kitten
Lin Xiyan sank into the overly soft cloud-like quilt, enveloped in sunlight and a clean, warm atmosphere, feeling a bit dazed and unreal. This room was so bright and clean. Compared to his dark, shabby, musty little rental house, it felt like two completely different worlds.
Jiang Yibai sat by the bed, looking at him with sparkling eyes, as if he was guarding a baby he had just brought back to the nest, with the corners of his mouth raised, showing undisguised satisfaction and happiness.
The air is quiet and warm.
Lin Xiyan's eyes unconsciously swept across the room. It was clean, comfortable, and had everything... but something seemed to be missing. His heart stirred slightly, and a subtle worry, one he hadn't even noticed, emerged.
He hesitated for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tugging at the soft corner of the quilt. His voice was very soft, with a hint of uncertainty and hesitation: "Then...where is the kitten Bai Yan?"
He regretted asking afterward. Asking a cat at a time like this... seemed a bit pointless. Besides, that kitten... he seemed to haven't seen it in a few days. It used to be so elusive, sometimes missing all day, and he had no idea where it had gone. Maybe... it had gotten lost a long time ago? Stray cats are always like that; they're hard to tame.
A faint sense of loss quietly filled my heart. It seemed that I couldn't keep that little bit of fleeting, furry warmth.
Jiang Yibai was looking down at his phone, seemingly texting his mother to let her know he was safe. Upon hearing this, he immediately looked up, a wider smile breaking across his face, a hint of mystery and pride in his expression. "Guess?"
Lin Xiyan was stunned when she saw him like this.
Before he could react, Jiang Yibai had already whistled softly towards the half-open door.
Almost as soon as the whistle sounded——
"Meow~"
A soft, slightly coquettish cat meow came from outside the door.
Then, a small, furry, orange-white head squeezed through the crack in the door. It was Bai Yan! He seemed a little rounder than before, his fur shinier. His large amber eyes darted around, accurately locking onto Lin Xiyan on the bed.
It walked with light and graceful cat steps, its tail held high, like a little prince patrolling its territory, and walked slowly to the bed.
Lin Xiyan was completely stunned, staring at the suddenly appearing kitten without blinking. The slight sense of loss in her heart was instantly replaced by surprise and a faint sense of joy. It...wasn't lost?
Jiang Yibai bent down and reached out to scratch Bai Yan's chin. The kitten squinted its eyes comfortably and made a purring sound in its throat.
"This little ungrateful bastard," Jiang Yibai complained in a friendly tone, his eyes gentle. "I don't know what went wrong with him the past two days. He kept trying to slip out when I opened the door, and I couldn't catch him. He's so wild. I've been looking for him several times, and I thought he was really lost."
He paused, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he looked at Lin Xiyan: "Guess what? This morning I said I was coming to pick you up, and it seemed to understand. It didn't run away, but followed me step by step, meowing, and insisted on coming with the car. Look, it just arrived in a new environment, and I guess it was just going to inspect its new territory."
Bai Yan seemed impatient with being tickled on the chin, and with a light leap, he jumped directly onto the bed, causing the soft quilt to sink a little.
It first rubbed against Jiang Yibai's hand, then turned around and walked to Lin Xiyan's pillow. It lowered its head and used its wet and cool little nose to curiously sniff Lin Xiyan's cheek and the black hair scattered on the pillow.
Lin Xiyan held her breath, not daring to move, only her eyelashes trembled slightly because of the slight itch.
After sniffing a few times, Bai Yan seemed to confirm its identity. The purring in its throat grew louder and more content. Then, with great affection, it rubbed its furry, warm little head against Lin Xiyan's chin and cheeks. Its movements were gentle, yet tinged with a certain cat-like, doting dominance.
The feeling of soft fur brushing against the skin, the warmth emanating from the warm little body, and the undisguised intimacy and dependence...
Like a small, warm stone, it fell into Lin Xiyan's silent heart lake.
His stiff body softened bit by bit. A sour, soft emotion, mixed with the subtle surprise of regaining what he had lost, slowly welled up from the deepest part of his heart, dispelling the last bit of uneasiness and trance.
He stretched out his uninjured hand very gently and tentatively, his fingertips trembling slightly as he carefully placed it on Bai Yan's warm and soft back.
Instead of hiding, the kitten rubbed against the baby even more vigorously, purring loudly, as if expressing its longing and welcome.
Jiang Yibai sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the scene in front of him - the slightly dazed and soft expression on Lin Xiyan's pale face, and the way the kitten snuggled up to him intimately - the softest place in his heart seemed to be completely filled with sunshine, and it was swollen with warmth.
He couldn't help but reach out his hand, not to touch the cat, but to lightly touch Lin Xiyan's cheek with his fingertips, which was slightly flushed due to interacting with the kitten.
"See," he said in a low voice, with a smile and an indescribable sense of satisfaction, "it misses you too. We are all here."
Lin Xiyan raised his head and looked at Jiang Yibai. The sunlight fell into his smiling purple eyes, shining as if they contained stars. He then looked at the kitten beside him, rubbing against him and making loud purring sounds.
An unprecedented sense of security, of being needed and wrapped in warmth, slowly and firmly dispelled the coldness and loneliness lurking in the depths of my heart.
Although he was still clumsy and at a loss, it seemed that... this place, this person, this cat, all made him irresistibly want to get closer.
He pursed his lips very lightly, and the gray mist in his eyes seemed to be dispelled a little by the warm sunlight and the furry touch.
Bai Yan had rubbed enough and found a comfortable position next to his pillow. He curled up into a ball, squinted his eyes, and looked like he was ready to take a nap. The tip of his tail gently brushed across the back of Lin Xiyan's hand.
Jiang Yibai looked at the two of them, one big and one small, huddled side by side in the sun, and his determination to "raise them" became even stronger.
This is how it has to be, he thought, it has to be warm and lively, he has to be surrounded, he has to be able to touch and hold something warm all the time.
He stood up and said, "Lie down for a while. I'll get you some water and the medicine."
He walked out of the room and closed the door gently.
The room fell silent, with only the subtle sounds of sunlight shifting and the steady purring of the kitten.
Lin Xiyan lay on her side, looking at Bai Yan who was sleeping soundly beside her like a ball of fur, feeling the gentle strokes of her hands on the back of her body, and the bedding warmed by the sun all over her body.
He closed his eyes very lightly.
This time, the darkness was no longer a terrifying swallowing force, but a soft cocoon soaked in sunlight and warmth.
Outside, the sound of Jiang Yibai's footsteps coming down the stairs could be faintly heard, along with his clear voice calling out in a raised tone, "Mom, where is the medicine box?"
Those voices no longer had anything to do with him.
Together with the sunshine, the cat's purring, and the soft bed beneath us, they constitute a real and warm present.
Very gently, very gently, he leaned closer to the furry warmth.
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