Chapter 21

As Jiang Heng was eating, Song Zhang cheekily pulled out his phone and crouched beside him to take photos.

Jiang Heng’s chewing motion froze instantly. Being photographed by a stranger was entirely different from being photographed by someone he knew. If a stranger took a picture, it was fine; they might never meet again, and they wouldn't know who he was. But it was different with someone he knew.

This was nothing short of a dark history in the making.

He stopped eating, eyeing Song Zhang sideways, hoping he would realize he was infringing on a cat's portrait rights.

Instead, Song Zhang held the phone up even more enthusiastically. "Yes, hold that pose, don't move! Come on, give me a smile!"

Jiang Heng, unable to bear it any longer, swiped at him with a paw.

Song Zhang chuckled, "The little guy has quite a temper. Come on, come on, swipe at me again, I’m recording this."

Jiang Heng: "..."

Had this guy Song Zhang been possessed?

...

When Lu Yichuan stepped out after his shower, Song Zhang was hunched on the floor, phone in hand, backside in the air. Lu Yichuan paused at the sight of this bizarre posture. "What are you doing?"

Song Zhang twisted his head at an impossible angle and shook the phone in his hand. "Taking pictures of your cat. Who knew it was so shy? It ran under the bed to hide."

Lu Yichuan was silent for a moment. "Why... are you taking pictures of my cat?"

Song Zhang climbed to his feet and brushed the dust off his knees. "I just thought it looked quite unique. Is its fur naturally like this, or was it shaved? If you hadn't told me it was a cat, I would've thought it was a rat."

Lu Yichuan explained briefly, "It was sick, so I had it shaved."

"Oh," Song Zhang said. "Then you should definitely take more photos. When it grows up and starts its own life, you can show them to it on the spot."

Lu Yichuan paused while pouring a glass of water. "You’re thinking quite far ahead."

Song Zhang took it as a compliment. He had intended to snap a few more unflattering photos, but a delivery call came through shortly after. He reluctantly put his phone away and headed downstairs to pick up Lu Yichuan's takeout.

As soon as Song Zhang left, Jiang Heng crawled out from under the bed.

The space beneath the bed hadn't been cleaned in ages and was thick with dust. The little cat, just emerging, was covered in patches of grime, making him look like a true "calico" cat.

Lu Yichuan, now showered, appeared strangely calm. Although his face was pale, his eyes were bright—like a candle finally flickering with dazzling intensity just before it burned out.

He bent down, scooped up the dirty little cat, and placed him on the table. He pulled out a wet wipe intended for disinfection and meticulously cleaned the cat’s smudged face. "Song Zhang is too mean, making Mimi so dirty. Next time you see him like this, just bite him, okay?"

The man smelled of shower gel, his voice low and gentle. His damp hair hung over his forehead, and his entire being was cloaked in a humid mist that enveloped Jiang Heng.

Jiang Heng remained stiff, allowing Lu Yichuan to wipe him clean, bit by bit.

"Did I scare you? When he comes back, I'll make him apologize to you, alright?"

Lu Yichuan was still smiling, his voice as gentle as if he were coaxing a child, yet the eyes reflecting in Jiang Heng’s gaze were red, as if they were seeping blood.

Jiang Heng felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of fear.

"Meow..."

Lu Yichuan, what is wrong with you?

"Do you think he should apologize too? Then when he returns, I'll make him apologize."

"Meow?"

Lu Yichuan?

"Hmm? Is an apology not enough?"

Jiang Heng opened his mouth and bit his hand. He didn't use much force, but the slight sting brought Lu Yichuan back to his senses.

He blinked.

"Sorry. Are you blaming me? Blaming me for leaving you in the dormitory and letting you go hungry for two days?"

"Meow?"

Lu Yichuan, what is wrong with you? Your current state looks so strange.

But how could a human understand what a cat was saying?

Lu Yichuan gazed into his eyes as if caught in some kind of obsession. He dropped the wet wipe and, with fingertips smelling of alcohol, brushed Jiang Heng’s eyes.

"Your eyes are truly beautiful. Prettier than any cat I’ve ever seen..." he whispered, as if asking for Jiang Heng’s opinion. "Can you give them to me?"

Jiang Heng was stunned.

Lu Yichuan watched him quietly, as if waiting for an answer.

The air fell into a sudden, profound silence.

Song Zhang’s return broke the quiet in the room. He walked in with the takeout and slammed the door shut. "Lu Yichuan, hurry up and eat, then you can get some rest."

Lu Yichuan glanced at Jiang Heng, slowly withdrew his hand, and took the takeout Song Zhang handed him.

The porridge shop, still open in the middle of the night, couldn't have been serving anything particularly good, but Lu Yichuan finished it all.

Song Zhang watched him finish, then watched him take his medicine, before finally leaving the dormitory with the trash.

After eating, Lu Yichuan climbed into bed and went to sleep. He didn't look at Jiang Heng once, as if the things he had said earlier were merely a figment of Jiang Heng’s imagination.

The room, which had been bustling just moments before, fell into silence. The light from the streetlamp outside leaked in at an angle, and the man’s breathing became long and steady.

Jiang Heng hesitated, then jumped onto the bed.

He huddled close to Lu Yichuan, just as he had on his first day there. Only when their skin touched did the fear and anxiety in his heart dissipate.

Jiang Heng could only find a sense of security in Lu Yichuan.

Even if the danger was caused by him.

...

Lu Yichuan slept deeply, without dreams, and it was already noon when he woke up.

He felt a warm heat against his neck. Turning his head, he discovered a mangy little cat.

The cat was sleeping soundly, unaware that he had woken up. It had curled itself into a ball beside him, and a faint purring sound even drifted from its belly.

His clean quilt was marked with several clear plum-blossom paw prints, and his light-colored pajamas were also stained with gray smudges.

Lu Yichuan didn't need to guess whose masterpiece this was.

He rubbed his forehead. Fragments of yesterday’s memory flooded his mind. Remembering the things he had said to the cat, the anger he felt at the soiled quilt vanished.

He got up and went to the balcony to wash up, leaving the sleeping cat behind.

The sunlight outside was beautiful. Looking into the distance, the cherry blossoms around the library were in full bloom.

Lu Yichuan bit down on his toothbrush and stared down, thinking distractedly.

Qingming is almost here...

When he finished washing up and returned, the cat on the bed seemed to have just woken up. Even though its body was awake, its eyes were still struggling to open. It fumbled humanely on the bed, stretching out its paws as if trying to grasp something.

Eventually, as if failing to catch what it wanted, it finally opened its eyes, dazed.

Lu Yichuan stood at the head of the bed, looking down, and met Jiang Heng’s gaze in silence.

Jiang Heng: "..."

Jiang Heng hadn't expected to face this upon waking up. He waved his paws and offered a smile that Lu Yichuan couldn't possibly decipher.

"Meow!"

Hey! Good morning!

His greeting received no response from the man.

Lu Yichuan bent down, picked him up, placed him on the floor, and began stripping the bedsheets and quilt cover.

Jiang Heng watched him work in confusion. After a while, he finally saw the cat prints he had left on the quilt.

He looked down at himself; he was a patchwork of gray and white.

Jiang Heng fell silent.

After the silence, he decided it wasn't his fault at all.

It was all Lu Yichuan’s fault for only cleaning his face yesterday and not his body. Otherwise, how would he have known he was still so dirty?

Lu Yichuan threw the quilt into the washing machine on the balcony. He returned, intending to pour cat food for the cat, but when he saw the bowl was still full, he opted to open a bag of freeze-dried treats for him instead.

He crouched down and tapped the little cat’s head. "You stay home and be good. I have to go see my advisor. You..." He stared at Jiang Heng, unsure if he could understand, "Don't get on the bed. I'll take you to get a bath when I get back tonight."

"Also, I was drunk yesterday and said some nonsense. I’m sorry."

Jiang Heng looked up and rubbed against his palm.

In consideration of your sincere apology, this cat lord will not hold a grudge against a commoner. I forgive you!

For some reason, Lu Yichuan seemed to read the expression. A smile surfaced in his eyes, but a few seconds later, as if remembering something, he retracted that hint of warmth and pulled his hand back coldly.

Jiang Heng didn't notice the change.

After finishing his breakfast, he looked around the empty dormitory, turned his eyes, and chose a suitable angle. With a light leap, he jumped onto the chair.

Then, using the chair's height, he jumped onto the desk.

Two plum-blossom paw prints appeared on the desk instantly.

Feeling guilty, he raised his paw and wiped at them in a futile attempt to hide the evidence, then turned his attention to the desk.

There was a laptop, and some books were scattered around. Jiang Heng checked the titles and found they were all about philosophy.

He bent down and reached out with his paw to hook the drawer under the desk. Fortunately, the drawer was easier to open than the cabinet door, and before long, he had managed to create a gap.

He shoved his paw into the gap and pushed with all his might, forcing the drawer open.

There wasn't much inside, just a few pens and two notebooks. What caught Jiang Heng’s eye was the student ID card placed on top.

He froze when he saw the text on it.

Graduate student, Department of Philosophy...

No wonder Lu Yichuan was still at school after four years; he was pursuing a master's degree.

But wasn't Lu Yichuan an economics major? Why did he suddenly switch to philosophy?

For a moment, Jiang Heng even suspected he had transmigrated into a parallel universe.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

He knew Lu Yichuan as well as Lu Yichuan knew him. Even if Lu Yichuan had been hot and cold toward him these past two days, he knew this man was Lu Yichuan.

The Lu Yichuan who grew up with him.

But why did he suddenly change his major for graduate school?

Jiang Heng felt as baffled as a headless fly, and worse, he couldn't ask anyone about it.

He couldn't exactly run up to Lu Yichuan and tell him he was Jiang Heng, could he? Setting aside whether Lu Yichuan could accept it, what if his resurrection was just a trial run?

His soul had entered this cat’s body inexplicably, and it could disappear from it just as inexplicably.

He didn't dare to gamble that his resurrection was permanent.

If he were to make Lu Yichuan face the pain of losing him again, he would rather just remain a cat.

Jiang Heng paced anxiously in circles, unable to come up with a solution, until he was distracted by the sound of a cat meowing outside the window.

He jumped off the desk and walked to the balcony, where he found a sneaky calico cat hiding among the dense sycamore leaves.

Seeing Jiang Heng emerge, the calico poked its head out and meowed.

"Meow, want to play hide-and-seek?"

Jiang Heng: "..."