What It Did Best Was Claim Territory

Qin Fen did not rush to make a move. He fixed himself something to eat, prepared Bean's dog food, then walked out the front door in a tracksuit.

It was barely light outside. A thick layer of smog hung over the sky. This was still the suburbs, where the environment was better and there were more trees. If this had been downtown, everything would definitely have been gray and hazy. The sun's weak rays were blocked by the gloom in the sky. Breathing in the scent of the earth and the faint dampness in the air, Qin Fen felt like going for a run. Ever since gaining the Food God's experience, he had realized just how important stamina really was.

He was going to be a man who could go all night. How could he lack stamina? You did not know what going all night meant? Sigh, it meant following your instincts all night and doing serious business! Diligent men were all like that.

After putting on his running shoes, Qin Fen ran out of the house and began jogging along the lakeshore.

The lake rippled under the caress of the breeze, while cicadas chirped from the woods.

"No wonder so many people chase after a life like this," Qin Fen muttered softly.

Dragon Pool Lake was neither large nor small. He ran along its shore for dozens of minutes before finally making one full circuit. Some distance from his own house stood another lakeside villa.

It was a little smaller than Qin Fen's, with only three floors and a rather distinctive design. Just as he passed by, the villa's front gate quietly opened and a figure stepped out.

So it was this guy. Qin Fen was very familiar with the young man in a white tracksuit. He was Ye Xiang, that bastard who had scared him with his dog.

"Hey, you're up early."

Ye Xiang was also stunned. He had not expected to run into an acquaintance while out for a morning jog.

The moment he thought of Qin Fen's little scooter, he could not help wanting to laugh. So you were one of those flamboyant punks too.

"Yeah." Qin Fen nodded, lowered his head, and ran past the front of the house in the direction of his own home.

He had only run a short distance when a burst of fierce barking erupted behind him.

It was so loud and vicious that, this early in the morning, it was downright disturbing the peace.

The barking behind him grew louder and louder. Qin Fen suddenly turned his head. Damn it, Ye Xiang was actually leading that Doberman of his straight at him.

Qin Fen slapped his forehead, disgusted beyond words. That guy called this jogging, but he was really just walking his dog, and Qin Fen had happened to pass right by their front gate.

Dogs had one especially ridiculous trait that everyone on Earth knew about: when facing one, you could not move. The more you moved, the more excited it got. Of course, when faced with a fierce dog like a Doberman, anyone who did not run was an idiot. Why did you not try standing still yourselves?

So when Qin Fen looked behind him, he saw Ye Xiang charging forward while gripping a thick chain, with the Doberman named Black Shadow baring its teeth at him.

Run! If it bit him, where would he go to argue? Qin Fen did not care whether that bastard behind him was doing it on purpose. He took off toward home.

Ye Xiang held his dog's leash and wanted to laugh as he watched Qin Fen flee in panic. This kid was secretly rotten. With his ability, it was not like he could not hold Black Shadow back completely. He was only pretending to struggle. Otherwise, it would not have taken much effort to stop the dog.

This guy came from a pretty well-off family. His father ran a sizable business, and Ye Xiang himself was no idler either. He had some brains and owned three upscale internet cafés. Recently, he had been considering opening a coffee lounge near the villas. Ever since childhood, this little bastard had looked down his nose at everyone else. How could he tolerate anyone infringing on his territory?

Seeing Qin Fen still riding around on a little electric scooter while living in the best villa in the entire neighborhood made him unhappy. He had wanted to buy that house long ago and use it as the site for his club, but before he knew it, someone had moved in.

So seeing Qin Fen's cowardly state filled him with an uncontrollable sense of delight.

Qin Fen ran ahead while Ye Xiang trailed behind at just the right distance, enjoying the sight of his embarrassment.

When he rushed to his front gate, Qin Fen's anger flared. His temperament was usually mild, but that did not mean others could toy with him. As a new man with some brains and some backbone, Qin Fen understood Ye Xiang's intentions almost immediately. He was doing it on purpose.

Just as he was about to enter, a deep roar suddenly sounded behind him. He hurriedly sidestepped and sprinted two steps away. A huge black shadow leaped to the entrance of the courtyard, crouching low on all fours and staring at him intently.

"Sorry, man. My dog hardly ever sees people, so it's pretty wild. I had a hard time holding it back too. It doesn't have any special talents. The one thing it's good at is being feisty and wanting to challenge everything." Ye Xiang spoke smugly. Seeing Qin Fen's dark expression made him feel even better.

As Ye Xiang spoke, he tightened his grip on the chain. He did not dare actually let his dog hurt someone. This was no ordinary place; none of the residents were simple people. So he offered a thief-crying-thief explanation. It was not that he had not tried hard enough. "Sorry, this dog is strong. Sometimes even I can't stop it right away." It was just that the dog was too excited.

The moment Qin Fen saw that smiling face, he felt sick. You were seriously making that up? This dog had been trained by you. How could you possibly fail to hold it back?

Hahaha, Ye Xiang felt even more pleased. He had not expected to block Qin Fen from even daring to go home. He was ready to play around a little longer before leaving. Things could not be taken too far; he understood that clearly.

The two men and one dog remained locked in a standoff when a crisp, clear voice abruptly rang out.

Qin Fen was speechless. Bean, why were you coming out here to join the fun?

The Doberman, Black Shadow, was completely confused. Right before its eyes, a tiny meatball-sized thing trotted over, not showing the slightest enthusiasm at meeting another dog. It was not like Black Shadow had never seen Chihuahuas before. Those little brats were small, but they all shared one flaw: they were annoying. Even when they could not win, they still rushed up barking their heads off.

But what was this little thing doing? It did not even spare Black Shadow a glance?

Ye Xiang was dumbfounded. This guy had a dog too? But when he looked at Bean crouching beside Qin Fen, tilting its head at him and wagging its tiny tail, he suddenly found it hilarious. "You have a dog too? A Chihuahua?"

"Yeah." Qin Fen nodded.

"You actually keep a Chihuahua? Hahaha, man, you really do things differently. What use is a little pet dog like this? It couldn't even guard the house against a thief's slap. Other than barking a couple of times, all it can do is act cute."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bean's little left eye, surrounded by a patch of black fur, immediately narrowed into a slit, filled with contempt and speechlessness.

"I think it's pretty good. Forget acting cute—it's quite capable too," Qin Fen muttered softly.

Bean, crouching beside him, deeply agreed and stuck out its tongue. The master was right. The boss was right.

"This thing has skills? Stop kidding. What it does best is probably acting cute. Look at that ridiculous face of its, like a little clown."

Qin Fen silently lit a cigarette and raised his lighter. "What it does best isn't acting cute. It's claiming territory! Especially territory it recognizes. Basically, wherever it goes becomes its territory." Qin Fen spoke very seriously. Heaven knew, this was the absolute truth.

Are you fucking kidding me? Claiming territory? Wherever it went became its territory? Ye Xiang laughed until tears came out. Your words had actually left me speechless.

Ding. The lighter clicked. Bean stuck out its tongue and made a face at Ye Xiang, then shot forward in a flash.

PS: Thanks to Xinsheng Xiangwang, Black Dragon, Mixin Gu, and Banshi Liuli for the tips. Thank you all for your support.