Cen Nian dashed ahead, his short little legs scuttling as he ran. He didn’t even pause at the steep stairs, sliding up them on his backside. Yu Shen hurried after him, wondering what the cat was up to.
Cen Nian leaped off the cushion. As Yu Shen flipped on the room’s lights, the storm raging outside seemed even more terrifying. Thunder followed lightning’s heels, rolling in from the ink-black sky like silver dragons playing in the sea, a relentless torrent. Occasionally, a bolt of lightning struck so fiercely it seemed to split the heavens, causing Cen Nian’s small body to tremble and collapse.
But he knew he couldn’t give up now. Mustering his courage, he approached the floor-to-ceiling window. Here, his fear was compounded not only by the thunder but by the memory of the body buried in the yard.
If he had a choice, he would never have wanted to go near it.
But now, his little paws scratched desperately at the glass as he looked up at Yu Shen. “Meow meow meow!” (Open the window for me! I have to save the baby bird! My friend is outside!)
Yu Shen saw the anxiety and worry on the kitten’s face. From its behavior, he deduced what was happening. Recalling the bird he’d seen playing with the kitten in the yard earlier that day, he turned to look at the tree outside.
Is it trying to save its friend?
He crouched down, scooped Cen Nian up from the floor-to-ceiling window, and placed him on the sofa. His arm was grabbed by the kitten’s tiny paws.
“Meow meow!” (What are you doing? Why are you moving me over here?)
After setting Cen Nian down, Yu Shen even placed a cushion in front of him, seriously instructing the kitten, who was meowing so urgently it sounded like he was scolding him: “Stay here and be good. Don’t go near the window. I’ll go get that bird.”
Cen Nian’s meowing stopped abruptly, his little mouth still open to reveal his sharp teeth. He understood! At this moment, Cen Nian even felt a telepathic connection with Yu Shen.
He instinctively reacted like a human and obediently nodded.
Yu Shen glanced at him, then wasted no more time opening the floor-to-ceiling window. Instantly, wind and rain gushed in, blowing Cen Nian’s whiskers back as he squinted from the sofa, feeling the icy spray of water on his face.
Before he knew it, Yu Shen had stepped outside wearing only a white T-shirt and black athletic shorts, getting soaked in an instant. If Cen Nian had been the one to go out, he’d probably be flying through the air by now.
Cen Nian lifted his pink little paw and pressed it onto the cushion, stretching his neck to watch tensely.
“Meow, ” (Go for it!)
Yu Shen, relying on his 190 cm height and weight, walked steadily and quickly to the tree in the heavy wind and rain. In this light, it was impossible to see what was up there, but he was certain there was a nest.
Under these conditions, he trusted himself more than a ladder. Climbing a tree was no difficult task for him.
When Cen Nian saw Yu Shen start climbing the tree bare-handed, he was stunned for several seconds. After that, unable to put his mind at ease, he forgot Yu Shen’s instructions, jumped off the sofa, and ran toward the floor-to-ceiling window. He could clearly feel the air becoming more humid as he drew closer, making his progress more difficult.
As a little cat, his vision in the dark was superb. Finally, after struggling to reach the window, he tilted his small head, leaving only his eyes exposed, and clearly saw the situation of the nest in the tree. The nest was leaning to one side, very precarious.
He saw the heads of two little chicks chirping, but he didn’t see the mother bird.
Cen Nian found it strange. In a situation like this, the mother bird wouldn’t fail to protect her young. Could it be that she wasn’t around?
Meanwhile, the mother bird was far away, struggling to fly back against the torrential rain. The storm had come so suddenly that her small body could barely stay steady in the howling wind. Raindrops pelted her wings mercilessly, weighing her down and pushing her lower and lower. For every three meters she gained, she was blown back four.
But the mother bird refused to give up.
Soaked to the bone, Yu Shen climbed the tree. Squinting through the downpour, he spotted the unfinished nest on a branch. The cotton Cen Nian had brought earlier remained unused, and now, sodden and heavy, it threatened to tip the incomplete nest over.
Cen Nian watched anxiously, certain the nest was about to fall. Hurry, hurry up…
Yu Shen lifted his arm to clear the branch beside him, reaching awkwardly for the nest on another limb. Fortunately, his long arms and fingers should have been enough to reach it.
Cen Nian’s tiny claws clenched tight. Go for it!
His fingertips were just about to touch the nest when a bolt of lightning struck the sky directly above his head. In an instant, the world in Cen Nian’s eyes was bleached completely white.
His heart hammered. Damn it, I should have stayed away from the tree in the rain. That flash of lightning seemed to be guiding the coming thunder straight to them.
By the time Cen Nian’s vision cleared, all he saw was the bird’s nest falling from the tree trunk.
The little kitten, who had been swaying precariously behind the window, shot out in a blur. At that moment, only one thought filled Cen Nian’s mind: If I can just get there in time, I can cushion the fall!
But the instant he dashed out, the wind knocked him flat on his back.
As he fell, his large blue eyes remained fixed on the nest. Suddenly, a large hand appeared beneath it. His eyes widened even further as the hand caught the nest steadily. The two small chicks inside were jolted halfway out before wobbling back in.
Cen Nian lay on the grass, which reeked of wet earth from the rain. Mud splattered his clean fur. His heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled halfway back down. He struggled to get up, his little paws digging into the grass.
Yu Shen found it difficult to descend with the nest in his hand. With his right hand occupied, he had to hug the tree trunk with his arm. Still, it wasn’t much of a problem.
When he was still some distance from the ground, he used his long legs to leap straight down. After a slight slide upon landing, he stood firm and strode over to the miserable-looking Cen Nian, who had just managed to scramble to his feet. He scooped the kitten up and ran back toward the house.
Back in the room, Yu Shen closed the floor-to-ceiling window, placed the bird’s nest on the floor, and glanced at the little dummy in his arms.
Cen Nian was anxious to check on the little hatchlings and clung to Yu Shen’s arm, trying to get down.
“Meow, ” (Let me down quickly so I can check on them.)
Yu Shen’s expression was a mix of helplessness and resignation. He set Cen Nian down, then turned to grab a hairdryer and a towel from the bathroom. He gently pulled Cen Nian away from the bird’s nest, where he had been trying to communicate with the two little birds, wrapped him in a towel, and set him aside.
The two hatchlings, in much worse condition, needed to be treated first.
He carefully lifted them out, gently patted them dry with a towel, and then used the hairdryer from a distance to dry their feathers. Once they were dry, he placed them on a soft, dry cushion and covered them with a few tissues.
The two hatchlings chirped incessantly, calling for their mother. They were still too young to communicate with Cen Nian properly.
Cen Nian watched them, his heart heavy with worry. He prayed that the mother bird would be alright. A sudden chill ran through him, and he shivered. Just then, droplets of water began to patter down on him. He looked up and met Yu Shen’s gaze, his eyes, usually a deep, bottomless black, now resembled a pool of floating, icy water.
He guiltily withdrew his little paws from under the towel. He had clearly told himself not to go out, yet here he was, clinging to Yu Shen’s leg. “Meow, ” (Thank you.)
He nudged closer, pressing himself against Yu Shen. “Meow-wooo.” (I know I was wrong. I should have listened. Please forgive me.)
He clung tightly to Yu Shen’s leg. Initially, he had been too anxious to apologize to notice, but now, looking up from this angle, he realized just how… substantial it was.
Ahem.
Cen Nian took a step back, averting his eyes. The soaked white T-shirt was nearly transparent, clinging to Yu Shen’s body and revealing the powerful, well-defined contours of his muscles.
They say there’s nothing sexier than a tease.
Even as a guy, Cen Nian couldn’t help but admire Yu Shen’s stunningly sexy physique. If he had hands, he’d want to pinch, touch, and feel just how hard those muscles were.
Yu Shen looked down at the miserable, dirty little cat meowing and acting spoiled. He couldn’t bring himself to scold him. Instead, he knelt down and used the towel to dry Cen Nian off.
Got him wrapped around my finger with my cute voice, Cen Nian gloated inwardly.
His gaze shifted, and he saw the inner side of Yu Shen’s right arm, it was flushed red with two distinct scratches. A dark splinter was embedded in the skin, and water droplets kept sliding down it.
Cen Nian was stunned. He got hurt?
Because he’d helped save the baby birds, and even now, he hadn’t even taken a moment to wipe himself off, focusing entirely on Cen Nian and the birds.
Cen Nian looked at the serious face before him, a bit disheveled, yet no less handsome, still exuding the noble air of a ruler from some mysterious kingdom.
He tilted his head, leaning it against the back of Yu Shen’s hand, and rubbed it gently.
“Mew mew.” (Thank you, and I’m sorry. When you go back in there, you have to cooperate fully and reform well so you can get out early and start your life over, okay?)
Yu Shen looked at the little idiot suddenly acting so clingy. He must know he was wrong and is trying to make amends.
He patted the cat’s head.
After getting Cen Nian dry and fluffy, Yu Shen went to take a shower. As for the scratches on his arm, they weren’t even worth considering a real injury, he didn’t spare them a second glance.
He planned to carry Cen Nian back upstairs to sleep, but Cen Nian refused to go.
He walked over to the cushion where the baby birds were resting, tucked his little paws neatly together, and looked up at Yu Shen, meowing several times. (I’m not going upstairs to sleep. I want to stay here with the baby birds and wait for their mother to come back, for my friends to return. It’s so dark and thundering outside; they’re too small, they’ll be scared.)
In that instant, Yu Shen understood his meaning from his gestures. If he hadn’t known that cats and birds couldn’t mate and have babies, he would have suspected these two birds were Little Idiot’s children, he was just that devoted.
After a moment’s thought, he gave up on insisting. He left a tiny crack in the floor-to-ceiling window for the mother bird and nudged the baby birds a bit closer to the glass. He would leave the light on so that if the mother bird returned, she could follow the light to find her children.
After setting everything up, he gave Cen Nian an extremely serious warning, even poking his little nose. “You are not allowed to run outside.”
Cen Nian, who hadn’t even considered it before, was suddenly struck by a realization. Yes, this is the perfect opportunity for me to run out! He tilted his head and rubbed against Yu Shen’s leg. “Meow.” (Don’t worry, I will definitely run away.)
Yu Shen thought…
It was raining so hard outside. A timid little cat like him wouldn’t dare go out, and besides, when he’d been playing in the courtyard earlier, he’d shown no intention of leaving.
Don’t worry, your mom will definitely be fine, Cen Nian thought, patting the two exhausted little ones who were about to fall asleep with his paw. He then pretended to be obedient for a while before starting his covert search of the first floor. He needed paper and a pen. Paper wasn’t essential, though, if he really had to, he could rummage through trash cans or find some on the street after he got outside.
But a pen? A pen was crucial.
He scampered into the kitchen on his short little legs, looking left and right. But with his limited height, there was so little he could see. After a fruitless search in the kitchen, he circled through the laundry room and the bathroom, visiting every possible spot before finally entering the guest room.
Using the light from the living room, he finally spotted the pen he needed on the bedside table.
Cen Nian’s eyes lit up. The height of the bedside table was a piece of cake for him now. With a casual leap, he landed on it, light and agile.
He crouched on the table, picked up the marker with both paws, and scribbled a test stroke on the surface. It had ink, perfect.
He wanted to meow with joy, but afraid of waking Yu Shen, he just secretly curled his three-lobed lips upward, his little tail wagging as he leaped down from the nightstand, oil pen held in his mouth.
He hopped back to the living room, tucking the pen beneath his body to hide it. Now, all he had to do was wait for the rain to stop. He hoped the mother bird would return before he left.
By the latter half of the night, Cen Nian couldn’t hold back his exhaustion and fell asleep. But with the heavy rain and thunder outside, he was jolted awake from time to time.
He lost count of how many times he’d opened his eyes, but by the time he did, the sky outside was already showing a hint of light. The all-night rain had completely washed the sky clean, and though it wasn’t fully bright yet, the air looked crisp and clear.
Cen Nian yawned, staring blankly as his eyelids lazily closed and opened, closed and opened again. After several repetitions, he suddenly snapped awake.
The perfect time to escape!
He glanced upstairs, not daring to waste a moment. Every time he woke up, Yu Shen was gone, and he had no idea what time the man usually got up. He looked at the still-sleeping baby birds. Be good and wait for your mama to come back, okay? Don’t worry, that man might not be friendly to humans, but he’s quite kind to small animals. He won’t hurt you.
He hadn’t even realized it, but he actually trusted Yu Shen quite a bit.
Picking up the pen he’d found the night before, he looked back up at the apartment. His large blue eyes held a complex expression. I hope that by the time the police get here, you’ll have finished your meal. When they arrive, you’d better be good, don’t resist. Try to confess fully to get a lenient sentence.
“Meow,” he chirped softly. I’m off.
Cen Nian turned around with grim determination. Justice would prevail. He squeezed through the gap in the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the yard that filled him with dread. The victim, too, would see the light of day again, be taken home by their family, and receive a burial with dignity.
He stepped into the yard, his paw landing on green grass covered in dew, which shimmered with a rainbow of colors in the rising sun.
Everything felt so full of hope.
Cen Nian circled the tree, sighing in relief when he saw no sign of the mother bird. He made his way to the end of the yard, where a wrought-iron fence stood. Though the gaps were narrow, cats were liquid, after all.
He stepped forward, brimming with confidence, ready to slip through.
Clack. A faint sound rang out.
The impact nearly knocked Cen Nian backward. His large eyes stared at the pen, held horizontally in his mouth and now caught by the fence. He felt his intelligence had been insulted.
He spat the pen out, then picked it up vertically in his mouth, wiggled his little butt, and successfully squeezed through. He circled around to the front gate and glanced at the house number: 2407.
After memorizing the number, he looked up at the house. He hadn’t seen its full exterior from the car on his way here, and only now did he realize it was truly a beautiful home.
The walls were gray, the roof black, the small courtyard was brimming with life, and there was a pebble-strewn path.
He really liked it here.
The little cat sighed, his departing figure looking pitiful and sorrowful. Cen Nian sniffled, but still couldn’t stop himself from crying. He actually quite liked this owner; he felt he could truly live with him for a lifetime.
He didn’t like “cat-sniffing” (being pampered by owners), and he himself didn’t like being “sniffed”, they were a perfect match. What a pity…
But regret couldn’t stop him. Early in the morning, the villa district was already sparsely populated with few cars. At this hour, it was so quiet that only his small figure could be seen, walking resolutely forward along the road.
He needed to find a street sign to know which road this was and the house number. With that, he would have the complete address of the house and could go to the police station.
His goal was clear.
Cen Nian stared at the road ahead. It looked close, but he just couldn’t seem to reach it. He kept walking and walking, his short little legs almost kicking up sparks from the effort.
Finally, he didn’t know how long he had been walking, but the sun was fully out in the sky, and he had finally reached the intersection.
Before he could even catch his breath and collapse in relief,
“Woof!”
With a menacing bark, a terrifying shadow appeared at the intersection ahead.
His natural enemy, a stray dog, had appeared!!