Chapter 35
For a two-month-old kitten, eating and sleeping were top priorities.
After spending half a day lounging with Lu Yichuan, Jiang Heng finally remembered his friends the next day.
The man wasn’t in bed. Jiang Heng jumped down and, padding softly on his short legs, finally found Lu Yichuan in the bathroom.
He was changing his clothes.
He pulled at his hospital gown, and his upper body was bare.
He had something in his mouth, the red string dangling from his lips and resting against his pale collarbone. His torso, though thin, showed the faint outline of abs, his waist narrow, the black pants hugging his slender frame.
Jiang Heng froze.
The next moment, the discarded hospital gown landed on his head.
By the time he wriggled free, Lu Yichuan had already put on his T-shirt. He took the object out of his mouth, tucked it into his collar, and looked down at Jiang Heng. “Why do you look disappointed?”
Jiang Heng raised a paw and rubbed his face. He wanted to call him out on his bullshit, but his mind was still filled with the image he had just seen, and the gown still carried Lu Yichuan’s warmth. He remained silent.
A smile flickered in Lu Yichuan’s eyes. He picked up the cat and placed it on his shoulder. “Why are you up so early today?”
Jiang Heng’s gaze, over Lu Yichuan’s shoulder, landed on the clock on the wall. The hands clearly pointed to nine o’clock.
Lu Yichuan paused. “Kittens should sleep more.”
A pink paw pad touched his cheek, and he accepted it with a smile. The next moment, the kitten, clinging to his shoulder, started meowing and purring.
[Lu Yichuan, where are the other cats? There were so many cats yesterday!]
The weather wasn’t very good today, and Lu Yichuan grabbed a jacket. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to see your friends.”
The pet hospital wasn’t far from where Lu Yichuan was hospitalized, just a few minutes’ walk.
Jiang Heng was familiar with the hospital; it was the one he had stayed at when he was sick. The pain of the injection he had received four days ago was still fresh in his memory.
The doctor was somewhat acquainted with Lu Yichuan and greeted him when he saw him. “It hasn’t even been a week. Why are you here today?”
A furry head poked out from Lu Yichuan’s arm.
Lu Yichuan briefly explained the incident, and the doctor was stunned. “I wouldn’t have guessed this little guy was involved. Those cats were seriously injured, but fortunately, none were in critical condition.”
He led Lu Yichuan inside. “The most seriously injured one is an orange tabby. That bastard who hurt it…I saw its right claws, all ripped out. I can’t imagine how painful that must have been.”
The injured stray cats were all kept in the same room. He opened the door, revealing a group of cats lying quietly. Most of them were asleep due to their injuries, only the calico cat in the corner, grooming itself, looked up when the door opened.
As soon as Jiang Heng saw the calico cat, he jumped down from Lu Yichuan’s arm and ran to it. He squatted under the table and looked up. “Are you okay?”
The calico cat shifted, hiding the wound on its back, and huffed haughtily. “Just a minor injury from a two-legged creature.”
Jiang Heng praised it sincerely. “You were so amazing that day, a true heroine! Swish, swish, swish…” He waved his paws. “…and that guy was covered in scratches.”
The calico cat’s tail twitched proudly.
“If it weren’t for you, I would be dead. You’re my goddess!”
Jiang Heng didn’t notice the coldness creeping into Lu Yichuan’s eyes as he looked at the calico cat, his gaze pausing on its wound, but ultimately doing nothing.
Jiang Heng continued chattering excitedly, “Oh, let me introduce you.”
He ran to Lu Yichuan and meowed. “This is the Lu Yichuan I told you about. If it weren’t for him, we would all be dead yesterday. He saved us.”
The calico cat glanced at Lu Yichuan, a tall, thin man, then looked away, disinterested.
Jiang Heng returned to the calico cat, wanting to say more, but was picked up by Lu Yichuan.
Lu Yichuan said considerately, “It’s injured and needs to rest. Don’t disturb it.”
Jiang Heng agreed and reluctantly bid farewell to the calico cat. As soon as he left the room, he was placed in the doctor’s hands.
“Give him a full check-up.”
Jiang Heng: ??
…
The results came back quickly. The doctor handed the report to Lu Yichuan and explained, “Besides being a bit malnourished, he’s fine.”
It was the first time he had seen such a well-behaved cat, docile during both the injection and the examination.
“He’s recovered well from his previous illness. He’s a healthy little cat.”
Lu Yichuan’s grip on the report loosened slightly.
“Malnourished?”
The doctor, remembering that he was a novice cat owner, explained, “You need to pay attention to his diet. I’ll send you some information later, take a look when you have time.”
“And don’t overfeed him, especially with snacks, or he’ll become a picky eater, and your wallet will suffer.”
Lu Yichuan paused. “Snacks?”
Jiang Heng had a bad feeling about this.
As expected, the doctor continued, “Things like freeze-dried treats and cat strips are considered snacks. If it’s a good brand, it’s not too bad, but some cheaper brands are full of additives. They’re not nutritious and can lead to picky eating habits.”
He used a simple analogy. “It’s like a child refusing to eat proper meals because they only want spicy snacks.”
Lu Yichuan looked down, and the doctor followed his gaze.
Jiang Heng, chewing on a cat strip he had managed to open himself, looked back at them.
…
Silence filled the room.
The doctor cleared his throat. “What do you usually feed him?”
Lu Yichuan, for the first time, felt a twinge of shame. “Canned food and cat strips.”
“What about dry food?”
“…He barely touches it.”
A look of disapproval settled on Lu Yichuan.
Lu Yichuan took the cat strip out of Jiang Heng’s mouth and, under the doctor’s supervision, created a diet plan for the next few months.
Jiang Heng peeked at the plan and felt his world crumble.
The doctor said, “Cat strips should be limited to one a day.”
The man, his expression indifferent, checked a box on the form. “One every two days.”
Jiang Heng: ??
That wasn’t what you said when you first took me in!
…
Jiang Heng had left the dorm full of excitement, only to return dejected.
The ward was quiet. Dinner was on the table. Lu Yichuan fed the cat first before starting his own meal.
Jiang Heng went to his food bowl and saw a balanced, nutritious meal, but no cat strips.
He returned to Lu Yichuan’s side and rubbed against his leg ingratiatingly.
“Meow~”
Lu Yichuan, are you sure there aren’t any?
Lu Yichuan didn’t move his leg, just looked at him. “Acting cute won’t work.”
“However…” He bent down and picked up the kitten. “You were very well-behaved during your checkup today, so you can have some dried fish as a reward.”
As if by magic, he pulled out a bag of small, golden-brown dried fish, crispy and fragrant, incredibly delicious.
Jiang Heng had had these before. Even before he tasted them, his mouth started watering, his eyes fixed on Lu Yichuan.
The man placed the kitten on his lap, stirring his bland congee with one hand, the other holding a dried fish near the bald kitten. “Will Mimi blame me for not being there for you before?”
Jiang Heng swallowed half a fish in one bite and nuzzled Lu Yichuan. “Meow~”
[I don’t blame you. You were kind enough to take me in.]
The hand holding the dried fish froze.
Jiang Heng, oblivious, finished the rest of the fish.
[I’m actually quite content now. Of course, it would be even better if you didn’t restrict my snack intake.]
Well, well, well…
Lu Yichuan looked at the scar on his back, his expression unreadable, and took a sip of his congee. “I didn’t notice before, but the scar on Mimi’s back is so long. Did it hurt a lot back then?”
Jiang Heng was a chatterbox. Lu Yichuan only had to give him an opening, and he would spill everything.
[It was alright. It was a life-or-death situation! Those three brats ran so fast, and I almost got caught! It’s not just a scar, it’s a badge of honor!]
Jiang Heng had mentioned this to Lu Yichuan before, but back then, the man had been cold and indifferent, his complaints met with silence.
Jiang Heng didn’t like being ignored, so he had gradually stopped talking.
But today, for some reason, as he spoke, the man looked at him intently, as if…every word he uttered was heard, every word mattered.
Under his gaze, the almost forgotten memories of his time as a stray resurfaced: the dark alley, the dirty urban village, the days of hiding and running, and the suppressed grievances.
The dried fish in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor.
[Lu Yichuan, I had such a hard time before. They grabbed me and burned me with a lighter. The fur on my tail was all burned off, and then they poured dirty water on me. I couldn’t get clean no matter how hard I tried; I was always smelly.]
[I didn’t want to see you like that.]
The man’s hand holding the spoon remained motionless for a long time.
[I couldn’t hunt, and I couldn’t beat the other cats. I had to search for food in the trash every day. People kicked me and called me a dirty little beast.]
[I traveled so far, sneaking onto buses, to get to the university, and you ignored me.]
[Lu Yichuan, I thought you didn’t want me anymore.]
…
Li An arrived at the ward late at night.
The first thing he did was look at the bed, and as expected, it was empty, only a sleeping cat.
He turned and saw a man standing on the balcony, smoking.
Li An went to the balcony and, after a moment of hesitation, left the door open.
“Lu-ge…”
A crescent moon hung in the sky, its faint light falling on Lu Yichuan’s pale face, making him look even more ashen.
The ashtray on the table was overflowing with cigarette butts.
Even Li An, oblivious as he usually was, could tell that he wasn’t in a good mood. He lowered his head and reported briefly, “It’s done.”
Lu Yichuan’s gaze shifted, looking at the small, unassuming lump on the bed.
Li An continued, “One eye blinded, one hand broken, and a few ribs cracked, for good measure.”
“He had made some enemies before and owed a large sum of money. He came up with this…cat-abusing scheme because he was desperate. We didn’t even have to do much; those people came looking for him themselves.”
He smiled, a deceptively innocent expression. “They even thanked us for the tip.”
But the man across from him didn’t react.
Unable to decipher his thoughts, Li An asked tentatively, “Are you not satisfied?”
“It’s not that…” Lu Yichuan’s voice was hoarse. “Did you find that man?”
Li An shook his head. “No. He vanished without a trace.”
Lu Yichuan was silent for a few seconds, then extinguished his cigarette. “I see. You can go now.”
The night was quiet. Lu Yichuan stood on the balcony, letting the wind dissipate the smell of smoke. The cold wind chilled him to the bone.
He closed his eyes, and a single sentence echoed in his mind:
—Lu Yichuan, I thought you didn’t want me anymore.
