Chapter 136: No Tomorrow

Chapter 136: See You Tomorrow

Ling Qingjue held his face and kissed him twice, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. "Don't lie to me. I hate it when you lie. If you're broke, you're broke. I'll figure out a way to get you a lot of money later—no, I'll figure it out right now."

Meng Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What kind of plan are you going to come up with?"

Ling Qingjue pondered for a moment, then said with great seriousness, "Are there any evil dragons or something like that in your world? I'll go rob it."

"There's no such thing!" Meng Shu said. "Our world doesn't even have a single slime!"

"Then what do you have?"

Meng Shu thought for a while. "We have giant pandas. You don't seem to have them here."

"What's a giant panda?"

"A black-and-white bear. Big, with black patches that look like two dark circles around its eyes." Meng Shu puffed out his cheeks exaggeratedly, trying to mimic a panda's round face. "It looks like this."

Ling Qingjue had indeed never heard of it. "I'll go see one sometime."

Then he asked, "So how do you earn money?"

"You have to work too, but it's hard to make money in our world. People will scheme against each other or even risk their lives over a single cent. Money here comes way too easily."

"How strange," Ling Qingjue said. "Your world is really strange."

Meng Shu gave a wry laugh. After a long pause, he said, "Yeah, it is."

Ling Qingjue patted him on the back, like a curious child bubbling with questions. "But why did you lie to me?"

"...I felt I wasn't good enough for you." Meng Shu lowered his gaze in shame. "I'm sorry. I wanted to give you something better."

"I don't like it when you lie."

Ling Qingjue, a bit domineering, said unreasonably, "From now on, don't lie. Tell me everything. You said yourself that you like me—how can you lie to someone you like? If you lie again, I'll definitely turn you into a potted plant."

"...Mm."

Ling Qingjue kissed him twice more on the lips, then took his hand, his gaze burning. "Touch me."

Meng Shu's hand recoiled as if touching a snake or scorpion, his face turning red in panic. "Kitty, don't..."

"I'm aching." Ling Qingjue took a breath, still staring straight at him, his eyes full of possessive desire. "Meng Shu, hurry up, okay? Get that affection level to a hundred, yeah?"

"I want to too, but..." Being pinned down by him, Meng Shu couldn't move. "Sorry, I'll try, okay?"

Ling Qingjue didn't let him off, his smile full of mischief. "Will you lie to me again?"

Meng Shu shook his head repeatedly. "I won't lie."

"Why are you always so insecure? I really hate some of the things you say sometimes. Is being with me really that stressful?"

Meng Shu's nose tingled. He kept shaking his head. "No. I won't lie again."

"I don't like that line either!" Ling Qingjue's cat tail suddenly coiled around his neck and tightened, nearly choking him.

"There's no sincerity at all."

Ling Qingjue sharply picked up on his emotions, leaned down, and hugged him tightly. "Okay, Meng Shu. You can tell me anything... After all, I'm your cat. You can tell a cat anything. Cats know how to keep secrets."

Meng Shu buried his face in the crook of Ling Qingjue's neck, tears almost spilling out. "...Okay. I understand."

Ling Qingjue stroked his head, waiting for his emotions to settle, and then the two of them curled up on the sofa to browse a cookbook.

Meng Shu rambled on about many techniques, most of which he couldn't quite follow. His normally sharp mind suddenly went blank, he could only stare at Meng Shu's collarbone.

How could he get Meng Shu to sleep while holding him?

Turn into a kitten.

As midnight approached, Ling Qingjue was already a bit sleepy, but tonight he wanted to sleep together with Meng Shu.

Meng Shu had been talking for a while, and sensing he probably hadn't caught on, he couldn't help feeling anxious.

What would happen to Ling Qingjue after he was gone?

As he worried, Ling Qingjue suddenly vanished from his arms. In the blink of an eye, there was only a green-eyed black cat left.

Meng Shu was astonished. "Kitty, how did you turn into a kitten?"

Ling Qingjue cleared his throat. "It seems my magic isn't stable. I accidentally turned back. You know how guys have a couple of days every month, like that time of the month."

Meng Shu was incredibly naive. "Really? Why haven't you had this before?"

"You just never saw it before." The shameless cat pressed closer into Meng Shu's embrace. "I can't seem to change back."

Meng Shu, convinced, picked him up and stroked his fur. "How can your magic be so unstable? Can't you even hold your human form?"

"By tomorrow I'll be fine." Ling Qingjue lied through his teeth.

Meng Shu squeezed and petted the cat's soft body, getting more amused with each touch. "No wonder they say cats are liquid. As a cat, you're all soft now."

Ling Qingjue was annoyed by all the kneading and wanted to hiss at him, but held back. "Hey, tonight... well, I'll grudgingly agree to sleep with you, okay?"

Meng Shu froze. "...Tonight?"

He was going to disappear that night.

"Ahem, I've turned into a kitten." Ling Qingjue's tail swished back and forth, looking guilty.

Hadn't Meng Shu said he could sleep while holding a kitten?

Now that he'd become a kitten, why wouldn't he agree?

Meng Shu's gaze wavered. He picked him up, held him close, lowered his head, and kissed his pink nose, rubbing his face against the kitten's. "I have something to do tonight. I'll need to leave soon."

He put on a regretful expression. "I won't be able to keep holding you."

At these words, Ling Qingjue instantly got angry. "Where are you going again? Your visits have been getting shorter and shorter. Are you getting tired of me?"

"No, I've been really busy with my real-life job lately. If I don't go back to work, I won't have money to eat." Meng Shu looked very upset. "You wouldn't want me to starve, would you?"

"You useless human!" Ling Qingjue was furious. He jumped out of Meng Shu's arms. "You don't even have money for food? Fine, go ahead and starve!"

"Kitty!" Meng Shu grabbed his tail.

Ling Qingjue yelped in pain. "You pulled my tail again!"

"Sorry!" Meng Shu let go, forced a smile. "Kitty, let me hold you one more time, okay?"

Ling Qingjue reluctantly curled into his arms, his tail brushing against Meng Shu's chin.

Meng Shu lowered his head to kiss the kitten again before placing him on the sofa, his eyes crinkling with a smile: "Moonstone is on my bed. Remember to go get it."

"Oh."

Meng Shu thought for a moment, as if there was nothing left to say.

"I really like you." Meng Shu said again, "I want to marry you. If I could have kittens, I'd want to have them for you."

Ling Qingjue's deep green eyes stared at him, saying nothing.

As dawn drew closer, Meng Shu knew he had to go.

No matter how much he didn't want to leave, it was time to say goodbye.

He smiled at Ling Qingjue, bright and dazzling, like a blazing sun that could melt all the cold.

"Kitten, see you tomorrow."