Chapter 22

Seemingly sensing his reluctance, the calico cat thought for a moment and said, with some hesitation, "I can look for you first."

Since the cat had nothing better to do, and Lu Yichuan’s return time was unknown, Jiang Heng decided not to refuse, especially since he had already promised the calico.

"I won't hide; I'll search for you."

The two cats arrived at the woods where they had met the night before. In the daylight, the woods didn't look as intimidating as they had at night; instead, they appeared uniquely tranquil, seeming like the perfect place for small animals to play.

Finally getting to play the long-awaited game of hide-and-seek, the calico was thrilled. No sooner had they reached the woods than it darted up a tree, disappearing instantly.

Other cats usually found their companions by scent; no matter how well a cat hid, they could always track it down. But Jiang Heng, a human who had turned into a cat halfway through life, was different. He couldn't smell a thing; when the calico vanished from his sight, it truly vanished.

The half-grown kitten stood on the ground, sighing deeply, squinting up at the trees, and resigning himself to the search.

Fortunately, a cat’s tail is like a separate entity; no matter how well a cat hides, that fluffy tail always betrays its owner. The calico had long fur, and its tail looked like a feather duster—fluffy and incredibly conspicuous.

Jiang Heng paced around twice before finally spotting that big tail swaying in mid-air.

After finding it a few times this way, the calico couldn't help but ask, "How do you always find me?"

Jiang Heng pointed to its wagging tail.

The calico raised a paw to pin down the unruly tail, grumbling, "Next time, I definitely won't let you see it."

But Jiang Heng had already flopped onto a rock, unwilling to move again. "I'm not playing anymore."

The calico circled him and finally settled down nearby. "You seem unhappy."

"Is that so?" The patchy-haired kitten rested his head on his paws and sighed sorrowfully. "Is it that obvious?"

"Can I ask you a question?" Jiang Heng shifted his gaze toward the only creature he could currently communicate with. "Suppose... I mean, just suppose, I have a friend, and that friend has a very good friend too. They grew up together, and then one day my friend died, but then he came back to life for no reason. Not only did he change species, but he also traveled four years into the future..."

"And then... he finds that his friend has become a bit strange. I can't quite put my finger on what's different, but the vibe just feels... off."

The calico tilted its head in confusion. "So, what are you asking?"

"I..." Jiang Heng opened his mouth, then paused. "I don't know what I'm asking. Maybe... perhaps... he wants to know if his friend changed because of him?"

"Oh," the calico said. "Why don't you just go ask him directly?"

Jiang Heng choked. "It's not that simple..."

"Is your friend too shy to ask? It’s fine. For the sake of our game of hide-and-seek, I can help him ask. If he doesn't listen, just give him a good swat."

Jiang Heng: "..."

The calico added, "If one swat isn't enough, swat him twice."

Jiang Heng finally understood why it had ended up as a stray.

He tried to explain, "Fighting doesn't solve problems. Besides, my friend changed species—he's a cat, and his friend is a human."

"A two-legged beast, then..." The calico narrowed its eyes. "Just flop into his arms, and he'll tell you anything."

Jiang Heng: "..."

He realized there was no point in asking the calico for advice. Animals were far more direct than humans—they loved and hated clearly, unlike people who were always filled with hesitation.

After sunning themselves for a while, the calico invited Jiang Heng to catch fish by the lake.

Jiang Heng thought about it and agreed. He wasn't interested in catching fish; he just hadn't seen a cat do it before.

The lake the calico mentioned was the same one he had encountered after leaving the playground the previous day. It was stocked with koi, which were so well-fed by students that they could barely swim.

While the calico squatted by the lake to pick out a fish, Jiang Heng used the water's surface to check his current appearance. The shaved fur had finally started to grow back in a short stubble, but it was so sparse that it was barely noticeable.

It had been nearly two weeks, and with such little progress, Jiang Heng could already foresee his appearance for the next few months.

It was too ugly. He was so ugly that he didn't want to reveal his identity to Lu Yichuan at all.

Just imagining himself running up to Lu Yichuan in his bald, patchy state and saying, "Hi! I'm Jiang Heng," only for Lu Yichuan to hold him and weep...

The image was too much; Jiang Heng couldn't help but get goosebumps.

Forget it, forget it... he would wait until his fur grew back.

As a beauty in the cat world, the calico played by the lake for a while, and several cat heads soon poked out from the bushes, staring intently at it. But for some reason, they only dared to watch and didn't approach.

Jiang Heng looked around and saw only himself and the calico, but for some reason, a sudden sense of unease rose in his heart.

A few seconds later, he finally sensed a murderous aura behind him. Jiang Heng turned his head and saw glowing eyes in the bushes.

He didn't know that eye contact was a provocation among cats; he just thought those eyes looked strangely familiar and couldn't help but stare a little longer.

It was precisely because of those few seconds that the orange cat, which had been hiding in the bushes, lunged at him.

That familiar posture, that familiar movement—who else could it be but the orange cat that had chased him the other day!

"Meow-owl!"

Jiang Heng let out a shriek and bolted.

But how could a kitten outrun the bully of the cat world? After only a few steps, he was pounced on and pinned down by the orange cat.

Jiang Heng was held down on the grass by the lake, covered in mud and water, less than half a meter from the water’s edge.

"Mew!" Help!

The next moment, a paw came flying in, flipping the orange cat onto its back. The calico grabbed Jiang Heng by the scruff of his neck, tossed him behind it, and hissed at the orange cat.

"Get lost!"

The orange cat scrambled to its feet, looking at the calico protecting Jiang Heng with an expression of disbelief.

"You're protecting him? He's so ugly, and you're protecting him?"

Jiang Heng: "..."

Wait, was that a personal attack?

The calico glared at the orange cat. "He is my friend."

The orange cat looked at Jiang Heng, who was rolling on the grass in an attempt to rub off the mud—weak, ugly, and couldn't even groom himself.

The orange cat snapped. "You're willing to be friends with him, so why not me? What do I have that this ugly cat doesn't?"

The calico looked at it with disgust. "You're too crude. Not elegant at all."

The orange cat choked.

Jiang Heng silently stopped rolling and looked between the two cats.

The orange cat said, "I'm the strongest cat around here!"

The calico replied, "What's the use of being strong? You aren't a gentleman."

The orange cat persisted, "I'm the toughest. If you stay with me, I can give you whatever you want."

The calico was cold. "I don't need it."

The orange cat wouldn't give up. "I can also play games with you. Don't you like hiding and making other cats find you? Look, aren't I always the first one to find you?"

The calico smacked it across the face.

Jiang Heng finally understood why the calico disliked the orange cat. But he didn't intend to say anything; he was petty, and he remembered every time the orange cat had swiped at him.

A gentleman takes his revenge, even if it takes ten years.

The orange cat was stunned by the slap. By the time it came to its senses and wanted to say something, the calico had already picked up Jiang Heng and left.

Jiang Heng was so filthy that the calico couldn't stand it and lowered its head to lick his fur, but Jiang Heng refused.

It had been fine when Big Yellow groomed him, but with a young, beautiful girl cat like the calico, Jiang Heng couldn't bring himself to do something so shameless.

A female cat was still a female.

He wanted to jump into the lake to wash himself, but recalling his "dog-paddle" swimming skills, he didn't trust that he could get back out if he jumped in.

So, he had to give up regretfully, planning to go back and have Lu Yichuan wash him.

After all, he had said he would take him for a bath in the evening.

So, when Lu Yichuan returned, he found that his gray cat had turned into a yellow cat.

He held the doorknob, looking at the cat obediently squatting on the balcony waiting for him, and for a moment, he suspected he had walked into the wrong dorm.

He looked up; the room number was correct, the interior decorations were correct, but this cat...

He had only been gone for an afternoon, just a few hours—how had the cat turned into this?

Seeing him return, Jiang Heng let out a meow. Feeling a bit guilty, his voice sounded unusually soft.

It took Lu Yichuan a few seconds to accept the reality.

He closed the door and walked to the balcony.

The kitten probably knew it was filthy, so it stayed on the balcony and didn't enter the room. A row of plum-blossom-shaped muddy paw prints marked the balcony floor, leading to the sycamore tree stretched across it.

Lu Yichuan roughly guessed where the mud had come from.

"Did you go fighting?"

The cat squatting in front of him meowed incessantly, as if complaining, but Lu Yichuan couldn't understand a word.

He looked at the dirty cat, feeling the same sense of helplessness he’d felt when he first found it.

The cardboard box he had originally used was left at the pet hospital, so Lu Yichuan had to find a new one to put the cat in.

"Looks like I'll have to take you for a bath first."

Just as he picked up the cat and walked into the room, Zhao Shuo pushed the door open. "Brother Lu, want to go grab some food?"

Lu Yichuan lifted the box in his arms. "I don't think I can make it."

Zhao Shuo looked down. "Whoa! Is this some new species?"

Jiang Heng: "..."

Lu Yichuan paused. "It's a cat."

"Huh?" Zhao Shuo scratched his head. "Do cats look like that?"

Jiang Heng bared his teeth at him.

And here I thought you were handsome and refined; you have no manners at all!

Zhao Shuo found it fascinating and didn't care about eating anymore, insisting on following Lu Yichuan to wash the cat.

There was a pet store at the school gate. It wasn't busy at this hour, and as soon as Jiang Heng went in, he was picked up and placed in a tub.

As the clerk adjusted the water temperature, Jiang Heng found a spot to lie down, looking sullen—clearly still stung by Zhao Shuo's earlier comment.

Zhao Shuo stood by, staring at him. "Brother Lu, when did you start keeping a cat? Why does it look so strange?"

"Strange?" Lu Yichuan lifted his eyelids. "Maybe it's because its fur was shaved."

"No wonder... I was wondering why it looked like a little rat."

The clerk began to wash the cat, and the two of them stepped back.

Zhao Shuo seemed to recall something. "Right, what have you been up to the last couple of days? I couldn't find you anywhere."

Seeing that Lu Yichuan didn't speak, he continued, "Also, I ran into your younger brother at school yesterday. He asked me what you were doing. You have to admit, your brother is actually quite concerned about you."

Jiang Heng, who had been washing with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open.