Back to My Human’s Teenage Years - Chapter 29

At eleven o’clock at night, Jin Manman sat on the bed. He was wrapped tightly in his duvet, with only his small head peeking out. His eyes were noticeably red; he had clearly just endured a long bout of crying.

He hadn’t stayed up this late in a long time. Usually, Shi Rang kept a strict eye on him and wouldn’t allow him to burn the midnight oil. Of course, things had escalated quite a bit today, and “staying up late” was the least of his concerns.

The little orange cat felt as if his brain had been completely wiped clean.

The bathroom door creaked open, and Shi Rang stepped out. Jin Manman watched him with a wary gaze. As Shi Rang approached the bed, the boy’s eyes widened, and the memories of everything that had just happened in the bathroom flooded back. He scrambled to retreat into the corner of the bed.

But there was nowhere to hide; the dormitory bed was only so large.

Seeing his reaction, Shi Rang’s expression soured. He strode over, hauled the boy toward him, and reached out to pinch his cheek. “Why are you hiding?” he asked, sounding displeased.

Jin Manman let out a muffled whimper, his eyes turning even redder. “Your hands are dirty. Don’t touch my face.”

Hearing the word “dirty,” Shi Rang’s expression went cold for a second before he instantly realized what Jin Manman meant.

A smirk touched Shi Rang’s lips as he intentionally brought his hand closer. “I washed them. They smell like soap. Besides, are you really going to act disgusted by your own stuff?”

Jin Manman’s eyes welled up again. He stared at Shi Rang’s hand—the fingers were long and slender, bathed in a soft glow from the dim nightlight. In Jin Manman’s eyes, however, those hands were far from gentle.

He hadn’t forgotten how that hand had just bullied him.

Back in the bathroom, his entire body had turned a shade of hot pink, as if he were on fire. His ears and tail had been on the verge of popping out; he had exerted every ounce of his willpower to restrain them while his tears fell uncontrollably.

But Shi Rang, who usually grew frantic the moment he saw Manman cry, had seemed like a different person. He had acted as if he couldn’t see the tears at all. His breathing had grown heavy, and he almost seemed… excited.

Jin Manman had sobbed until his speech was slurred. “Waaa… I’m not washing anymore.”

He had tried to dodge Shi Rang and run away, but Shi Rang wasn’t about to give him the chance. Narrowing his eyes, Shi Rang had suddenly tightened his grip.

The little “cat-person” had frozen instantly, as if someone had hit a pause button.

Shi Rang had let out a soft snort. “Stubborn mouth.”

And it wasn’t just his mouth that was stubborn…

After that, Jin Manman had been like a little wooden puppet, mindlessly letting Shi Rang manipulate him. Shi Rang had never seen Jin Manman take care of himself before, and he felt the boy was quite clumsy at it. Shi Rang’s movements had been light as he watched the boy’s reactions, and seeing him still crying, he felt both frustrated and amused.

“What are you crying for? Does it not feel good?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Shi Rang had paused. He looked down at his hand and felt a strange mixture of humor and shock.

That was fast.

Looking back at Jin Manman, the boy’s eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open with the tip of a pink tongue peeking out as he took small, shallow breaths.

Shi Rang’s heart had melted completely. He gave his hand a quick rinse under the shower, pulled the boy into an embrace, and kissed the top of his head to coax him. “Good boy, don’t cry.”

Jin Manman hadn’t responded, only letting out a muffled sniffle. Fearing the boy would be uncomfortable if they stayed in the bathroom too long, Shi Rang had cleaned him up and tucked him into bed before finally taking care of his own needs.

He never expected that when he finally emerged, Jin Manman would be avoiding him like this.

Shi Rang was half-amused and half-irritated. The little ungrateful brat. I served him so well, and he doesn’t even show a hint of appreciation.

He reached out to pull the boy out from under the covers, but Jin Manman was like a little loach, sliding further down into the duvet. Shi Rang’s teeth ached with frustration as he gave the boy two smacks through the blanket. “Poke your head out. Don’t smother yourself.”

He didn’t think it was a big deal; Jin Manman was old enough that a bit of “self-sufficiency” was normal. He just hadn’t expected the boy to have such a huge temper about it, continuing to ignore him with a stiff face the next day.

When Shi Rang tried to haul him out of bed to put on his socks the next morning, Jin Manman’s cheeks were puffed out like steamed buns. He yanked his foot away, kicked Shi Rang in the chest, and shouted, “I’m not going to school today!”

This was the pinnacle of the little orange cat’s rebellion.

To his surprise, Shi Rang just gave him a flat look. “If you aren’t going, you aren’t going. But you still have to get up and eat.”

In Shi Rang’s eyes, a day of classes wasn’t nearly as important as Jin Manman getting a meal.

Of course, Jin Manman was no match for Shi Rang. He dodged and ducked, eventually even kicking Shi Rang in the face, but Shi Rang didn’t react. He simply caught the boy’s ankle and gave it a kiss.

Jin Manman was startled, his eyes going wide. “Y-y-you! Why are you kissing my foot!”

“What’s wrong? Is this a ‘Golden Foot’? Not allowed to kiss it?” Shi Rang’s tone was calm, and he didn’t even have much of an expression on his face, making it look as if he weren’t doing anything scandalous at all.

Faced with such a stoic reaction, Jin Manman felt it actually made sense. The older Shi Rang had often kissed his paws, too. It was probably fine…

While he was in a daze, Shi Rang finished putting on his socks and prepared to carry him to the sink. Jin Manman kicked his legs, jumped down, and ran to wash up himself.

Shi Rang didn’t stop him, turning instead to pack some fruit into the boy’s backpack. “If you aren’t going to school, let’s head home today. I’ll have Auntie make you something delicious.”

Jin Manman quickly backtracked. “I’m going! I’m going to school!”

Shi Rang let out a smug snort; he knew Jin Manman was just acting up. He didn’t say anything more, simply crouching down in front of the boy to retie his loose shoelaces. He stood up and took Manman’s hand. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Deep-fried sugar cakes!”

“Okay. Plain congee it is.”

The little orange cat is ANGRY!!

Jin Manman was still feeling awkward about the previous night. Whenever Shi Rang touched him, he tried to dodge. But Shi Rang paid no attention to his protests, continuing to hold his hand under the desk during class, idly kneading the boy’s palm.

He’s so mean. Jin Manman tried to pull his hand back several times, but Shi Rang only gripped it tighter.

It wasn’t until the teacher started walking down from the podium that the little orange cat grew terrified. He whispered Shi Rang’s name, but Shi Rang kept his eyes lowered as if he hadn’t heard a thing, continuing to toy with the boy’s palm as if it were a piece of soft dough.

Seeing the teacher getting closer and closer, Jin Manman was frantic, struggling desperately to yank his hand away. Only when the teacher was almost upon them did Shi Rang leisurely release his grip.

The little orange cat whipped his hand back; his movements had never been so agile. While the teacher wasn’t looking, he gave Shi Rang a sharp glare.

Hah, so fierce! Shi Rang’s lips curved in a barely perceptible smile. He felt as if his entire heart had turned into a marshmallow soft, sweet  and with only one name written on it: Jin Manman.

Jin Manman, who already didn’t want to talk to him, was now in an even worse mood. When class ended, he buried his head and marched out, ignoring Shi Rang even when he called after him.

Chen Qian tilted his chin toward the door. “Fought again?”

Shi Rang frowned and hit him with a book. “What do you mean ‘again’?”

Chen Qian shrugged, the meaning obvious.

Shi Rang grit his teeth. “I’m just yielding to him because I can’t be bothered to argue. You can see for yourself, right? Jin Manman listens to everything I say.”

Chen Qian replied perfunctorily, “Sure, sure. You’re definitely the man of the house.”

Why does that sound so strange…

Before he could think about it further, a huffing Jin Manman returned, marching back with his small fists clenched. Shi Rang felt a headache coming on; the muscle memory of the last drumming session was still there.

Before Jin Manman could speak, Shi Rang stood up and apologized immediately. “Don’t be angry, it was my fault. I won’t touch you next time you don’t want me to hold your hand.”

Jin Manman’s anger level: -1.

He loosened his fists slightly, but then remembered last night and gave a heavy huff, clenching them again.

Shi Rang paused, continuing slowly, “Oh, and about last night, I—”

The little orange cat was so startled he lunged forward to cover Shi Rang’s mouth. “Don’t you dare say it!”

Chen Qian’s ears had been pricked the whole time. “What happened last night?”

The little orange cat turned to him fiercely. “None of your business!”

With his mouth covered, Shi Rang didn’t struggle. Instead, his eyes curved with a smile, and he gave a helpless, doting shrug toward Chen Qian.

Chen Qian turned away with a blank face. It’s time to move seats. I’m done being the third wheel.

Jin Manman only withdrew his hand after Chen Qian turned back. His pale palm had already been licked wet. He huffed, but could only lower his voice for a weak threat. “You are not allowed to talk about last night.”

Shi Rang looked innocent. “What about last night? I was going to talk about how I didn’t let you eat potato chips. What were you thinking about?”

The little orange cat was no match for him in a battle of words. He was so angry he felt like he was about to start smoking. How can the ten-years-ago Shi Rang be so mean!!!

Shi Rang knew when to stop, lowering his voice to coax the boy. “I’ll buy you cake tonight. Didn’t you say you wanted strawberry cake?”

Jin Manman was not a cat who could be won over with a single small cake! He said firmly, “I want two.”

Shi Rang’s smile vanished. “No. It’s too sweet; you can only have one at night.”

Looking into Jin Manman’s round eyes, he tilted his head closer to the boy’s ear. “Tell you what… why don’t you do back to me today whatever I did to you yesterday?”

Shi Rang offered magnanimously, “Don’t worry. I’m not like you. You can do whatever you want; I won’t get angry.”

The little orange cat had reached his limit. He stood up abruptly and delivered a solid punch to the top of Shi Rang’s head.

“In your dreams!”

Shi Rang is definitely leaning into his “rhythm” now! 

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