Chapter 62
Jiang Heng’s happy cat life ended when Lu Yichuan brought home a large box of express deliveries.
The man was a person of action. As soon as he unpacked the study materials, he started creating a study schedule for Jiang Heng, so ruthless that even bathroom breaks were timed.
Jiang Heng’s face was a mask of despair.
He hadn’t enjoyed a single day of university life, yet he was suffering double the academic pain. Who had it worse than him?
Lu Yichuan put down his pen and taped the schedule to the wall where Jiang Heng could see it. “A few months of hard work is better than failing the exam and having to repeat another year.”
He had a point, but…
“I don’t want to study! No kitten in the world has to take the Gaokao!”
“Is Little Jiang Heng an ordinary kitten?”
Jiang Heng blinked. “From now on, I am.”
The man poked his head. “Well, then when you become human again, Jiang Heng will be an idiot.”
Jiang Heng sulked. “Fine, give me one more day off. I’ll start studying tomorrow.”
Deep down, he was still a traditional kid, not spoiled by his wealthy upbringing, believing that studying and going to university were essential.
He looked at the study schedule and suddenly said, “If I pass the exam next year, you’ll have already graduated, right?”
Once the new semester started, Lu Yichuan would be in his third year of graduate school, preparing his thesis.
“Time flies…” he said. “In my timeline, you were just a sophomore a few months ago, I can’t believe you’re already in your third year of graduate school.”
Jiang Heng sat up. “So I’m still eighteen, but you’re old now.”
Lu Yichuan looked at him, one eyebrow raised.
Jiang Heng continued, “You used to be two years older than me, now you’re six years older…”
The man picked up his pen. “Little Jiang Heng, your break time is reduced by ten minutes every day.”
Jiang Heng froze, watching as he amended the schedule. “Why?!”
“Old people need less sleep. Can’t stand seeing young people sleeping eight hours a day.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
“You’re so petty,” he grumbled.
“What did you say?”
Jiang Heng angrily bit his pants leg. “Old man!”
The old man looked down at him.
Jiang Heng swished his tail back and forth, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Not an old man? I’m only~ eighteen”
Lu Yichuan’s method of dealing with him was always simple and effective.
“Break time reduced by half an hour.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
His world was ending.
Little Jiang Heng’s academic career began under the supervision of the old man.
While other cats were sleeping, he was memorizing vocabulary. While other cats were basking in the sun, he was reciting ancient poems. While other cats were happily playing and grooming themselves, he was struggling with calculus…
The calico cat gracefully jumped in from the plane tree on the balcony. The small dormitory was quiet. There were no cats sleeping on the balcony, no cats lounging in their beds, no cats climbing the cat tree, only a single cat sitting at the desk, its face a mask of suffering.
The calico cat landed lightly on the desk. “What are you doing?”
Jiang Heng looked up forlornly. “Do you know what ‘abandon’ means?”
The calico cat shook its head blankly.
“Do you know cos, sin, tan?”
The calico cat shook its head.
“Then do you know the velocity of a ball rolling down a curved surface?”
The calico cat shook its head again.
Jiang Heng’s face was a picture of despair. “I know, but I still can’t get a perfect score.”
He bit the desk with his sharp teeth, the surface already marred with bite marks from his daily struggles.
“Whoever put ‘abandon’ as the first word in the vocabulary list is a genius. He’s showing us that when you encounter something you can’t do, the first thing you should do is…”
The door opened with a click.
Jiang Heng sat up straight. “…persevere! Never give up!”
He held up the vocabulary book. “Abandon. To give up, to forsake, to desert.”
Lu Yichuan, holding a bag of food in one hand, the doorknob in the other, chuckled, seeing him like this. “Alright, time for dinner.”
The long-haired kitten tossed the vocabulary book aside and happily jumped off the table.
The calico cat glanced at Lu Yichuan and followed Jiang Heng gracefully.
The food was takeout Lu Yichuan had ordered, with a special meal prepared for the kitten. Jiang Heng took a large bite of chicken and asked the calico cat, “Want some?”
The calico cat sniffed at it, clearly disdainful of the bland, seasoned chicken, devoid of any blood or guts.
Lu Yichuan opened a can of cat food for it.
Even when presented with such a delicacy, the elegant beauty maintained its composure, not a single drop of gravy staining its fur. “I haven’t seen you for a while, they asked me to come see what you were up to.”
The chicken in Jiang Heng’s mouth suddenly lost its flavor, and his usually bright eyes held a weary look. “I have to study, only one day off a week, can’t go anywhere.”
The calico cat considered this for a moment. “You want to be a cultured cat.”
The smartest cultured cat in the cat world sighed sadly. “A cultured cat only needs to know that one plus one equals two, but a cultured human has to prove that one plus one equals two.”
Truly, cats have it better than humans.
Time passed quickly when one had a lot to do, and by the time Lu Yichuan packed all of Jiang Heng’s completed practice tests into a box, winter had arrived in City A.
The leaves of the plane tree outside the balcony had fallen, leaving only bare branches against a gray sky.
The once tiny kitten had grown into a larger cat, a small cloud transformed into a bigger cloud, its fur fluffy and smooth, its amber eyes like polished gems, a truly beautiful cat.
Except for its still-short legs.
After more than six months of growth, Jiang Heng’s legs had finally reached a staggering six centimeters, his fur almost as long as his legs, sometimes obscuring them completely when he walked.
It was Xiaoxue today, the “Minor Snow” solar term.
City A, located in the south, didn’t get snow during Xiaoxue, only a misty drizzle.
Jiang Heng wasn’t studying today, and Lu Yichuan didn’t have class, so they decided to go out for hot pot.
The temperature had dropped significantly in the past few days, and Jiang Heng, in his natural fur coat, was as warm as a little furnace.
Lu Yichuan, wearing a black overcoat, carried the beautiful silver-white kitten in his arms and left the villa, braving the cold wind.
Thanks to Jiang Heng’s striking appearance, the people on campus, even if they didn’t know Lu Yichuan, knew the beautiful, intelligent, and friendly kitten.
Seeing him, they would greet him. “Xuechang, taking your cat out?” Then, without waiting for his reply, they would lower their voices and speak to Jiang Heng, “Mimi, going out?”
The cat, nestled in Lu Yichuan’s arms, would wave a paw. “Meow.”
Yes, yes.
The girls would squeal silently, their hands covering their faces, their feet tapping excitedly.
Lu Yichuan’s face would darken slightly, and he would quickly walk past them, increasing his pace.
…
There was a child seat installed in Lu Yichuan’s car. A cat sat in the seat, the cultured cat meticulously fastening its seatbelt, its tail swishing back and forth as it watched the scenery outside.
While the man wasn’t looking, Jiang Heng stealthily rolled down the window, the cold wind ruffling his neatly brushed fur.
Little Jiang Heng stretched out his paws, his eyes narrowed in contentment. “Ah, the taste of freedom!”
Lu Yichuan, driving, glanced at him.
Jiang Heng continued to revel in his freedom. “The air without Xue Jinxing is so refreshing!”
At a red light, Lu Yichuan stopped the car. “My cold medicine costs thirty yuan at most, some cats catch a cold and five hundred yuan can’t even cure them.”
The cat quietly rolled the window back up. “Too stingy to even spend five hundred yuan! Drink cold water! Drink cold water and become a demon!”
The next moment, he was poked on the forehead. “Then don’t whine and refuse to take your medicine when you have a cold.”
Jiang Heng responded with silence.
It got dark early in winter. Even though it was only five in the afternoon, the sky was already dim, neon lights brightening the streets, their colorful glow adding a touch of warmth and liveliness to the cold winter evening.
Lu Yichuan found a parking spot and got out of the car, carrying the cat.
They were going to a hot pot restaurant Jiang Heng had chosen, based on online reviews, a far cry from the upscale restaurants Lu Yichuan usually frequented, the street bustling with people and the aroma of street food.
The restaurant was a short walk from the parking lot. Jiang Heng sat on Lu Yichuan’s shoulder, enjoying the elevated view from his near-1.9-meter vantage point.
“Charge! Onwards to hot pot! I want lots of meatballs, lots of beef, lots of shrimp paste! I want the spiciest broth!”
The man ignored him.
So Jiang Heng started shaking his head against his, his cries escalating. “Extra spicy! Extra spicy! I’m going to reclaim all the chili I’ve missed!”
Passersby stared at Lu Yichuan. “Sir, your cat…” He struggled to find the right words, “…seems to have some…issues.”
Lu Yichuan grabbed Jiang Heng by the scruff of his neck and held him, responding to the passerby, “He’s a little special, please understand.”
Jiang Heng opened his mouth, ready to bite.
The tall man, two sharp teeth marks on his finger, entered the hot pot restaurant. They had reserved a pet-friendly private room, and the owner greeted them enthusiastically, leading them inside. “The menu is on the table, sir. You can order whatever you like. If you have any questions, just ask the waiter.”
“Are you dining alone? We have companion dolls available if you are.”
Lu Yichuan held up the cat. “I’m not alone. I have him.”
The owner looked down at the kitten, which bared its teeth at him, its sharp white fangs making him flinch.
After the owner left, Lu Yichuan sat down and picked up the menu, flexing the finger the kitten had just bitten. “Little Jiang Heng, time to order.”
The next second, his hand was free, and a furry head nuzzled his.
Lu Yichuan lifted his hand. It was slightly wet with saliva, but unbroken.
Jiang Heng, holding the menu, studied it intently. “One order of beef, one order of shrimp paste, tripe is a must, and some duck intestines…”
The man picked up a pen and, under Jiang Heng’s watchful gaze, slowly checked the box for the vegetable platter.
Jiang Heng pushed his hand away from the vegetables towards the meat section.
Seeing how hard he had been studying these days, Lu Yichuan ordered everything he wanted, then, at the broth section, chose the mildest option.
Jiang Heng protested, “Extra spicy! I want extra spicy!”
Lu Yichuan poked his furry belly with his pen. “Little Jiang Heng, what cat eats extra spicy hot pot?”
“This cat.”
“…”
“Your stomach can’t handle it.”
“Then medium spicy.”
Lu Yichuan sighed.
Finally, unable to argue with him, he chose the slightly spicy option.
After the waiter took the menu, Jiang Heng continued to grumble, “Lu Yichuan, you’re looking down on me! I used to be a spice master! Winter hot pot without extra spice has no soul!”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Then I’ll be waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“Waiting for your soul.”
Ten minutes later…
“Hiss…ha…Lu Yichuan, can I have some water?”
Lu Yichuan slowly poured him a glass of water. “Where’s your soul?”
“Hiss…ha…”
Drowning in the spicy broth.
