Chapter 18

While Yu An went to change into clothes with a cat pattern, Yu Ling went online and bought several more similarly cute outfits, also ordering toys and food for the cat.

After dinner, Yu Ling really wanted Yu An to stay, but knowing he still had a cat at home, she asked Gu Yuzhou to send Yu An off, only saying, “Next time, bring Pingping over to play.”

Yu An replied with a simple “Okay.”

Forty minutes later, Gu Yuzhou parked his car and watched as Yu An went upstairs.

One by one, the corridor lights turned on; when the light in Yu An’s room finally came on, Gu Yuzhou drove away.

As soon as Yu An opened the door, Pingping was there to greet him.

The orange, round head lifted, and those wet, glistening eyes looked up at Yu An, as if expecting something.

Yu An smiled and picked Pingping up, pressing his cheek against the cat’s head before stepping inside and closing the door.

Pingping stretched comfortably, a soft purring sound emanating from its throat.

Yu An didn’t put the cat down but held it with one hand while opening a can of cat food with the other, feeding it close to its mouth.

Watching Pingping eat heartily was a simple happiness.

Suddenly, Yu An understood why Teacher Yu always looked so happy whenever he ate a bit more.

After Pingping finished eating, Yu An planned to set the cat down, but suddenly everything went dark.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he felt warmth against him, and then he slowly opened his eyes.

The room wasn’t engulfed in a terrifying darkness; the streetlight outside shone through the balcony, the warm yellow light matching Pingping’s fur.

Pingping kept meowing softly, rubbing its soft nose against Yu An’s fingers, then climbing up again to brush the sweat on his face.

Calming himself, Yu An went to the balcony and contacted the landlord, learning it was an electrical issue due to poor wiring contact, but the repairman could only come the next day.

No electricity was inconvenient; he hadn’t showered yet, and without a fan at night, both he and Pingping would be too hot.

After a few seconds of thought, he called Yu Ling.

On the other end, Yu Ling laughed and said, “Xiao An, you’re welcome to come over. I’ve already asked the housekeeper to clean your room.”

Yu An replied with a “Good,” then hung up.

He turned on his phone’s flashlight, found a bag, packed some spare clothes, Pingping’s little fish toy, and canned cat food, slung his backpack over one shoulder, held Pingping in his arms, and went downstairs.

The cat, thinking it was going out hunting with its owner, excitedly stood in Yu An’s arms, then perched on his shoulder, eyes scanning up and down as if assessing for danger.

Then it saw a black car and a man taller than its owner.

Yu An was very surprised upon seeing Gu Yuzhou. “Mr. Gu?”

His phone still displayed the ride-hailing app’s screen. Gu Yuzhou glanced at it, then looked at Yu An’s face, his brows relaxing after a long moment.

“Feeling unwell?” he asked.

Yu An shook his head; his complexion was not as pale as the last time at the theater. “The balcony has light, and Pingping is with me.”

Pingping thought Yu An was calling it and meowed softly.

Gu Yuzhou took the luggage from Yu An’s hand. Instinctively, Yu An said, “I can manage.”

Before he could act, the luggage was taken away, and in his fluster, he only brushed the back of the man’s hand.

Gu Yuzhou switched on the car’s interior light and gestured for him to get in.

Yu An sat down; Gu Yuzhou didn’t get in immediately.

Through the window, Gu Yuzhou walked to a nearby shop, stayed a moment, then came out with a cup of water, handing it to Yu An.

Yu An took a small sip, his eyes widening.

It wasn’t just water but warm pear syrup. His throat felt soothed, and his chill gradually lifted.

His eyes curved into a smile, softened by the car’s light. “Mr. Gu, thank you.”

Gu Yuzhou’s eyes reflected that smile, but his expression was tense. He pulled out his phone and handed it to Yu An.

Yu An looked at the QR code displayed, puzzled.

“This is my WeChat.”

Realizing this, Yu An took out his phone and scanned the code to add him.

Gu Yuzhou tossed the cup aside and got into the car. “Yu An, contact me if you need anything.”

Yu An habitually replied “Okay,” watching the man’s back before noticing he wasn’t wearing the suit from earlier but gray loungewear.

Had he just come home and been called over by Teacher Yu to help with the move?

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yu An said, “Sorry for troubling you again.”

Gu Yuzhou didn’t start the car but turned to Yu An, his tone steady and weighty. “I’m not afraid of trouble, and you’re not a trouble.”

Yu An’s eyes widened slightly.

At the small villa, Yu Ling was already waiting at the door. Seeing them, she came forward, took Yu An’s luggage, and led him inside.

Closing the door, Yu An still thought about what Gu Yuzhou had said.

Pingping, unafraid of strangers, patrolled the villa, making a round before settling beside the sofa.

Yu Ling took Yu An to his room, handed him freshly washed pajamas, carefully adjusted the hot water, then let him shower.

It was late, so she didn’t stay long and said goodnight before leaving.

After showering, Yu An came out, and Pingping immediately approached, sniffing his clothes.

Standing in front of the mirror, he looked at his reflection in pajamas adorned with many little dog patterns. His gaze lingered, and he carefully touched the fabric, a small smile unconsciously curling his lips.

Lying in bed, he opened WeChat and found Gu Yuzhou’s profile picture—a moon. He tapped into the Moments page, but there was nothing.

He backed out, then a cat paw tapped his hand.

Looking down, he saw Pingping had climbed onto the bed and, after tapping him, patted the blanket.

Yu An smiled and put down his phone. He got up, rolled the blanket, and tucked it along both sides of the bed.

Whenever he couldn’t sleep, he did this—sleeping wrapped in the blanket felt like being held by his mother, a comfort that gave him security.

After a few nights, Pingping grew to like it too.

With the air conditioning on, the room was comfortably cool. To avoid catching a cold, he grabbed the bed’s air-conditioned quilt to cover himself.

The two of them, man and cat, fell asleep peacefully.

—

At the Yu residence.

Mr. Yu had just arrived home when the butler approached. “Sir, Madam has been in her room all day, saying she’s looking for clothes.”

Mr. Yu frowned and went upstairs.

Entering the room, clothes were strewn about. Mrs. Yu sat on the floor holding a red costume—one designed for a child.

He approached and saw her burying her face in the fabric, murmuring, “I found it; it still smells like the baby, so sweet.”

Mr. Yu paused, recalling photos of Yu An as a child wearing costumes.

He knelt to take the costume away.

This time, Mrs. Yu gripped it tightly, her voice hardening, “You can’t take it. This is An An’s!”

Mr. Yu loosened his grip slightly. Mrs. Yu immediately hugged the costume to her chest tightly.

Yu Qing stood at the doorway, unnoticed until now.

Mr. Yu stood, but when he looked at Mrs. Yu, the words “An An is here” inexplicably caught in his throat.

Yu Qing stepped into the room and called out, “Mom.”

Mr. Yu left, meeting Yu You at the door. The two remained silent for a moment before discussing company matters, never leaving.

Inside the room.

Mrs. Yu looked at Yu Qing, her expression momentarily freezing as she took his hand.

Yu Qing threw himself into her arms, coquettishly calling “Mom.” Mrs. Yu’s face softened, and she took out the costume, saying, “An An, look, I found the costume you wore as a child. I even made it for you.”

She compared the size to Yu Qing’s body and added, “This one’s too small. I’ll make you another set.”

Then she fetched a measuring tape and began measuring Yu Qing.

Yu Qing was used to his mother’s rapid train of thought. Standing there, he suddenly remembered a video he had seen years ago.

It was of Yu An as a child.

The person filming must have been Yu You. In the video, little Yu An was practicing turning around. When he noticed Yu You secretly filming, he shyly called out, “Brother!”

Little Yu An was cute: round face, big eyes, long lashes, fair skin, and long hair, looking almost like a little girl.

Yu You filmed with even greater enthusiasm.

Little Yu An covered his face with his hands, then, when that didn't work, hid in his mother’s arms, whining, “Mom, Brother is so bad!”

The video showed Yu You laughing heartily and Mrs. Yu gently comforting him.

At the door, Yu You unusually lost focus. Mr. Yu called to him several times before he snapped out of it. “Dad, I have something urgent. I’ll talk later.”

Mr. Yu was stunned, watching him leave, then turned toward the room. Seeing Mrs. Yu’s calm expression with no sign of illness, he finally relaxed and went to the study.

After measuring Yu Qing, Mrs. Yu began searching for fabric. Yu Qing went downstairs to the storeroom. Hearing voices from inside, his expression darkened.

In the storeroom.

The butler spoke calmly, “Young Master, what are you looking for? I’ll help you.”

Yu You, having just heard Mrs. Yu, suddenly remembered he seemed to have filmed many videos of Yu An. He didn’t stop moving. “The camera—do you remember the one I used so often as a child?”

The butler pondered for a long time before saying, “I have a vague memory. It should be around here somewhere…”

Yu Qing didn’t listen further and returned to his room.

—

The next morning, Yu An received a message from Yu Qing and suddenly remembered he hadn’t blocked him yet.

Looking down at his screen, the messages appeared:

Yu Qing: “Brother, Dad and I moved you to a new room. It’s huge.”

Yu Qing: “You must be happy, right? I took photos and posted them in our family chat.”

Yu Qing: “Suddenly remembered you’re not in there. Should I add you? But what if Mom asks about you?”

Yu Qing was still the same, clumsy in his approach.

But Yu An was no longer who he used to be. He didn’t reply and immediately deleted and blocked Yu Qing.

After washing up, he had breakfast with Teacher Yu.

The training hall was close by. He played with Pingping a while, sang some scenes with Teacher Yu, then went to the theater.

At five in the afternoon, the theater closed.

Yu An walked toward the villa. Before entering, he saw Yu Ling holding Pingping at the door waiting for him.

His nose prickled with emotion. After composing himself, he smiled and ran over, greeting Teacher Yu and stroking the cat’s head.

At six, the housekeeper had prepared dinner. Gu Yuzhou drove over, bringing strawberries.

Yu An smiled, took them, opened a small can of food for Pingping, and the three humans and one cat began their meal.

After dinner, they watched a movie together like a family.

When it ended, Yu Ling sighed, “The villa hasn’t been this lively in a long time.”

She suddenly thought of something, took out her phone. “Why don’t we create a group chat?”

Yu An was momentarily surprised and looked at her.

Soon, a notification popped up on his phone: invited to join the “Happy Little Home” group chat.

Yu Ling asked, “Yuzhou, did you add Xiao An?”

Gu Yuzhou: “Yes.”

Yu Ling was a little surprised but didn’t think much of it. She sat closer to Yu An and said, “From now on, whether there’s something or not, you can post in the group.”

She patted Yu An’s head. “We are family.”

Pingping climbed up the sofa, and she rubbed the cat’s head. “Right, Pingping?”

Yu An caught a glimpse of the note Yu Ling had set for him: “Baby.”

Something inside him seemed to be struck. He curved his eyes and nodded solemnly, “Okay.”