Chapter 28: 28

Chapter 28: The Cat and Dog

It was night. Under the bright lights of the study room, a man in a white shirt flipped through a document. His hair was combed back, not a single strand out of place, stunning face exposed. 

Knock knock.

A sturdy knock came from the door. The man seemed to have expected the newcomer. He put down his pen. “Come in.” 

Liu Yue entered with a file in his arms, shutting the door behind him gently. 

“Here’s a brief on the conference you’ll be attending tomorrow, sir. I’ve attached a short profile on the attendees, too. The people want to know if you’re well, you see, so once news of your attendance is out, it’ll raise quite the commotion.”

Li Chengyan nodded slightly as he received the file. His gaze darkened further.

Liu Yue risked a question: “Sir, should I get the family doctor to give you some temporary control? You haven’t undergone any superpower treatment since losing your memories, and if they surge out of control tomorrow, that’ll give our enemies an edge over you. I know the treatment’s ineffective for the most part, but you know we can’t give up…”

Li Chengyan raised a hand to cut him off, frigid, stern eyes flashing. “Forget it, Liu Yue. I’m not at a point where this is something I can’t handle.”

“…Understood.” The young man lowered his head, heart pounding with worry. His superior only ever accepted treatment when hospitalized. If they were anywhere outside one, he’d always shut down any suggestions for one. The power treatment had next to no effect on him, anyway.

But if this goes on, how many more years will he last? Liu Yue feared the answer.

The atmosphere in the room was suffocating. Liu Yue remembered, suddenly, about the other issue he had to report, and forced his mouth open. “Sir, there’s been a new development on Mr. Lin’s surveillance. The boy – Zhang Zhining – seems to plan on staying over at his residence for a couple of days. They made a barbecue-themed livestream together earlier tonight.”

“…” Li Chengyan listened on, his index finger tapping lightly against the table’s surface. His eyebrows creased slightly, but his gaze remained unwavering. “Have you found anything on him?”

Liu Yue nodded. “Zhang Zhining’s the eldest son of the Second Planet’s most influential family— the Zhang family. His relationship with his family’s complicated, though, so he moved to the Main Planet a few years back. There’ve been circulating rumors about the head of his household planning a marriage alliance… We believe their fallout was related to this issue. The old man even sent some men out after him.”

Li Chengyan’s gaze drooped. “So he went to hide out at Lin Ning’s apartment. I didn’t know the two were this close.”

“Well…” Something about those words sounded bitter to Liu Yue, and for a moment he wasn’t sure how to pick the discussion up from there. “Maybe… it’s precisely because he and Mr. Lin don’t interact often that his family would suspect Lin Ning least. Besides, Zhining gets to eat there. I’d expect that to have influenced his decision.” 

Damn. That guy was one smart cookie. It was the perfect reason. Who could resist the temptation of food that good? If Liu Yue were in Zhang Zhning’s position, he would’ve picked Lin Ning, too.

“Mr. Lin won’t be in danger. Our men will protect him, naturally,” Liu Yue concluded.

It was as if someone had prodded his precious ball of yarn or something. The possessive feline instincts bristled within Li Chengyan. If Lin Ning hugged a dumb dog in his chest the way he hugged a cat, and got all that dog fur on him…  He shuddered, the slits in his pupils beginning to peek through his eyes. “Zhang Zhining’s awakened canine-based powers… what extent is it at?”

“It’s the common type of canine-based powers: he has canine ears and a tail, but can’t undergo a complete transmutation the way you can,” Liu Yue answered.

The man nodded, satisfied. “Alright. You’re dismissed.” The corners of his lips twitched before melting back into a straight line.

Liu Yue was lost. Hadn’t his superior always hated the fact that he could turn into a full-on cat??? Now he looks satisfied that someone couldn’t turn into a canine… What? He was going crazy. That was the only explanation. He was going crazy. It was impossible his superior was this childish.

“Understood. I’ll escort you to the conference tomorrow by car.” Liu Yue turned to leave.

“And give Lin Ning my private account,” Li Chengyan added flatly.

“…Right.”

Liu Yue left the Marshal’s Residence very, very lost.

*

Lin Ning received a message from Liu Yue. His whole face shone with joy, thinking it was news about the kitty. Turns out it was just Li Chengyan’s private account’s username.

[This is Mr Li Chengyan’s private number, Mr. Lin. Adding him as a friend might make your discussions regarding the cat much easier. Also, your food was amazing. Mr. Li Chengyan and I really enjoyed it. The cat is being cared for well, so do rest easy.]

Lin Ning: “……”

disappointed.jpg

The System chimed in: [Why’re you zoning out? Won’t you be able to get firsthand news about the cat if you save Li Chengyan’s number?]

Lin Ning flopped around on his bed: [You don’t understand the pains of loving a little chonker who has another family out there! I can’t even get in touch with him without going through his ex-owner! My life sucks.]

System: [Yeah… That kinda sucks.]

Lin Ning broke it down: [Doesn’t this sound like split custody? The kid stays here with me for a few days, then with Li Chengyan for the next few. It’s weird.]

The System consoled him: [Don’t think of it that way. Be glad Xizai’s at least willing to come back.] 

After all, he’s a human who has to be a cat when he’s with you. The guy literally has to switch species! the System thought to itself.

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Lin Ning was shocked: [You’ve crazy, man. Of course Xizai’d be willing to come home! He’s a sweetheart.]

System: [……] Right. Whatever you say.

Lin Ning accepted the number, perturbed. Li Chengyan’s profile picture was that of an azure blue planet suspended in an empty, black universe. Lin Ning stared at it. It was as if that was a shot of Earth’s final moments, right before the humans migrated to another galaxy. It might’ve been full of scars and crevices, but it still held a breathtaking beauty to it. 

Li Chengyan probably wouldn’t accept his number is return as quickly, though. People like him were perpetually busy. 

Zhang Zhining stepped out of the shower.

“How was the water?” Lin Ning asked.

“Perfect. Oh, yeah, thanks for the towel!”

“Aww, come on! Drop the formalities!”

After taking a good hot shower, Lin Ning joined Zhang Zhining on the couch. Zhang Zhining’s eyes were glued to the television, an insuppressible sparkle of excitement brimming in his eyes.

“Whatcha watching?” Lin Ning still wasn’t familiar with the future’s world of entertainment

“The news! You just missed a huge piece!” Zhang Zhining replied, thrilled. “Remember how the marshal was hospitalized for his injuries a while ago? He’ll be attending an important Interstellar conference tomorrow, and I think they’ll be live broadcasting the event. That’s gotta mean that the marshal’s completely recovered!”

Lin Ning nodded happily. “That’s great. It’s worth a celebration.”

“When I was younger, I daydreamed about conquering the universe side-by-side with the marshal.” Zhang Zhining’s eyes twinkled. “The marshal’s name alone sends tremors all over the worlds — you can’t even begin to count the number of his admirers across the planets.”

“It’s just a pity that strong power evolutions can cause Power Rampages. It doesn’t bother you all that much if your power’s a little above average, like mine, but someone as powerful as the marshal might have to suffer from a Rampage his entire life… Exceptional power users almost always die from Power Rampages, not wars…” 

Lin Ning’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Do you have ears and a tail?”

Zhang Zhining nodded, letting his pale yellow dog ears unfurl, a long tail wagging from side to side behind him. They seemed to belong to… a golden retriever?

“Whoa——” This was the second time he’d ever seen something like this before, the first time being the Film King. He couldn’t help but scratch that pair of ears. The ears twitched nimbly. They felt soft… warm, too. “That’s so cool. And super cute!”

“Too bad it can hurt. Powers can more or less give humans special abilities, but the stronger the power, the larger the Rampage rebounds. Besides, the ability to grow ears and tails is sometimes all it takesfor a human to adopt the animal’s primal instincts. Y’know… cats are like tsunderes, dogs get overly friendly…” Zhang Zhining explained. “Hey, are you gonna chech that notification you just got?” He nodded at Lin Ning’s tablet.

Lin Ning’s attention shifted. He glanced at the tablet. It was Li Chengyan. His mood soared, and he chirped, “Zhining, I’m going to my room. Feel free to cal it a day whenever you feel like it. Be back in a bit.”

“Okay.” Zhang Zhining watched the young man’s receding silhouette, perplexed. He looked really happy. Who was at the other end of the tablet?

Back in his bedroom, Lin Ning sank into a loss as he stared at the dialog box. He really wanted to see Xizai, but would he be a bother…? He rolled across the bed, unable to come to a decision.

Surprisingly, Li Chengyan made the first move, perhaps out of impatience. The ding dong that rang through the room was like a choir from heaven.

Li Chengyan: Didn’t you want a video call with the cat?

Lin Ning was stunned when he saw the text. [System!!! I’m so touched I think I’m gonna cry. Li Chengyan’s my savior!]

System: [……]

Lin Ning replied quickly: [Yes. Could you start the call, please?] He added a sticker of a little heart. 

Li Chengyan fell quiet as he stared at the pink heart. A few seconds later, the man disappeared. In his place was a large cat.

Lin Ning answered the call. When he saw Xizai appear on the screen, the guy got so happy he could’ve jumped the screen. He started up the holographic function, and once it flickerd on, a hologram cat appeared in Lin Ning’s room.

“Zai Zai!!! Daddy missed you!” Lin Ning cried. He grabbed the hologram and cradled it. Finally, he tried to kiss the kitty’s face.

Li Chengyan’s face darkened. A paw flew out to stop Lin Ning’s invading face. “……”

Who’re you calling Zai Zai? Who’re you calling daddy??? This human wasn’t right in the head. The marshal stared back blankly, calmly dodging Lin Ning’s advances.

Lin Ning was so happy to be rejected by that pink little paw, he was practically bubbling. He moved closer to the cat again, whispering lowly, “Just one kiss, okay? I’ll trade a piece of dried fish for a kiss.”

Those cat ears burned up instantaneously.

Li Chengyan: “…” T- ten…? No, He wouldn’t even do it for ten fishes!

Hold on. Li Chengyan squinted, eyes flashing. Lin Ning’s hand… had the smell of the dumb dog on it. How dare he touch a dog and then touch him!

“Meow!!!”

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