After Turning into a Cat, I Climbed My Rival’s Cat Tree 41

Chapter 41

Two hours had passed since Wei Yuan woke up, his mind still sluggish and confused.

He sat up in bed, slowly piecing together his memories.

The family doctor, after checking his vitals and confirming he was stable, had left.

Now, only his closest family remained in the spacious bedroom.

“Yuan Yuan,” Wei Qingyao, her eyes red-rimmed, sat beside the bed and gently held his hand, gazing at him, tears choking her voice.

Although she still looked frail, her condition had improved significantly since Wei Yuan had last seen her.

When he had first woken up, he had been too weak to even sit up, and his brother had helped him.

Now, after two hours, he had regained some strength.

He squeezed his mother’s hand, his own eyes also teary, but a smile played on his lips.

“Mom, don’t cry, I’m back,” his voice was slightly hoarse from disuse.

Wei Qingyao, overcome with emotion, laughed and cried at the same time. “Good, good, Mom’s not crying…”

Jiang Tianzong, usually stoic, also couldn’t hold back his tears.

He wiped his eyes, his voice thick with emotion, patting his younger son’s shoulder. “It’s good that you’re awake, it’s good that you’re awake.”

The four grandparents also laughed and cried, while Jiang Su remained the most composed.

He blinked back his tears, then comforted the elders, worried about their emotional turmoil.

Wei Yuan also said, “Grandpa, Grandma, Maternal Grandpa, Maternal Grandma, take care of yourselves. I’ll be back to annoy you soon.”

Wei Yuan was the most lively member of the family, and hearing his playful words after so long, everyone smiled through their tears.

Old Master Jiang shook his head, chuckling. “You rascal, always causing trouble.”

With their precious grandson finally awake, no one wanted to leave, all crowding around the bed.

They watched as Wei Yuan slowly ate half a bowl of porridge, then, supported by Jiang Su, took a few steps, their eyes glued to him.

After being immobile for so long, his body was like a rusty machine, his movements stiff and awkward.

After walking for about ten minutes, he was exhausted, and Jiang Su helped him back to bed.

Wei Qingyao soothed him. “Don’t rush, Yuan Yuan. The doctor said your body is fine, just a little weak. Mommy will make you soup every day, and you’ll be bouncing around in no time. Take it slow.”

Wei Yuan, with a secret weighing on his mind, was anxious, but he didn’t want to worry his family, so he obediently agreed.

Everyone continued to chat excitedly, planning a celebratory banquet once Wei Yuan recovered.

Wei Yuan initially joined their conversation, but his mind gradually wandered.

Jiang Su checked the time and stood up. “Mom, Dad, it’s getting late. Let’s not disturb Xiao Yuan any longer. Let him rest.”

It was actually still dinner time, but Wei Yuan had been awake for most of the day, and after talking for so long, he must be tired.

Wanting him to rest, they reluctantly left the room.

Jiang Su would be staying with him tonight, as his brother still needed assistance.

After seeing everyone out, he returned to the bedroom, handing Wei Yuan his phone.

“Ask away,” he said, a knowing smile on his lips.

Wei Yuan’s gaze flickered. “I have nothing to ask.”

He quickly took the phone and turned it on.

His old phone had been destroyed in the accident, but Jiang Su had thoughtfully transferred all his data to this new phone.

Wei Yuan ignored the numerous unread messages, opening Weibo directly.

Jiang Su knew how proud his brother was, how difficult it was for him to admit anything.

So, he stopped teasing him. “It’s the 21st today.”

A week had passed since Wei Yuan and Lu Dingyun’s first variety show filming session.

Wei Yuan had guessed he had been unconscious for a while, but hearing the date made his heart sink.

He didn’t know how the kitten was doing. If it was still alive and well, that was fine, but if it had died or disappeared, he couldn’t bear to think about Lu Dingyun’s reaction.

He opened the trending topics and froze.

Even after a week, #LuDingyunSearchingForCat was still trending, a testament to the news’s impact, almost as significant as his own car accident.

He exhaled slowly, clicking on the trending topic.

Marketing accounts had summarized the incident: Lu Dingyun, on the night of the variety show’s final episode, had suddenly discovered his kitten was missing and hadn’t been able to find it.

The text was accompanied by a video.

The video seemed to be from Qi Lesheng’s livestream. Initially, it showed Qi Lesheng and a few other young cast members playing truth or dare.

The older generation had already left.

Just as the younger group was about to wrap up, the door suddenly burst open.

A disheveled figure rushed in.

The camera focused on the newcomer, and Wei Yuan’s heart ached.

It was Lu Dingyun.

He was drenched, his thin pajamas clinging to his body, his hair messy, his eyes red-rimmed, looking more distraught than Wei Yuan had ever seen him.

His chest heaved as he spoke, his voice trembling. “Have you seen my cat?”

The video ended abruptly.

Wei Yuan gasped, realizing he had been holding his breath.

His throat tightened, and his vision blurred.

A tissue appeared before him, and Wei Yuan took it, wiping his face.

He realized he was crying.

Jiang Su sighed, taking the phone from him.

“Heartbroken?” he asked, his tone slightly teasing.

Wei Yuan looked at him pitifully, sniffling. “No.”

More tears streamed down his face.

Jiang Su: “…”

He knew his brother cared about Lu Dingyun, but he hadn’t expected it to be this intense.

His brother was clearly heartbroken, yet he was still trying to deny it, stubborn as ever.

“Alright,” Jiang Su, unable to bear seeing him cry, said, “I asked around. He seems to have accepted the kitten’s disappearance. He didn’t sound too upset.”

Wei Yuan grabbed his hand, looking at him hopefully. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, don’t worry,” Jiang Su tucked his hand back under the covers. “The second season’s livestream starts on the 24th. You can see for yourself then.”

Wei Yuan felt slightly relieved, but the thought of having to wait three more days made him anxious.

Jiang Su, seeing his brother’s impatience, didn’t comment. “I’ll stay home with you these next few days and help you with your rehabilitation. Once you’re fully recovered, you can go wherever you want.”

Wei Yuan’s eyes lit up.

Right, he had to recover quickly, so he could go find Lu Dingyun.

Although he couldn’t be with him as a kitten anymore, he could still see him.

And he was confident that with his understanding of Lu Dingyun, befriending him again would be easy, and they could still be close.

Energized by this thought, he wanted to start his exercises immediately.

“Hold on,” Jiang Su stopped him.

Wei Yuan closed his mouth, his eyes and nose still red from crying, looking pitiful.

Jiang Su, however, remained firm. “You need to rest now. I’ll keep your phone for you.”

Seeing his brother on the verge of tears again, Jiang Su sighed.

His usually rebellious brother had become so soft after his time as a kitten.

But Jiang Su, a soft touch himself, couldn’t resist his brother’s pitiful expression. “Fine, you can play with your phone for twenty more minutes, then you have to sleep.”

“Okay, okay,” Wei Yuan agreed eagerly, adding, “You’re the best brother ever.”

Jiang Su chuckled, tossing him the phone before going to the outer room.

A servant brought Jiang Su his dinner. He would finish eating in about twenty minutes.

Wei Yuan immediately opened Weibo, finding Lu Dingyun’s account. The usually active movie emperor hadn’t posted in two days. His last post read:

[@LuDingyun:

Thank you for your concern. Life goes on, and I’ll continue searching for Xiao Yuan. I believe it will return to me someday.]

No picture, just a short sentence, but Wei Yuan read it repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

The fans in the comments were also sad, comforting Lu Dingyun and organizing search efforts.

But everyone knew it was unlikely they would find the kitten.

The kitten’s “disappearance” was truly bizarre.

After Lu Dingyun had rushed into the livestream room, looking for his kitten, the entire production crew had searched the farm, but to no avail.

And there were cameras everywhere, but none had captured the kitten.

The hallway cameras had clearly shown Lu Dingyun entering the bedroom with the kitten, but it hadn’t come out again.

It was as if the kitten had vanished into thin air.

Lu Dingyun, worried that the kitten might have gotten stuck somewhere, had even asked the other cast members to help search his room, but they hadn’t found anything, only a small suit, the kitten’s outfit from that day, lying on the pillow.

And for some reason, looking at the clothes, they felt like the kitten had been curled up on the pillow, then simply vanished.

The other cast members had left the next day, but Lu Dingyun had stayed, searching with Xiao Zheng and Dou Dou.

But after a week, they had found nothing.

Two days ago, Lu Dingyun had finally given up and returned home.

There had been no news since then.

Wei Yuan put down his phone, blinking back his tears.

The kitten couldn’t return, but he could.

He had to recover quickly and go find Lu Dingyun!

For the next two days, Wei Yuan diligently did his rehabilitation exercises, eating and exercising properly, his condition visibly improving.

On the 24th, he could walk to the front courtyard and back, although still slightly weak, he was much more mobile.

After lunch at his grandparents’ courtyard, he immediately returned to his own.

Lu Dingyun’s livestream was scheduled for this afternoon, and he wanted to be ready.

Wei Qingyao and Jiang Tianzong exchanged a look, smiling. “Is A’Su back soon?”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Jiang Su entered the dining room, noticing his parents and grandparents were there, but his brother wasn’t.

“Where’s Wei Yuan?” he asked.

“He just went back to his room, said he wanted to take a nap,” Jiang Tianzong chuckled. “His little schemes are so obvious.”

The four elders hadn’t known about the kitten until after Wei Yuan woke up, when Wei Qingyao and her husband had told them, also revealing his feelings for Lu Dingyun.

Both families were open-minded and didn’t interfere in their children’s love lives.

Hearing that their grandson had feelings for someone, and that someone being Lu Dingyun, whom they already liked, they were delighted.

Jiang Su, knowing his brother had run off, instantly understood his intentions.

He checked the time. “I’ll go find him.”

“Finish your lunch first,” Wei Qingyao said.

Jiang Su, already walking away, replied without turning back, “I’ll eat later.”

Wei Yuan was in his living room, surrounded by snacks.

He turned on the TV, tuning in to Lu Dingyun’s livestream channel.

The premiere was still three hours away, but nearly a million viewers were already waiting.

Perhaps afraid of upsetting Lu Dingyun, no one mentioned the kitten. Any comments that did were quickly buried by others.

Wei Yuan felt a pang of sadness.

It seemed the bond between him and Lu Dingyun had weakened.

He wondered when they would meet again, probably not until after Lu Dingyun finished filming the variety show.

That meant at least another week, and he wasn’t sure if he would be fully recovered by then.

He touched his face, thinking it still looked pale and unhealthy, wondering if Lu Dingyun would find him unattractive.

No, why would Lu Dingyun judge him?

If he dared to criticize his appearance, he would punch him.

But he wasn’t a kitten anymore. Would punching him be too violent? Perhaps a glare would suffice.

As Wei Yuan imagined their reunion, someone patted the back of his head.

He turned around angrily, seeing his brother, as expected.

“I told you not to pat my head,” he grumbled.

Jiang Su chuckled, sitting down beside him.

His little brother had reverted to his usual bratty self in just a few days. So, the pitiful, soft kitten had been an illusion.

“Here,” Jiang Su tossed him an apple.

Wei Yuan caught it. “Is it washed?”

“No, why wash a Ping’an Guo (apple for peace)? It’s meant to be displayed,” Jiang Su teased.

Wei Yuan immediately took a large bite.

Oh, right, it was Christmas Eve today, so tomorrow was Christmas.

Lu Dingyun was filming the variety show overseas, just in time for Christmas. It wondered how festive it would be.

With all the festivities, Lu Dingyun probably wouldn’t have time to think about the kitten, right?

Wei Yuan remembered the Christmas-themed outfits Lu Dingyun had bought for the kitten, which it would never wear now.

Perhaps he could give them to Big Orange and the others.

Jiang Su, seeing his brother lost in thought, chuckled, then sighed dramatically.

Wei Yuan glanced at him sideways.

“Tsk,” Jiang Su pulled something from behind him, flipping through a few stapled sheets of paper. “I was planning to cosplay as Santa Claus and bring my brother some warmth, but it seems I’m not very welcome.”

Wei Yuan, curious despite his annoyance, took the papers and glanced at them.

Two seconds later, he sat up straight.

It was a contract.

A contract for “Small Town Residents Season 6”!

He could be on the show, he could see Lu Dingyun!

Wei Yuan jumped up, laughing excitedly.

Then he hugged his brother tightly. “Wuwuwu, thank you, Brother! You’re the best brother ever!”

Jiang Su, his head spinning from the enthusiastic hug, patted his brother’s head. “Go pack your bags. I’ve already booked your ticket. If we don’t leave soon, we’ll be late.”

“Okay!” Wei Yuan scrambled up and ran upstairs, turning back to shout, “Thank you, Brother!”

Jiang Su chuckled, calling the driver.

==

The filming location for this season was a small island overseas, surrounded by the ocean, with a year-round temperature of around 27-28 degrees Celsius.

Getting there from China required three connecting flights and a ferry ride, taking an entire day.

The show’s contracts were renewed on a per-season basis, and since Jiang Xiao had caused so much trouble during the first season, his contract hadn’t been renewed.

The other cast members had returned, but everyone was wondering if the production crew would invite someone new to replace Jiang Xiao, but they hadn’t revealed any information.

The cast members arrived on the island on Christmas Eve afternoon, and the livestream began.

Everyone was worried about Lu Dingyun’s emotional state.

His attachment to the kitten was well-known, and even passersby had been moved by the video of him searching for it.

But they underestimated Lu Dingyun’s resilience. He didn’t let his personal feelings affect his work, his demeanor no different from the first season.

Although he seemed to have lost some weight, his actions and behavior remained polite and composed, showing no signs of distress.

On Christmas night, the island was even more festive.

Everyone gathered on the beach, enjoying a bonfire, food, music, and dancing with the locals hired by the production crew.

As the night wore on and the atmosphere grew more lively, Lu Dingyun quietly slipped away, walking along the shoreline towards a quieter spot.

The upbeat music gradually faded, replaced by the sound of waves crashing against the rocks and sand.

The cameraman followed him at a distance, the viewers seeing his lonely figure almost merging with the darkness.

The sea breeze ruffled his hair and his thin, black shirt.

They noticed that his shirt and pants were too loose, realizing he had lost quite a bit of weight in just one week.

The cheerful comments in the livestream faltered.

They knew Lu Dingyun couldn’t be completely unaffected.

Lu Dingyun stopped, facing the ocean, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky, lost in thought.

The cameraman stopped as well, not daring to disturb him.

Everyone knew what he was thinking about.

His kitten.

How could Lu Dingyun not know how special his kitten was?

So intelligent, so lively, it wasn’t just an ordinary animal, but more like a magical creature from another world.

He knew the kitten hadn’t just run away, it had vanished.

He had only been in the bathroom for a short while, the doors and windows locked. The kitten couldn’t have escaped.

So, he knew it had simply left, perhaps leaving this world, returning to where it belonged.

But it was his first kitten, and he hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye.

The emotionally detached movie emperor, having poured all his affection into that small creature, now felt the most intense emotional pain he had ever experienced.

That night, under the cover of the rain, he had cried for the first time.

He had wanted to stay there, waiting for the kitten to return.

But he had other animals to care for, and there were countless other creatures in the world that needed his help. He couldn’t wallow in his grief.

Life had to go on, and he had to continue doing what he had to do.

Perhaps, as a reward for his good deeds, fate would bring the kitten back to him.

Waves crashed against the shore, and a large ferry, bathed in a hazy glow, appeared on the horizon.

A small speedboat detached itself from the ferry, its silver hull gleaming in the moonlight as it approached the shore, finally stopping near Lu Dingyun.

The people celebrating on the beach looked over curiously, cameras focusing on the speedboat.

A tall, slender figure emerged.

Expensive sneakers stepped onto the sand, the waves wetting his pants legs.

The young man stood there, his back straight, the flickering bonfire illuminating his beautiful face.

He looked up, his bright eyes, sparkling with an almost otherworldly light, meeting Lu Dingyun’s gaze across the waves.

Their eyes met, and Lu Dingyun froze.