Lu Chenghe sat on the sofa, idly rubbing the motionless Little Pudding lying on his lap like a fake dog. Standing in front of him was a rather ordinary-looking man with a somewhat sturdy build. After giving the man a brief glance, Lu Chenghe lowered his gaze back to the dog sprawled on him.
He lifted one of the dog’s paws and gave it a gentle squeeze. Little Pudding shot him a glance before shrinking further into his embrace. Despite this, the paw remained extended, letting Lu Chenghe knead it as he pleased. Only then did a faint smile touch Lu Chenghe’s eyes.
The butler, seemingly oblivious to this interaction between master and pet, introduced the man beside him:
“This is Mr. Jason. He has been the FCI Asia Region Champion for seven consecutive years. The dogs he trains are all exceptionally obedient, well-mannered, and very perceptive.”
Lu Chenghe’s gaze remained calm and indifferent as he stared at Jason for a few seconds. His hand gently stroked the fur of the dog nestled in his lap. After a slight lift of his eyes, he asked, “Perceptive?”
Jason, upon hearing this, smiled confidently. “Dogs are inherently intelligent. With proper training, they can understand a wide range of commands and words. For instance, the Samoyed in your arms ranks 33rd in canine intelligence, making it a very smart breed. Samoyeds are especially obedient and easy to train during their puppy stage, which is precisely the phase it’s in now. Currently, training programs are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Beginner training covers basic commands like sit, lie down, stand, heel, and stay quiet. Intermediate training introduces entertaining tricks like rolling over or playing dead. Advanced training includes skills such as refusal of food, catching balls or frisbees, navigating obstacles, and more. For a companion dog, these are usually sufficient. However, if you wish, we can provide professional working dog training, such as bite work, guarding, or search-and-retrieval tasks.”
Lu Chenghe merely nodded slightly, showing no clear reaction. His demeanor made it difficult to discern his thoughts. The butler, noticing this, understood that the young master was not entirely satisfied. He stepped forward and said, “Thank you very much, Mr. Jason, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit us. If we decide to proceed with training Little Pudding, we will reach out to you promptly.”
Jason was somewhat displeased by the lack of a definitive decision but chose not to show it. After all, families as wealthy as the Lu family, when hiring a dog trainer, would attract plenty of candidates. Being invited for an interview demonstrated his reputation in the industry. Through comparison, his expertise would naturally shine. Thus, Jason didn’t doubt his chances of being hired.
He smiled politely and responded, “It would be my honor if I were given the opportunity.” With measured grace, he followed the butler out of the Lu residence.
Once the man left, Lu Chenghe’s eyes turned cold. He poked the pudgy rump of the dog glued to him. “What do you think about having him as your trainer?”
Zuo Ning wanted to voice his refusal. He didn’t like that man. Even though it was their first meeting, Jason gave him an unpleasant feeling. However, in his current state, he could only bark twice at Lu Chenghe, not expecting the man to understand him anyway.
But Lu Chenghe clearly understood Zuo Ning better than he imagined. Though Lu Chenghe didn’t necessarily interpret the two barks as a direct response, he still knew that Little Pudding disliked the dog trainer. When Jason had been standing in front of him earlier, Little Pudding had remained curled up in his arms, completely still. Even its tail hadn’t wagged. Its eyes darted around nervously, deliberately avoiding looking at the trainer. These were telltale signs of its discomfort or rejection.
It wasn’t shyness either—that much was certain. When the vet had visited previously, Little Pudding hadn’t acted this way. So it was evident that Jason hadn’t earned the dog’s favor.
Moreover, it wasn’t just Little Pudding’s aversion. Lu Chenghe himself didn’t like the man’s gaze, especially the way he looked at Little Pudding—as if he were inspecting a bendable object at his disposal. That wasn’t the look of someone who truly loved dogs.
As a result, Lu Chenghe patted the dog’s head and said, “Alright, if you don’t like him, then we won’t go with him.”
Upon hearing this, Zuo Ning quickly got up. Placing his two hind legs on Lu Chenghe’s thighs and his front paws on his chest, he wagged his tail and stared at him with sparkling eyes. His tongue lolled out as he displayed an angelic smile, radiating joy that anyone could immediately perceive.
Lu Chenghe understood him! It turned out that even across species, they could communicate. How touching!
The butler, who had just entered and heard Lu Chenghe’s remark, walked over and asked, “There are two other trainers with good reputations and solid reviews. Should I arrange for them to come for an interview?”
Lu Chenghe picked up Little Pudding. “No need. We don’t need a dog trainer. However, we do need a nutritionist.” Initially, the goal was to train the dog to be obedient. However, after having the dog for some time, Lu Chenghe felt that household pets didn’t necessarily need professional training. Training it himself might actually be more enjoyable. Letting someone else train it? Then why bother keeping a dog at all? He wasn’t expecting this little thing to guard the house or defend him. He decided it was fine to raise it as it was. If it misbehaved in the future, skipping two meals would naturally set it straight.
The butler immediately responded, “Understood, Young Master.”
Unaware of Lu Chenghe’s thoughts, Zuo Ning only felt that he had excellent taste—he had picked such a wonderful man. Look how good this man was to him, not wanting him to suffer and even hiring a nutritionist for him. At this moment, Zuo Ning was so blissfully content that he practically bubbled with happiness. He snuggled and rubbed against Lu Chenghe to express his joy.
Lu Chenghe calmly carried the suddenly overexcited Little Pudding back to the bedroom. Although the dog was usually well-behaved, its Samoyed lineage occasionally made it act up. The first time Lu Chenghe saw this, he was slightly surprised, though it felt inevitable. Now, he was thoroughly accustomed to it.
After returning to the room, Lu Chenghe retrieved a rubber ball from the kennel. Watching the little one wagging its tail in excitement, he said, “Go fetch the ball.” With that, he lightly tossed the ball into the air.
Zuo Ning paused for a moment before realizing what Lu Chenghe meant. So, he wanted to train him personally! There was no way he could disappoint him. Immediately, Zuo Ning enthusiastically dashed to retrieve the ball, biting down on it as it rolled not far away, then returning it to Lu Chenghe’s hand. “Woof!” Such a simple command was a piece of cake!
Lu Chenghe also found this task too easy. He then said, “Jump and catch it.”
Zuo Ning quickly prepared himself, crouching slightly on his hind legs, determined to strike a cool pose when he caught the ball.
However, he clearly underestimated the difficulty of catching the ball. He… missed. The ball grazed past his fluffy white fur and fell to the ground.
Zuo Ning stared blankly at the colorful rubber ball, which bounced a few times before rolling to a stop. This was far from the cool image he had envisioned! Wasn’t catching balls supposed to be a natural skill for dogs? In all those adorable pet videos he had seen, catching balls seemed so easy! Could it be that his human soul had somehow deprived him of this innate canine ability?
Seeing the silly Little Pudding fail to catch the ball and seemingly questioning his life choices, Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle. Hearing Lu Chenghe laugh, Zuo Ning instinctively grinned too, his round eyes narrowing with joy. His tongue peeked out slightly, which made Lu Chenghe unable to resist holding the grinning dog’s head and giving it a good rub.
Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Lu Chenghe didn’t wait for Little Pudding to wake up on his own. Instead, he directly scooped up the little thing sprawled out in its bed, limbs splayed in all directions, and carried him into the bathroom. After wiping the dog’s eyes and paws, Lu Chenghe finally went on to handle his own morning routine.
Zuo Ning’s fur sticks up in all directions from sleep. He sat dazed on the sink counter. Usually, he would wake up on his own and wait in the backyard for Lu Chenghe to finish his morning exercise. But today, he had been dragged out of bed. What was this about? Could they be going out to play?
His excitement dwindled when he was brought to the backyard and told to join Lu Chenghe for a morning run. His once-wagging tail drooped. Morning runs so early? This was pure torture for a dog!
Looking at Little Pudding’s seemingly unwilling expression, Lu Chenghe pinched his chubby cheeks. “Exhausted after fetching just two balls yesterday? You’re seriously lacking exercise. Starting today, you’ll join me for morning runs. If you don’t run, no breakfast for you.”
Zuo Ning grabbed the hand pinching his face with both front paws. “Awoo!” Was that just two balls? He had been fetching balls for at least half an hour!
Lu Chenghe ignored his protest. After putting him down on the ground, he jogged a few steps ahead. When he turned back and saw that Little Pudding was still sitting stubbornly in the same spot, he called out, “Hurry up, or no breakfast!”
Left with no choice, Zuo Ning reluctantly followed, looking pitifully aggrieved. However, once he got moving, he realized that running on four legs was indeed easier than two. This was also his first time leaving the large mansion grounds. Even the air seemed fresher outside. Initially, he wasn’t too thrilled, but after running a few steps, he started to enjoy himself, bounding around happily.
The Lu family’s lawn was meticulously maintained. The route Lu Chenghe took for his morning runs was regularly cleared of debris. Knowing he planned to run with Little Pudding, the lawn had been freshly trimmed for several consecutive days. As long as Little Pudding stayed on the designated path and didn’t wander off, his paws wouldn’t get hurt.
Of course, Zuo Ning was oblivious to all this. He trailed behind Lu Chenghe at a steady distance, running while admiring the scenery. Only now did he realize that the area behind the house was so large that calling it a backyard seemed insufficient. Up close, he found the artificial lake to be even bigger than it had looked before—practically big enough for boating! If he had to run the entire perimeter, he’d probably collapse from exhaustion.
No wonder Lu Chenghe left for his runs before dawn and only returned when it was fully light out.
As expected, even though Zuo Ning conserved his energy and obediently followed without sniffing flowers or chasing grass, he was already too exhausted to continue after running just one-third of the way. Collapsing on the ground in an ungraceful heap, he panted heavily with his tongue lolling out. So dogs really could get tired to the point of collapse! He had imagined dogs had more stamina than humans, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.
Lu Chenghe hadn’t expected Little Pudding to complete the entire route. When he saw the dog sprawled out and unresponsive to his calls, he knew this was the limit. Taking out a water bottle, he offered him some water.
Zuo Ning hadn’t even realized Lu Chenghe carried a water bottle. Hungry and thirsty, he eagerly gulped down the water to fill his stomach. Then, with pitiful eyes, he looked up at Lu Chenghe as if to say, Can we stop running now? Let’s go home and eat breakfast.
Seeing the fluffy white ball collapsed on the ground, paired with those desperate, pleading eyes, Lu Chenghe poked his forehead. “Useless little thing. Getting this tired after such a short distance? You really are too fat.” Even as he said this, he picked Little Pudding up. Exercise needed to be done gradually, so they would take it slow.
With his head resting on Lu Chenghe’s shoulder, Zuo Ning panted heavily, his tongue hanging out. It wasn’t the first time he’d been called fat, so he didn’t mind the comment. As long as it meant they were going home to eat, he didn’t care. He was utterly exhausted—almost to the point of being a dead dog.
