Chapter 31
The three men and one cat were all lost in their own thoughts.
Wei Yuan stared at Jiang Su longingly, but Jiang Su was so tall that even when the kitten stood on its hind legs, it barely reached his knees. Looking up at his face was a strain.
The kitten wondered if it should just climb up his pants leg.
Jiang Su was also looking at the kitten. After a moment, he suddenly crouched down.
The kitten was wearing a pink and white sweater with small, round, orange-red strawberries and its usual pair of fluffy wings on its back.
Jiang Su reached out and lifted the kitten by its wings.
The kitten, its paws dangling in the air, stared at the handsome man before it, slightly dazed.
“Meow~” Brother!
Wei Yuan meowed sweetly, trying to appeal to his brotherly love.
But Jiang Su’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes narrowing slightly, his thoughts hidden.
Fan Tian knew Wei Yuan was afraid of cats, so neither the Jiang nor the Wei families had ever owned one, and Jiang Su didn’t seem like the type to like animals.
He was worried Jiang Su might hurt the kitten if he was annoyed, but he didn’t dare to speak.
Lu Dingyun was also concerned about the kitten, and he wasn’t afraid of Jiang Su.
So, less than two seconds after the kitten was lifted, Lu Dingyun stepped forward and took the kitten back into his arms.
Jiang Su’s hand was suddenly empty, and he instinctively looked up at Lu Dingyun before slowly standing up.
Lu Dingyun soothed the kitten, petting its head, then addressed Jiang Su. “I’m sorry, my cat seems to have offended you.”
His words were polite, but his tone was cold and distant.
He was indeed displeased.
His Xiao Yuan was so cute, so affectionately nuzzling this man, and the man, instead of being gentle, had lifted it by its wings.
Very rude.
Jiang Su stood up straight, his gaze shifting from the kitten to Lu Dingyun’s face.
He paused, then said hesitantly, “Have we met before?”
Lu Dingyun also found him familiar but couldn’t place him.
Fan Tian, who had been shrinking back like a quail, finally spoke up. “Brother, this is Lu Dingyun, Shanshui Entertainment’s top star.”
Then he turned to Lu Dingyun. “Teacher Lu, this is Jiang Su, CEO of Jiang Group.”
Lu Dingyun suddenly remembered. He had seen Jiang Su at an event before, but they hadn’t interacted.
Jiang Su didn’t remember meeting him privately. Hearing his name, he said, “Oh, I know you.”
After all, Lu Dingyun was a famous movie emperor, and Jiang Su had probably seen his movies, so it was normal for him to recognize him.
Both Fan Tian and Lu Dingyun assumed this was the reason, but then Jiang Su scrutinized Lu Dingyun with a slightly offensive gaze. “My brother is very interested in you.”
Lu Dingyun, initially annoyed by his gaze and about to excuse himself, frowned. “Your brother?”
The kitten in his arms froze, its heart pounding.
How did his brother know it was interested in Lu Dingyun?
No, wait, the important question was, had it been that interested in Lu Dingyun, to the point that even his brother noticed?
Fan Tian, however, wasn’t surprised. He explained to Lu Dingyun, “His brother is Wei Yuan. You know him, right?”
Lu Dingyun froze, his expression momentarily strange before returning to normal.
Previously, he wouldn’t have reacted to meeting Wei Yuan in person, but lately, his feelings towards Wei Yuan had been unusual, even having that… incident with his videos.
So, facing Wei Yuan’s brother, Lu Dingyun inevitably felt a little awkward.
Fortunately, his usual aloofness masked his feelings, although his ears turned slightly red.
“Then, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going,” Lu Dingyun said, his tone slightly different, glancing at Jiang Su and nodding at Fan Tian before turning to leave.
Wei Yuan, having finally met its brother, didn’t want to leave.
But it knew Jiang Su wasn’t fond of animals and had a slight aversion to their fur.
And Jiang Su couldn’t possibly guess it was Wei Yuan, and it couldn’t communicate with him in its current form.
Without a better plan, Wei Yuan had to follow Lu Dingyun back to the hotel. Perhaps it could send Jiang Su another email later, explaining its identity…
As Lu Dingyun carried it away, it couldn’t resist standing up, gripping his shoulder, and looking back.
Jiang Su stood there, watching them leave.
His gaze landed on the kitten’s head poking out from Lu Dingyun’s shoulder. Its star-like eyes stared back at him, looking aggrieved and pitiful.
Although they were different eyes, belonging to a different species, Jiang Su saw his troublesome younger brother in that gaze.
When Wei Yuan was younger, he had been very attached to his older brother.
Whenever Jiang Su was about to leave for school, the little boy would look at him with those same eyes, sometimes even crying, needing to be coaxed with promises of treats before cheering up.
“Wait,” Jiang Su suddenly called out, walking towards them.
Lu Dingyun stopped, turning around.
Fan Tian, confused, followed Jiang Su.
“Is there something else?” Lu Dingyun asked.
Jiang Su looked down at the kitten in his arms.
The kitten had changed its position, now comfortably nestled against Lu Dingyun, tilting its head and looking at him with a puzzled expression that strangely resembled Lu Dingyun’s.
Jiang Su was suddenly unsure.
But he was someone who addressed every question, and he wouldn’t let this suspicion go.
“Teacher Lu,” Jiang Su looked at him intently, asking, “Have you been staying at the film studio for the past month?”
Lu Dingyun didn’t understand his intention but answered truthfully. “My home is in Qing City. I go home with my kitten when I don’t have night shoots.”
Jiang Su wanted to ask if he had been at the film studio the night the email was sent.
But he changed his mind. The question was too direct.
Lu Dingyun didn’t seem like a simple person and might suspect something.
With so much uncertainty, Jiang Su didn’t want to reveal his hand.
So, he changed his approach. “Your kitten is very cute. Could I keep it company for a night?”
Wei Yuan, which hadn’t understood its brother’s intentions, was instantly energized, its eyes shining.
Was this the power of blood ties? Its brother must have recognized it!
It squirmed in Lu Dingyun’s arms, meowing excitedly, rubbing its head against his chest.
It always did this when it wanted something, and Lu Dingyun would usually agree without hesitation.
But this time, Lu Dingyun firmly held its head, his expression darkening.
He didn’t understand. What was so appealing about this Jiang Su?
He knew nothing about this man and wouldn’t let him take his kitten. It was too risky.
Fan Tian, hearing Jiang Su’s question, tugged on his sleeve, whispering, “Brother! That’s a bit presumptuous!”
Who asked to keep someone’s pet overnight after just meeting them?
Jiang Su, a successful businessman, shouldn’t be saying such things.
Even the slow-witted Fan Tian sensed something was off about Jiang Su today.
“I’m sorry,” Lu Dingyun held the kitten tightly, refusing firmly. “My Xiao Yuan is timid and not used to strangers.”
The kitten struggled in his arms. “Meow!!!”
I’m not timid! I’m very adaptable!
Jiang Su and Fan Tian: “…”
Lu Dingyun nodded curtly, then turned and walked away quickly, almost running.
Watching them leave, Fan Tian couldn’t help but complain. “Brother, come on, Teacher Lu adores his kitten. You just offended him.”
Then, realizing who he was talking to, he froze.
He slowly turned his head, meeting Jiang Su’s unreadable expression.
Fan Tian swallowed, his legs weakening.
Jiang Su looked down at his sleeve, and Fan Tian, following his gaze, realized he was still holding onto it.
He quickly let go, jumping back and apologizing. “Sorry, Brother!”
Jiang Su scoffed, walking towards the hotel.
As he turned, his expression darkened.
A wild theory had formed in his mind, but he needed to confirm whether Lu Dingyun and the kitten had been at the film studio that night.
Meanwhile, Wei Yuan, disappointed about not being able to stay with its brother, understood Lu Dingyun’s protectiveness. It wouldn’t let a stranger keep its own pet either.
But this meant it couldn’t reveal its identity to its brother.
Even if it stayed with him, Jiang Su might not believe it was “Wei Yuan,” but he was still its brother, and it missed its family terribly.
The kitten sighed, pondering for a while, thinking it could try sending its brother another email, explaining its identity.
Or it could try finding him again tomorrow.
Preoccupied with these thoughts, Wei Yuan wasn’t as energetic as usual and didn’t notice Lu Dingyun’s silence.
Lu Dingyun, seeing the kitten’s dejected demeanor, felt a pang of jealousy.
Before this, the kitten had only been close to him, but now, after just one meeting with Jiang Su, it was acting so attached, even wanting to stay with him, completely ignoring its owner!
Lu Dingyun was slightly hurt, but his pride as a movie emperor prevented him from showing it.
So, after placing the kitten on the bed, he silently went to the bathroom to wash up.
Wei Yuan, rolling around on the bed, finally noticed something was amiss.
It sat up and looked towards the bathroom.
The door was closed, and the sound of running water indicated that Lu Dingyun was showering.
Wei Yuan tilted its head.
Usually, Lu Dingyun would tell it when he was going to take a shower and would even give it the tablet to play with. But today, he hadn’t done either, and hadn’t even spoken to it.
Come to think of it, Lu Dingyun hadn’t spoken to it since they returned, and it had been too preoccupied with its brother to notice.
Now, it finally dawned on Wei Yuan.
Could Lu Dingyun be jealous?
It had seen many videos online of pet owners believing they had the closest bond with their animals.
If their pets showed more affection towards someone else, the owners would be hurt and upset.
It was like friendships.
No one wanted their best friend to be closer to someone else.
Wei Yuan blinked.
So, it had been too affectionate towards its brother, and Lu Dingyun was jealous!
Movie Emperor Lu was sulking!
The thought of a prestigious movie emperor sulking over a kitten amused Wei Yuan.
It lay down on the bed, burying its face in its paws, giggling uncontrollably.
Lu Dingyun emerged from the bathroom, seeing the kitten sitting on the bed, which immediately meowed at him sweetly, looking perfectly innocent.
Movie Emperor Lu’s heart instantly softened, but he still let out a small huff.
Wei Yuan wanted to laugh again.
Lu Dingyun could be quite endearing sometimes.
“Meow~” Don’t be angry.
The kitten patted the bed with its paw, inviting the movie emperor to sit down.
Lu Dingyun complied, picking up the kitten and letting it lie on his lap.
He held one of its paws, gently rubbing its soft belly with the other hand, still slightly disgruntled. “Do you like Jiang Su that much?”
“Meow!” Yes!
It was its own brother, of course it liked him!
The kitten, knowing Lu Dingyun couldn’t understand, answered truthfully, but it shook its head.
Lu Dingyun, seeing it shake its head, felt much better. “So, are we best friends forever?”
“Mew~”
Wei Yuan avoided his gaze, its meow noncommittal.
“Best friends forever,” how cheesy. The kitten felt its face flush.
But Lu Dingyun interpreted it as an affirmation and was easily appeased by his own assumptions.
He gently poked the kitten’s nose. “You little rascal.”
Although the term was usually cringeworthy, Lu Dingyun’s expression was sincere, and his affection was directed at a kitten, so it didn’t come across as greasy, but rather incredibly endearing, making the kitten’s heart race.
“Meow!” Enough, enough!
Wei Yuan, flustered, quickly burrowed under the covers.
Lu Dingyun, assuming the kitten was playing hide-and-seek, didn’t think it was being shy.
After a while, they settled into their bedtime routine: browsing gossip and watching videos.
It was another slow news day, so they turned to short videos.
Lu Dingyun was using his alternate account now, so he was less reserved.
He had been slightly hesitant before when liking Wei Yuan’s videos, but now he liked every single one he saw.
He even saved some of his favorites, creating a folder and naming it, rather strangely, “Rival.”
Wei Yuan had grown accustomed to Lu Dingyun’s interest in “Wei Yuan” but still couldn’t understand his motives and didn’t dare to speculate about his thoughts.
It was late.
Lu Dingyun put away the tablet, and holding the kitten, quickly fell asleep.
He hadn’t had any trouble sleeping since getting the kitten, his sleep quality improving significantly.
Previously, he would wake up whenever the kitten stirred at night, but lately, he had been sleeping more soundly.
That night, as usual, the kitten woke up after a short nap.
Cats were known for their polyphasic sleep patterns. After waking up, it stared at the ceiling for a while, then quietly climbed out of Lu Dingyun’s arms and went to the tablet.
The tablet was on the nightstand. Wei Yuan expertly entered the password, opened the browser, and logged into its email account.
It typed, deleted, and retyped, but nothing seemed right.
Confessing its identity so abruptly, given Jiang Su’s cautious nature, he probably wouldn’t believe it, especially since the whole “turning into a cat” thing was absurd.
But if it approached Jiang Su first, letting him discover the truth himself, it might be more convincing.
And it would be easier to prove its identity in person, by typing on his phone or tablet…
He wouldn’t be able to deny it then.
As the kitten brainstormed, Jiang Su, in another hotel room at the film studio, sat up on the sofa.
He had received a call from the programmer he had hired to monitor Wei Yuan’s email account. The programmer informed him that the account had been accessed again, the location still within the film studio.
Jiang Su opened the tracking app the programmer had installed, the blinking red dot indicating the login location.
A green dot nearby indicated his current location.
The two dots were very close.
Jiang Su immediately stood up, grabbing his down jacket.
The person on the bed rolled over, mumbling something.
Jiang Su glanced over, seeing Fan Tian sprawled out, the blanket almost falling off the bed.
He paused, then covered Fan Tian with the blanket before quietly leaving the room.
Once outside the elevator, Mr. Jiang, now wearing his down jacket, ignored his image and ran towards the red dot.
The previously clear evening sky was now windy, with a light sleet falling, the temperature dropping below freezing.
Back in Lu Dingyun’s apartment, Wei Yuan finally gave up on sending the email.
It logged out, cleared its browsing history, then snuggled back into Lu Dingyun’s arms, falling asleep soundly.
Downstairs, Jiang Su, panting slightly, stared at the hotel building.
The red dot on his phone had disappeared, but before it vanished, it had overlapped with the green dot.
His hair and face were cold, but a smile slowly spread across his lips.
Found it.
owowo what’s gonna happen next??
Thank you for the update!!