Chapter 12
Wei Yuan’s excitement mounted as they drove to the mall.
Lu Dingyun placed the cart in the trunk and got into the driver’s seat.
He fastened his seatbelt and glanced at the passenger seat.
A pet car seat, essentially a square, transparent basket lined with a thick, soft blanket, was attached to the seat.
The kitten, being small, could easily move around inside the basket.
And because the basket was transparent, the kitten’s view wasn’t obstructed.
The kitten was already standing on its hind legs, its front paws gripping the edge of the basket, excitedly looking out.
What a curious little thing.
Lu Dingyun smiled, instinctively taking a photo and posting it on Weibo.
The previously aloof Movie Emperor Lu had rarely shared such personal moments.
But now, with a kitten, he was like any proud pet owner, showing off his furry child daily, sometimes even posting two or three times a day.
Because of this, his fans had become increasingly fond of the kitten.
And whether it was because they had grown accustomed to its appearance or had genuinely developed affection, they now found the kitten incredibly cute.
As for the bald spots, wasn’t the fur already growing back?
Once it fully grew back, they were sure the kitten would be stunning.
Lu Dingyun enjoyed sharing the kitten’s daily life and reading his fans’ praises, often holding the kitten while doing so.
But now, he was taking the kitten shopping, so he put his phone away after posting.
“Baby, hold on tight, we’re off.”
Wei Yuan’s tail stood up excitedly. “Meow!” Let’s go!
The man and cat left the parking garage and soon merged into the traffic.
Wei Yuan had never been to Qing City before. During its days as a stray, it had only roamed the streets of the old town, so this was its first time seeing the bustling new city.
Although it was a third-tier city, it had its share of skyscrapers, large shopping malls, overpasses, and a well-developed public transportation system.
“This is the food street. Many young people like to come here for the night market,” Lu Dingyun explained as he drove.
“Meow~” Wei Yuan responded enthusiastically.
This was to encourage Movie Emperor Lu to keep talking.
As expected, Lu Dingyun, encouraged by the kitten’s meows, continued his commentary throughout the drive.
He even took a detour, passing by the elementary and middle schools he had attended.
“My middle and high schools were combined, both at the affiliated school.” Lu Dingyun pointed his chin towards a residential complex. “My parents live in that complex. I grew up there.”
The people Wei Yuan had interacted with throughout its life were all from the same social circle. Even its classmates from elementary, middle, and high school were all from Jing City.
So, no one had ever given it a tour like this before, and it felt novel.
It didn’t know how other pet owners interacted with their pets, but Lu Dingyun’s way of treating it like a person made it feel comfortable.
So, the happy kitten played along, responding to Movie Emperor Lu’s every comment.
Lu Dingyun would say something, and Wei Yuan would meow in response, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
The traffic was smooth, and they reached the mall quickly.
This was mainly because it was Monday, a workday.
And it was still morning, before lunchtime, so both the streets and the mall weren’t crowded.
They arrived at a pet-friendly mall. Many pet owners liked to bring their furry companions here when it was less busy.
There was even an entire floor dedicated to pets, filled with pet supply stores and play areas.
There was even a pet daycare center for office workers who worried about their pets being lonely while they were at work.
Lu Dingyun parked the car and retrieved the custom-made cat stroller from the trunk.
Wei Yuan could barely contain its excitement, practically vibrating with the urge to jump out of the car.
It hadn’t been shopping in ages, and now, without the worry of being recognized, it could finally indulge!
Just thinking about it made it ecstatic.
But it forgot that while it didn’t have to worry about being recognized, the person beside it was no less conspicuous.
So, the moment it was pushed into the mall lobby in its stroller, it felt numerous gazes on them.
Wei Yuan: “…”
It felt conflicted.
For the next five minutes, its occupational hazard kicked in, worrying about Lu Dingyun being recognized and causing a commotion.
But strangely, Lu Dingyun seemed completely unaffected.
He remained relaxed and unbothered by the attention.
And even stranger, the onlookers didn’t approach them. A few took photos with their phones, but from a distance. No one came closer.
This completely baffled Wei Yuan. Whenever it went out before, no matter how well it disguised itself, it would always be recognized.
It would always end with a crowd of people taking photos, and it would have to flee.
Wei Yuan wanted to look back at Lu Dingyun, but it was in the stroller, and Lu Dingyun was pushing it from behind, so it couldn’t see him.
Could it be that Lu Dingyun wasn’t as famous as it was?
A sly smile crept onto the kitten’s face.
It wasn’t being narcissistic, it was just stating a fact!
The kitten felt smug, finding Lu Dingyun increasingly pleasing to the eye.
But instead of heading to the luxury goods section, which it loved, Lu Dingyun went straight to the pet floor.
Wei Yuan immediately lost interest.
It wasn’t a real cat and had no interest in cat supplies.
Ten minutes later, perched on Movie Emperor Lu’s shoulder, the kitten excitedly pointed at various cat costumes with its paw.
Spider-Man, Iron Man, Transformer… it wanted them all!
Top Star Wei Yuan had a carefully cultivated image, but it actually loved wearing quirky outfits.
It had been too embarrassed to wear them in public before, but now, as a kitten, it could finally indulge its passion.
And its wealthy, cat-loving owner surely wouldn’t mind buying it a few outfits.
The kitten had grand plans, but when it came to actually choosing the clothes, it couldn’t help but glance at him.
Seeing the indulgent smile in Lu Dingyun’s eyes and his pampering tone, Wei Yuan felt completely at ease.
It let loose, pointing its little paws everywhere, its soft meows echoing through the store.
These little shoes are cute, that outfit is so cool, and look, a hat!
It had to buy several hats to cover its bald spot!
Lu Dingyun pushed a shopping cart, visiting almost every clothing store on the entire floor, filling the cart with cat costumes.
Then he parked the full cart and grabbed a new one, filling it with various cat toys.
There were already plenty of toys at home, but he couldn’t resist buying more.
Wei Yuan hadn’t experienced such a satisfying shopping spree in ages, happily jumping around in the cart, oblivious to the leash attached to its harness.
After two or three hours of shopping, they went to check out.
Wei Yuan had never had a good grasp of money, but after earning its own living, it understood the value of hard work.
But as a top star, it had never lacked for anything.
Still, hearing the final amount, its heart skipped a beat.
This… this was almost a tenth of its acting fee for one project.
It looked at Lu Dingyun apprehensively, but he didn’t even blink, paying without hesitation.
Staff members immediately rushed over to help them carry the bags to the car.
The car started, heading home.
Wei Yuan perched on the edge of its basket, facing Lu Dingyun, blinking its eyes.
Movie Emperor Lu removed his hat and mask, revealing his incredibly handsome face.
He hummed along to the music, looking even happier than Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan found it strange.
Why was he so happy after spending so much money on a cat?
Didn’t he care about money at all?
It suddenly remembered one of its friends, a true playboy who changed girlfriends every few months.
But he was always generous with his girlfriends, showering them with expensive gifts, even giving away cars worth millions.
His motto was, “I’m not spending money on women, I’m spending money on my feelings.”
Whether he actually had any feelings was debatable, but the current Lu Dingyun was surprisingly similar to that friend in some ways.
This realization gave Wei Yuan the strange feeling of being kept by Movie Emperor Lu.
Wei Yuan shuddered, startled by the thought.
What “kept”? Their relationship was more like adoption!
There was a big difference!
Lu Dingyun, noticing the kitten staring at him, glanced over at a red light.
The kitten, lost in thought, suddenly bristled, then shook its head vigorously, its expression serious.
So silly.
Lu Dingyun smiled, gently petting the kitten’s head.
The kitten looked up at him, its gaze flickering, its face warm. If it weren’t for its fur, it would have been blushing furiously.
“Baby, do you want to go somewhere else?”
Wei Yuan paused, then suddenly stood on its hind legs, pointing one paw towards the old town, the other paw on its hip, looking very proud.
Although it wasn’t particularly close to its three underlings, they had helped it by leading Lu Dingyun to it, saving its life. They were its life-saving benefactors.
It wanted to see how they were doing and, if possible, help them live better lives.
Perhaps it could ask Lu Dingyun to adopt a few more cats.
Of course, this was just a temporary solution. Once it turned back into a human, it would take care of its own underlings.
But Wei Yuan remembered that they were all abandoned cats, distrustful of humans, and might not want to be adopted again.
Regardless, it still wanted them to have better lives and wanted to see them again.
It had thought it would be a long time before it had the chance to go out and find them, but now that Lu Dingyun had asked, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse.
But after decisively pointing the way, the kitten froze.
It suddenly realized it was acting too much like a human. And pointing towards the old town like that, wouldn’t it scare Lu Dingyun with its intelligence?
It sheepishly lowered its paw, retracted the other one, and curled up in the basket, looking up at Lu Dingyun with an innocent meow.
The kitten didn’t do anything, pretend you didn’t see!
Lu Dingyun had seen everything, of course, but he was only momentarily surprised before accepting it readily, guessing, “Baby, do you want to go see your friends?”
Wei Yuan looked at him with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
Didn’t this man have telepathic powers?
“Let’s go then,” Lu Dingyun murmured.
The light turned green, and he stepped on the gas.
Meanwhile, behind a small restaurant in Ping’an Alley in the old town, three fat cats were gnawing on leftover fish heads.
A stray dog lay nearby.
The dog, gnawing on a bone, glanced at the cats, sneering. “So, your boss went off to live the high life with a human, and now you can’t even get a decent meal?”
