I Am Being Raised by a Cat - Chapter 9.1

Chapter 9.1

With so much happening these past two days, Cheng Yue hadn’t thought about picking up a paintbrush again.

This studio was too perfect; it was exactly what he had dreamed of.

In the past, his circumstances weren’t great. He was willing to spend money on expensive cat food for Ah Shang, but reluctant to rent a larger apartment for himself; usually, he could only sit on a small rug in the living room, holding a drawing board to paint.

Looking at such a beautiful studio now, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t moved.

But Cheng Yue couldn’t help but whisper, “You didn’t have to do this. Anyway, I’m moving out in a couple of days. It would be such a pity for it to stay empty.”

The man narrowed his eyes with displeasure, his voice indifferent. “It doesn’t matter. When that time comes, I’ll open this studio to the public. Anyone who wants to come can, as long as they pay a fee.”

The youth blinked and hesitated. “How much is it per day?”

Cheng Shang was so exasperated by his silly appearance that he lost his temper.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Two thousand yuan, I suppose.”

Heavens!

So expensive!

Cheng Yue didn’t know the current economic standards, but he was still shocked to hear that number.

The man raised his eyes. “So, do you want to experience it while it’s still free?”

Ultimately, Cheng Yue couldn’t resist such a temptation.

The youth walked cautiously to the easel and sat down, touching this and that, his eyes consistently curved in a smile.

The sunlight glowed on his profile, his eyelashes casting faint shadows under his eyelids. His cheeks were a milky white, making the man’s teeth itch with the urge to leave bite marks all over them.

He gave a low cough and sat down in the chair in front of the easel. “You can begin.”

Cheng Yue’s eyelids twitched, and he quickly spoke up, “What are you doing?”

The man’s tone was natural. “Aren’t you going to paint me?”

“Don’t… don’t you have to go to work today?”

“Today is a public holiday.”

Cheng Yue choked. “Then… then don’t you have other important things to handle?”

Cheng Shang looked at Cheng Yue with perfect composure. “Is painting not important?”

The youth fell silent.

Painting was important, but it wasn’t him doing the painting.

Still, being able to use such a great studio, it was only right to paint a portrait as a return for the man.

The room fell silent for a while, with only the rustling sound of the brush rubbing against the paper.

Cheng Yue was very serious when he painted; his eyelashes would occasionally lower, making him look very obedient.

Being a model is actually not an easy task; maintaining one posture and expression for a long time makes it easy to get tired. But sitting there, the man felt an unprecedented tranquility, as if he had returned to twenty years ago when he was still a cat.

Sitting there, he watched the youth with great focus.

In these twenty years, his position had grown higher and higher; some respected him, some envied him, but Cheng Shang had never been truly happy for a single day.

It seemed that from the day the youth went missing, his soul had died along with him, leaving only an empty shell struggling through the ordeal.

Only now did he feel as if his long-lost soul had returned to his body once again.

When Cheng Yue put down his paintbrush, the man’s posture remained unchanged.

The youth tilted his head and asked him, “Is your body stiff?”

The man made a “hiss” of pain and said slowly, “It seems a little bit.”

Cheng Yue put down the brush and hurried over to help him up. However, before he could assist the man in rising, his hand was tugged in reverse. The youth, caught off guard, ended up sitting directly on the man’s lap.

He was startled. “What are you doing?!”

The man’s thighs were firm and sturdy. Even through a layer of fabric, he could feel the burning heat. Feeling uncomfortable all over, the youth struggled to stand, but the man held his waist and hugged him even tighter.

“Cheng Shang!!” The youth’s voice was both urgent and angry. “What are you doing!!”

The man pressed into the crook of his neck, his heavy breath hitting it. It was a bit itchy, but more than that, it was like an electric current; every pore was radiating heat.

“Did you forget? In the past, after you finished painting me, you would always hug me.”

The man whispered, “Did you forget the procedure?”

To hell with the procedure!

From childhood to adulthood, Cheng Yue had never had such intimate contact with anyone. He felt as if he were wrapped in heat from all directions, so airtight he couldn’t breathe.

Only at this moment did he feel the man was a bit like a cat, leaning in to sniff here and there, until finally, the youth hammered him twice in anger, and he reluctantly let go.

Cheng Yue’s clothes were messed up, and his eyes were full of fury. “You went too far!”

The man lightly rubbed his fingertips together, as if the sensation of having just held the youth remained on them. He had indeed gone a bit overboard, but it seemed that as soon as the youth got close to him, the man’s self-control crumbled inch by inch.

“I’m sorry.”

Cheng Shang looked sincere. “Felines are just like this; they always want to be close to their masters.”

Cheng Yue gritted his teeth. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”

The man changed his way of addressing him with practiced ease. “Yue Yue.”

Cheng Yue simply lost his temper.

Ah Shang was just like this in the past; he would act sweet after making a mistake, let out a couple of “meows,” and the youth would lose all his anger.

He pursed his lips and stopped speaking, turning back to the easel to pull the drawing paper away.

Cheng Shang frowned. “Isn’t that painting for me?”

The youth repeated forcefully, “It is a painting I painted!”

It seemed he had truly provoked the person.

Cheng Shang strode over, blocking the youth’s path, and whispered, “It’s not a gift for me?”

Cheng Yue puffed out his cheeks. “I’m not giving it. Move aside.”

The man, of course, would not move. He coaxed the youth in a low voice, “Yue Yue, be reasonable. I am Ah Shang. Why is it that things Ah Shang could do, I cannot?”

Cheng Yue didn’t want to argue this point with the man further. Anyway, he was clumsy with words and could never win an argument against Cheng Shang.

He just angrily repeated once more, “Move aside.”

Helpless, Cheng Shang could only move out of the way, watching the youth head downstairs in his slippers, da-da-da, and return to his room.

The “click” was the sound of the door being locked.

The man pressed his temple with a bit of a headache.

After hesitating, Cheng Shang went to the living room, saw the robot in the corner trying hard to insert a plug into its own butt, and kicked it.

Usually, Cheng Shang and the robot existed in a state of mutual non-interference.

The robot would charge itself and could do some small chores at home; that was enough. Cheng Shang loathed others stepping foot in this house.

This was his and Cheng Yue’s home.

But since Cheng Yue arrived these past few days, some program in this robot had gone wrong, and it unexpectedly loved to cling to Cheng Yue, making Cheng Shang so angry he kicked it several times a day.

Kicked again.

Xiao Xiao turned around, his dot-like eyes staring at Cheng Shang. “I’m going to tell Yue Yue you’re bullying me.”

The man almost laughed in anger.

He really never expected the day would come when he’d be threatened by a robot.

But he had no time to deal with him now.

Cheng Shang narrowed his eyes and said plainly, “I’m letting you go find Yue Yue. Didn’t you want to play with him? Go make him happy.”

As soon as Xiao Xiao heard he could go find Cheng Yue, he hurried forward.

…

In the room, Cheng Yue buried himself in the blanket.

He still hadn’t recovered; he was a bit embarrassed and a bit unaccustomed to it all.

Every time Cheng Yue faced Cheng Shang, he would feel a mixture of strange yet familiar sensations.

Sometimes Cheng Shang’s words or actions would unconsciously remind him of the soft leopard cat, yet the man’s occasional sharp expressions and the sense of oppression in his movements made him feel like a stranger.

It was always very fragmented.

Just like what the man said today, why could he hug Ah Shang but not him?

One was a soft little kitten.

The other? A tall, large man. It felt like he could crush him to death with one punch. How could they be the same?

Cheng Yue irritably wanted to ruffle his hair.

There was a light knock on the door.

Thinking it was Cheng Shang, the youth pouted. He didn’t intend to respond, but Xiao Xiao’s voice came from outside, “It’s me! Yue Yue.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yue quickly got up to open the door for the robot.

“Why did you come over?” Cheng Yue’s eyes curved. “Come in quickly.”

Only after hearing those words did Xiao Xiao dare to enter.

Usually, this room was taboo. The man never let Xiao Xiao inside; even when cleaning the room, the man did it personally.

This was the first time Xiao Xiao had entered.

Cheng Yue sat on the small rug and beckoned Xiao Xiao over.

“Did you come to play a game with me? But what should we play?”

Xiao Xiao leaned in and showed Cheng Yue his little belly; there was unexpectedly an electronic display screen there.

“There’s a card-drawing game that’s very popular lately.”

Ten playing cards appeared on the electronic display.

“You pick one. If it’s a red card, you can ask me a question or make me do something. If it’s a black card, it’s the other way around.”

Cheng Yue realized, “Truth or Dare? Isn’t two people a bit too few to play?”

Xiao Xiao hesitated. “Do you want to call him?”

“…” Cheng Yue immediately said, “Forget it. Let’s just play a couple of rounds ourselves.”

He randomly tapped a card; it was red.

Cheng Yue thought for a bit and asked him, “Does Cheng Shang usually live here? Do you know when this room was decorated?”

“Mr. Cheng doesn’t usually live here. But when I first arrived, this place was already all set up. Normally, the Master doesn’t let me come into this room either.”

Cheng Yue’s heart throbbed for some unknown reason, and his eyelashes trembled.

Perhaps because Cheng Yue had good luck, it was a red card every time, except for the very last draw, which was a black card.

Xiao Xiao’s electronic voice sounded a bit excited. “Go brew sweet coffee for the Master to drink!”

The youth choked. “Sweet coffee?”

“Put in lots of sugar. Mr. Cheng hates sweet things the most.”

Xiao Xiao’s desire for revenge was obvious.

Cheng Yue hesitated. “Is that okay? What if he gets angry?”

Xiao Xiao said decisively, “He won’t be angry with you.”

Cheng Yue didn’t believe the robot’s words, but having accepted the bet, he wasn’t willing to cheat.

The youth stood up and went to the kitchen.

Xiao Xiao hurried behind him, clearly more interested in watching the drama unfold.

Not only did the little robot want revenge, but Cheng Yue also felt like getting even for the man bullying him earlier. He poured half a bag of sugar in one go, stirred it with a spoon, and carried it to the study.

Usually, even on public holidays, Cheng Shang was handling official business. But now was clearly different; never mind public holidays, he wished he could set aside all his time to accompany Cheng Yue.

After Cheng Yue went back to his room in anger, the man finally found time to check his phone. The secretary had sent over some documents to be handled. The man frowned as he looked through them for a few moments, then stood up and went to the study to deal with them.

It was mostly still about the “Rejuvenation Society.” The status gap between New and Old Humans was vast, and the resulting social contradictions were growing.

The man had just typed two words on the keyboard when he heard footsteps outside.

New Humans retained some animal traits; for instance, his hearing was exceptionally good. He could even hear the sound of the youth hesitating and pacing softly at the door.

Arriving at the door, Cheng Yue felt a bit regretful, thinking his actions were too childish.

While he was debating, the room door was opened directly. Cheng Yue was startled.

The man looked at him deeply, his gaze falling to the cup in his hand. “Hmm? Coffee Yue Yue brewed for me?”

Cheng Yue bit his lip, his gaze wandering. “Yeah…”

The smile in Cheng Shang’s eyes became more obvious as he moved aside. “Come in.”

The youth followed him obediently, placing the cup on the desk. “Cough, that… you go on with your business…”

“I’m not busy.” The man interrupted him first, picked up the phone nearby, pulled up a page, and showed it to Cheng Yue. “I was just about to go find you. There’s a holographic art museum having a trial opening. Do you want to go see it?”

Holographic art museum?

Cheng Yue’s attention was captured by those words. He leaned in and looked seriously, and the more he looked, the more his heart itched. He quickly said, “I want to go, I want to go.”

“This museum is different; it opens at night. I’ll make a reservation in advance, and we’ll go together.”

Cheng Shang was satisfied. He wouldn’t let any opportunity to be close to the youth pass.

He casually picked up the coffee cup, took a small sip, and the expression on his face suddenly froze.

By the time the youth wanted to speak, it was too late.

He looked at Cheng Shang guiltily. “That, it seems my hand slipped, and I put in a bit too much sugar.”

It was more than just “a bit.”

The man felt his entire throat go numb from the sweetness.

Yet he had to force himself to stay calm. “It’s fine. I like it a bit sweeter.”

…

Coming out of the study, Xiao Xiao rushed over immediately. “How was it? Did he drink it?”

Cheng Yue huffed, “I’m not telling you.”

The youth had a soft nature; his temper came quickly and left just as fast. He soon put the unpleasantness from the studio behind him and went to the living room to watch a movie happily.

After finishing the remaining work, the man came out of the study and saw the youth lying on the sofa, swinging his calves. His loose pant legs had fallen back, revealing a patch of white, soft flesh.

It was a bit dazzling.

Cheng Shang stood in place for a few seconds before walking over.

“What are you watching?”

“A horror movie.” The youth looked sideways at the man and hesitated. “Do you want to watch a cartoon?”

In the past, Ah Shang loved watching cartoons.

The man laughed in anger. “Do you really think I like watching cartoons?”

It was only because every time he pretended to watch cartoons seriously, the youth would happily take photos of him and praise him for being so good, then hug and kiss him afterward.

“It’s about time. Let’s go.”

“Okay!” Being able to go to the art museum made Cheng Yue appear very enthusiastic.