Section 53: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Among the six-member group, Sima was the youngest. The remaining five "Gu masters" had all been thoroughly "disciplined" by him, so they were utterly convinced of his abilities and obeyed him implicitly. After passing the initial adjustment period, everything went smoothly. With work finishing early that day, Sima bid farewell to "White Dove" and left the office to head home early. Enjoying a rare half-day of stolen leisure, Sima was in a very good mood. After leaving the Gu Insect Research Institute, he called Lu Youyou and invited her to the movies. They hadn't seen each other for a long time due to various reasons and excuses, and Lu Youyou had even begun to suspect that he had found someone new and left her neglected on the sidelines. Upon receiving Sima's call, Lu Youyou felt a small thrill of excitement. She was now a professional coach for the track and field team at North Zhili Foreign Studies University, and apart from guiding Li Xiazhi, she had no other responsibilities for the time being, making her work quite leisurely. Finding a casual excuse to slip away, she met up with Sima.

They wandered aimlessly through the streets, chatting idly all the way until they drifted into a cinema to watch *Every Day a Good Day*. Lu Youyou had assumed he just wanted a dark place to sit and cuddle, and she hadn't paid much attention to the film at first. Before she knew it, however, she was drawn into the story, forgetting Sima and forgetting herself. By the end, she was shedding tears, completely immersed in the plot and unable to break away for a long time. Sima put his arm around her shoulders and gently patted her a few times. Youth fades quickly, and worldly fortunes shift constantly; human life requires some form of spiritual sustenance to attain inner peace. Lu Youyou might still be able to find it, but as for him, having stepped onto an unknown path, he could never turn back!

After the movie ended, the two had a bite to eat at a restaurant before returning to Lu Youyou's apartment. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and their intimacy was intense and lingering. However, Sima did not stay the night; he had to go back to feed his cat, which Lu Youyou found utterly incomprehensible. Feed a cat? He actually kept a cat? Sima explained to her with great interest: a street vendor, a caged cat, love at first sight, an open wallet, and ultimately picking up a great bargain—it was a Bengal cat of exceptionally fine quality. A faint trace of jealousy welled up in Lu Youyou's heart. He would rather go back to feed a cat than stay with her; she was actually worth less than a cat...

After Sima left, Lu Youyou curled up on the sofa. The television was on mute, and people bustled back and forth across the screen, the fluorescent light casting flickering shadows on her face. She let out a soft sigh; her body felt comfortably languid, but her heart felt profoundly empty. She began to seriously consider her future. Sima would never marry her, and even if he were willing, her connection to Lu Yuan meant she could not accept. Still, she could have a child for him; as long as she kept her mouth shut, who would ever know the child's father was Sima?

When Sima returned to his rented apartment, he retrieved the frozen, rock-hard animal scraps from the mailbox. The weather was already very cold, and the ice had barely melted. He opened the door and entered the room. Hearing the familiar sound, the little Bengal cat rushed out eagerly, meowing and circling around his ankles. Sima bent down to pick it up, stroked its fur a few times, and went into the kitchen to prepare cat food. He thawed the scraps with warm water, used chicken frames for broth, washed and finely chopped the organs, and boiled them together with some minced meat. A milk pot full of broth and meat—though not particularly appealing in appearance—was rich in nutrients, great for nourishing yin and enriching the blood.

The little Bengal cat was starving and ate with great relish. Before long, it had licked the bowl completely clean. Still unsatisfied, Sima added a handful of kibble to the bowl. The cat food had been a gift from Zhou Lingri, who claimed it was specially formulated for Bengal cats: high protein to aid muscle development and weight control, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids to promote healthy skin and a glossy coat, various vitamins and minerals to boost immunity, prebiotics and dietary fiber to improve the digestive system, and "Y"-shaped kibble designed to fit the jaw structure of a Bengal cat for easy chewing and dental health... In short, it had countless benefits. Sima had accepted her kindness, but as far as he could tell, the little Bengal cat seemed much more fond of the scraps he boiled himself, showing little interest in the kibble.

After feeding the cat, Sima made some tea and settled down to read. He had already finished *Works and Days*; this book was part of *Geoponica*, the first agricultural treatise in ancient Roman history, and it was quite fascinating. If possible, Sima would also like to set up a farm, raise cattle and sheep, grow crops and vegetables, live a self-sufficient pastoral life. But he was an officially registered "Gu master." Having enjoyed the benefits, he had to dutifully play the beast of burden and toil for the Second Division; he possessed at least that much awareness...

After finishing the agricultural treatise, Sima went to bed. As usual, the little Bengal cat jumped onto his chest, and with Gu insects pressed against Gu insects, the two of them drifted off to dreamland together.

Before he knew it, the end of the year had arrived. The Gu Insect Research Institute suspended all experimental projects, and the Second Division started its holiday early. Sima took the little Bengal cat home to visit his parents. Shipping pets by train was too troublesome, and since he was now "financially well-off," he consulted Xue Dong and chartered a comfortable car, stroking the cat all the way back to Changzhou City. Before getting out of the car, he slipped a red envelope to the driver. Holding the cat as he walked down the streets of Changzhou City, he felt as though he had crossed into another lifetime. Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name. Pausing to look back, he saw Shen Yihe, an alumnus from Changzhou Middle School. She had cut her hair short, was wearing a new outfit, and looked sharp and spirited. Sima remembered she was studying at North Zhili Institute of Technology, had a good friendship with Lu Yuan, and had traveled north together with her. When they first arrived in North Zhili City, they used to hang out, but after they each went off to register at their respective universities, they had lost touch.

He smiled at her and exchanged a few polite pleasantries. Shen Yihe seemed distracted, her eyes fixed entirely on the little Bengal cat in his arms as she asked, "Can I pet it? Will it bite?"

Sima rubbed the little Bengal cat's head and said, "This is a Bengal cat, and it's quite fierce. Since you're not familiar with it, if it bites you, you'll need to get a rabies shot..."

Shen Yihe was startled. "You can get rabies from a cat bite too?"

Sima said offhandedly, "It's a low-probability event, but to be cautious, it's best to get the shot. With the holidays here, going to the hospital is inauspicious and inconvenient, so it's probably better not to pet it, don't you think?"

Shen Yihe nodded repeatedly. Seeing the little Bengal cat curled up in Sima's arms, looking absurdly well-behaved, her eyes revealed a mixture of regret and envy. She casually brought up Lu Yuan, and Sima informed her that they had broken up. College romances breaking up and making up were very common; although Shen Yihe felt surprised, she didn't say much else. She mentioned that Lin Zixuan was organizing the alumni reunion as usual this year, still in the Sanyuan Hall of Hongyan Tower, and asked if he had received the notice and whether he was going. Sima shook his head, saying that he had a solitary disposition and wouldn't go join the hustle and bustle.

Who talks about themselves like that! Shen Yihe couldn't help glaring at him a few times before suddenly laughing. "When people want to skip something, they usually use excuses like bad timing or prior arrangements. But you—you actually pull out 'solitary disposition'! We were classmates, aren't you being a bit too aloof?"

Sima went along with her smoothly, saying, "You're right. It's bad timing and prior arrangements..."

Shen Yihe laughed so hard her stomach hurt. She walked alongside him for a stretch, repeatedly glancing at the little Bengal cat until she simply couldn't resist any longer. "Forget it, let me pet it just once! Even if I have to go to the hospital for shots, I'll take it!"

As it turned out, Sima had been joking. The little Bengal cat stayed perfectly well-behaved in his hands, letting Shen Yihe pet it to her heart's content, though she was wearing perfume on her wrists that proved a bit too pungent, causing her to sneeze several times.