord, I have come to disturb you at this late hour, please forgive my intrusion.”
The black cat discreetly moved aside.
He said, “I know Lu Yichuan came to see you this morning.”
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you want something, you have to pay the price. I don’t know what he said to you, but I want to say, I don’t have a strong desire to become human. Being alive is already a great blessing; I can’t be too greedy.”
“I don’t know if my resurrection is a good thing or a bad thing, and I don’t know if it has anything to do with Lu Yichuan…”
“But I beg you, if there are consequences, let them fall on me alone. He’s innocent.”
The short-haired kitten, so small it was almost invisible in the grass,
“I’ll bear the karmic burden. I just want him to be safe and healthy.”
He had already died once; all he wanted was for Lu Yichuan to live a good life.
Thank you for the update! This chapter is so heartbreaking ;-;