Yan Junye was so startled that his paw nearly knocked the lunch box onto the floor.
He had been so absorbed in eating that he had not heard the footsteps approaching behind him.
He gave a cute little "woof."
[Tasty.]
He did not know whether the stingy Chang Yu would make him pay for this, but his fluffy tail was doing its utmost to please him.
-It's just one box of grilled fish. Surely Chang Yu won't hit me over grilled fish? He looked so gentle a moment ago. How did his expression change so fast?
Oh? He was not calling him that bastard anymore.
He even knew his name now.
He also had a grudge against Gu Hongzhuo and had learned information about him after seeing Liao Mei. There was a good eighty percent chance he was Yan Junye.
Looking at the nearly empty box of grilled fish, he began to consider whether Xiaotu, as a dog unlike other dogs, could eat human food.
Before he could finish thinking it over, he spotted the bright red chili oil lingering around the dog's mouth.
Resigned, he pulled out a tissue and bent down to wipe Xiaotu's mouth clean.
Otherwise, he feared the chili oil would end up on him in a moment.
It was Pei Xinglan's first time seeing Chang Yu lower himself like this, even wiping a dog's mouth. "Looks like you two are getting along very well."
Chang Yu wore a smile Yan Junye knew well. "A dog loyally recognizes only one master in its lifetime. Of course I have to treat him well."
There he went again.
Yan Junye had certainly not accepted Chang Yu as his master. On the contrary, he was doing everything he could to find a different one.
Chang Yu was always contradicting him. He was up to no good.
"Woof, woof."
[I certainly haven't.]
To Pei Xinglan, this was the dog responding to his master. "He's so obedient."
"Only good puppies get rewards." Chang Yu stroked the dog's head, which felt wonderful to the touch, his dark eyes fixed on the puppy's innocent, guileless eyes. "Understand?"
Yan Junye gave another two token woofs.
[Understand my ass.]
Chang Yu stood up with a smile, and Pei Xinglan left after saying goodbye.
Chang Yu was still busy with work and had no time to keep the dog company. He summoned his assistant. "Take Xiaotu to the veterinary clinic to have his stomach checked. He just ate something very oily and salty."
The assistant took Xiaotu away, and Chang Yu ordered another meal.
It was a workday, so the pet shop was not very crowded. After examining Xiaotu, the vet said there was nothing wrong with his stomach.
"But we need to watch his weight and give him more exercise. The vet said he can't get any fatter."
After reporting to his boss, the assistant waited for further instructions, only for his boss to tell him to walk the dog around the residential complex.
"Put shoes on him. The more tired you make him, the better. Ideally, he'll fall asleep as soon as he gets home tonight. Have him go to the bathroom once before coming home, too."
Otherwise, he feared this ill-intentioned dog would make trouble all over the house again.
Resigned, the assistant led the dog around the residential complex.
Back when Evergreen Company had hired him, he had excitedly imagined himself as a sharp, efficient professional in a smart suit. He had never expected to become an idle fellow walking a dog in a suit.
The trouble was that the dog on his leash had absolutely no drive. He could not get him to walk at all.
Yan Junye lay on a bench, refusing to budge, his body curled up for warmth. As long as it was safe, he could sleep anywhere.
Helpless, the assistant sat on the bench beside him. Everyone else must have been working hard at their desks right now, while he was out here in the wind. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he grew.
He sighed. The dog beside him had even started snoring, sounding as though he was sleeping particularly soundly.
"..." Being a dog really was better.
When it was time, the dog on the ground still showed no sign of waking. He casually remarked, "The boss should be back soon."
The instant the words left his mouth, the dog beside him jolted upright.
He absolutely could not let Chang Yu see him sleeping on a bench outside, or he would drag him off for another bath.
The leash was successfully handed over. Once they reached the door, Chang Yu crouched down to take Xiaotu's shoes off.
He had only just removed the front two when he felt paws land on his shoulders. A furry belly kept rubbing against him, as though the dog was acting cute and asking to be held.
But that was how an ordinary dog would think.
Xiaotu was no ordinary dog.
-Hehe, let me rub some of the dust and dirt on my belly onto you.
-As if your clothes don't pick up dust when you come home from outside. That's what you get for thinking I'm dirty. I'm obviously super clean!
He knew it.
This lazy dog had slept well all afternoon. Who knew what nasty tricks he would dream up to cause trouble tonight?
Chang Yu did not lose his temper. His lips curved in a friendly smile, though it was not particularly sincere.
"Come in. Let's have a proper discussion about what to eat tonight."
Yan Junye thought Chang Yu had realized he could eat human food and was planning to improve his meals. Wagging his tail, he happily followed the man inside.
His head was full of hot pot and malatang. He did not even notice he had followed the man into the bathroom.
Only when he was seized by the scruff of his fate did he realize something was wrong and begin to resist.
"Awooo-!"
[I don't want you bathing me!]
Judging by Chang Yu's manner, he looked like a gong no matter how you sliced it, while Yan Junye was a little shou. How could their relationship be one of bathing and being bathed?
He would rather be sent to the pet shop for a bath.
He was pressed straight under the showerhead. Crouching down to protect his butt was his final act of defiance.
Chang Yu had no interest in his doggy butt, nor did he want to wash that area by hand.
Besides, he still seemed unable to connect the furry creature before him with a human. No matter how he looked at him, he looked like a dog. Xiaotu was still a more fitting name for the dog's appearance.
He did not dare use much force while washing his body, and a certain dog was extremely satisfied.
-That's just the right pressure. So comfy~
The corner of Chang Yu's mouth twitched. He felt that Yan Junye might not want to return to his original body.
Once he had finished washing his body, he turned down the showerhead's flow, planning to rinse that area directly.
Before he had even turned the showerhead toward the dog, the dog on the floor let out a scream, and an utterly agonized one at that.
"Awooo, awooo-!"
[Fuck, does this bastard have no common sense at all?! How can you spray a forceful stream of water straight at such a delicate place!]
Chang Yu: "..." He had turned the flow down, and he was only rinsing the fur near his hind legs.
He grabbed the dog's foul-mouthed muzzle. "Make another sound, and we're having hot dogs tonight."
Remembering that he was still trying to present himself as a good puppy, Yan Junye immediately went silent.
It definitely was not because he had chickened out.
He perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be a fish on someone else's chopping block.
Still, he had just eaten fish at noon, so he was a little better off than a fish.
In the end, Chang Yu decided to fill a basin with water and have Yan Junye put his butt in it to wash himself.
Yan Junye had been standing at a forty-five-degree angle to Chang Yu. At the command, he raised his doggy head, faced Chang Yu squarely, and plopped his butt down, utterly haughty.
-Don't even think about peeking at me.
How was Chang Yu supposed to explain that he had no interest in a dog?
After climbing out of the basin, Yan Junye deliberately chose a spot close to Chang Yu, then began shaking himself furiously.
Chang Yu had known this petty dog would get revenge. Since he was going to shower anyway, he did not get angry and merely shooed the dog out.
Water pattered down, and rising steam dispelled the fatigue of a working man's day.
Before Chang Yu could fully relax, that voice, itching to make trouble, echoed through his mind again.
-The ham in the fridge looks so tasty. If I sneak one, he probably won't notice, right?
-Is that cup on the coffee table the one Chang Yu drinks from? It wouldn't be too much to dip my doggy hoof in for a little water, right? That's how all the cats online drink.
Chang Yu: "..." You're a dog, not a cat!
This dog did not eat shit, raid the trash, or wreck the house, but that hardly helped when he loved human food and rummaging through the fridge. He left the big furniture intact, but all the smaller furnishings bore the marks his ill-intentioned paws had left.