Ever since Pei Shaocheng brought Xiaomi back, he has gone to great lengths to treat it well. Not only does he buy it the most expensive natural food and special cat litter, but he also brings back toys by the box. Whenever he has a spare moment, he personally cooks nutritious meals for it.
If Emily hadn't known that her boss was raising cats for others, she would have really thought that Pei Shaocheng had secretly had a child outside.
Little Mi followed Pei Shaocheng around happily, and while he cooked, she used her little feet to climb up Pei Shaocheng's long legs, using his legs as a cat tree.
Since arriving at Pei Shaocheng's home, it has gained a lot of weight, transforming from a skinny alien monster into a round little ball of flesh.
It has become increasingly bold, no longer the same animal that hid under the sofa and was too afraid to come out when it was first brought back.
Pei Shaocheng boiled the eggs, blended them with salmon in a blender, and spread the mixture on the catnip cake he had just bought for Xiaomi.
Little Mi had food all over her face, then licked the empty plate and let out a satisfied burp.
Pei Shaocheng tore off a pet wipe and wiped its face, then let it play with the electric mouse in the spacious and bright living room. He went to the wine cabinet, took a bottle of wine, and leaned back on the sofa.
He hasn't eaten yet today, but he really doesn't have much of an appetite.
He poured himself a glass of wine and watched Xiaomi darting around the room.
"You're so naughty, have you ever caused him any trouble before?" Pei Shaocheng turned the electric mouse that had bumped into his foot around, and Xiaomi immediately pounced on the mouse again.
Suddenly, I remembered that when Wen Yuhan and I lived in a rented room outside the school, we had also dreamed about our future life.
Wen Yuhan said that if they really got a cat, Pei Shaocheng would definitely be more patient than she was.
Pei Shaocheng didn't believe it at the time, but Wen Yuhan, with a cigarette in his mouth, smiled and poked Pei Shaocheng's chest with his index finger: "You... you look cold and aloof, but deep down you're a very considerate person."
Pei Shaocheng grabbed Wen Yuhan's hand and pulled her into his arms: "How did you figure that out?"
A sly glint flashed in Wen Yuhan's eyes as she leaned close to Pei Shaocheng's ear and whispered:
"Of course... in bed."
Pei Shaocheng's eyes darkened, and he tightened his grip on Wen Yuhan's hand, warning, "Don't flirt with her."
With a cigarette holder in his mouth, Wen Yuhan turned around and turned on the revolving lantern on the table.
The two had seen the lamp at a street stall once. Wen Yuhan calmly negotiated the price with the owner for almost an hour and finally bought it for forty yuan.
He said the lamp looked a lot like the one Ho Po-wing bought in the movie "Happy Together," which projected a dancing butterfly onto the wall when it was turned on.
The two danced quietly to the music under the changing lights of the lantern. Wen Yuhan put her arm around Pei Shaocheng's neck and then took his hand to hug her waist.
Back then, Pei Shaocheng's physical training was always a weak point, and he appeared somewhat stiff as he followed Wen Yuhan's steps.
Wen Yuhan took the cigarette out of his mouth and put it in Pei Shaocheng's mouth. Then he took out a new one, leaned close to Pei Shaocheng, lit it with the faint glow of the cigarette butt, and smiled at him.
Pei Shaocheng's Adam's apple bobbed heavily, and an impulse surged up his lower abdomen.
He pinned Wen Yuhan down on the sofa, snatched the cigarette from his mouth and stubbed it out in the ashtray, then grabbed a nearby cushion and placed it under Wen Yuhan's waist.
Wen Yuhan narrowed his eyes slightly and clicked his tongue softly: "She really is... considerate..."
The words that followed gradually broke into ambiguous whispers. Pei Shaocheng lifted Wen Yuhan's shirt and kissed his skin inch by inch, which was still cool and refreshing even in the height of summer.
A flame seemed to burn in his deep eyes, desperately wanting to force the other person to tears and pleas for mercy, to make him lose control and open up to him without reservation. Yet, he couldn't bear to see the other person feel even the slightest discomfort or pain.
"I mocked the scorching summer sun... I held up a bunch of empty grapes to it, blew air into the shiny grape skins... I was consumed by intoxication... I looked through them until... evening..." Wen Yuhan cupped Pei Shaocheng's face, "Shaocheng, continue..."
Pei Shaocheng's back and the arms supporting him on either side of Wen Yuhan were covered in a layer of sweat, and his perfect muscle lines gleamed in the light of the revolving lamp.
His eyes were filled with surging lust, his voice hoarse and deep: "My eyes pierce through the reeds, cast upon the fairy's neck...immerse my burning heat into the waves... hurl a roar into the forest sky..."
Wen Yuhan was picked up by Pei Shaocheng and pressed against the wall, and the butterfly that was projected landed right in his moist eyes.
His neck arched back in a beautiful arc, and Pei Shaocheng's low shout blended into the cicadas' chirping in the summer night...
The wine glass tipped over, and the remaining wine spilled down the table, leaving dark red stains on the floor.
Xiao Mi ran over curiously to sniff, but Pei Shaocheng brushed her away with his hand.
It angrily opened its mouth and bit Pei Shaocheng's tiger's mouth, then as if realizing it had done something wrong, it "whooshed" under the sofa.
“It’s okay, come out…” Pei Shaocheng was drunk, his voice hoarse from the alcohol, and his eyes were somewhat unfocused as he said softly, “Come out and let Dad carry you.”
Xiao Mi tilted her head and, seeing that the man who claimed to be her "dad" didn't seem angry, cautiously peeked out and looked at Pei Shaocheng on the sofa.
"How about I take you to see him tomorrow?" Pei Shaocheng scooped Xiaomi onto the sofa, letting it nestle against his chest. "Do you miss him? Hmm?"
The room was quiet. Xiaomi sat on Pei Shaocheng's body, licking its fur, too lazy to pay attention to him.
After a long while, Pei Shaocheng slowly raised his hand to cover his eyes, muttering drunkenly:
"What should I do? I miss him so much right now..."
...
A note from the author:
Pei Gou = =+ You can't handle people, so you come here and make a cat call you Dad...
The poem still quotes Mallarmé's "The Afternoon of a Faun" (translated by Fei Bai);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 59
It snowed all night long, and by dawn, the world was a vast expanse of white.
Pei Shaocheng realized that the end of the year was approaching when he heard the radio host's passionate conversation about the New Year.
He turned up the car's heater a bit more, and Little Mimi, who was on the velvet blanket next to him, peeked out and tried to climb from the back seat onto Pei Shaocheng's lap, but he picked her up and put her back.
Meow!
Xiao Mi barked at Pei Shaocheng in dissatisfaction.
"Sweetheart, don't be silly," Pei Shaocheng coaxed softly as he connected the Bluetooth call.
Emily: "Brother Cheng, everything's been arranged at the hospital. You can just take Xiaomi and drive straight in."
"Hmm." Pei Shaocheng tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Did you ask when he was discharged from the hospital?"
"I asked, it should be next Saturday."
Pei Shaocheng narrowed his eyes slightly; the weekend was New Year's Eve.
"knew."
"By the way, Brother Cheng, Boss You asked again yesterday if we have time to participate in this year's year-end special..."
"Cancel it." Pei Shaocheng said without hesitation. "Also, book me two more tickets to Los Angeles."
"Ah... okay."
After hanging up the phone, Pei Shaocheng parked the car, wrapped Xiaomi in a blanket, and then covered it with his trench coat before opening the car door and walking towards the special care ward.
Xiao Yang wasn't there; in the ward, a nurse was applying medicine to Wen Yuhan's wound.
He seemed to be in better condition today, leaning against the headboard with a book between his fingers, chatting with the nurse with a faint smile.
When Pei Shaocheng pushed the door open, Wen Yuhan's expression visibly stiffened. Pei Shaocheng felt a pang of sadness at Wen Yuhan's instinctive defensiveness, but he still grinned and softened his voice to ask the nurse, "How is the wound healing?"
The nurse's face flushed red instantly; she never expected that the person who appeared on the movie screen would be standing right in front of her.
She was a fan of Pei Shaocheng. Hearing that he might come, she went to great lengths to switch shifts with her colleagues and was specially transferred to the special care ward.
"Much better! The wound has scabbed over, and I used a special scar-removing medication, so it shouldn't be too noticeable." She stammered, mustering her courage to peek at Pei Shaocheng. She thought his face was even more captivating than it appeared on screen.
"Thank you." Pei Shaocheng nodded slightly.
The nurse quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, it's what we should do... You two chat, I'll go out first. Just press the call button by the bed after the IV is finished!"
After saying that, she ran out of the ward and considerately closed the door for the two of them.
Pei Shaocheng looked at the empty space next to Wen Yuhan's bed, hesitated for a moment, and then sat down next to it.
He unbuttoned his trench coat, and Xiaomi's head instantly popped out from inside.
Wen Yuhan was taken aback when he saw Xiaomi. Xiaomi jumped onto Wen Yuhan in a very obsequious manner and then burrowed into the quilt.
"Why did you bring it here?" Wen Yuhan frowned, grabbed Xiaomi by the scruff of its neck and pulled it out of the bed.
Pei Shaocheng gazed intently at Wen Yuhan: "I missed you."
Wen Yuhan felt a little uncomfortable under the other person's gaze, so she looked away and said calmly, "This is a hospital."
"I've already given them a heads-up." Pei Shaocheng still refused to look away.
Wen Yuhan's hair had grown longer, softly cascading over her shoulders, bathed in sunlight.
He really wanted to reach out and touch it, but he was worried about offending the other person, so he nervously twisted his pants on his knees.
"Xiao Han..."
"Thank you." Wen Yuhan interrupted calmly, "Xiao Yang went to pay the bill. When he comes back later, let him take Xiaomi back and keep her with him temporarily so as not to cause you any trouble."
“No need!” Pei Shaocheng interrupted anxiously, “It’s too much trouble. It’s used to staying with me, and the vet said that cats are prone to stress if they are constantly moved to different environments.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Yuhan looked up at Pei Shaocheng and asked, "Aren't you afraid it will react negatively to your bringing it here?"
Pei Shaocheng was speechless for a moment.
Xiao Yang walked to the door and saw Pei Shaocheng inside through the glass window. Her expression changed, and she pushed the door open and rushed in.
"What are you doing here again!"
Startled, Xiaomi quickly scurried onto Pei Shaocheng's lap. Pei Shaocheng pulled it into his arms, then turned to look at Xiao Yang with a gloomy expression.
Xiao Yang was startled by his gaze, but still confronted Pei Shaocheng with a dark expression, angrily saying, "Teacher Wen needs to rest, you should leave now."
Pei Shaocheng remained unmoved, stood up, and looked down at Xiao Yang condescendingly.
Wen Yuhan only had a few people around him, and Xiao Yang had spent the most time with him, so naturally he understood Wen Yuhan better than anyone else.
Thinking of the card that read "Always by your side," Pei Shaocheng found it hard not to suspect him.
After noticing the probing look in Pei Shaocheng's eyes, Xiao Yang felt inexplicably flustered.
The other person's eyes were like those of a leopard hiding in the grass, waiting for its chance to hunt, while I was like the antelope that he was eyeing.
Through the skin and flesh, the fatal throat was precisely targeted.
Xiao Yang involuntarily took a half step back, his palms sweating nervously.