A cat's curiosity is very strong, and climbing trees should be an instinctive skill for them. The five claws in their paw pads play a significant role in their climbing, but that doesn't mean they aren't afraid of heights once they've climbed to a very high place.
Well, to be more precise, they absolutely must be afraid of heights when they realize they can get up but can't get down. Any creature in that situation would be scared, even if they weren't before.
"Meeooww— Meeooww—"
The truly pitiful cries of the leopard cat continued to come from the tree, all sounding to Lin Lan like "Help! I can't get down! Save me, Lanlan!" It was both irritating and amusing.
"Serves you right for showing off, for being so capable. Now you can't get down, can you?"
Scolding aside, Lin Lan still had to figure out a way to rescue the cat.
"..." She looked at the cat and fell silent for a moment. "Calling 119 or something is definitely a waste of public resources. Renting a ladder from someone would be better." Most importantly, on her way to find the cat, she remembered seeing a ladder leaning against the wall of a house, about the same height as the tree.
"Fengyang, you hold Huihui. I'll go get the ladder to rescue Gray."
Action followed words. Lin Lan turned and ran back to borrow the ladder from the homeowner. It was a traditional bamboo ladder made of bamboo poles, a bit heavy but still manageable. Lin Lan picked up the bamboo ladder and walked off, so efficiently that Cheng Fengyang, who was holding the cat, didn't even have time to offer a hand.
"Lanlan, let me handle this physical work," he quickly interjected, stopping her on the way back. "I'll go up the ladder to get the cat."
Lin Lan shook her head. "No need. You've been helping me all this time; I can't let you do everything. Go find a shady spot to rest. I'll go get Gray."
He had accompanied her across nearly half of the west district, exposed under the scorching sun for so long. Lin Lan genuinely felt he had done more than enough.
Cheng Fengyang, however, grew anxious. He was indeed tired from the long walk, but Lin Lan's stamina had surely deteriorated even more. The sweat constantly dripping from her face under the sunhat and her gradually pale lips were clear indicators.
"Stop pushing yourself! Your condition isn't suitable for this anymore!" He pressed down on the bamboo ladder she was struggling to carry. "Saving the cat is important, but you need rest more right now. You rest, I'll handle it!"
Before Lin Lan could object, he forcefully pulled the bamboo ladder from her hands with one hand. Lin Lan was already straining just to carry the ladder, so with Cheng Fengyang's pull, it came away easily.
"Here's your cat. You just watch from the side."
Returning the blue cat to Lin Lan, Cheng Fengyang didn't wait for her to speak. He lifted the ladder with both hands and immediately ran off, his speed and strength far surpassing Lin Lan's earlier efforts.
Watching his retreating back, a corner of Lin Lan's heart suddenly relaxed. She blinked and silently followed without a word.
Cheng Fengyang quickly carried the bamboo ladder to the base of the tree. He leaned it against the trunk, carefully adjusted the angle to secure it firmly, and only relaxed his tense muscles after confirming it was completely stable.
Lin Lan followed close behind. By now, she had put Huihui on the ground. The blue cat was very well-behaved, following closely at her heels without any sign of running off.
"Be careful," Lin Lan said, no longer arguing about who should climb the ladder to save the cat, and instead reached out to steady it for him.
This took Cheng Fengyang by surprise, as he had expected more persuasion to be needed, but he quickly felt a surge of delight.
"No problem, leave it to me!" He shook his fist, indicating his strength and reliability, grinned at Lin Lan, and began climbing the ladder.
Gray, who had been wailing miserably in the tree, stopped crying upon seeing someone coming to its rescue. Although it wasn't Lanlan, it was an old acquaintance with a very familiar scent. So, when Cheng Fengyang reached the top and stretched out his hand, the leopard cat didn't struggle. It stiffened its whole body, letting him lift it from the tree.
The next second, the ten claws on its two front paws dug firmly into Cheng Fengyang's clothes.
Summer clothing was thin. As the cat's claws hooked into the fabric, they inevitably pierced his skin. The sudden pain made Cheng Fengyang hiss softly, but once he had a secure hold on the cat, he began carefully descending the ladder.
As he stepped on the rungs above, Lin Lan below held the ladder steady, watching nervously. "Fengyang, watch your step! Don't miss a rung!"
"Don't worry, Lanlan, I won't," Cheng Fengyang said confidently. "I've dealt with these kinds of ladders plenty of times when showing properties to clients. Carrying a cat up and down is absolutely no... Whoaahh!"
When he was about two meters from the ground, one of the bamboo rungs Cheng Fengyang was standing on suddenly slipped and rolled. His firmly planted foot slid violently downward, causing his whole body to tumble.
"Cheng Fengyang!!"
Despite all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated the ladder's quality issue. The intense sun must have baked away part of his intelligence, he thought.
As he fell holding the cat, that was the only thought in Cheng Fengyang's mind, followed by the sight of Lin Lan's face rushing towards him in alarm.
Her hands caught his falling body, cushioning the impact. It seemed her strength wasn't enough to fully support the weight of a grown man falling from a height. Not only did she fail to catch him, but she was also knocked down to the ground by the collision. However, that brief buffer was sufficient to completely avert a serious injury.
"Ah—!" But the moment he hit the ground, the sharp pain shooting through his shoulder still forced a cry of agony from him.
Half an hour later, at the hospital.
"It's okay, it's okay, not a big problem," the doctor said after examining the patient, giving an optimistic diagnosis. "No fractures or internal injuries. Your right shoulder was dislocated from the fall, with some soft tissue contusions. Everything else is fine."
Both Cheng Fengyang and Lin Lan breathed a sigh of relief at this news.
Looking at the two dusty and disheveled individuals, and noticing the woven bag containing two cats at the young woman's feet, the doctor felt both touched and amused. "Saving a cat is a good deed, but be more careful next time. Also, remember to rehydrate well when you get home. Staying out in this sun for so long makes heatstroke very likely."
Hospitals generally don't allow animals inside, but Lin Lan was in a hurry to get Cheng Fengyang treated and couldn't take the cats back first. She had to resort to stuffing them into a bag to get past registration. Fortunately, the doctor treating them was understanding. After learning the situation, he didn't make an issue of it and proceeded with the examination normally.
A few minutes later, a short, sharp cry came from the consultation room. Cheng Fengyang's arm, which had been immobilized by the dislocation, was finally movable again after the doctor reset it.
"Apply ice for the first 24 hours. Try to move the arm as little as possible until it heals. It should be fine after resting for about half a month."
After treating the injury, the doctor prescribed some topical medication, and that was that.
"Thank you, doctor. We'll go pay the fees and get the medicine now," Lin Lan thanked the doctor, picked up the cat bag, and walked out, with Cheng Fengyang following closely behind.
The doctor watched the two leave, his eyes fixed on the two bags containing the cats. He let out a curious chuckle. "Are all house cats this well-behaved? They've settled in the bags without making a peep."
Lin Lan would have been speechless if she heard that. Well-behaved? What's so well-behaved about cats that run away on their own?
Forget about Huihui. As for Gray, ever since his little stunt, he'd been thoroughly cowed.
These two house cats had come to an unfamiliar environment. At that moment, Lin Lan giving them a small, safe bag to hide in was exactly what they wanted. Not to mention she had already told them absolutely not to meow; even if she hadn't, they wouldn't have made a sound.
After getting the medicine from the pharmacy, Lin Lan didn't leave immediately. Instead, she found a quiet spot, had Cheng Fengyang sit down, and started applying the medicine and an ice pack to his injury.
"This... this isn't really necessary," the person in question said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Covering his right shoulder with his left hand, he looked awkward. "I can do it myself when I get home."
Lin Lan stared at him for a second, then handed him the unpackaged medicine. "Alright, do it yourself then."
"No, no, no! Actually, it hurts a lot. My left hand doesn't have the strength to apply the medicine. Lanlan, you'd better help me!" He swiftly changed his tune, putting on a serious face.
Lin Lan shot him a glare but didn't tease him further. She began applying the medicine carefully and earnestly.
The injured area was now red and swollen. After cleaning and disinfecting it, the cool medicine was applied. Cheng Fengyang immediately felt the burning pain subside into a much more bearable coolness. Lanlan was right, as usual. Applying ice early meant less suffering.
Just as he was having this thought, he heard a soft "I'm sorry" from beside him.
"I'm sorry, Fengyang. It's my fault you got hurt."
Looking up in surprise, he saw Lin Lan's moistening eyes, rimmed with red.
Lin Lan was still feeling a lingering fear. If Cheng Fengyang had been seriously injured falling from that ladder, she wouldn't have known how to face him. That risk should have been hers to bear, yet because of her own moment of dependence, she had almost harmed him.
"If something had happened to you because of this, how could I ever face you again? This was my business from the start, I shouldn't have kept troubling you. I really should have gone up there myself earlier..."
"Lin Lan!" Seeing her spiral deeper into guilt, Cheng Fengyang immediately cut her off. "Lin Lan, don't always think like that. I did it willingly. From beginning to end, it was all my own choice, understand? Because I like you. I'm willing, I'm happy to. I wanted to take that risk for you. I was actually really happy earlier when you didn't fight me for the ladder. It proves you're willing to rely on me. And most importantly, the reason I only got a minor injury this time is because you were there to save me in time. You don't need to blame yourself like this. I'm happy to help you, and even happier that you're willing to let me help you!"
Lin Lan raised her red-rimmed eyes, pursed her lips, and looked at him. Her gaze held hesitation and confusion.
Seeing her like this made Cheng Fengyang's heart soften even more. He sighed, reached out, took her hand, and turned her palm upward. On the woman's soft palm were scrapes and broken skin, bloodied marks—injuries she got when she rushed to save him and was knocked to the ground. The wounds that had only oozed a little blood earlier were now bruised a purplish-red.
Lin Lan felt flustered by his actions and instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but he held it firmly. He had already picked up the medicine and started disinfecting her wounds instead. After carefully cleaning each scrape, he finally covered them with waterproof band-aids.
The whole process was quiet, with only Lin Lan, who had started with just red eyes, gradually feeling her face grow warm and flushed as well.
"I could have treated these little scrapes at home just the same," she said dryly, withdrawing her hand.
"But it would hurt me to see them," Cheng Fengyang replied bluntly. "Weren't you also very concerned about me, applying medicine for me right away? It's the same for me."
From that whole mess with her terrible ex-boyfriend to now, Cheng Fengyang had finally resolved to face Lin Lan with the most straightforward attitude. He didn't want to be treated like an outsider by her anymore, with every little thing he did for her calculated and kept clear so they owed each other nothing. He hated even more that just as they were finally making some progress and she was willing to rely on him a little, because he got slightly injured, she started feeling guilty and wanting to handle everything on her own again.
"That's not the same at all..." Lin Lan mumbled.
"It is the same." His eyes bore directly into hers, making Lin Lan, who was avoiding his gaze, feel as if she had nowhere to hide. "Lanlan, even though the degree to which you care about me right now isn't as deep as how much I care about you, I'm willing to work hard to make you care about me a little more each day. So, rounding it off, you could say you like me too, right?"
The last sentence made the blushing Lin Lan look at him speechlessly. Though she didn't say anything, her eyes were clearly saying, "You have some nerve saying that."
However, he indicated he could be even bolder. Cheng Fengyang started counting on his fingers for Lin Lan's benefit. "Look, Lanlan. First, our family backgrounds are similar. You own a building, and my family owns a shop in a prime location and a small villa. Second, you're the owner of a popular cat-themed tea house, and I'm a fairly well-known senior designer in the industry. Also, our homes are practically facing each other, just across the street, very close. We can't hide anything from each other—the geographical location is excellent, and we know each other's roots, so it's completely trustworthy. Finally, and most importantly, we share the same aesthetic taste, the same values. Except for me preferring dogs and you preferring cats, all our other preferences are identical. Don't you think we're a match made in heaven? We couldn't be more suitable for each other!"
Lin Lan: "..." After staring dumbfounded for a moment, she couldn't help but facepalm. "Cheng Fengyang, is this your idea of a confession?" Is this how you confess?
"Not just a simple confession. It's a serious, marriage-oriented confession," Cheng Fengyang corrected earnestly, then continued counting on his fingers with a straight face. "After we get together, I'll give you my salary card, put the house in your name, register the car under you, give myself to you, give you the stars too. After marriage, I'm fine with living together in your little building. If you don't like that, we can buy a new place in the West District. It's all up to you!"
"Stop it right now! Who's talking about after marriage with you!" Lin Lan stamped her foot in bashful annoyance, biting her lip, her face flushed as she glared at him. He was getting more and more outrageous.
"Ow! My shoulder hurts so much!" Cheng Fengyang simply played the rogue. "It's killing me! The person I like still won't agree to be my girlfriend. Thinking about that makes my heart ache even more than my body!"
"Shut up, shut up right now!" Lin Lan flustered, looking around left and right, and reached out to cover Cheng Fengyang's mouth, afraid he'd attract the attention of others in the hospital. Her face was beet red, her heart a mix of anger and amusement. "Alright, fine! I agree, I agree to be your girlfriend, okay?"
And so, the group who had been anxiously waiting in the little building until evening finally saw Lin Lan return.
Moreover, on this trip out, Shopkeeper Lin hadn't just retrieved the little leopard cat; she had also come back with a boyfriend. (Parenthesis: one who shamelessly attached himself to her.)
At first, Lin Lan really hadn't planned to announce anything. She only briefly explained the sequence of events when everyone gathered around her and the recovered leopard cat. However, just as everyone had settled down, celebrating the cat's return, Cheng Fengyang deliberately raised his voice nearby and declared loudly.
"There's one more thing to announce. I am now officially Lanlan's boyfriend. Everyone in the shop, please call me Son-in-law Cheng from now on."
As soon as he finished speaking, with his shoulder still smeared with ointment, he swiftly made his escape under his girlfriend's "relentless pursuit."
