Chapter 29
Lu Yichuan acted as if he didn’t know the cat sitting on the windowsill, lowering his head and opening his textbook.
Whenever he taught a class, many students would attend, though whether for academic purposes or other reasons was unknown.
The large number of students made the classroom crowded. Jiang Heng looked around, unsure how to even leave his perch.
The two girls sitting below the windowsill had somehow fashioned a nest out of their jackets and, while he wasn’t looking, placed him inside.
Jiang Heng pawed at the clothes beneath him and thought, since he was already here…
He found a comfortable position and observed Lu Yichuan at the podium.
To be honest, it was the first time he had seen him lecture. He was calm and composed despite the many students watching him, his eyes sharp behind his glasses, his gaze making those he looked at straighten their backs unconsciously.
Just as Jiang Heng was feeling smug, he realized those sharp eyes were now on him.
Little Jiang Heng, who had just been laughing at others, immediately straightened up.
A faint smile flickered across Lu Yichuan’s face. He lowered his eyes and continued his lecture.
…
“Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes…”
Jiang Heng’s gaze became unfocused.
“Heidegger views freedom as a fundamental aspect of…”
Jiang Heng’s eyelids began to droop.
Thud! His head hit the desk, jolting him slightly awake. He looked up at the podium.
Lu Yichuan seemed to glance at him, then changed the slide.
“Sartre’s concept of ‘freedom’ is not a property…”
He looked back and saw a large number of students had also succumbed to sleep.
Jiang Heng: “…”
Truly the history of philosophy.
While he was spacing out, Lu Yichuan had already finished another slide.
“Albert Camus explicitly elevates the concept of ‘absurdity’ to…”
His lecturing tone was even more monotonous than when he used to read Jiang Heng bedtime stories, his voice slow and low. The quiet classroom and the monotonous voice finally lulled Jiang Heng to sleep, his head falling onto the jacket.
As for his cat persona?
Even the smartest cat wouldn’t study philosophy!
Jiang Heng slept soundly, only awakened by the commotion of students leaving as class ended. Before he could open his eyes, he heard Lu Yichuan’s voice.
“It’s my cat. I probably didn’t close the windows properly when I left, and it followed me here.”
Then came the voices of two girls.
“This uniquely ugly cat belongs to Xuechang Lu?”
Jiang Heng opened his eyes, his expression flat.
Excuse me, miss, could you look me in the eyes and repeat what you just said?
The girl continued, “Its pictures have been all over the confession wall these past two days. We thought it was a stray.”
Lu Yichuan raised an eyebrow slightly. “The confession wall?”
“Yes.” The girl took out her phone. “Look, there are so many posts about it. It’s not that there aren’t ugly cats, but we’ve never seen one this…uniquely ugly.”
Lu Yichuan looked down. As the girl had said, there were many posts about the bald kitten, complete with high-definition pictures.
The bald kitten in the photos appeared in various locations around campus, catching fish, chasing butterflies, playing hide-and-seek…
It was clear he had been enjoying himself while Lu Yichuan was out.
Jiang Heng placed his paw on Lu Yichuan and peeked at the phone, and his world crumbled!
Seriously, did these university students have nothing better to do than take pictures of him and post them online?
The girl said excitedly, “You have no idea, your kitten is amazing! It doesn’t look very big, but it has a whole entourage of cats following it wherever it goes. They say it’s the boss.”
Lu Yichuan looked down at the cat clinging to him. “The boss?”
Jiang Heng: “…”
He wasn’t! He just happened to be better at hide-and-seek than the other cats.
Little Jiang Heng, his tail drooping, was carried out of the classroom by Lu Yichuan.
Several cats were still waiting for him in the tree. They poked their heads out when they saw him, then quickly retreated when they saw Lu Yichuan.
Lu Yichuan stood under the tree. “Boss, want to say goodbye to your little brothers?”
Jiang Heng played dead.
Fortunately, Lu Yichuan didn’t force the issue and carried him away.
He stopped on a deserted staircase and took out his phone to make a call.
Jiang Heng nestled in Lu Yichuan’s arms, watching him, the sunlight bright and warm.
“Professor, I’ve sent you the PPT I’ve compiled so far. If you’re too busy, you can ask Zhao Shuo for help. I forgot to tell the students during class, please inform them.”
The person on the other end said something, and Lu Yichuan responded briefly.
“Sorry, I won’t be able to participate in the project you mentioned,” he said.
“I have more important things to do.”
The brief conversation lasted less than three minutes. Lu Yichuan ended the call and turned right, carrying the cat.
Ahead was a cherry blossom avenue, but the blossoms had already fallen, the green leaves lush and vibrant, casting a cool shade.
This wasn’t the way back to the dormitory.
Lu Yichuan carried the cat to the university entrance, where Jiang Zhuo was waiting by his car.
Seeing him, Jiang Zhuo straightened up and was about to speak, but his words changed when he saw the cat in his arms. “Whoa! What a unique-looking cat.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
He hadn’t expected Lu Yichuan to be meeting his older brother, or rather, Jiang Xingbai’s older brother.
After four years, Jiang Zhuo looked much more mature. Dressed in a suit, he actually looked the part of a CEO.
Unfortunately, the moment Jiang Heng closed his eyes, all he could see was Jiang Zhuo, naked as a jaybird, stealing his toys when they were in elementary school.
…
Jiang Zhuo said, “Lu Yichuan, you’re something else. You asked me to come, and you made me wait under the scorching sun for over an hour! Do you know how valuable my time is?”
Lu Yichuan offered a half-hearted apology. “I was in class.”
Jiang Zhuo rolled his eyes.
He watched as Lu Yichuan reached into his backpack and pulled out a set of car keys. Lu Yichuan tossed the keys to Jiang Zhuo. “I heard your brother is discharged. This is a get-well gift.”
Jiang Zhuo looked at the keys, his expression complex. “Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”
Facing his longtime friend, Lu Yichuan didn’t mince his words, his expression impassive. “I’m afraid the sight of me will make him sick.”
Jiang Zhuo: “…”
“He’s my brother, can you at least show some respect? If you dislike him so much, why bother giving him a gift?”
Lu Yichuan placed the cat on the hood of Jiang Zhuo’s car and took out his phone, his fingers tapping rapidly. “I’ve made a spreadsheet and sent it to you…”
Jiang Zhuo looked at his phone and found a detailed list of Jiang Heng’s expenses from childhood to adulthood, covering everything from food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
He stared at it for a long time before finally reacting. “Why are you showing me this?”
Lu Yichuan said, “I’ve calculated it. Rongrong probably cost your family this much from childhood until now. I have records of everything I’ve given Jiang Xingbai over the years, plus this car, it should be about even now…”
Jiang Zhuo found it absurd. “Lu Yichuan, is this really necessary?”
“Yes.”
Sunlight fell on Lu Yichuan, his white shirt tinged with a golden glow, but his face was pale, almost translucent.
“I don’t want him to owe you anything.”
Jiang Zhuo opened and closed his mouth. “Do we really have to be so clear about this? Even without blood ties, we’re still family. He’s gone now; you don’t have to…”
Lu Yichuan interrupted him softly. “He’s gone, and I don’t want some people to take advantage of the fact that he can’t speak for himself and trample on his memory.”
He lowered his eyes, his face pale and translucent, but his tone was light.
“You didn’t care for him when he was alive, there’s no need to put on a show for others now that he’s gone.”
“If you don’t want him, then return him to me, cleanly.”
Jiang Zhuo’s fingers suddenly tightened.
After a few seconds, he asked hoarsely, “You gave Jiang Xingbai gifts because of… Then why did you go to his birthday celebration last time?”
He had never attended any of Jiang Xingbai’s birthday celebrations before.
Lu Yichuan chuckled softly, his voice tinged with weariness, like a watch battery finally running out of power.
“Do you want to hear the truth?”
Jiang Zhuo froze. Before he could answer, Lu Yichuan continued, “I just wanted him to see, to see how you celebrated his birthday, so that…”
He smiled faintly, leaving the sentence unfinished, but Jiang Zhuo understood.
So that even in death, Jiang Heng would only remember the good things.
Jiang Zhuo thought he was truly insane.
An indescribable emotion welled up inside him, and he couldn’t help but take a step forward. The car keys dug into his palm, the sharp, cold pain bringing him back to his senses.
What right did he have to lecture Lu Yichuan?
Jiang Heng’s older brother?
He almost laughed at the thought.
Lu Yichuan hadn’t done anything wrong; it was them who were wrong.
A wave of helplessness washed over Jiang Zhuo. He loosened his grip, the car keys burning in his hand.
Shame clogged his throat, rendering him speechless.
Jiang Zhuo’s expression was grim. Lu Yichuan, unfazed, added fuel to the fire. “You always talk about guilt, but you’re transferring your guilt towards a dead person onto a living one. It’s disgusting, even to me.”
Jiang Zhuo’s hand tightened again, the sharp edge of the key digging deeper into his palm, a dull ache spreading.
Seeing that Jiang Zhuo remained silent, Lu Yichuan zipped up his backpack and picked up the stunned cat.
“From now on, Rongrong has nothing to do with the Jiang family anymore.”
He’s finally mine.
He thought.
Under the sunlight, the man’s figure was tall and thin, the shadow at his feet stretching longer and longer, then gradually merging with the dappled light and shadow, fragmented, swallowed, sinking into the ground.
Lu Yichuan could feel the cat in his arms was agitated, but after his conversation with Jiang Zhuo, he felt detached from his body, an empty shell.
The cat snuggled against him again and was pushed away.
He turned his head and coughed slightly, as if expelling the last breath from his lungs.
The kitten circled his feet, meowing incessantly. Lu Yichuan thought, it was time to call Song Zhang to pick up the cat.
He placed his hands on his knees and slowly stood up, like an old man.
Lu Yichuan opened a drawer and pulled out a locked notebook.
He took the notebook to the balcony. The old dormitory chair creaked as he sat down, a furry body immediately rubbing against his leg.
Lu Yichuan looked down and slowly entered a few numbers, unlocking the notebook.
It was mostly empty, only a few items listed on the first page.
The man uncapped his pen with his teeth and checked the last item on the list.
He pressed down hard, the pen scratching against the paper, the sound clearly audible.
The rest of the page was blank.
Lu Yichuan stared at the check mark for a long time, a slow smile spreading across his face.
The cat climbed up his pants leg and was pushed away.
He tore out the page and lit it with his lighter.
The flames leaped up, quickly consuming the paper in the wind. When he let go, it curled in the air, landing as a pile of ashes.
Lu Yichuan coughed again and slowly took out a cigarette. He bent down, like an old man, and lit it, the fingers holding the cigarette as thin as bamboo joints.
He leaned back in his chair, and in a daze, felt something jump onto his lap, a warm body rubbing against his neck and shoulder, and a sweet, lingering voice seemed to echo in his ears.
“Lu Yichuan…”
Lu Yichuan closed his eyes slowly, his breathing shallow.
