After Turning Into a Kitten, I Was Adopted by My Father-Figure Childhood Friend - Chapter 43

“Lu Xiaochuan! Lu-Lu-Lu Xiaochuan!”

The mechanical voice echoed in the room like a skipping record. In front of the sun-drenched French windows, a plump little kitten flicked the tip of its tail, pressing colorful buttons with a series of rhythmic taps.

He deliberately pressed the “Lu Xiaochuan” button several times in succession before transitionally pressing “Drink Water” with a sense of pride.

“Lu Xiaochuan, drink water.”

In the short two or three hours since his secret identity had been exposed to Lu Jingchuan, Song Xingyou had fully come to appreciate the benefits of being a kitten. The man had only stepped out for a moment to pick up a delivery after a phone call, but the cat purposefully used the buttons to summon him, whining and trotting with his tail held high to weave around the man’s feet as soon as he returned.

As his tail hooked around Lu Jingchuan’s suit trousers, Song the Cat daintily scratched at the fabric. Without even needing to act cute, a pair of hands immediately picked him up. Nestled in the crook of the man’s shoulder, Song the Cat smugly scratched his ear with a paw. His amber-gold eyes were full of mischievous laughter as he looked at the man.

“Meow-woo.” Drink water. Drink water.

The kitten patted the man’s face and pointed toward the pet buttons on the floor. He jumped down and began pressing them frantically like a game. “Lu Xiaochuan, Lu Xiaochuan, Lu Xiaochuan!”

Lu Jingchuan leaned down, carefully wiped the kitten’s pink paw pads with a wet wipe, and lifted him from the floor. “The floor is dirty. Do not sit on the ground.”

Humph! This kitten is not afraid of a cold floor.

Song the Cat let out a disdainful snort and turned his head away grumpily, struggling to get down from the man’s arms. The man held the kitten firmly, poured a glass of water, and brought it to the kitten’s mouth with great affection. “Alright, did you not want to drink water?”

He rubbed the kitten’s soft belly, cradling the small stomach with one hand while the other rested on his back. His fingertips gently massaged the soft fur, quickly smoothing away Song the Cat’s desire to jump out of his arms. He settled down to lap up the water.

The cup that used to be strictly off-limits was now hand-delivered to the kitten’s lips. Even when the cat dipped his paw into it, Lu Jingchuan simply pulled the paw out and wiped it dry without a word of complaint. Since discovering that the kitten was actually Xingxing that morning, he had bought an endless stream of items. Everything, whether they had it before or not, was arranged for the kitten. This included a massive cat climbing wall and a kitten go-kart that he had previously refused to buy.

Song the Cat had no interest in the delivery packages. He flicked his pointed ears and toyed with the water using his pink tongue, his eyes darting around. He was clearly plotting something. When it came to teasing and playing with Lu Xiaochuan, he possessed two hundred percent enthusiasm!

Humph! It is time for this annoying guy to witness the true power of the Great Cat Hero!

Song the Cat clenched his paws and waved them about with a self-satisfied expression. As Lu Jingchuan unpacked a delivery, he pulled out a mobile phone. Seeing this from the corner of his eye, the kitten immediately nudged his head into the man’s arm to peer inside.

“Meow, meow, meow?” Is that for me?

Even if it was not, it had to be! This guy only had two hands and did not need two phones! The Great Cat Hero had four paws and deserved a phone, a tablet, a television, and a laptop! The little calico shook his head stealthily. One pointed ear was pressed against the man’s arm while the other stood tall like a radar. He opened his round, cute eyes wide and looked left and right, his gaze full of possessiveness.

“Meow, meow, meow.” Let the Great Cat King see what good things are here.

Wait! Was this the same phone model he used to have? Why did this phone case look so familiar? And this screensaver?

Song the Cat widened his eyes and tilted his head back, meowing loudly in disbelief. “My phone! My phone!”

“Meow, meow, meow!”

He excitedly rubbed his head against the man’s palm. His tail seemed to have a mind of its own as it burrowed into the man’s chest, his face practically begging for head scratches. The kitten clung to the man’s hand, his small paws grabbing the slippery phone as he struggled to snatch it away.

Lu Jingchuan had intended to return it to him all along. With a gentle movement of his fingers, he temporarily set the phone aside despite the kitten’s pleading eyes.

“It is not just this. I asked someone to investigate, and I found your other personal belongings as well.”

In addition to the phone, the box contained the accessories and items Song Xingyou had been wearing that day. The jewelry had been sent to lost and found because it was valuable. As for his clothes, they had been treated as trash. Half were lost and the other half had been picked up by a cleaning lady. Song Xingyou nodded repeatedly with a serious expression, patting the man’s arm earnestly. “Good job, Lu Xiaochuan.”

“Meow, meow!”

Song Xingyou had never really thought about these things. Since he had adapted so smoothly to life as a cat, these external possessions felt unimportant. Of course, if he had lost his twenty-million-dollar Stradivarius cello?

Song the Cat narrowed his eyes and glanced at the man meaningfully. When exactly is my cello arriving? He wanted to play! He had not touched his cello in nearly a month! His Stradivarius, the instrument of his dreams!

Song Xingyou was going to throw a tantrum if he could not enjoy the deep, smooth strings of his dream cello. He flopped down on the spot and kicked at the man’s arm as if to urge him. As his chubby little paws kicked against the arm, the man looked down with lowered eyes. The silver light from the mechanical watch on his wrist made his silhouette seem sharp and cold.

Compared to the steady, slightly shy boy he was before going abroad, the tall man who had returned seemed quite different from the person in Song Xingyou’s memory. Song Xingyou bit the man’s hand, but he suddenly felt a tightening in his chest. He spat it out sourly, unable to figure out exactly how he felt. He did not realize his emotions were written all over his face. His bright eyes drooped unhappily, his stubborn ears flattened into airplane ears, and even his tail felt limp against the man’s arm.

He was upset.

Lu Jingchuan noticed immediately. He lowered his head, proactively offering his face to the kitten’s paws while supporting the kitten’s waist with his other hand. He remained calm and composed, but his voice was low and soft, rippling with warmth.

“Why are you unhappy?”

The man placed the kitten’s paw against his own face and let the cat’s claws catch his finger. His high nose bridge gently nuzzled the kitten’s belly in a coaxing manner. He was cautious yet intimate. After learning the kitten’s true identity, there should have been a polite distance between them, but his righteous attitude had silently dissolved it. Instead, he became even closer and more clingy.

Under the gentle and steady touch, Song Xingyou’s eyes narrowed slightly. He kicked his feet dizzily and chased the man’s hand with his head, nearly tumbling off the table. In the instant he transformed from a cat back into a human, both Song Xingyou and Lu Jingchuan were shocked.

Lu Jingchuan’s gaze instantly became deep and somber. He was the first to react, pulling over a nearby small quilt to wrap around the young man. He began searching methodically for useful items.

“Open your mouth.”

The man’s hand held Song Xingyou’s chin while his other hand held a thermometer. Wrapped in the quilt, Song Xingyou looked at him blankly. The man rubbed his chin as if to soothe him. He could clearly feel the fine itch caused by the rough pads of the man’s fingers against his skin, and he could see his own reflection in the man’s serious eyes.

He was wrapped in the quilt like a flower roll. Two beautiful, nimble cat ears poked out from his messy black hair. As they twitched, his expression was innocent, as if he trusted the person before him completely.

Song Xingyou opened his mouth and took the end of the thermometer. His teeth rested lightly on the cold glass, but the chill was soon replaced by the warmth of his tongue. He lowered his head and watched as the man crouched on the floor, resting a fair, soft foot on his knee to pull a sock over his restless toes.

“I will turn back in a bit!”

Song Xingyou’s cheeks were puffed out. Seeing that the man was not listening, he kicked the man’s shoulder. The man looked up, his hand gripping the ankle. His long, powerful hand gently massaged the round ankle bone as if he were handling a priceless treasure.

Lu Jingchuan spoke, his voice sounding raspy. “It is fine. I will take care of everything, one thing at a time.”

He lowered his eyes, his thick lashes casting deep shadows on his face, hiding the expression in his eyes. Only his movements remained slow and deliberate, fueling the imagination. Song Xingyou felt strange, very strange. He could not help but curl his toes, instinctively wanting to pull his foot back or turn back into a cat immediately. He had never been so desperate to be a cat.

This was too weird!

Just as Song Xingyou was eager to escape this strange atmosphere, the man suddenly stood up. Seeing a person from a human perspective is different from seeing them as a cat. To a kitten, a human’s size is so vast it is almost beyond comprehension. Only from a human perspective did Song Xingyou realize with a shock that the man stood nearly one hundred and ninety centimeters tall. As he approached, he completely shielded Song Xingyou in his shadow.

He stared blankly as the man reached out. The hand seemed to linger in the air with a touch of hesitation. The burning heat of that palm seemed to truly touch his skin, making his face flush with warmth. However, the man only took the thermometer from his mouth.

He opened his mouth in a daze, watching as a lingering silver thread of saliva stretched in the air before breaking at the man’s fingertips. The heat intensified. He felt completely overheated, his entire body burning.

The man was still checking the thermometer. “The hospital found no issues with the kitten’s body and no signs of fever, but we cannot rule out the possibility of the human body having issues. Your temperature is normal for now, but it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up.”

Lu Jingchuan stopped mid-sentence. The fair-skinned youth before him had suddenly turned as red as a cooked shrimp. A vivid pink flush had spread from under the quilt to his neck and cheeks.

“Xingxing.”

Lu Jingchuan’s throat tightened. Song Xingyou let out a confused “Hmm?” His eyes were already blurry and unfocused, and his snowy cheeks were stained with a deep crimson.

“You have a fever.”

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