Chapter 51
That night, the villa was quiet, stars twinkling silently in the distant sky.
Lu Yichuan sat cross-legged on the carpet.
Only a dim nightlight illuminated the room, his face obscured by the shadows.
After a moment of silence, he reached inside his collar and retrieved the object hidden there. In the dim light, it no longer had its usual translucent sheen, but was instead tinged with a faint red, as if imbued with blood, pulsing faintly with a newfound vitality.
…
“This method isn’t orthodox. He doesn’t have the necessary foundation. You’ll have to create a human bone structure for him. Take the finger bone from your chest, nourish it with your blood essence, and when the time is right, implant it into his body.”
“But there’s a serious side effect. From then on, your life will be tied to his. If he dies, you will also die.”
“Even so, are you willing?”
“…I couldn’t ask for more.”
…
The window was open, a cold breeze blowing in. Lu Yichuan turned his head and coughed, then took a needle from the side and, without even flinching, pricked his fingertip.
A drop of crimson blood welled up. He extended his hand, slowly bringing it closer to the finger bone. The moment it touched the bone, the blood was absorbed instantly, the wound disappearing without a trace.
Only the finger bone looked a little redder now.
He observed it for a moment, then tucked it back inside his collar.
The next day was Saturday, and under Jiang Heng’s urging, Lu Yichuan packed his things to return to the university and finish his studies.
Before leaving, he took the cat to the orphanage.
The orphanage had finally completed its relocation two days prior, moving away from the noisy industrial district to a quiet suburb not far from the villa.
The children were having lunch when Lu Yichuan arrived, carrying the cat.
The same chubby caretaker stood at the front, holding a large ladle. It was a hot day, and he had changed from his short-sleeved shirt to a tank top, two green dragons tattooed on his arms, his voice booming,
“Line up, you little brats! Line up! Anyone who doesn’t behave, I’ll paddle their butts!”
Su Ye emerged from the kitchen carrying a large basin of food. She placed it on the table under the sunlight, wiped her hands on her apron, and looked up, seeing the man standing at the entrance.
He was dressed in a white shirt and black pants, a gold watch glittering on his wrist, his presence a stark contrast to the simple surroundings, the warm sunlight behind him casting a soft golden glow.
For a moment, she felt like she was back on that rainy afternoon.
But unlike his icy demeanor then, there was warmth in his eyes now.
Su Ye took a step forward, about to speak, when the man shifted his arm, and a furry head poked out.
The kitten saw her and waved a paw, as if greeting her.
Perhaps it was the gentle sunlight, but seeing the man and the cat together, Su Ye felt a sudden urge to cry.
…
The new orphanage was much larger than before, with a courtyard in the back. The old elm tree was gone, replaced by a sapling.
Two cats were basking in the sun by the small elm tree.
Lu Yichuan and Su Ye stood at a distance, watching as the short-haired kitten ran towards the two cats.
The three cats immediately huddled together.
Su Ye watched them for a while, then flexed the two remaining fingers on her left hand. “So that’s what it looks like. It was so dirty back then; I thought it was a black cat. It’s actually quite beautiful.”
She turned to Lu Yichuan. “You’ve taken good care of it.”
Lu Yichuan narrowed his eyes slightly in the sunlight. “It takes care of itself well.”
Such a small creature, covered in injuries and illness, had bumped into his shoe. So much time had passed; the black smudge on his shoe had long been washed away. The once bald kitten now had clean, white fur, its little tail fluffy.
The flickering flame of the lighter felt like a lifetime ago.
His cat had grown into a beautiful kitten, no longer mistaken for an unwanted rat.
Su Ye sighed wistfully, “I didn’t expect it to still remember its old companions. They seem to have such a strong bond.”
The elderly orange cat gently nudged the short-haired kitten down and started licking its fur.
Lu Yichuan watched as the kitten struggled futilely, a smile appearing in his eyes. “He always remembers the kindness shown to him by other cats.”
After Su Ye left, he watched Big Orange groom Jiang Heng for a while, then, just as it finished licking his back and was about to start on his front, he bent down and picked up the kitten.
Jiang Heng flailed his paws, his head wet from being licked. “Meow?”
Seeing that it was Lu Yichuan, he twitched his tail. “So you were just watching me being licked, huh?”
Lu Yichuan took out a tissue and wiped his wet head. “What do you mean ‘watching you’? I didn’t want to interrupt your reunion.”
After wiping his head, he magically produced a small comb and started brushing his fur. Thanks to a certain kitten who couldn’t groom himself, Lu Yichuan’s fur-brushing skills had improved significantly.
After making sure Jiang Heng’s fur was neat and fluffy again, he placed him on the grass. “Go play.”
Jiang Heng ran over to the other cats, rubbing against Big Orange first, then Little White. “Big Yellow, Little White, let me introduce you. This is the Lu Yichuan I told you about, my best, best friend.”
Little White, slightly chubbier now, timidly glanced at Lu Yichuan. Although the man was smiling, it instinctively felt afraid and hid behind Big Orange.
Big Orange, lying comfortably on the ground, listened to Jiang Heng’s introduction, glanced at Lu Yichuan with its slightly cloudy eyes, then lowered its head again, seemingly wanting to continue grooming Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng dodged it. “Do you want to hear about what I’ve been up to?”
Big Orange looked indifferent, but Little White perked up. “What happened?”
Lu Yichuan stood aside and listened as Jiang Heng recounted his adventures, from his solo journey to A University, to the epic battle against the evil cat abuser with the calico cat, to the tale of the Divine Cat Lord…
The story was full of dramatic twists and turns, told with exaggerated flair. The protagonist, Little Jiang Heng, nicknamed Sang Biao, the terror of A University, who had defeated the formidable Big Orange and the heavyweight White Cat, had become a true hero in the cat world.
Big Orange rolled over and continued to sleep. Little White, on the other hand, was captivated, its eyes wide with awe. “Boss, you’re so amazing!”
Jiang Heng chuckled.
“Is there really a Divine Cat Lord?”
“Of course!” Jiang Heng placed a paw on a small stone and raised his head proudly. “That day, the stars shifted, the sky changed color, and I, with a pious heart, climbed the mountain with the black cat emissary. The mountain was treacherous; ordinary cats couldn’t even make it.”
“Is Jiang Heng an ordinary cat? Of course not! My claws are sharper than knives…”
He dramatically extended his claws, the white tips gleaming in the sunlight.
“Slash! My sharp claws dug into the rock, and I climbed, braving the wind and rain, until I finally met the legendary Divine Cat Lord.”
Now, not only Little White, but even Big Orange looked at him.
Jiang Heng lowered his voice dramatically. “Amidst the swirling winds and clouds, I heard a meow, and then the wooden cat statue in front of me transformed into a giant cat.”
“The majestic Divine Cat Lord! As big as a mountain, with long, flowing fur, and…and multicolored! The ground trembled when He spoke!”
Lu Yichuan: “…”
The three-cat storytelling session continued until evening.
The setting sun painted the sky in hues of gold and crimson.
Lu Yichuan wore a light brown trench coat that reached his calves, his hands in his pockets, the hem of his coat fluttering in the wind, a proud little cat perched on his shoulder.
Their shadows stretched long, Little Jiang Heng sitting upright.
“Lu Yichuan, look, I’ve grown up!”
“Rongrong has become a big cat.”
Jiang Heng chuckled and extended a paw. “Look, my claws are this—long!”
The man looked down at their shadows and slowed his pace so the kitten could maintain its balance.
“They look very long indeed, at least five centimeters.”
The next moment, he felt a playful punch against his cheek.
The wind carried the fragrance of locust blossoms, their shadows distorted and elongated. Jiang Heng flicked his tail, almost as long as his body now, then slowly raised it, the tip curling downwards.
“Lu Yichuan, finger heart.”
The man turned his face, his cheek brushing against the kitten’s soft belly, raised his hand, curved his fingers, and gently touched the tip of its tail.
“Finger heart.”
Zhao Shuo, like a lonely wife, had been eagerly awaiting the return of his study buddy.
Hearing that Lu Yichuan was back, he immediately rushed to his dormitory.
Unlike his light packing when he left, he returned with several bags, three-quarters of which were cat-related items.
When Zhao Shuo entered, he was holding a cat bed, asking the kitten for its opinion. “Here?”
“Meow~”
By the door, where the sun is.
It took Zhao Shuo a few seconds to process this, his face cracking slightly. “Don’t tell me you spent your sabbatical raising a cat?”
Lu Yichuan placed the cat bed by the balcony and didn’t respond.
Zhao Shuo let out a slow, drawn-out “Fuck,” staring at the luxurious cat paraphernalia filling the room, overcome with a deep sense of injustice. “Truly, cats live better lives than humans.”
Lu Yichuan stroked the kitten’s head, and a single sentence cured Zhao Shuo’s ailment.
“Dinner’s on me tonight.”
“Alright, bro! Need any help unpacking?”
…
Zhao Shuo helped him unpack, and they finished just as it turned five in the afternoon.
The temperature had suddenly dropped, the kind of coldness where your parents think you’re cold, and Lu Yichuan, feeling Jiang Heng’s still-short fur, opened the closet to choose an outfit for him.
Half the already small closet was now filled with colorful cat clothes, leaving both Zhao Shuo and Jiang Heng speechless.
“Are all these tiny clothes for your cat?”
That was Zhao Shuo.
“When did you buy so many clothes?”
That was Jiang Heng.
Lu Yichuan, his expression unchanged, carefully chose a black and white dress and held it up against the kitten. “How about this one?”
“Not good.”
“Why not?”
“Because it has all three elements: lace, frills, and maid outfit.”
What self-respecting cat would wear a maid outfit in public?!
“Okay…”
A hint of disappointment in the man’s voice.
“This one? No lace, no frills, and…not a maid outfit.”
Jiang Heng’s face was wooden.
“Lu Yichuan, if you put another dress on me, I’ll scratch you!”
Meanwhile, Zhao Shuo was rummaging through the closet and, with his uncanny straight-guy intuition, picked out the pinkest outfit.
“Lu-ge, this one, this one looks good.”
Lu Yichuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed the outfit. “It’s…not bad.”
Jiang Heng exploded.
After Lu Yichuan and Zhao Shuo each received three scratches on their hands, Jiang Heng was finally dressed in a yellow vest with two large rabbit ears attached to the back.
Lu Yichuan played with the rabbit ears and placed the cat on his shoulder.
Jiang Heng couldn’t help but complain, “Lu Yichuan, your taste is truly something else. What are these strange clothes?”
The man turned his head and examined the outfit. “Really? I think it looks good.”
Zhao Shuo, also a man of impeccable taste, agreed, taking a couple of pictures with his phone, then asked belatedly, “Are you taking your cat out to dinner with us?”
Lu Yichuan bent down to put on his shoes, the cat on his shoulder as steady as a mountain.
“Yes, he’ll be bored alone in the dormitory.”
“Just like this? On your shoulder? Not in a carrier? Won’t he be stressed?”
“No.” Lu Yichuan chuckled. “He’s brave enough to go on adventures alone. He’s the one who kicked Big Orange and punched White Cat, remember?”
Zhao Shuo looked confused, while Jiang Heng…
Jiang Heng opened his mouth, ready to bite.
