89 – If he’s exhausted, he probably wouldn’t kick people in his sleep anymore, right?
The little kitten with flower-patterned arms lay on the floor, curling its body into a C-shape.
An Xing reached out, stroking the kitten from its head all the way to the tip of its tail, then circling back to knead its soft belly.
From start to finish, the kitten only purred contentedly. When the boy brought his hand closer, it even nudged his hand with its head, lifting its chin as if begging for more strokes.
For some reason, An Xing felt this kind of petulance was strangely familiar.
“Feeling better now?”
A hand rested on his head, stroking him gently. An Xing lifted his gaze to meet the man’s calm eyes.
“Much better,” the boy replied obediently.
As the saying goes, if you’re troubled by something you can’t solve in life, it’s surely because you haven’t petted a cat. Petting a cat might not solve your problems, but it will definitely chase away your worries.
After being comforted by Lu Tianchen for a while, and with Hua Hua—such a docile little kitten—willingly letting him pet her, An Xing’s mood had improved significantly compared to when he first learned the truth.
The past couldn’t be changed. What An Xing could do was walk the path ahead well, and… seek revenge.
Across both lifetimes—for all the grief and agony endured by An Rong, his birth parents, his adoptive family, and himself—this debt would be repaid in full, collected from Tan Xiu.
An Xing clenched his fists with fierce determination, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Tianchen.
“So, Chen gege, what’s your plan moving forward?”
Lu Tianchen paused slightly at the question.
“What?”
“The evil deeds Tan Xiu committed! How do you plan to punish her? You can’t just do nothing!”
An Xing repeated urgently, his tone tinged with reproach.
“Stop staring at me blankly. We’re discussing serious matters here.”
Lu Tianchen nodded readily, his gaze settling on the cat.
“Of course we’ll make her pay. But Xingxing, you should understand—we found out about this far too late. Making Tan Xiu pay won’t be that simple.”
Until tonight, Lu Tianchen hadn’t even wanted An Xing to know the truth, let alone discuss plans to deal with Tan Xiu. In his view, making Tan Xiu pay wasn’t difficult. The real challenge was how to bring her to justice when they lacked evidence.
In the plans he’d made with An Zhaoming and An Rong, if they truly couldn’t find proof of Tan Xiu swapping the two children, they’d have to resort to other means to make her pay. But that was their last resort—nothing compared to the satisfaction of seeing her punished by the law.
Yet now, Lu Tianchen found himself relieved that An Zhaoming had revealed the truth to An Xing, allowing the boy to open up to him and share the story of his rebirth.
Lu Tianchen had to admit that, until this moment, he too had underestimated Tan Xiu.
“Xingxing, you don’t need to do anything. Just live your life well—that will be the greatest revenge against Tan Xiu.”
Lu Tianchen raised his hand slightly, signaling the boy to hold his horses, then proceeded to explain.
“Things are different than they were in your dream. We know about Tan Xiu’s misdeeds now, and we hold the upper hand. Our task now is to maintain that advantage while gathering evidence in secret—but you know, with the baby mix-up happening twenty years ago, finding concrete proof is incredibly difficult.”
Hospitals back then had no surveillance. Even if they did, unless it captured Tan Xiu deliberately swapping the babies, it still wouldn’t count as valid evidence.
“So, we can only wait for Tan Xiu to slip up, or wait for something to provoke her into making a mistake.”
“And your family’s harmony and happiness are the best way to provoke her.”
An Xing understood the man’s meaning, yet still felt a lingering gloom.
Noticing the youth’s lingering resentment, Lu Tianchen pondered for a moment before leaning closer, lowering his voice and covering the kitten’s ears with his hand.
“If Xingxing is unhappy, then I’ll cheer you up… Want to see me after my shower? HD. Uncensored.”
An Xing: …
An Xing’s heart brimming with grief and anger vanished in that instant. He reached out, his fingers flying as he slapped the man’s shoulder, urging him to back away.
“No nonsense! No cuddling! Cuddling gets you locked out, and nonsense gets you kicked out!”
The man took a step back, a hint of regret flickering across his face. Amidst the commotion, An Xing’s heavy mood lifted.
“So what you’re saying, Chen gege, is that if I live well, it’ll rub Tan Xiu the wrong way? Is it because she can’t stand seeing others prosper?”
Lu Tianchen dropped his playful demeanor and nodded.
“Exactly. People like her are classic examples of those who can’t stand seeing others prosper.”
What kind of person would switch two children and then spend twenty years secretly monitoring An Rong? It was partly to prevent the An family from reclaiming him, but also—simply to make sure he never had it easy.
Therefore, Lu Tianchen reasonably concluded that the An family living well would be the greatest blow to Tan Xiu.
An Xing found this reasoning compelling. He patted his small chest and puffed out his chest proudly.
“She wants our family to suffer? I’ll make sure she sees us living in harmony—a loving couple, a kind father, dutiful children, and respectful siblings!”
The man ruffled the youth’s hair, praising him:
“That’s the spirit. Keep it up.”
An Xing understood that Lu Tianchen hadn’t told him the whole truth. He and his father likely had many secret plans in motion. But An Xing didn’t press for details. He knew there must be a reason they didn’t want to tell him.
For now, it was enough that his family was safe and sound.
With a heavy weight lifted from his heart, An Xing felt sleepy. He yawned widely and rose unsteadily.
“I’m so sleepy, Chen ge. Let’s go to bed. Don’t you have work tomorrow?”
Students had winter break, but the tycoon never rested. As a considerate boyfriend, An Xing felt he should remind Lu Tianchen to get some rest early.
His reminder jogged Lu Tianchen’s memory. During the summer break, when he was still secretly crushing on An Xing, they’d each slept in separate rooms without incident.
But now that they were officially dating, should they still sleep in separate rooms?
The man found himself unusually conflicted, while An Xing remained oblivious to his inner turmoil. After brushing his teeth, he confidently walked into the master bedroom and hopped onto the bed.
“Chen gege, hurry up and brush your teeth.”
The soft-spoken teenager urged the man standing frozen by the bed.
“I’m so sleepy. We’ll go to bed right after you finish.”
With that, the boy yawned again. His light hazel eyes glistened with sleepiness as he nestled under the covers, his gaze carrying a drowsy, teary look.
Lu Tianchen: …
This is killing me.
The man had assumed the boy would be asleep by the time he emerged from the bathroom. But when he tiptoed back to the bed, the little dumpling in the covers struggled to open his eyes, pushing the blanket aside just enough to peek out.
“Chen gege, come in quick! It’s so warm under the covers…”
“…”
Lu Tianchen froze by the bedside for a moment, wavering between becoming a beast and something worse. Ultimately, he yielded to his instincts and slipped under the same quilt.
The boy rolled over without a hint of caution, burrowing into his embrace.
In the depths of winter, the outdoor temperature had already dropped below freezing, yet the warmth beneath the covers made sweat bead on Lu Tianchen’s back almost instantly. Holding An Xing felt like clutching a piece of coal… or worse.
To make matters worse, the little rascal wouldn’t stay still. After burrowing into his arms, he wriggled around searching for the perfect, comfortable angle. It took him ages before finally settling his chin on Lu Tianchen’s arm, clearly satisfied.
Lu Tianchen exhaled cautiously, feeling a slight tickle. He desperately wanted to hang the little brat upside down and give him a good thrashing, to teach him that his bed wasn’t for just anyone to climb into.
“Goodnight, Chen-ge… mwah.”
All his pent-up anger vanished in an instant at the boy’s sleepy peck, leaving only a softness in his heart. Lu Tianchen sighed, tightened his embrace, and closed his eyes.
Then, in the dead of night, he was kicked awake.
Watching the teenager sprawled out in bed, kicking the covers to his feet, Lu Tianchen sighed deeply. All romantic notions vanished in that moment.
Despite the shock of the previous night, An Xing still woke up early the next morning.
Lu Tianchen was no longer in bed. After washing up, An Xing stepped out to find the man already seated at the table, serving breakfast.
“Good morning, Chen gege!”
The boy approached like an energetic kitten, tail held high. He rubbed against the man’s side, demanding a morning kiss before settling down at the table with satisfaction.
Lu Tianchen watched the youth for a moment, his worries resurfacing.
He knew full well that a man shouldn’t be teased first thing in the morning, yet this little thing still came over on his own initiative. What’s more, there wasn’t a trace of desire in his actions—just pure innocence and affection.
“…Good morning. What are your plans for today?”
Lu Tianchen asked, struggling to hide his beastly side.
“Hmm, after you leave for work, I’ll catch up on some sleep.”
An Xing stuffed a meat bun into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly.
“Then around noon, I’ll come find you for lunch!”
Lu Tianchen had bought this apartment for work convenience—a ten-minute drive or half-hour bus ride away. An Xing planned to soak up some local flavor while saving energy and reducing carbon emissions by taking public transit.
“Just be careful. Take a taxi if it’s cold.”
Lu Tianchen gave a few parting words before heading out to Lu Corporation. Even after arriving at the office, he was still pondering the issue of sleeping soundly at night.
“What method could keep someone from tossing and turning at night…”
“Mr. Lu?”
His secretary’s surprised voice snapped him back to reality. He realized he’d been muttering to himself while listening to her work report in his office.
Lu Tianchen: …
The tycoon maintained his composure, glancing expressionlessly at his secretary before replying coolly:
“Continue.”
“…”
Hadn’t that statement been crystal clear, Secretary Dong would’ve sworn it was all her imagination!
But as a thoughtful secretary, one must play dumb when necessary and speak up when required. She adjusted her glasses on her nose and resumed her work report.
After completing the entire briefing and seeing no further instructions from her boss, Secretary Dong gathered her documents. Just before turning to leave, she spoke slowly.
“My child has boundless energy. Even when asleep, he’s incredibly lively—kicking off his blankets in his dreams.”
Lu Tianchen froze, lifting his gaze to his secretary.
Secretary Dong, who had married young and had a son, spoke calmly:
“To keep a child from moving around at night, you either have to make it impossible for them to move, or tire them out so they can’t move…”
Secretary Dong gave the man a meaningful look, picked up the documents, and turned to leave the office.
As the secretary assigned by the Chairman and Mrs. Lu to assist him, she naturally understood her boss’s mindset. With a moment’s thought, she realized exactly who had been tossing and turning that night.
She hoped the boss would catch her hint. After winning the beauty’s heart, maybe he’d give her a bigger year-end bonus this time.
Lu Tianchen was unaware of his secretary’s bonus calculations. Pondering her words, a sudden realization dawned on him.
That evening after dinner, Lu Tianchen pulled An Xing upstairs.
The tall, muscular man gazed at the delicate, fair-skinned artist and said earnestly:
“Xingxing, starting today, let’s work out together, okay?”
If he’s exhausted, he probably wouldn’t kick people in his sleep anymore, right?
An Xing: …?
TRANSLATOR’S CORNER: I am not a native speaker of either Chinese or English. I basically MTL and edit the text, sometimes I also use some sites for reference. I can’t guarantee that everything here is accurate, But I try to stick to the author’s work as much as possible. Please feel to comment any mistakes🙂🤗.
I’m gonna update new advanced chapters on my ko-fi page. For every kofi, a new chapter will be released. Please do support ❤️.
