Chapter 19
Tan Xu had classes again today. It had been quite a while since his last episode, and Yun Xing had managed to save up a bit of spiritual energy, though he still didn't dare use it recklessly.
With practiced ease, he hopped up to the bathroom mirror and took a look at himself.
The calico cat in the reflection perked up its ears, rested its paws against the glass, and blinked back at him. His long fur made him look entirely round, and his tail swished behind him. You've been slacking off on your training lately, Yun Xing.
Without further ado, he resolved to start training earnestly at home.
This kind of training was originally better suited for the outdoors, but ever since Tan Xu fell ill the last time they went out, Yun Xing had decided never to venture out alone again—at least, not until he could take human form.
Before starting his workout, Yun Xing trotted over to the pet monitor to greet Tan Xu.
Pressing his tender pink nose right up to the lens, the little calico let out a soft meow, calling out for Tan Xu.
Tan Xu was probably in class and wasn't checking the camera. When two meows yielded no response, Yun Xing sneakily nudged the camera to face another direction.
The new sofa had already arrived. Yun Xing loved it, so he made it the primary venue for his training session.
He got into a starting stance on the floor, launched himself from the doorway like a little cannonball straight onto the sofa, sprinted two laps across the cushions, and then pushed off the armrest to leap onto the nearby display cabinet.
It was a display cabinet with a few empty cubbies in the middle. Pretending he was rock climbing, he stretched his paws to scale from one cubby to the next.
Once he felt he had mastered this exercise, it was time to move on to the next. His earlier sprinting leaps had only targeted the low-lying sofa, which wasn't much of a challenge.
So, his next high-jump target was the dining table. There were a few cups resting on it, but Yun Xing had been up there plenty of times before, so he figured it wouldn't be particularly difficult.
He retreated to the doorway once again, took a running start, and leapt forcefully into the air—
Only to smack right into the back of a chair.
But Yun Xing was not one to easily admit defeat. Undeterred, he backed up for another running start and jumped again.
After countless failed attempts, he finally succeeded.
The tiny calico bolted from the doorway, eyes locked on the elevated dining table, his four short legs scurrying rapidly across the floor.
Now!
Yun Xing kicked off hard with his hind legs and bounded onto the table. However, his triumph was short-lived—he quickly realized he couldn't hit the brakes.
He skidded straight toward a serving tray on the table, which happened to hold the aforementioned teacups.
The moment he struck them, it was like a bowling ball smashing into pins. The cups tipped over and scattered in all directions.
Yun Xing desperately reached out a paw to catch them, but it was far too small. The teacups merely grazed his claws as they tumbled off the edge.
With a crisp, shattering crash, they hit the floor. None of them survived.
Yun Xing paused to think for a second, then hopped down from the opposite side of the table and trotted over to his trusty "steed."
The robot vacuum was resting quietly in its charging dock. It had already completed its rounds for the day—carrying a piggybacking Yun Xing the entire time—so its battery was completely depleted. Yun Xing reached out and patted it with his paw.
The robot didn't budge. Yun Xing patted it again. "Time for work."
The red charging indicator blinked, but the machine refused to leave its station.
Yun Xing let out a sigh of profound disappointment. "Why did Tan Xu buy such a useless robot?"
He glanced back at the shards littering the floor. He knew better than to touch them. Back when he lived on Mingwu Mountain, whenever he broke something, his grandfather never let him near the mess, always grabbing a broom and dustpan to clean it up himself.
Grandpa used to say that in his small cat form, he couldn't do chores and would only end up hurting his paws.
So, Yun Xing made the executive decision to wait for Tan Xu to come home and deal with it.
Carefully skirting around the glass shards, Yun Xing returned to the sofa. His high-jump training was officially canceled, so he looked around for another activity.
The display cabinet was no longer a suitable rock-climbing wall; it was simply too easy, far beneath his skill level.
As he scanned the room, the heavy curtains by the balcony door caught his eye. He dug his claws into the fabric near the bottom and gave it a firm tug—it was very sturdy.
Engaging all four paws, he began to scale the curtain. When he was about halfway up, he paused and glanced down at the floor.
So high!
Yun Xing suddenly decided that skipping rock-climbing practice would be perfectly fine. After all, there was rarely a need to scale anything in Tan Xu's apartment. But more importantly—how on earth was he supposed to get down?!
I'm doomed!
Just then, Tan Xu's voice chimed through the pet monitor's speaker. "Xingxing? Why did you move the camera?"
Hearing Tan Xu's voice, Yun Xing wanted to cry out for help, but he felt that would be too humiliating for a proud cat. Since Tan Xu was talking to him, his class must be over, which meant he was on his way home!
He had to get down from this stupid curtain before Tan Xu walked through the door. If Tan Xu caught him in this undignified position, he would completely lose face!
Feigning nonchalance, he gave a few casual meows in the direction of the camera. Hearing him, Tan Xu affectionately replied, "I just got out of class and I'm almost home. Did Xingxing miss me today?"
Yun Xing was in no mood to discuss his feelings right now; his only concern was landing safely.
After meowing a perfunctory response, he gingerly tried stretching a hind leg downward.
It was no use.
Panic began to set in. He could hear the faint sound of car horns through the speaker.
The fact that Tan Xu kept his microphone connected even while crossing the street put an immense, invisible pressure on him. Yun Xing silently vowed to teach him a severe lesson later!
But that was a problem for later. The most pressing issue was how to get down.
He had often heard people say that cats have nine lives and are born with the instinct to twist their bodies mid-air to minimize injury when falling from great heights. Yet, despite giving himself numerous pep talks, Yun Xing ultimately abandoned the idea of taking a leap of faith from the curtain.
Tan Xu's arrival was imminent, and Yun Xing was still hopelessly stuck on the fabric. In all his years of life, this was officially his second-worst day ever!
Hanging from the curtain was quite exhausting. He tried to comfort himself with the thought that maybe this core workout would give him an eight-pack once he took human form—at least then, the suffering wouldn't be in vain.
He slightly loosened his grip on the fabric, and to his surprise, he slid down just a fraction.
Joy surged in his heart. If he kept doing this, he could make it to the floor!
He relaxed his claws again, and sure enough, he slid down a little further. Like a giant, fluffy caterpillar, he began shimmying down the curtain inch by inch.
Once his paws safely touched the floor, he actually felt a tinge of regret. Sliding down the curtain was surprisingly fun. But since Tan Xu would be walking through the door any second, there was no time for a second ride.
Swishing his tail to express his disappointment, he hopped onto the sofa, tapped the remote with his paw, and turned on the TV.
At that exact moment, the front door clicked open. Tan Xu walked in and immediately glanced at the sofa. The little calico was curled up innocently, quietly watching TV—a picture-perfect scene, provided one ignored the shattered glass scattered across the dining room floor.
Tan Xu carefully bypassed the debris and made a beeline for Yun Xing. Seeing him approach, Yun Xing braced himself for a scolding. Instead, Tan Xu simply leaned over, gently took hold of his front paws, and inspected them thoroughly.
"You didn't step on any of the broken glass, did you?" Tan Xu asked, examining the kitten’s slightly dusty paws. The pink toe beans had a bit of dirt on them, but thankfully, there were no cuts.
"No way, I'd never touch broken glass," Yun Xing replied with a meow, his tail curling up with a hint of pride.
Satisfied that the cat was completely unharmed, Tan Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief and went to clean up the mess.
Ever since taking Yun Xing in, he had found himself needing to replace household items on a fairly regular basis. Resigned to his fate, he crouched down and began carefully picking up the larger shards of glass.
Seeing him handling such dangerous objects, Yun Xing immediately jumped down from the sofa to act as supervisor. He hovered close by, his eyes glued to Tan Xu’s hands, deeply worried that he might accidentally cut himself.
As the cat crept closer and closer, Tan Xu put a hand out to block him. "Step back a little, you're going to step on a piece."
Yun Xing obediently backed up a few steps. Tan Xu fetched the broom and dustpan to sweep up the tiny slivers. "You have to be more careful next time, Xingxing. This stuff can really hurt you."
Yun Xing gave a compliant little meow and affectionately rubbed his cheek against Tan Xu's pant leg.
Tan Xu patted him gently, then pulled a piece of dried fish from the cupboard and offered it to him. Yun Xing placed his paws over Tan Xu's hand and eagerly nibbled on the treat.
Smiling, Tan Xu reached out with his free hand and gave the kitten's soft ears a fond squeeze.
—
Tan Xu's episode struck completely without warning.
It happened a few days later. Yun Xing was happily doing parkour across the bed while Tan Xu sat at his desk, reviewing thesis feedback from his advisor.
Suddenly, the smartwatch on Tan Xu's wrist began to buzz furiously. Yun Xing halted his parkour mid-stride, turning his head toward the sound to look at Tan Xu.
A sudden, agonizing stab of pain shot through Tan Xu's chest, so severe that his entire body curled inward. Clutching his heart, he gasped desperately for air. He fumbled for the phone resting near the edge of his desk, but his trembling hand only ended up knocking it onto the floor.
In his rapidly blurring consciousness, he fought to keep his eyes open, glancing over to make sure he hadn't frightened Yun Xing. But through his hazy vision, he thought he saw Yun Xing transform into a person. He couldn't make out the face, but he could plainly see that the figure was far too large to be a cat.
The youth hastily grabbed the nearby blanket, draping it over himself as he scrambled over to Tan Xu's side. Squatting down, he scooped up the fallen phone. Tan Xu could only make out the top of the boy's fluffy hair. As his consciousness slipped further away, he had no idea who the youth was calling.
A voice that Tan Xu had only ever heard in his dreams was now crying into the phone, pleading tearfully for the person on the other end to hurry and save him.
Tan Xu had lost even the strength to keep his eyes open. He parted his lips and tried to whisper, "Don't be afraid," but his voice was as fragile as a drifting willow catkin, easily carried away and lost in the silence of the bedroom.
The overwhelming suffocation dragged him back to a bitter winter from his childhood. He remembered his grandmother hiding outside to make a frantic phone call to his parents. The voices felt dreamlike and illusory, as if drifting in from miles away, muffled and indistinct.
Yet, just like back then, the words spoken right beside him pierced through the haze with absolute clarity.
"Tan Xu," the youth sobbed, "I won't let you die."
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