Chapter 18
Wei Yuan couldn’t sleep.
It tossed and turned, unable to understand why Lu Dingyun had watched its video so many times.
The man beside it was fast asleep, his breathing even and deep, the picture of health.
Wei Yuan was annoyed.
Why was it the one losing sleep while Lu slept so soundly?!
No, it had to sleep too.
Two minutes later, Wei Yuan opened its eyes, climbed out of its bed, went over to Lu Dingyun, and punched his shoulder a couple of times.
Don’t you dare sleep!
Lu Dingyun was a light sleeper. Although the kitten’s punches weren’t strong, they still woke him up.
Wei Yuan, startled by his sudden movement, froze, unsure whether to retract its paws.
It hadn’t used much force, why did he wake up?
Lu Dingyun opened his eyes, seeing the kitten curled up beside him in the darkness.
He chuckled softly, rolling over and pulling the kitten into his arms, gently patting it. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Baby, go to sleep.”
Wei Yuan’s ears twitched, and it finally settled down.
Being called “baby” in that voice, close to its ear, who could resist?
The kitten had thought it would be sleepless all night, but nestled against the man’s warm chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, it drifted off to sleep, its soft purrs filling the room.
When it opened its eyes again, it was morning.
It stretched luxuriously on the movie emperor’s soft bed, then lazily got up.
The kitten shook its fur, sat down, and instinctively raised its paw to lick itself, but stopped just in time.
Licking its paws and washing its face after waking up was a kitten’s instinct.
But since becoming a cat, Wei Yuan had only licked its fur once or twice, instinctively, before stopping itself.
It was afraid.
Afraid of truly becoming a cat, afraid of not being able to turn back into a human.
Or what if it turned back but retained some cat-like habits? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
Of course, Young Master Wei would never admit to such cowardly behavior.
It jumped off the bed, looking for its owner.
Lu Dingyun usually cleaned its eye boogers with a cotton swab, so he was the perfect candidate for washing its face.
Usually, when it woke up at this time, Lu Dingyun would have already finished exercising and showering and would be preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Wei Yuan trotted towards the kitchen.
Kittens and puppies needed exercise. Although cats spent most of their day sleeping, they still needed to run and jump to stretch their muscles.
It ran through several rooms, stopping abruptly when it passed the gym.
Its ears twitched, and it turned, walking towards the gym with curious steps.
The gym door was slightly ajar, and the kitten peeked inside, seeing Lu Dingyun doing push-ups.
Oh?
Wei Yuan’s eyes lit up, and it squeezed through the gap.
Lu Dingyun, hearing the sound, looked towards the door.
The kitten was walking towards him, its eyes shining with curiosity.
Lu Dingyun glanced at the time.
It was half an hour later than his usual workout time.
No wonder Xiao Gui Yuan was awake.
His breathing was slightly heavy but steady. “Xiao Yuan, I’ll be done in thirty more.”
Wei Yuan had reached him.
The kitten looked him up and down, its eyes bright.
The movie emperor was wearing gray sweatpants and a black tank top. After exercising for so long, his muscles were engorged, looking even more defined than usual.
Especially as he did push-ups, the muscles in his arms bulged with strength.
Wei Yuan was impressed.
With that kind of strength, he could easily carry not just actresses, but even male actors his own size.
It couldn’t resist reaching out and patting his bulging biceps.
Tsk, so firm.
Lu Dingyun chuckled, maintaining his rhythm.
Wei Yuan retracted its paw, took two steps back, and looked up at the movie emperor’s sweat-glistened face.
A drop of sweat trickled down his forehead, caught by the bridge of his nose, then playfully rolled down his sharp jawline, hanging precariously from his Adam’s apple before dropping to the floor.
The kitten swallowed, slowly averting its gaze.
It had only come in to see what he was doing, not expecting to witness such a scene.
But that image, coupled with the man’s slightly heavy breathing, replayed in Wei Yuan’s mind.
It couldn’t help but think that if this were on set, the camera would capture this moment, slow it down, add music, and create an incredibly sexy and ambiguous atmosphere.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a film set.
And standing before Lu Dingyun wasn’t a fellow actor, but a kitten whose fur hadn’t even fully grown back.
Wei Yuan suddenly felt a sense of frustration. It glared at Lu Dingyun, then turned and walked away haughtily, its chin held high.
Lu Dingyun finished his last push-up just as the kitten turned to leave.
He immediately stood up, grabbed the towel from the treadmill, wiped his face with one hand, and strode after the kitten.
The kitten, contemplating what to eat, was suddenly scooped up.
It yelped, letting out a soft “Mew!”
Realizing who it was, it angrily nipped at the movie emperor’s finger.
It didn’t use much force, its sharp little teeth not even breaking the skin.
Wei Yuan intended to scare him, to prevent him from suddenly picking it up like that in the future.
But Lu Dingyun didn’t react at all, not even flinching, seemingly certain the kitten wouldn’t actually bite him.
Damn it, it had been played!
The kitten pushed his finger away, sulking silently.
For breakfast, Lu Dingyun had prepared a new recipe for the kitten, which was equally delicious.
Wei Yuan, after a satisfying meal, decided to stop being angry with Lu.
After all, cat owners who were this good at cooking were rare.
Just after breakfast, manager Liu Ying and assistant Xiao Zheng arrived, carrying numerous bags.
Wei Yuan, perched on Lu Dingyun’s shoulder, eyed the bags curiously.
The two newcomers, however, ignored the bags, walking straight towards Lu Dingyun, their gazes fixed on him.
More precisely, on the kitten on his shoulder.
“Xiao Gui Yuan, you’re all better! Let Uncle give you a hug.” Liu Ying reached out excitedly.
Xiao Zheng was a young man in his early twenties, about 1.8 meters tall, with a baby face.
He had graduated from college just a couple of years ago and, having followed the right boss, hadn’t experienced the harsh realities of the working world, still retaining his youthful innocence.
He also approached, looking at Wei Yuan longingly, rubbing his hands together. “Uncle Liu, hurry up and hug it, then it’s my turn.”
“Go, go, go, what hug? Get to work,” Liu Ying playfully swatted at his head.
Xiao Zheng laughed, dodging the blow. “Brother Yun, I’ll go get the clothes rack from the dressing room.”
“Go ahead,” Lu Dingyun replied, then lifted the kitten into his arms, smiling. “Baby, do you want Uncle to hold you?”
Wei Yuan looked at Manager Liu, who was trying to appear more approachable, and decided to give him some face, considering his status.
So, it stood on Lu Dingyun’s palm and meowed at Liu Ying.
Liu Ying looked at Lu Dingyun, who smiled. “It said yes.”
Liu Ying beamed, carefully taking the kitten.
The soft fur, the warm little body, it made his heart melt.
“Oh, baby,” Liu Ying cooed, petting the kitten’s head, then looked at Lu Dingyun teasingly. “You can understand cat language now?”
Lu Dingyun dodged the question. “Gui Yuan is very smart.”
Xiao Zheng returned from the dressing room with a clothes rack, and Liu Ying returned the kitten to Lu Dingyun, then proceeded to unpack the bags with Xiao Zheng.
Wei Yuan climbed back onto Lu Dingyun’s shoulder, peering curiously at the bags.
They contained high-quality period costumes, mostly in black and gold or black and white.
Xiao Zheng hung the costumes on the rack. “Brother Yun, I’ve washed all these costumes. Try them on, and I’ll note down any alterations needed.”
“Okay.” Lu Dingyun nodded, then asked, “Who’s coming with me tomorrow?”
The opening ceremony was tomorrow morning, followed by a dinner, which Lu Dingyun couldn’t skip.
He didn’t want to leave the kitten alone at home and was also afraid it would miss him if he left someone to care for it, so he decided to take it with him.
Of course, the main reason was that he knew his kitten enjoyed going out.
It had been very excited during their visit to its friends on Ping’an Street.
He couldn’t bear to leave it cooped up at home. If he could take it with him, he would. He just needed his assistant or manager to help look after it.
Fortunately, he had four assistants, usually working in pairs, and they weren’t particularly busy, so asking them to care for the kitten shouldn’t be a problem.
And this wasn’t the first time he had asked them to do such a thing. They had helped care for the stray cats and dogs he had rescued before finding them suitable homes.
Xiao Zheng replied, “It’s me and Sister Dou Dou tomorrow.”
Lu Dingyun nodded. “I’m planning to take Gui Yuan with me tomorrow. Can you two help look after it?”
“Sure!” Xiao Zheng’s eyes lit up. “Don’t worry, Brother Yun, I’ll take good care of Xiao Gui Yuan.”
Wei Yuan, who had been watching the proceedings, perked up.
It had resigned itself to being home alone for a while, looking forward to secretly using the internet and emailing its grandfather and maternal grandfather to ask them to find a spiritual master.
But with its current level of pampering, it could send emails from anywhere.
So, going out with Lu Dingyun was definitely more appealing!
It hadn’t expected Lu Dingyun to be so attached to it.
It marveled at its own charm, feeling a little touched.
It glanced at the movie emperor’s profile, then, feeling slightly embarrassed, nuzzled its head against his cheek.
Then it jumped off his shoulder and ran to its nest on the cat tree.
Don’t look at the kitten!
The kitten didn’t do anything!
