He had thought everyone would call him a pervert with wild tastes, but their reactions were different from what he had expected.
The real estate tycoon first glanced at the golden retriever wagging his tail smugly outside, then took the lead in asking Ke Yichun,
"You used these things for domestic violence and abusing dogs, didn't you?"
Seeing that his hidden secret had not been exposed, Ke Yichun, with a guilty conscience and a rising sense of shame, nodded in panic and admitted it. "Yes."
Otherwise, if his perverted fetish came out, he would be too ashamed to face anyone. People would look at him differently, and he would become a complete outcast.
Abusing dogs wasn't illegal, and his domestic violence had, at worst, caused a grade-seven disability, which wasn't enough to constitute a criminal offense.
He refused to believe that none of these wealthy people had ever done anything immoral.
They might even have committed crimes.
Besides, countless people committed domestic violence and abused dogs. He certainly wasn't the only one.
People always had an inexplicable herd mentality.
"Ohhh."
Everyone exclaimed in unison, then exchanged looks, all indicating that their innocent selves had no idea what these things were specifically used for.
Afterward, none of them lingered. They turned around and called the Women's Federation and the animal protection association.
Perverted behavior was a personal fetish, so it wasn't really their place to criticize, but domestic violence and dog abuse deserved moral condemnation and criticism and abuse from the public.
Ke Yichun's admission without denial had played a crucial role.
His company's stock price fell again and again until it had become a junk stock.
Amid his regret and sorrow, Ke Yichun could only be thankful that word of his being a pervert had not spread. Those wealthy people genuinely seemed not to understand these things.
After all, apart from him and Chang Yu, the other wealthy people had an average age of at least fifty-five.
At their age, it was perfectly normal not to understand. After all, thirty years ago, hardly anyone in the country had even heard of these things.
When Yan Junye came out of Ke Yichun's bar, he walked with his tail held high.
Before the people in the basement had even said much, Yan Junye had impatiently patted Chang Yu's calf with his paw, signaling that it was time for them to eat.
-"Yay, yay, yay! Late-night snack time! I finally get to eat the hot pot I've been dreaming about!"
Chang Yu had thought Xiaotu was happy about catching that villain Ke Yichun, but he was only thinking about food.
He took Xiaotu to a pet-friendly hot pot restaurant and even booked a private room.
Pets weren't allowed in the dipping sauce area, and Chang Yu couldn't ask him, either, or he would no longer be able to hide the fact that he could hear his thoughts.
Still, Xiaotu was sitting on the stool beside him, wagging his tail without complaining or barking. He seemed like he wasn't a picky eater.
He ordered food and mixed dipping sauce according to his own tastes.
As soon as the hot pot began bubbling, a certain dog grew anxious, pacing in circles in his agitation.
-"Damn it, these dog paws are getting in the way of my eating."
-"Chang Yu isn't going to wait until he's finished eating to feed me, is he? I'll be drooling all over the table by then."
His dog mouth had tasted nothing but bland food these past few days, and with delicious food right in front of him, he simply couldn't hold back.
Chang Yu told a server that he would buy the two plates here.
With a smile tugging at his lips, he picked up some cooked food with his chopsticks, coated it in sesame paste, put it on a plate, and pushed it in front of Xiaotu. "Eat."
Yan Junye ate as fast as Chang Yu could pick up food and coat it in sesame paste. He buried his head in his food, catching sight out of the corner of his eye that Chang Yu hadn't eaten a single bite.
He slowed down, and once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he rested with his paws patting his belly.
-"I can't walk. Sorry, but you might have to carry me back later."
Chang Yu glanced at that bulging belly. If he reached out and stroked the fluffy belly now, Xiaotu surely wouldn't even be able to roll over to hit him.
After all, this dog couldn't even walk right now.
With that thought, he reached out and openly touched his belly for the first time.
It felt wonderful and soft, making it rather hard to stop.
The moment Yan Junye felt it, he turned onto his side and laboriously lifted his dog head to glare at Chang Yu.
Chang Yu feigned surprise. "How could such a well-behaved doggy give me such a scary look?"
Yan Junye immediately flopped back down.
Sure enough, if he kept pretending to be well-behaved, he would expose himself one day.
Too stuffed to move, he could only wag his tail twice to act cute. He couldn't manage any more than that.
Chang Yu ate a few quick bites, then went to settle the bill.
This hot pot restaurant was in a wealthy neighborhood, and everyone who came was either rich or influential.
While paying, Chang Yu heard people nearby gossiping about Ke Yichun.
Of course, they weren't gossiping about domestic violence or dog abuse, but about the bar's basement.
One of the men, an entrepreneur, claimed to be Ke Yichun's friend. "I just went over specifically to tease Ke Yichun."
"I asked him, 'Did you learn about all that stuff abroad?'"
"I even reminded him to be careful, or he'd have to go to the hospital if he damaged anything."
The friend clicked his tongue twice, his tone full of mockery. "I said, 'Your company's about to go bankrupt. When you can't even afford medical bills, you'll be the first person in history to play himself to death.'"
"'Everyone in wealthy circles knows your name now. Trust me, the name Ke Yichun will be making the rounds for years to come.'"
A group of young people gathered together, eagerly enjoying the gossip and laughing with abandon.
They all seemed able to imagine Ke Yichun's reaction to that bolt from the blue striking him on the head.
Chang Yu shrugged helplessly. Ke Yichun had now lost his money and his reputation, and his secret had become common knowledge in their circles.
He checked the time. It had only been two hours since they left the bar.
The gossip had spread so quickly that it felt as though every wealthy person had heard about it.
He wasn't at all surprised that these things about Ke Yichun had been widely publicized.
He knew that although these big shots were getting on in years, every one of them was shrewd.
After all, these big shots had eaten over twenty more years' worth of food and walked over twenty more years' worth of roads than he had, giving them far richer experience of society.
Their initial belief in the phone call had merely been to make Ke Yichun lower his guard. Their later belief in the domestic violence and dog abuse had purely been because spectators never minded making a scene bigger.
At their age, there were so many activities they could no longer enjoy, leaving them to seek amusement in things like this.
After paying and returning to the private room, he picked Xiaotu straight up.
At one year old, the golden retriever was still relatively easy to carry. Once he grew bigger, carrying him would block Chang Yu's view.
When he stepped out of the restaurant, that group of gossipers was still there.
"I heard Ke Yichun and Chang Yu dated for a while before. The person Chang Yu's fiancée cheated with was Ke Yichun, too. Poor Chang Yu."
Chang Yu rolled his eyes and quickly walked past those brainless people.
Back home, he caught the golden retriever trying to go straight to bed. "Brush your teeth."
Yan Junye gave him a covert, speechless glare.
-"A clean freak can't even tolerate his dog not brushing his teeth."
Since he didn't have to do it himself anyway, he sat down, opened his mouth, and obediently waited for Chang Yu to brush them.
Once he was washed up, he lay straight down on the solid wood bed. His slacker dog life was happy and complete.
Seeing Xiaotu sleeping soundly, Chang Yu didn't lock the door. Otherwise, the room wouldn't have any air circulation, which wasn't good in the end.
He slept peacefully until, at some unknown hour of the night, an anxious voice in his head woke him.
-"I need the bathroom so baaad! Those dogs online all crawl under their owners' beds to do it, giving their owners an unexpected surprise years later."
-"I think I could follow their example."
Chang Yu's still-foggy mind instantly cleared.
These videos not only encouraged dogs with ideas, but also harmed innocent people.
If Xiaotu really pooped in the room today, he would absolutely never move back into this apartment.
He checked the time. It was three in the morning. He threw on a jacket and took the dog downstairs with a helpless expression.
Otherwise, he was afraid that if this ill-intentioned dog went downstairs alone, he would bring back a whole pile of trouble.
"You're not allowed to eat so much at night anymore."
Even while clenching his butt, Yan Junye still had the leisure to complain.
-"Why can't I eat a lot?" The next time you let me have hot pot will probably be a month from now. A dog's life is short. Of course I have to enjoy myself while I can.
-"But how did he know I needed the bathroom? I haven't pooped yet. Did he smell my fart?"
Chang Yu: "..." He couldn't stand a second of this.
The first thing he would do when they got home was air the place out.
Otherwise, he would feel as though a faint stink kept lingering around his nose, making it impossible to sleep peacefully.
Only after they went downstairs and the cold spring wind hit him did Chang Yu realize his assistant wasn't here, so he would have to pick up the dog poop himself.
He caught the dog's tail, positioned a plastic bag, then moved farther away. "Poop inside the plastic bag, then close it with your paws and throw it in the trash."
-"Oh dear, I can't see back there. You can't blame a big doggy who doesn't know anything if I miss."
"Be good. I'll take you out for roast duck the day after tomorrow." Chang Yu immediately added, "I'm not lying."
-"That makes things easy. Let me adjust my aim. Perfect."
Only then did Chang Yu breathe a sigh of relief.
Every single day, he had to match wits with a dog.
The bag was tossed into the trash. It was late and quiet, and Chang Yu hadn't put Xiaotu on a leash.
Before they even entered the building, he saw Xiaotu's ears twitch twice, and then the dog went bounding ahead.
-"On a dark and windy night, in a little grove, there must be secrets hidden in the darkness. Let me expose them!"