Daily Life

Lu Zhiyu was pulled aside by Xia Fan and sat down. Her friends immediately crowded around them, and several girls started asking all sorts of personal questions about the two of them. Lu Zhiyu looked awkward, with no idea how to answer.

"You're seriously so handsome. Are you sure you're not a celebrity?"

"I've never seen anyone this handsome. How do you take care of your skin? It looks amazing!"

"Are you mixed-race? Your features have that striking, mixed-race look!"

"How did you and Xia Fan meet? Have you two ever..."

"Xia Fan really is winning at life. She's gorgeous and has an amazing figure, and now she's found a new boyfriend who's even more handsome than the last one. I'm so jealous!"

Xia Fan, meanwhile, was making up all sorts of nonsense, spinning a love story about the two of them as if it had really happened. Everyone kept gasping in amazement, gazing starry-eyed at the handsome couple, Lu Zhiyu and Xia Fan. Especially when Lu Zhiyu brought out her gift, Xia Fan immediately put it on and acted blissfully happy, leaving Lu Zhiyu completely at a loss.

Meanwhile, several of Xia Fan's male classmates took turns cornering Lu Zhiyu. Throughout the meal, they kept trying to get him to drink. Once he picked up his glass, he barely had a chance to put it down.

After dinner, they moved on to karaoke, then barbecue, and then late-night snacks. The group had started partying before sunset and didn't stop until two in the morning. Only then did everyone finally disperse.

Once again, Lu Zhiyu was left with the task of carrying Xia Fan home. But as soon as they turned a street corner, he saw her spring back to life.

Lu Zhiyu stared at her in surprise. "No way. You were pretending to be drunk?"

Xia Fan grinned smugly. "Of course. You drank all the alcohol for me, and I barely had any!"

Xia Fan walked along the riverbank, the breeze from the water brushing against her face and making her feel wonderful. She'd sobered up quite a bit, and as they walked, she said, "I had such a great time today. You should've seen those people looking at me—so jealous their eyes nearly popped out. Bringing you along was absolutely the right call. It really made me look good. They've been badmouthing me behind my back lately, so now those little bitches know who the real campus belle is!"

Xia Fan strode along proudly, then turned around and walked backward as she talked to Lu Zhiyu. She looked genuinely happy, as if she'd finally had her moment of triumph. Lu Zhiyu had definitely boosted her reputation, though he didn't really understand how girls felt about this sort of thing.

Xia Fan suddenly seemed to remember something and raised her hand. "I really love the gift you gave me. Thank you!"

Lu Zhiyu answered at once. "You're welcome!"

Once Lu Zhiyu found his car, he said, "It's so late. I'll drive you home, okay?"

Xia Fan nodded. "Let's go to your place!"

Lu Zhiyu froze for a moment. Xia Fan burst out laughing. "I can't. My mom said I absolutely had to come home tonight. If I don't, I'll be in trouble tomorrow!"

After Lu Zhiyu dropped her off downstairs, Xia Fan got out of the car and asked, "When I said we should go to your place, did your heart skip a beat?"

Lu Zhiyu immediately put on a look of disgust, ready to explain himself, but Xia Fan cut him off. "Don't make excuses. I saw it—you were tempted, you pervert!"

"..."

They stared at each other in silence, then both burst out laughing. Lu Zhiyu said, "Hurry home. Call me if anything comes up!"

When Lu Zhiyu got home, he realized Li Wei had called him several times. His phone had run out of battery, so he'd missed every call. "I'm done for. That jealous Li Wei is going to give me hell tomorrow!"

The worst part was that Lu Zhiyu didn't have a good excuse. Tell her he'd spent the night celebrating another woman's birthday? That he'd partied until two in the morning? He might as well have blown himself up on the spot.

As expected, Li Wei interrogated him the next day. For the next few days, she stayed glued to his side, which actually helped Lu Zhiyu feel much more relaxed and put him in a better mood.

The pet shop was gradually getting on track. Lu Zhiyu had carefully selected every animal he stocked, choosing pets with good pedigrees and no health problems. Even if one had a flaw, he could adjust it himself and get the animal back to good health.

As a result, the pets at the Cats and Dogs Pet Shop looked far livelier than those at other stores. Lu Zhiyu had even tried making subtle adjustments to their fur and eye colors, and many customers had complimented him on it.

With his mental power, training the pets was also remarkably easy and convenient. The animals he trained were smarter and could perform all sorts of basic tricks. Under the circumstances, it was only natural that the pet shop's business was booming.

In just a few days, Lu Zhiyu had sold more than twenty pets: cats, dogs, hamsters, parrots, and more. The sales brought him a tidy sum, enough to match what he'd earned in several months at his previous job. He hadn't expected a pet shop to be so profitable. He'd only wanted to study and learn about the animals, and try making small genetic modifications and corrections. He hadn't expected to actually make a business of it.

"Xiao Le, are you off work? Is Lu Zhiyu here?" Li Wei was wearing a long Bohemian-style dress today, with wine-red high heels. Her tall figure gave her a stunning appearance, and her light makeup suited her perfectly.

Xiao Le stared at Li Wei in surprise. "Wow, Sister Wei, you look so beautiful today!"

Li Wei covered her mouth as she laughed. "Really?"

Xiao Le nodded earnestly. "The boss is inside. He's training two golden retrievers!"

When Li Wei walked in, she saw Lu Zhiyu sitting on a stool, directing the two golden retrievers like a commander. "Raise your paws, raise your paws!"

"Turn around, that's it!"

"Lie down!"

"Bang, bang! You've been shot!"

The two little golden retrievers did as they were told, and Lu Zhiyu immediately fed them a piece of beef jerky. Li Wei crouched down too. "These puppies are so clever. Why don't you keep one at home?"

Lu Zhiyu answered at once. "There are plenty here, aren't there? It's almost like having my own. Besides, I wouldn't have time to look after one at home!"

Lu Zhiyu put the two golden retrievers in their cage and checked on them. Then he closed the shop and went home with Li Wei. She stood tall and graceful in front of him. "So, how do I look today?"

Lu Zhiyu studied Li Wei's face and eyes. "You look great!"

Li Wei smacked him on the shoulder, displeased. "I meant my clothes! Why are you looking at my face?"

Lu Zhiyu shrugged. "The clothes don't matter. It's all about the face!"

Li Wei burst out laughing. With her backpack on, she linked her arm through Lu Zhiyu's and leaned against his shoulder as they walked home together. Lu Zhiyu found he rather enjoyed it.

P.S. Ahem, this shameless salted-fish author is begging for votes again!