Chapter 19

With a bang, Jiang Heng was swung in midair, his rear briefly making intimate contact with the cabinet door, yet the cabinet remained utterly still, not even a crack appeared.

Jiang Heng: “…”

He opened his mouth hopelessly, collapsing onto the ground like a flattened cat pancake, motionless—seemingly dead, but neither truly alive.

Around noon, loud voices echoed down the corridor.

Jiang Heng’s eyes brightened as he turned his head to stare toward the doorway.

But until three in the afternoon, Lu Yichuan hadn’t returned.

He mentally made a note: this person was unreliable.

Left to his own devices, Jiang Heng paced around the dormitory again, realizing there was nothing to eat; the dorm was so clean not a single hair was left. In desperation, he turned his gaze to the balcony.

The dorm was on the second floor, with a parking lot below—not very high. Outside, tall phoenix trees stood; their newly sprouted broad leaves gently swayed in the breeze, branches just touching the balcony.

Jiang Heng stood by the railing, observing. He realized that by stepping onto the branch, he could climb into the tree, then descend the trunk to reach the ground smoothly.

This would be effortless for a cat, but for a man transformed into a cat…

He gazed at the branch before him, unsure if his legs would buckle stepping up.

His stomach growled. With Lu Yichuan still absent, Jiang Heng bit his lip and tentatively stepped onto the branch.

The cat’s body was light and agile; stepping on it felt nothing at all.

He exhaled quietly in relief and slowly edged outward.

The moment his paws touched the ground, his tense heart finally settled, and he silently cheered himself on.

As expected of Jiang Xiaoheng—the cat who floats among the trees!

He stretched his stiff limbs under the tree and trotted out on all fours.

The afternoon temperature was just right, and many students were strolling on the playground. Jiang Heng sought a crowded spot and dramatically collapsed onto the ground, motionless.

His act drew the attention of several students, who gradually gathered around.

“Why is there a cat here? Its fur’s all shaved.”

“Whose cat is this? Doesn’t look like a stray from our school.”

“Take a photo and post it on the wall; probably someone’s pet that ran away.”

His unique appearance attracted a swarm of stares, phones clicking rapidly to snap pictures.

Jiang Heng buried his face in his paws, disliking being photographed so much, but as a cat, he had no rights and silently endured.

After a while, the crowd lost interest once they finished taking pictures.

At least give me something to eat!

“Meow~”

He weakly collapsed, his stomach growling at the perfect moment.

“Oh, it’s hungry. Does anyone have cat food? Give it something to eat.”

A girl pulled out a bag of loose cat food from her bag, tore a piece of paper to place on the ground, and poured the food onto it.

“I was going to feed that big orange one, but I guess you get first dibs.”

Squinting, Jiang Heng took a cautious bite. It crunched but didn’t taste as good as the food Lu Yichuan bought for him.

Even as a cat, Jiang Heng felt his palate still leaned human. Cat food wasn’t fishy but flavorless, like chewing on tiny biscuits.

After so many days as a cat, the tastiest thing he’d eaten was still his old fried rice.

He ate slowly in small bites, strangely elegant for a cat; even though his bare fur made him look plain, he still held the gaze of those around him.

Eating under so many eyes, Jiang Heng... ate even more gracefully.

Full, he slipped away, planning to climb the tree he came down from and wait for Lu Yichuan’s return.

But...

He looked up at the sky, then down at the grass below. A breeze stirred nearby willows, their branches swaying.

The bare-furred little cat faced the wind; its fluffy face slowly cracked open.

Where was this? Where was he? He had entered from here, hadn’t he? Why was he now facing a lake?

The artificial lake might not be vast to humans, but to a cat, the endless water stretched like an ocean.

Jiang Heng braced himself and randomly picked a direction to move forward.

The deeper he ventured, the less visible the lake became, but the trees thickened. Dusk settled, no students could be seen in the dark woods—only the rustling of swaying leaves.

Jiang Heng almost cried. Why build such a huge area in a perfectly good school?

A jungle might be a home for animals, but it was not Jiang Heng’s; his home was soft sofas and Wi-Fi-connected phones.

Moving forward was impossible; he chose to retrace his steps.

Rustling—

Branches swayed behind him, shadows layered thickly. Jiang Heng felt as if something was watching him.

He pinned his ears down, fixed his gaze straight ahead, refusing to glance sideways, and ran.

But as he ran, he faintly heard footsteps behind him.

“!!”

Help, help!

Jiang Heng, once a staunch atheist, now reborn, wondered what was impossible anymore.

He had died once; his aura was heavier than anyone’s. In this dark, deserted forest at night...

His pinned ears lowered further; his four short legs almost blurred in motion.

Yet as he sped up, the footsteps behind quickened too.

His scalp tingled with dread.

Suddenly, a gust of wind came from behind, followed by something pouncing toward him.

“Meow!!”

Jiang Heng shut his eyes and fell to the ground, letting out a sharp cry.

“Meow?”

A soft voice sounded above him, tinged with curiosity.

Jiang Heng hesitated, then slightly opened one eye to meet a furry face.

He: “…”

For some reason, awkwardness always followed him.

Seeing his eyes open, the cat on top withdrew its paws and elegantly licked them while sitting beside him.

“Meow…”

I caught you; now it’s your turn to catch me.

Jiang Heng stood up, about to speak, but the other cat nimbly leapt into the tree and vanished in a flash.

“??”

Wait... hold on...

“Meow!”

I didn’t agree to that!

Only the rustling leaves answered him.

Jiang Heng calmed his pounding heart and scanned the surroundings with a blank expression.

Good—couldn’t see a thing.

He shook the leaves from his fur, unwilling to join this cat-chasing game, only eager to find a way out.

But having run wildly, he realized he was losing his sense of direction, gradually moving further from the exit.

He had no choice but to turn around again.

After a while, he heard rustling behind once more.

This time Jiang Heng wasn’t as scared; he glanced back nonchalantly and saw a fluffy tail poorly concealed.

“…”

He stopped.

Though tempted to leave it be, that tail flickering in his sight was too distracting.

Jiang Heng cautiously took a few steps forward, then suddenly spun around and dashed toward the tree.

“Don’t move! I found you!”

The wagging tail froze; moments later, a cat emerged from the thick leaves.

A beautiful calico.

Its smoky gray eyes shone brightly in the dark, completely absorbed in the cat-chasing game: “Now it’s my turn to find you.”

This time Jiang Heng spoke before it disappeared: “I never wanted to play this game with you.”

The calico looked at him puzzled. “Then why did you run just now?”

Jiang Heng: “…”

He refused to answer.

“Anyway, I’m done playing. I want to go back.”

The calico walked gracefully by his side. “Where do you want to go?”

Humans couldn’t understand cat talk, so Jiang Heng focused on the only cat he could communicate with.

“Do you know the dorm with the phoenix trees by the balcony?”

The calico asked, “What’s a phoenix tree?”

“…”

Jiang Heng sighed sorrowfully, lowering his head to keep walking.

As the feline beauty of the cat world, this was the first time the calico had been so thoroughly ignored. It snorted but obediently followed alongside.

“You won’t tell me what a phoenix tree is. How can I help you?”

Jiang Heng thought it over, realizing the point, and described the phoenix tree as best as he could.

“It’s this thick, this big, with green, broad leaves. Oh, the leaves are divided like a hand.”

Strangely, the calico understood.

It haughtily snorted, “Follow me.”

Jiang Heng’s eyes brightened and trailed behind.

Unexpectedly, it really led him to the balcony of Lu Yichuan’s dorm.

He stood beneath the tree and thanked the calico.

“Thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have known how to get back.”

The calico sat on the ground, looking up at the balcony.

“You live there?”

“Yes.” Jiang Heng responded cheerfully. “I’m up there. You’re welcome to visit sometime.”

Though his home lacked even a scrap of cat food, he still extended the invitation.

The calico wasn’t eager to go up, complaining, “That place looks small. I don’t want to go.”

Beauty speaks honestly.

Jiang Heng was at a loss and simply said goodbye.

“Wait...” the calico called after him. “I helped you. How will you repay me?”

Jiang Heng never expected cats to hold grudges.

“What do you want me to do?”

The calico flicked its fluffy tail in the air.

“You have to play with me from now on, just like before.”

“Hide and seek?”

The calico’s eyes lit up, clearly pleased.

“Yes! Hide and seek!”

Jiang Heng hadn’t played such childish games since he was five.

He gently asked, “Don’t you usually have someone to play with?”

“Yes.” The calico answered honestly. “Many, but they find me right away. It’s no fun.”

“You’re different. You’re too dumb to find me for a long time. That’s way more interesting.”

Jiang Heng: “…”

Thanks, I guess.