Chapter 17
The day after Jiang Heng’s birthday, Lu Yichuan, as promised, came to see him at the hospital.
Rather than just visiting, he was there to take him home.
The scar on his back had healed, leaving only a faint pink mark. Soon, this long mark would be covered by soft, beautiful fur, and no one would know the kitten had ever been injured.
Lu Yichuan listened to the doctor’s instructions while Jiang Heng stood in his cage, looking at his reflection in the glass.
Left side: No fur.
Right side: Also no fur.
Below…
Not suitable for viewing.
He sighed sadly. A little over a week was enough for his wound to heal, but not nearly enough for his fur to grow back.
Perhaps it had grown a little compared to before, but the change was negligible in Jiang Heng’s eyes.
He thought, in ten minutes, he would be leaving the hospital with Lu Yichuan, looking like this.
And he would be going to Lu Yichuan’s place, facing his friends, looking like this…
Just the thought of it made Jiang Heng feel suffocated.
A warm hand supported his belly as Lu Yichuan lifted him, gently rubbing his drooping ears, and asked the doctor, “Why doesn’t it seem very happy?”
The doctor glanced at the cat in his arms. “Although it can be discharged, its illness hasn’t fully recovered. It’s normal for it to be a bit down sometimes.”
“Remember to give it the medication I prescribed and bring it back for injections every week. It needs injections for twelve consecutive weeks, so the cost…”
He paused, not continuing.
The doctor watched as Lu Yichuan was about to leave with the cat and couldn’t help but offer some advice. “Mr. Lu, this kitten is very well-behaved and intelligent. You’re willing to pay for such expensive treatment, so for you, raising a kitten shouldn’t be a big financial burden.”
“But cats have feelings. If you don’t intend to keep it, it’s best to let it go sooner rather than later. Don’t keep it for a couple of days and then abandon it when you find it unsuitable. That would be truly cruel.”
The man paused at the door, replied, “I know,” and left the pet hospital without looking back.
The doctor watched his retreating figure, his aloof demeanor making it hard to discern his thoughts. He could only sigh softly and continue with his work.
Jiang Heng was placed in the back seat of Lu Yichuan’s car. The cardboard box from before was still there, but the black notebook inside had been replaced with a soft gray mat.
He stepped on the mat, his front paws on the edge of the box, and poked his patchy head out.
The box tilted slightly under his weight, but the culprit seemed completely oblivious, staring at Lu Yichuan in front with his glassy eyes.
The man rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slightly thin wrists, and fastened his seatbelt with a smooth, elegant movement.
Jiang Heng couldn’t discern anything from his actions, so he looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror.
His expression remained indifferent, making it impossible for Jiang Heng to tell whether he liked him or not.
Rip!
His claws left a scratch on the pristine box.
He had been so happy these past two days that he hadn’t considered the possibility that Lu Yichuan wouldn’t keep him. Jiang Heng tried to recall, it seemed Lu Yichuan had never shown any fondness for animals, from childhood until now.
Jiang Heng, on the other hand, loved them.
But Zhao Huailan was allergic to cat and dog fur, so they weren’t allowed to have pets at home. Jiang Heng could only secretly pet stray cats and dogs outside.
The cat treats and canned food in Lu Yichuan’s bag were all for him.
Sometimes, Jiang Heng would ask him why he didn’t get a pet himself.
By then, Lu Yichuan had grown into the person everyone knew: outstanding, reserved, his every word and action carrying the refinement and aloofness expected of the Lu family heir.
Only when facing Jiang Heng would he relax and become lazy, lounging in his chair without any pretense, quietly watching him pet cats.
“Taking care of Rongrong is already enough trouble, where would I find the time to take care of cats and dogs?”
…
Thinking of this, Jiang Heng felt both sad and heartbroken.
He thought Lu Yichuan probably wouldn’t keep him.
Lost in thought, he felt the box he was leaning on suddenly shift, tilting further.
Jiang Heng: “!!”
He let out a short meow and frantically scrambled back, trying to right the tilting box.
But the damned box wouldn’t listen to him. Even after he retracted his claws, it resolutely abandoned the comfortable mat. Just as it was about to fall, a hand reached out and pushed it back.
Jiang Heng tumbled head over heels inside the box. A few seconds later, he pulled his head out, looking at the hand on the edge of the box, still dazed.
Lu Yichuan glanced at him. “Behave.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
He got up and said plaintively,
“Meow!”
It wasn’t me! It was the box that moved first!
The only response was the sound of the car engine starting.
The car stopped at the largest pet store nearby.
Lu Yichuan carried the hairless kitten, along with the box, out of the car.
Seeing his car, a shop assistant immediately rushed out to greet him. “Hello, sir, what can I help you with?”
Lu Yichuan held up the kitten. “What do I need to raise it?”
The shop assistant looked down and met Jiang Heng’s innocent eyes.
Delighted, he immediately realized this was a novice cat owner. “You’ll need a lot of things. We have everything here. Let me show you…”
Lu Yichuan was impatient. “Just pack everything I need.”
The shop assistant eagerly brought him a chair and poured him a cup of hot tea. “Alright, I’ll get everything ready for you. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the best we have.”
Of course, also the most expensive.
Lu Yichuan placed the kitten on the table beside him and was about to agree when he heard a short meow.
He turned and met Jiang Heng’s gaze.
Even though he didn’t understand what the kitten was saying, he could see a hint of disapproval in its eyes.
The word “Okay” died in his throat.
Seeing him hesitate, the shop assistant asked tentatively, “If you have no objections, I’ll go get them?”
Lu Yichuan picked up the kitten again. “Let me take a look first.”
The shop assistant looked disappointed, but still enthusiastically introduced their products. “Look at this cat bed, spacious and soft, guaranteed to give your cat a comfortable sleeping experience.”
It was just a cat bed. Lu Yichuan couldn’t tell the difference between good and bad, so he tilted the box in his arms so Jiang Heng could see the cat bed the shop assistant was pointing at.
“Do you like it?”
Jiang Heng’s body lurched unexpectedly. He gripped the cardboard with his claws, steadied himself, and then realized Lu Yichuan was talking to him.
Asking him to choose?
He froze. Did this mean Lu Yichuan was planning to keep him?
Seeing him silent, Lu Yichuan closed his eyes. “Let’s see another one.”
The shop assistant regretfully removed the most expensive cat bed and continued to introduce their products to the cat in Lu Yichuan’s arms, trying to pique its interest.
“How about this one? It has feathers hanging from the top. Your kitten can play with them when it’s bored.”
He reached out and touched the dangling feathers, which swayed back and forth in front of Jiang Heng’s eyes. He couldn’t resist reaching out and batting at them.
As soon as his pink paw pads touched the feathers, Lu Yichuan said decisively, “We’ll take this one.”
Before Jiang Heng could react, his future bed had been chosen.
…
On the way back, Jiang Heng finally wasn’t lying in a simple cardboard box, but in a brand new cat bed, the feathers swaying with the movement of the car.
But Jiang Heng wasn’t in the mood to play.
The cardboard box had been tall enough that he couldn’t see anything outside, but now, in the cat bed, the scenery flashed by, including the passing cars.
The trauma from the car accident wouldn’t disappear overnight, but as long as he was with Lu Yichuan, he didn’t seem so afraid.
As long as he was with him, even death didn’t seem so terrifying.
Lu Yichuan, unaware of the kitten’s thoughts, parked downstairs at his dormitory and carried the cat, along with its new bed, upstairs.
Back in the dormitory, he placed the cat on the floor by the window and rubbed its head. “I’ll go downstairs to get the rest of the things. Be good.”
After Lu Yichuan left, Jiang Heng began to survey the room.
There was only a bed inside, the room clean and tidy, with a faint scent of jasmine in the air.
Jiang Heng cautiously stepped out of the cat bed, then climbed out completely, observing this unfamiliar place with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.
He could hear students talking in the corridor, confirming that this was a student dormitory. There were books on the table that Jiang Heng hadn’t seen before, seemingly related to philosophy, and a potted jasmine plant with buds on the windowsill.
Lu Yichuan returned to find the kitten squatting on the floor, looking up at the jasmine plant on the windowsill.
He put down the things he had bought, moved the jasmine plant to the balcony for sunlight, and meticulously wiped the dust off the rim of the pot.
Only then did he notice the cat in the room. He thought for a moment and said to the cat, “Don’t touch that jasmine plant.”
The kitten tilted its head at him and meowed obediently.
Lu Yichuan cracked his knuckles, the frown that had been lingering on his face finally relaxing.
His reason told him he shouldn’t keep this cat, but every time he thought about giving it away, he would remember the way the kitten had curled up and slept on his lap last night.
So small, carefully snuggling against him, its breathing so light as if afraid to disturb him.
He had never considered himself a good person, but when facing this kitten, he couldn’t help but soften.
By the time he came to his senses, he had already brought the cat back.
He hadn’t slept all night and had dark circles under his eyes, his lips pale. He bent down and poured cat food into a bowl for Jiang Heng, added some freeze-dried treats, and then went to take a shower.
Jiang Heng was quiet and well-behaved, and Lu Yichuan didn’t see anything unusual in the way he was raising the cat.
Jiang Heng also didn’t think there was anything unusual about Lu Yichuan’s behavior, completely unaware that most cats would be anxious in a new environment.
Not only was he not anxious, but he seemed even more at ease than he had been at the hospital.
He took a bite of the freeze-dried treat. Crispy and fragrant.
While eating, he glanced towards the bathroom.
Lu Yichuan came out quickly, but not in the “handsome man emerging from the bath” scene Jiang Heng had imagined. He was fully dressed, only the top two buttons of his shirt undone, revealing his pale skin and a hint of his toned physique.
By the time Lu Yichuan finished drying his hair and came back in, Jiang Heng had already eaten half his food, his belly visibly rounder.
The man didn’t pay much attention to him, as if there wasn’t a new member in the room.
He rubbed his temples. He felt exhausted, but his mind was racing, his heart pounding in his ears.
Where Jiang Heng couldn’t see, he let out a slow breath, cracked his knuckles, and after calming down, opened a drawer and took out the sleeping pills from the vitamin bottle.
Lu Yichuan put a pill in his mouth and took a sip of water. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the hairless kitten stealthily reaching out a paw towards a long cloth covering his desk.
The tension in his body eased slightly. A smile he wasn’t aware of appeared in his eyes. He put down his glass of water, making a distinct clinking sound.
As expected, hearing the sound, the kitten quickly retracted its paw and casually looked around.
Wow! What an interesting book!
