The Nutrition is Too Good - Chap 44 - I Love You Very Much

“…Your logic indeed doesn’t have any major issues,” Zhong Yi pondered for a while and said, “But have you ever considered that I might also be male?”

Rong Mian paused for a moment and replied, “It seems like to be true.”

These two words “it seems like” truly made Zhong Yi’s head ache.

After spending so much time together, Zhong Yi knew that he was raising a little cat that was always full of whimsical thoughts. So, whatever Rong Mian said now, he wasn’t really surprised anymore.

The incident with Catnip before also made Zhong Yi realize that although Rong Mian is straightforward and bold in his words and actions, he still has some confusion when it comes to love. Today, when he took the initiative to bring up this topic, it’s possible that he couldn’t figure out something and ended up in a dead end.

For Zhong Yi, he believed that life is meant to be lived for oneself, and whether or not he has descendants wouldn’t affect the quality of his life as long as he has the person he loves.

However, now Zhong Yi is feeling a bit hesitant because he also knows that the thoughts of small animals are different from humans.

After all, little cats like Rong Mian give birth to a litter of kittens in their lifetime. Perhaps the reason Rong Mian is saying these things now is because he also wants a smaller, furry companion to be with him every day.

Zhong Yi feels like Rong Mian is testing him.
So, Zhong Yi paused for a moment, reconsidered the words on his lips, and said, “In that case, after I go back, we can go to a nearby pet store and see if there are any newly born kittens. You can choose one that catches your eye. Is that alright?”

Rong Mian hesitated for a moment and agreed.
For nearly a week, Zhong Yi worked tirelessly on the film shoot.

When he returned home and opened the door, he saw Rong Mian, in a cat form, perched on top of the sofa, wagging his tail and attentively watching a treasure appraisal program on TV.

As soon as he heard the sound of the door opening, he immediately jumped off the sofa, meowing happily, and ran towards the door to greet Zhong Yi.

Zhong Yi couldn’t help but feel that time passes by quickly.
He still remembered when Rong Mian first came to his home, he had zero interest in the treasure appraisal program. Back then, after finishing a bowl of carrot-filled dumplings, he fell asleep while watching the show.

Later, due to a series of coincidences, Rong Mian ended up living in his house, and Zhong Yi himself became Rong Mian’s so-called guest.

Rong Mian started to be attracted by the sparkling gemstone bracelets and humorous host in the program. So, every day after dinner, he would proactively pull Zhong Yi to watch it for a little while.
Eventually, watching the program became a routine in the bedroom, with the two of them lying on the bed, kissing and hugging while listening to the host’s analysis of the prices of jade stones.
However, at this moment, the familiar host was still on the TV, and a little black cat was rubbing its cheek against his leg. Zhong Yi felt his heart melting and couldn’t resist saying to Rong Mian, “I’m starting.”

Zhong Yi was already skilled in the whole process of cat cuddling. Basically, he would first flatten the cat on the bed and then proceed from top to bottom, starting with the head and front paws. After that, he would indulge in a five-minute immersive cuddling session with the cat’s belly, and finally, he would alternate his hands to stroke the tail.
When Rong Mian transformed back into human form after changing clothes, his cheeks were slightly flushed.

He first tilted his face up and sniffed Zhong Yi’s neck and palm once again. Then, with a satisfied expression, he said, “No one has touched you today, but you smell like braised beef.”

Zhong Yi couldn’t help but marvel at the cat’s incredible sense of smell. It had been approximately four hours since he had eaten the beef meal on the airplane, yet Rong Mian effortlessly detected the scent.
So, Zhong Yi decided to take a shower first.

As he walked out of the bathroom, he saw Rong Mian squatting on the floor, slowly picking up a piece of clothing from his suitcase, and carefully hugging it to his chest while lowering his head to sniff it.

Zhong Yi’s heart felt a pang once again.
They had been apart for nearly two weeks, and Rong Mian’s activities were relatively limited, mainly visiting cat cafes and Shi Cheng’s house. Zhong Yi knew that this person must have been feeling bored.

He remembered the thing they had talked about on the phone earlier.

Since it was still early, Zhong Yi paused and asked Rong Mian, “Do you want to go out now and go to the pet store to see the kittens?”

Then he looked at Rong Mian, who seemed to stiffen for a moment. He slowly stood up, looked at himself, and after a while, said softly, “Okay.”

Just as they entered the first pet store, Zhong Yi and Rong Mian were recognized by the store clerk.

It was normal for Zhong Yi to be recognized, but Rong Mian was a little stunned because he didn’t expect himself to have gained enough popularity to be recognized by a small group of strangers.

Seeing other store clerks attempting to take out their phones to take pictures, Zhong Yi had no choice but to leave with Rong Mian. For safety reasons, they went to a second pet store, which was a bit more secluded.

There was a recently born little orange kitten in the store, curled up next to its chubby orange mother, curiously looking around.

The pet store owner said that the kitten’s mother was a stray cat from the neighborhood, and she had given birth to a litter of five. The other four had already been adopted. If they were willing to take responsibility, they could have this one for free.

Rong Mian and the little orange fur ball on the ground locked eyes for three seconds.
To their surprise, the kitten was frightened by his gaze and meowed twice. Zhong Yi watched as the little creature puffed up its fur and timidly snuggled back into its mother’s embrace.

Rong Mian turned his head and said to Zhong Yi, “It’s too thin, too small, and its fur doesn’t have a healthy shine. It needs its mother to be with it for a while longer, otherwise it will die.”

After thinking for a moment, Zhong Yi felt that what he said made sense, so he thanked the store owner and they left together.

They went to the third pet store.

This store had a lot of kittens, covering various breeds. Zhong Yi even saw a hairless cat with a thin tail for the first time, and he thought it must have a unique appeal.

This time, the store owner brought out two newborn Ragdoll kittens. They had excellent appearance, gentle personalities, round and chubby bodies, and long fur, resembling two fluffy little balls.

Zhong Yi said, “These two are pretty good.”
Rong Mian paused.
He seemed somewhat anxious as he pursed his lips and after a while, said to Zhong Yi, “They are both too fat. Their butts will definitely be bigger than Guo Wukui’s, and they will eat too much. They might not be easy to take care of…”

Zhong Yi: “…”

Rong Mian seemed to realize that he had gone a bit too far with his words.

He turned his head away, then cautiously glanced at Zhong Yi’s expression. Finally, he added in a very soft voice, “…if you like, then choose one.”

Zhong Yi pondered for a while.
Rong Mian lowered his head and stared blankly at the gaps between the tiles on the floor for a while. Then he heard Zhong Yi, who was standing beside him, thank the store manager again, and then say to him, “Let’s go.”
Zhong Yi finally realized that Rong Mian didn’t actually want a kitten at all.
His attitude towards those kittens in the store was completely hostile and guarded. It didn’t seem like he was facing future children they would be together with, but rather that he saw them as enemies who would take away Zhong Yi’s affection towards him.

Every time Zhong Yi paid more attention to a certain kitten, Rong Mian’s expression would suddenly become very sad.

Zhong Yi knew to what extent Rong Mian had possessiveness. Kittens have a strong scent and territorial awareness. Even when Zhong Yi asked his friends over to their house before, Rong Mian would show an unhappy expression, saying that it was clearly Zhong Yi and his own home.
Zhong Yi wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before.
How could a sensitive and vigilant kitten suddenly request to let another unfamiliar kitten into their home?

Rong Mian remained silent and uneasy throughout the journey. Zhong Yi didn’t say anything either and drove back home.

However, at the moment when he braked, he straightforwardly asked, “Come on, what’s going on?”

Rong Mian still remained silent.

“If you don’t speak, I’ll just go upstairs and go to sleep now,”
Zhong Yi said. “You can handle dinner yourself. I’ll send the souvenirs and specialties I bought for you directly to Shen Yan tomorrow…”

Rong Mian’s eyelashes trembled, and he finally lifted his head.

He looked at Zhong Yi and said, “Zhong Yi, I won’t bear kittens.”

Before Zhong Yi could react, Rong Mian continued with sadness, “I don’t know if you want children or not. I didn’t ask you when I courted you. I feel like I’m being selfish.”

“If I weren’t a male cat,” Rong Mian paused with difficulty, “If your partner wasn’t me, then you could…”

Zhong Yi was momentarily stunned. He finally understood why this person had gone through all of this.
“No,” Zhong Yi felt a mix of laughter and tears. “Wait, hold on a moment.”

“I think it’s necessary for me to explain it to you clearly.”

Zhong Yi said, “Firstly, I am male. Secondly, my genetics determine that I am attracted to males, which means I only like males. This is something that cannot be changed.”

“Furthermore, based on the current situation, I feel that I can be more specific. That is, I only like small male cats.”

He said, “A black, long-haired, small male cat.”

“Liking someone has no ulterior motives. It doesn’t mean that the more kittens they have, the more I will like them.”

Zhong Yi said, “It’s just because there was a moment when the timing, location, and atmosphere were just right. Fate brought me to fall in love with the one who was eating canned cat food in the bathroom. Do you understand?”

Rong Mian remained silent for a long time.

After a moment, he mumbled to Zhong Yi, “But you said at that time, your liking towards me was a desire to mate with me.”

Rong Mian paused for a moment and continued, “So I thought, maybe you wanted kittens…”

Zhong Yi pondered how this person’s memory always seemed to become remarkably clear at the most inappropriate times.
“…You can indeed interpret it that way.”

Zhong Yi said, “However, for humans, the purpose of mating is not necessarily solely for reproduction. It’s just because I like you that I desire to engage in intimate activities with you.”

“And I’m really busy because I not only have a little cat to take care of, but also a boyfriend who can eat a lot of meat. Whenever I’m doing something, I think of both of them. When I see pigeons, I think of my little cat, and when I eat beef rice on a plane, I think of my boyfriend.”

Zhong Yi said, “So my life is already fulfilling enough. Just having the two of them keeps me almost too busy.”

Rong Mian blinked his eyes lightly.

“Everyone has a different definition of happiness. For example, the makeup artist I met during this shoot, her little daughter cries and clings to her for thirty minutes every day when she drops her off at kindergarten. She told me that before this business trip, her little girl almost cried down the house beams.”

Zhong Yi said, “Maybe others might think it’s difficult to raise children, but she told me she’s happy.”

“Similarly, although I can’t experience the ups and downs of raising kids.”

Zhong Yi said with deep emotion, “But in my life, I already have a little cat that can accompany me for a long, long time, so I also feel happy. For me, the present moment is just right, the most fulfilling state.”

“Besides, we still have many things to do,” he said. “I haven’t taken you to other countries to try more authentic sausages, and you still have many different styles of collars to show me, right?”

“I want to do all these things with you,” Zhong Yi said, “but I only want to do them with you.”

Rong Mian stared at him blankly, without saying a word.

Zhong Yi sighed and lifted his hand to pinch Rong Mian’s cheek gently. He patiently said to him, “Because I love you so much, little cat.”

Rong Mian blinked in realization.

After a moment, he lowered his head and said softly, “I love you too, human.”

Though their conversation may have sounded somewhat peculiar, Zhong Yi felt that this heartfelt confession of his emotions surpassed even the acceptance speech he gave when receiving an award, at least in terms of its impact.

At least, he thought, it shouldn’t be a problem to touch the innocent heart of a little cat.

However, in the next moment, Rong Mian suddenly lifted his face and locked eyes with Zhong Yi.

“So, Zhong Yi,” he said bluntly, “let’s mate.”