Chapter 9

Chapter 9

009

Adorable Kitty! Fearless in the Face of Difficulties!

After Shu Cheng left, Chu Heyang's family resumed their indifferent attitude toward Chu Li.

They did keep their promise by placing meals at the door every day.

However, they never knocked and the timing varied. If Chu Li stepped out too late, Chu Heyang would simply take away the untouched food.

During these days, Chu Li stayed in his room, reading through all the books on the original owner's bookshelf. Apparently, due to his inconvenient school schedule, the original owner had prepared a study list with books that were relevant.

Chu Li noticed that the body he inhabited was quite old, at least according to the ID card which stated he was 21 years old. By Earth's age calculation, if he were attending school, it should be university level. Nevertheless, the content of his studies was astonishing. Among the books on the shelf were titles like "Omega's Code of Conduct," "How to Care for Your Alpha," and "Guide to Childbirth." These were actually part of his curriculum.

It was truly inconceivable.

But compared to the disheartening academic content, the atmosphere at home made him even more uncomfortable.

He wished to hurry and start school.

However, as the academic term drew near, a troublesome matter loomed ahead.

Chu Li was unsure how to handle Little Li Hua Cat.

Initially, he had let the kitten in out of a momentary soft heart, but this feline was incredibly adept at manipulation. Once inside, it refused to leave.

Sometimes, it would venture out at night for its "hunts," returning punctually at dawn. Chu Li had tried confining it outside the window a few times, but the cat wouldn't budge, meowing desperately just outside. Fearing that the Chu Heyang family might hear, he was forced to reopen the window each time, allowing it back in.

If this were his own home, raising this kitten wouldn't be an issue. But this wasn't his house, and he would soon leave for school elsewhere, uncertain when or if he would return.

Scratching the kitten's paws, it lay on the table, retracting its claws to play with him. Witnessing its carefree demeanor, Chu Li was deeply troubled.

"Little kitty, where did you actually come from? After being out for so many days, wouldn't your family be worried?"

Chu Li's grandmother used to keep cats, who were allowed to roam freely. Most of the time, they basked in the sun and slept at home, occasionally venturing out to play.

Could it be that this was someone else's pet that had wandered off on its own?

Chu Li was uncertain, but he couldn't bring it to school.

As the days drew closer to the start of classes, something happened the day before their departure that solidified Chu Li's resolve.

In the morning, Chu Li woke up groggily from his sleep and found the kitten curled up next to his pillow upon opening his eyes.

Probably startled by his movements, the sleeping kitten let out a soft purr without stirring from its comfortable position.

Unable to resist, Chu Li reached out to stroke its fur. However, just as he did, the door to his room suddenly swung open – he had forgotten to close it the night before.

The intruder turned out to be Chu Heyang, who seemed equally surprised to find the door unlocked as he stood frozen in place.

A cold sweat broke out on Chu Li's forehead. He sat upright with a jolt, using his body to shield the kitten from Chu Heyang's view before his brother could spot it.

His heart pounding, Chu Li's mind raced. He had to protect the little Li Hua Cat from being discovered.

Chu Heyang stood at the entrance, suspicion etched on his face. He sniffed the air and said, "What's that smell... Chu Li, you're not secretly doing something you shouldn't be, are you?"

"No," replied Chu Li, still groggy from sleep. His lips were pressed together as he gave a stiff response. Then, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Chu Heyang raised an eyebrow and said, "I was asking if you want to go shopping with us for school supplies..."

As he spoke, he gradually stepped in, eyeing the room suspiciously.

Suddenly, he noticed a clump of cat fur on the floor, frowning as he asked, "What's that...?"

"Nothing..." Chu Li's heart raced as he watched Chu Heyang draw closer. At that moment, the Li Hua Cat sleeping by his pillow lifted its head at the sound. Chu Li's anxiety grew, fearing that the kitten might make noise at this crucial moment.

Fortunately, the little Li Hua Cat was very well-behaved, nestling quietly behind him.

Seeing Chu Heyang still approaching, Chu Li snapped, "I'm not going. Get out! Who let you in?!"

His tone was so fierce that Chu Heyang jumped in fright, shrinking back and not daring to advance any further.

But he still glanced at Chu Li and warned, "Don't secretly keep anything in this house... I'm telling you, if we find out..."

Chu Li's face remained cold as he barked, "Out!"

Realizing that Chu Li was genuinely angry, Chu Heyang didn't dare linger and slunk away.

After Chu Heyang left, Chu Li finally let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at the Li Hua Cat, who had risen from the pillow and was stretching lazily, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Thankfully, Chu Heyang was scared away... If the little Li Hua Cat had made a sound just now and been discovered by him... Chu Li frowned, not daring to dwell on the thought.

He had been racking his brains about how to handle the little Li Hua Cat, and this accidental intrusion by Chu Heyang only reinforced his determination.

He needed to 'drive' the Li Hua Cat away.

There was no other choice; he couldn't take it with him. It would be safer for the cat to fend for itself outside than to face the Chu Heyang family.

Besides, when it first arrived, it was already a grown cat with some survival skills. Letting it go would be better than leaving it in the hands of the Chu Heyang family.

Chu Li knew that his decision wasn't the best solution, but he had no alternatives.

Taking advantage of the moment when the little Li Hua Cat went out to attend to its feline needs, Chu Li quietly shut the window during lunchtime.

This way, when it returned, it wouldn't be able to get back in.

As a result, Chu Li was awakened in the middle of the night by the mewing of a cat outside. Half-asleep, he opened his eyes to see the kitten perched on a low wall opposite the window, looking pitifully at him as it meowed mournfully, "Mew-oww—"

"Meow-"

"Me-ow-"

He had never heard a cat meow with such melancholic longing, as if he was some heartless lover who had abandoned it. Unable to sleep due to its persistent cries, Chu Li sat up and looked out the window. "Little kitty, this isn't your home. You should leave and return to your own place."

The kitten, however, was oblivious to his words and insisted on leaping onto the windowsill from the low wall.

The windowsill was too narrow for its body, so it pressed itself against the glass, gazing at Chu Li with imploring eyes.

Chu Li: "..."

What was he supposed to do? Who could resist such an adorable gaze from a little kitten?

Feeling utterly helpless, Chu Li eventually gave in. He cracked open the window a bit and, with great care, reached out a finger to gently stroke the kitten's soft, fluffy bottom.

As before, the kitten pushed its rear end forward, attempting to squeeze into Chu Li's room.

Chu Li: "..."

Ultimately, he steeled his heart and gently pushed the kitten out, closing the window behind it.

To prevent it from seeing him and meowing incessantly, he reached out again to draw the curtains shut.

I'm not home, I'm not home, I'm not home.

Stop looking! I won't let you in!

Chu Li lay on the bed with a cold resolve, gradually drifting off to sleep despite the kitten's persistent cries outside.

The kitten, perched outside, wore a look of sorrow.

These two-legged creatures, qwq, were so fickle! They had agreed to let it be their cat, so why did they turn their backs on it just like that? Was it because it hadn't cleaned itself well enough, and didn't smell nice?

With its straightforward mind, the kitten couldn't come up with any other explanation. After being rejected, it refused to leave and instead crouched on the low wall, grooming itself meticulously. Once it was clean, it looked expectantly at the window, hoping that someone inside would open it and let it in.

But Chu Li had already fallen asleep.

His rut was different from a typical one, as it was caused by his illness.

After parting from his Alpha, the absence of pheromones made his nights torturous.

Sleep was still possible, but once asleep, a longing emerged from the depths of his being, dragging him back to that dark alleyway.

Chu Li had been sickly in his previous life and never experienced love, but he assumed he was attracted to women. Being...sleeping with a man was something he had never contemplated.

That unknown Alpha was fierce; the subtle wounds on his body took almost a week to heal, coupled with his abnormal state of heightened pheromones. It should have left a significant psychological scar.

How could he relish such memories in his dreams, not with fear or repulsion, but rather...

With their skin pressed tightly together, or the breaths raggedly whispering into his ear.

Both sensations were alluring, or perhaps...pleasurable, invoking a deep desire.

But why was this so?

Even upon waking up the next morning, Chu Li couldn't fathom it.

He lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling above. He had never felt any desire when looking at men's bodies before. So why, in this new life, had he become gay? Could it be that the power of this ABO dynamic was so profound?

Before Chu Li could fully comprehend the situation, the kitten outside elongated its meow, "Meow-oo-oo."

It was as if it was greeting Chu Li.

It had yet to leave.

Chu Li felt a mix of emotions – touched yet helpless. He knew that small creatures were adept at exploiting their charm to weaken humans' resolve, then taking advantage of the situation until there was no turning back.

However, he genuinely couldn't adopt it. He began to regret his momentary soft-heartedness that day, allowing it into his home.

He gave the kitten some food but didn't let it in again.

Today was the day he was leaving the Chu family, and he remembered it clearly.

Forcing himself to push aside thoughts of the kitten, by the time he finished packing most of his belongings, it was almost ten in the morning, and his empty stomach grumbled with hunger. The Chus never sent him breakfast, so Chu Li decided to drink some water and inquire about their departure time. As he turned around, he once more spotted the kitten lying on the low wall, still intently gazing into the house.

With no other choice, Chu Li walked to the window, cracked it open, and spoke to the kitten, "Go on, I won't be living here after today. This family doesn't like you. If you come back, they might hurt you."

The kitten perked up its ears as if it understood – this two-legged creature's family was fierce and would hit cats! The two-legged creature didn't like them either, and from now on, wouldn't live with them.

Although the two-legged creature was telling it to leave, how could that be possible!

It had set its heart on this two-legged creature and would never leave! It wanted to take care of him!

Hmph, even if the two-legged creature refused to keep it, so what! A cute kitty wouldn't be deterred by difficulties! There must be a way.

The kitten gazed deeply at Chu Li before finally turning around and leaving.

Watching its tiny figure vanish from sight, Chu Li felt a sense of relief, but also a tinge of loss.

Chu Deyue had only taken half a day off work. They were scheduled to depart in the afternoon and should arrive at the Omega Academy around five o'clock.

But what arrived first, unexpectedly, was Chu Heyang's compatibility test result for his pheromones.

The number obtained during the school physical examination wasn't too different, but it wasn't far off either. His match with Shu Chenghang turned out to be ninety-five percent, just like the result at the academy!

The moment Chu Heyang received the compatibility report, he was on the verge of screaming in delight. With such a high match rate, wouldn't their union with Shu Chengxing produce the finest S-Class Alpha or Omega?

The Shu family would surely arrange their engagement promptly!

At the thought of marrying Shu Chengxing, Chu Heyang couldn't contain his excitement. Fortunately, Zhu Wei held him back, "Don't shout, what if Chu Li hears you?"

Only then did Chu Heyang recall that Chu Li was still at home.

Recalling Shu Chengxing's peculiar attitude towards Chu Li, Chu Heyang pouted in distress, "Mom, do I really have to attend the same academy as him? What if he goes back on his word and continues to pursue Chengxing? Can't we find a way to keep him from going to school?"

"Uh..." Zhu Wei looked troubled. They had already promised Chu Li, and it would be too hasty to retract their agreement now.

In the past, Zhu Wei would always yield to her son's wishes. But ever since Chu Li was marked, he underwent a complete transformation, no longer obediently following their every command. Whenever she faced Chu Li, Zhu Wei felt an unexplainable fear, making her hesitant to overstep her boundaries.

Yet, Chu Heyang complained, "Before, we were worried he'd cause trouble and disturb the Shu family. Now that the results are out, what more could he possibly stir up? Please don't let him go, Mom, okay?"

Zhu Wei was powerless against her son's coquettishness. Hesitantly, she said, "Then, why don't you talk to him about it?"

Chu Heyang was also hesitant, but considering they would inevitably cross paths with Chu Li at school, he steeled himself and replied, "Alright, I'll talk to him."

Chu Heyang, as usual, entered without knocking. Knowing that they were leaving today, Chu Li hadn't locked the door.

Upon pushing the door open, Chu Li was found sitting on the bed, engaged in a phone call. Hearing the noise at the entrance, he put his terminal aside with a cold expression and stood up, asking, "What is it?"

The moment Chu Heyang met Chu Li's icy gaze, he felt a bit intimidated but still managed to muster up his courage, shouting at him, "You're not coming to school with me today!"

Author's Note:

I chased away Little Li Hua Cat just to write this scene of being stalked by a cat at night, all for my selfish desire. Please don't scold the main character for being fickle! Don't project this onto real life, qwq.

Little Li Hua Cat's actions in this chapter are all inspired by real-life incidents. If you find similarities... then your cat must be quite clingy too, qwq.