When Li Zhenruo appeared in front of Xia Hongshen with the cat in his arms, he was surprised when he saw Xia Hongshen’s cold face.
Xia Hongshen sat in front of the computer desk and asked him, “Do you think this is an animal shelter?”
Erhuang was circling around Li Zhenruo excitedly and rubbing his leg with his head.
Li Zhenruo looked down at the cat in his arms, and said to Xia Hongshen, “The owner of this kitten is a lunatic. Look at the injuries on its body, it was inflicted by its owner with a knife.”
When Xia Hongshen heard this, he slapped the table hard and said sharply, “Who was it?”
Xi Anling next to him was startled and stood up.
Song Jun patted Xia Hongshen on the shoulder, “Senior brother, calm down.”
Li Zhenruo said, “So I took it back and wanted to find a good owner for it.”
Xia Hongshen looked at him and nodded, “If that’s the case, I won’t bother with you this time.”
Li Zhenruo wiped the cold sweat, “Thank you, Master.”
At this time, Long Xing said, “I have a female colleague who just wants to adopt a kitten, why don’t I ask her if she wants it?”
Li Zhenruo immediately asked, “Is she reliable?”
Long Xing thought for a while, “She should be reliable. She is a very gentle female colleague.”
Li Zhenruo nodded, “Then please help me ask, thank you.”
It was late at night, and everyone went back to their rooms. Li Zhenruo was sitting alone against the wall in the corridor, and the kitten beside him was eating cat food in a bowl with its head buried down.
Li Zhenruo reached out and touched its back, then tilted his head against the wall in a daze.
After a while, someone came to sit next to him. Li Zhenruo turned around and saw it was Song Jun.
Song Jun asked him, “Why don’t you go to rest?”
Li Zhenruo was a little dazed, and said, “I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Song Jun propped one hand on his face, “Why do you not know what to do?”
Li Zhenruo said, “I was too dependent on that person before. Now that I leave him, I feel very powerless. It is not easy to change my form at will. It is even more difficult to avenge myself because I have no money.”
Song Jun said, “Didn’t you become Senior Brother Xia’s apprentice? Why don’t you have any confidence in the future?”
Li Zhenruo sighed, “I have been trying to absorb spiritual energy outside these two days, but I found that the effect was minimal, and the process was too slow. Even if I believed that I could do it one day, I am afraid that my enemies will not live until that day.”
Song Jun was silent for a while and asked him, “Is it so important to take revenge? More important than living happily ever after?”
Li Zhenruo turned his head, looked at him and said, “Why else would God let me have the chance to live again? I grew up without a mother, then without other relatives, without a future, and last without a home. I have nothing left. If I don’t take revenge, what’s the point of being alive?”
Song Jun couldn’t help but reached out and touched his head, and said, “What about your master, little Garfield?”
Li Zhenruo didn’t have the strength to tell him not to call him little Garfield. He just took a deep breath and said, “He knows my identity, and I don’t think he will accept me anymore.”
Song Jun was a little puzzled, and then asked, “You mean the thing about you being Li Jianglin’s fourth son?”
Li Zhenruo nodded, “Um.”
Song Jun asked curiously, “Does he care?”
Li Zhenruo couldn’t help raising his hand to cover his face, “He will definitely care.”
Song Jun asked, “Have you tried to communicate with him?”
Li Zhenruo shook his head, “Forget it, maybe there’s no need for that. I shouldn’t waste any more time, the owner of this body has already appeared. I must be quicker. If I can take revenge smoothly, I think I might as well give this body back to him.”
“Give it back to him?” Song Jun was surprised, “Do you feel that way?”
Li Zhenruo looked at him and smiled reluctantly, “It’s just a thought that comes to mind sometimes.”
Song Jun stayed quiet for a while, then suddenly said, “Why don’t we help you?”
“Huh?” Li Zhenruo looked at him in surprise.
Song Jun said, “Xiao Feng, me, and Long Xing, the three of us can help you. Whoever you are looking for and what clues you want to track down can be handed over to us.”
“You can’t help him,” the two of them heard a voice coming from above their heads at the same time, and when they looked up, they found that Xia Hongshen opened the door and stuck his head out of the room, and said to them, “You are interfering too much with human affairs. Your points will be deducted by Heavenly Court, and sooner or later you will be recalled.”
Li Zhenruo also said quickly, “You guys don’t have to help me. It’s my own business, I will do it myself.”
Song Jun felt a little regretful and said, “Some simple things should be okay. You don’t have to think too much. Let’s worry about it when it happens, no one can tell what will happen in the future.”
Li Zhenruo nodded vigorously, “Well, thank you.”
That night, he still slept in the same bed with Feng Junyuan. Erhuang was lying beside the bed, and there was another kitten in the room.
Li Zhenruo couldn’t sleep and lay motionless for fear of disturbing Feng Junyuan’s rest.
Feng Junyuan suddenly said, “The house is so lively.”
Li Zhenruo heard the words, turned over gently, and said, “I’m sorry to bother you.”
Feng Junyuan faced him and said, “It’s okay, you are very cute.” After he said that, he raised his hand and touched Li Zhenruo’s head.
Li Zhenruo suddenly felt a little depressed and felt that the family really treated him as a cat. It was actually nothing to be treated as a cat, but he just couldn’t accept this kind of look with pity, and quickly closed his eyes.
The school was quiet and the weather had cooled down. Although it was a bit cramped to share a bed with Feng Junyuan, the environment was comfortable and he fell asleep before he knew it.
That night, he slept until dawn. As he was dazed in the early morning, Li Zhenruo rolled over and hugged the waist of the person next to him. He wanted to bury his face in that person’s arms and continue to sleep, but he felt that the touch was not right.
Feng Junyuan also hadn’t woken up yet, his forehead was placed on Li Zhenruo’s forehead, and his hand also wrapped over.
He could hear his breathing, and Li Zhenruo felt that something was wrong. He was dazed and wanted to open his eyes, but suddenly he felt that someone was sitting beside the bed. He suddenly remembered where he was and was instantly awake from fright. He turned over in a circular motion and looked outside the bed, and he saw a tall man sitting beside the bed.
Li Zhenruo pushed Feng Junyuan hard.
Feng Junyuan made an “uh” sound and raised his head blankly.
Only then did Li Zhenruo see the appearance of the man sitting beside the bed, and found that it was Luo Fei.
Luo Fei was wearing a suit and had an elegant posture. When he saw Li Zhenruo and Feng Junyuan looking at him, he even showed a gentle smile and asked, “Did you sleep well?”
Li Zhenruo was stunned for a moment, Luo Fei was clearly smiling, but he had a feeling of being caught in adultery. Also, he came back to the room last night. He clearly remembered that he locked the door. How did Luo Fei come in quietly? Does he have the key to Feng Junyuan’s room?
He looked at Luo Fei inexplicably, and Li Zhenruo hesitated whether to get up or not. Although he didn’t sleep naked, he was only wearing a pair of briefs, which touched Feng Junyuan’s legs, and he could still feel a smooth and delicate touch… He lowered his head and glanced under the bed. The cat and dog were still there, but they were all very quiet. He just lay on the ground and looked at Luo Fei, and no one barked.
At this time, someone knocked on the door outside, “Xiao Feng, Garfield, are you up yet?”
Feng Junyuan rubbed his eyes and gave a hurried “en”.
Luo Fei stood up and opened the door. When he opened the door, he saw Long Xing standing outside.
Long Xing was quite surprised, “Boss Luo? When did you come here?”
Luo Fei smiled, “I came to see xiao Feng, I was going to take him out today.”
Long Xing said, “Oh,” and came in and said to Li Zhenruo, “I planned to move the cat away.”
Li Zhenruo was stunned, “So soon?”
Long Xing hesitated for a while, and said, “How about you keep it for two more days? I sent a photo to my colleague, and she said she wanted it.”
Li Zhenruo’s original purpose was to find a good owner for the kitten. It was a rare opportunity and of course, he didn’t want to miss it, but he was somewhat reluctant.
Although it was a kitten that he only met yesterday, he was the one who rescued it, and he always felt that he was more responsible for it.
Li Zhenruo lifted the quilt and got out of bed. Although he was only wearing a pair of underwear, they were all men here anyway. They could see it if they wanted to. He went to the chair next to him to get his pants.
Erhuang and the kitten all swirled around his legs at once, giving him a feeling of being very popular.
He hurriedly grabbed the pants and put them on his body. Li Zhenruo squatted down and picked up the kitten, kissed its forehead, and said, “I hope the new owner can take good care of you, and you must live happily.”
He didn’t know whether the kitten understood or not, but it just stuck its head out of his arms and touched its lips lightly with his lips, as if kissing.
Li Zhenruo sighed and gave the cat to Long Xing.
The kitten didn’t know what was going on and was in a panic. One paw tried to grab Li Zhenruo’s arm, but in the end, it failed.
Long Xing hugged to comfort it, and then said to Li Zhenruo, “Don’t worry, my colleague is very good.”
Li Zhenruo nodded, “Thank you.”
The sudden separation made him a little sad. Li Zhenruo stood at the door and watched Long Xing carry the kitten away until their figures disappeared around the corner of the stairs, before stifling a sigh.
When he turned around and came back, Li Zhenruo saw Luo Fei sitting beside the bed, took a coat and put it on Feng Junyuan, and said, “You have a day off today?”
Feng Junyuan asked him, “How do you know?”
Li Zhenruo suddenly felt like an unwanted third guest and hesitated to go in.
At this moment, Luo Fei suddenly turned to look at him, “Little cat.”
Li Zhenruo immediately wanted to blow up, he was such a big person standing there, but he had the nerve to call him a cat. He held back his displeasure, Li Zhenruo said, “I have a name.”
Luo Fei said, “Name? By the way, your name is Li Tuanzi, right? Li Zhenran told me.”
Hearing Li Zhenran’s name abruptly, Li Zhenruo couldn’t help but be stunned slightly. He then picked up his mood and said, “Whatever, you can still call me Garfield…”
Luo Fei smiled and asked, “Are you free today? Let’s go out together.”
Before Li Zhenruo asked him where he was going, Xia Hongshen reached out and asked, “Where to?”
Luo Fei was still sitting on the edge of the bed, with one hand on Feng Junyuan’s, and said, “It’s rare for xiao Feng to have a day off, so I’m going to invite you guys out to a meal together, how about that?”
“A meal together?” Xia Hongshen was not particularly happy, he just said, “Long Xing is at work today, and An Ling has an appointment.”
Luo Fei said, “That can’t be helped, if you and Song Jun are free, we’ll go together, plus little Garfield.”
Li Zhenruo heard the words and said quickly, “I have something to do, you go guys can go.”
He planned to try to find Zhu Kai while he was free today. After all, they had grown up together since childhood. Although Zhu Kai’s actions made him feel at a loss now, it was not too difficult to try to find Zhu Kai’s trace. As long as he did not leave the city, He felt that he had a way to find out Zhu Kai’s whereabouts.
Of course, it was a pity that he has no money now, otherwise, it should be more convenient to do things.
However, Xia Hongshen suddenly put his hand on top of Li Zhenruo’s head and said, “Disciple.”
Li Zhenruo was stunned for a moment, then looked up and said, “Master?”
Xia Hongshen said, “Go.”
Li Zhenruo was in a trance and understood, “Did you ask me to go with you?”
The master had an order, how dare the disciple refused to obey? Although Li Zhenruo felt a little inexplicable, Xia Hongshen had spoken, he could no longer refuse, and could only say, “Okay then.”
Before they left, Xia Hongshen asked Luo Fei in a low voice, “Why did you coax my apprentice to go out?”
Luo Fei smiled, “It won’t harm him anyway, you can rest assured.”
When he was studying abroad in college, Li Zhenruo often drove out with a group of friends to play, dance, drink and find beautiful women.
He sat in the last row, and he quietly looked out the car window. His brain felt like he was about to be torn in two, half thinking about why Zhu Kai would do such a thing, and the other half thinking about Li Zhenran.
The city was as prosperous as ever, but Li Zhenruo sometimes felt that this was no longer his city. He seemed to be more suitable being a cat, staying in a secluded and safe place and living his own life alone.
When exactly did this world of sensual pleasures become less attractive to him? He was only twenty-three years old.
Song Jun and Feng Junyuan sat next to him, Feng Junyuan reached out and touched his head. Song Jun asked him, “Not in a good mood, huh?”
Li Zhenruo looked at the two of them and saw that they were all looking at him, and suddenly had the feeling that he was actually the pet of this family, he shook his head and said, “It’s nothing, I’m just wondering if I could cultivate to become an immortal or not.”
Feng Junyuan heard the words and said to him seriously, “It’s not easy.”
Song Jun said, “It’s still possible to be a small cat demon. You can live for a few more decades. You have been practising during this period. If you are lucky, you can live another hundred or two hundred years, and you can do a lot of things.”
Li Zhenruo could only say, “Okay, thank you for comforting me.”
Luo Fei, who was driving in the front row, glanced at them from the rearview mirror, smiled and said nothing.
Their destination was a large newly built commercial plaza on the outskirts of the city. There would be a Doraemon-themed exhibition starting today, and it was said that there would be a lot of Doraemon.
Li Zhenruo was not very interested in such childish’s things, but Xia Hongshen was very interested. Li Zhenruo thought that it might be because the theme of the exhibition was a blue fat cat.
Xia Hongshen was interested. Song Jun and Feng Junyuan didn’t seem to feel tired and kept following him to look around, Luo Fei accompanied Feng Junyuan with a good nature, and only Li Zhenruo casually walked behind.
Luo Fei suddenly turned his head and said to him, “If you are tired, go to Starbucks over there and wait.”
Li Zhenruo responded quickly and walked towards Starbucks alone.
He stood at the counter, stared at the menu above for a while, and suddenly heard a voice next to him saying, “Give him a mocha.”
The voice was so familiar that Li Zhenruo almost had the urge to turn around and run.
The person next to him had obviously seen his intention and asked, “You want to leave? Is there no need for us to communicate with each other anymore for the rest of our lives? Li Zhenruo.”
Li Zhenruo held back and did not leave, and turned to look at Li Zhenran.
Li Zhenran said to him, “I have found Zhu Kai.”
Li Zhenruo asked in surprise, “Where is he?”
Li Zhenran didn’t answer him, but turned to the counter and said, “I’ll have a mocha, thank you.”
After he paid the bills, Li Zhenran picked up two cups of coffee, and turned to look at Li Zhenruo, “Would you like to finish this cup of coffee with me?”
Li Zhenruo finally nodded and followed him towards the corner.
This corner was quiet. It was just right for two people to sit and talk.
He was sitting face to face with Li Zhenran, but Li Zhenruo did not dare to raise his head, so he could only reach for the coffee cup, and took a sip. The bitter taste slid into his throat along with the mellow fragrance.
Li Zhenran didn’t touch his coffee, but leaned back slightly and asked, “You don’t want to see me. Is it because you’re afraid of me or you don’t want to see me again?”
Li Zhenruo did not speak.
Li Zhenran folded his arms around his chest, “Fourth child, you have been in the Li family for so long. Do you think everyone looks like a fool and is being fooled by you? Ah. No, the only one who was fooled by you was me.”
Li Zhenruo shook his head and finally said, “I didn’t fool you. The real fool is only me. I’m dead but I still don’t know who killed me.”
Li Zhenran said, “Is this why you deceived and used me?”
Li Zhenruo looked at him and couldn’t hold back his emotions. “It’s not. You’re going to chalk up our relationship to mere deception and exploitation? We’ve been together for so long that you can’t even see my feelings?”
Li Zhenran’s eyes burned down on him, and at this moment, he said slowly, “It doesn’t matter, come back.”
Li Zhenruo was stunned when he heard the words.
Li Zhenran’s tone was calm and unwavering as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him, “It doesn’t matter to me how you approached me in the first place, I just want you to come back.”
Li Zhenruo stared at him blankly.
Li Zhenran said, “Tell me, why are you leaving?”
Li Zhenruo only felt that Li Zhenran’s thoughts were a little confusing, and he couldn’t understand them for a while, because Li Zhenran’s reaction was a bit unexpected. He said, “That woman that day…”
Li Zhenran asked him, “Which woman which day?”
Li Zhenruo looked down at the slightly shaken coffee in the cup, “The woman who came back with you on your dad’s birthday.”
Li Zhenran said, “That is the daughter of Dad’s old friend. You probably know her name. She had just come by plane that day, and Dad asked me to pick her up at the airport. She helped her father bring a gift to Dad. After dinner that day, her boyfriend came to pick her up and went on a trip together. Okay? What else do you want to know?”
“I—” Li Zhenruo didn’t know what to say for a while, he only asked, “Why didn’t you say it at school that day?”
Li Zhenran said in a cold tone, “I’m angry, I’m jealous of you holding a man, even if it may be a misunderstanding, I still couldn’t calm down.”
Li Zhenruo never expected that Li Zhenran would say such a thing. His expression became a little dazed, and then he said in a panic, “But don’t you already know? I’m Li Zhenruo.”
Li Zhenran fell silent, looked at Li Zhenruo without saying a word, and said after a while, “It’s not the first day I know you are Li Zhenruo, I’m just waiting for you to confess to me.”
Li Zhenruo put his hands on the table and clasped them tightly together. His heart was tumbling fiercely. While he felt that he was sorry for Li Zhenran, he also felt that Li Zhenran’s attitude towards him was too cruel, which made him unable to feel relieved.
Li Zhenran suddenly stretched out his hand and put it on the back of his hand, used a little force, and said, “You tell me now, why do you want to leave?”
Li Zhenruo said, “You left me at home for a month and didn’t say anything, and when you came back, you brought a beautiful woman with you.”
Li Zhenran nodded and said, “Okay. Then when I ask Yan Xiujie to bring you back, why are you running again?”
Li Zhenruo looked at Li Zhenran this time and said, “Because you said, I am Li Zhenruo.”
It was strange that he had always been so calm with Li Zhenran, but when he found out that the other party knew that he was Li Zhenruo, he couldn’t help but start to flinch.
Even if Li Zhenran showed that he didn’t care, he always felt that there was no way for the two of them to cross this hurdle so easily.
Li Zhenran could clearly see that Li Zhenruo was in a tangle, he patted the back of Li Zhenruo’s hand and said to him, “Come here.”
Li Zhenruo raised his head and couldn’t help looking around. Although there were not too many people, it was a public place after all. The two of them were sitting on a single sofa and he was suddenly called over by Li Zhenran. He felt a little nervous. After hesitating for a while, Li Zhenruo shook his head, “Say what you have to say.”
Li Zhenran withdrew his hand, leaned back on the back of the sofa chair, looked at him quietly for a long time, and said, “Is it me who can’t accept the fact that you are Li Zhenruo, or is it you who can’t accept it?”
Li Zhenruo was stunned for a moment.
Li Zhenran lowered his head and took out a cigarette case and lighter from his pocket. He seemed to suddenly remember that smoking was prohibited here, and put it back into his clothes pocket. He said, “Forget it, it doesn’t matter, as long as you want to come back, I can do anything. We can pretend we don’t know anything, you are the cat, I can help you with anyone you want to find out, or I can turn a blind eye. What do you think?”
Li Zhenruo took a deep breath to ease the pain, and he asked Li Zhenran, “Why?”
His voice was a little soft, and Li Zhenran didn’t seem to hear it clearly. He leaned forward slightly, his arms were flat on the glass table, and he was closer to Li Zhenruo, “What?”
Li Zhenruo repeated, “Why did you do this to me?”
Li Zhenran looked at him without wavering, and said in a calm voice, “Because I love you.”
At that moment, Li Zhenruo felt as if he was drowning, his body was squeezed by the water waves used by the mountains and the sea, all his senses were deprived, and even breathing became difficult, he had to open his mouth to breathe sharply, everything around him became blurred, the only thing clear in his vision was Li Zhenran who sat opposite to him.
I love you, these three words were uttered by Li Zhenran so simply that Li Zhenruo shook his head in a trance, “You lied to me.”
Li Zhenran laughed in exasperation, “I lied to you?” He glanced outside the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the coffee shop, then turned back to Li Zhenruo, “When have I ever lied to you since I was a child?”
Li Zhenruo couldn’t help but think about it but found that Li Zhenran had never lied to him. The two of them didn’t even have much communication, but he couldn’t help but want to deny it. He felt that he no longer knew what Li Zhenran was thinking, so he could only say, “You know, I am Li Zhenruo.”
Li Zhenran said, “You know now that you are Li Zhenruo, and you have slept with me so many times, why have you never thought that you are Li Zhenruo?”
Li Zhenruo didn’t know what to answer. He put his elbows on the table and covered his face.
Li Zhenran said slowly, “Maybe it doesn’t matter to you, you can sleep with anyone, but not to me. I only do it with the person I like.”
Li Zhenruo could not help but squeezed his fingers tightly.
Li Zhenran suddenly stood up and said, “I’m sorry, I’m going to go out for a cigarette, I hope you don’t run away again.”
When he heard this, Li Zhenruo touched the collar on his neck subconsciously. Maybe he never really wanted to run away. If he wanted to leave Li Zhenran far away, he should have taken off the collar from the beginning.
After Li Zhenran said this, he walked out of the coffee shop, went around to the side of the road outside, and lit a cigarette for himself.
Li Zhenruo looked at his back and thought to himself that Li Zhenran was originally not addicted to smoking. The only possibility was that he had smoked a lot during the days he left and became addicted. Maybe more than these days, maybe the days when he and Li Zhenran had a confrontation and when Li Zhenran went on a business trip began.
Li Zhenran’s back was still slender and straight, and occasionally he turned his head to reveal a firm and handsome side form, but Li Zhenruo noticed that he frowned slightly, and his expression was a little tired. But when he faced Li Zhenruo, he never showed it.
Li Zhenruo buried his face in the palm of his hand and sat quietly for a few seconds. He suddenly stood up and walked outside. He thought that no matter what the reason was, since Li Zhenran cared about him, why would he walk away again?
He was already an adult, and many emotions could really be regarded as non-existent without deliberately avoiding or denying them.
He still didn’t know what would happen in the future, but at this time, he felt that he really didn’t want to see Li Zhenran sad.
Li Zhenran wanted to turn around when he heard the footsteps, but Li Zhenruo sped up and rushed over to hug Li Zhenran from behind, his face was on his back, and he was slightly panting.
“Li Zhenran,” Li Zhenruo shouted in a muffled voice.
Li Zhenran was hit by him and took a small step forward before he stabilized his body again. When he turned around, he couldn’t see his face, so he could only answer, “Well?”
Li Zhenruo said, “You asked me before you left, what are my feelings for you.”
Li Zhenran heard the words and asked, “Are you going to answer me now?”
Li Zhenruo said softly, “Not as a brother, nor master. No. Maybe it should be said that it is not only to master but also a lot of complicated things.”
Unlike Li Zhenran, he has no way to say the words “I love you” so plainly. What is love? His father and brothers never said they loved him since he was a child, and Li Zhenran was the first person to say this word to him. He always felt that love was a too sacred feeling, and he couldn’t and shouldn’t talk about it so easily, and he didn’t want to tell Li Zhenran that he liked him because this kind of feeling was too common. He had liked too many people, and Li Zhenran was obviously different from them.
A lot of complicated things. He had been with Li Zhenran for so long that he felt Li Zhenran should understand his feelings.
Li Zhenran reached out and held Li Zhenruo’s hands, and said, “It doesn’t matter, as long as you go back with me.”
The author has something to say:
Originally, this is the manuscript of two chapters, but it doesn’t matter… When the manuscript is gone, we won’t bother, let’s finish it soon!
Notes:
BRO. NO WONDER THIS CHAPTER SEEMED TO BE NEVER ENDING
Also, I’m really glad that Zhenran seemed to like Zhenruo more than I thought (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)