Back to My Human’s Teenage Years - Chapter 1

Shi Rang’s funeral was a massive affair.

As the newly appointed CEO of the Xinhui Group, his every move had the power to sway the stock market, let alone the explosive news of his sudden death in a car accident.

Calling it a funeral was a bit of a stretch; it felt more like a press conference.

The distant relatives of the Shi family had been circling like vultures, waiting for the day Shi Rang would finally drop dead. Now, under the guise of grieving uncles and cousins, they wore masks of profound sorrow while their minds were busy calculating how to swallow the Shi family’s fortune whole.

In a corner ignored by everyone, an orange cat suddenly darted inside.

Despite it being Shi Rang’s funeral, the mourning hall was practically empty. Everyone was too busy putting on a show for the reporters’ cameras outside.

The little orange cat was fast, weaving through the shadows until it reached the casket.

Without a moment’s hesitation, it leaped onto the lid.

To allow people to view the CEO’s body, the casket had been fitted with a glass cover. When the kitten looked down, it could see Shi Rang’s face perfectly.

Though he had died in a crash, his body had been meticulously prepared by morticians. There was nothing gruesome to be seen, but the kitten saw it clearly—there was a deep, jagged wound on Shi Rang’s left temple.

The kitten pressed its head against the glass, thumping against it twice as if trying to shatter the barrier. It wanted to jump into Shi Rang’s arms, just like it used to.

It had been three days since he had last seen Shi Rang.

Even though Shi Rang had endless business dinners and social events, he had never stayed out overnight. Whenever people tried to convince him to stay for another drink, he would simply wave them off and say, “I have someone waiting at home.”

In reality, there was no “someone” only an orange cat he had rescued from the streets.

The moment the door opened, the cat would bolt forward and leap into his arms.

The kitten never had to worry about falling because Shi Rang would always catch him firmly. He would hold him tight, kiss his head and ears, and finally bury his face in the cat’s soft belly.

“Baby,” Shi Rang would call him.

But it seemed he would never hear that voice again.

Three days had passed since Shi Rang left the house.

The kitten had been frantic. Eventually, he used every ounce of his strength to break a window pane and escape. The wound on his left leg from the shattered glass was still bleeding.

But once he was out, he had no idea where to look for Shi Rang.

It was only by pure luck—or perhaps tragedy—that he overheard people on the street talking about Shi Rang’s death in a car accident.

As fate would have it, the funeral was today.

The kitten knew what cars were; they were those big black boxes. Sometimes Shi Rang would take him to the office in one.

But why did the car have to hit Shi Rang?

The kitten pressed its face against the cold glass.

It was all his fault.

If only he had followed Shi Rang out that day.

Then, when the car came speeding toward them, he could have jumped in front of it.

Please, don’t hit Shi Rang.

But a kitten’s prayers were useless.

A sheet of glass separated him from Shi Rang. Shi Rang couldn’t hold him anymore, and he couldn’t kiss him or call him “baby.”

The kitten scratched with its claws and hammered with its head, but no matter what it did, the glass wouldn’t break.

Eventually, the noise grew loud enough to attract the attention of the staff.

“Hey! Where did this cat come from?!”

A staff member grabbed a nearby duster and swung it at the cat.

Normally, a cat would have bolted the moment the duster came swinging down. But this cat seemed dazed, perhaps even broken. It stayed huddled on the casket, letting the duster strike its body over and over without moving an inch.

It hurt.

The heavy handle of the duster felt like it was going to crush his bones.

The kitten had never been beaten before. Shi Rang could never bring himself to hit him. On the rare occasions when the cat’s mischief drove him to his wit’s end, the most Shi Rang would do was pick him up by the tail and give his bottom two light taps.

Even then, the cat didn’t care, but Shi Rang would end up feeling so guilty that he would apologize for the rest of the night.

After four or five strikes, the cat still hadn’t reacted. The staff member started to feel a bit creeped out.

Just as he was about to call for backup, a middle-aged man ran in from outside with a placating smile. “I’m so sorry! So sorry! This is my cat.”

The staff member let out a sigh of relief and waved him off. “Get it out of here. Who brings a cat to a place like this?”

“Right away, right away,” the man nodded and bowed. He hurried over and scooped the cat up.

But the kitten didn’t know this man. He began to struggle with everything he had.

He let out a heart-wrenching wail, scratching and biting at the man’s arms.

The staff member watched them, his eyes growing suspicious.

The middle-aged man forced a smile and tightened his grip on the orange cat. “Stop moving… hiss… quit scratching me!”

But the kitten wasn’t listening.

He was fighting like a wild animal.

He wanted to shatter that glass. He wanted Shi Rang to hold him. He didn’t want to leave Shi Rang behind.

“Stay still!” the man hissed under his breath. “I can help you see Shi Rang again.”

At those words, the kitten’s body froze.

A moment later, he felt a sudden shiver run through him. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

Dreaming of Shi Rang was easy.

In the kitten’s short life, Shi Rang was his entire world. It was Shi Rang who had pulled him out of a trash can, brought him home, and cherished him like a treasure.

The little orange cat looked well-behaved, but he loved making trouble for Shi Rang. He would jump onto the desk while Shi Rang was working and sprawl his entire body across the keyboard. He loved hiding things not just his own toys, but Shi Rang’s ties, pens, and even his underwear.

But Shi Rang never lost his temper with him.

To the outside world, Shi Rang was a cold, serious CEO. But at home, he liked to do silly things.

When he came home tipsy, he would play music, put a little crown on the kitten’s head, hold him up high, and announce him as “The Great Cat King.”

Shi Rang.

I miss him so much.

When the kitten woke up, he felt like he was burning alive. His body was scorching hot. He blinked his eyes in a daze, looking around at the unfamiliar room.

As his memories slowly returned, his eyes widened. Shi Rang!

He scrambled to get out of bed, but then he froze.

He lifted his hand and waved it in front of his face.

It wasn’t his round, furry “mangosteen” paw.

It was… a human hand?

He looked down. He had human legs, too.

He had turned into a human?!

While he was still reeling, the door pushed open. It was the middle-aged man from the funeral.

The kitten remembered the man’s last promise: I can help you see Shi Rang again!

Shi Rang!!

He desperately tried to meow, but the moment he opened his mouth, he blurted out, “Who are you? How can I see Shi Rang?!”

The kitten immediately covered his mouth in shock.

Oh my god, I can speak human!

The man didn’t seem surprised at all. Instead, he smiled. “How are you feeling? It’s normal to have a bit of a fever right after changing, but it’s nothing serious.”

The kitten stared with wide eyes. He had a million questions, but he was too afraid to let go of his mouth.

The man chuckled. “You can call me Uncle Chen. I’m from the Second Squad of the Cat Superheroes. Don’t panic—I’m a cat who turned into a human too. There are many cases like yours. I only went to the funeral because I sensed a massive energy fluctuation.”

The kitten blinked and finally spoke, repeating the same question. “How can I see Shi Rang?”

Uncle Chen hesitated for a moment. “Shi Rang is dead. While you were unconscious, he was already sent to the crematorium.”

By now, there was probably nothing left but ashes.

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Uncle Chen felt a twinge of regret. He expected the boy to cry or have a breakdown, but he did neither. The boy just stared blankly for a second, then began to clumsily maneuver his unfamiliar body out of bed to walk toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Uncle Chen asked quickly.

The boy replied calmly, “I’m going to be cremated too.”

Uncle Chen stared at him. “You’ve only just become human. You’re about to have a brand-new life. Are you really going to die for some guy named Shi Rang?”

The boy looked him dead in the eye. “He’s not ‘some guy.’ He’s my owner. He’s the Shi Rang who was so, so good to me.”

So, dying together didn’t matter.

Though it was a shame. It would have been better if Shi Rang could have held him while they were cremated.

Uncle Chen choked on his words, then stammered, “Don’t be in such a rush! There’s another way.”

He stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point. “Lately, we’ve developed a time machine. It can rewind time and send you back to the past. However, the machine is still unstable. There could be all sorts of problems during the transmission, including life-threatening risks. We haven’t found our first volunteer yet. Do you…”

“I’ll do it.”

The kitten didn’t hesitate for a second.

How far back could he go? If it were just three days ago, he could bite Shi Rang’s sleeve and refuse to let him leave the house.

Uncle Chen cleared his throat. “Well, the technology isn’t fully mature yet. Right now, it can only send you back ten years.”

The time machine had just been developed and needed its first test subject. Meeting this orange cat was a stroke of mutual benefit.

When traveling to the past, the original body in the present would vanish. The orange cat would effectively cease to exist in this timeline. If anything went wrong during the jump, it meant permanent death. There was no safety net.

But the kitten wasn’t afraid. In fact, he was thrilled.

He was going to see Shi Rang!

The past three days had been miserable. He had injured his leg jumping out of the window, he hadn’t eaten anything, and he had been beaten while lying on the casket. It hurt so much.

He remembered every bit of that pain.

Once he saw Shi Rang, he was going to make him give him the biggest hug.

Seven days later, the time machine was ready for activation.

Beside the machine lay a commitment form, signed in neat, stiff handwriting:

Jin Manman!

The kitten was named Jin Manman because Shi Rang said his fur and eyes were golden, just like a piece of gold.

But the kitten knew that only Shi Rang treated him like gold—like a treasure.

During those seven days, Manman had crammed as much human knowledge as possible. He learned how to write and packed a small backpack with some cash and a small badge.

Uncle Chen instructed him that once he arrived ten years in the past, he should use the badge to find the local branch of the Cat Superheroes. The organization would help him handle his legal identity.

Stepping into the machine, Manman gripped his backpack straps and took a deep breath.

Shi Rang! I’m coming!

I will protect you this time. I won’t let you die again!

Soon, the world plunged into darkness.

Ten years ago. S City.

Nian Nian was late again.

The culprit was Shen Huai, who had gone crazy this morning, crawling under the blankets to nibble and bite at him.

What kind of person eats a cat first thing in the morning?

It was nearly noon by the time Nian Nian yawned his way into the office. As soon as he walked in, he saw Big Orange busy registering someone.

Big Orange was delighted; he had finally run into another orange cat.

He didn’t see Nian Nian and continued his chatter. “Our boss is a white cat, but he’s at headquarters for a meeting today. If you have nowhere to stay for the next few days, you can stay here. Look how big and nice this place is! Nian Nian’s husband built it for us. Oh, Nian Nian is a tuxedo cat—I’d suggest you don’t mess with him, though. His fists are…”

A fist appeared right in front of Big Orange’s eyes.

Big Orange swallowed the rest of his sentence and forced a smile. “Oh, Nian Nian! You’re here.”

Nian Nian gave a cold snort.

Before he could speak, the thin, somewhat frail-looking boy standing before them shook his head. “I don’t want to stay here. Can I go to school?”

He had done his research before crossing over.

Shi Rang was currently a sophomore at a high school in S City.

The boy spoke with absolute earnestness. “I want to go to Class 3, Grade 11 at the No. 1 High School.”

He wanted to see Shi Rang. He couldn’t wait another second.

That was a heavy start, wasn’t it? Manman’s dedication to his “shoveling officer” is truly heartbreaking. 

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