After Death, I Became My Childhood Friend’s Cat 73

Chapter 73

Ran Nian fled the villa as if escaping a fire.

Jiang Heng glanced at her retreating figure, his attention quickly drawn back to Lu Yichuan. “Why are you back so early?”

It was cold outside. Lu Yichuan poured himself a glass of hot water, his long fingers tinged pink from the heat of the glass. He stood three meters away from Jiang Heng, looking at the spread of food on the table.

“I came to see how you were getting along with your new tutor. It seems my worries were unnecessary.”

Jiang Heng, oblivious to the coldness in his tone, excitedly recounted his encounter with Ran Nian at KFC, then took a large bite of rice and exclaimed, “What a small world! Who would have thought the girl I met that day would be the tutor you found for me?!”

Lu Yichuan seemed to scoff, his tone indifferent. “So it seems I interrupted your…reunion.”

Little Jiang Heng blinked at him, finally realizing something was wrong.

“Lu Yichuan, are you…jealous?”

The man said calmly, “No.”

Jiang Heng put down his bowl, walked over to him, and pinched his cheek. “Look, your face is all droopy! Still saying you’re not jealous?”

Lu Yichuan looked down at his smiling face. “You seem quite happy to see me jealous.”

“Hee hee…” Jiang Heng said, “Not that happy.”

Ran Nian’s dishes were cleared, and a new set was placed on the table. Lu Yichuan joined Jiang Heng for lunch.

Jiang Heng popped a meatball into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “You came back just to…spy on me and my tutor?”

Lu Yichuan sat beside him, meticulously removing the bones from a piece of fish. “I forgot a file. I came back to get it during my lunch break and decided to check on you at the same time.”

He placed the deboned fish in Jiang Heng’s bowl. “I have a business trip next week.”

Jiang Heng paused, then heard Lu Yichuan continue, “It’s quite far, up north. I heard it snowed there, it’s supposed to be very beautiful.”

“Rongrong…”

He said, “Want to come?”

Jiang Heng was tempted. “But I have classes.”

“It’s only three days. I can teach you anything you miss.”

He then said, “But I don’t have an ID card.”

“We’ll be taking a private jet.”

So he had already planned everything, just waiting for his agreement.

Jiang Heng looked out the window, chewing on the fish. The sky outside was gray and gloomy, cold, but no sign of snow.

No southerner could resist the allure of snow!

And so he agreed to accompany Lu Yichuan on his business trip.

The plane landed at eight o’clock in the evening.

It was dark outside. Jiang Heng, shivering, looked out the window. The snow on the roads had been cleared, but the distant mountains were covered in a blanket of white, a pristine winter wonderland.

Lu Yichuan carried him into the car, the warm air inside a welcome relief. Jiang Heng flexed his stiff fingers and continued to stare out the window.

“Wow—”

He was easily impressed.

“Can we go skiing?” he asked Lu Yichuan.

“We can. I’ll take you when we have time.”

After driving for less than ten minutes, Jiang Heng pointed excitedly outside. “Lu Yichuan, look! It’s snowing!”

Lu Yichuan looked in the direction he was pointing and saw snowflakes falling from the sky, swirling and dancing in the light.

The snow made the roads slippery, and the car slowed down, taking almost half an hour to reach the hotel.

Lu Yichuan took Jiang Heng into the hotel lobby restroom, emerged carrying a cat, and checked in.

Jiang Heng was excited and immediately started exploring the suite. His six-centimeter-long legs, though short, were surprisingly quick.

A white blur whizzed past Lu Yichuan as he opened his suitcase.

He took out some clothes and hung them on the rack. Thud! A furry cannonball landed on the bed and started attacking the comforter.

He put the clothes away in the closet. The hotel comforter was now a crumpled mess.

He turned around, and a small projectile landed in his suitcase.

Lu Yichuan expertly grabbed the kitten by the scruff of its neck and lifted it out.

Crash—A trash can overturned.

Thump—A pillow fell to the floor.

Thud—Something else.

Lu Yichuan turned around. “Jiang Heng.”

Silence for two seconds, then…

“Meow…”

It wasn’t on purpose, meow.

Lu Yichuan finished unpacking and put the trash can back upright, then saw a silver-white fluffball pull a small ball out of his bag.

Jiang Heng held the ball in his mouth. “Lu Yichuan, let’s play!”

Lu Yichuan sat on the bed with a pillow and took the ball from his mouth. “Little Jiang Heng, are you a puppy?”

Jiang Heng swished his tail.

Seeing this, Lu Yichuan chuckled, leaned back against the bed, and tossed the ball.

The kitten darted after it, then darted back, the ball in its mouth.

They played fetch for a while until Jiang Heng collapsed onto the carpet, panting.

He rested for a moment, then got up and jumped onto the nearby table.

The long jumper stood on the table, wiggled his feet, wiggled his butt, and declared to the man scrolling through his phone, “Lu Yichuan, I can jump from here to there!”

Lu Yichuan looked at the distance between the bed and the table, put away his phone, and looked at him, his expression amused. “Really? I don’t believe you.”

Jiang Heng: “You’re looking down on me?!”

“I’m simply more…realistic about your…capabilities.”

“…”

Feeling insulted, Jiang Heng’s face fell. He crouched down, preparing to jump, determined to show Lu Yichuan what he was made of.

Lu Yichuan watched him, his arms crossed.

One, two, three, jump!

The small, silver-white ball of fluff launched itself from the table, a graceful arc in the air, towards the bed, getting closer, closer…

Then Jiang Heng waved his paws, his paws…

Where were his paws?

His chin hit the edge of the bed, and he slid down.

Thud. He landed on the floor under the bed, a flattened pancake of a cat.

Jiang Heng: “…”

He stared at his paws in disbelief.

No, how could they be so short?!

A large hand reached down and scooped him up, placing him on his lap. Jiang Heng looked up and met the man’s amused gaze. “Did our big cat fail his long jump?”

“…”

Jiang Heng closed his eyes and buried his face against Lu Yichuan’s chest.

I’m dead.

Socially dead.

The next day, the temperature dropped to below ten degrees Celsius.

Lu Yichuan left early, and Jiang Heng, as a cat, slept until noon.

He stretched his legs and wriggled out of the covers. Outside, the world was covered in a blanket of white, after snowing all night.

Jiang Heng transformed, got out of bed, and changed into the clothes by his bedside. He didn’t feel like going out, so he ordered room service, planning to enjoy the snowy scenery from his room while he ate.

After lunch and a couple of practice tests, Lu Yichuan returned.

The man in his suit quickly graded the crumpled test papers. Jiang Heng watched him, then sighed when he saw his score. “So hard, I barely passed.”

“That’s normal,” Lu Yichuan said, capping his pen. “It’s been four years, the exam format and content will have changed. Just keep practicing.”

He ruffled the kitten’s head. “Rongrong is doing great.”

Jiang Heng, his silver-gray hair tousled, smiled again. “You’re right! In this new life, I will conquer the Gaokao and get into A University!”

Lu Yichuan cupped his face and kissed him, a natural, effortless gesture.

Their lips met, their tongues tangling.

After kissing him senseless, he finally pulled away. “There’s a banquet tonight. Want to come?”

Jiang Heng, leaning against him, his hands unconsciously wrinkling his suit jacket, smoothed it out and asked, “What kind of banquet? Many people? Good food?”

Lu Yichuan gently nuzzled his face, his voice low, “A networking event, not too many people, there will be food, it’s at the hotel, you can come back if you’re bored.”

“Okay…” Jiang Heng agreed readily.

Lu Yichuan brushed his messy hair, helped him put on a black down jacket, and asked, “Do you want to wear a hat?”

Jiang Heng touched his head. “No need, I’ve mastered the art of ear control now.”

His strange phrasing made Lu Yichuan chuckle. He zipped up his jacket and patted his head. “Let’s go, Doraemon.”

Jiang Heng clutched his head and glared at him. “Stop patting my head! I won’t grow taller!”

The near-1.9-meter tall man looked down at him.

Jiang Heng felt inexplicably insulted. “I’m only eighteen, I can still grow!”

“You will,” Lu Yichuan said, finding his shoes for him. “I’ll ask the housekeeper to create a special diet plan for you. You’ll definitely grow taller before you’re twenty.”

Little Jiang Heng huffed and put on his shoes. “My cat legs might only be six centimeters, but my human legs are one point eight meters!”

Lu Yichuan said, “Mr. One-Point-Eight-Meter Legs, you’ve put your left foot in your right shoe.”

Mr. Jiang: “…”

Lu Yichuan was so annoying!

…

Mr. Jiang followed Mr. Lu to the hotel banquet hall. They met Li An at the entrance and entered the hall with their invitations.

The room was filled with people in suits, chatting and mingling. Jiang Heng, in his down jacket, didn’t feel out of place. He had attended these kinds of events before and knew his role: eat and observe.

He was about to sneak off to a corner when Lu Yichuan stopped him, pulling on his hat. “No alcohol, don’t eat anything offered to you by others, and come find me or Li An if you need anything.”

“I know, I know, you’re so naggy, Lu Yichuan.”

Seeing that he had indeed remembered his instructions, Lu Yichuan released him.

Jiang Heng, like a stealthy cat, filled his plate with food and retreated to a dark corner, observing the scene while he ate.

Based on his experience, the best gossip could always be found in dark corners.

As expected, he hadn’t been there long when two men walked over.

They didn’t notice the figure hidden in the shadows and didn’t lower their voices.

“See that? The tallest one, that’s Lu Yichuan.”

Jiang Heng almost choked on his food.

Wait, was he about to hear gossip about Lu Yichuan?

The other voice said hesitantly, “Are…are you sure about this?”

“If not this, then what? Do you still want the money?”

“But…are you sure he likes men?”

“How could I not be sure? That crazy mother of his has been spreading it around, saying he’s keeping a man at his villa.”

“But maybe he just…”

“Idiot! Do you know why he’s keeping a man at his villa? According to his mother, that man looks a bit like the deceased Jiang family young master. Clearly, he’s a replacement. With your face, you don’t even have to do anything, just stand in front of him, and he’ll give you anything you want.”

Hearing this, the shorter man was silent. After a while, he asked softly, “Do I…really look like him?”

The other man took out his phone. “See for yourself.”

“And stop being so timid! What good is looking like him if you don’t have his personality? Learn from him.”

The man looked down at the phone, silent.

The other man patted his shoulder. “Going over now would be too obvious. Stay here for now. I’ll come get you later.”

Then he left.

Jiang Heng, still hidden in his corner, watched the man for a moment, then went over and sat beside him.

As the man turned around, Jiang Heng finally saw his face clearly.

His features were very similar to his former self, similar in form, but not in spirit. A lingering timidity clung to him.

In Jiang Heng’s eyes, they were completely different people.

Perhaps his stare was too intense, because the man finally turned his head. Seeing him, he froze. “Why are…”

Jiang Heng put down his fork and said bluntly, “I heard your conversation.”

The man’s face paled instantly.

Jiang Heng stared at him. “Stay away from Lu Yichuan. He won’t like you.”