There were steps at the entrance of the security room, so Zuo Ning couldn’t pull the cart inside directly. The security captain just stood there watching without offering to help. Even Fu Na couldn’t stand it anymore and grabbed a few toys with her mouth to bring them inside. After a lot of effort, they finally emptied the little cart.
Looking at the doghouse piled high with toys, Zuo Ning felt a great sense of accomplishment. “Woof!” You guys play with these first! If they break, I’ll bring you new ones!
Lang Ya had probably never owned so many toys before. His fierce-looking face actually broke into a smile. “Awoo!” Thank you! You’re much better than those little pups who only bite our tails and pull our fur!
Fu Na stepped on a rubber duck, and a loud quack rang out beneath her paw. Lang Ya and Zuo Ning both turned to look at her. Fu Na glanced at the two of them with disdain. “Woof!” We’re here to work, not to play!
Zuo Ning never expected a dog to have such a strong sense of duty. Technically, he was still a human, but compared to Fu Na, he felt like he wasn’t even as dedicated. Ever since he fully accepted his new life as a dog, aside from his initial melancholy, his main focus had been figuring out how to bond with Lu Chenghe and have fun.
He lifted a paw to scratch his face, deciding not to disturb the two German Shepherds at work any longer. “Woof woof!” Alright, you guys get back to work. I’ll head back now and come play with you later.
Just as Zuo Ning was about to leave, Lang Ya suddenly stepped closer, lowering his head and moving toward his rear. That was such a private area that Zuo Ning instinctively clamped his tail between his legs and jumped away. “Woof!” What are you doing?!
Lang Ya looked at him in confusion. “Awoo?” What’s wrong? We’re friends now, right? It’s only natural to get to know each other better.
Only then did Zuo Ning remember that dogs’ social interactions involved sniffing each other’s butts. But there was no way he could accept that kind of socializing! He bolted toward the door. “Awoo!” I’m leaving now, bye!
Lang Ya stared after him in bewilderment and turned to Fu Na. “Woo?” Why won’t he let me sniff him? Didn’t he give us toys because he likes us?
That was a deep question. Fu Na thought about it for a moment before replying, “Awoo.” Maybe he’s still young and afraid you’ll bite him.
Lang Ya let out a silent sigh. Pups were really hard to understand.
Zuo Ning dashed back to the main house like the wind, feeling like he had barely escaped with his dignity intact. Dog social customs were terrifying! Luckily, he didn’t live in a neighborhood full of dogs, or he might go crazy.
During dinner, the butler casually recounted Zuo Ning’s morning adventures to Lu Chenghe, marveling at how Little Pudding was getting smarter by the day.
Lu Chenghe listened quietly and then looked at Zuo Ning with an unreadable expression. The intense gaze made Zuo Ning’s fur stand on end. He lowered his head and focused on eating, suddenly feeling that he might have been a little too eager to show off his intelligence. It was exhausting to pretend to be a dumb dog all the time, but had he overdone it?
While Zuo Ning was busy reflecting on his actions, Lu Chenghe’s hand landed on his head. In a cool voice, he said, “You actually prepared the little cart in advance and went to deliver toys? Isn’t my Little Pudding a bit too smart, hmm?”
Zuo Ning had no choice but to meet Lu Chenghe’s gaze head-on—otherwise, he’d look too guilty. Staring at Lu Chenghe’s impassive face, Zuo Ning instinctively tilted his head up and licked the palm resting on his head, hoping to get away with it using his warm, innocent smile.
However, this trick didn’t seem to work anymore. Just as Zuo Ning was debating whether to completely surrender and roll over in submission, Lu Chenghe held out his hand in front of him. “Come on, left paw.”
Zuo Ning instinctively extended his left paw.
Lu Chenghe let go of his paw and said, “Right paw.”
Zuo Ning’s thoughts flashed rapidly, but he continued to place his left paw on Lu Chenghe’s hand. The issue was that Lu Chenghe’s hand was positioned exactly in the middle, without any indication of direction. If he could correctly distinguish between left and right without having been taught, combined with his earlier act of delivering toys, Lu Chenghe might not even need to think twice before concluding that he had become a spirit.
After repeating the test two more times, Zuo Ning remained consistent—always offering his left paw. Only then did Lu Chenghe pat his head and say, “Alright, continue eating.”
Zuo Ning let out a huge sigh of relief. Just as he was about to dig in, he heard Lu Chenghe’s voice, tinged with faint disappointment. “Smart, indeed. But a pity… doesn’t seem to know left from right.”
Zuo Ning lowered his head and focused on eating, deciding not to argue. Too fat, an ugly name, and now unable to tell left from right—whatever. The hardships of being a dog still had to go on.
After the electric toy car, Zuo Ning received the second gift sent back by Mother Lu—a massive box filled with clothing and little shoes. Panda outfits, superhero costumes, tiger suits, and even pretty little dresses—altogether, there were about thirty to forty sets.
All of the clothes were brand new, with the tags still attached. Zuo Ning’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the numbers on the tag—four zeros following the price.
Based on his previous experience shopping on T-bao, the prices on tags were always exaggerated. Something marked at four or five hundred yuan could often be bought for just 19 RMB with free shipping. So after some thought, he calmed down—maybe foreign brands were even more overpriced than T-bao’s listings. Still, when he ran his paw over the fabric, it felt really nice—soft and comfortable to the touch.
Lu Chenghe picked up a fluffy tulle dress and looked at Little Pudding. “Do you like it?”
Zuo Ning glanced at it. “Woof woof woof!” He was a boy, a man! How could he wear a dress?!
Of course, Zuo Ning’s protests were completely ignored by Lu Chenghe. Following his mother’s instructions, he had to dress the pup in beautiful outfits and take pictures as a keepsake. She had said that once the dog grew up, he wouldn’t look as soft and cute in these outfits anymore.
With no room for resistance, Zuo Ning had no choice but to humiliatingly extend his paws and legs under Lu Chenghe’s guidance, allowing himself to be put into the frilly dress. On his feet, he was also made to wear four little fancy leather shoes. At that moment, Zuo Ning finally understood what it meant to not be able to walk properly. The moment he stepped onto the floor, his legs gave out and he flopped flat onto his belly with his limbs splayed out.
Lu Chenghe, utterly lacking in conscience, captured the entire scene in a photo. Once Zuo Ning barely got used to the feeling of shoes on his paws, Lu Chenghe tossed a rubber ball for him to fetch. Under the eaves, a dog had no choice but to lower its head—Zuo Ning could only give in to Lu Chenghe’s twisted amusement, scampering after the ball with the poofy dress trailing behind him. He looked just like a little princess.
Lu Chenghe recorded the entire video and posted it on Little Pudding’s Weibo with the caption: The little princess who can’t tell left from right.
After finally getting through the three designated dress-up sessions as per Mother Lu’s request, Zuo Ning collapsed onto the sofa, pointedly showing Lu Chenghe only his rear end. No matter how much he was called, he refused to respond. He wasn’t about to pretend he didn’t have a temper!
Realizing that he might have upset the little guy, Lu Chenghe uncharacteristically had the butler bring over a plate of freshly sliced apples after dinner. Sitting beside him, he coaxed, “Sweet apples, your favorite. Come on over.”
Zuo Ning thought, As if it’s my favorite. But since his daily meals were rather bland, even fruits he didn’t particularly like had started to taste good. Still, a single piece of apple was far from enough to appease him—Zuo Ning remained completely unmoved.
Lu Chenghe reached out and tugged lightly on his tail. “Alright, no more dressing up. Come here, be good.”
Zuo Ning smacked his tail against the sofa, then burrowed deeper into the cushions, making his rejection crystal clear.
Seeing this, Lu Chenghe casually popped a piece of apple—originally meant for Little Pudding—into his own mouth. The crisp crunch of the bite instantly caught Zuo Ning’s attention. His head shot out in alarm, eyes widening as he watched Lu Chenghe nonchalantly eating away. Not much was left now! Panicked, he scrambled out from his hiding spot and pounced on Lu Chenghe, protesting loudly, “Woof woof! Woof woof woof!” That was for me! How could you just eat it? What about your dignity? What about the cool and aloof persona of a male god?!
Lu Chenghe pinched his chubby little face. “Are you arguing with me now? You sure know how to throw your weight around at home.” Despite his teasing, he still fed Zuo Ning a piece of apple. Instantly, the little pup stopped sulking, happily gobbling it up in one bite.
Dogs could eat a little fruit daily, but not too much—especially those high in sugar. That limited the selection quite a bit. Apples and pears were the safest choices, so Lu Chenghe would give him a small portion every day. Every time this little thing ate fruit, he looked so blissfully content that one might think he was being starved on normal days.
Lu Chenghe playfully squeezed his perky little ears and, seeing Zuo Ning’s eyes narrow in delight as he chewed, chuckled. “Such a little glutton.”
After finishing his piece, Zuo Ning licked his lips and fixed his gaze on the bowl in Lu Chenghe’s hand—there were still a few pieces left. At that moment, no one would believe his soul belonged to a human.
Lu Chenghe, seeing his expectant look, scratched his chin and fed him another piece. “I call you and you don’t come. But the moment there’s food, you rush over. Is food more important than me?”
Zuo Ning quickly placed a paw on Lu Chenghe’s leg and let out a soft whimper. “Awoo.” I like you the most. Only you!
But Lu Chenghe assumed he was just begging for more, so he picked up another piece and fed him. “Fine, fine, you can have it all, little glutton.”
In the end, Lu Chenghe ate half the small bowl of apples, while Zuo Ning got four or five pieces. Though still craving more, he had just finished dinner and felt a little full, so he contentedly licked his lips and sprawled across Lu Chenghe’s lap to digest. His tail swayed lazily from side to side, exuding pure relaxation.
Lu Chenghe stroked his fluffy tail and suddenly said, “Let’s take you out to play tomorrow.”
Zuo Ning rested his chin on Lu Chenghe’s chest, tilting his eyes upward to look at him. I haven’t even stepped out of this estate before, and now you’re taking me out? But the atmosphere right now was just too cozy, so much so that he didn’t want to move. Instead, he simply wagged his tail to express his happiness.
Lu Chenghe ran his hand along his back and warned, “If I take you out, you have to behave. No running off and no eating random things.”
Zuo Ning remained sprawled out and responded with a soft, “Awoo~”
The sound vaguely resembled a compliant Okay. Lu Chenghe looked down at him and, amused, continued, “And don’t just follow strangers around. I’ve heard Samoyeds are known for running off without looking back. If you run away, I won’t come chasing after you. Then you’ll turn into a stray dog, wandering around with no food to eat every day.”
Listening to Lu Chenghe’s ominous warning, Zuo Ning remained completely unfazed. “Awoo~”
From a distance, the butler, who was cleaning up the toys scattered all over the floor by Little Pudding, watched the one-man-one-dog conversation unfold. He couldn’t help but sigh in heartfelt admiration. No wonder people say pets are healing. The usually quiet young master has been chatting nonstop ever since meeting Little Pudding. So touching!
