I Am Being Raised by a Cat - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Cheng Yue woke up the next morning, he found his toes were a bit red and stinging slightly.

The youth examined them closely; it wasn’t serious, so he didn’t pay much mind.

Poor Cheng Yue didn’t know that the barbs on a leopard’s tongue were far more formidable than those of a common cat.

He was still half-asleep, and the surroundings were so identical to his home that Cheng Yue almost forgot the events of yesterday, thinking he was back in his old life.

In his little bear slippers, yawning and rubbing his eyes, the youth pushed open the door and habitually spoke, “A-Shang…”

Lifting his eyes to see the tall figure standing before him, the youth jumped in fright. The rest of his words were instantly swallowed back into his stomach as the chaotic memories of yesterday surged back; his expression immediately soured.

Cheng Yue puffed out his cheeks, speaking with a touch of “bluffing” bravado, “What are you doing standing at my door!”

The man’s tone was flat. “Weren’t you calling me?”

Cheng Yue choked on his words, his face flushing a bit red. After sputtering for a long while, he managed, “I wasn’t calling you.”

The man frowned. “Are you raising another cat?”

He took a step forward, closing in on the youth, and said in a deep voice, “You are not allowed to.”

Cheng Yue couldn’t help but mutter, “Stingy guy.”

Shortly after he had brought A-Shang home, he had visited a cat cafe at a friend’s invitation. Perhaps because he came back smelling of other cats, A-Shang had stood on the shelf, his fur standing on end, even hissing at him.

Cheng Yue had to duck into the bathroom and shower three times until he was practically marinated in body wash before A-Shang finally moved with haughty steps, circled his feet, and hooked his calf with his tail.

It was as if he had reluctantly forgiven this “unfaithful” person.

From then on, Cheng Yue kept his distance from all small animals.

His household was managed very strictly.

Hearing the man’s words now, he couldn’t resist grumbling under his breath.

Cheng Shang’s lips twitched in an imperceptible curve.

His gaze landed on the top of the youth’s head; because he had just woken up, a small tuft of hair was sticking up, making him look a bit dazed.

The man couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to smooth that tuft down.

But the moment he raised his hand, the youth dodged away with quick movements.

Just like yesterday.

He resisted any gesture of closeness from Cheng Shang.

The man’s eyes darkened for a moment. He paused for a few seconds and retracted his hand, yet his tone remained normal. “Go have breakfast. It’s already prepared.”

The words Cheng Yue was about to say about leaving were swallowed back down.

Fine.

Better… eat his fill before leaving.

…

When they reached the dining room, besides a table full of breakfast, there was a familiar bag sitting nearby.

Cheng Yue’s eyes went wide. He watched as the man sat down at the dining table, opened the bag, took out a can of cat food, and began to open it methodically, preparing to eat.

He spoke in a panic, “What are you doing!”

Cheng Shang’s movements paused. He looked back at the youth and said plainly, “Eating breakfast.”

Cheng Yue started to stutter, “That’s what I bought…”

Cheng Shang lifted his eyes. “Was it not bought for me?”

Fang Cheng had brought it over from the police station early this morning, along with an electronic transcript containing all the information Cheng Yue had shared at the station yesterday.

For instance, his claim that he had traveled through time.

This happened to fit Cheng Shang’s theory perfectly.

Why he hadn’t been able to find the person for twenty whole years, and why Cheng Yue looked exactly the same as the day he left.

This was the only answer.

The man seemed to accept this bizarre fact very easily.

He said calmly, “Sit down and eat.”

The youth had an expression that was hard to describe.

He sat stiffly in his chair, watching with wide eyes as Cheng Shang took a spoon, scooped out a mouthful of cat food, and put it in his mouth.

Knowing the man was A-Shang was one thing.

Watching a man eat cat food with your own eyes was quite another.

Cheng Yue took a bite of toast with a wooden expression.

Besides, didn’t those two policemen say the man’s original form had evolved into a leopard?

Do leopards like cat food too?

Actually, they don’t.

After the Great Evolution, animals with human forms became more like humans in their habits. Even though Cheng Shang was eating the cat food, he found it quite fishy and astringent.

But he still ate every bite until it was clean.

Because he couldn’t count how many times during these twenty years he had woken from nightmares in the middle of the night, the nightmare that haunted him was always that day when the youth smiled and told him he was going out to buy him some food.

And from that day on, Cheng Yue disappeared.

The youth was an orphan; no one noticed he was missing, and no one went looking for him.

A-Shang had jumped out of the window and run out, his small figure covering almost every inch of S-City. He searched every corner, but never saw the youth’s silhouette.

The once sleek and well-groomed Bengal cat became a disheveled mess, his body covered in bloody gashes from fights with stray dogs, but he forced himself to stay upright, walking every street over and over again.

He had to find Cheng Yue.

However, the Great Evolution arrived soon after.

The little Bengal cat eventually collapsed.

In the moment his vision plunged into darkness, his only regret was a single thought:

He hadn’t found Cheng Yue yet.

The Great Evolution wasn’t as simple as the word implied. Only a very small percentage of animals experienced “atavism.”

It required bones to be shattered and flesh to be recast.

No one knows how the little Bengal cat survived it, but a few days later, a fierce leopard walked out from a trash heap in a corner.

In twenty years, he had climbed step by step to his current position, possessing immense power.

All of it was just to be able to find this person.

…

As the last bite of cat food entered his mouth, his tongue was almost numb to the point of losing sensation. But the man’s face remained calm; he simply drank half a glass of water before speaking softly, “A doctor will be coming in a while to draw some blood and give you an examination.”

Cheng Yue was drinking milk from a glass, a ring of white residue on his lips. He stuck out his soft little tongue to lick the corner of his mouth, unaware that this image was being captured entirely by the man’s gaze.

“There’s no need for so much trouble, is there?” Cheng Yue was a little afraid of needles.

“It is necessary. Since you came from twenty years ago, it might be a space-time distortion, or it might be related to the Great Evolution. An exam will set our minds at ease.”

Cheng Yue was startled and looked up at the man. “You know?”

The man gave a flat nod.

Cheng Yue bit his lip. “Don’t you think I’m talking nonsense? You believe what I’m saying?”

Cheng Shang gave a faint smile. “Of course I believe you.”

He didn’t find it strange; he only felt lucky.

The youth thought for a moment. “Alright then. You can keep a bill, the money for the exam, and the money for my stay and food here, I’ll pay you back.”

The man lowered his eyes. “There is no need to be so clinical.”

Cheng Yue insisted, “It is necessary.”

“Then how do I pay back what I owe you?”

The man suddenly stood up. He was already tall, and with the youth sitting in the chair, looking up at Cheng Shang felt like being hit by a wave of cold, oppressive aura.

But Cheng Shang’s voice was pitched very low.

“My life was saved by you. Everything I possess now, including myself, belongs to you.”

The man gave what sounded like a sigh. “Master, do you not want me anymore?”