Chapter 57
A shadowy figure crept down the corridor outside the conference room and stopped at the back door.
A hand stealthily reached in through the crack, widening the gap to five or six centimeters, then a furry head squeezed through, ears flattened, eyes fixed on the scene inside.
The conference room was large and rectangular. The conference table was some distance from the back door, and since everyone was seated with their backs to the door, no one noticed the small head that had just snuck in.
A finger poked the kitten’s back, a low voice whispering, “How is it? What do you see? Is CEO Lu slaying them all?”
Jiang Heng wiggled his butt, trying to get a better view, and finally spotted Lu Yichuan at the head of the table.
The man, in a perfectly tailored suit, no longer had the casual, gentle demeanor he usually displayed around him, his eyes sharp and focused behind his glasses, his gaze making those he looked at feel a shiver down their spines.
Unfortunately, he was too far away; Jiang Heng couldn’t hear what they were saying.
The hand behind him poked him again. “Well? How is it?”
“Meow…”
I don’t know, I can’t hear anything.
Silence for a few seconds, then the crack in the door widened, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses appeared above Jiang Heng’s head.
Assistant Li tilted his head, trying to get a better view, then complained, “Who designed this conference room? Why is it so long? I can’t hear anything.”
Jiang Heng wholeheartedly agreed.
At the head of the table, the man picked up a document, smiled, said something, and handed the document to the others for review.
Li An lowered his voice, providing his own dramatic narration. “See that, everyone? Mess with me, and you’ll end up like the names on that list.”
Jiang Heng glanced up at him.
At the head of the table, the man leaned back in his chair, his demeanor calm and collected as he faced the grim-faced shareholders.
Li An continued, “I was just…taking a break, not dead. Now, I’m taking back everything that belongs to me.” He adjusted his glasses. “I’ll show you who really runs this company!”
The kitten’s eyes widened, its entire body pressed against the door, desperate to hear Lu Yichuan’s domineering declaration.
Assistant Li also tried to get closer, practically trying to squeeze his head through the crack.
Finally, under the combined efforts of the man and the cat, the narrow gap suddenly widened.
Creak—
Thud!
Jiang Heng tumbled into the room.
He froze, and Li An, who had been trying to pull him back, also froze.
Jiang Heng slowly looked up.
Since they had their backs to the door, the shareholders hadn’t noticed the small cat rolling into the room. Only the man at the head of the table, facing them, paused, his hand adjusting his glasses, his expression unreadable.
Assistant Li risked his life, reaching in and quickly scooping up the cat.
Click. The door closed, and the man and the cat leaned against it, panting.
Li An wiped the cold sweat off his face. “We’re doomed…”
Jiang Heng pawed the ground. “Meow…”
I’m dead, I’m so dead…
A secretary, carrying a tray of tea, walked past them, then stopped, her expression surprised. “Assistant Li, what are you doing?”
Li An stood up, holding the cat, and patted the dust off his pants, his voice calm and collected. “CEO Lu’s cat went missing, I’m looking for it.”
The secretary’s gaze fell on the cat in his arms. “Such a cute kitty.”
She reached out a hand. “Can I pet it?”
Li An repeated, “CEO Lu’s cat.”
The secretary withdrew her hand. “Oh, right. I have to deliver this tea. Goodbye, Assistant Li.”
Li An carried the cat back to the office. The kitten jumped onto the table, and Li An looked at it. “Do you think…CEO Lu saw us?”
Jiang Heng pawed the table again. “Meow…”
Maybe…probably.
Li An paced back and forth, unable to think of a solution that wouldn’t ruin his perfect assistant record, when a commotion came from outside. A few minutes later, Lu Yichuan entered the office.
The man and the cat instinctively straightened up, like children caught misbehaving.
Lu Yichuan adjusted his tie, picked up the cat, and said, “Let’s go, time for lunch.”
It was his first day back at the company, and Lu Yichuan didn’t want to attract attention by bringing a cat to the cafeteria, so he took Jiang Heng out to eat.
They went to a nearby restaurant. The atmosphere was quiet and elegant, the window of the private room overlooking a grove of maple trees, their green leaves shimmering in the sunlight, promising a beautiful autumn scene.
Jiang Heng, perched on the windowsill, reached out a paw towards the swaying maple leaves, then turned to look at the man who had taken off his jacket. “Did…did I cause you any trouble just now?”
Lu Yichuan folded his cuffs. “No, even if you had walked in, it wouldn’t have caused any trouble.”
He pinched the kitten’s ear. “I didn’t bring you because I thought you would be bored. Shareholder meetings are dull.”
Jiang Heng nuzzled his hand. “Was it because of Li Xingyue? Because I scratched him last time, so he’s retaliating against you?”
Unbeknownst to him, the object of his vengeance was now making license plates in prison.
But Lu Yichuan wasn’t planning to tell him. He lifted the kitten by the scruff of its neck and placed it back in his lap. “Something like that, but it doesn’t matter. They won’t be causing any more trouble.”
Jiang Heng was confused. “Why?”
“The strong make the rules. When you’re at the top, you get to decide the rules. In short, he won’t dare to provoke us again.”
The kitten wiggled its butt. “When did you start a company? Why didn’t I know about this?”
“I’ve had it for a while, I just haven’t been…managing it.”
The company was his leverage against the Lu family, his way of securing a future for himself and Jiang Heng, but after Jiang Heng’s accident, it had all seemed like a cruel joke.
Lu Yichuan had spent the past four years in a daze, rarely paying attention to company matters. It wasn’t until recently that he had decided to return.
Jiang Heng waved his paw. “Have you taken back everything that belongs to you?”
Lu Yichuan paused. “Don’t spend too much time with Li An.”
“Oh…” Jiang Heng, still harboring his dream of witnessing a dramatic showdown, asked, “What about the ‘Pinru’s return, Consort Xi’s comeback’ scene? Will there be one?”
The man lowered his eyes. “Little Jiang Heng, what are you thinking about?”
Jiang Heng buried his head. “Thinking about all the revenge dramas I’ve watched.”
Lu Yichuan: “…”
After a few seconds, he chuckled. “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. There won’t be any dramatic scenes like that.”
Jiang Heng still remembered Li An’s dramatic whispers, “You haven’t been here for four years, haven’t those shareholders tried to usurp your position, to replace you?”
The man’s tone was nonchalant. “I own sixty percent of the shares and have veto power. Anyone who displeases me can leave the company tomorrow.”
The company’s headquarters had always been overseas, and even with his four-year absence, it had continued to thrive. Upon hearing of his plans to return to China, countless people had sent invitations, both to assess the situation and to establish connections.
The Li family was insignificant to him.
He had spent years building this massive corporation, only wanting to give his beloved a grand declaration of love.
But all he had received in return was death’s final curtain call.
All his efforts had become a cruel joke.
“Rongrong…” Lu Yichuan said, “When will you grow up?”
“I’m trying my best to grow up.”
…
Jiang Heng was indeed trying his best to grow. At three months old, his fur had grown back completely. Pink ears, pink nose, pink paws, a round face with large eyes, his fur white with silver tips, except for his belly and paws, his coat almost fluffy now, like a small cloud.
Especially his tail, long and thick, like a giant feather duster.
Every time Jiang Heng looked at his tail, he couldn’t understand how such short legs could support such a long tail. It was so fluffy it was almost as big as he was.
But having long fur wasn’t always a good thing, like wearing a thick sweater, especially now, in August, with temperatures in City A reaching over thirty degrees Celsius. The mere sight of the sun made Jiang Heng want to hide indoors.
Lu Yichuan was busy with both university and the company. At first, Jiang Heng would accompany him to work, but as his fur grew longer, the looks the female employees gave him became increasingly… unsettling, and the small, short-legged kitten finally decided to stay home and enjoy the air conditioning.
It was August, summer vacation for students.
Jiang Heng was lying on a bamboo mat on the second-floor balcony, watching videos, when he saw a group of teenagers walking down the street, laughing and chatting.
He noticed the university acceptance letters in their hands.
Jiang Heng froze, then remembered that he had also received his acceptance letter in August. What date was it again?
After all, that day had been just an ordinary day for him.
The dead were simply dead; the ones who carried the memories, the pain, were the living.
He paused the video and opened the calendar on his tablet with his paw.
August 8th.
What date had he gone to get his acceptance letter?
It had only been a few months ago. He remembered the teacher making an announcement in the class group chat.
August 15th.
A week away.
In other words, a week from today was his…death anniversary.
Would Lu Yichuan remember?
Jiang Heng didn’t dare to ask, and Lu Yichuan didn’t mention it. A few days passed like this, until the night of August 14th, when the man returned home, smelling of alcohol.
The short-legged kitten, dragging his long tail, ran to Lu Yichuan’s feet and circled him, his tail brushing against the man’s legs.
Lu Yichuan paused for a few seconds before bending down and picking up the cat. “Have you eaten, Rongrong?”
Jiang Heng pushed his face away with his paw. “Lu Yichuan, have you been drinking?”
The man blinked slowly, then moved his face away slightly. “Yes, a business dinner. Just a little, I’m not drunk. A shower will sober me up.”
He leaned against the door, his eyes lowered, his voice soft and gentle. “Want to join me for a shower, Rongrong?”
Hearing this, Jiang Heng immediately jumped out of his arms, landing on the floor like a fluffy cloud. “No, no, I just had a bath two days ago, meow.”
Blow-drying his fur took forever; it was such a hassle.
Lu Yichuan didn’t insist and went to the bathroom with his pajamas.
Jiang Heng started parkouring on the sofa, running back and forth, his mind racing.
Did Lu Yichuan know tomorrow was his death anniversary?
Should he mention it?
But what if he had forgotten, and his reminder brought back painful memories?
His inner conflict was interrupted by a message from Lu Yichuan.
The man’s hair was still damp, his pajama top unbuttoned, revealing his collarbone and a glimpse of his chest. He was carefully brushing the kitten’s teeth, watching its fluffy tail brush against his chin, when he suddenly spoke, “I have a client meeting tomorrow. It will be a long meeting; I probably won’t have time to call you, Rongrong.”
“I’ve talked to Black Cat and White Cat; they’ll come over. You can tell them if you want anything.”
Jiang Heng froze for a moment, then blinked and meowed in agreement.
He thought, there was no need to mention it after all.
They were both quiet that night.
Jiang Heng turned his back to Lu Yichuan and stared at the moon outside the window. As the moon began to set, he closed his eyes and slowly snuggled closer to the man.
The moment he touched Lu Yichuan’s chest, the man’s arm wrapped around him, his fingers gently stroking his thick fur, then resting on the spot where his heart beat steadily.
Jiang Heng closed his eyes, listening to his heartbeat.
…
Lu Yichuan was already gone when Jiang Heng woke up the next morning. The moon had been so bright last night, but now it was raining.
The rain brought a sudden drop in temperature, and despite it being August, Jiang Heng felt cold.
He jumped off the bed and stood by the small door leading to the garden, a cold draft blowing in, and removed the collar from his neck.
Lu Yichuan received Jiang Zhuo’s call while he was in the car.
Dressed in black, he sat in the dimly lit back seat, almost merging with the shadows.
He looked at his phone, letting it ring for over ten seconds before answering.
Jiang Zhuo’s apologetic voice came through the phone. “My family is currently overseas; we might not be able to make it back today.”
Lu Yichuan didn’t speak.
Jiang Zhuo continued, “We have our own lives to live. I see you’re doing well now, Yichuan. It’s been so long; it’s time to move on.”
Lu Yichuan ended the call.
The rain had lessened by the time he reached the cemetery, a thin mist clinging to the air, the tombstones cold and silent.
He still brought the custom-made bouquet of gardenias. He didn’t bother with an umbrella and stood at the foot of the hill, looking up, the rain falling on him.
His mood was different this year. More than sadness, he felt like he was here to say a final goodbye.
Lu Yichuan found the tombstone, placed the flowers in front of it, and sat down, leaning against the cold stone, as usual.
“I know you’re not here, but I’ve gotten used to talking to you here. It feels strange not to say anything.”
When facing Little Jiang Heng, he always suppressed his emotions, but this place had become an outlet for his grief.
He pointed at an empty spot beside the tombstone. “See that? That’s the spot I reserved for myself, but it seems there’s no need for it now. I want to live a long and happy life with you, more than anything.”
His fingers traced the outline of the tombstone, softening its sharp edges. “But this is the last time.”
Jiang Heng’s remains were buried here, but it was his soul he loved.
Lu Yichuan sat with his legs bent, the brim of his baseball cap covering most of his face. He leaned against the tombstone and, as the rain intensified, slowly closed his eyes.
He seemed to hear footsteps behind him.
Lu Yichuan didn’t react. The footsteps came closer, and the rain above him stopped.
“Lu Yichuan…”
Raindrops pattered against an umbrella, and Lu Yichuan heard someone call his name.
He froze for a moment, then slowly opened his eyes.
As he looked up, the hand holding the umbrella lifted slightly, revealing the face beneath it.
In the pouring rain, the boy’s cat-like eyes crinkled with a smile.
“Long time no see.”
