I Am Being Raised by a Cat - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Government House was the center of power, guarded by heavy security at the entrance. The youth looked out the car window curiously and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you fight in wars before too?”

The man nodded faintly. “After the Great Evolution, there was significant friction during the integration of the Federation. The warfare was quite intense for a time.”

Cheng Yue scrutinized the man nervously from head to toe. “Then… you weren’t injured, were you?”

Cheng Shang found the youth’s worry quite endearing. He said in a low voice, “Injuries are inevitable on the battlefield, but they were all minor. I recover very quickly.”

As they spoke, the car came to a halt.

At the main entrance, Fang Cheng had been waiting for a while. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he was still momentarily stunned to see how protectively Cheng Shang treated that ordinary human.

What kind of person could make Governor Cheng lead him by the hand out of the car, even considerately placing a hand over the car roof to prevent him from bumping his head?

Yet, the youth seemed unwilling, abruptly pulling his hand away.

Fang Cheng didn’t dare look further and hurriedly walked over, following beside Cheng Shang to give a low-voiced report on the day’s itinerary.

Having followed Cheng Shang since his time in the military, Fang Cheng knew him intimately. When Cheng Shang’s footsteps paused slightly, he immediately shut his mouth, thinking the Governor had an order to give.

Cheng Shang did indeed speak, but it wasn’t about the meeting or instructions for the latest documents. Instead, he said, “Go buy some snacks. Nuts as well. No soda; you can buy two boxes of milk, but they must be strawberry-flavored.”

Fang Cheng was momentarily dazed, but he reacted quickly and hurried to comply. “I’ll handle it immediately.”

The youth felt a bit embarrassed. “I don’t need them.”

But Cheng Shang acted as if he hadn’t heard, turning back to discuss meeting matters with Fang Cheng. The youth found it difficult to interrupt again.

The Government House was over thirty stories high, the hub for every department. It was crowded and bustling, and since Cheng Shang had just taken office, everyone wanted to show their face to the superior. Countless gazes fixed on them, accompanied by a synchronized chorus of greetings.

Help!

Cheng Yue’s social anxiety flared up instantly, and he quickly lowered his head.

Fortunately, after just a few steps, they entered the elevator.

Cheng Shang’s office was on the top floor. Upon entering, the youth couldn’t wait to take off his hat. He had wanted to take it off the moment they entered the building, but the man had kept his hand on it to prevent him.

Wearing a hat indoors made him look even weirder.

The youth’s hair was naturally curly and had been flattened by the hat, making him look a bit like a messy puppy. Looking at him, Cheng Shang’s heart and hands both itched with the desire to reach out and ruffle his hair, but he restrained himself.

No wonder the old Cheng Yue loved to hold him and rub his fur so much.

But as close as the youth had been to him in the past, he was just as distant now.

Thinking of this, a surge of violence involuntarily rose in the man’s heart.

He wished for a house where he could lock himself and Cheng Yue inside.

That way, Cheng Yue would be his.

And he would be Cheng Yue’s.

A sudden knock sounded at the door. It was Fang Cheng, standing there holding the snacks he had bought along with a box.

Cheng Shang snapped back to reality, walked over to take them, and simultaneously instructed Fang Cheng, “Get the conference room ready. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Fang Cheng had bought many snacks, which were now spread across the table, including the nuts Cheng Yue liked. The man poked a straw into a milk carton and handed it to Cheng Yue.

“I have a meeting to attend. It won’t take long. Just wait for me here. I’ve given orders that no one is allowed to enter.”

The youth took a sip of the milk; it was his favorite strawberry flavor.

He asked softly, “How did you know what snacks I like?”

The man spoke calmly, “We were together for three years. Of course I know.”

When he was a cat, his world was very small, consisting only of Cheng Yue.

Perhaps in the youth’s eyes, he was just a clingy cat who followed him every step of the way—even when Cheng Yue went out to buy soy sauce, he had to follow.

That was because, for a cat, the owner is everything.

For Ah Shang, Cheng Yue was his only light, the only goal within his sight.

Cheng Shang understood the youth even better than the youth understood himself.

His thoughts were heavy, but Cheng Shang didn’t say more. He opened the other box to show the youth. “Your phone isn’t working anymore, likely due to magnetic field interference. I had my assistant buy one this morning. Use this for now.”

The youth blinked. “This looks the same as the old phones. I thought they’d be up to the 17th-generation foldables by now.”

The corners of Cheng Shang’s lips quirked up.

It was getting late, so he didn’t say anything. After a few more instructions, he left in a hurry.

The office door closed tightly. The youth sat alone in the large, comfortable sofa, surrounded by snacks, nuts, and milk with straws already inserted, alongside the latest model phone.

This gave Cheng Yue the distinct illusion that he was being raised by his own cat.

Most of the programs on the phone hadn’t changed much, except the communication app was now something called “Feixin.” Cheng Yue registered an account, but the contact list was empty, not a single person was on it.

Cheng Yue never had much of a social life and had almost no friends; those he contacted regularly were mostly school teachers and classmates. He wondered how they were doing now.

Immediately after, as if possessed, the youth opened the web browser and typed Cheng Shang’s name into the search bar.

In the past, he usually called him “Ah Shang.” He only used his full name when he was angry with him.

“Cheng Shang! You licked my water glass again!”

“Cheng Shang!! You crawled into my blanket again! You’re shedding fur!”

He hadn’t expected that the name he used so casually would now resonate throughout the entire Federation.

Browsing through the search results and looking at the pictures of the man in military uniform, along with that long list of titles and honors, Cheng Yue was quite dumbfounded.

He knew the man was formidable otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached this position but seeing this resume still made Cheng Yue unable to suppress his shock.

His cat had actually become so ambitious.

By comparison, he was truly a little loser.

Cheng Yue sighed, put the phone aside, and began focusing on peeling nuts to eat.

He didn’t eat them immediately after peeling; instead, he would set them aside until he had gathered a small pile, then eat them all at once.

This was a small habit of his, unaware that every bit of it was being watched by the man.

…

The conference hall was in a heated uproar.

Conflicts between New and Old Humans were constant. According to the latest news, the Old Humans had established a group called the “Rejuvenation Society,” which included no shortage of high-ranking Federation officials.

“What ‘Society’? They just want to huddle together to demand status for themselves. It sounds so nice on paper. I say we let the Enforcement Department wipe them out directly.”

“I think we shouldn’t rush. We need to figure out the internal personnel first. This matter could be large or small.”

“Governor Cheng, what is your view?”

What was Cheng Shang’s view?

He was watching his little master.

While those people shouted and argued, the man sat in the head seat, propping his head with one hand, his eyes fixed downward on his phone screen.

His phone was connected to the office surveillance; at this moment, every move of the youth was clear to him.

Still the same as before he liked to eat a pile of nuts all at once. When he stuffed them into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out, his soft white face stretching and moving. It was incredibly cute.

He had seen hamsters in cages when he followed Cheng Yue to the pet store; they ate exactly like that.

Back then, as a cat, seeing those hamsters only made his teeth itch with the urge to bite. But strangely, looking at Cheng Yue gave him that same impulse.

Yet it wasn’t just itchy teeth; it was as if his whole body, every bone, was filled with a melting tenderness, while his blood was boiling. It made him want not just to bite, but to lick to lick every inch of his little master’s body, grinding his teeth against that soft, white flesh, leaving his scent all over the youth.

An animal’s instinct is to mark its prey.

At this moment, even across a screen, the man’s gaze greedily swept over every inch of Cheng Yue. He swiped his finger slightly to zoom in, clear enough to see the soft red tip of the youth’s tongue poking out to lick the milk stain from his lip.

The people beside him called his name several times before the man finally made an impatient “tsk” sound. When he looked up, his eyes were cold and sharp. His glare silenced everyone, and the conference hall fell into instant stillness.

…

After the meeting adjourned, Cheng Shang had Fang Cheng cancel his other afternoon appointments; any documents would have to wait until he returned tomorrow.

Fang Cheng complied hurriedly, then asked in a low voice, “Are you going out this afternoon? The Rejuvenation Society has been quite active these past few days. Should I send men to—”

“No need,” Cheng Shang interrupted. “It’s just petty squabbling.”

Walking to the office door, the man paused. Fang Cheng took the hint and turned to leave.

Pushing the door open, he found the youth bored and playing with a tall stack of nut shells he had piled up. Perhaps because he was too focused, he was startled by the sound of the door. As he placed the last shell, his hand shook, causing the small pile to collapse and scatter across the table.

The youth habitually glared at him immediately.

Before he could speak, the man apologized first. “My fault. I startled you.”

Hearing the man say this, Cheng Yue felt a bit embarrassed instead. He muttered, “I wasn’t blaming you.”

Cheng Shang raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? In the past, if I even walked past you while you were stacking shells, you’d scold me, saying my walking created a breeze that affected you.”

The youth’s face flushed as he argued, “I did not! It was always you, you always brushed against me with your tail and bothered me.”

He met the man’s half-smiling eyes, stopped mid-sentence, snorted, and fell silent.

This cat is really not cute!

“Let’s go. I’m taking you to get some clothes made.”

Though Cheng Shang loved the youth wearing his clothes, he still needed a few sets of formal attire.

“Are… aren’t you busy?”

He was very busy, but nothing was more important than Cheng Yue’s matters.

However, Cheng Shang didn’t say those words, only speaking nonchalantly, “It’s fine, I’m not that busy.”

Noticing the phone nearby, the man asked, “Registered an account?”

Cheng Yue nodded.

Cheng Shang took out his phone too. “Add me.”

Cheng Yue nodded and leaned over to open his phone, but froze instantly.

He had just finished searching for Cheng Shang’s information and hadn’t exited the browser. Now, the page was full of Cheng Shang’s resume and photos.

Startled, Cheng Yue scrambled to exit the page, but it was too late. The man beside him looked at his phone and smiled. “If you want to know something, you can just ask me.”

The youth’s ears, cheeks, and even his neck turned a deep red. In the end, he simply gave up, gritted his teeth, and huffed, “I just wanted to see how much you like being an official. Is it for the money or the power? Maybe if I appeared a few years later, you’d be the Federation President.”

The smile on the man’s face faded slightly. He listened for a few seconds before saying plainly, “Maybe I really would have been.”

The higher his position, the more people would flatter him, and the more people would help him look for Cheng Yue.

So, even when those people brought fakes to fool him, he never held it against them. In truth, he didn’t dare to.

He was afraid that if he did, no one would help him find Cheng Yue anymore.

Sensing the man’s expression, Cheng Yue blinked. “Sorry, I just said that randomly.”

“Yue Yue, you don’t need to apologize to me.”

The youth said nothing more, lowered his head to add Cheng Shang’s number, and his contact list went from 0 to 1.

He tinkered with it, looking down. “Can this transfer money? I can transfer the money back to you then.”

The man answered dismissively, “I don’t know, never tried.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

…

The shop for custom-made clothes had been booked in advance.

Due to the magnetic field, current surface temperatures had a massive impact on ordinary humans. This was why New Humans controlled the Federation. Clearly, from every angle, New Humans were more suited for this Earth.

If an ordinary human wanted to walk outside without being harmed, they had to wear special materials. However, such fabric was extremely expensive, and most people couldn’t afford it. Consequently, many ordinary humans didn’t even dare to leave their homes, only walking in the shadows beneath eaves.

Because Governor Cheng was visiting personally, the clothing store had specifically closed to the public, attending only to Cheng Yue.

The man sat lazily on the sofa, legs slightly crossed, replying to two emails on his phone. But upon hearing the sound of the youth’s footsteps walking out, he quickly put away his phone and looked up.

Cheng Yue was wearing a sample garment; the style had to be decided before taking measurements.

It was a very beautiful small white suit, making the youth look like a little prince. Once the man’s gaze fixed on him, he couldn’t look away.

But Cheng Yue was clearly unaccustomed to it. He was previously just a poor college student and had never worn formal wear; he felt awkward. He instinctively asked for the man’s opinion, “Does it look weird?”

“Not at all.”

The man stood up and walked over to help Cheng Yue adjust his tie. This posture brought the two of them quite close, and Cheng Yue could almost smell the faint scent of mint coming from the man.

Don’t cats all dislike the smell of mint?

But then again, Cheng Shang was a leopard now.

The youth was slightly dazed and didn’t notice that the tie didn’t actually need adjusting. The man was just using it as an excuse to be closer to him. His eyes, originally looking down at the tie, gradually moved up, shamelessly traveling from the youth’s slender neck to his soft lips.

Cheng Yue had a very small red mole on his chin; you wouldn’t notice it without looking closely.

But Cheng Shang had noticed it long ago.

He had even taken the opportunity to lick that little mole once when Cheng Yue was holding him, only to be scolded for it afterward.

Staring at that tiny red mole now, the man felt his throat itch and go dry, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Finally, it was Cheng Yue who snapped back to his senses and gave the man a push.

Feeling uneasy, the youth turned his face away and muttered softly, “Do you think this one is suitable?”

Cheng Shang gave a low cough. “Of course it’s suitable. Keep this one.”

Afterward, Cheng Yue tried on a few more pieces. The man nodded at every single one, keeping them all.

“No more trying on,” Cheng Yue puffed out his cheeks. “Any of them are fine. It’s too many.”

The man smiled. “Tired? Fine, no more trying then. I’ll pick a few more from the catalog later.”

The staff immediately and eagerly brought over the catalog for him to choose from.

When it came time to pay, the man simply pressed his handprint on an electronic display. Cheng Yue blinked. “That’s it?”

He poked his head over to look. “How much was it?”

Cheng Shang laughed softly. “How much could a few clothes possibly cost? Let’s go, I’ve booked a restaurant. Let’s eat.”

The youth was thus half-coaxed and half-pulled away by the man.

The place for their meal was an aerial restaurant in the city center. The floor was very high; when Cheng Yue leaned against the window to look down, he almost felt dizzy.

Cheng Shang sliced the steak and invited him to sit back down to eat.

The youth ran back with a thump-thump-thump. “Can I go out and walk around later? I want to look for a job.”

The man’s tone cooled down. “There’s no rush for that. You haven’t properly familiarized yourself with this society yet. Let’s talk about it in a few days.”

“But…”

Cheng Shang pricked a piece of meat and held it to the youth’s lips, saying in a coaxing tone, “Try it.”

Cheng Yue instinctively opened his mouth and bit the meat.

The meat was succulent, its juices filling his mouth, very fresh and sweet.

His eyes lit up instantly. “Delith-ious!” he said muffledly.

The corners of the man’s lips turned up. “Sit properly and eat well. The food at this restaurant is good; these are all specialty dishes, try them all.”

By the time they left the restaurant, Cheng Yue was so full he could barely walk.

He was rubbing his little belly, about to say something to Cheng Shang beside him, when he suddenly saw several people running across the street.

“Don’t run!”

BANG!!

A sudden loud sound erupted, causing a significant commotion across the street. While Cheng Yue was still dazed, the man had already stepped in front to shield him.

Through the gaps, Cheng Yue saw someone fallen on the street. Two people in police uniforms came over, grabbed the person, and dragged them into a vehicle.

These were things Cheng Yue, who had lived in a peaceful era, had never seen.

Once the people were gone, the street returned to its usual bustle, as if no one had seen what just happened.

The man turned back, looking at the pale-faced Cheng Yue. “What? Scared?”

The youth’s eyelashes trembled. “What happened there?”

“Probably catching a criminal,” the man said nonchalantly. “Don’t think about it. Let’s go home.”

On the way back, Cheng Yue kept thinking about that person who was caught. What crime could possibly warrant being shot at and arrested on the street like that?

Cheng Yue was a bit out of sorts. When entering the house, he didn’t notice and almost got knocked over by Xiao Xiao.

He laughed and bent down. “What are you doing crouching here?”

Xiao Xiao spoke in a muffled voice, “I missed you! Waiting for you to come home.”

Cheng Yue was flattered, his eyes curving into a smile. “Xiao Xiao likes me that much?”

The man beside him gave a cold snort.

In the past, this robot wouldn’t even let out a peep at home. Now it had learned sweet talk.

Xiao Xiao circled Cheng Yue excitedly. “Yue Yue, I charged up this morning.”

Cheng Yue gave him some face and asked, “Where do you charge?”

“Insert the plug into my butt.”

Xiao Xiao turned around. “Come look at my butt!”

Cheng Yue: “…”

The man kicked him from the side. “Sending you to the repair shop tomorrow. Did you get a virus again?”

I haven’t even shown Cheng Yue yet, and you’re letting him look at yours.

Cheng Yue turned his head, tried to hold it in, then burst out laughing.

Seeing him smile, the man’s expression softened. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he spoke in a slow, deliberate manner, “Yue Yue, when can you fulfill the thing you promised me?”

Cheng Yue was confused. “What thing?”

“You forgot? The day you left to buy cat food, you promised me that if I waited for you at home, you’d let me sleep in the bed with you at night.”

The man spoke quietly, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Waiting for twenty years.

Cheng Yue froze, feeling uneasy and heavy-hearted. He sniffled and said in a low voice, “That doesn’t count. That’s what I said to Ah Shang.”

“I am Ah Shang.”

The man took step after step toward him, his voice deep. “Yue Yue, why do you always avoid this? You can’t separate me from Ah Shang, because we are one.”

Cheng Shang walked right up to the youth. He was so tall he could almost completely envelop the youth, his presence extremely oppressive.

Look at this, how can such a tall man be Ah Shang?

Cheng Yue retreated several steps in a panic. “No, no way. I can only sleep while holding a cat.”

Sleeping while holding a man or something… that was just too absurd.

The man narrowed his eyes, watching the youth flee upstairs to his room as if escaping a disaster.

A few minutes later, a small leopard cat with golden fur crawled out from a pile of clothes on the floor. It shook its head as if unaccustomed to it. It didn’t rush upstairs, but stayed in place to test its voice with a couple of cries.

“Awooo…”

No, not “dainty” enough.

“Meow-woo~”

The small leopard cat spent a full minute practicing its meow before slowly and leisurely heading upstairs.

The youth was showering; the room was empty, though the sound of water could be heard faintly from the bathroom.

Cheng Shang hesitated at the bathroom door for a moment, regretting that it wasn’t a glass door, before finally flicking his tail and jumping onto the bed.

He sniffed the blanket carefully, accurately finding the spot where the youth had slept last night, and curled up to lie down.

The leopard cat stretched, waiting lazily for the youth to return and hold him to sleep.