Li Yong kept feeling a chill down his back. Chang Yu's gaze met his at just that moment.
"The conditions are simple. Beat Li Yong up, make him reflect deeply on his mistakes, and donate his earnings from his last production to a stray animal rescue center."
Li Yong nearly ground his back teeth to pieces. "Don't push your luck."
He still had poison in his pocket, ready to poison the three stray dogs that had beaten him up, and now he was supposed to donate money to a stray animal center? How was that possible?
Chang Yu knew Li Yong's career was still dependent on his parents. His mother could easily keep him in line.
"If you disagree, I can add another condition: you have to rescue one stray dog every day."
Li Yong wanted to throw punches, but his mother was there.
Just as he was about to refuse, his mother spoke up and agreed.
"Rest assured, Li Yong will only get two thousand a month in living expenses this year. I won't pursue responsibility for your two dogs either, as long as my younger son can grow up safe and healthy."
Li Yong was dumbfounded.
So your younger son is your son, but now that I'm grown, I'm not? Does nobody care whether I live or die?
Seeing how confident Chang Yu looked, the film emperor couldn't help asking quietly, "How do you know so much?"
Chang Yu answered, "I made it up."
The film emperor: "..." Your acting really is good.
The maternity nanny heard the commotion downstairs. They seemed to have mentioned her, too. The longer she sat there, the more uneasy she grew, so she decided to carry the baby downstairs.
Her eyes instinctively turned toward Peng Zhengchu, but Peng Zhengchu didn't look at him.
Li Yong's mother stood up and took the baby. She had given birth late in life and had been in poor health ever since, so she had no choice but to hire a maternity nanny.
But why did the maternity nanny seem so familiar with her fourth younger brother?
Could those two have gotten involved?
They were indeed about the same age, but wasn't the nanny's husband still alive?
"You're working as a maternity nanny here too." Chang Yu remained calm. "A relative of mine hired you as a maternity nanny before."
"Really?" The nanny had worked for too many families to remember which one Chang Yu meant, but her reputation had never been bad.
"Everyone thinks I do good work, which is why they refer clients to me. It's a sign of their trust."
"Really?" Today was actually Chang Yu's first time meeting this nanny, but that didn't stop him from being completely confident. "I heard you've said quite a lot of bad things about the families you've worked for."
After saying that, Chang Yu looked at Li Yong's mother. He had shown more than enough sincerity.
He wasn't interested in hearing any more of the Li Family's arguments, so he stood up with Xiaotu in his arms and left.
They had barely reached the car when Yan Junye started barking for hot pot.
-"I made such a huge contribution. Surely I deserve a hot pot meal?"
Chang Yu first took water from the trunk to wash his hands. Just as he was about to answer, he was nearly tackled into the trunk.
He braced himself against the water tank with one hand. He knew who it was without looking back. "Are you trying to rebel?"
Yan Junye raised both paws and planted them on Chang Yu's back, with no intention of getting off him despite the threat. "Woof, woof, woof!"
[So what if I am? You actually think I'm dirty? Next time I bite your lip, you'd better give it a good wash!]
[With that attitude, how are you going to kiss your boyfriend in the future? Let me help you first and do my part for your beautiful romance.]
Chang Yu: "..." That little temper really was getting fiercer and fiercer.
He even wanted a say in Chang Yu washing his hands.
"Get down. I'll take you for hot pot."
Only at the mention of food did Yan Junye get off him. Wagging his tail, he settled into the passenger seat without being told.
After waiting a long time for Chang Yu to get in, he even reached out a paw and honked the horn on the steering wheel.
Chang Yu had never expected that one day a dog would honk at him to hurry him along.
Xiaotu really was making less and less effort to hide the fact that he was human in front of him.
He got into the car and deliberately asked, "Not only can you use a phone, but you even know how to honk the horn?"
Chang Yu had thought Xiaotu would avert his eyes and not dare answer. Instead, the dog raised his head proudly, as if saying:
"Learning human actions is part of a dog's basic moral character, especially for a perceptive and intelligent dog like me."
Chang Yu stopped asking. As long as you don't think it's strange.
They went to the same hot pot restaurant as last time.
Chang Yu got the same condiments and bought meal plates as before. Xiaotu sat beside him as usual, practically drooling as he waited for the pot to boil.
His love for hot pot ran deep.
Chang Yu was in no hurry to eat and filled a plate for Xiaotu.
The dog's head bobbed rapidly beside him as he ate with relish. At the same time, his paw kept tugging at Chang Yu's hand, as though urging him to eat too.
Chang Yu felt the satisfaction of a parent whose child had finally grown up and learned filial piety.
Stuffed, Yan Junye sprawled in his chair and let his head fall into Chang Yu's arms.
-"I can't walk. Carry me back."
Chang Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Xiaotu really looked like a man who had gone out drinking in the middle of the night, gotten drunk, and called someone to pick him up because he couldn't walk.
He carried Xiaotu over to pay and heard people gossiping again.
"I heard the Li Family's mistress's younger brother hooked up with their maternity nanny, and then he plotted with the nanny to steal from the Li Family! Not only that, they even schemed together to harm the newborn youngest son!"
"That's insane. This younger brother is a little too stupid."
"I just passed by the Li Family's place. Those screams, tsk, tsk. It sounded like a pig being slaughtered."
If he hadn't heard the Li Family mentioned, Chang Yu would have started wondering whether he'd ever heard this gossip before.
He had no idea how the story had turned into this. He had never said anything like that, and he wasn't owning it.
Although Yan Junye couldn't walk, he wasn't asleep. Hearing this, a smile spread at the corners of his mouth. This gossip had spread beautifully.
Once home, Yan Junye lay on the bed browsing his phone. Sure enough, Li Yong was on Weibo's trending searches.
#Li Yong's butt
#Li Yong anal fissure
#Li Yong hemorrhoids
People certainly had rich imaginations.
Then he looked at the clarification Li Yong's studio had just released.
It said he had accidentally fallen and was a little swollen, so there was no need for everyone to pay excessive attention.
He had thought that would be the end of it, but then someone released secretly filmed footage of Li Yong being beaten up by dogs.
Whoever it was seemed to have been waiting for Li Yong's clarification so they could slap him right in the face.
[Forget anal fissures and hemorrhoids. Who would've guessed he got beaten up by dogs?! Hahaha, I'm dying.]
[Beaten up by dogs? Are we talking about actual dogs?]
[He must have done something to the dogs to get beaten up, right? Otherwise, with so many people on set, why did they only beat him up?]
The more Yan Junye read, the more he felt everyone had plenty of trash in their heads. It wasn't just him.
After enjoying the drama, he went to find Chang Yu.
Chang Yu was still working in his study. Yan Junye didn't make trouble, instead sitting obediently beside him and waiting for him to finish.
"What's wrong?"
Xiaotu had never come into the study before. He always went to lie down and sleep after eating.
There had been a slight change over the past few days: he would play on his phone for a while before sleeping.
Yan Junye pointed a paw at the computer, then ingratiatingly rubbed his head against Chang Yu's trouser leg. His tail brushed over Chang Yu's hand too, leaving a tingling sensation.
Chang Yu pretended not to understand. "Want to look at the computer? Come work with me."
Yan Junye had wanted to get farther away-working was out of the question-but he was scooped up and placed on Chang Yu's lap.
Not giving up, he pointed at the phone on the desk, then held up his paws for Chang Yu to see, indicating that he couldn't use a phone nimbly with his hands.
Then he pawed at the computer twice, touching the keyboard with his paws upright rather than flat to demonstrate that the computer was easier to use.
Amused by Xiaotu's movements, Chang Yu laughed. "Do you want a computer to practice typing?"
Yan Junye thought there was something very suspicious about that smile. It had a teasing edge.
He slapped a paw onto Chang Yu's shoulder, his round eyes full of accusation, as though saying, "You're definitely doing this on purpose!"
"Woof, woof, woof!"
[Whatever you say, I want a computer. Otherwise, I'll take yours to play with!]
Chang Yu looked at Xiaotu with smiling eyes. "Don't be angry. I'll buy you one sometime."
He had a spare phone, but there wasn't a spare computer at home.
Yan Junye wasn't buying empty promises. His tail thumped resentfully against Chang Yu's thigh as he barked.
[What day exactly is 'sometime'? If you wait ten years to buy it, I'll be dead by then!]
[I want it now!]
"Tomorrow. We'll buy it tomorrow." Chang Yu caught the thick tail thrashing about. "I'll take you to pick one out tomorrow."
Yan Junye nodded in satisfaction. Having achieved his goal, he intended to return to the bedroom for a comfortable sleep, but Chang Yu's arms didn't let go.
"I've already promised to buy you a computer. Shouldn't you spend a little longer learning how to use one?"
Yan Junye gave a little grunt, curled up on Chang Yu's lap, and started sleeping.
It made no difference to him where he slept.
It was just that his head was facing Chang Yu's stomach, and a little farther down from his mouth was that spot. He seemed to be facing somewhere he shouldn't.
He turned another circle in Chang Yu's arms. This time his head faced the desk. No problem.
Gradually, he realized something else was wrong. Didn't that mean his butt was resting against that spot?
It was all Chang Yu's fault for not having a lap wide enough to accommodate a large dog like him.
He was about to shift again when a hand held him down, and a low, husky voice came from above his head. "Don't move."