Chapter 8
Wei Yuan was in despair.
It took only the duration of Lu Dingyun’s nap for him to go from initial shock, to gradual acceptance, to utter despondency.
Movie Emperor Lu, enjoying a rare good sleep, didn’t wake until past eleven in the morning.
He rolled over, sleepily reaching out to pull the cart with the kitten closer.
He yawned and slowly sat up, leaning over the cart, gazing at the motionless kitten with still-sleepy eyes.
Lu Dingyun had deep, dark eyes, exquisitely shaped with just the right length of lashes. His subtle double eyelids made his gaze even more profound.
Usually, his eyes seemed cold and even aggressive, as if nothing could capture his attention.
But when he focused on something, his gaze created an illusion of deep affection.
At this moment, he was looking at the kitten with such a gaze, tinged with tenderness from just waking up.
But the kitten’s heart remained unmoved.
Ha, man.
This kitten wasn’t the same kitten you saw before you fell asleep. This is Niu Hulu Baldy Cat!
The kitten pursed its lips, bravely holding back tears.
It wondered if its fur would grow back, and if not, if there were wigs for cats.
Lu Dingyun extended a finger, gently touching the kitten’s face.
The kitten turned its head away, refusing to be touched.
A soft chuckle sounded beside it, followed by rustling.
The kitten twitched its ears, unable to resist glancing back.
Damn it!
The kitten’s pure mind was once again invaded by male beauty.
Wei Yuan tried to close its eyes, but they disobeyed, following the movie emperor’s movements.
The man walked to the wardrobe, his back to the kitten, and pulled out a black tank top.
His back muscles flexed with the movement, rippling with strength.
Wei Yuan averted its gaze, suddenly recalling a fan comment it had once read.
It said, “With Teacher Lu’s physique, knocking out three in one night is a piece of cake.”
A terrifying comment that had stuck with Wei Yuan ever since.
Remembering this inappropriately, Wei Yuan couldn’t help but glance at him again.
Lu Dingyun closed the wardrobe door and walked back, expertly pushing the cart outwards. “Baby, let’s change your bandages first, then have lunch.”
Wei Yuan looked up, seeing his sharp jawline, sexy Adam’s apple, and collarbones.
And his pecs and abs, even more alluring beneath the fabric.
No wonder tank tops were the ultimate test of a man’s physique. On some people, they were even more enticing than being shirtless…
Wait! What was it thinking?!
Wei Yuan jolted, the heat rising to its face instantly dissipating.
Even as a kitten, staring at another man like this felt like blatant flirting.
No, no, it was a well-bred young master cat and couldn’t do such things.
Remembering its bald head, the kitten lost all interest in admiring handsome men.
The man and cat returned to the operating room.
Wei Yuan closed its eyes and lay flat, letting “Doctor Lu” remove its bandages and change its dressings.
During this, it couldn’t help but glance at its own body.
“…” It wanted to claw its eyes out.
Why did it have to look?!
See? See? Now it was bald not only on its head but also on its body. It was an utterly hideous kitten!
Having been beautiful its entire life, Wei Yuan had never been ugly before and was now on the verge of tears.
It was so vain, it didn’t know if it could live like this.
Perhaps Doctor Lu could find it a therapist. It was afraid of becoming depressed.
Lu Dingyun watched the kitten closely, careful not to hurt it.
He noticed the kitten glance at its injuries, then close its eyes in despair.
At that moment, as if by divine intervention, Lu Dingyun miraculously understood its thoughts.
He chuckled. “Good baby, your wounds are healing nicely. Your fur will grow back soon.”
Wei Yuan: “!”
The kitten’s eyes widened.
“Meow! Meow, meow, meow!”
See, a fellow countryman wouldn’t lie to another!
“Really, I’m not lying,” Lu Dingyun said, seeing the kitten’s delighted expression.
Wei Yuan was finally relieved, then looked at Lu Dingyun suspiciously.
What the hell, could Lu Dingyun read its mind?
Of course, Lu Dingyun couldn’t.
He quickly and efficiently applied new ointment and bandages, then carefully lifted the kitten.
“Baby, do you want to try standing for a bit?”
The kitten needed rest, but he noticed it was different from other animals, recovering remarkably fast. The surgery had been just yesterday, and the wounds were almost healed. He could probably remove the stitches in a day or two.
Such a recovery speed was unprecedented.
But it wasn’t entirely unheard of. Some humans also healed quickly, and the same could be true for cats.
His kitten might just be a miracle kitty.
Unaware of its exceptional healing, Wei Yuan stood up as instructed.
It had to admit, after lying down for so long, it missed the feeling of standing on all fours.
Then it paused, amused.
It had been so unaccustomed to walking on all fours before, but now it was getting used to it.
Well, if it couldn’t turn back into a human, it would have to remain a cat. Getting used to it early was a good thing.
Perhaps it was instinct, but after standing up, it instinctively wanted to stretch.
However, as it arched its back slightly, before it could even strain its wounds, a pair of large hands gently but firmly held it down.
“You can’t move around too much yet,” Lu Dingyun tried to reason with the cat. “You’ll pull your stitches.”
Logically, a normal cat wouldn’t understand.
But after he spoke, he saw his kitten actually stop stretching and even nod seriously.
Lu Dingyun was momentarily surprised, then dismissed it as his imagination.
His kitten did seem intelligent, but it shouldn’t be able to understand such complex sentences. The nod was probably a coincidence.
Still, his kitten was very well-behaved. Other animals wouldn’t lie still after surgery, they would be licking their wounds.
Thinking of this, Lu Dingyun decided to find an Elizabethan collar for the kitten, just in case.
Unaware of its impending cone of shame, Wei Yuan focused on its rehabilitation with Lu Dingyun’s help.
It had to recover quickly!
After about ten minutes of exercises, Lu Dingyun let Wei Yuan lie down and went to retrieve the collar.
Wei Yuan lay on its back, panting.
Its injuries had weakened it. It was already exhausted after such a short time.
It decided to be more careful in the future and avoid dangerous situations.
As it planned its future, Doctor Lu returned.
Wei Yuan looked curiously at the object in his hand, wrapped in a disposable medical bag, its contents hidden.
Doctor Lu’s deft hands quickly opened the package.
Tsk, quite a pleasing sight.
Wei Yuan lazily admired its rival’s “performance.”
However, when the contents of the bag were fully revealed, Wei Yuan froze.
“?” The kitten tilted its head.
This pink, fish-patterned thing, the legendary cone of shame, who was it for?!
A minute later, the kitten, now wearing the cone of shame, was once again in despair.
Great.
It and Lu were definitely incompatible!
Compatible or not, its life was in his hands.
Completely dependent on him for everything.
Speaking of which, Lu Dingyun suddenly remembered something.
He had fed the kitten milk mush and had a quick lunch himself, then paced around the kitten, staring at it intently, making it feel self-conscious.
What was he doing? Just say it, don’t scare the cat.
Lu Dingyun frowned slightly, bending down to examine the kitten’s belly, murmuring, “That’s not right.”
Wei Yuan’s heart tightened.
What was wrong? Was there something wrong with its body?
Patients feared vague pronouncements from doctors, especially frowns and sighs.
Wei Yuan now truly understood this fear.
Lu Dingyun reached out, gently stroking the kitten’s lower abdomen.
The kitten’s belly wasn’t injured and wasn’t bandaged, so his hand directly touched its fur and skin.
Wei Yuan trembled, almost instinctively lashing out, but it controlled itself.
But whether human or kitten, the abdomen was a sensitive and private area, and being touched there felt strange.
It reassured itself that it was Doctor Lu touching it, not Movie Emperor Lu.
But the next second, its composure shattered.
Because Doctor Lu asked, with a puzzled tone, “Baby, why haven’t you pooped yet?”
It had been so long. He wasn’t worried about number two, as long as it happened within three days, but how could it not have even peed?
He had picked up the kitten around 10 pm yesterday, and it was now past 1 pm the next day.
Fifteen hours was a bit unusual for a kitten that was eating and drinking normally.
But not entirely impossible.
If it didn’t happen within twenty-four hours, he would need to examine it further.
Lu Dingyun decided to observe for a while longer and put the matter aside.
However, Wei Yuan was struck by lightning, finally remembering this long-neglected issue.
It was immobile and couldn’t relieve itself, so when the urge came, it would have to do it right there on the cart, on those thick pee pads!
And afterwards, Doctor Lu would have to clean it up.
Help!
Didn’t a kitten’s dignity matter?!
Wei Yuan was mortified, but there was nothing it could do.
After a morning of emotional turmoil, the already weakened Wei Yuan gradually drifted off to sleep.
In its dream, it felt the urge.
While Lu Dingyun was away, it jumped off the cart, went to the bathroom, did its business, and hurried back, pretending nothing had happened.
But a dream was just a dream.
In reality, the sleeping kitten unconsciously took care of its business.
Lu Dingyun sighed in relief, carefully changing the pee pads, cleaning the kitten, and removing the cone of shame.
Clean and dry once more, the kitten lay on its back, sleeping soundly with its head tilted to the side.
Lu Dingyun washed his hands and returned, his heart melting at the sight.
He was deeply socially anxious and solitary, with limited emotional range and no desire to share.
But now, he desperately wanted to show everyone how cute his kitten was.
He picked up his phone and took numerous photos of the kitten from every angle.
Pet owners’ phones were mostly filled with pictures of their beloved pets.
Movie Emperor Lu was no exception, snapping dozens of photos without realizing it.
With the kitten still asleep, he pulled the cart to the window, sat in his massage chair, and basked in the sun with the kitten.
He opened Weibo, carefully selecting the best photos before posting them.
Nine photos, the only nine-grid post in all his personal Weibo history.
His caption, as always, was concise: [Introducing my cute kitten.]
As soon as the post went live, likes, reposts, and comments poured in, exceeding a hundred in an instant, then a thousand after a refresh.
Two minutes later, the hashtag #LuDingyun’sCuteKitten# was trending.
Recently, due to the news of Top Star Wei Yuan’s car accident and Lu Dingyun’s near-miss with stalkers, Weibo had been shrouded in a somber atmosphere.
Only in the past two days had some entertainment news resurfaced, but with little impact.
Lu Dingyun’s Weibo post reignited the platform.
The usually low-key movie emperor, who rarely posted except during movie promotions, had suddenly shared such an out-of-character post, naturally exciting everyone.
Because the hashtag was ambiguous, some onlookers even thought Movie Emperor Lu had descended from his ivory tower and announced a relationship with a cat-like person.
But upon clicking, they discovered it was a literal kitten.
Although the kitten in the photos looked frail and sickly, more pitiful than cute, it was the movie emperor’s opinion that mattered.
His fans, adoring everything he loved, showered the kitten with affection, calling it a “cute baby” and wanting to “give it kisses.”
Lu Dingyun basked in the praise for his kitten, feeling immensely satisfied.
He even started replying to comments, choosing those from familiar, long-time fans.
[Yes, I picked up the stray last night.]
[It was seriously injured, but it’s recovering well.]
[Very smart, very well-behaved, very cute.]
[I’ve named it Programmer.]
Fans: “???”
Wait a minute.
They finally disagreed with their idol, one after another, they voiced their objections.
[Teacher Lu, think again! Who names a kitten something like that? It sounds so sad!]
[Teacher Lu, why not let the kitten choose its own name? My dog chose its name by picking one of several paper balls I threw.]
[Yes, yes, or you could come up with a few names and we could vote.]
Lu Dingyun paused, wondering if the name he had chosen was really that bad.
He refreshed his Weibo homepage and suddenly saw a new trending topic:
#LuDingyunAbuser#
His eyebrows rose, and he clicked on it without hesitation.
Meanwhile, the well-rested kitten also opened its eyes drowsily.
It instinctively made a soft, attention-grabbing “Meow~”
