Chapter 15
It wasn’t dark yet, and the club wasn’t very lively, only a few scattered patrons.
The private room that Lu Yichuan had trashed last time had been cleaned. The manager directed people to bring in the liquor and, looking at the man resting on the sofa with his eyes closed, hesitated. “Lu-ge, about that Lin Chen…”
The man didn’t open his eyes, but tapped his hand on the armrest, showing a hint of impatience.
The manager swallowed and got straight to the point. “Lin Chen didn’t cut off his fingers. He latched onto a rich second-generation, and that person paid off his debt for him. He said something to that rich kid, making him think you were responsible for everything, so he’s been coming to the club these past few days, demanding to see you.”
Lu Yichuan finally opened his eyes. He reached into his pocket, found no cigarettes, and naturally extended his hand towards the manager.
The manager, after a moment, understood what he wanted and hurriedly took out a cigarette and handed it to him.
The man took the cigarette in his mouth and leaned forward, lowering his head.
The manager took out his lighter and leaned closer.
The scarlet flame flickered, not illuminating the darkness in Lu Yichuan’s eyes.
His complexion was pale, his expression utterly exhausted. He inhaled the cigarette deeply, as if trying to kill himself, until his lungs were filled with the acrid smoke and he started coughing, finally exhaling a cloud of smoke.
Lu Yichuan stared at the burning cigarette tip for a few seconds, then said lazily, “I won’t see him.”
The manager wasn’t surprised by this response.
The man had bought this club not for profit, but as a place to drink. The manager handled everything; Lu Yichuan only came here to drink.
He drank anything and everything, as if trying to drink himself to death.
He used to get drunk and would collapse on the sofa, sleeping for a whole day. But as he drank more and more, he rarely got drunk anymore.
But he would vomit, violently, sometimes with blood.
The manager was afraid he would one day drink himself to death in one of the private rooms.
He never bothered anyone when he drank. He would sleep if he was drunk, and if he wasn’t, he would leave and take a taxi home.
Having seen this so many times, the manager sometimes felt that he wasn’t even human, but more like a ghost.
Lu Yichuan smoked in silence. The manager, looking at the liquor bottles on the table, asked cautiously, “Should I open these for you?”
Lu Yichuan glanced at them. “No, not drinking today. I have to get up early tomorrow.”
Hearing him say he wasn’t drinking, the manager secretly breathed a sigh of relief and gestured for the liquor to be taken away.
Knowing that Lu Yichuan was still a student, he smiled and said, “That’s right, you have classes tomorrow. It wouldn’t be good to drink too much.”
Within a few minutes, Lu Yichuan had finished one cigarette and was lighting another. After the manager finished speaking, he chuckled softly. “No classes. I’m going to a birthday celebration tomorrow.”
“Oh…” The manager scratched his head, not knowing what to say, and offered a dry, “Happy birthday to your friend, then.”
The man paused in the act of lighting his cigarette. After a few seconds, he lowered his head and lit it, a hint of warmth finally appearing in his eyes.
“Thank you. He’d be happy to hear that.”
With nothing else to do, the manager left the room. Lu Yichuan stared at the elaborately designed ceiling, finished three cigarettes, and at some point, drifted off to sleep on the sofa.
He was awakened by a sudden ringing. Before he opened his eyes, screams from downstairs reached his ears. Judging by the intensity of the screams, it was already the middle of the night.
Lu Yichuan sat up, picked up his phone from the coffee table, and saw an unfamiliar number.
He frowned slightly but answered anyway.
“Hello, Mr. Lu, this is the doctor from the pet hospital.”
Lu Yichuan rubbed his stiff shoulder. “What is it?”
“Your cat’s condition doesn’t look very good.”
“…”
It was raining outside. Lu Yichuan’s hair was damp when he arrived at the hospital.
Only the doctor was there. He looked tired, probably from lack of sleep, and was gulping down coffee.
Seeing Lu Yichuan, he stood up, his voice sounding weary. “You’re here.”
Lu Yichuan brushed his damp hair back from his forehead, his narrow eyes sharp.
“What happened?”
The doctor put down his cup. “The little guy was fine during the day, eating and sleeping well, but then in the middle of the night, it vomited everything it had eaten and started convulsing. It looks like its condition has worsened.”
“Did you give it medication?”
“Yes, yes…”
He hadn’t called earlier but had tentatively sent Lu Yichuan a message. He hadn’t expected the man to transfer the money so readily.
The speed of his reply didn’t seem like someone ignoring his messages, but for some reason, he hadn’t replied with any words.
“Fluctuations in condition are common, don’t worry too much. It’s stable now after the injection.”
Lu Yichuan glanced at him. “Then why did you call me?”
“Uh…”
Now it was the doctor’s turn to be stunned.
After all, for the owners who brought their pets to the hospital, their pets were like their children. It was perfectly normal to call the owner when their pet’s condition was critical.
However, before calling, he seemed to have forgotten that this man didn’t seem to like cats very much…
It was raining outside, the streets deserted. Lu Yichuan took out his phone and saw that it was already one in the morning.
He was about to call someone to pick him up when he paused. “Forget it, take me to see it.”
Midnight was usually when pets were most active, but the cats and dogs in the hospital were sick and didn’t have much energy, all lying quietly in their cages.
The hospital was very quiet.
A dim orange light illuminated the small cage in the innermost room.
The shaved cat looked like a patchy, boiled egg, a pale white blob, unclear whether it was skin or the base of its fur. It was truly skinny, curled up and not even filling a corner of the cage. The wound on its back had scabbed over, the scar dark and prominent on its hairless body.
It was now curled up quietly in the cage, its breathing so shallow it was almost imperceptible.
Lu Yichuan stood in front of the cage, his rain-dampened hair falling back over his dark eyes, his expression obscured by the dim light.
The doctor didn’t know what he was thinking. Seeing him silent, he said, “The little guy is very well-behaved. It never resists injections and eats very well. It knows someone is trying to save it, so it cooperates with us.”
After a few seconds, Lu Yichuan finally responded. Whether it was from the rain or something else, his voice was hoarse.
“I see.”
He said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go ba…”
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes meeting a pair of glassy eyes, the unspoken words strangely swallowed back.
“Meow?”
Seeing him, the kitten seemed surprised, even rubbing its eyes with its paws in a very human-like gesture.
Seeing that Lu Yichuan hadn’t disappeared, it quickly scrambled to its feet.
“Meow!”
Lu Yichuan, you finally came to see me!
A faint sparkle appeared in its glassy eyes.
The man hesitated, then slowly bent down and touched the kitten’s bald head with his damp fingertips.
“Sorry,” he said, his voice still hoarse, “for coming to see you so late.”
“Meow!”
You’re so mean! You only came after I received a critical condition notice!
“Meow!”
I’m not going to forgive you so easily! No way!
“Meow!”
If you give me ten little fish snacks, I might consider it.
Lu Yichuan couldn’t understand cat language, but the kitten was nuzzling and nibbling at his fingertip, its train of thought not difficult to decipher.
Its nibbling was gentle, barely applying any pressure, only making his fingertip wet.
Lu Yichuan’s heart softened, and he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
But a meow brought him back to reality.
He suppressed the smile in his eyes and withdrew his finger. “It looks fine. I’ll be going back now if there’s nothing else.”
The dozing doctor was startled and responded belatedly, “Oh, oh…okay. Sorry to trouble you so late at night…”
Lu Yichuan didn’t speak, taking out a tissue to wipe his hands.
Before stepping out of the room, he paused and turned back inexplicably.
The kitten, which had been so lively just now, was now sitting quietly in the cage, almost too quiet, watching him without a sound.
It knew he was leaving, so even though it was reluctant, it just watched him silently.
For some reason, Lu Yichuan felt a pang of guilt, his feet rooted to the spot, unable to move.
After a long while, he seemed to give in and sighed helplessly.
“Is there a chair?”
The doctor, who had been planning to go back to sleep after Lu Yichuan left: “??”
…
The moment the cage door opened, Jiang Heng eagerly scrambled out.
He estimated the distance and felt that this short gap was nothing for a brave and battle-tested cat like himself.
So he gathered his strength and leaped, his pink paw pads tracing a confident arc in the air, landing precisely… landing…
Wait… no…
Jiang Heng’s eyes widened, his paws flailing in the air in a last-ditch effort. A few seconds later, he could only watch helplessly as he fell, less than ten centimeters from his target.
My reputation! Ruined!
He closed his eyes in despair, but instead of the expected impact, he felt a warm hand catch him mid-air.
When he opened his eyes again, he was safely nestled in Lu Yichuan’s arms.
“…”
Jiang Heng nervously pawed at the man’s thigh, his small expression hidden by his lack of fur, slightly embarrassed.
S-sorry, still new to being a cat, not very proficient yet.
The light fell on Lu Yichuan’s face, making him look very gentle.
The man sat with his legs together on a cheap red plastic chair, his back against the wall. The American Shorthair, Jiang Heng’s former roommate, had been taken out by the doctor, leaving only the man and the cat in the room.
He gently stroked the kitten’s unevenly shaved head. The prickly stubble didn’t feel very good, so he moved his hand down, touching the scar on its back.
The kitten was no longer than his palm, and the scar almost ran the length of its back. Fortunately, it wasn’t deep, but the long wound was still very noticeable.
“I’m sorry…”
Lu Yichuan didn’t know why he said that, but looking at the scar, he felt responsible.
The scabbed wound was already itchy, and the man’s gentle touch made it even itchier. Jiang Heng moved away from his hand and nuzzled his head against his palm instead.
“Meow…”
It’s not your fault. If it weren’t for you, I would be dead already!
Jiang Heng rubbed against Lu Yichuan’s palm for a while and couldn’t help but smile secretly.
He didn’t know why Lu Yichuan had suddenly decided to stay, but he knew that at this moment, he was the happiest little cat in the world.
“Meow~”
Since you’re being so nice, I’ll forgive you for your previous behavior.
He then patted the man’s arm with his paw.
But, Lu Yichuan, your previous behavior was really mean! Saving a kitty and then ignoring it, you heartless man!
The pink paw pad touched his arm briefly and then retreated. Lu Yichuan instinctively caught the playful paw, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation, a smile he didn’t even notice appearing on his face.
“Quite fierce. Is this your punishment?”
The kitten let out a proud huff.
After huffing, Jiang Heng glanced at the nearby glass and felt something was amiss.
Something wasn’t right. He looked again.
Then he saw his reflection in the glass.
Hairless, with a long scar on his back, and if he frowned a little more, he could cosplay Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
Jiang Heng: “…”
So he had just been cuddling and acting all proud with Lu Yichuan while looking like this?
Jiang Heng tried to see it from Lu Yichuan’s perspective…
He felt like the world was ending.
Lu Yichuan didn’t understand why the kitten had suddenly frozen. He thought something was wrong, so he lifted the cat up and examined it carefully.
Then his gaze paused.
“No wonder it’s so feisty, it’s a little tomcat.”
Jiang Heng looked down.
His hairless belly was fully exposed.
“…”
His self-esteem, which he had regained with great difficulty, shattered into pieces.
