Fu Yu’s second half of the sentence was very quiet. Though it was clearly a question, he spoke as if afraid someone might overhear.
Ruan Luo didn’t hear it.
Fu Yu PUA’d himself: If he doesn’t refuse, it means he agrees.
So, his long, slender fingers with their strong knuckles slowly reached out.
While Ruan Luo was looking down, applying the fur-care cream to the kitten, Fu Yu’s hand gently descended.
When he touched the soft hair, Fu Yu paused, searching Ruan Luo’s face for any reaction. Seeing none, his fingers lowered a few more inches.
Ruan Luo still didn’t react.
Fu Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he cautiously smoothed down a stray lock of Ruan Luo’s hair.
As he withdrew his hand, he twisted his fingers as if unconsciously savoring the sensation.
Only then did Ruan Luo look up at Fu Yu, his expression one of utter confusion.
Fu Yu quickly changed the subject, taking over the responsibility of grooming the cat’s fur.
Ruan Luo just crouched beside him, hugging his knees. He looked back and forth between the cat and Fu Yu. He felt like Fu Yu had touched his hair, but he had no evidence.
Later, when it was time to blow-dry the cat’s fur, Fu Yu carried the kitten out of the bathroom.
Ruan Luo followed him like a little tail, sticking to him like glue.
Fu Yu found himself increasingly convinced of how deeply Ruan Luo was smitten with the cat. This cat’s charm was just too powerful; it was practically a “Ruan Luo Trap.”
To confirm his new discovery, Fu Yu didn’t use the hairdryer in the bedroom. Instead, he used the excuse that the hairdryer was on the first floor and carried the cat downstairs. Sure enough, Ruan Luo followed closely behind him, behaving like a total angel.
When had Fu Yu ever received such special treatment since transmigrating here?
He was getting a little addicted to it.
Even after the cat’s fur was dry, he insisted on carrying it all over the place, claiming he was looking for a good spot to let the cat get some fresh air. In reality, he was just using the cat as bait to lure Ruan Luo all over the house.
Ruan Luo was completely smitten with the cat, following him through every hallway, up and down the stairs…
After running around the house for a while, Fu Yu finally felt he was going a bit too far.
He put an end to his “beastly” behavior and placed the cat on his own bedroom balcony, still relishing the moment. “The view is better here. The cat will like it.”
“Can I play with the cat here for a while before I go to sleep?” Ruan Luo asked, leaning against the doorframe with hopeful eyes.
Fu Yu suppressed the urge to grin and gave a soft “Mhm.” “Sure.”
After the rain, the sky darkened quickly.
Outside, the world was pitch-black, with only the lights from inside the house glowing in the dark.
Ruan Luo’s skin glowed white under the lights. When he made his request, his voice was incredibly soft and gentle. It made Fu Yu, a man who never touched sweets, suddenly crave a bite of milk cake.
At this moment, Ruan Luo gave him that exact impression. He was too much like a piece of white jade milk cake, even three degrees softer.
The air fell silent, broken only by the kitten’s occasional meows and the faint tick-tock of the Swarovski clock on the wall.
Fu Yu stood in the doorway, water glass in hand, watching the man and the cat on the balcony.
In Fu Yu’s life, there were few moments when he slowed his pace to quietly appreciate something.
Outside the balcony stood a ginkgo tree planted by the Fu family a century ago. Now towering high, its green leaves swayed in the moonlight. When the wind blew, one or two, even three leaves would drift down onto the balcony.
Fu Yu’s mood had been excellent, but as a thought surfaced, he even lost the desire to drink his water.
When the ginkgo tree turns gold, will Ruan Luo still be here?
Fu Yu pinched the space between his brows, dispelling these heavy emotions.
Today, this cat had actually brought a turning point to the stalemate between them, hadn’t it?
Fu Yu watched as Ruan Luo played with the cat in their room, speaking to it in a hushed, careful voice.
Fu Yu picked up his glass and headed for the door. Before leaving, he told Ruan Luo, “I’m going to the study to handle some work. You can play on your own. Go to sleep if you get tired.” He wanted to add, If you really want to play with the cat, you can sleep with it.
But Fu Yu held back. He felt he needed to maintain control over this “Ruan Luo-luring device.”
Ruan Luo murmured an obedient “I’ll remember.”
Fu Yu’s legs felt heavy. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Ruan Luo, do you want to see me when you wake up tomorrow?”
Ruan Luo lifted his face, looking at Fu Yu from the balcony, a whole bedroom away. After a brief hesitation, he nodded.
Fu Yu wanted to ask: Is it because the cat is here with me? Or is it because you’ve grown used to seeing me every morning?
Ultimately, he asked nothing.
He gently closed the door behind him, giving Ruan Luo his own space.
Fu Yu went to the study and called Song Qi to share his new discovery.
The background noise on Song Qi’s end was a chaotic blend of music and chatter.
“Boss,” Song Qi’s voice drawled, “what are your orders?”
Fu Yu said, “We’ve gotten a cat.”
On the other end, Song Qi picked his ear. “What the hell? You don’t need to consult me about getting a cat, do you?”
Fu Yu chuckled softly. “It’s for Ruan Luo. He really likes it.”
Song Qi tried to twist the knife. “You’re not a cat. Him liking cats doesn’t mean he likes you.”
Fu Yu walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Through the study’s polished black glass, he looked down at the ginkgo tree below. “He likes it so much that he’ll even approach me when I’m holding the cat. And as long as he’s not paying attention to the distance between us, his body even forgets its instinctive fear of me.”
The noise on Song Qi’s end quieted as he deliberately moved to a more silent environment. “Fu Yu, I have to admit, you’ve taken excellent care of him. Otherwise, he would never develop feelings of ‘liking’ for anything external. If he doesn’t feel secure, he’ll be completely consumed by his own struggle, living in constant dread, with no energy left to care about anything else.”
Song Qi paused. “Getting a cat… was a brilliant move on your part.”
Just as they were talking, a sudden voice interrupted them: “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! So you’re hiding here. Come out, come out! Why the hell are you calling me?”
“…Shh, it’s my boss.”
“Damn it, your boss is just my buddy Fu Yu. What’s gotten into him lately, trying to have phone marathons with us? He fucking called me this afternoon, too. I asked him to come out and play, but he wouldn’t. Now it’s your turn to have a phone marathon with him. Unbelievable.”
There was a rustling sound on the other end of the line. Ten seconds later, the person on Song Qi’s end changed. Ji Chenxi’s voice, tinged with the lively buzz of alcohol, came through: “Fu Yu, why are you calling Song Qi again? Did you just learn how to use a phone? Do you have to call everyone on your list?”
Before Fu Yu could even speak, Song Qi started chatting with Ji Chenxi.
Song Qi: “He’s asking about his wife. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately, but he’s finally turned over a new leaf and started acting like a decent human being. He’s pampering his wife like crazy. I’m starting to suspect he’s up to some new trick. But since I have no proof, I can’t really justify isolating him anymore.”
Ji Chenxi cursed under his breath. Perhaps the alcohol was finally hitting him, as his voice sounded thick and muffled. He punched Song Qi in the arm, half-joking, drawing a low grunt from the other man.
“Song Qi, you’re blind,” Ji Chenxi said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
“Huh?” Song Qi didn’t follow.
Ji Chenxi scoffed. “He’s not that ‘Fu Yu.’ Can’t you tell? I figured it out this afternoon.”
He chuckled darkly into the phone. “You’re not ‘Fu Yu, ‘ or at least, you’re not that Fu Yu. The one who’s cold, ruthless, and beats Ruan Luo. Am I right?”
Song Qi froze.
Ji Chenxi’s tone suddenly turned serious. “Now that we’ve laid it all out, why don’t you tell us? Are you an impostor who’s taken his place, or are you the real one? We’re your friends. Please, tell us, okay?”
Fu Yu went silent. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, “Send me your location.”