Extra – Shen Qing’an x Shu Wen 3

As a master cat breeder, being scratched by a cat’s paw for no reason, Shen Qing’an knew the other party was clearly in a bad mood. Every time Pudding had an attitude and refused to get close, he would shamelessly hug the cat into his arms, not letting go even if he was kicked and scratched, making Pudding meow and evade him for a while.

So he began to prolong his time in Room 7. Shu Wen regarded him as air, staring blankly at the documentary on TV, and waited until the antelope was dragged back to the leopard’s lair by the throat. He then asked: “Dr. Shen also likes to watch Animal World?”

“I like it.” Shen Qing’an said with a smile. “There are also ready-made ones at home.”

He took out his mobile phone and shook it: “Do you want to say hello to Pudding and Wangzai?”

Shu Wen almost agreed on the spot. He hasn’t seen the two cats for many days, and has been wondering whether Pudding’s anorexia was better and whether Wangzai will still respond to his voice.

“No need.” When he opened his mouth, he refused lightly.

Shen Qing’an froze for a moment. “You don’t like them?”

Shu Wen finally couldn’t help asking, “Dr. Shen, do you treat every patient like this?”

Without waiting for an answer, he continued on his own: “I’m just a patient, why did you share this with me? Why did you pull me into your life? Why can’t you leave me alone like I was before.”

The last question is rhetorical. More than 20 years ago, he once opened his heart to someone, and then that person almost destroyed him, so when someone approached him again, he was not only afraid, but also instinctively angry.

Shu Wen knew he was wrong, Shen Qing’an only showed kindness to him out of kindness, and he should not repay kindness with grievances.

He said dejectedly: “I’m sorry, I…”

Shen Qing’an interrupted him, not offended by the sudden outburst. “I didn’t pull you into my life, you’re already in my life.”

“I enjoy my job, each of my patients is a friend, but you… are more special.” Shen Qing’an continued. “You remind me of my cats. Very well-behaved, and very cute.”

Shu Wen was stunned for a moment, and his ears suddenly became hot. The descriptors well-behaved and cute shouldn’t be used to describe a man who was about to turn 42 soon. But the alpha in front of him used it in such a flat tone.

Shen Qing’an is always very serious when speaking to people, and likes to look into the other person’s eyes. So Shu Wen once again hurriedly looked away, forgetting what he wanted to say, and what he was struggling with.

“You can try thinking of yourself as a cat,” Shen Qing’an smiled. “You only get close to people when you are happy, and ignore them when you are unhappy. You don’t care too much about other people’s opinions, cats are right in whatever they do. “

Shen Qing’an went on a business trip three days later.

Lu’s Group funded the restart of his hastily ended project from back then in cooperation with a research institute in London. Originally the business trip should’ve been a month later, but a speaking tour at top ten colleges and universities was added last minute.

Shen Qing’an had to hurry over to prepare with the local experts, so he only had time to hand over his work at the nursing home to his colleagues over email..

After more than ten hours of flying, the first thing Shen Qing’an did after landing was to turn on the camera at home to watch his cats.

He seldom spent the night outside. The automatic feeder was still full, and the two cat owners immediately meowed to express their dissatisfaction for someone to come back to serve them.

“I’ll be back soon, don’t worry.” Shen Qing’an coaxed his cats.

Wangzai has always been relatively independent. As if knowing that he would not come back soon, he laid down in front of the camera and started grooming himself. Pudding, on the other hand, was a little anxious. After hearing his voice, it kept turning in circles, meowing, and finally squatted in front of the door, head raised, meowing repeated.

Shen Qing’an couldn’t bear to see his cats like this, so he could only hurriedly coax them through the screen. His mouth was so tired and he realized abruptly that there seemed to be another one that was even more difficult to coax.

He took out his mobile phone and paused his thumb slightly on the screen. He didn’t have Shu Wen’s contact information.

At the same time, in the ward of the nursing home, Shu Wen looked at the unfamiliar alpha in front of him a little cautiously. “Where’s Dr. Shen?”

“He’s on a business trip.” The doctor in front of him is Shen Qing’an’s junior, who was in charge of the other floors. “I have seen your rehabilitation plan. Your current condition is relatively stable, and the surgery should be on schedule.”

Business trip? Why didn’t he tell him first?

As Shu Wen pondered it, he realized that his thoughts were a bit ridiculous. A doctor doesn’t need to report to his patients his whereabouts.

“En, I understand.” Shu Wen nodded. “I will cooperate.”

It’s not like he hasn’t been fooled by alphas before. Shu Wen was a little angry with Shen Qing’an who said he could be like a cat. If he were a cat, at this moment he would be uncooperative and angry, and use his paws to scratch people.

Without that person wandering around in his ward, time suddenly seemed to drag on. The new doctor has a methodical personality, has a lover and children, and will not spend as much energy on work, let alone take the time to understand every patient.

Shu Wen leaned against the bed and drew pictures bored. It was a double-breasted trench coat. Before he could decide whether to add a stand-up collar or a closed collar, a little nurse came in with a phone.

“Mr. Shu, Dr. Shen is looking for you.”

“Why is he looking for me?” Shu Wen was suspicious, but he still answered the phone. There was a pang of longing when he heard the man’s mellow and gentle voice. “What’s wrong?”

“A’Wen, can you go to my house to check on my cats?”

Shu Wen was stunned for a moment when he heard this address. Shen Qing’an didn’t speak to him in a doctor’s tone, but treated him like a friend.

Heart beating faster, he replied in a calm tone, “What’s wrong?”

“Pudding has been in a bad mood for the past two days. He has been waiting for me at the door. Can you go in and give him a hug?” Shen Qing’an’s tone was still unhurried, neither a request nor a command. He was just stating a fact and tried not to bring any burden on people.

“It’s only familiar with your voice, and won’t be afraid if you go.” Shen Qing’an said.

“Okay…” Shu Wen hesitated a little, not realizing the faint tension in the other party’s voice finally relaxed.

Shen Qing’an told him his house password, how to feed the cats, and where he kept the canned food. Finally, he asked for his WeChat account, and asked him to ask any questions he didn’t understand.

What’s wrong with feeding some cats? Shu Wen went to Shen Qing’an’s house after lunch. The two cats had already had a good time. The sofa was pushed to the ground, toilet paper was torn all over the floor, and several indoor flowers and plants were also maimed.

Seeing a stranger coming in, Pudding hid under the sofa, while Wangzai’s hair exploded. The whole cat turned into a huge round lump, with a low, threatening growl from its throat.

“Wangzai, don’t you know me?” Shu Wen called softly, approaching tentatively.

Wangzai snorted a few more times after recognizing his voice. Its attitude made a 360 as it walked forward to rub Shu Wen’s trousers in a flattering manner.

Shu Wen filled up the feeder, and opened two more cans. Pudding, who was hiding in the dark, also approached cautiously.

“Why are you unhappy, eh?” Shu Wen knelt down and stretched out his hand. “Is it because you miss Dr. Shen?”

Pudding licked the can in small sips, eating reservedly, ignoring his words.

“I’ll tell you a secret. I miss him a little too.” Shu Wen whispered.

Pudding raised his head as if he understood, tilted his head to look at him, and finally stretched out two front paws to grab Shu Wen’s knee.

Surprised and delighted, Shu Wen carefully picked up the cat and stroked its long and thick fur. Pudding narrowed his blue eyes, purring lightly, and licked the back of his hand.

 

——

 

Shen Qing’an busied himself until midnight. It should be afternoon in China at this time, and he was a little curious how Shu Wen was doing.

He forgot to tell Shu Wen the phone number of the cleaning nanny. The house was a mess, and there was probably no place to stay.

Shen Qing’an sent a message to Shu Wen, but the other party didn’t respond. He turned on the surveillance at home full of suspicion, and was stunned.

The house is still really messy. The afternoon sun shone the small garden into the room, bouncing off the wood floor, turning the room bright and warm. On the sofa, Shu Wen was hugging Pudding while taking a nap. The cat’s belly was swollen, and it nestled in the slender arms with peace of mind, sticking out its tongue to lick its whiskers from time to time.

Seeing his face on the screen, Wangzai raised his head instantly. Shen Qing’an raised a finger to his lips: “Shh…”

He doesn’t know if it understood, but Wangzai nimbly jumped onto the sofa, put his head on Shu Wen’s lap, and didn’t move.

Shen Qing’an quietly turned off the monitor, heart full of emotion.

Seven days later, he returned to China and brought two pots of bluegrass to Shu Wen’s ward. This kind of flower is expensive and delicate, but happens to bloom in late autumn, with a strong fragrance.

“Is this a present for me?” Shu Wen unconsciously raised the corners of his lips.

“I’m not stupid enough to bring two pots of flowers back to China,” Shen Qing’an said with a smile, “The cats are well cared for, thank you.”

He put the flowers down, turned around and looked for a small watering can to water them. But Shu Wen made a mistake, thinking that he was about to leave, so he reached out and grabbed Shen Qing’an’s clothes in advance.

He raised his head, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to say it, and finally he said softly: “I hugged your cat…”

Shen Qing’an was startled, and bent down to look at him at the same level: “Then can I hug you?”

He was so close that Shu Wen could smell the faint fragrance of orchids on the front of his clothes.

Shu Wen turned his face away, and his heart began to pound again. He couldn’t describe the gard-to-describe feeling, but he didn’t feel ashamed: “…I am no longer young.”

“What a coincidence, neither am I.” Shen Qing’an kissed his ear softly.

“I’m glad you like my cat.”

 

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All the cat analogies, hehehe

 

T/N: And that’s a wrap for SABL. Thank you all for your support and staying with me on this 1+ year journey. My original plan was to complete translations for this before the end of 2024.

Going forward, I’ll be focusing on translating IMG, and have no plans for new projects yet. Again, apologies for the delay and thank you for reading!

-komorebi

 

 

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