[So it was you, you little glutton, who ate it]
In the end, Lu Jin did not yield to Lu Ting’an’s “tyranny”—he refused to take the cat.
He truly couldn’t bring himself to like black cats. Usually, if he saw a black stray on the street, he’d go out of his way to avoid it. Besides, there was already a dog at the gate back home; if the cat and dog didn’t get along and started fighting, the only one getting hurt would be this weak little thing.
Of course, there was one more crucial point: this black cat didn’t look like it had long to live.
In just a short amount of time, it had left numerous bloodstains on Lu Ting’an’s light-colored jacket, mottled and messy. Because the cat was black, it was hard to tell for sure, but it might have already sustained severe internal or external injuries—it was likely at the end of its rope.
“Young Master, it’s not that I don’t want to raise it—”
“It’s exactly that you don’t want to.”
Lu Jin admitted it. “…Fine. But I’ve been a driver for the Lu family for nearly twenty years. You know I’m not home during the day, and sometimes I’m on call at night. I really don’t have time to look after a cat. Young Master, if I don’t go home for three or five days, wouldn’t it just starve into a feline raisin?”
Lu Ting’an huffed. “Fine. Lean, dark, and tiny. Very trendy.”
Lu Jin: “?”
Seeing that Lu Jin truly disliked the black cat, Lu Ting’an stopped forcing him.
After thinking for a moment, he had Lu Jin go to the Bing shop to ask for a cardboard box. He placed the cat, still wrapped in his jacket, into the box and settled it in the backseat.
He couldn’t just leave it behind. There were too many people and cars on this road; if a wounded cat was dumped by the wayside, it wouldn’t escape death.
Since there were so many servants at home anyway, and he wouldn’t be the one personally taking care of it, Lu Ting’an allowed his compassion to take the lead.
In the car, the box with the cat sat on the far left of the backseat, while Lu Ting’an sat on the far right. The space in between was large enough to fit two more people.
“Uncle Jin, is there a pet hospital nearby?” Lu Ting’an asked.
Uncle Jin thought about it. “There are some. If I remember correctly, there’s a dog and cat clinic and a few veterinary stations, but at this hour, the doctors have long since gone home. The earliest we could take it would be tomorrow morning.”
Hearing this, Lu Ting’an let out a soft sigh. “Whether you live or die depends on your fate now.”
As if it understood, the cat—lying limp on the jacket—struggled to lift its head and gave him a weak “meow-wu” before quickly closing its eyes again.
The whole way back, Lu Ting’an wondered if stray animal rescue centers even existed in this era. If they did, he wanted to send it there. With the rise of pet ownership in the coming decades, abandoned cats and dogs would become more common, leading to a surge in the stray population.
In his past life, Lu Ting’an had been an influential public figure. While he didn’t own pets himself, he had privately followed stray animal shelters and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy food.
‘Food… food?’
A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind. Lu Ting’an suddenly leaned forward and grabbed the bag of sesame Bing Lu Jin had placed in the passenger seat.
Lu Jin glanced strangely into the rearview mirror. “Young Master, I thought you didn’t like sesame Bing?”
Lu Ting’an didn’t answer.
He took out a Bing and tore it in half, starting from the paper wrapper. The crust was charred and fragrant, and the inside was packed with meat, bursting with savory juices.
He placed the meatier half in front of the black cat. To get its attention, Lu Ting’an gave it a little shake to make the aroma spread faster.
At first, the cat didn’t react; only the slight rising and falling of its belly showed signs of life. But after a few seconds, its dark little nose twitched twice.
“Meow…”
It opened its pale brown eyes and looked at Lu Ting’an. After a long moment, as if confirming the delicious meat was truly for itself, it shakily propped up its front legs and took the first bite of the Bing.
Lu Jin had never seen Lu Ting’an so patient.
A starved cat eats very slowly; it took all its strength just to stand, let alone chew and swallow meat. Yet Lu Ting’an wasn’t annoyed. He remained bent over, holding the largest piece by its mouth. Fearing it might choke, he even opened a bottle of water and poured it directly into the hood of his windproof, waterproof jacket.
Ten minutes later, it had finally finished the meat filling from half the Bing. It had wanted to eat the bread part too, but it was taken away before the cat could get its teeth into it.
The Lu Villa
Lately, Lu Chenhu had been making a point of getting home before Lu Ting’an finished work. He pushed off social engagements whenever possible and declined all entertainment. When friends in the business world asked why he was acting so out of character, he explained he wanted to be home to accompany his son.
However, only Lu Chenhu knew the real reason.
The peaceful days in Hong Kong wouldn’t last much longer.
For some reason, this thought had been frequently appearing in Lu Chenhu’s mind. His son’s health was deteriorating, and unexpected discrepancies were appearing in his business. All of this led to an inner unease, making him more and more focused on the supernatural and the divine.
This afternoon, Lu Chenhu hadn’t even gone to the office. He had attended an auction and spent a fortune on a jade Buddha pendant and a statue.
“Be gentle with your hands and feet. The master said the Buddha statue must not face the main entrance directly. Adjust the position carefully; there mustn’t be a speck of dust on the altar.”
In the living room, Lu Chenhu was strictly supervising, ordering the servants to properly enshrine the statue he had brought back.
The area for the altar had previously been occupied by a priceless antique vase. It took two servants working together to carefully move it down.
They didn’t even dare set it on the floor for fear of chipping it. “Sir, where should we place this vase?”
Lu Chenhu looked at the exquisite vase. Just as he was about to think of a spot, he heard movement at the door.
He immediately stopped thinking. “Whatever. Just put it in the warehouse for now.”
As the words left his mouth, he was already rushing enthusiastically to the door to greet the newcomer.
The servants: “…”
The “warehouse” Lu Chenhu mentioned wasn’t some messy storage room for junk. The Lu villa spanned hundreds of square meters, and the basement contained a professional exhibition hall for Lu Chenhu’s antiques. The items there were either things he had bought on a whim or treasures he used to love but now felt indifferent toward.
Once something entered that warehouse, Lu Chenhu only looked at it on the rare occasion he remembered it. Otherwise, they remained tucked away from the light.
But this vase had been his favorite for the past two years; he’d stroke it whenever he had a spare moment. Was it really okay to just put it in the basement?
The two servants shared a look. After a moment of hesitation, they chose not to ask again.
“Forget it. Sounds like the Young Master is back. The Master’s mind is no longer on this vase.”
The other nodded. “We’ll just bring it back up if he remembers it later. Hurry up—my palms are sweating from nerves. I’m going to lose my grip on this thing in a second.”
Not daring to delay, the two hurried to escort the vase down to the basement gallery.
At the door, Lu Chenhu finally saw Lu Ting’an, who was currently changing his shoes.
“You’re back? Well? Was work tiring today?”
Lu Ting’an leaned over to set his shoes neatly in the rack. “It was alright.”
Lu Chenhu had a smile plastered across his face, waiting expectantly for him to say more. But several moments passed, and not a single word more escaped Lu Ting’an’s mouth beyond those three.
“…”
Lu Chenhu was profoundly disappointed.
At the auction earlier today, he had sat with several other wealthy businessmen. Most rich people share a common trait: they judge a book by its cover. In front of ordinary people, they show off their luxury and wealth, finding satisfaction in the envious and jealous gazes of others. But when socializing with those of equal wealth and status, having a happy family and successful children becomes their primary capital for boasting.
Lu Chenhu had spent hours listening to them brag. One’s eldest daughter had been accepted into a top-tier university abroad; a younger son was following in his sister’s footsteps by getting into the best high school in Hong Kong; twin sons had just returned from studying overseas and started managing the family business, signing two major contracts in their first month. Then there was someone’s daughter, beautiful as a flower, who fell in love at first sight with someone else’s son, successfully bridging the two families.
Lu Chenhu had heard so many of these anecdotes and family histories that he was practically developing callouses on his ears.
He knew some of these things were said specifically for his benefit. Yes, his son had been a delinquent from a young age—couldn’t stand studying, was expelled before finishing high school, had a poor reputation, and was arrogant and overbearing.
But so what? No matter how “bad” he was, he was still Lu Ting’an, his only son. Besides, Ting’an was behaving himself now; he was changing.
Lu Chenhu felt nothing for the stories of “excellent” sons and daughters, but his ears had pricked up when they spoke of their children being respectful, filial, and talking to them about everything.
He considered himself a loving father; he gave his son whatever he wanted, only becoming stern when the boy got into trouble. So why was his son just not close to him?
Starting a job was such an exhausting thing, yet he came home without a single word of complaint… was it possible he was harboring resentment in his heart?
A wave of sorrow came rushing in, just reaching his ankles, when a hand as white as jade reached out. A bag of sesame Bing hung from one finger.
The mouth-watering aroma arrived faster than the emotion. Lu Chenhu’s eyes lit up, and his stomach gave a “gurgle.”
However—”Why is half a Bing missing?”
Lu Ting’an licked his lip, feeling a bit awkward. “A cat ate it.”
‘A cat?’
‘What cat? Didn’t Ting’an hate furry animals more than anything?’
Lu Chenhu took a bite of the Bing. The salty, savory flavor spread through his mouth, and his thoughts drifted away, floating back eighteen years.
Back then, Ting’an was just a toddler of three or four—innocent, adorable, and intensely curious about everything edible or playable. The Lu family business was just starting out back then, and because Lu Ting’an was so clingy, Lu Chenhu had no choice but to bring the nanny to the office so his son could stay under his watchful eye.
A three- or four-year-old is a true glutton. With one lapse in attention, half of Lu Chenhu’s lunch would be devoured, with grains of rice and soup splashed everywhere…
Recalling these old memories, Lu Chenhu felt as if the person standing before him wasn’t the adult Lu Ting’an, but that fair-skinned, chubby child who was always reaching out for a hug.
Paternal love exploded in an instant. The way he looked at Lu Ting’an turned into a gaze of pure, rounded affection.
“Hahaha, so it was you, you little glutton, who ate it.”
Lu Ting’an: “…”
‘Do you even hear yourself?’
Lu Jin, holding the cardboard box and having just reached the door: “…”
The black cat in the box, having regained a bit of energy: “…Meow?”
Lu Chenhu: “…”
Slowly turning his head, Lu Chenhu locked eyes with the black cat’s pale brown, glass-like gaze. He decided that, in this lifetime, he would probably never like cats.