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Wealthy Woof Chapter 107

Raise it and eat it

Lu Chenghe acted quickly. The day after he said they would move out, he started having people carry things over. Important documents and frequently used items, of course, had to be moved—like the few books Lu Chenghe often read, as well as Little Pudding’s pile of game consoles and his favorite toys. As for clothes and daily necessities, new ones had already been arranged at the new place.

There was no doubt Zuo Ning had to bring the game consoles along—he had spent a lot of time and effort collecting them, with many being rare and out of print. Seeing the entire wall lined with them gave him an immense sense of accomplishment. As for the toys Lu Chenghe thought he liked, Zuo Ning originally wanted to say he didn’t need them. He just had a habit of grabbing and scratching at things occasionally—it wasn’t that he truly liked them. But when he saw Lu Chenghe pointing at those toys and instructing people to move them, the dog-version Zuo Ning lay on the little rocking horse with a silly grin on his face, looking downright dumb. He liked the feeling of Lu Chenghe worrying about him.

Lu Chenghe gave his head a gentle pat. “Stay here like a good boy. I’m going upstairs to sort some things.”

Zuo Ning squinted his eyes in a smile. “Woof!”

The butler watched the people packing and moving things. Even the toys had to be carefully transported. After all, it was the young master’s personal instruction, so it had to be done properly. Glancing over and seeing Little Pudding watching so intently, the butler walked over and patted the dog’s head. “Staring so hard, are you worried about your toys? Don’t worry, everything will be moved exactly as is.”

Zuo Ning rubbed up against the butler. After being around for so long, and with the butler often chatting and playing with him, there were certainly feelings of attachment. But when he thought about the two of them living alone together from now on, any trace of reluctance flew right out of his mind.

Looking at Little Pudding’s sweetly smiling face, the butler couldn’t help but sigh. “Such a sudden move. I wanted to follow along to take care of the young master, but he refused. I hope that after staying out there for a while and getting over the novelty, he’ll come back. There’s no place better than home, right? Out there, it’ll just be you and the young master relying on each other. You have to be a good boy, listen well, and take good care of the young master, understand?”

Zuo Ning immediately barked. “Woof!” His little tail wagged so hard it made the wooden rocking horse sway along with it. Taking care of Lu Chenghe—of course, he had to! At home, he was always treated as someone who couldn’t take care of himself. But once they lived outside, he’d definitely show Lu Chenghe just how independent he could be!

The butler also knew that saying all that was probably pointless. They couldn’t even count on Little Pudding to guard the house, let alone take care of someone.

When it came to Lu Chenghe moving out, the person who reacted the most indifferently was, surprisingly, Mother Lu. She simply waved her hand and dismissed it. She even said that aside from when he had gone abroad for studies, he had never lived outside the house since he was a child. Now was the perfect time for him to go out and experience it. Besides, with so many servants in the house, even if they each lived in separate quarters, she still lived close by. Any little disturbance would be known to her right away. So it was better to let him live elsewhere and do as he pleased. Ideally, after a month or so, a woman with a baby bump would come knocking, asking him to take responsibility. Just thinking about it made her want to laugh in her sleep.

No one knew when Lu Chenghe had started preparing, but by now, he was in a state where he could just pick up his bag and go. Once he confirmed that most of the daily necessities had already been moved, he stretched out his hand to Little Pudding. “Let’s go to our new home.”

Hearing that, Zuo Ning got so excited he pounced onto Lu Chenghe. A new home! From now on, it would be just the two of them living together!

Amidst the butler’s tearful and reluctant waving of a handkerchief, Lu Chenghe personally drove Little Pudding toward their new house.

The moment they left the estate, Zuo Ning couldn’t wait to run to the backseat and transform. After getting dressed, he climbed back into the front, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at the crystal key hanging from his keychain.

Lu Chenghe glanced at him. “That’s not the main door key, no need to carry it around like that. With how careless you are, you’ll drop it and break it in two or three days.”

Zuo Ning gave a little hum in response, but his excitement couldn’t be contained. He kept chattering nonstop the whole way, all the way until they arrived at the new house. Zuo Ning knew that even if Lu Chenghe said it was a “small house”, it wouldn’t actually be that small. At best, it might be a standalone villa; at worst, a nicely furnished apartment. For someone like Lu Chenghe, who probably had a property or two scattered across the globe, the one thing he wouldn’t lack was a place to live.

But once they arrived, Zuo Ning stared dumbly at the house in front of him. “Didn’t you say it was a small house?”

Lu Chenghe led him inside. “Isn’t it? Compared to the main house, this is already much smaller.” When they got to the door, he pulled Zuo Ning’s hand over and registered several fingerprints into the door lock. “From now on, you don’t need to carry a key when you go out. It saves you from losing it again.”

Zuo Ning couldn’t tell exactly how big the new house was, but it was definitely a very large duplex, at least the size of four or five small villas. On the first floor was a spacious sunroom facing a small garden, which had already been filled with books. That was probably Lu Chenghe’s study. The master bedroom on the second floor wasn’t any smaller than the one at home and was also connected to a walk-in closet. However, the bathroom wasn’t as large as the one back at the main house. The original home even had a sauna; this place didn’t—just a large bathtub and a shower area.

The house back at the estate had more of a European style, while the new one was thoroughly modern and minimalist. What Zuo Ning liked the most was that it was filled with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The side of the living room facing the small garden was entirely made of glass. The garden itself wasn’t very big, nor was it filled with particularly beautiful plants—just clusters of potted greenery scattered around—but it did have one very large swimming pool.

There was a pool at the estate, too, but it was indoors, and playing in it always felt like being at a public swimming facility. Zuo Ning had played there a few times, but every time, two or three servants were watching him closely, terrified he might drown. Even though he’d still been in dog form at the time, being constantly watched like that just wasn’t fun, so eventually, he stopped going altogether. But now, looking at this big open-air pool, Zuo Ning’s eyes practically sparkled with stars.

Lu Chenghe grabbed him by the waist and pulled him away from where he’d been pressing up against the glass. “You’re not allowed to swim when I’m not home. If I catch you doing it, we’ll move back to the estate. No more living here.”

Zuo Ning hurriedly promised, “Absolutely not! I swear I’ll only swim when you’re home. I promise!”

Lu Chenghe gave him a sideways glance. When it came to what this guy said, he could only believe about thirty percent.

They went through the whole place, inside and out, checking every detail—especially the walk-in closet in the bedroom. One side was entirely Lu Chenghe’s clothes, the other side was all his. And then there was an entire wall of shelves mixed with accessories belonging to both of them—glasses, watches, and so on. Every corner of the space radiated the atmosphere of them officially living together.

Zuo Ning was over the moon, running wildly all around the house before diving into Lu Chenghe’s arms on the living room sofa.

Lu Chenghe let him lie across his lap and gave his cheek a light pinch. “This happy?”

Zuo Ning grinned foolishly. “Of course I’m happy! From now on, no more sneaking around. I can go in and out openly, and transform whenever I want! But you said it was going to be a small house—how is this small? I was even planning to take over all the housework and take care of you really well. But this house is so big, how am I supposed to do all the chores?”

Lu Chenghe chuckled. “With you doing housework, I’d probably have to renovate the place after just one round. There will be someone coming in daily to clean, and there’s a full-house cleaning every two weeks. So you don’t need to worry about it.”

Zuo Ning snuggled against Lu Chenghe’s body, rubbing so much his hair turned into a complete mess. Then, with his face flushed, he looked up and asked softly, “So from now on, this is our home?”

Lu Chenghe smoothed his hair and said, “Of course not.”

Zuo Ning froze. “Huh?”

Lu Chenghe flicked him lightly on the forehead. “Dogs don’t live long—only about ten years or so. When Little Pudding ‘is no longer around’, you’ll still have to go on living as Lu Ning. So eventually, we’ll have to move back to the estate.” Though by then, it would be as a true master returning home. This place was just a temporary transition.

Zuo Ning thought about it and agreed. After all, that was the Lu family’s main residence. One day, they would go back. But for now, he could just enjoy this while it lasted.

With the air conditioning blowing gently, a comfy sofa under him, and his head resting on Lu Chenghe’s lap, breathing in his scent, Zuo Ning dozed off peacefully.

Watching the now softly snoring Little Pudding, Lu Chenghe turned the TV volume down. Seeing his mouth slightly open from lying on his back, he couldn’t resist reaching out to gently stroke it with a finger. Maybe sensing something on his lips, even in his sleep, Little Pudding instinctively stuck out his tongue and gave a small lick.

Lu Chenghe let out a quiet chuckle, lightly pinched his cheek, pulled a nearby light blanket over him, then adjusted his own position and lay down too, curling up with Little Pudding for an afternoon nap.

Zuo Ning was awakened by the smell of food. Sitting up on the sofa and rubbing his sleepy eyes, he saw Lu Chenghe carrying food to the dining area. He quickly picked up his phone, took one look, and jumped up in a hurry: “Why is it so late already?! I was going to make dinner for you! I already planned out the menu. I even downloaded the recipes!”

Lu Chenghe placed the steak and pasta on the table and replied bluntly, “If I’d waited for you to cook, there’d be no dinner tonight. You were sleeping like a log. I tried calling you for ages, and you didn’t even budge.”

Zuo Ning quickly slipped on his slippers and ran to the dining room, sniffing hard. “Smells amazing! You made this? You sure you didn’t just have someone deliver it and now you’re trying to trick me into thinking you cooked it? It looks so good—this is totally restaurant-chef level.”

Lu Chenghe said coolly, “Then don’t eat it.”

Zuo Ning let out a little grunt and quickly sat down on the chair, waiting for the meal to start. In front of Lu Chenghe was one portion of steak and one portion of pasta, while in front of Zuo Ning were three portions of steak, one portion of pasta, and a big bowl of vegetable salad.

Zuo Ning pushed the salad over to Lu Chenghe’s side. “Here, you eat it. Don’t be shy.”

Lu Chenghe glanced at him. Zuo Ning silently retracted his paw. “Why don’t you eat it and insist that I eat so much of it?”

“Because I’m not constipated.”

Zuo Ning’s face turned red instantly. “You’re disgusting! How can you talk about that while we’re eating?! And how do you even know! You spied on me in the bathroom!”

After bringing over the juice, Lu Chenghe wiped his hands before finally sitting down. “Are you going to eat or not?”

Zuo Ning deflated like a balloon. “…I’ll eat.”

It wasn’t like Zuo Ning had never eaten Lu Chenghe’s cooking before. He’d even made cookies for him once, and cookies were hard, much harder than cake, so cooking steak, which was simple in comparison, was definitely no problem. Looking at the perfectly seared steak, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, Zuo Ning took a big bite without hesitation and let out a satisfied sigh. “Delicious!”

“As long as it’s meat, there’s no such thing as not delicious to you.”

Zuo Ning stabbed both his knife and fork into the steak and looked at Lu Chenghe. “Can I just bite into it like this? Cutting it into little pieces is making my hands sore.”

Lu Chenghe said, “Whatever you want.”

Zuo Ning grinned and handed his phone to Lu Chenghe. “Then record a clip for me. I’ll post it on Weibo later.”

Seeing Lu Chenghe aim the phone at him, Zuo Ning stabbed the steak and took a huge bite straight from it. The beef was incredibly tender—crispy on the outside and still slightly pink inside. It was easy to chew, and the utterly satisfied look on his face while eating would make anyone watching feel hungry, too.

Zuo Ning watched the short video that had been recorded. After confirming there was nothing wrong with it, he posted it on Weibo, and in an instant, the likes started pouring in.

【Looks so delicious! I want meat now!】

【Our little fairy boy is eating a meal meant for three people! Don’t tell me those other two portions of steak and that extra pasta are all his? Eating like this and not gaining weight… someone’s going to get assassinated for that!】

【Is this a new way to eat steak? Please don’t be so down-to-earth. Just stay high and mighty so we can worship your face in peace!】

【Is this at home? Even though we only see a little corner, the house looks really pretty.】

【I just ate, and now I’m hungry again. I’ve decided to have a barbecue for a midnight snack.】

【Now I want spicy skewers… the really hot kind. It’s been so long. I’m dying of cravings!】

【I heard Ning Bao is taking on a new drama. Doesn’t he need to maintain his figure? Eating like that, late at night… are you sure you won’t get fat? So many in the industry have lost their looks to fat. Ning Bao, you can’t let yourself go!】

Just five minutes later, his manager, Brother Bei Xiao, called: “Was that staged, or did you really eat that much?”

Zuo Ning glanced at the food in front of him. “I’ve got a big appetite.”

Bei Xiao paused for a moment. “We’re going to start tracking your stats tomorrow—height and weight, full record. From now on, we’ll measure once a month. If your weight goes up, you’ll need to cut down and start dieting.”

After the call ended, Zuo Ning turned to look at Lu Chenghe. Lu Chenghe raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Zuo Ning instantly made a face like he was about to cry. “Brother Bei Xiao said he’s going to track my height and weight, and from now on, I’ll have to get measured every month. If I gain weight, I’ll have to control how much I eat and go on a diet…”

Lu Chenghe gave a calm “mm,” indicating he understood.

Zuo Ning slapped the table in grievance. “You don’t feel sorry for me at all! Look at me—these skinny arms and legs—and you still want me to lose weight? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get so thin I’ll turn into a bolt of lightning and whoosh fly away?”

“You’re too fat, you won’t get off the ground.”

Under Lu Chenghe’s unwavering stare, Zuo Ning begrudgingly finished off the entire big bowl of vegetable salad. Besides the lettuce, he didn’t recognize any of the other leafy greens. They actually tasted pretty good, quite sweet, but he still felt like a carnivore being contaminated by leaves.

After eating his fill, Zuo Ning was just about to flop on the couch like usual to digest when he saw Lu Chenghe cleaning up the dishes. He immediately scrambled up. “Stop! Let me!”

Lu Chenghe glanced back at him and then let go. “Alright, you do it. Break one, and I’ll dock a week’s allowance.”

Zuo Ning rolled up his sleeves and marched over. “Come on, have a little more faith in me! It’s just washing dishes. I guarantee they’ll be sparkling clean!”

Except for his senior year of high school, when his mom didn’t let him do chores so he could focus on exams, he occasionally helped wash dishes, and during college, he often washed clothes by hand. A little housework wasn’t going to defeat him.

Humming a tune, Zuo Ning washed away at the sink with a small apron on, looking quite the part. After scrubbing the dishes until they gleamed, he looked over proudly at Lu Chenghe, who seemed to be observing him. “So? Pretty clean, huh? Don’t underestimate me. I’ve got full marks in self-care!”

Lu Chenghe nodded. “Not bad. But… we have a dishwasher. Why did you hand-wash them?”

Zuo Ning’s face puffed up like a pufferfish. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

Lu Chenghe chuckled softly and walked out. Zuo Ning flung the apron to the side and did a doggy-pounce onto Lu Chenghe’s back. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You watched me for so long and didn’t tell me there was a dishwasher! Look—my soft, delicate little paws got ruined by dish soap!”

“And where exactly are these soft, delicate little paws?”

Zuo Ning wiggled his hands in front of Lu Chenghe’s eyes. “Right here, right here!”

“These little pig trotters look pretty nice. I’ll stew them tomorrow.”

Zuo Ning lay on Lu Chenghe’s back, kicking his legs lazily. “These are dog paws, not for stewing. We don’t eat dog meat in this household.”

Lu Chenghe laughed out loud and said as he carried him on his back, “Then I really lost out. Raised you till you’re all glossy and plump, but can’t even eat you, what a waste.”

Zuo Ning bit down on his shoulder with a snort. “Wanna eat me? I’ll bite you to death first!”

Lu Chenghe sighed. “Raised you for nothing, then.”

Zuo Ning nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “You raised me, I’ll stay with you till we’re old.”

Lu Chenghe chuckled. “You’re really good at saying sweet things, huh?”

Zuo Ning leaned close and whispered seriously in his ear, “I mean it.”

Lu Chenghe smiled. “Mhm, I believe you.”

 

Author’s Note:

Lu Chenghe: Can’t eat?

Zuo Ning, freshly bathed and tied with a cute bow: Please enjoy slowly~ o((^▽^))o


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