Wealthy Woof Chapter 117

After getting a rough understanding of what had happened, everyone, except Lu Chenghan, who stayed behind at the manor, returned to their own homes. Lu Chenghan’s family was still abroad, but the rest all had families to take care of, so naturally, unless something really big was going on, they wouldn’t stay out overnight.

Watching his eldest and second brothers getting up to leave without hesitation, Lu Chenghan looked at them with pitiful eyes. “Why don’t you guys stay the night? It’s already so late.”

Lu Chenghan looked expressionlessly at the fourth brother, and the fourth young master Lu instantly fell silent. Feeling wronged, he turned to the second brother with pleading eyes. “Since everyone’s back, just stay home for the night. I bet Second Sister-in-law misses you, too.”

Lu Chenghe replied coldly, “Worry about yourself.”

Seeing that Lu Chenghe was about to leave, Zuo Ning jumped off the sofa and shook his fur. He had actually thought they’d be staying at the manor tonight. The only reason he’d insisted on coming along today was because he was worried Lu Chenghe might decide to stay. But now that they were heading home, he was genuinely happy. When he saw Lu Chenghan looking absolutely pitiful, Zuo Ning couldn’t help trotting over, lifting his paw to pat him on the leg in a gesture of comfort.

This kid really was quite pitiful. With something like this happening, if it had been someone with a weaker heart, they might’ve been scared to death on the spot. And that girl—what on earth was she thinking? Was it really worth it for a man? Although he himself loved Lu Chenghe very, very much, he still couldn’t understand people who would throw their lives away for love. The world was so big, love wasn’t the only thing in it.

He couldn’t help lifting his paw again to pat Lu Chenghan’s leg. Being too good-looking really could drive people to crime. Poor guy.

Lu Chenghan scooped up Little Pudding in one go and buried his face in that thick white fur. “Little Pudding, you stay with me, okay? I’m so pitiful.”

Before the words were even fully out of his mouth, a crisp smack rang out, and a sharp pain shot through the back of his head.

Lu Chenghan stared, stunned, at his vicious second brother. But Lu Chenghe didn’t even glance at him. He just bent down, scooped up Little Pudding, and walked off without so much as a backward glance.

Staring at that departing figure, and at the dog resting on his shoulder who turned its head to look back at him, Lu Chenghan couldn’t help rubbing the back of his head. Truly my own brother, huh? No mercy at all!

Aside from cutting the trip short and returning to the set to resume work, the Tang family’s matter didn’t really have much of an impact on Zuo Ning. A few days after returning, just before heading back to the film set, the things he had bought in Milan also arrived. After sorting through them a bit, it turned out there were just enough small souvenirs for everyone in the crew. For those he was closer to, he had even bought individual gifts.

He piled everything meant for the crew in one area, and separated the things he bought for himself into another, planning to organize them later before putting them in the cabinet. Yang Shun, who had come over to help, looked at how more than half the living room was filled and couldn’t help clicking his tongue, saying, “Did you move all of Milan back with you? You bought this much?”

Zuo Ning looked around. He had to admit, he did go a bit overboard. After all, every time he went out shopping with Chenghe, he just couldn’t help picking up a thing or two. Eventually, it all added up. He rummaged through the pile and handed a box to Yang Shun. “It just added up without me realizing. Especially with the different price tags over there. Seeing a few hundred or a few thousand printed on the labels, before the exchange rate even registers in your head, it all seems so cheap. And then you just buy and buy and buy. Here, this is for you. Didn’t you say you wanted these shoes, but they were always out of stock back home? I found them for you.”

Yang Shun didn’t stand on ceremony. Smiling happily, he accepted the gift and also helped carry the small presents for the crew out to the car. Don’t be fooled by Lu Ning’s young age—he really handled these little social gestures quite well. At least when it came to preparing keepsakes like this, no one had to remind him, yet he still thoughtfully got something for everyone. As long as he kept going like this—calm and grounded—he was sure to do just fine in this industry.

July 19th was the birthday Lu Chenghe had set for Zuo Ning, because that was the day he had been born when he was still a dog. Zuo Ning had assumed that, with the Tang family issues still ongoing, Lu Chenghe would be extremely busy. He’d already prepared himself mentally: he’d go buy his own cake, cook his own longevity noodles, and as long as Lu Chenghe had time to sit and eat with him, that would be enough. As for a gift—well, of course, he hoped for one, but if there wasn’t any, he could understand.

He was nearly moved to tears by how considerate he was being. But even two days before the birthday, Lu Chenghe still showed no sign of doing anything. When the actual day arrived and Lu Chenghe prepared to go to work as usual in the early morning, Zuo Ning finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He grabbed Lu Chenghe’s hand, looking at him with pitiful eyes. “Is today… going to be really busy, too?”

Lu Chenghe reached out to smooth down the messy tuft of hair that had stuck up while he was sleeping. “The head of the Tang family is young and impulsive, has connections in both legal and shady circles, and with what happened to Tang Xin, he thinks he’s in the right. So lately, he’s been acting up a bit, which means it’ll take some time to handle.”

Hearing that, Zuo Ning pouted. “Then… then will you have time to come back for dinner tonight?”

Lu Chenghe smiled and nodded. “Of course I do. It’s your birthday today—I remembered.”

The moment he said that, Zuo Ning’s eyes lit up instantly. He flopped back onto the bed, hugging his pillow and smiling brightly at Lu Chenghe. “Then you have to come back early, okay?”

Lu Chenghe chuckled, bent down, and kissed him on the forehead before turning to leave. Zuo Ning rolled around on the bed with a flushed face, then jumped up with determination and got ready to start his day.

Since he had already spoken to the director beforehand, filming wrapped up a little earlier that day. Zuo Ning planned to go buy a cake first, then swing by the supermarket to pick up some groceries. Although he hadn’t cooked much before, he’d watched his mom cook for nearly twenty years. He figured he wasn’t exactly hopeless in the kitchen—at the very least, he could tell sugar from salt. As long as he followed the recipes, he was confident he could prepare a full table of dishes before Lu Chenghe got home.

He was in the middle of planning everything in his head when he noticed Yang Shun wasn’t taking the usual road home. Instantly alarmed, he gripped the edge of his seat. “Yang Shun, what are you doing?! Where are you taking me? Are you trying to kidnap me? How much ransom are you planning to ask from Chenghe? I’m telling you—I’m worth a lot! If you ask too little, people are gonna laugh at you!”

Yang Shun couldn’t help the three imaginary black lines appearing over his head. He gave Zuo Ning a sideways glance. “Who talks to a kidnapper like that? If you keep yapping, I’ll just tear up the ransom note!”

Zuo Ning shot him a look. “So, where are we going? I don’t think I had anything planned for today. I still need to go home and cook, you know.”

“You say that like you’re some domestic little housewife. This is on the boss’s orders. I’m taking you to try on some outfits—probably for a candlelight dinner or something tonight.”

Zuo Ning gasped in delight. “Really?! Chenghe didn’t say a word about it when he left today. I knew it. There’s no way he’d just casually brush off my birthday! Seriously though, he could’ve told me earlier. Look at me, is my makeup all off? I was planning to go home and take a shower, too. Ugh, why didn’t you remind me earlier? I should’ve put on a face mask last night. But whatever, I’m naturally gorgeous. Face mask or not, it doesn’t make a difference.”

Yang Shun, now thoroughly overwhelmed by the noise, muttered, “Can you just quiet down? We’re almost there.”

Knowing that Lu Chenghe was going to celebrate his birthday, Zuo Ning had been humming songs the whole way, holding a small mirror and checking himself out from every angle. He was in an absolutely fantastic mood.

The place Yang Shun brought him to also seemed to be some kind of private studio. As soon as they entered, a bunch of people came out to greet them at the door. Yang Shun gave him a gentle push forward and said, “Go on. Just do whatever they tell you to do. Once you’re done, the timing should be about right.”

Zuo Ning nodded with a few “oh-oh”s and followed the staff. Then he was taken for a bath, had makeup applied, got his hair done, and tried on several sets of outfits. In the end, they chose a white suit for him.

Although Zuo Ning had a youthful face, the suit fit him extremely well. Its overall design leaned more toward Asian body types, and Zuo Ning wasn’t short to begin with. He was already 176cm tall now and still had room to grow taller. After his hair was meticulously styled, with this whole setup, he looked dashing, like a little prince.

Yang Shun nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s go, the boss is probably already waiting for you.”

Zuo Ning happily checked himself out in the mirror again, practically blinded by how handsome he looked. With looks like his, Lu Chenghe was really getting a steal.

Zuo Ning thought for sure they were meeting at some super expensive restaurant—with candlelight, music, and a beautiful view. But as the route Yang Shun was taking grew more and more familiar. When they were about to head halfway up the mountain, he finally realized: “Isn’t this the road back to the manor? So we’re eating at the manor tonight, not outside?”

Yang Shun shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s what the boss instructed.”

The moment he realized they were going back home, the sense of mysterious surprise dropped quite a bit. But then again, thinking about how Lu Chenghe went to all this trouble—having people dress him up and all—Zuo Ning couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to meet the parents. With that thought, he immediately lost his calm, nerves sending his heart into a full-on gallop.

Once the car entered the manor grounds, Zuo Ning immediately saw Lu Chenghe standing at the door, also in a formal suit. There were quite a few people at the entrance, and it seemed like there was some kind of banquet going on inside. Even though Lu Chenghe was still outrageously handsome today, Zuo Ning was too stunned by the crowd of unfamiliar faces to pay attention to him. What on earth was happening?

Zuo Ning stepped out of the car in a daze. Lu Chenghe came right over and grabbed his hand. Zuo Ning could only follow him inside, all confused, asking in a small voice, “What’s going on?”

Lu Chenghe gave him a smile and pulled him over to stand in front of Mother Lu. “Mom, Xiao Ning is here.”

Zuo Ning quickly greeted her, “Hello, Auntie.”

Mother Lu smiled warmly at him, took his hand, and gave it a gentle pat. “From now on, you and Chenghe should live well together. If Chenghe ever bullies you, just come to Auntie. I’ll stand up for you, understand?”

Zuo Ning nodded blankly, but his mind was full of questions. When had he and Lu Chenghe become official? Could it be that without him knowing, Lu Chenghe had already come out to his family in secret?

Lu Chenghe led him up onto a small, temporarily set-up stage. The crowd of unfamiliar guests had been standing around in groups, chatting quietly among themselves. But when they saw Lu Chenghe walking up, the atmosphere gradually quieted down.

Lu Chenghe picked up a microphone and, for once, actually smiled in front of a public crowd. Those familiar with the usual behavior of the Lu family’s second young master were practically shocked. And then, seeing the young man he was holding hands with, they began to get a sense of what was going on.

Lu Chenghe spoke directly to the guests: “Tonight’s banquet is mainly to celebrate Lu Ning’s coming-of-age at eighteen. At the same time, today is also the engagement ceremony between me, Lu Chenghe, and Lu Ning.”

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