CAT - 21

Chapter 21

Tan Xu was taken aback by Yun Xing’s boastful words. The calico cat looked so tiny, yet he spoke with such grand confidence, completely unafraid of biting his own tongue.

Tan Zhao couldn't understand a word Yun Xing was saying. Seeing the two of them tuning out the rest of the world once again, he let out a sigh. "Bro, I’m heading out."

Tan Xu nodded. "Take care."

Tan Xu picked up an apple from the fruit basket and tapped Yun Xing's nose. "Want some apple?"

Yun Xing didn't particularly like apples—or rather, it wasn't that he disliked them. To him, apples were the kind of food that was tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away. But...

If Tan Xu peeled and cut it into bite-sized pieces for him, he supposed he could have some.

"I'll eat it," Yun Xing decided immediately.

Picking up a paring knife, Tan Xu gently nudged Yun Xing. "Move over a bit so I don't accidentally cut you."

As if I'm that clumsy, Yun Xing thought. Even so, he deigned to shift over, tucking his front paws beneath him like a little loaf to supervise Tan Xu's apple-peeling.

Tan Xu’s hands were fair, long, and slender, with distinct, elegant knuckles. Even just peeling an apple with a knife, it looked as if he were carving a piece of fine art. Yun Xing stared, mesmerized.

Seeing the cat so fixated on his hands, Tan Xu assumed he was craving it. He sliced off a small piece and held it to Yun Xing's mouth. "Here you go."

Yun Xing opened his mouth and took a bite, his soft, wet tongue brushing against Tan Xu’s fingers. After a few rounds of this, the entire apple was gone.

Now that Yun Xing had resolved Tan Xu’s physical condition, his mind turned back to finding his parents. He wondered if his grandpa had seen the note he left behind before running away.

Looking back, running off on his own had indeed been a bit headstrong. But hey, he had saved Tan Xu, so it wasn't like he had accomplished absolutely nothing... right?

Yun Xing resumed pacing back and forth on the bed. Noticing his anxious demeanor, Tan Xu asked, "What’s wrong?"

Yun Xing glanced at Tan Xu. Tan Xu already knew his identity and knew he could shape-shift, so he shouldn't belong to the group of people Grandpa warned him never to tell. Besides, he could guarantee that Tan Xu would never harm him!

"I want to find my parents so they can help me figure out a solution," Yun Xing said, sitting on Tan Xu’s thigh and looking up at him.

"Are your parents..." Tan Xu carefully weighed his words. "...also calicos?"

Tan Xu pondered for a moment. Finding a few regular calico cats in this world was easy enough, but locating two specific ones? That sounded like playing on nightmare difficulty.

Yun Xing shook his head. "Nope. My parents successfully transformed into humans a long time ago."

Hearing this, Tan Xu realized that meant all they needed was a photograph. He stroked the kitten's head. "Do you have a picture of them?"

Yun Xing scratched at the hospital blanket with his claws. "No. I don't know what they look like."

Isn't this basically searching for a missing child? Tan Xu thought. Normally, finding a lost child involved DNA matching. But if a lost cat used DNA for family tracing... considering his whole family could shape-shift, wouldn't they just get dragged off to a lab for experiments?

Yun Xing let out a few dejected meows. Tan Xu almost thought he had lost the ability to hear him speak, until the kitten added a second later, "Then I'll just have to go back and find Grandpa."

Hearing this, Tan Xu grew slightly anxious. "Go back to your grandpa? You're leaving?"

Yun Xing didn't want to leave either. Here, he had plenty of food and drinks, and he could do parkour around Tan Xu's house. Besides, Tan Xu was still in the hospital—leaving now would make him look like a terribly irresponsible master. But if he didn't leave, how was he supposed to find a way to save Tan Xu?

"Alternatively... do your parents have any defining features?" Tan Xu pressed.

Yun Xing shook his head. Tan Xu thought for a moment before suddenly asking, "Your parents have already transformed. What's the reason you haven't succeeded yet?"

Yun Xing had been genuinely worried about Tan Xu, but upon hearing this question, he felt a flash of annoyance. "You have the nerve to ask? It's all your fault!"

"My fault?" Tan Xu was thoroughly confused.

Deep down, Yun Xing actually understood the situation now. His spiritual energy probably hadn't been stolen by Tan Xu. That day in the hospital, he had overheard Tan Xu’s grandmother making a wish: If possible, please let my grandson live a few more years.

"More"—that meant a wish had definitively been made and granted before. Since Tan Xu possessed Yun Xing's spiritual energy, it could only mean that Yun Xing had willingly given it to him.

Damn it! To think he borrowed my spiritual energy while I wasn't paying attention!

Still, it was a good thing that Tan Xu had successfully borrowed it. Yun Xing had never been the type to demand repayment for a favor, so he simply swished his tail and didn't voice his accusation aloud.

Reflecting on it, Tan Xu realized he really had used Yun Xing's spiritual power this time, rendering the cat temporarily unable to transform. So in a sense, it really was his fault. "I'm sorry."

Yun Xing paused mid-paw-lick. "What?"

"I'm sorry for taking away your ability to transform," Tan Xu said, gently pulling Yun Xing's paw away from his mouth. "And thank you for saving me."

Hearing Tan Xu praise him, Yun Xing proudly puffed out his little chest once more.

Yes, Tan Xu, keep the compliments coming!

Tan Xu gave Yun Xing's paw a gentle squeeze. "Even if you don't recognize your parents, they should recognize you, right?"

Yun Xing gave Tan Xu a look that clearly said are you an idiot? "Of course they do!"

Undeterred by the glare, Tan Xu continued, "Then wouldn't it be enough to just let them see you?"

"And how am I supposed to let them see me? Go on a nationwide stroll?" Yun Xing asked, watching Tan Xu play with his paw.

"I created a social media account for you." Tan Xu grabbed his phone from the table. "If they happen to scroll past it, they'll probably reach out to me."

Hearing that Tan Xu had made him an account, Yun Xing immediately scrambled over to look. It was filled with photos of him, but he quickly noticed that Tan Xu hadn't taken any proper shots of his safety locket!

It was hidden in every picture! How would anyone know he possessed a shiny golden trinket?

"Tan Xu, you need to log into this account on my tablet. I want to take and post the photos myself," Yun Xing declared with utmost seriousness.

Tan Xu nodded. "I'll log you in as soon as we get home."

Satisfied with the answer, Yun Xing nodded approvingly.

Thanks to the boost from Yun Xing's spiritual energy, Tan Xu recovered rapidly. Less than a week into their stay in the hospital room, the man and the cat were discharged and hurried home.

The moment they arrived home, Yun Xing couldn't wait to boss Tan Xu into charging his tablet. Having been left untouched for days, its battery was completely drained.

He had wanted to play with it while it charged, but Tan Xu refused to let him.

So now, he could only sit beside the tablet and stare at it—he was still waiting for Tan Xu to teach him how to turn it on!

The apartment hadn't been cleaned in days. While it wasn't exactly caked in dust, it was still a bit messy. The robot vacuum took care of the floors, but the tables and cabinets were up to Tan Xu.

As Tan Xu wiped down the table, he found it amusing how Yun Xing sat there staring unblinkingly at the screen. He walked over and gently cupped the little calico's head in his hand.

Yun Xing was hyper-fixated on the tablet—it had just reached fifty-six percent. Annoyed by Tan Xu's touch, he huffed, "Tan Xu! Stop messing with me!"

"I'm messing with you?" Tan Xu crouched down, bringing his face close to the kitten so they could look at the tablet together. "Turning the screen on every few seconds will only make it charge slower, you know."

Yun Xing had never heard of such a thing. He turned his big, round eyes to Tan Xu. "Really?"

"Of course," Tan Xu lied smoothly, tricking the little cat without a hint of guilt. "Lighting up the screen takes up power too."

Just not very much.

Watching the tablet screen dim, Yun Xing refrained from tapping it again with his paw this time. Resigned, he stood up. "Then what am I supposed to do right now?"

Tan Xu stood back up and shrugged. "Whatever you want, as long as you don't bother the robot vacuum."

Yun Xing swished his tail. If I can't bother the robot vacuum, then I can definitely bother Tan Xu, right?

But Tan Xu was busy cleaning. Yun Xing stared at his back. Tan Xu had tossed his jacket onto the couch, right next to where Yun Xing was sitting.

With his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a stretch of smooth, toned forearm was visible. From behind, his shoulders looked broad, though not absurdly exaggerated like those "double-door fridge" physiques trending online.

Yun Xing suddenly remembered that he still didn't know what his own human form looked like—Tan Xu was the only one who had ever seen him transformed.

He figured that since he was the most beautiful kitten in the world, his human form was bound to be the most handsome man on Earth.

But what exactly were human standards of beauty?

He had seen plenty of humans—like the abbot at Wenchang Temple, who was definitely not good-looking.

Tan Xu, on the other hand, was very striking. He had a high, slender nose bridge, eyes that tilted up slightly at the corners, fair skin, and soft, pale lips—cool, elegant, and refined, like a breeze through pine trees or the moon reflected in water.

Yun Xing's gaze locked onto Tan Xu, staring unblinkingly for quite a while before finally concluding that he must be even handsomer than Tan Xu.

After being stared at for so long, Tan Xu felt as though Yun Xing was about to burn a hole through him. Forbidden from staring at the tablet, the cat had turned his intense focus onto him instead.

Shaking his head lightly, Tan Xu went back to cleaning.

"Tan Xu!" Yun Xing called out suddenly.

Tan Xu turned around to look at the little cat standing on the sofa.

Yun Xing tilted his head. "Do you still remember what I look like?"

He couldn't wait to find out what he looked like. According to Tan Xu, if he got a lot of people to like him online, he would quickly accumulate enough spiritual energy to transform again.

Tan Xu looked at him for a long time. The youth he had seen in his dream had roundish eyes of a pale amber-gray, glistening like glass beads beneath thin lids and framed by thick, raven-wing lashes. He was so vibrant and full of life when he spoke. Soft brown hair fell loosely across his forehead, and a slender, elegant neck sloped like mutton-fat jade down into his collar.

"Say something," Yun Xing prompted. His voice lilted upward at the end with a slight, nasal hum, as warm and inviting as a wash of afternoon sunlight.

Suddenly, the smartwatch on Tan Xu's wrist began to vibrate, warning him of a dangerously high heart rate. Yet he felt no physical distress—only his heart pounding so fiercely it felt ready to burst out of his chest.

Tan Xu looked down at his watch, then raised his gaze back to Yun Xing.

Hearing the vibration, Yun Xing had already sprung into action. He leapt off the sofa and trotted over to Tan Xu. "What's wrong with you?"

In a daze, Tan Xu envisioned the boy once more—wrapped in a blanket, rushing over to his side. Every step felt impossibly light, yet undeniably heavy against his heart.

The surrounding world faded into the background. In that moment, his eyes could only hold the person standing right in front of him.

I'm done for.

There is no turning back now.