People should not make decisions in the middle of the night.
Cats should not either.
In the morning, the sun was blazing and the breeze was gentle. For the ninth time, Xia Lening washed his mouth under the excuse of “drinking water.”
Gu Yucheng squatted beside him and softly tried to persuade him. “Alright, stop washing… don’t drink anymore, you’re splashing water all over me.”
“Who told you to squat here? Serves you right!”
Gu Yucheng pressed his lips together, gently lifting his right paw and using a tissue to dab the water droplets off the bandage.
“Splash me if you want, but don’t let your wound get wet. The dressing was just changed.”
The doorbell rang. Gu Yucheng went to open it and came back carrying several large cardboard boxes.
Xia Lening felt like his punch had landed on cotton. His expression turned strange. He glanced up once, then continued washing his mouth.
When he looked up again, a giant tree had appeared beside Gu Yucheng.
Yes—an actual tree-shaped cat climbing frame.
Xia Lening’s eyes lit up.
Gu Yucheng opened another box and assembled a small swing, placing it next to the cat tree.
Xia Lening stood there pretending to be calm, refusing to look too excited.
“Do you like it?” Gu Yucheng asked.
“It’s average.”
“That’s good.”
“……”
Xia Lening felt like communicating with Gu Yucheng was maddening.
But soon, Gu Yucheng solved the communication problem. He opened another package and took out a set of buttons.
He pointed at two of them. “Press this purple one if you like it. Press the blue one if you don’t.”
Xia Lening leaned in to look.
The purple button had “I love you” printed on it. The blue one said “kiss kiss.”
“……”
What kind of scam was this guy running to benefit himself?
Xia Lening looked at him like he was an idiot.
Gu Yucheng, undeterred, pulled out another button. “If it’s just average, press this one.”
This one said “brother.”
The world had completely lost its mind.
Xia Lening turned around and walked away without hesitation.
He sat on the sofa, looking down at Gu Yucheng unpacking things on the floor, personally witnessing this house slowly turning into a cat paradise.
It was over.
Gu Yucheng had fallen in love with him.
As expected, Xia Lening’s charm worked whether he was human or cat.
The problem was, he was going to leave soon. He could not stay here forever. He had to ask Xia Xiaoyao to help him find a way to turn back into a human.
Even if he could not turn back, he could not possibly stay here.
What a joke. What was their relationship supposed to be?
All the neighbors he had grown up with had turned into brothers with him—except Gu Yucheng. That alone proved they were incompatible.
And if Gu Yucheng found out who he really was, he might just sit on him and crush him.
In the afternoon, Gu Yucheng tied a small pendant onto him.
Xia Lening pawed at it, trying to see what it was.
“A longevity lock,” Gu Yucheng said, gently stroking his head. “For peace and safety.”
He put on a windbreaker again and carefully placed Xia Lening into his pocket.
Xia Lening struggled out. “Where are you taking me?! I’m not going! Kidnapping! Help!”
“Vaccination,” Gu Yucheng said calmly. “You don’t want to scratch someone again and then worry about it afterward, right? Paipai.”
Xia Lening struggled less, but still argued. “You’re the one who should get vaccinated! Not me!”
Gu Yucheng simply held him in his palm and walked downstairs slowly.
When he was placed in the passenger seat, Xia Lening suddenly remembered that he had not used a cat carrier in a long time. Ever since the day of his funeral, Gu Yucheng had never used it again.
Gu Yucheng opened a box of cat treats and neatly arranged them in the center console.
Xia Lening glanced at them coldly but did not move. He had already eaten enough… and honestly, Gu Yucheng’s cooking was quite good.
At the pet hospital, the atmosphere was full of feline resentment. Elizabeth collars and space capsules were everywhere, with owners coaxing their pets.
Luckily, he was still a small kitten—no risk of neutering.
And he was right. He did not need a vaccine; he was only a little over a month old. There was no point.
The doctor gave careful instructions while Gu Yucheng listened attentively. Meanwhile, Xia Lening made sarcastic remarks from his hands.
“See? Wasted trip. I told you not to come.”
The doctor smiled. “This kitten is very lively. You’re taking good care of him.”
Gu Yucheng’s eyes softened with a smile. “His mentality is excellent. He can eat, sleep, and insult people anytime.”
After leaving the hospital, Gu Yucheng asked, “Do you want to buy some cat food?”
“Whatever,” Xia Lening swished his tail lazily.
Gu Yucheng chuckled.
“Gu Yucheng. It really is you.”
The voice sounded familiar, but Xia Lening could not place it at first.
When he saw the person clearly, he understood why.
It was his university classmate, Wei Yun.
A quiet, soft-spoken person who used to follow him around. He had been placed into physics by adjustment and struggled heavily with coursework, often asking Xia Lening for help. Over time, they became familiar.
Because of him, Xia Lening had argued with Gu Yucheng several times.
Gu Yucheng had mocked his taste in friends. He had snapped back, accusing Gu Yucheng of interfering and unfairly targeting Wei Yun.
But the current Wei Yun did not look gentle at all.
There was no liveliness in him—only exhaustion and cold detachment.
Xia Lening worriedly peeked out. What was going on with these two?
Wei Yun let out a cold laugh. “He’s gone, and you still look so happy. You never liked him. So why did you keep circling around him back then?”
Xia Lening: ?
Gu Yucheng lightly scratched the cat’s chin, as if remembering something. He smiled faintly.
“What counts as liking? Like you, secretly spying on him every day? Tearing up love letters others gave him? Locking yourself in the equipment room waiting for him to rescue you?”
Xia Lening: What is happening? Why had his gentle, shy classmate turned so dark?
Wei Yun’s gaze darkened. He was not surprised that Gu Yucheng knew these things. Now that Xia Lening was gone, such words could no longer threaten him. He did not even understand why Gu Yucheng was bringing them up.
“At least I could get close to him. And you—he did not even want to look at you.”
Gu Yucheng did not get angry. He simply walked past him and left.
Xia Lening covered his mouth in shock. This was explosive.
So that was it. Those two were actually rivals in love. No wonder they did not get along.
It seemed Wei Yun had once successfully gotten close to the “female lead,” while Gu Yucheng had been rejected. But now the “female lead” was gone—whether abroad or transferred away, it no longer mattered. Neither of them had succeeded.
No wonder Gu Yucheng had been so gloomy recently.
In the car, Gu Yucheng looked down, quietly observing Xia Lening’s reaction.
Did he realize it now?
The “little white rabbit” he once protected had actually been a dark, poisonous snake—lurking and spying in the shadows.
Even if he did not know that the “target” was him, it was still enough to be disillusioning.
Xia Lening: “Tch. Wei Yun is really not loyal. He never told me any of this and still acted so harmless in front of me.”
Gu Yucheng nodded, waiting for the next sentence.
Xia Lening pulled out a cat treat and tossed it to him, signaling: open it.
Gu Yucheng: “……”
He obediently opened it and fed him.
Then he spoke first, unable to hold it in. “That guy is really bad. He always pretends to be gentle on the surface but secretly provokes me.”
Xia Lening nodded internally. So you still endured it, huh? No wonder you took revenge.
“He also slandered me in front of your… former owner. For example, whenever you were about to come over, he would spill hot water on himself and claim I did it.”
“Even though you said I was pretending… the people around you were even better at pretending. And you never noticed it.”
Gu Yucheng grew more agitated. “Paipai, judge fairly.”
Xia Lening opened his mouth in a perfect “O” shape, thinking carefully.
…That did sound familiar.
What had he done back then?
It seemed like he had scolded Gu Yucheng and chased him away.