The weather in Yan City at the end of September was still as fickle as ever.
The morning had been blazing with sunlight, but by afternoon the sky had completely changed, a torrential downpour accompanied by rumbling thunder sweeping rapidly across the entire city. The rain was so heavy that every college at Yan University had to issue notices suspending classes.
By early evening, the rain had eased.
Raindrops pattered urgently and dully against the umbrella canopy. Jiang Lu squatted beneath his umbrella, quietly gazing at his fingertips under the pale streetlamp. His fingertips retained a healthy pink glow, showing not the slightest sign of turning transparent.
Jiang Lu breathed a sigh of relief, gently poking the warm, soft flesh on the cat’s back: “Good thing I still have you, baby. You’re so good.”
The calico cat squatted in front of him, gobbling down the cat food he had brought. It didn’t understand whatever he was muttering about, but still gave a polite meow all the same.
Jiang Lu smiled, looked at his fingertips once more, and pressed his lips together.
This pregnant calico cat was a stray that had suddenly appeared at the North Small Gate some time ago. It was chubby, almost hiding its neck, and a heavy little gold pig pendant hung beneath its fluffy chin. It was clearly very well cared for by an owner, but for some reason, it had been wandering outside for so long, and its owner seemingly had never come looking for it.
He came to feed it every day, so he had already grown familiar with it.
Aside from genuinely liking it, the reason was also because his body would begin to turn transparent under certain specific circumstances, just like an eraser wiping away a sketch, bit by bit erasing the traces of his existence.
This was not a hallucination of his own, and only he could see this change.
In the eyes of others, he simply inexplicably lost his presence. The most severe time happened when he stood right in front of someone, yet the other person walked straight toward him as if turning a blind eye, only realizing his existence when they bumped into him.
Others couldn’t figure out the reason, but Jiang Lu knew why.
When he suddenly transmigrated over from seventeen years ago and discovered that he was merely living inside a pampered-protagonist web novel as cannon fodder, he understood many things.
The world he lived in was just a pampered-protagonist novel, and the protagonist wasn’t him, but his parents’ adopted son. He was merely cannon fodder glossed over in a single stroke within the book.
Cannon fodder who only ever existed in the narration and in everyone else’s words as someone long since dead; someone who received no attention while alive, and would be forgotten by everyone after death.
How could such cannon fodder dare to defy the plot and exist?
Although he didn’t know why his traces hadn’t been directly wiped away, the moment everyone ignored him, a part of his body would begin to be erased by the eraser.
Yet the moment someone began to need him, he would return to normal.
People might not be accurate, because he discovered some time ago that cats could work too.
Jiang Lu blinked his eyelashes, poked the calico cat’s back again, and muttered to himself: “Can you always need me, little cat? I’ll work hard to make money and support you both.”
Its owner hadn’t come looking for it, so he could take it home too. Besides, who knows? Just like him, perhaps it was also abandoned and unwanted.
The calico cat raised its head and meowed again.
A shallow dimple formed at the corner of Jiang Lu’s lips, and he whispered, “You’re so cute.”
“Meow.”
Jiang Lu stroked its back, listening to the noisy sound of rain falling on the umbrella canopy, the corners of his lips lifting consistently.
In the places he deliberately stayed away from, the plot of this book was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
In the early stage of the plot, seventeen years ago, he had suddenly disappeared, but his parents, who usually always ignored his existence, went against the norm, pouring almost everything they had into searching for him. Yet, he vanished without a trace as if he had evaporated into thin air.
Consequently, consumed by grief, his parents adopted Jiang Ming, who was then only three years old and looked somewhat similar to him when he was a child, projecting all their love and yearning for him onto the boy.
At this time, Jiang Ming wasn’t yet called by this name; his name was Jiang Nianlu.
If Jiang Ming was merely an emotional projection of his parents toward him at this point, then a year later, when his mother gave birth to Jiang Nian, Jiang Ming’s status changed.
Because Jiang Nian loved this older brother Jiang Ming very much, treating him better than a biological brother.
Influenced by him, his parents completely sealed away their love and memories of him, treating Jiang Ming as an independent person to cherish, feeling guilty for treating him as a substitute for their eldest son, and changing his name from Jiang Nianlu to Jiang Ming.
Throughout his life, Jiang Ming was showered with love and smooth sailing, never suffering a single setback. Whatever he wanted, his adoptive parents, younger brother, and lovers would eagerly present to him with both hands without him ever shedding a single tear, making him the veritable protagonist of a pampered-protagonist novel.
Everything was wonderful.
Except for him, who had suddenly disappeared and now suddenly reappeared.
Originally, according to the book’s original plot, he should have passed away early and obediently served as background padding for the protagonist, rather than suddenly returning to the Jiang family like this and competing with Jiang Ming for affection.
Even though he had no intention of competing for affection whatsoever, Jiang Ming still felt terrified and insecure due to his appearance. Therefore, his parents and younger brother did not welcome him.
No one welcomed him, including his former friends and his childhood-sweetheart older brother.
His good friends had all grown into mature adults and had new, better social circles. Even though he tried hard to pick up their friendship again, he had more than once overheard them complaining that they no longer shared common topics with him and that it wasn’t as comfortable hanging out with Jiang Ming. Their past friendship had long vanished without a trace under the erosion of time, even though in Jiang Lu’s memory they had just yesterday been joyfully inviting him to play at the snowy mountains.
Meanwhile, his childhood-sweetheart older brother, who had been blushing to the roots of his ears just two days ago, bashfully confessing to him and begging him to agree to stay together after graduation, clearly favored Jiang Ming more as well; thus, since the other person didn’t like him, he didn’t welcome his return either.
He was probably the only glitch in this book, so the world’s rules wanted to erase his presence and fix the bug.
Therefore, every time he was ignored by others and fell into a state of not being needed and being overlooked by others, his body would turn transparent, and the world’s rules would begin to erase his existence.
The consequence of turning transparent might be death, having the traces of his existence completely wiped away; or it might be turning into an invisible person forever, where no one could hear him or see him until he died in eternal solitude.
Jiang Lu wasn’t afraid of death, but he was afraid of becoming a transparent person ignored by everyone. The mere thought of it made his whole body turn cold, as if plunging into a ten-thousand-year icy cave.
That was why he tried hard in front of his family and friends, working very hard to make himself needed by them. However, under the halo of Jiang Ming as the pampered protagonist and the influence of the plot, not only did none of them need him, but they also grew increasingly disgusted with him because of his efforts.
He wasn’t someone who couldn’t read the room, so he consciously distanced himself from them, seeking out places that needed him anew in this unfamiliar era.
Fortunately, when he transmigrated over, it happened to be his senior year of high school, catching up with this year’s National College Entrance Examination. Although the Gaokao seventeen years ago differed in content and format from the one of his time, and he no longer had the backing of those competition honors from back then, after cramming for a while, he still successfully entered Yan University.
This world was originally a giant scam, a massive cage trapping everyone, a Truman Show produced for people to consume and be amused by, with everyone following a designed script rigidly.
He wouldn’t join in; he could live very well on his own.
“So it was you feeding it.”
A gentle, clear voice interrupted his train of thought.
Jiang Lu subconsciously turned his head, his clear-as-water gaze piercing through the transparent umbrella canopy and landing on the young man standing behind him at some unknown time.
Rainwater trickled down along the umbrella surface. The streetlamp was very dim, and the young man’s figure almost blended into this pale curtain of rain. Jiang Lu could only vaguely make out that he was quite tall with a broad build, wearing a black windbreaker, and appearing silently beside a Porsche, holding an umbrella and lowering his head slightly to look at him.
Perhaps because he had accidentally gotten wet in the rain just moments ago, Jiang Lu didn’t notice a few sparkling droplets hanging on his face. Gazing at the other person, his tender cheeks were as fresh and pretty as flower buds moistened by morning dew.
He looked at Lin Xuan. His clear pupils were as pretty as his face, lucid and pure, reflecting defenselessly in the depths of this person’s eyes.
“Mhm.” Jiang Lu turned his head back. “Very few people come around here.”
That was why it needed him; as soon as the rain let up, he had rushed right over.
This person squatted down beside him. Their umbrellas were close together, yet without crossing the proper social distance, failing to make Jiang Lu feel offended.
The cat raised its head to look at this person, let out a sweet meow, rubbed against his palm, and went back to burying its head in ferocious eating, evidently recognizing this person.
Jiang Lu turned his head to look at him. Up close, he finally saw the person’s face clearly.
By coincidence, it was someone he also knew.
Lin Xuan.
The white light of the streetlamp illuminated Lin Xuan’s lazy and refined features. Perhaps contrasted by the night, his skin was very white, a nearly morbid whiteness, as if recovering from a severe illness, with little blood in his complexion. Yet his facial features were breathtakingly superior, his eye shape slightly slender, and his pupils pitch-black, flowing with a hint of morbidity.
If he hadn’t known him, Jiang Lu would have almost thought he had encountered a ghost.
Yet it went no further than knowing of him.
Lin Xuan, the crown prince of the Lin Group and this year’s Gaokao top scorer, had reportedly already secured direct admission to Yan University, yet still chose to take the Gaokao, entering the university in high profile with the top score in his major.
Other than that, Jiang Lu had no impression of him at all, because in the original text, Lin Xuan did not appear by Jiang Ming’s side and wasn’t any sort of important character.
“Are you also here looking for it?” Jiang Lu hugged his knees, thought about it, and asked.
“I’m here looking for you,” Lin Xuan said instead.
“Looking for me?” Jiang Lu was puzzled, not feeling that Lin Xuan knew him. “Why?”
“It’s about to give birth, so I plan to take it home.” Lin Xuan hooked the calico cat’s little gold pig pendant with his pale, cold fingers. “This is my cat.”
Jiang Lu’s heart suddenly sank slightly, his fingers curling up unconsciously.
Lin Xuan curved his lips slightly, tilting his head to look at him with gentle, refined features: “When I found it a couple of days ago, I discovered the cat shelter you made and the cat food you left, so I guessed someone was feeding it. I worried that if I took it home directly, whoever was feeding it might panic upon finding it gone.”
“I didn’t know who this person was or when they would come, so I had no choice but to spare some time every day to check this place. Fortunately, I waited for you today.”
Jiang Lu pressed his lips together lightly, his voice very soft, almost swallowed up by the rain: “You’ve been waiting for me this whole time today?”
“Mhm,” Lin Xuan said. “I’ve been here the whole time.”
Jiang Lu didn’t doubt his words.
It had been raining heavily all day, yet the fur on the calico cat was completely dry, with only its paws having gotten a bit wet just now; it was obviously impossible that it had been waiting in the rain the entire time.
Jiang Lu bit his lip unconsciously, feeling a bit saddened in his heart.
The thing he worried about had finally happened after all. The cat’s owner had come looking for it and wanted to take it away.
Lin Xuan was its owner and had the right to take it away. Besides, he could clearly provide a better environment for the kitten; he couldn’t stop the kitten from going with him just because of his own selfishness.
Yet after feeding it for so long, and with the cat being so pretty, hearing now that Lin Xuan was taking it away made Jiang Lu a little reluctant to let go.
And… if things were like this, the cat wouldn’t need him anymore.
The rain beating against the umbrella seemed a bit more urgent than before.
Jiang Lu lowered his eyelashes to look at his fingertips, which seemed to grow transparent slightly as if on the spot, and pressed his lips together.
Lin Xuan’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment, as if seeing through his reluctance, and he offered a sympathetic suggestion: “We can add each other on WeChat, classmate.”
“If you want to see it, you can come find me anytime. I live near the school.”
Jiang Lu didn’t hesitate for long before nodding: “Okay.”
He took out his phone, fumbled with it for a moment, brought up the QR code, and handed it to Lin Xuan. He only put it away after hearing the beep indicating a successful scan, and upon exiting the scanning page, he saw a message sent by his roommate a few minutes ago.
Xie Yu: [Xiaolu, did you go out of the campus?] [Bring me some food when you come back, anything is fine, I’m about to starve to death.] [Baby Xiaolu.] [Dad!] [I’ll kowtow to you.] [哐哐磕头.gif]
Xie Yu was a gaming streamer, and when Jiang Lu left the dorm, he was still streaming. Seeing that his fingertips were slowly solidifying, Jiang Lu replied: [Okay.]
After replying, he raised his head, cast a reluctant glance at the calico cat, and hesitated for a moment: “If it gives birth, can you let me know right away?”
He added softly: “I really like it.”
“Of course,” Lin Xuan agreed.
Jiang Lu immediately beamed with smiles, shook his phone, and said, “Thanks a lot! But I have some things to do, so I’ll get going first. The rain looks like it’s about to get heavy again; you should hurry up and take it back too. I’ll come find you if I want to see it.”
“Right,” he handed the remaining small dried fish and cat food to Lin Xuan, “take these back with you too. I can see it really likes them.”
Lin Xuan took them: “Okay.”
Jiang Lu touched the kitten’s head, smiled at Lin Xuan again, and said, “Bye-bye.”
The moment he turned around, the corners of his lips gradually flattened.
Yet he still left quickly.
He was dressed thinly, and the plastic bag had been tucked against his chest all along, stained with his body temperature. Lin Xuan’s fingertips pinched the thin layer of plastic film, as if wanting to catch that shred of residual warmth.
A gust of wind blew, and that pitiful bit of warmth vanished without a trace instantly, impossible to catch. Lin Xuan watched Jiang Lu’s slender figure gradually walking away, his eyelashes suddenly curving slightly.
The Porsche behind him opened its door. The driver stepped out, respectfully took his umbrella to escort him into the car, and cast a quick glance as he closed the door at the pretty calico peeking out from Lin Xuan’s arms and shaking off its fur.
He knew this cat.
This was a cat Young Master Lin had painstakingly pampered and raised, yet a month ago, he had deliberately sent it here, disguised as a stray, and made a male college student come feed it every day, while picking it up every single night, never tiring of the routine.
The driver didn’t dare to critique any of Lin Xuan’s actions and maintained complete silence throughout.
Lin Xuan wiped away the mud on the cat’s paws, patted the calico’s rump, and let it stay on the soft cushion.
He lowered his head to send a message to Jiang Lu. The faint glow of his phone surrounded his pale face, making it look even more like a ghostly phantom.
Jiang Lu was carefully dodging puddles. Although he had left decisively just moments before, he was still feeling sad right now.
With the cat and its owner reunited, he didn’t feel he had any reason to stay there.
Besides, he had selfish motives; staying too long made him afraid he might accidentally let something slip and make Lin Xuan mind.
Jiang Lu pressed his lips tightly together, and only upon arriving downstairs at the dorm building did he see the message Lin Xuan had sent him.
Lin Xuan: [Forgot to introduce myself just now, I’m Lin Xuan. Hello, classmate, nice to meet you ^_^]