Chapter 56
The first grand feast of the A University stray cats was held on a sunny afternoon in May.
Attendees included: Calico, Big Orange, Little Yellow, Little White, Little Tortoiseshell, More Milk Less Beef, More Beef Less Milk, More Orange Less White, More White Less Orange, a Ragdoll from the orphanage, an elderly ginger cat.
And uninvited dinner guests: a white semi-truck, an elegant black cat.
Head chef: Mr. Lu.
Limited-time guests: a three-jin crucian carp, several salmon fillets, a bag of cat food, various cans and freeze-dried treats.
A crowd of furry creatures gathered at the entrance of the villa. Jiang Heng ran inside, rummaged around, and found a small red flag. He carried the flag in his mouth, trotted over to Lu Yichuan, and looked up. “Lu Yichuan, can you tie this flag on me?”
The man squatted down, took the red flag, and instead of tying it directly onto him, found a small red vest and a hat for him, and then attached the flag.
He rubbed the kitten’s ears. “Go on, little tour guide.”
Jiang Heng admired himself in the mirror for a few seconds, then padded towards the entrance on his short legs.
“Don’t crowd, everyone! Enter the villa in an orderly fashion! I’ll show you around.”
A group of meows obediently followed the little kitten into the villa, leaving a trail of faint paw prints on the clean floor.
Lu Yichuan, leaning against the kitchen door, took a picture of the little tour guide leading his feline entourage before going to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
…
“This is the gym. I usually work out here. I’ve already developed eight-pack abs, but I’m wearing clothes now, so you can’t see them.”
“Meow~”
Wow!
“This is the study. I usually read here, ten hours a day, twenty-four hours if you count naps. My belly is full of ink.”
“Meow~”
Wow! A cultured cat!
“This is the swimming pool. I usually swim here. Besides reading for ten hours, I also swim for two hours. Now I can swim from one end to the other in one breath.”
“Meow~”
Wow! A cat that’s not afraid of water!
“This is my toy mouse, but I’m a big cat now, only kittens play with such childish toys. I don’t play with it anymore.”
The cats stared at the toy mouse, no one speaking.
Jiang Heng, understanding their desire, said, “When I have money, I’ll buy each of you a toy mouse. But not this one, this one was a gift from Lu Yichuan.”
The Cat Crusaders continued their tour…
“This is my scratching post. You can try it.”
Scratch, scratch, scratch…
“This is my cat tree. You can climb it.”
Thump, thump, thump…
“This is my automatic laser pointer. You can chase it.”
Bam, bam, bam…
“This…”
Jiang Heng hesitated. “This is my room, but Lu Yichuan sleeps here too, so you can’t go in.”
He wiggled his hips, the small flag on his back swaying. “Follow the tour guide closely! We’re going downstairs!”
“This is the kitchen. Lu Yichuan is cooking, we’ll eat soon!”
“Meow~”
Humans are amazing.
“This is the living room. I love running from one end of the sofa to the other, then making a sudden stop and running back. But not today, we haven’t washed our paws, and you can’t get on the sofa with dirty paws.”
“Meow~”
Okay~
“Ta-da…” Jiang Heng stood at the door. “This is the super big garden! You can play and run however you like, but don’t damage the flowers and plants.”
A flurry of fur rushed outside.
The sun was shining brightly. Cats were on the grass, cats were in the trees, cats were hiding under the flowers, and a…truck was lying on the deck chair.
The elderly ginger cat jumped onto the deck chair and lay down beside the truck, observing its dirty, matted fur for a moment, then started licking it.
The white cat closed its eyes and shifted, making it easier for the ginger cat to groom it.
And beneath the white and ginger cats lay an even larger ginger cat, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding cats, staring at the sky with a melancholic, 45-degree angle.
Jiang Heng nudged the calico cat. “What’s wrong with him?”
The calico cat sat gracefully on the ground, ready to swat any misbehaving cat with its paw, maintaining order with an iron fist. Hearing Jiang Heng’s question, it turned its head and, after a moment of silence, said,
“He’s been like this since coming back from the hospital, due to certain…unmentionable…ailments.”
Jiang Heng decided to call it the Melancholy of Missing Testicles.
“How do you feel about it?”
The calico cat flicked its tail elegantly, the fluffy tip brushing Jiang Heng’s face. “It’s good. At least he won’t be yowling and pestering me during mating season anymore.”
The beautiful cat said coldly, “All tomcats should be like him. The world would be a much better place.”
Jiang Heng suddenly felt a chill below the belt. He glanced at the calico cat, elegantly licking its paws, and, his tail drooping, went to the kitchen to find Lu Yichuan.
The man was steaming fish.
Cat food didn’t require complex cooking or seasoning; just a little salt and simmering was enough.
As soon as he reached the man’s feet, Jiang Heng dramatically collapsed onto the floor, only to be picked up by Lu Yichuan before he even touched the ground.
He sprawled in the man’s large hand, playing dead.
“I’m so tired! Being a tour guide is exhausting! I need a cat treat to replenish my energy.”
Lu Yichuan carried the limp cat to the stove to check on the fish, not even bothering to look at him. “Request denied.”
Jiang Heng flipped over, his head and hind legs dangling down, his body stretched out like a long, lifeless strip, only his middle section supported by the man’s hand, playing the part of a dejected cat.
“Why?”
Lu Yichuan jiggled the “cat strip,” the surprisingly flexible kitten swaying in the air like a furry scarf.
“Rongrong is a big cat now. As the master of the house, shouldn’t you be the one welcoming the guests? Why are you asking for a reward?”
Jiang Heng immediately sat up in his hand, his round belly jiggling. “What are we then? Husband and wife, you work outside, I take care of the house?”
The man raised an eyebrow, looking surprisingly domesticated in his apron as he stood by the stove. “If that’s the case, then Rongrong will be in charge of earning money from now on, and I’ll be responsible for cooking and cleaning.”
Jiang Heng’s face fell.
He suddenly remembered his grand plan for earning money, a startup that had failed before it even began, thanks to Lu Yichuan.
The man nuzzled the kitten’s face. “It’s settled then. You’ll come with me to work tomorrow.”
Jiang Heng pointed at himself with his paw. “Meow?”
Me?
What could a little kitten like him do? Street performance?
“Not a street performance,” Lu Yichuan said casually. “Selling yourself.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
QAQ
Li An woke up at six o’clock the next morning.
Assistant Li stood in front of the mirror, examining his attire: his suit was impeccable, his tie perfectly matched, his hairstyle exuding the elegant maturity of a successful man…
Perfect.
He adjusted his glasses.
Starting today, City A’s business world would be shaken, a new star was rising, and he, Li An, as the driving force behind this rising star, was about to become the man…assistant behind the man.
The thought of it made him so excited he could barely sleep, wanting to rip off his clothes and run around the villa.
Four years ago, his boss had been betrayed, his beloved taken from him, his heart shattered.
Four years later, the perpetrator was still at large, and his boss had finally had enough…
The former king, he…was back!
This time, he would make all of City A tremble. Mwahahaha…
Assistant Li stopped his maniacal laughter, rubbed his face, and regained his usual composure.
At seven o’clock sharp, he grabbed his bag, left the house, and drove to the villa to pick up Lu Yichuan.
At 7:30, Lu Yichuan got into the car on time.
He wore a suit, his gold watch hidden beneath his sleeve, his hair neatly styled, his sharp features softened by his narrow, silver-rimmed glasses. His every move exuded an innate elegance and refinement, except for…
…the small basket he was carrying, covered with a rather festive-looking floral cloth, something moving beneath it, the cloth rising and falling gently with each breath.
Li An was silent for a couple of seconds. “Boss, what’s that in your hand?”
Lu Yichuan adjusted his glasses. “My cat.”
I know it’s probably your cat, but what I want to ask is, why are you bringing a cat to a business meeting?!
Assistant Li gripped the steering wheel, his professional façade cracking slightly.
“It’s not safe for him to be home alone.”
Li An: “…”
As the car started moving, Lu Yichuan continued, “I don’t trust anyone else, so…I’ll have to trouble you to take care of him today.”
Li An wanted to point at himself. Me? Seriously?
He had been meticulously preparing for four years, waiting for this day. And now, on this momentous occasion, akin to Consort Xi’s return to power, he was being asked to babysit a cat?!
The man’s hand rested on the floral cloth, and he glanced at Li An indifferently. “Not happy?”
Li An shuddered. “No, I’m happy, very happy. It’s my honor to serve Master Cat.”
…
When Jiang Heng woke up, he was met with Assistant Li’s resentful gaze.
He stopped his stretching, retreated into the basket, and peeked out, only his furry head visible.
“Meow?”
What’s wrong?
Assistant Li poked the kitten’s head, his voice full of resentment but still dutiful. “Little ancestor, you’re awake? Want to eat?”
Jiang Heng looked around. He was in an unfamiliar place, but the décor suggested it was an office.
He had thought the man’s words yesterday, “Come to work with me,” were a joke, but it turned out he was serious.
Jiang Heng had never been to this place before and didn’t know what kind of meeting Lu Yichuan was attending, but he knew Li An.
“Meow?”
Where’s Lu Yichuan?
Li An poured cat food into a bowl, opened a can of wet food, and respectfully invited his cat master out of the basket.
The kitten had just woken up, its fur messy, like a rumpled sesame dumpling, its eyes round and bright, its tilted head radiating cuteness.
He thought, if Lu Yichuan hadn’t warned him against any unnecessary physical contact, he would have kissed this adorable little kitty senseless.
Assistant Li, the returned king, now transformed into a fawning courtier, said, “CEO Lu is in a meeting. He specifically asked me to take care of you. How does the food look? To your liking?”
Jiang Heng nibbled on the canned food half-heartedly, his eyes scanning the office.
Li An watched him half-heartedly as he scanned the office, then, a sudden inspiration striking him, he leaned closer to Jiang Heng. “Master, would you be interested in a thrilling, post-prandial activity?”
Jiang Heng looked up at him, confused.
Li An summed it up succinctly, “Guaranteed to be as exciting as Pinru’s return, Consort Xi’s comeback…”
Jiang Heng…
Jiang Heng’s eyes lit up.
