Chapter 69
Jiang Heng’s gaze collided with his.
Both froze for a moment, then quickly looked away.
Jiang Xingbai had only met Jiang Heng a few times, and with his changed appearance, he wouldn’t have recognized him, but those eyes…a flicker of familiarity sparked in his memory.
Before he could dwell on it, his friend’s voice interrupted him.
They went to another table, diagonally opposite Jiang Heng and his companions.
Jiang Heng picked up a burger, squished it, squeezed it, then opened his mouth wide.
The patty stayed in place. Perfect.
Lu Yichuan, after countless meetings and signed contracts, finally remembered he had a free-range cat.
[Where are you?]
The current Jiang Heng was no longer the Jiang Heng of the past; he could lie without batting an eye.
[At an elegant Western restaurant, eating steak.]
Six dots came in reply.
[…]
[Touch your neck.]
Jiang Heng instinctively touched his neck, his fingers brushing against the collar hidden beneath his sweater, the bell swaying slightly.
During his initial transformations, he had been unstable, switching between human and cat forms unexpectedly, breaking several collars in the process. Finding it troublesome to keep replacing them, he had asked Lu Yichuan to get him an adjustable one that would fit both forms.
The good news was, he no longer had to worry about breaking his collars.
The bad news was, he often forgot he was even wearing one, even forgetting about the tracker inside.
He replied with six dots.
[…]
Lu Yichuan sent him a screenshot of his location.
[Western restaurant? Steak?]
Jiang Heng sent Lu Yichuan a picture of his burger, the beef patty circled prominently.
[Totally counts as a Western restaurant and steak.]
[Don’t eat too much junk food, or you’ll get a stomachache.]
He tried to entice Jiang Heng.
[Want to come with me to my dinner tonight? At that restaurant in the north of the city, I’ve taken you there before.]
Jiang Heng immediately remembered. Expensive, but the food, especially the pigeon, was exquisite.
[But won’t I be disturbing you? It’s a business dinner.]
[No, everyone brings a companion. If you don’t come, I’ll have to take Li An.]
He sounded quite pitiful.
[Okay, what time?]
[Six o’clock.]
Jiang Heng looked at the time. It was still early. Munch, munch, munch.
[Then I’ll go to the pet store after lunch to buy some toys, then come find you at your company.]
And so it was decided. Jiang Heng put away his phone and focused on his food. A few seconds later, he heard a commotion from the next table.
He turned his head.
A girl stood up, phone in hand, and walked towards him. Jiang Heng, his cheeks bulging with food, watched as she approached.
“Hello! Can I have your contact information?”
Jiang Heng froze for a second, about to speak, when Ran Nian quickly added, “I’m not hitting on you or anything, it’s just that you’re so handsome! If I didn’t ask for your contact information, I would regret it for the rest of my life!”
“I’m from A University next door. Judging by your age, you must be a student around here too, right? We have an anime club at our university, and you would be perfect for cosplay…”
She looked at Little Black. “You too.”
Then at Big White. “You’re…almost suitable.”
Big White, munch, munch, munch: “What’s cosplay?”
Ran Nian asked, “Do you know what anime is?”
Big White’s eyes lit up. “We are anime!”
Jiang Heng: “…”
Ran Nian’s eyes widened excitedly. “I knew it! Your hair color screams anime! Are you interested in joining our club? We have tons of hot guys and beautiful girls!”
Jiang Heng politely declined, “No, thank you, we’re not really interested.”
Ran Nian, though disappointed, still held up her phone. “Then can I at least have your contact information? I promise I won’t bother you! If I do, you can just delete me.”
Since she had put it that way, and he didn’t sense any malice from her, Jiang Heng couldn’t refuse.
He took out his phone, then, before adding her, asked, “What’s your relationship with the guy sitting by the wall over there?”
Ran Nian looked back. “You mean Jiang Xingbai?”
Jiang Heng nodded.
“We’re not really close. He’s quiet; we don’t have much in common. He’s good friends with Gu Chennan though, our club president.”
Jiang Heng, his face neutral, pulled out his QR code.
He was petty; if Ran Nian was close to Jiang Xingbai, he wouldn’t have added her.
Having successfully obtained the handsome stranger’s contact information, Ran Nian mentally cheered, grinning from ear to ear. “I won’t disturb you any longer. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime! We can hang out too! I know lots of fun places and good restaurants!”
Ran Nian left with her friends shortly after. Jiang Xingbai glanced back before leaving, seeing Jiang Heng gnawing on a chicken drumstick with his head down.
Then he turned and left the restaurant.
They were like strangers, their paths crossing, yet not intersecting.
Little Jiang Heng, as usual, had more enthusiasm than stomach capacity. A burger, two chicken drumsticks, and a few bites of fried chicken were enough to fill him up.
He took the two cats to the pet store as planned, letting them choose their favorite toys, and paid with Lu Yichuan’s card.
Jiang Heng bid farewell to the two cats, his left pocket filled with a toy caterpillar, his right pocket with his beloved toy cockroach, and boarded a bus, following the crowd, not bothering to call the driver.
It was a little after four, not yet rush hour, and the bus wasn’t very crowded. He found a window seat and sat down.
A light drizzle had started again, and the windows were fogged up from the temperature difference.
Jiang Heng traced a smiley face on the foggy window with his fingertip, then, finding an empty spot, drew a pig’s head and wrote Lu Yichuan’s name above it.
He took a picture and sent it to him.
The man, probably busy, didn’t reply.
Jiang Heng drew a turtle.
After covering his side of the window with doodles, his stop finally arrived.
Jiang Heng stood at the base of the building and looked up. Over thirty floors, all belonging to Lu Yichuan.
He chuckled, thinking, Lu Yichuan had truly fulfilled his birthday wish and started a big company.
He wasn’t as ambitious though; he just wanted to study hard, get into A University, and hopefully work at a company like this after graduating.
The little sun in his orange down jacket entered the building. The receptionist, scrolling through her phone, looked up instinctively. “Hello…”
She was momentarily stunned by the boy’s beauty.
Under the cold, stark lights of the office building lobby, Jiang Heng suddenly felt that his orange down jacket was a bit too…childish. He fidgeted with his hands. “Hello, I’m looking for Lu Yichuan.”
It took the receptionist a few seconds to realize that the Lu Yichuan he was referring to was the CEO, and she couldn’t help but take a second look at him. “Do you have an appointment?”
Jiang Heng scratched his head. “No.”
Lu Yichuan was the one who had made the appointment, not him.
“I’m sorry…” the receptionist said gently, “You can’t see CEO Lu without an appointment.”
Jiang Heng didn’t work in an office, but he knew this was standard procedure for large companies.
He checked the time. It was a little after five. “Then I’ll wait for him here.”
He asked, “It’s okay to wait here, right?”
Technically, no…
The receptionist swallowed her words. “Yes, you can sit on the sofa over there. I’ll get you some tea.”
Jiang Heng sat down and texted Lu Yichuan, thinking, big companies sure had good service.
The tea arrived quickly.
Outside, the sky darkened. The warm lobby was a welcome refuge from the cold.
Jiang Heng warmed his hands around the teacup and casually asked the receptionist, “Your company has such great benefits. Is it hard to work here?”
Under his gaze, the receptionist couldn’t help but spill the beans.
“The benefits are great. The company was based overseas before, so the pay and benefits are comparable to foreign companies. Even as a receptionist, I’m very satisfied with my job.”
Jiang Heng asked again, “Are the hiring requirements very strict?”
“They are quite strict. The company doesn’t tolerate nepotism, everything is based on merit. Those without the necessary qualifications won’t even make it past the first round.”
Jiang Heng’s spirits dampened slightly. It seemed connections wouldn’t work.
“Then how can I get in?”
“You look very young, still in university?”
Jiang Heng hesitantly nodded.
“Our company partners with many universities. We recruit interns every year, and if their performance is good, they can be hired directly.”
The teenager listened attentively, holding his teacup.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed, and he looked down.
[Wait two minutes. I’ll send someone down to get you.]
Jiang Heng was enjoying his chat with the receptionist, but he felt like he was disturbing her work.
The receptionist asked him, “What are you here to see CEO Lu about?”
Jiang Heng said honestly, “He asked me to have dinner with him.”
Roasted pigeon!
Receptionist: “??”
Jiang Heng held up his disposable cup. “He just texted me, said he’s sending someone down to get me. Does this count as an appointment?”
Receptionist: “??”
The elevator reserved for the CEO dinged, and Assistant Li, busy and important, emerged, his gaze sweeping across the lobby, then settling on Jiang Heng, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
Li An had never met Jiang Heng, but Jiang Heng felt like they were old friends, so he waved enthusiastically. “Assistant Li!”
Li An stopped in his tracks, his face slowly forming a question mark.
Wait, did they know each other?
Just as he was doubting his own memory, the teenager in the orange down jacket approached him. “Lu Yichuan asked you to pick me up, right?”
Li An, hearing someone address CEO Lu so casually for the first time, stared at him with a mixture of shock, confusion, and disbelief.
Jiang Heng, seeing the pie chart forming in his eyes, paused. “…What’s wrong?”
Assistant Li quickly recovered, his expression serious, resuming his professional demeanor. “Nothing, sir. Please come with me.”
Jiang Heng followed him into the elevator. Their reflections appeared on the polished walls, and he realized he actually wasn’t very familiar with Li An in his human form.
He took a sip of his tea and introduced himself. “By the way, my name is Jiang…Jiang…”
He hesitated. “My name is Jiang Xiao Miao.”
Li An turned to him. “Which ‘miao’?”
Jiang Heng: “…”
Jiang Heng’s toes curled slightly. “My family back home says, a common name is easier to raise.”
Li An readily adapted. “Alright, Mr. Jiang.”
Mr. Jiang Xiao Miao, his face wooden, followed Li An to the twentieth floor, teacup still in hand.
Li An remained his professional self, even though he had been sent to pick someone up in the middle of an important meeting. He took Jiang Heng to Lu Yichuan’s office. “CEO Lu is still in a meeting. He asked me to bring you here. Let me know if you need anything.”
Jiang Heng switched the teacup to his other hand. “Okay…”
He followed Li An into the office, which he had only been in a few times.
The office décor was similar to the study in the villa, even the books on the shelves were the same, making Jiang Heng wonder if Lu Yichuan had bought two copies of everything.
But the study at home had become his playground, filled with various knick-knacks that clashed with the serious atmosphere.
Jiang Heng immediately relaxed upon entering, settling into Lu Yichuan’s chair with his teacup.
He picked up a document from the desk, glanced at the dense text, and put it down.
Li An hesitated.
That was a confidential business contract worth millions.
Cats were naturally curious and prone to mischief.
Jiang Heng, looking at Lu Yichuan’s neatly organized desk, felt a sudden urge to mess it up. He nudged the laptop, shuffled the documents, then knocked over a picture frame…
Much better.
Li An: “…”
His OCD was dying.
