After Death, I Became My Childhood Friend’s Cat 14

Chapter 14

“That’s good. It’s a good thing to love your child.”

Lu Yichuan clapped his hands and stood up. “I have something to do. Since I’ve delivered the gift, I’ll be going now.”

Seeing him about to leave with a peeled orange in hand, Jiang Zhuo couldn’t help but say, “Since you’re already here, why not stay for the birthday celebration?”

Lu Yichuan bent down and pushed the gift towards Jiang Zhuo, his voice gentle, “It’s rather urgent, I really can’t stay…” He glanced towards the kitchen, where Zhao Huailan’s busy figure could be seen through the glass door.

The man smiled, the smile not reaching his eyes.

“Happy birthday to your younger brother.”

…

Outside, the weather was misty, looking like rain. Lu Yichuan walked for a long time before finding a taxi. The driver wasn’t a local and asked him in heavily accented Mandarin where he was going.

The man in the back seat rubbed his temples, leaned back against the seat, and gave the name of the club.

The scenery outside flew by. The road was still the same road; he could navigate it with his eyes closed. But the scenery had changed.

Lu Yichuan closed his eyes, not wanting to look anymore.

He had woken up suddenly in the middle of the night and taken another pill, leaving him groggy all day.

Before drifting off, Lu Yichuan always felt like someone was calling his name, tugging at his clothes, a clear voice as sweet as honey, pulling him deeper into the abyss, making him wish he could sleep forever.

…

“Lu Yichuan, Lu Yichuan, Lu Yichuan…”

Lu Yichuan put down his pen, exasperated. “Little Jiang Heng, are you a broken record?”

The little sprout relentlessly tugged at his clothes, climbing onto his back. “Lu Yichuan, your heart is colder than the lady who’s been killing fish at RT-Mart for ten years! You only care about your homework, you don’t care about me at all!”

Lu Yichuan looked down at the test paper in front of him, with “Class 3, Grade 6, Jiang Heng” written on it, and pulled the little guy off his back. “Yes, I’m heartless. If I had any heart, I would make you stand outside the classroom tomorrow with a blank test paper as punishment.”

Jiang Heng: “…”

He hadn’t realized Lu Yichuan was doing his homework for him. “I begged you for so long yesterday, and you said you were the incorruptible Judge Bao. Why are you willing to do it for me today?”

Lu Yichuan, remembering his pouting expression last night, chuckled. “What can I do? It’s someone’s birthday.”

Jiang Heng giggled. He let go of Lu Yichuan and became obedient. “Then I won’t disturb you. Take your time.”

This time, Lu Yichuan stopped writing. He slowly rolled up his sleeves. “Didn’t you want to go out? Playing outside is more important than homework.”

Jiang Heng’s eyes widened. “Lu Yichuan!”

The young man’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly. He responded casually, “Hmm?”

The little sprout pouted, clearly unhappy, but thinking of his blank math test, he endured the humiliation and tugged at his sleeve, drawing out his words:

“Yichuan-gege…”

Lu Yichuan’s smile deepened, though his expression remained neutral. His tone was cool. “Lu Yichuan when there’s nothing you need, Yichuan-gege when you want something.”

Jiang Heng’s eyes were round and light-colored, like a cat’s. His temper was also like a cat’s, prone to tantrums.

But it was all Lu Yichuan’s fault for spoiling him.

He knew Lu Yichuan wouldn’t be angry, so he kicked his leg without hesitation. “Lu Yichuan, you’re so annoying!”

It was March, and the temperature hadn’t risen yet. Jiang Heng wore fluffy slippers, his kick as light as a cat’s scratch.

Lu Yichuan glanced at the slight dent in his pants, his eyebrow raising slightly. “Is this your way of asking for a favor?”

Jiang Heng stubbornly retorted, “So what! I’m just this tou…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the young man held up the thin test paper in front of him. Only a third of it was filled in; the rest was blank.

Given his terrible math skills and his math teacher’s strictness, he suspected that standing outside the classroom tomorrow morning wouldn’t be the only punishment.

So, Jiang Heng swallowed his pride, squatted down, and smoothed out the wrinkles on Lu Yichuan’s pants, saying meekly, “I was wrong. Please forgive me, your magnanimity knows no bounds.”

The March sunlight that year was abundant. Even though the temperature was still a bit low, the sunlight generously streamed through the window into the study, bathing it in warmth.

Lu Yichuan lowered his head and worked on the test, while Jiang Heng lay on the carpet next to him, playing with building blocks.

After every few questions, Lu Yichuan would glance at Jiang Heng.

The young boy, in a dinosaur onesie and bare feet, sat on the carpet, surrounded by building blocks, his brow slightly furrowed, lips pursed as he stared at the instructions, two faint dimples appearing on his soft cheeks.

His puberty seemed to be a little later than his peers. While others were growing taller, everything Lu Yichuan fed him seemed to turn into adorable chubbiness. His cheeks were round, his hands and feet soft, and when he sat cross-legged, he looked like a sweet little cake.

The test paper in Lu Yichuan’s hand suddenly seemed dull and uninteresting.

He quickly finished the rest of the test and sat behind Jiang Heng, wrapping his arms around the little dinosaur’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Stuck?”

The little dinosaur held up the instruction sheet. “How does this part connect to this part?”

Lu Yichuan looked down, found the right piece, and attached it. He turned and met the boy’s surprised gaze.

“How did you find it? You’re so amazing!”

Lu Yichuan ruffled the little dinosaur’s messy hair and said lazily, “What can I say? I’m just too smart.”

The next moment, he was poked in the stomach.

Lu Yichuan didn’t get angry, but laughed instead.

The morning sunlight was too gentle, and for a moment, he thought this scene could last forever.

Later, the dream became fragmented.

He saw the jasmine plant on the windowsill finally blooming. Time seemed to rewind. The candles on the cake illuminated their faces. In the candlelight, five-year-old Jiang Heng closed his eyes and made a sincere wish:

“I hope Mom and Dad can celebrate my birthday with me next year.”

But year after year, he never got his wish. He seemed to finally accept the reality, and in the years that followed, his birthday wishes changed.

“I hope Lu Yichuan studies hard and earns lots of money to support me. Of course, it would be even better if he didn’t nag me like a mom.”

“Lu Yichuan, do you think there are hot pot flavored cakes?”

“Lu Yichuan, you buy low-sugar cakes every year, it’s so boring!”

“Lu Yichuan…”

Lu Yichuan.

Lu Yichuan.

Lu Yichuan…

…

Lu Yichuan woke up with bloodshot eyes, the cloying sweetness of the cake from the Jiang villa still lingering in his nose.

Nauseating.

The driver stopped the car and looked at the pale man in the back seat, wondering why he looked even worse after his nap.

“Sir, we’re here.”

The man coughed as if in discomfort, bent down, and took a one-hundred-yuan bill from his wallet, his voice barely audible.

“Keep the change.”

“It’s been raining so much this year, I’m almost growing mold.”

The assistant grumbled softly, closing the hospital door.

The doctor opened the takeout container, and the aroma of spicy hot pot filled the air. He broke apart the disposable chopsticks and said cheerfully, “It’s spring, it’s a good thing it rains a lot. If it doesn’t rain, the farmers will have to worry.”

The assistant, sitting opposite him, opened her own takeout and glanced towards the inner room. “That Mr. Lu still hasn’t replied?”

“No. But it’s not his cat, so it’s normal. He’s probably busy with work.”

The assistant clicked her tongue. “What’s he doing? He doesn’t seem like a cat person. Spending so much money to save a cat, yet he doesn’t even ask about it.”

“Why worry about it?” The doctor said. “He’s willing to pay, we’ll treat it. Who cares what he’s thinking?”

“That’s true, but I checked the balance today, and the money he paid that day is all gone. Should we give it the injection tomorrow or not?”

The doctor paused mid-bite. “Let’s eat first. I’ll call him after dinner.”

…

Jiang Heng twitched his ears and shifted his position.

The American Shorthair was scratching furiously at its cage beside him. After a while, having vented its excess energy, it finally calmed down.

It also found a place to lie down, trying to get closer to Jiang Heng. “You’re so ugly. Where’s your fur?”

Jiang Heng: “…”

He said sullenly, “You’re so good at making conversation.”

The shorthair persisted. “So, will your fur grow back?”

Jiang Heng felt humiliated, but answered honestly, “Yes.”

“Oh.” The shorthair licked its paw. “Is it because you’re hairless that your owner doesn’t come to see you?”

“No!” Jiang Heng immediately bristled, hissing at the shorthair. “He didn’t not come to see me!”

The shorthair tilted its head, not understanding why he was angry. “But I’ve been here for three days. You’re so ugly, I remembered you the first day I came, and no one has come to see you in these three days.”

Jiang Heng said, “He just hasn’t come to see me in the three days you’ve been here. He’ll definitely come tomorrow!”

The shorthair’s furry face looked smug. “So, is he good to you?”

Jiang Heng lifted his chin. “Of course.”

“Then why are you so skinny?”

“…”

Jiang Heng wished he could jump into the other cage and scratch it.

“That’s because I was a stray before. When I’m with him, I’ll eat delicious food and drink delicious drinks, and I’ll get even fatter than you!”

“Does he like you very much?”

“Of course.”

“Then why doesn’t he come to see you? My two-legged creature comes every day.”

Jiang Heng paused, then said even louder, “That’s because he’s very busy! He probably has to work to earn money, where would he find the time to see me?”

He scratched at the mat with his paws, making a scraping sound.

“He’s very good to me. He celebrates my birthday every year, makes delicious food, stays with me, and he even promised me that he’ll earn lots of money to support me in the future…”

His voice gradually softened, and finally, he lay down dejectedly on the mat, his ears drooping, silent.

The shorthair waited for a while, then, seeing him silent, couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you stop talking?”

“You’re so annoying!” Jiang Heng glared at it. “Are you this interested in other cats’ private lives?”

The shorthair licked its paw and said honestly, “It’s too boring being stuck in a cage.”

Jiang Heng didn’t want to talk to it, but the shorthair was restless. There were no other cats in the room, so it could only chatter away beside Jiang Heng.

“I think it’s because you’re too kind to your two-legged creature that he hasn’t realized his role as your servant. Next time you see him, you should do this, this, and that…”

It demonstrated a series of cat punches in its cage. “Pin his face to the ground and rub it hard, then he’ll obediently bring you little fish snacks as tribute.”

After finishing its demonstration, it elegantly licked its paw. “That’s how I subdued my servant. Look at her now, she comes to see me every day. I just heard her say she’s bringing me canned food tomorrow.”

Seeing that Jiang Heng still ignored it, it continued to goad him. “I think your servant doesn’t care about you at all. You should abandon him and find a new servant.”

He does care…

Jiang Heng wanted to retort, but the words caught in his throat.

He had heard the conversation between the doctor and assistant.

Even though he had been comforting himself that Lu Yichuan hadn’t come because he was too busy, their conversation had shattered his self-consolation.

It was then that Jiang Heng realized a fact:

When he was no longer “Jiang Heng,” there seemed to be no connection between him and Lu Yichuan anymore.