Rebirth: Using Love as an Excuse for Cruelty - Chapter 3

“Hey, are you free today?” He Yi asked into the phone.

“What is it?” A deep voice came from the other end, sounding a bit annoyed.

“You promised to help me raise one!” He Yi said angrily. “You didn’t forget, did you?”

There was silence. It turned out that Yu Linfei, that jerk, really had forgotten about taking a kitten.

“Yu Linfei…” He Yi felt like crying. “If you don’t want to raise one, just say so. I’ll find another owner for my baby!”

After a long time, He Yi finally heard an answer.

Yu Linfei said, “Fine.”

So, the next day, He Yi invited Yu Linfei to his house to see the cats. At first, he thought about giving “Er Mao” (Second Hair) to Yu Linfei, but after seeing Er Mao’s reactions yesterday, he hesitated. Er Mao really didn’t seem to want to leave. But he couldn’t keep a whole litter of cats. If he did, his older brother would probably throw them all out.

His only choice was to give them to friends. Luckily, he had many friends who liked pets.

“Oh, Yu Linfei, please don’t pick Er Mao,” He Yi whispered to himself. “If you pick him…” If Yu Linfei really wanted Er Mao, the poor cat would just have to pray for luck. He hoped the cat would forgive its weak owner.

Wen Cheng, who was still drinking milk from his mother, had no idea he was about to be sold. He drank slowly, moving his tail back and forth. He felt very sad.

What should he do now that he was a cat? Would he live as a cat forever? No, that was too cruel! Wen Cheng felt worried. Being a cat was just too hard.

And it seemed his owner was good friends with Yu Linfei. Why else would he want to give him to that man? Even as a cat, he couldn’t escape Yu Linfei. Wen Cheng let go of the mother cat and licked his paw. But wait! Since he wasn’t dead, maybe he had a chance to find out why Yu Linfei killed him?

Wen Cheng looked at the little yellow cat sleeping next to him. He really wanted to know if Yu Linfei had lied to him from the very start. In their three years together, how much of it was real?

To be honest, even though Yu Linfei killed him, Wen Cheng hadn’t fully given up. The image of that gentle man was hard to change. Wen Cheng kept making excuses for his own death. Maybe Yu Linfei had a secret reason? Maybe someone was threatening him?

Even though he thought this, deep down he knew things could never go back to how they were. First, he was now a cat. Second, even if he became human again, he could never live with Yu Linfei without worrying.

It was like a crack in a piece of glass. No matter how hard you try to fix it, the crack is still there. Eventually, it just gets bigger until the glass breaks into pieces.

Lost in his sadness, Wen Cheng let out a few soft meows. He didn’t know that these meows would put him in a very awkward spot.

“Only two?” A man in a black suit looked at the two kittens—one yellow and one black—resting by the mother cat. His face was cold.

“Yes, the first one was already given away,” He Yi said to Yu Linfei. “I’ll give you ‘Baozi’ (Bun).”

“Baozi?” Yu Linfei raised an eyebrow. “Which one?”

“The yellow one.” He Yi pointed to the sleeping third kitten. “He is very good.”

“…What is this one’s name?” Without looking at Baozi, Yu Linfei stared at the all-black kitten.

“Er Mao,” He Yi said awkwardly. “But you can change his name when you take him home.”

“…Er Mao.” Yu Linfei laughed at the name. “How is his personality?”

“He likes people a lot,” He Yi decided to be honest. “He is much lazier than Baozi and likes to act cute. But you are so busy, do you have time for a cat that follows you around?”

That was true. Yu Linfei thought about it. Raising a pet was just for fun; he didn’t have much time or energy to spend on a cat.

Just as Yu Linfei was about to choose Baozi, he heard a tiny meow.

It was the very small cry of a kitten, but that one sound felt like a tiny paw scratching at Yu Linfei’s heart.

“Why is he crying?” Yu Linfei looked away from Baozi and at Er Mao.

“Oh, maybe he’s bored?” He Yi saw the interest in Yu Linfei’s eyes and coughed. “He’s great, but he’s too clingy. If no one plays with him for a day, he causes trouble.” Yu Linfei, don’t you hate clingy things? Please pick Baozi, pick Baozi…

“Clingy?” Yu Linfei thought of something and suddenly knelt down. “Can I hold him?”

“Of course!” He Yi couldn’t say no. He was the one who wanted to give the cat away, after all.

“Meow…” Wen Cheng was suddenly picked up. He froze as he saw the familiar face in front of him. He let out a meow without thinking.

“Is he afraid of me?” Yu Linfei raised an eyebrow. “Are cats always this cowardly?”

“Haha! They are shy with strangers.” Seeing Er Mao’s watery golden eyes, He Yi’s heart melted.

“Okay.” Feeling the stiff body of the kitten, Yu Linfei said, “I’ll take this one.”

He Yi: “What??”

Wen Cheng: “Meow??”

“You don’t look happy?” Yu Linfei looked at He Yi with a half-smile. He held the cat up to his eyes and looked into the golden-yellow eyes. Strange, why did he see terror in this cat’s eyes?

“MEOW!!” Before He Yi could answer, Wen Cheng’s fur stood up. He scratched Yu Linfei’s hand, wiggled free while the man was surprised, and ran toward the living room!

“…Ah!” He Yi was shocked. “Is your hand okay?”

“It’s fine.” A kitten’s claws weren’t very strong. Yu Linfei looked at the pink scratch on his hand and said to He Yi, “I definitely want him.”

“…” Are you looking for trouble? He Yi thought. He tried one last time: “Are you sure? Baozi is much nicer and listens better…”

“No need.” Yu Linfei looked at He Yi thoughtfully. “Do you like Er Mao that much?”

“Haha… he’s okay.” He Yi laughed awkwardly.

“How do I take him back?” Yu Linfei asked.

“…I’ll get a basket for you.” He Yi didn’t expect Yu Linfei to be in such a hurry. “Do you have everything the cat needs?”

“What does he need?” Yu Linfei asked.

“…A bed, litter, food and snacks.” He Yi gave up on keeping Er Mao.

“Fine.” Yu Linfei pulled out his phone and ordered someone to buy everything.

I hate rich people, He Yi thought. Since he had no more excuses to keep the cat, he said sadly, “Let’s go get Er Mao out.”

Wen Cheng, knowing he was in trouble, was shaking under the sofa. He thought that if Yu Linfei raised him. He might go crazy.

“Er Mao… Er Mao, come out.” He heard He Yi’s voice, so he hid deeper.

“Be good, it’s dirty under there,” He Yi said. “If you don’t come out, I’ll have to spank you!”

“…” Don’t go with Yu Linfei… No!! Wen Cheng didn’t listen. Instead, the thought of living with Yu Linfei made him even more nervous. He was so scared to see the “real” Yu Linfei. What if Yu Linfei already had a new lover? What if everything in the past was a lie?

“Naughty cat.” The shadow above his head was suddenly replaced by light. Before Wen Cheng could react, Yu Linfei grabbed him by the back of the neck. The man was smiling, but his words made Wen Cheng feel cold: “How much do you hate me? Hmm? Little cat?”

“Meow…” Wen Cheng gave a low cry. He realized that as a cat, he had no power to fight back. All he could do was meow.

“Where is the basket?” Yu Linfei looked at He Yi, who looked heartbroken. “You won’t change your mind, right?”

…He really did want to change his mind! He Yi wished he hadn’t asked Yu Linfei if he wanted a cat in the first place.

“He’s quite cute.” Yu Linfei laughed, ignoring the fact that Wen Cheng was shaking. “Don’t run away. If you run away…”

…What happens if I run away? Wen Cheng listened closely.

“I’ll put a collar around your neck.” Yu Linfei gave a big smile.

Wen Cheng suddenly saw a very sad future. God, who can tell me what kind of joke this is? Did I do something terrible in my past life??