Cat O, But Traveling Into The Normal World Chapter 16
byChapter 16 Rehearsal: Who Told You to Kiss Me?
During breaks in filming, Yu You even took a few selfies with the chibi character on the milk tea cup and sent them to his assistant as content for a future social media post.
Assistant: [Such cute little fish and q.q fish! Send more selfies, please!]
Yu You: [Okay, I will [happy]]
He also thought these selfies were very cute. After a moment of consideration, he reservedly chose one and sent it to Jiang Xunzhou, waiting for a little praise.
Jiang Xunzhou: [Mm.]
Just “Mm”?!
Yu You looked at the one-word reply twice in disbelief, realizing Jiang Xunzhou genuinely didn’t plan to say anything else. He angrily closed the chat box, deciding never to send Jiang Xunzhou selfies again.
Dogs shouldn’t eat chocolate.
Yu You consoled himself.
The filming schedule was tight. In the afternoon, a co-star was in poor condition, requiring take after take. Filming dragged from the afternoon until late into the night, leaving Yu You utterly exhausted. When he left the set, his steps were unsteady, and he fell asleep the moment he got into the car.
Once asleep, he was dead to the world. He didn’t wake up even after they arrived. The driver called him a few times but couldn’t rouse him. Unsure what to do, the driver had to call Jiang Xunzhou.
Jiang Xunzhou had just finished a transnational meeting. He exited the Study Room and went downstairs.
The rear car door was open, bodyguards stood on either side, and the driver stood awkwardly. Seeing Jiang Xunzhou emerge, he quickly called out, “Mr. Jiang.”
Jiang Xunzhou gave a faint “Mm” and strode forward with his long legs.
The back seat of the car was spacious. The young man was curled up in the corner, sleeping soundly. The air conditioning was strong, and he had covered himself with a thin fleece blanket. His exposed ankles were slender, encased in thin white socks.
Jiang Xunzhou bent down slightly, wrapped the blanket around the boy, and lifted him directly into his arms.
Yu You’s eyes were closed, and he didn’t wake up at all. Sensing a familiar scent in his sleep, he instinctively snuggled into Jiang Xunzhou’s embrace, adjusting his position to be more comfortable.
“Thank you for your hard work tonight,” Jiang Xunzhou said politely to the driver. “You don’t need to come tomorrow.”
The driver nodded repeatedly: “Understood, understood.”
Jiang Xunzhou carried Yu You back inside, his steps steady.
Entering the villa, the lighting changed. The indoor lights were somewhat bright, causing Yu You to instinctively burrow into Jiang Xunzhou’s arms. It wasn’t until he bumped against warm, firm muscle that he realized something was amiss.
The young man groggily lifted his long lashes, his eyes slightly red at the corners. He looked around and asked blankly, “…I’m back?”
“You’re back,” Jiang Xunzhou looked down at him. “Are you this tired today?”
Yu You sighed: “The director wasn’t satisfied with the effect of one scene, so we shot it over ten times. It was exhausting.”
Jiang Xunzhou walked a few steps and placed Yu You on the living room sofa. “You sit here first, I’ll get your slippers.”
Yu You obediently said “Oh,” sitting on the sofa with his knees together.
“Oh, right. The housekeeper noticed you liked pineapple the other day, so she specifically cut a plate for you before she left today.”
Jiang Xunzhou returned with the slippers, bent down, placed them by Yu You’s feet, and said, “But I told her you are currently trying to lose weight and can’t eat too much fruit while controlling your diet. I ate that plate of pineapple.”
Yu You urgently asked, “You didn’t save a single piece for me?”
Jiang Xunzhou’s lips curved slightly. He nodded: “Not a single piece.”
Yu You was annoyed: “If you ate it, why tell me?”
Jiang Xunzhou replied, “A friend reminded me today that I should be a little mean to you, to prevent you from forgetting your place.”
Yu You was stunned: “So you ate all the pineapple the housekeeper left for me? Aren’t you supposed to be my sugar daddy fan?”
“Being your sugar daddy fan means providing money and resources; it doesn’t conflict with being a little mean to you personally.” Jiang Xunzhou’s tone held a hint of amusement. “Also, let me remind you of something: everything in this house is mine, including the pineapple.”
Yu You looked shocked, utterly unable to believe it.
How could there be such a petty CEO who wouldn’t even spare a small piece of pineapple?
His psychological reaction was practically written all over his face, making him easy to read.
Jiang Xunzhou couldn’t help but chuckle softly, finally remembering the main topic: “You don’t need to go to the set all day tomorrow, right?”
Yu You nodded: “Why?”
“My parents are returning from abroad tomorrow,” Jiang Xunzhou said. “As part of the contract we signed—”
Yu You understood: “I get it, I get it. Tomorrow I need to pretend to be your lover and accompany you to see them.”
He had specifically looked up relevant information. Jiang Xunzhou’s parents were childhood sweethearts with a deep relationship. They had two sons. They were recently involved in a car accident that nearly claimed their lives and had been recuperating abroad. There hadn’t been much news about them lately.
“It’s not just my parents tomorrow, my older brother will be there too,” Jiang Xunzhou said. “To make them believe we are genuine, there will need to be some intimate behavior. Can you accept that?”
Yu You humbly inquired: “Such as?”
Jiang Xunzhou coughed, a subtle hint of awkwardness appearing in his expression: “For example… when sitting together, we need to sit very close, preferably holding hands. My parents will ask us how we got together. During the conversation, we might have kissing gestures—but nothing too excessive, just to the extent of kissing the cheek.”
Yu You thought it was something serious. He blinked blankly and asked, “We’ve already been to bed together, are we still afraid of this?”
His words were too blunt, nearly causing Jiang Xunzhou to lose his composure. A flush crept up his ear tips: “How is that the same? We were both drugged then; it was a non-consensual, special circumstance. This time, we’ll be acting while fully sober.”
Yu You scratched his cheek, a little confused.
During his Heat Period, he was indeed not very conscious, but Jiang Xunzhou’s drug effect wore off after the first night. Wasn’t he quite invested afterward?
Although being too clingy for Jiang Xunzhou to leave was also a factor…
Yu You knew he couldn’t contradict his boss. He didn’t argue with Jiang Xunzhou and obediently agreed: “Okay, hubby, I understand.”
Jiang Xunzhou hummed: “Good that you know. Get a good rest tonight. Remember to improvise tomorrow. Do whatever proves our relationship.”
Yu You, confident in his perfect acting skills, assured him: “Hubby, don’t worry. Leave it to me, absolutely no problem!”
Jiang Xunzhou’s expression softened slightly, and he gave a light “Mm.”
After discussing tomorrow’s plans, Yu You returned to the Guest Bedroom. After washing up, he checked that the door was double-locked and even sent Jiang Xunzhou a message.
[Don’t worry, I locked the door tonight! I definitely won’t sleepwalk over to your side!]
He put down his phone and closed his eyes to sleep. The next morning, he woke up in the Guest Bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if this body had a habit of sleepwalking, locking the door kept it under control.
Yu You’s confidence soared. He tidied up and went downstairs.
Jiang Xunzhou was already waiting at the dining table, sipping coffee.
Because this was a family dinner, the man was dressed more casually than usual. A light coffee-colored V-neck shirt hugged his broad chest, a few buttons casually undone. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing the powerful lines of his forearms.
Hearing the movement, Jiang Xunzhou looked up and saw Yu You descending the stairs.
The young man was slender and tall, dressed in his usual obedient style: a white shirt and coffee-colored trousers. The simplest attire carried a clean, refreshing aura.
His clear, beautiful eyes shone brightly. Looking at him, one couldn’t help but be reminded of a handful of fresh snow on a mountain peak.
Jiang Xunzhou was momentarily distracted, then snapped back to attention and said, “Come here.”
Yu You rushed over, taking the stairs two at a time. Upholding his professional work ethic, he asked, “What’s wrong? Is this outfit unsuitable? I’ll go change right now if it is.”
“No need to change, it’s perfect,” Jiang Xunzhou said. “Give me your hand.”
Yu You extended his hand.
Jiang Xunzhou took the young man’s wrist and fastened a silver bracelet onto it.
The silver bracelet was thin and long, adorned with several diamond-encrusted Iris Flower charms. It dangled on his slender, pale wrist, reflecting a dazzling, brilliant light.
Yu You gasped in surprise, then noticed that Jiang Xunzhou wasn’t wearing a watch today, only an identical silver bracelet made of interconnected Iris Flower charms. He asked, “Is this our couple’s bracelet?”
Jiang Xunzhou hummed, then added, “Consider it payment for the trouble of accompanying me back this time.”
Yu You’s eyes sparkled: “Does that mean this bracelet is mine?”
Jiang Xunzhou nodded.
Yu You already loved the Iris Flower bracelet. His eyes curved into smiles. He leaned in and pecked Jiang Xunzhou’s cheek with a “smack”: “Thank you, hubby!”
Jiang Xunzhou was completely unprepared and was kissed squarely. His pupils widened slightly as he stared blankly at Yu You.
The spot where he was kissed felt damp, as if a lingering softness remained, burning like a branding iron.
That scorching heat even showed signs of spreading outward.
Yu You tilted his head slightly, looking innocent: “Hubby?”
Jiang Xunzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. His tone was slightly annoyed: “Who told you to kiss me?”
“Didn’t you say there might be cheek-kissing today? I’m just practicing in advance.”
Yu You offered a serious suggestion: “Hubby, your reaction is too stiff. It makes us look fake, nothing like a couple in love who frequently kiss.”
Jiang Xunzhou gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty: “Then… you don’t kiss me, I’ll kiss you.”
“That works too. Leave the difficult part to me,” Yu You thought for a moment. “We have time now, we can rehearse.”
He sat directly on Jiang Xunzhou’s lap, wrapped his arms around his neck, tilted his face up, and cooed, “Hubby, kiss me.”
The young man’s voice was soft, laced with admiration. His rose-colored lips parted and closed, revealing a flash of his moist, red tongue hidden inside.
The warm body nestled in his arms emitted a faint, pleasant scent of purple iris, stirring his heart. The temples on his forehead pulsed lightly, and all the hot blood in his body rushed straight downwards.
Jiang Xunzhou closed his eyes, his earlobes crimson, his voice carrying an inexplicable hoarseness: “Get down.”
Yu You was confused: “No kissing?”
Jiang Xunzhou could bear it no longer. The veins on his neck slightly bulged and twitched. He lifted Yu You up directly, then strode away.