Chapter 34
As if something was caught in his throat, Lu Yichuan was suddenly speechless, his fingers tightening around the armrest, his knuckles white.
For a moment, he even wondered if he had imagined it.
The man lowered his head, his chin resting on the newly grown fuzz, the short, dry fur warm from the sun.
“What…did you say?”
Jiang Heng froze, looked up abruptly, and the next second, a large hand covered his head.
He was pressed back against Lu Yichuan’s neck, his wet nose rubbing against the red string, the metallic scent of blood filling his senses. He couldn’t see the man’s expression, but his voice sounded normal.
“Is Mimi worried about me?”
Jiang Heng sneezed against his palm.
“Meow…”
Not worried, not at all. If you die, I’ll spend all your money.
As if understanding him, the hand covering his head tightened, and then a chuckle came.
Jiang Heng was suddenly filled with uncertainty.
Could Lu Yichuan really understand what he was saying?
While he was pondering this, the hand lifted, revealing a ruffled little cat face, his eyes wide, staring at Lu Yichuan, suspicion evident in his gaze.
Lu Yichuan lowered his hand, his fingertips rubbing together, and met the kitten’s suspicious gaze, a faint smile curving his lips. “Why are you looking at me like that? Mimi’s thoughts are so hard to guess. Are you worried, or not?”
He didn’t understand?
Jiang Heng continued to stare suspiciously at him, but Lu Yichuan just lowered his eyes, his fingers stroking the soft fur on his neck, his long eyelashes hiding his expression.
Sensing his gaze, the man raised his eyes. “What is it?”
Jiang Heng meowed tentatively.
Lu Yichuan is a big idiot.
Lu Yichuan didn’t react.
“Meow.”
Lu Yichuan is a pig.
Lu Yichuan still didn’t react.
He really couldn’t understand.
Jiang Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been right; how could a human understand what a cat was saying?
But along with the relief came a sense of disappointment.
Not touching him, Lu Yichuan truly didn’t understand what Jiang Heng was saying. Combined with his furtive expression earlier, he guessed it wasn’t anything nice.
He touched his neck, the rough texture of the red string beneath his fingertips, and the warmth of the bone radiating against his chest.
What…could it be?
…
Jiang Heng was still worried. He reached out a paw and gently touched the wound on Lu Yichuan’s wrist.
“Meow?”
Doesn’t it hurt?
Lu Yichuan understood his meaning even without understanding cat language.
“It still hurts a little. The doctor said I need to rest more…”
The intimate nickname “Rongrong” lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it, not wanting to frighten Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng froze for a few seconds, then instinctively tried to jump down, but was carried to the bed instead.
“Meow?”
Am I supposed to sleep too?
At this moment, Lu Yichuan was like an unreasonable owner who couldn’t understand his cat’s protests, tucking him firmly under the covers, forcing him to sleep with him.
The scent of another person filled Jiang Heng’s senses. He reached out a paw, then quickly retracted it, the warmth of Lu Yichuan’s chest against his fur almost burning.
Besides the two days when Lu Yichuan had just brought him back from the hospital and he had slept curled up around his neck, Jiang Heng hadn’t been this close to him.
And now, as a small cat, he felt completely enveloped.
Wrapped tightly, unable to breathe.
Jiang Heng felt uncomfortable and tried to wriggle free, but a long finger gently pressed down on his head. “Don’t be restless, it’s time to sleep.”
Kittens this age needed a lot of sleep.
“…”
Jiang Heng was silent for a moment, sniffing the scent on his fingers, and finally, exhausted from his morning adventure, he succumbed to sleep, nestled against Lu Yichuan.
Within moments, soft purrs came from Lu Yichuan’s arms.
He looked down at the bald kitten curled up around his finger.
He pressed his finger down slightly, feeling the faint, steady beat of its heart against his skin.
The expression in Lu Yichuan’s eyes darkened. He felt the vibrant life beneath his fingertips and remained silent for a long time.
After a while, he chuckled darkly, pulled out the object hidden beneath his collar, stared at the red string for a moment, then got out of bed, pulling back the covers.
His assistant, who had been standing in the corner pretending to be invisible, finally stepped forward.
Li An had been working for Lu Yichuan for several years, starting when he had finally defied his parents. He had witnessed the man’s meticulous planning, his years of scheming finally about to bear fruit, only to be abruptly ended by a car accident.
He had thought he was out of a job, that Lu Yichuan would never need him again, but then a phone call brought him back.
A cat was sleeping on the comfortable bed meant for the patient, while the man who was supposed to be resting leaned against the balcony railing.
The wind ruffled Lu Yichuan’s clothes, outlining his slender waist. But the usual lifelessness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a coldness that reminded Li An of the Lu Yichuan from four years ago.
“Help me find someone,” he said.
Li An froze for a moment, then quickly responded, “Who?”
Lu Yichuan took out his phone and showed him a picture.
It was a screenshot from a surveillance camera, showing Lu Yichuan and a strange-looking man sitting in a breakfast stall.
He zoomed in, focusing on the man’s face. “Even if you have to turn City A upside down, find this person for me.”
A competent assistant wouldn’t pry into his boss’s private affairs, so Li An simply agreed.
“Also, arrange a meeting for me with that young man.”
Having taken care of the cat for an hour, Li An naturally knew who he was referring to.
“I just inquired. The young man was treated at the hospital and has been taken to the police station. But, although his actions were cruel, you know it’s difficult to impose any serious punishment for this kind of behavior.”
“The university has also been informed. This incident has become quite a big deal. I’ve sounded out the school leaders. The social impact is significant; it’s unlikely that young man will remain at A University.”
Lu Yichuan frowned slightly and didn’t speak.
Li An observed his expression. “Anything else?”
“Go and…” Lu Yichuan started, then stopped, a rare look of hesitation on his face.
“Forget it, I’ll think about it.”
Li An quietly left the balcony.
When Jiang Heng woke up, the sun was still in the sky, the evening glow casting a warm golden light.
He sat up and found that Lu Yichuan had woken up at some point and was half-lying on the bed, hooked up to an IV drip. Seeing him emerge from under the covers with his sleep-mussed fur, the man lowered his eyes.
“Awake? Hungry?”
Jiang Heng sat up, then tried to lower his head again…
But he couldn’t.
“Meow!”
Something’s pulling me!
A chuckle came from behind him. Lu Yichuan pulled back the blanket that was blocking the kitten and watched as it finally managed to lower its head.
Thud.
A small dent appeared on the soft bedding.
Jiang Heng climbed out of the dent, his intelligent brain finally catching up, and glanced up. The culprit slowly retracted his finger.
“…”
Lu Yichuan said, “I thought the blanket was in your way.”
His nonchalant expression annoyed Jiang Heng. He grumbled for a bit, then noticed a red string around his neck.
“Meow?”
What is this?
Lu Yichuan gently tugged at the string, revealing a vibrant red. “This red string was given to me by a master. It’s been blessed, supposedly. We’re master and servant, we should have matching accessories.”
Jiang Heng looked at Lu Yichuan’s neck and saw a flash of red beneath his collar.
So that was it.
He tilted his head, only able to see a bit of red against his fur; the rest was hidden from his view.
Lu Yichuan pulled the loose string out a bit, bringing it closer to his face. “Don’t you like it?”
“Meow!”
It’s alright.
Lu Yichuan chuckled again.
Jiang Heng looked up, meeting his gaze, seeing only him reflected in his narrow eyes.
Only him.
He froze, that strange feeling returning.
Could Lu Yichuan really hear him speak?
The bald kitten circled Lu Yichuan, trying his old trick again.
“Meow!”
Lu Yichuan is a pig.
“Meow meow.”
Lu Yichuan is a big idiot.
“Meow meow meow.”
Lu Yichuan drools and farts in his sleep.
Lu Yichuan looked at him, still smiling.
Jiang Heng relaxed. It had been his imagination after all. A human understanding cat language was simply unscientific.
Where he couldn’t see, the man’s smile slowly faded. He had been planning to give a certain cat a surprise, but now it seemed there was no rush.
Jiang Heng stuck his butt in the air, preparing for takeoff, and mentally counted down:
One, two…
A finger poked his bottom, and with a thud, he landed face-first on the bed.
Another small dent appeared on the bedding.
His clever brain was temporarily stuck in the dent.
…
The young man had been locked up in the detention cell for a whole day.
The pain from the wounds on his face was excruciating, and after the police finished questioning him, they left him alone, sitting there in silence.
He had been so cruel to cats, yet in the face of humans, he was so cowardly he didn’t dare to speak. As time passed, his face gradually turned pale.
Finally, at eleven o’clock at night, the door of the detention cell opened.
The officer who had brought him in ushered in a man.
It was a cold night, and the man wore a jacket over his blue and white hospital gown. He was tall but thin and frail, his face pale and sickly under the jacket.
At first, the young man didn’t recognize him.
Until he saw the familiar hospital gown, his memory flashing back to that terrifying morning.
The officer pulled up a chair, and Lu Yichuan sat down, clutching his jacket.
He covered his mouth with his hand and coughed, his voice slow and deliberate. “How’s your face?”
The young man froze for a moment, then stammered, “I-it’s okay…”
“Is that so…” Lu Yichuan chuckled and tilted his chin slightly. Li An, standing behind him, immediately took out a phone and handed it to him.
Lu Yichuan took the phone but didn’t open it immediately. He asked the young man, “I heard from the officer that you abused cats to film videos and make money online?”
“I…” the young man shuddered. “I was wrong, I’ll never do it again! Please, don’t arrest me…”
The man across from him didn’t speak, his brow slightly furrowed, as if uncomfortable with his raised voice.
The young man couldn’t help but recall the way he had protectively held the little cat in his arms.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was your cat. If I had known, I wouldn’t have touched it. I really know I was wrong; I just wanted to earn some money…”
The long hours of confinement had clearly terrified him, and his words became increasingly incoherent. “You have no right to detain me! I haven’t broken any laws! They were just animals! I didn’t kill anyone! You can’t keep me here!”
Lu Yichuan coughed again and glanced at the officer standing beside him.
The officer said helplessly, “The cats he captured were strays. Even if he distributed the videos, the maximum penalty is a few days of detention and a fine.”
Hearing this, the young man’s eyes lit up with hope.
Lu Yichuan also smiled, a gentle smile. “Indeed. After all, we’re classmates. You must have considered the consequences before doing this, especially considering you’re a student at such a prestigious university.”
He finally picked up the phone he had been holding. “Let’s see what you’ve recorded.”
His long, clean finger tapped the screen.
A grainy video, accompanied by sound, began to play.
The camera was stationary, focused on a cage with a few motionless cats inside, the voice coming from off-screen.
“Such beautiful eyes. How about I gouge them out for my collection?”
“Want to meow and attract attention? I should just rip your tongue out.”
…
It was short, less than a minute.
Lu Yichuan put away his phone and looked at the young man. “Any comments on your…work of art?”
The young man’s face turned pale, as if terrified, his body trembling, unable to speak, only repeating, “I haven’t broken any laws! You can’t do anything to me! You can’t…”
“I can’t, indeed.”
Lu Yichuan handed the phone back to his assistant, his tone still gentle. “The law is the law, unfortunately. It’s just a pity that my cat was subjected to such cruelty.”
He stood up, buttoned his jacket, and smiled at the young man. “Congratulations, you’re free to go.”
