Chapter 19: 19

Chapter 19: The Missing Kitty

　　Time flew like an arrow. In a blink of an eye, the holiday season was here. Truth is, in the Interstellar era, humans were able to control the weather so that it’d constantly be kept at a liveable climate, but in the spirit of tradition, they kept the summer and winter vacations. The summer holidays weren’t too hot, so children could still twitter about their holidays like birds.

　　The cooking livestreams Lin Ning had been making lately were all light, cooling meals, so he’d been incorporating lots of fruits into each session. After cooking the main meal in each livestream, he’d prepare some fresh fruits that he’d carve into rabbits, cats, little dragons, and other carvings. He heard that his younger audience and female fans loved those. 

　　The only thing that made him worry was how energetic Xizai was. It woke up at the crack of dawn every day, its body clock so exact it couldn’t have been natural. If he ever tried to stay in bed past his alarm, Xizai would step all over his face s if they had no time to waste. As the days passed, Lin Ning gradually gained the ability to scoop the kitty’s little paws out of his face before they could land, faster than lightning. 

　　Sometimes, Xizai would slip out and walk around on its own. Lin Ning had no idea where it went each time, but it never missed dinner. Whenever dinner time came around, the kitty came trotting back home, sitting poised in front of him, and staring sternly as its long, fluffy tail curled around its two front paws. But its eyes always twinkled in earnest patience while it waited for its food.

　　That day, Lin Ning had just returned from paying rent. He peeled off his shoes and clothes, preparing for a bath. Ever since he found out that the kitty took its own secret baths, Lin Ning gave up on trying to wash it. Still, both of them loved being clean, so showering was a frequent activity.

　　“Xizai, I bought you a new little plate. It’s super cute, you know. And it’s custom-made. Wanna take a look?”

　　He didn’t get a reply. Lin Ning circled the room, but the kitty was nowhere to be found. He thought that maybe Xizai was sleeping, but he couldn’t find it in the cat bed either.

　　“Xizai?”

　　Lin Ning was getting worried. Before leaving the house, the cat would always meow to him or at least leave its fish plushie by the door to show that it was going out. This was the first time the kitty didn’t leave any signs before leaving.

　　He washed his hands and began preparing dinner, thinking that the kitty would come back once the food was ready, just in time for a nice bite of warm rice. Byt by the time Lin Ning was done and had the table set up, Xizai still wasn’t back. Night inked slowly over the sky, and the loneliness was like a large, dark hand caging down on him. The uneasiness in his heart gradually worsened. Lin Ning stood up and grabbed a flashlight, draping a shirt over him before rushing out the door.

　　“Xizai? Where are you?” It had been twenty minutes. Lin Ning searched the entire block — he even checked the parking lot and lobby — but the cat was nowhere to be found. He ran, panting as his heart pounded. He had to widen his search. He’d gone through the entire residential area, especially the place where he first met the kitty. He came up empty-handed.

　　“XIZAI!!!” Lin Ning’s voice was hoarse, like the wail of a snapping rubber band.

　　Night fell. People passed by. For the first time after coming into this world, Lin Ning felt helpless. He rarely interacted with the rest of the community — the cat’s company was comfort enough. He may have given the cat a home, but the cat gave him companionship and consolation. He relied on the cat more than he ever imagined.

　　Lin Ning went to the property management office in hopes of a glimpse of the cat in the CCTV footage, but it was hopeless. He’d been frantic for hours now… He was tired. Xizai was a good kitty, maybe it returned while he was out. And so he dragged his body back home. The lights were still on — he hadn’t bothered to switch them off when he left.

　　The room was empty, and the dishes were cold. His heart sank.

　　The photon tablet buzzed. Lin Ning pounced on it, thinking the property management found his cat, but instead, he found even more unhappy news.

　　[Jiang Feng]: [You’d better listen to me. Don’t cause trouble for yourself. Just give me the thing.]

　　[Jiang Feng]: [Have you made up your mind?]

　　[Jiang Feng]: [I can give you what you want.]

　　A streak of disgust crossed over Lin Ning. He didn’t reply but took a screenshot of the messages before blocking the horrible number. Jiang Feng had been after him lately like a mad dog, demanding a song now that the public was beginning to ask questions about the unreleased album he’d promised. Lin Ning didn’t need to pay him any attention — all that mattered now was Xizai.

　　He rushed downstairs after taking a gulp of water. Even though midnight was approaching, the streetlights were still bright out — the city’s nightlife was only just starting. The busier the city, the more the night stayed as noisy as the day, especially when it came to the city Lin Ning was in — the busiest city on the main planet in the galaxy.

　　He reached a quay crane. As he watched the stream of cars pass by, he fell into silence. Under the warm yellow streetlight, the thin white shirt he wore peeked through his half-buttoned shirt. The tip of his nose was pink from the night breeze and his cheeks were flushed from running. His eyes wandered around, a look of helplessness on his face. There were already people watching him, pointing at him.

　　“Woah, look! That guy’s hot.”

　　“Maybe he’s a celebrity. Our city’s got loads of them, after all.”

　　“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before… in a TV program, I think? Maybe I should take a picture…”

　　“Hey, he looks a little like that guy… Uh, the one from that idol show…”

　　Lin Ning flinched, not wanting the trouble of being recognized to fall further onto his plate. He reached into his shirt to retrieve his mask and sunglasses, then realize he’d left them at home.

　　He lowered his head and rushed out of the place. He walked and walked, gradually moving away from the crowd. His throat throbbed, too dry to make anything more than a hiss. As he reached a corner, a luxurious black sedan parked by the roadside came into view. The car doors were opened. Two men were talking outside.

　　Lin Ning didn’t pay heed. He continued searching.

　　“Xizai! Where are you?”

　　His voice box felt as if it was tearing apart, and it hurt so much he fell into a fit of coughing. The voice that came out was brittle and weak, his throat completely wounded. He couldn’t care less, though — after all, his voice was never important to him, to begin with. It’d heal once he took some medicine. But if he couldn’t find Xizai….

　　Fear surged in his heart. All kinds of images went into his head. He bit his lip, despair pouring out of his body. He already couldn’t see his family, and now he lost Xizai. The emotions were beginning to crack out of him as the corners of his eyes reddened.

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　　Li Chengyan was talking to Liu Yue, but the moment he heard a voice go “Xizai”, followed by a patter of coughs, he froze. The person seemed to be searching for something desperately. Even the corners of his eyes were dyed a brittle red, standing out from his pale skin and beautiful face. The young man only wore a thin shirt underneath his button-up, giving him the illusion of being thin and sickly.

　　His adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he rubbed it with his fingertips. The person seemed to not have noticed his presence yet. He was quickly approaching them, almost as if he was about to brush past him.

　　Li Chengyan’s eyes squinted, his hand instinctively reaching out to grab the passing man’s thin wrist. As a breeze blew past the man’s pretty face, strands of his hair danced along his forehead, revealing a pair of eyes that were as deep as a cold pool of water.

　　Lin Ning wasn’t prepared to be grabbed by a stranger. He stumbled as if he was about to crash towards the ground. It wasn’t that he was that fragile, it was just that he’d gotten tired of constantly running and searching that his legs were at their limit.

　　“Ah, be careful—!” Liu Yue, who stood beside him, reached out to steady him.

　　Lin Ning had enough consciousness in him to grab onto the lapel of the stranger’s shirt, but he pulled so suddenly, the entire weight of his body fell onto the person.

　　But the man grabbed him by the waist, steadying him.

The two were inches apart, his warm breath brushing across Lin Ning’s temple. It was only then that Lin Ning realized how tall this man was. The hand on his waist, warm and strong, was gone just as soon as it got there. The hand on his wrist didn’t loosen, though.

　　“You…” Lin Ning looked at the man. Not only was his posture straight and eye-catching, he even had the sort of face that made girls melt like puddles. His eyes were dark and deep, while his lips were thin and pursed. But his face was cold, emitting an intimidating aura that made him seem unapproachable… Though, he also carried a brilliance sharper than a dazzling knife.

　　Lin Ning steadied himself and then swung his hand. The man finally let go of his wrist.

　　“……” Who was this person? And why did he grab him so suddenly? Lin Ning eyed the man carefully, feeling as if he’d seen him somewhere before. He knew he did, but he couldn’t recall where exactly at the moment. Still, he didn’t want to stay to chat. If he was a person the original owner of this body knew well, he’d be exposing himself, and that would be bad.

　　One does not move if the enemy doesn’t. Lin Ning and the man stayed silent, staring at each other. But it got awkward after some time, so Lin Ning shifted his eyes away.

　　The feeling of being stared at by a guy as ridiculously handsome as that man was pressuring. Lin Ning couldn’t hold eye contact any longer.

　　Liu Yue was dumbfounded. He awkwardly retracted his hand. The atmosphere between them was weird, but he couldn’t bring himself to ruin it.

　　“I… cough cough– I came out- cough– to look for my cat… cough cough—!” Lin Ning turned his head away to cough, his throat so hoarse he could barely make a sound. “Have any of- cough– you seen- cough cough– a cat— Ah—!” Lin Ning just wanted to ask and get out of their way, but the man snatched him off the ground — bridal style — and stuffed him into his car.

　　!!!

　　A million thoughts raced through Lin Ning’s mind. He was definitely getting kidnapped! In his panic, he tried to reach for his photon tablet, but his aim was off.

He brushed the man’s thigh instead!

He swore he felt the man’s muscles tense. If that leg ever tried to kick him, he had no doubt that his bones would break. It scared him so much, his hand snapped back as if he’d been shocked.

　　“Don’t move.” The man’s low voice drifted in the car, like the voice of a dungeon monster. He turned his head to say to the other man, “Liu Yue, drive over to a private hospital.”

　　!!!

　　Lin Ning was even more scared now. He felt as if he’d been drenched in cold water. Were they going to sell his organs to a black market hospital?!!!

 

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When Lin Ning was still a little baby brat, he had zero interest in cooking.

His dad tried to tempt him: How about baking a cake, Lin Ning?

Little Dumpling Lin Ning: No. Daddy’s bad. Lin Ning doesn’t like cooking.

Dad: Then does Ning Ning want a bride? Once you’ve learned to cook, a beautiful little wife will like you.

Lin Ning puffed up his little dumpling face: Don’t want a wife. I want a kitty to like me.

Dad (who always got the feeling that his son would be kidnapped by a cat): …No cats as pets. (sternly)

Lin Ning hmph-ed, then ran to hug his mom: Mommy, when I grow up, I want a pet kitty!

The kitty’s ears twitched, little fireworks of joy blooming in its heart.

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