Chapter 5
The kitten curled its tail, desperately resisting the thin thermometer.
Lu Dingyun gently stroked its head, coaxing, “Be good, don’t be afraid. I also took your temperature before the surgery. I’m very skilled, it won’t hurt.”
Wei Yuan’s vision darkened again and again.
What did he mean by “before the surgery”?
So, he had been single for twenty-five years, hadn’t even kissed anyone, and then lost his innocence within a week of becoming a cat?
And what kind of talk was that, “very skilled”? It sounded incredibly inappropriate.
Wei Yuan struggled mightily, but mindful of its injuries, it didn’t dare to thrash too much. Coupled with Lu Dingyun’s gentle but firm grip, the struggle lasted less than a minute before Wei Yuan lay flat, resigned to its fate.
Lu Dingyun praised it repeatedly, calling it a “good baby,” then ruthlessly inserted the thermometer.
A flash of white light blinded the kitten.
Oh god!
At that moment, Wei Yuan seemed to hear something shattering.
Oh, it was his pure, virginal heart.
Wei Yuan closed its eyes, tears welling up, unwilling to look at Lu Dingyun’s face.
If it had been any other kind person, or a doctor, Wei Yuan wouldn’t be so mortified.
But it had to be Lu Dingyun!
His rival!
If Lu Dingyun ever found out he was Wei Yuan, he would never be able to show his face again.
A hand gently stroked its head again.
Lu Dingyun’s evil hand.
Wei Yuan bristled, opening its eyes to glare at the movie emperor.
Get your hand off me!
Don’t touch the kitty’s head!
Perhaps the kitten’s expression was too cute, because Lu Dingyun couldn’t help but chuckle. “Good boy, how about a can of cat food as a reward?”
Wei Yuan felt no comfort.
It wasn’t a real cat and had no interest in cat treats.
It craved the human food it had grown tired of before.
Its stomach rumbled.
Lu Dingyun’s smile widened.
What a smart kitty, getting hungry at the mention of food.
How could it be so cute?
His heart softened. “Baby, you can’t eat anything yet. I’ll give you some cat food in four hours, okay?”
The anesthesia hadn’t worn off completely, and Lu Dingyun was afraid the kitten would choke on food or water, so he had to be cruel and let it go hungry for a little while longer.
I told you I’m not hungry.
Wei Yuan grumbled internally, closing its eyes again.
Perhaps due to exhaustion, it quickly fell asleep.
Its dreams were chaotic.
It was on stage, giving a concert as a human, then a stray cat wandering the streets. In a blink, it was human again, lying on its back on a cold, white table.
Before it could react, Lu Dingyun, dressed in a white coat, appeared before it, one hand holding its leg, the other holding a thermometer, expressionlessly inserting it.
“Meow!!” Stay away!
The kitten shrieked, its paws flailing in the air.
Lu Dingyun had just taken the kitten’s temperature, which had returned to normal.
But the sleeping kitten was restless, constantly moving. Lu Dingyun, afraid it would tear its stitches, had pulled up a chair and kept watch.
Hearing the kitten’s sudden cry, his heart leaped, and he quickly stood up.
He opened the incubator and gently stroked the kitten’s head, offering comfort.
The kitten’s eyes were tightly shut, its small body trembling. It seemed to be quite frightened.
Lu Dingyun frowned, guessing the kitten might be dreaming of the person who had hurt it, feeling both angry and distressed.
If he ever found out who was abusing animals, he would teach them a lesson – the kind that would make them never dare to do it again.
After a while, the anxious kitten finally calmed down under Lu Dingyun’s gentle touch and fell back asleep.
Wei Yuan drifted in and out of sleep throughout the night.
At some point, it seemed to have been woken up by Lu Dingyun and given a few sips of water and a small lick of nutritional paste.
After that, it slept more soundly, without waking up again.
When it finally awoke fully, it was daytime.
Wei Yuan found itself out of the incubator, lying on its side on a small cart, still on several soft pee pads.
It wasn’t in the operating room anymore but in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window.
The morning sun streamed in, bathing the kitten in warmth.
After the rain and wind, it was a rare sunny day, lifting both the human and kitten’s spirits.
Wei Yuan squinted at the view for a while before yawning lazily and twitching its paws.
Compared to the heaviness and stiffness of last night, it felt completely rejuvenated, light and agile.
Even its injured hind leg barely hurt.
Tsk, the movie emperor actually had some skills.
Wei Yuan decided to reassess the situation. In its current state, returning to the streets meant certain death.
So, until it recovered, it had to stay with Lu Dingyun.
Compared to the dangers of being a stray, Lu Dingyun’s rumored violent tendencies seemed less threatening.
Besides, Lu Dingyun had healed it and taken care of it all night, putting in considerable effort. He wouldn’t kill it now, would he? That would render his efforts pointless.
As it pondered, Lu Dingyun, who hadn’t slept much, appeared again.
Wei Yuan, facing the window, didn’t see him immediately but heard his approaching footsteps.
The rational thoughts from moments ago were replaced by a strange awkwardness.
Being saved and cared for by someone it had always disliked, who was also unaware of its true identity, made the inherently kind Young Master Wei feel a little guilty.
The footsteps stopped behind it, and something was placed on the table nearby.
Then, warm hands carefully touched the kitten.
Wei Yuan twitched involuntarily, and the hands became even gentler.
Slowly, it was turned over, and its vision shifted back to the room.
The spacious living room was clean, bright, and filled with a cozy, lived-in atmosphere. But Wei Yuan’s attention was drawn to the man before it.
The man hadn’t rested much overnight, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze was still bright and alert.
Stubble shadowed his chin, and his hair was messy, giving him a rugged appearance, completely different from his usual aloof image.
But perhaps because Wei Yuan’s impression of him had changed, it found him more handsome than before.
Lu Dingyun’s lips curved into a smile as he met the kitten’s round eyes.
“Baby, you’re awake. Let’s have something to eat.” He picked up a small bowl from the table.
The bowl contained some kind of mush, which Wei Yuan eyed with disdain.
It still wasn’t used to its current identity and felt a deep aversion to eating cat food.
When it was a stray, it had begged passersby for bread or sausages, occasionally getting scraps of meat from restaurant owners. It had never eaten anything else.
But Wei Yuan knew that in its current condition, soft food was best.
To recover quickly, it closed its eyes, gritted its teeth, and swallowed the spoonful of mush offered to it.
Huh?
Wei Yuan blinked, licking its lips.
It was actually quite tasty.
Movie Emperor Lu had these skills too? Wei Yuan looked at him in surprise.
Lu Dingyun was also looking at the kitten with curiosity.
It was the first time he had seen a kitten eat mush like a human drinking porridge. Other cats would usually lick it up.
He recalled giving the kitten water during the night. It hadn’t lapped it up either.
Interesting.
Lu Dingyun smiled and offered another spoonful.
This time, the kitten didn’t hesitate, gobbling it down.
After five spoonfuls, Lu Dingyun stopped.
The kitten couldn’t eat too much yet. Just enough to keep it from being hungry.
Wei Yuan licked its lips, its eyes following the bowl in his hand.
That was it?
It wasn’t full yet.
It wasn’t that it was greedy, but it hadn’t had a warm meal since becoming a stray. Now, eating the warm mush, both its body and soul felt comforted.
Lu Dingyun gently wiped its mouth with a cloth.
An idea sparked in its mind. If it meowed now, would Lu Dingyun give it more food?
But it couldn’t bring itself to make those soft, almost coquettish “meows.”
Luckily, before it could overcome its mental block, the sound of the keypad at the entrance echoed.
Someone was here.
