Rebirth: Using Love as an Excuse for Cruelty - Chapter 10

When night finally arrived, Wen Cheng felt gloomy.

For dinner, Yu Linfei made fish. He wasn’t sure if it was on purpose, but there was very little salt. Still, compared to dry cat food… it was much better.

After filling his little belly, Wen Cheng lay on the table watching Yu Linfei eat. Occasionally, he licked his paws to clean himself, enjoying the peace.

Yu Linfei slowly ate the leftovers he had heated up from lunch. Seeing Wen Cheng’s satisfied face, he couldn’t help but reach out and stroke the cat’s head. “Have you decided where to sleep?”

…In the bedroom, of course. Wen Cheng rolled his eyes at Yu Linfei. Did he really expect him to sleep alone in the living room? On such a cold day, he might wake up frozen to death.

“Alright then, you can sleep with me.” Having grown used to how much the cat understood, Yu Linfei shrugged. “Was the fish good?”

“Meow.” Wen Cheng pushed the plate toward Yu Linfei and stood up on the table. He let out a yawn and jumped onto Yu Linfei’s lap.

“…You eat and then immediately sleep. Are you a pig or a cat?” Looking at the furry ball on his lap, Yu Linfei smiled and tapped the tip of Wen Cheng’s nose. “Silly Xiao Hei.”

You’re the silly one, your whole family is silly! Wen Cheng nipped the finger that tapped his nose. He used his newly forming teeth to gently grind against the skin, but he didn’t use force. Who knew what Yu Linfei would do to him if he actually bit him.

Unaware that the cat now saw him as a two-faced person, Yu Linfei didn’t pull his finger away. He let Wen Cheng hold it, feeling the kitten’s soft tongue slide over his finger and the tiny teeth resting against his skin. Yu Linfei smiled and picked Wen Cheng up.

“You haven’t been weaned yet, have you? Still sucking on fingers?” He flicked Wen Cheng’s forehead gently, his expression very doting. “Do you want me to find you a baby bottle for your milk?”

“…Meow.” Full and sleepy, Wen Cheng was too lazy to deal with Yu Linfei. He found a comfortable spot in Yu Linfei’s arms and began to purr as he fell asleep. He only vaguely felt Yu Linfei placing him down somewhere soft.

“…If I roll over and crush you tonight, you’ll be flattened.” Looking at Xiao Hei, who was curled up in the middle of the bed like a black fur ball, Yu Linfei felt helpless. He gently moved the sleeping kitten toward the edge of the bed. But before he could take his hand away, the little thing, still fast asleep, crawled right back to the center of the bed with its eyes closed.

…What is this? Very confused by his cat’s behavior, Yu Linfei sighed. He spoke as if to Xiao Hei, but mostly to himself: “Are you trying to fight me for the middle of the bed? How did I offend you?”

There was no answer, of course. Even if there were, it would just be a “meow.” Looking at the cat in the center of the bed, Yu Linfei decided to take a shower first and worry about his cat later.

Actually, Yu Linfei didn’t know why he allowed a pet on his bed. Although he had never owned a pet, he had heard about germs and parasites. He knew he should make this lazy cat sleep on the sofa, but when it was actually time for bed, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

It would be so cold for such a tiny thing to curl up on the sofa. Besides, Xiao Hei was so small and a bit clumsy—he could trip just jumping off a sofa. If he didn’t watch over him, who knew what might happen?

Making excuses for himself, Yu Linfei dried his wet hair with a towel. He felt helpless; He Yi had really brought him a handful of trouble. But this trouble seemed quite nice.

He sat on the bed, turned on the bedside lamp, put on his glasses, and started looking at documents. He had spent the whole day on Xiao Hei, and much of his work had been delayed.

But while Yu Linfei was focusing on the reports, something furry crawled into his pajamas.

“Ah!” Startled, Yu Linfei dropped his papers all over the bed. He widened his eyes and, by the light of the lamp, discovered in shock. That his cat, who had a terrible sleeping habit had crawled inside his pajama shirt.

“Xiao Hei!” Unable to laugh or cry at Wen Cheng’s actions, Yu Linfei had to unbutton his shirt and lift the sweetly purring Wen Cheng out of his clothes.

“This sleeping style, are you forcing me to get you a bed sooner?” Yu Linfei wanted to tap Wen Cheng awake, but after hesitating, he didn’t do it. Seeing Wen Cheng’s sleeping face—so comfortable he was almost blowing bubbles—Yu Linfei’s heart softened again. He placed Wen Cheng next to the pillow and covered him with a blanket.

“…Crawling everywhere.” Discovering for the first time that cats could sleepwalk, Yu Linfei buttoned his pajamas and picked up the papers scattered on the bed.

…Was it really solved that easily? Yu Linfei, you are too naïve!

Wen Cheng, who was dreaming about chasing a butterfly, started wiggling again. After much effort, he finally wiggled his way back into Yu Linfei’s clothes.

The second time, Yu Linfei remained calm. He expressionlessly pulled back his own blanket and watched Wen Cheng struggle to wiggle under his shirt, he felt defeated.

While the furry touch wasn’t annoying, letting his cat sleep on his stomach was a bit… well, he couldn’t find the right word. Feeling frustrated, Yu Linfei silently let Wen Cheng wiggle up from his stomach to his chest. Finally, the kitten poked a tiny head out from his collar, panting.

Panting… what on earth is he dreaming about. Yu Linfei rubbed the bridge of his nose and decided to ignore his cat for now. If he kept fighting with him, he would never finish his work today.

Allowing Xiao Hei to find a comfortable spot on his chest, Yu Linfei picked up his documents again. The best way to deal with Wen Cheng right now was probably to ignore him.

In his dream, Wen Cheng finally caught his butterfly and started stuffing it into his mouth. It tasted great! So smooth, so delicious… Huh?

Yu Linfei realized once again that being soft on Wen Cheng meant hurting himself. Wen Cheng had licked his chest until it was soaking wet.  The tiny tongue came out to lick happily, and the cat’s squinted eyes curved in a happy arc. He looked like he was treating Yu Linfei’s chest as some delicious fish, wishing he could just swallow it whole.

“Whew.” He didn’t know what expression to make except a helpless smile. Yu Linfei unbuttoned his shirt again and lifted the naughty cat out.

“I really want to hit you!” Looking at the still-sleeping Wen Cheng, Yu Linfei felt like he was punching a cloud.

Placing Wen Cheng back to the side, Yu Linfei took a deep breath and told himself. If Wen Cheng climbed on him again, he would kick this cat with the bad sleeping habits. Straight to the sofa…

In his sleep, Wen Cheng seemed to feel Yu Linfei’s exploding temper, so he obediently curled up in his little nest made of blankets and smacked his lips happily.

Yu Linfei didn’t know that Wen Cheng had finally eaten the butterfly he had been chasing. He looked at an invitation tucked inside his reports and frowned slightly.

“Hello.” He made a call, his voice very cold. “Fengyu Teng, what is this about?”

“It’s your father’s orders.” Fengyu Teng was about to sleep when he answered, his voice sounding tired. “It’s just some stupid ball. If you don’t want to go, don’t go. No one is forcing you.”

“Easy for you to say.” Yu Linfei gave a mocking smile. “If I don’t even give my dad this much respect, he’ll come after me. How can I not go?”

“Tell me, what is so great about Qin Xin?” Fengyu Teng was also confused by Yu Linfei’s father’s ideas. “She’s stupid and has a bad personality. Besides her body and her face… wait, maybe your old man thinks she has big hips for having babies??”

“…” Hearing Fengyu Teng’s joking words, Yu Linfei raised an eyebrow. “I suspect Qin Xin’s father promised my dad something.”

“Promised what?” Fengyu Teng was stunned. “You mean if Qin Xin marries into your family, they’ll give you some special benefit?”

“I don’t know.” Yu Linfei clearly didn’t care about that. “Where is that cat bed I asked you to order?”

“Huh…?” Confused by the sudden change in topic, Fengyu Teng said, “Didn’t I give it to Qin Xin? She didn’t bring it to you?”

“Order me another one.” Yu Linfei’s face darkened at the mention of Qin Xin’s name. “Bring it to me tomorrow.”

“You really plan on raising a cat?” Fengyu Teng asked in surprise.

“Mhm.” Yu Linfei gave a casual reply. He looked at Xiao Hei sleeping on the bed, and his voice turned softer than he realized. “He’s a very cute little black cat. I’ll let you see him sometime.”

“Forget it, just let me sleep.” Fengyu Teng let out a yawn and a bitter smile. “I have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Okay, goodnight.” Hanging up the phone, Yu Linfei put his finished materials on the bedside table and turned off the light… tonight he would have to be careful about how he slept. If he actually crushed his cat, he would be the one feeling heartbroken.