After Turning Into a Kitten, I Was Adopted by My Father-Figure Childhood Friend - Chapter 36

Pervert. Lowlife. Erotomaniac.

As these severe accusations flashed across the screen, Lu Jingchuan, usually as unshakable as a mountain, rarely lost his composure. His hand trembled as it hovered over the display. He typed out words with heavy strokes, only to delete them character by character.

Why would Xingxing say that about him? What had he said? Who had said what?

Lu Jingchuan scrolled through their entire conversation from top to bottom, then clicked into the messaging app to reread every previous exchange, weighing every word and interpreting every sentence.

Lu Jingchuan: I do not understand.

He typed the words out one by one, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the outer casing of the phone. This was a habit he had developed abroad, or rather, a coping mechanism forced upon him after being separated from Song Xingyu.

He no longer had unrestricted access to everything involving Song Xingyu. He could not hold those beautiful hands or touch Xingyu’s skin and hair. He could only guess the emotions and expressions on the other side of a cold electronic screen. He endured, he felt restless, he craved, and he worried. Only the vibration of the phone against his fingertips could smooth the tension from his face.

Why use such words to condemn him?

Lu Jingchuan loathed his own lack of words. He asked several dry questions through the phone but received no reply. Finally, he could only type:

Lu Jingchuan: Do you want to see the kitten? Lu Jingchuan: You-You is very cute. He can find toys to play with by himself.

The notification sound echoed in the empty walk-in closet. In the middle of a small quilt on the floor, a tiny lump rose and fell with the animal’s breathing. The electronic screen lit up and dimmed, and it was finally kicked into a corner by a furry leg poking out from the quilt. It slid under the shadow of a row of clothes and fell silent.

“You-You.”

In a daze, Cat Song felt someone calling his name. He opened his sticky eyes with difficulty, squinting and tilting his head in confusion.

Cat Song: O.o (What are you doing?)

As his head was gently nudged, Song Xingyu waved his claws unhappily and let out two meows. When he opened his mouth, the kitten’s voice was soft and hoarse, as if squeezed from parched earth. His body trembled, and his tail draped weakly across the man’s wrist. His ears slumped, and for a long time, he could not even lift his head.

His amber-gold eyes flickered open for an instant before drooping shut with exhaustion.

Cat Song murmured, “Why are you shaking me, meow? Stop shaking.”

His tiny paws scratched feebly at the back of the man’s hand. The man’s lips thinned slightly as he pressed the kitten into his chest. With his ear pressed against the man’s heart, Song Xingyu could hear a rapid, intense thumping that made his feline heart race. He squinted his eyes to look up, seeing only the man’s tense jawline and his shifting Adam’s apple.

“You have a fever, You-You.”

The man’s large hand covered the top of the kitten’s head, stroking from the ears to the forehead, and then down to his two furry legs. Compared to the kitten, the broad hand was like a giant blanket. Feeling the warmth of the man’s palm on his face, Song Xingyu’s fever-addled brain began to turn slowly.

Oh. I am sick.

How strange. I was just messaging Little Lu. Why did I suddenly get sick?

The kitten blinked, staring stubbornly and piteously at the man’s every move. When the man tried to set him down, he immediately clung to the wrist, crying out in protest. He pouted his small muzzle and stared with watery amber eyes that rippled with instability.

Lu Jingchuan’s heart softened at the sight. With a helpless sigh, he warmed a child’s cooling patch in his palm before applying it to the kitten’s forehead. With one hand holding the patch and the other supporting the kitten’s back and bottom, he completely encircled the cat in his embrace.

Lying on his back with his snowy-white belly exposed, the kitten’s two fluffy hind legs tilted upward, revealing his pink “mangosteen” paws. He held his paws up in a gesture of surrender while stubbornly clinging to the man’s wrist. Even his long tail wrapped around the man’s hand, its tip wiggling its way into the palm, a picture of a spoiled creature demanding to be held.

“I am already holding you,” Lu Jingchuan said in a low voice. Fearing he might startle the kitten, he kept his tone hushed, whispering gentle comforts.

The kitten grumbled and cried out aimlessly. This habit was exactly like Xingxing’s when he was sick. Whenever Xingxing fell ill, he became incredibly clingy. He refused to stay in bed and demanded that his brother or Lu Jingchuan pay constant attention to him.

Perhaps out of insecurity, he would become extremely talkative during these times. Even with a hoarse voice, he would call out over and over, making up excuses to ask for things just to keep people near him. If ignored for too long, he would purse his lips and stare at you with aggrieved eyes.

Lu Jingchuan would usually surrender immediately. He would climb onto the bed to huddle and sleep with Xingxing, ignoring the boy’s half-hearted shoves to firmly hold his hand and pin his legs until the struggling stopped. Only then would Xingxing grow quiet and close his eyes in peace.

But even then, one could not relax. If the person beside him moved, he would wake up instantly in alarm, staring at them with wet, accusing eyes.

Piteous and adorable.

Thinking of Xingxing, Lu Jingchuan could not help but lean down and affectionately kiss the kitten’s soft, drooping ear. The small, resilient ear was red from the fever. Its furry texture brushed against the man’s lips, creating a fine itch. Lu Jingchuan held his breath and gently nipped the kitten’s ear, only exhaling once the cat stopped kicking.

He was experienced in caring for Xingxing and was equally methodical with the kitten. He rhythmically patted the cat’s bottom and wrapped a cooling patch around the kitten’s thigh, warming the surface with his hand so the sudden temperature change would not be too jarring.

Under this meticulous care, Song Xingyu drifted off. He felt as though he were on a small boat, rocking gently on a vast, endless ocean. He struggled to hold onto an oar, shivering as the waves tossed him left and right.

He cried out in anger, baring his teeth and rowing frantically to escape. However, if he rowed left, a wave hit his right; if he rowed right, a wave hit his left. He turned around in a panic, only to find deep, unfathomable shadows beneath the surface causing the turmoil.

A sea monster quietly reached a tentacle onto the boat and, while he was not looking, gave his bottom a smack. It turned out the shadow beneath the boat was not the starry sky, but a giant monster. The monster surfaced, used the boat to lift its tentacle, and picked him up with amusement. It opened its massive mouth and shook him like a jar of candy.

“Meow meow meow!”

Song Xingyu jolted awake and leaped from the man’s lap. His small body tumbled and landed on the floor with a soft thud. He sat on his tail, dazed, not yet recovered from the dream. When the man picked him up, he kicked his legs in a blur, terrified of falling into the monster’s mouth.

The man was sitting at his desk. The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by the laptop and a desk lamp. He had been reading documents with one hand while holding the kitten with the other. Surprised by the kitten’s movement, he looked down and flicked the cat’s ear. “You-You?”

Under the hazy, warm light, the blue-light-blocking glasses the man wore softened his cold facial features. The light made his eyes appear warm and kind as he gazed at the kitten with a gentle, half-smile. For some reason, it was impossible to look away.

The little calico looked dazed, one ear pricked and the other folded, looking like a cute lop-eared rabbit. His furry muzzle twitched as he foolishly bit his own paw.

Dammit! Why does this guy have to be so good-looking!

Song Xingyu felt a sudden, involuntary surge of annoyance. He fiercely headbutted the man, his eyes shimmering with hidden sparks.

The man was used to his liveliness. He felt the kitten’s forehead and gave a low hum. “The fever is gone.”

He still had work to do. Seeing that the kitten had recovered and was in good spirits, he placed him on the floor and gave his bottom a gentle nudge. “Go play.”

The small villa still looked like a model home, but the kitten’s belongings had invaded every corner. Song Xingyu disliked playing with toys that did not move, finding them childish and beneath him, yet he scattered them everywhere. He had even imperiously demanded that the man install a water fountain in the study, the bedroom, and the dining room. A little kitten did not want to go all the way downstairs for a drink at night.

Lu Jingchuan felt at ease letting the kitten go. The cat was pushed forward a few steps, but he deliberately pricked his tail and circled back.

“Meow meow!”

His eyes were bright as he tilted his beautiful face and let out a soft cry.

“Meow-uuu!” (Do not chase me away!) “Mi-uuu-mi!” (Pay attention to me, you jerk!)

The kitten pricked his tail and tilted his head coquettishly, nuzzling affectionately against the man’s arm. He rubbed from his head to his back before finally flopping down like a soft noodle. His voice was silky, and his sweet meows drifted into the man’s ear like cotton candy.

Since you took care of me while I was sick, hmph, the Great Cat King will let you pet him. Only the belly, though!

“Meow-uuu!” (If you dare touch anything else, you are dead!)

Lu Jingchuan was busy with work. When the kitten approached, he reached out to stroke its head and asked good-naturedly, “Are you hungry? Shall I cook some cat food for you?”

The kitten shook its head and hummed. The man’s hand moved from the head to the back and then to the belly. The soft cat belly felt wonderful. Lu Jingchuan paused, then quite naturally gave it a few extra rubs.

“I will pour some milk for you.”

The man stood up and, to the kitten’s shock, walked away with his laptop.

He left. He just left.

Cat Song was about to explode with rage. No snuggles! Why no snuggles! You damnable jerk!

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