Chapter 16
Tan Zhao’s sudden appearance didn’t take up much of Tan Xu’s mental bandwidth—mostly because Yun Xing was being far too unruly.
The little cat squirmed relentlessly in his arms, nearly tumbling to the floor.
Tan Xu reached out and gave Yun Xing’s bottom a light pat. Yun Xing froze for a split second before squirming even more frantically.
“Tan Xu! Why did you hit the base of my tail?!” Yun Xing tilted his head up and meowed furiously at him.
Tan Xu looked down at the little furball in his arms. The kitten had his mouth wide open, baring a few tiny teeth in a display of utter outrage. “Be good,” Tan Xu murmured softly.
Yun Xing was out of ideas. And to think he had just wanted to jump down and teach that bully a lesson, just to show him who was protecting Tan Xu! Now, seeing Tan Xu act like this, Yun Xing felt his good intentions had been completely thrown to the dogs.
Resigned, Yun Xing let Tan Xu carry him around the mall. They bought quite a few things before heading home.
After devouring the special cat meal Tan Xu had cooked just for him, Yun Xing sprawled out on the sofa, his fluffy belly exposed and his front paws folded over his chest. He could feel a tiny trickle of his spiritual power returning.
He couldn't quite figure out why. He only went out with Tan Xu occasionally and didn't cross paths with that many people, so why did his spiritual power feel like it was steadily growing? It was bizarre.
If he had ever seen Tan Xu’s Douyin account, he might have understood. Tan Xu had set up a dedicated profile sharing Yun Xing's daily life, and it had garnered an enormous fanbase.
Back when Yun Xing was at the temple, he had already shown a natural talent for being a star cat, with several videos going viral. Naturally, the videos Tan Xu posted performed just as well.
Every compliment flooding the comment section and every like on the videos transformed into the power of faith, steadily replenishing Yun Xing's spiritual reserves.
Sprawled lazily on the couch, Yun Xing squinted up at the ceiling. The rhythmic tapping of Tan Xu typing up his thesis lulled him into a state of deep drowsiness.
Just as he was on the verge of drifting off, he felt a faint pinch on his paw. He jolted awake instantly.
Tan Xu, a ghost is pinching me!
Before he could even process what was happening, he felt someone press down onto his stomach. Warm breath blew right against his delicate belly, penetrating even his thick layer of fur!
Tan Xu, save me!
When he finally came to his senses, however, he realized the pervert harassing him was none other than Tan Xu himself! Tan Xu actually hadn't given up on harassing a helpless little kitten!
---
After working on his thesis for a while, Tan Xu couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to his childhood—to those years when his heart condition flared up, leaving him gasping for air, his face pale and his lips turning blue.
He remembered the phone call his grandmother had made to his parents, begging for money for his medical treatments. To keep him from hearing, Grandma had even stepped outside the room to make the call.
He could no longer recall how physically agonizing it had been back then, but he distinctly remembered the weeping voice on the other end of the line: "Where are we supposed to scrape up that kind of money, Mom? It's a bottomless pit. Let's just give up."
He couldn't even hear what his grandmother replied. But despite the wall between them and how faint the sound from the receiver was, the words had cut through with agonizing clarity. So this was what it felt like to be abandoned by one's own flesh and blood.
Then, he heard Tan Zhao throwing a tantrum on the other end of the line, whining to go out for hotpot, while the very parents who had just decided to give up on Tan Xu gently coaxed his brother.
Back then, Tan Xu didn't even know what hotpot was. He had just thought to himself: So be it. Just let me die. It doesn't matter anymore.
Later on, he miraculously and inexplicably recovered. He didn't know which hospital, which surgery, which temple, or which deity had saved him, but his condition had indeed improved dramatically.
He no longer suffered from arrhythmias whenever he got emotional, nor did he run out of breath after taking a few steps. He could even run and jump like a normal child. Over the last few years, however, the symptoms seemed to be returning.
The smartwatch on his wrist would occasionally trigger abnormal heart rate alerts, but he truly didn't care anymore. These past dozen or so years of normal life felt like borrowed time anyway.
He had saved all his scholarship money and earnings from summer and winter part-time jobs in a single bank account. If the day ever came when he had to leave this world, the money would go to his grandmother. That way, even if that couple regretted taking her in, she would still have a financial safety net.
His original plan would have allowed him to pass away without regrets—but then he met Yun Xing. If he died, his grandmother would be taken in by that couple, but what about Yun Xing?
Those two were definitely not the kind of people who liked animals.
---
His daze was interrupted by a soft whimper from the kitten beside him. Yun Xing was sprawled on his back on the sofa, exposing his soft, irresistible belly. Tan Xu recalled reading online that no one could resist taking a deep sniff of a kitten like that.
Impulsively, he did just that. It was incredibly relaxing—though the kitten clearly felt otherwise.
Yun Xing was utterly stunned by the sudden belly-sniffing. The moment he snapped out of it, he began lecturing Tan Xu immediately.
A tiny calico, tail flicking as he paced back and forth on the sofa, meowing incessantly. Tan Xu couldn't understand a single word, but found it adorable nonetheless.
Yun Xing could tell at a glance that Tan Xu wasn't listening to a thing. He secretly resolved to enter Tan Xu's dream tonight to give him a proper talking-to.
Visiting dreams required a bit of spiritual power—not much, but to the currently energy-starved Yun Xing, it was equivalent to a massive bag of dried fish.
Still, for the sake of educating Tan Xu, it was all worth it.
---
That night, Tan Xu met Yun Xing in his dream again for the first time in a while. Dressed in the same outfit as before, Yun Xing sat on the living room sofa with his arms crossed, glaring intently at Tan Xu as if trying to bore a hole through him. "Tan Xu."
"Mm," Tan Xu replied.
Yun Xing stood up and circled Tan Xu once. Tan Xu instantly pictured the cat version of Yun Xing running circles around his ankles and couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile.
Seeing how defiant Tan Xu was—and that he actually had the nerve to smile—Yun Xing puffed up his cheeks in frustration. "I came here specifically to tell you: don't do that ever again!"
Tan Xu didn't quite catch his meaning. "Do what?"
Seeing him look completely clueless only made Yun Xing angrier. "You know what!"
Tan Xu let out a soft chuckle. "What do you mean, 'what'?"
"You're not allowed to bury your face in my belly!" Yun Xing huffed in exasperation.
Tan Xu feigned enlightenment. Catching a glimpse of the blush creeping up the base of Yun Xing's ears, he noticed for the first time a tiny mole on human-Yun Xing's earlobe.
The black patch of fur on cat-Yun Xing's ear had manifested as a delicate mole here. Tan Xu muttered softly to himself, "So that's how it is."
Yun Xing nodded, believing Tan Xu had taken his words to heart, and adopted a serious expression. "Doing that is going way too far. Tan Xu, you took my spiritual power, so you should treat me as your master!"
"What spiritual power?" Tan Xu pressed.
"Well, it's..."
Before Tan Xu could hear the rest of the sentence, his alarm jolted him awake. Immediately, he felt a smothering weight on his chest that made it hard to breathe.
He almost thought he was having an attack again—until he opened his eyes and saw a little seaweed-and-pork-floss rice ball sitting squarely on top of him.
"Xingxing, get down. You're crushing me," Tan Xu said, giving Yun Xing's bottom a gentle tap.
Yun Xing sprang up immediately, completely forgetting his intention to warn Tan Xu against patting his bottom too! But having just visited his dream last night, doing it again today would be a waste of energy. It would have to wait.
With a nimble bound, he landed on the floor. Sitting by the bedside, he licked his paw and smoothed down the fur on top of his head while watching Tan Xu.
He watched Tan Xu get out of bed and followed him with his gaze as he opened the wardrobe to change. As Tan Xu lifted his shirt, he felt an intense stare. He turned around to find the little cat staring at him unblinkingly.
Tan Xu had a full morning of classes ahead. He filled Yun Xing's food bowl, poured some fresh water, and said, "Be good at home. I'll be back at noon."
Yun Xing sat by the entrance, tilting his head up at him. "Bye-bye, Tan Xu."
Tan Xu leaned down to scratch his chin. "See you at noon, Xingxing."
---
With a soft click of the closing door, the modest apartment was left with Yun Xing as its sole occupant once more. He couldn't unlock the tablet, and the TV ads were way too long to bother watching.
Tan Xu is so mean to me, leaving me home all alone every day, Yun Xing thought glumly, sprawling across the mat by the shoe rack.
The clock on the wall ticked softly. After what felt like a daze, he finally caught the sound of Tan Xu's voice coming from the pet camera.
He scrambled up and rushed over, pressing his little nose against the small black sphere. "Tan Xu."
"Xingxing, we have a pop quiz coming up, so I won't be able to keep an eye on you for a bit. Don't make trouble, okay?" Tan Xu's voice came through with a faint crackle of static.
"Meow," Yun Xing replied. He never made trouble—Tan Xu was slandering him.
Yun Xing paced around the apartment. He had listened to the birds outside chatter through four rounds of gossip, and the long hand of the clock had moved halfway around the dial, yet Tan Xu still wasn't back.
Yun Xing glanced toward the front door. Hearing footsteps outside, his ears twitched—it wasn't Tan Xu. Who knew what Tan Xu was doing right now? As a servant, leaving his master at home like this was terribly incompetent!
He trotted to the door and looked up at the lock. He remembered how Tan Xu opened it: a simple push down on the handle, and the door clicked open.
Fixing his eyes intensely on the handle, he leaped into the air—and missed.
Try again!
After battling the door handle for forty-nine grueling rounds, he finally caught hold of it.
Clamping down with the paw pads of both front feet, Yun Xing tried to use his entire body weight to pull the handle down.
If this were his first few days here, he definitely wouldn't have been able to open it. But thanks to his excellent daily meals, he was no longer the scrawny little kitten of the past!
The door swung outward, and Yun Xing slipped through with glee. Now he could go find Tan Xu!
He used his body to nudge the door shut and looked back at the unit number: 1208. Happy with his success, he stood in front of the elevator, expectantly waiting for the doors to open on their own, carry him downstairs, and ideally deliver him straight to Tan Xu's side.
The elevator didn't stop for him. Just then, the door to the neighboring apartment opened. An elderly man lived there—Yun Xing had seen him a couple of times when Tan Xu took him out. Noticing Yun Xing by the elevator, the old man blinked in surprise. "Huh? Just you today, little guy?"
Yun Xing let out a soft "Meow."
He successfully followed the neighbor grandpa into the elevator and out through the building's main entrance.
Yun Xing had hoped the old man would walk him to the neighborhood gates since he didn't know the way, but the neighbor wasn't leaving the compound—he was just heading downstairs to play chess with the other retirees.
As he sat down, he didn't forget to warn Yun Xing, "Don't wander off too far, now. There are cat snatchers around."
Yun Xing held his head high, the tiny golden lock around his neck glittering brightly in the sunlight. "Don't think I'm stupid! I'm a very smart, very ancient little cat!"
Seeing the gold lock on his neck, the old man assumed the kitten was proudly showing off his longevity charm. He chuckled warmly. "I see it, I see it! What a pretty lock. Did your owner get that at the gift shop by the main gate?"
Yun Xing knew which boutique the grandpa was talking about—he had passed by it with Tan Xu before.
His longevity lock wasn't some cheap trinket! Tan Xu had taken him to buy it in person!
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