Chapter 9: Human’s Heartache

Chapter 9: A Heart That Aches

Fei Yu closed his eyes, his long, curved eyelashes casting shadows on his eyelids, trembling faintly with every breath like the flutter of a butterfly's wings.

The young man's sleeping face was serene and sweet, his chest rising and falling shallowly, his breaths so light they were nearly inaudible, with only a faint breath of warmth brushing against his arm.

A pang of sympathy welled up in Song Ji's heart. The coffee shop was busy, and Fei Yu, wanting to juggle both work and studies, had no choice but to sacrifice his rest and sleep.

A scene suddenly flashed before his eyes: late at night, after a long, hard day at the coffee shop, Fei Yu finally got off work.

But instead of resting, he headed straight to the only desk in his cramped room, turned on the desk lamp, and studied late into the night by its light.

When he was starving, he would take a few bites of a rice ball that had long gone cold...

If it weren't for staying up late to study, how else would Fei Yu be so exhausted that he dozed off?

Song Ji's heart gave a sharp pang.

Fei Yu was already working so hard, yet he still found time to study—he must want to return to school, right?

A wave of bitterness rose in Song Ji's chest, both from the ache of sympathy and from the faint disappointment that, given their current relationship, he wasn't in a position to help Fei Yu with his problems.

All Song Ji could do was subtly straighten his back, holding the position without moving a muscle, so Fei Yu could lean on him more comfortably.

The sleeping young man remained unaware, his soft hair unconsciously brushing against Song Ji's arm.

Perhaps lost in a sweet dream, his lips curled into a slight smile, and his full, pink lip was gently pressed together.

Song Ji's palms tightened, the muscles in his arms turning stiff, and his Adam's apple rolled almost imperceptibly.

His gaze hurriedly dropped, landing on Fei Yu's notebook.

On the lined paper, several English words were carefully copied—all common CET-4 and CET-6 vocabulary.

His handwriting was round and adorable, each letter plump like a chubby dumpling with its filling oozing out.

At the very end of the list, there was a tiny cat face with a crying expression—utterly endearing.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Song Ji's lips, and an inappropriate thought rippled through his mind.

Looks... just as cute as its owner.

He couldn't focus on a single word of the document on the computer. Song Ji's gaze drifted aimlessly in the air for a moment before landing again on the face of the person beside him.

Soft, fair cheeks tinged with pink, pressed into a tender curve from the movement, like a delicate spring peach hanging from a branch.

Song Ji's heart pounded hard. He curled his fingers.

The next second, as if bewitched, he slowly reached out a fingertip toward that softness.

Ding, ding—the bell for the end of class rang.

Song Ji jerked his hand back.

Fei Yu jolted awake from his dream, sitting up abruptly, and asked in disbelief, "Is class over?"

Maybe because he had slept too long, his voice was no longer clear—soft and drowsy.

His cheeks were slightly flushed, and the corners of his eyes were flushed pink.

A feeling of loss washed over Song Ji as he rubbed his fingertips together, letting out a low, husky "Mm."

He half-lowered his eyelids to hide the inexplicable regret in his eyes.

"O-okay, let's hurry and go." Fei Yu gave a stiff smile.

He stood up in a hurry, scooped his things into his bag, then rose from his seat and hurried out of the classroom in a fluster.

After a few meters, he secretly touched his cheek with the back of his hand—it was indeed a bit warm.

Fei Yu bit his lip in annoyance, his lashes fluttering nonstop.

Honestly, he had wanted to make a good impression in front of Song Ji—how could he have fallen asleep?

He wondered if Song Ji had noticed him sleeping, and if he might think Fei Yu wasn't studious...

Song Ji, a few steps behind, casually massaged his sore, stiff shoulder.

Only after ensuring his expression betrayed nothing did he catch up, asking calmly, "Want to go grab lunch?"

Flustered, Fei Yu refused without thinking: "No, I'm not hungry yet."

As soon as the words left his mouth, his stomach gave a series of loud, uncontrollable growls.

Fei Yu: !!!

He closed his eyes in disbelief, a deep blush spreading from his neck to his cheeks, even his toes curling in embarrassment.

He wished he could turn into a cat right then and there and run away from Song Ji's side.

Catfolk eat small, frequent meals. To get to class early today, Fei Yu had only eaten a meager breakfast, so he was already hungry.

Fei Yu was mortified beyond words.

Today must be his unlucky day—if he had known this would happen, he would never have left the house.

After a long, awkward silence, Fei Yu bit his tongue and, resignedly, lifted his lashes to look at the other.

He saw Song Ji pause for a moment, then a gentle smile spread across his lips.

His deep, magnetic voice was warm: "I'm a bit hungry. Would you come eat with me?"

Author's Note:

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Unlucky little catfolk QAQ

Two updates today. No update tomorrow; next update on Friday.