Early in the morning, Lu Chenghe had breakfast, put on his coat, and prepared to go to work. Seeing this, Zuo Ning, who hadn’t even finished the food in his mouth, rushed over and tightly hugged Lu Chenghe’s leg.
Looking at the big “accessory” on his leg, Lu Chenghe faced him expressionlessly. Seeing that Little Pudding had no intention of letting go, Lu Chenghe had to pry open his claws: “Stop messing around, go eat your breakfast.”
Zuo Ning hurriedly pleaded, “Wuu wuu wuu!” Take me with you, don’t leave me at home. He really didn’t want to go out with Mother Lu anymore; every time he went out, it felt like he lost ten years of his life!
Lu Chenghe helplessly patted him: “Be good, let go.”
Knowing full well that Lu Chenghe wouldn’t take him to work, Zuo Ning just wanted to try it, hoping maybe Lu Chenghe would soften today. Seeing Lu Chenghe’s determined attitude, Zuo Ning didn’t want to make unreasonable trouble. After all, Lu Chenghe’s company really wasn’t suitable for pets.
Forget it; today, he’d just find a place to hide at home. If he couldn’t avoid it, then getting his fur pulled was just that. After all, he had a lot of fur and wouldn’t go bald from a bit of pulling.
But the thought of facing that brat and the group of adults who indulged made Zuo Ning so sad that he couldn’t help but whimper. Even his appetite for breakfast was gone.
Lu Chenghe had already gotten into the car, but seeing Little Pudding on the steps, looking so pitiful and about to cry, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy. Although he didn’t quite know how Little Pudding had been living these days while he was away, it must not have been pleasant judging from yesterday’s strong resistance to going out with Mother Lu.
A pampered little princess and a pet kept for amusement—one can imagine how Little Pudding would be treated when taken there. Even if Mother Lu liked Little Pudding, it probably wouldn’t surpass her affection for her niece. This was naturally expected, but thinking about it made Lu Chenghe uncomfortable. He inexplicably felt like his precious one was being bullied.
Lu Chenghe asked the driver to stop the car, opened the door, and turned to call out to Little Pudding, who was still lying at the door looking in his direction: “Little Pudding, come here.”
Zuo Ning’s ears twitched, and he instantly got up. His body moved faster than his thoughts. Before he realized it, he had already jumped into Lu Chenghe’s car.
Lu Chenghe held his paw and instructed, “You need to be good today. If you make a fuss, you’ll have to stay at home from now on.”
Zuo Ning thought, does this mean he’s taking him to work? Seeing the car door close and the car start moving again, Zuo Ning excitedly rolled around on Lu Chenghe’s lap! Awoo awoo awoo~ He was going to work with his beloved Lu Chenghe!
“Awoo awoo awoo!” So happy! I knew you loved me, hahaha!
Seeing Little Pudding, who was now lively and cheerful compared to his earlier listless state, Lu Chenghe felt that although he was a bit noisy, this lively Little Pudding was more pleasing to the eye.
Patting the little one who kept rubbing against him, Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but smile and say, “Alright, alright, look how happy you are. Just being able to come with me makes you this happy.”
Zuo Ning pounced onto Lu Chenghe, staring greedily at those enticing lips for a moment. But in the end, he chickened out and only dared to stick out his tongue to lick Lu Chenghe’s chin. “Woof!” So happy! So happy he could fly!
The driver, catching sight of this lively interaction between master and pet through the rearview mirror, couldn’t help but chuckle.
Lu Chenghe’s office had a direct entrance, accessible through fingerprint recognition. If unlocked, he could bypass the outer secretary’s department and head straight inside. So when Lu Chenghe brought Little Pudding to the office, apart from his personal driver, no one else was alerted.
Zuo Ning had been to Lu Chenghe’s office before, but last time, he had only stayed briefly. Today, however, he would be spending the whole day here. Still, no matter how boring it might be to stay in Lu Chenghe’s office, it was far better than being stuck at home.
Zuo Ning began familiarizing himself with the space as soon as he entered. Since he had come straight from home that morning without bringing anything, Lu Chenghe instructed the driver to make another trip back and have the butler prepare a new set of essentials to be kept in the office from now on. He also had his secretary fetch a new tablet and install several video streaming apps.
The secretary, momentarily stunned by this odd request, still diligently completed the task, downloading several popular streaming apps. While at it, they also installed a bunch of mini-games.
Lu Chenghe locked Little Pudding in the small bedroom, put on a drama for him, and told him to behave before heading out to work.
Zuo Ning jumped off the bed as soon as the bedroom door was shut. The entire room was covered with soft carpets, and a huge floor-to-ceiling window allowed him to look down at the streets below, where people bustled about like tiny ants. Seeing that the door wasn’t fully closed, Zuo Ning squeezed his head through the gap and peeked outside. Lu Chenghe was already seated at his desk, deeply engrossed in his work. The way he focused on reviewing documents with his head slightly lowered was devastatingly handsome. Zuo Ning was completely captivated, unable to look away. He simply lay on the floor, peeking his head out, silently watching him with unwavering devotion.
Lu Chenghe was engrossed in reading documents when he felt a focused gaze on him. He instinctively looked towards the small bedroom and saw a dog’s head peeking out. The moment it noticed him looking over, it revealed a silly smile. Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but twitch his mouth and feel a mix of amusement and exasperation at that foolish expression.
Seeing that Little Pudding was quietly watching without causing any trouble, Lu Chenghe let it be. However, when a subordinate knocked on the door, the little thing shrank its head in fright and even used its paw to close the door.
Just after signing a few documents, Lu Chenghe received a call from his mother. As soon as the call connected, his mother exclaimed, “Did you take Little Pudding away? Did you take it to the office?”
Lu Chenghe hummed, “Try not to take Little Pudding out in the future. He doesn’t like it.”
His mother retorted, “How do you know he doesn’t like it? So many people play with him.”
Lu Chenghe calmly replied, “It’s my dog, so I naturally know.”
At this, his mother couldn’t hold back her mild grievance, “Clearly it’s my dog, you sneaky boy.”
“Who forced it on me in the first place?”
Used to being rebuffed by her son every day, Mother Lu snorted. Knowing Little Pudding was with her son, she felt at ease. When the butler mentioned it, she could hardly believe it. Even though she knew the butler wouldn’t lie, her son didn’t seem like the type to bring a dog to work. She felt her son had changed, becoming less and less adorable.
After indulging in the beauty for a while, Zuo Ning obediently returned to the bed, not intending to disturb Lu Chenghe’s work any further. He swiped his paw on the tablet and discovered a few mini-games, including a match-three game. His paw could actually play these games! Zuo Ning hesitated for a long time between guest login and account login. If he chose the account login, he would have to log in with his own QQ or WeChat account, which he hadn’t used for nearly half a year. Although he remembered the account passwords, he didn’t dare to try them lightly.
After much hesitation, Zuo Ning finally chose to log in as a guest. Without absolute certainty, it was better not to touch anything from the past. If something unexpected happened and he exposed himself, he wouldn’t be able to protect himself now.
So, Zuo Ning passed level after level. By the time it was almost lunchtime, he had already cleared more than fifty levels. When he heard Lu Chenghe’s footsteps approaching, Zuo Ning calmly switched the screen back to the video and turned in the other direction, lazily watching the floor-to-ceiling window while wagging his tail leisurely.
When Lu Chenghe opened the door, he saw Little Pudding lying on the bed, twisting his head to look at him. Then, in an instant, Little Pudding got up and rushed over, barking, “Woof!”
Lu Chenghe glanced around the room, which was still neat and clean. It seemed that Little Pudding hadn’t caused any trouble in the room. He picked up the little thing that had pounced on him and rubbed its head, saying, “Not bad, very good.” Then he put it down from the bed, saying, “Come out and eat.”
Near the window was a sofa and a coffee table in the office. At this moment, a few disposable lunch boxes of food were placed on the coffee table. Beside it was a delicate dog bowl with food neatly arranged inside, including vegetables, various types of diced meat, fish, and corn puree. The food in the dog bowl looked even more luxurious than Lu Chenghe’s lunch.
Given Lu Chenghe’s dining standards at home, Zuo Ning hadn’t expected that his lunch would be comparable to takeout. He had thought that even at the company, Lu Chenghe would eat food prepared by a private chef.
Feeling like he was discovering a different side of Lu Chenghe, Zuo Ning scratched his pants leg with his paw and barked, “Woof!” You work so hard, you should eat better. I’ll give you mine; you can feed me your takeout.
Not understanding dog language, Lu Chenghe patted the sofa and said, “Come here.” He then mixed the dog food together and placed it in front of Little Pudding.
Zuo Ning didn’t rush to eat. He saw Lu Chenghe pick up the disposable lunch box and start eating in a very down-to-earth manner, so he leaned closer, wanting to take a bite. There was boiled fish with chili, which looked spicy and delicious.
Lu Chenghe pushed the dog’s head away and said, “Eat your own. If you don’t, you’ll go hungry today.”
Looking at his own white and colorless dog food, no matter how delicately it was made, it was still unappetizing. So, Zuo Ning took a bite of his own dog food, then looked up at Lu Chenghe and his dishes, slowly enjoying the sight of both beauty and food. Eventually, he managed to finish his meal.
After lunch, it was the company’s break time. Usually, Lu Chenghe would lie down in the small room for a while and watch the news to relax. However, Zuo Ning didn’t know this. Seeing Lu Chenghe heading to the small room, Zuo Ning quickly went ahead and got on the bed, leaving half of the space empty, eagerly looking at Lu Chenghe.
Lu Chenghe was about to get the remote to turn on the TV when he paused and looked at Little Pudding, asking, “Do you want to take a nap?”
Zuo Ning quickly barked, “Woof!” Yes, I do!
When Lu Chenghe followed his lead, took off his coat, and lay on the bed, Zuo Ning quickly snuggled into Lu Chenghe’s arms, adjusting himself to a comfortable position like he did every night. Although he didn’t have the habit of taking naps, he didn’t mind accommodating Lu Chenghe, who was such a considerate person.
Lu Chenghe thought that Little Pudding had the habit of taking naps every day. He remembered the butler mentioning that when he wasn’t home during the day, Little Pudding would stay in the kennel on the first floor and sleep. Seeing the little one already prepared for bed, Lu Chenghe decided not to watch the news and instead joined him for a nap. He picked up the remote control and closed the curtains, darkening the room. The two of them, one person and one dog, fell asleep together, accommodating each other.
When Zuo Ning woke up, the other half of the bed was already empty, and Lu Chenghe was talking to someone outside. Zuo Ning stretched lazily, yawned, jumped off the bed, and drank a few sips of water. Then, he keenly noticed a small refrigerator. He hadn’t observed the room carefully in the morning and hadn’t noticed the refrigerator in the corner.
With his ears perked up, he listened and realized that Lu Chenghe seemed to be discussing something with several people and wouldn’t come in for a while. So, he cautiously approached the refrigerator and pushed the door open slightly.
Although the refrigerator was small, it was well-stocked with various brands of mineral water in English that Zuo Ning had never seen before. There were also various brands of juice, coffee, and beer that he hadn’t seen before. Zuo Ning’s gaze lingered on the beer for a moment before turning to the juice. He preferred juice over beer. Although this preference didn’t match his manly image, he was still a budding flower on campus. When dining out with his roommates, none of them drank alcohol, so he never had the chance to develop an interest in drinking.
Sneakily, he used his paw to pull out a bottle of juice from the refrigerator. Zuo Ning sat on the floor, holding the juice bottle with his two feet and twisted it open with a click. He looked around, picked up the water bowl, and went to pour the water into the bathroom. Carefully, he held the bottle with his two paws and poured the juice into the bowl. The orange juice quickly filled the bowl, and Zuo Ning licked it twice, instantly feeling like crying.
How long has it been since I had this kind of drink? That sweet taste, which I could only get a little bit of from fruits every day, was such a sudden happiness that it felt like being reborn!
Midway through, Lu Chenghe entered the room to check on Little Pudding. Seeing him awake and sitting by the window, enjoying the view, Lu Chenghe turned on a TV show for him. The little one obediently watched it until Lu Chenghe finished work. Lu Chenghe had thought there would be some ruckus today, given the limited space in the office and Little Pudding’s habit of frolicking at home, but he adapted surprisingly well.
Lu Chenghe praised him and even rewarded him with two extra pieces of fruit after dinner.
After the boss left, the secretary, who tidied up the office daily before leaving, found an empty drink bottle in the refrigerator. Usually, the fridge was stocked with these items to serve guests. If they weren’t consumed before expiration, they would be distributed among the office staff and replenished. This was the first time an empty bottle had been returned to the fridge. The secretary found it a bit odd but didn’t think much of it. She took out the empty bottle and disposed of it, then refilled the gap.
After a pleasant day together, the man and the dog returned home. Seeing Little Pudding walking with a spring in his step, Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but laugh. Just spending a day with him made him this happy. Considering how well-behaved Little Pudding was, maybe he could bring him to the office more often in the future.
As Lu Chenghe was about to change clothes upstairs, Lu Nianqi returned. Since he was scolded for bringing a stray dog home recklessly last time, Lu Nianqi had been more afraid of him and hadn’t dared to appear in front of him for several days.
Regarding this brother, Lu Chenghe didn’t have strong feelings. If Lu Nianqi had potential, he wouldn’t mind mentoring him for a few years. However, Lu Nianqi was overly sensitive and lacked generosity, so Lu Chenghe gave up on the idea of nurturing him. As long as Lu Nianqi could live comfortably and pursue his interests, that would be enough.
Just as Lu Chenghe greeted Lu Nianqi and was about to return to his bedroom, he heard Little Puddinging’s low growl. Little Pudding rarely showed aggression, especially not toward family members. Hearing the growl, Lu Chenghe quickly turned around and saw Little Pudding crouched down, warily watching Lu Nianqi.
Lu Nianqi was terrified, afraid that retreating would provoke Little Pudding to pounce on him, so he stood frozen in place, not daring to move. “Little Pudding, what’s wrong? Don’t you recognize me?”
Lu Chenghe quickly walked over. “Little Pudding?”
Zuo Ning turned and returned to Lu Chenghe’s side, rubbing his leg with his tail and barking twice at Lu Nianqi. He wanted to convey to Lu Chenghe that there was an unpleasant smell on Lu Nianqi, which made him feel dizzy and uncomfortable.
Lu Chenghe half-squatted, stroking Little Pudding’s back, and looked up at Lu Nianqi. Lu Nianqi was startled and stammered, “Second, second brother, I don’t know why Little Pudding is acting like this. He was fine this morning.”
Indeed, he was fine this morning. After his morning run, when he showered and changed, he saw Lu Nianqi leaving, and Little Pudding was at the door seeing him off. Little Pudding had been with him all day, so it couldn’t be that Lu Nianqi had done something to provoke such hostility.
Thinking for a moment, Lu Chenghe asked, “Where did you go today?”
Lu Nianqi hurriedly said, “I went to the dog shelter.”
Lu Chenghe immediately picked up Little Pudding. “Go take a shower first. Maybe he doesn’t like your smell.”
Zuo Ning felt something was off. Lu Nianqi did have a dog’s scent, but there was also an unpleasant smell that didn’t belong to a dog. The scent wasn’t strong, but it made him feel uncomfortable, almost like poison if it were more intense.
Hearing Lu Chenghe’s words, Lu Nianqi quickly went to his room to shower while Lu Chenghe carried Zuo Ning upstairs. Lying on the sofa waiting for Lu Chenghe, Zuo Ning felt increasingly nauseous, and dizziness overtook him.
Lu Chenghe noticed something wrong with Little Pudding’s movements outside. He quickly dressed and came out to see Little Pudding lying on the sofa, continuously vomiting but only producing water. His heart tightened, and he immediately asked the butler to call the doctor.
Wen Ting happened to be in the villa area opposite the Lu family estate, giving a dog an injection. Upon receiving the call, he drove over in less than ten minutes.
Lu Chenghe gently stroked Little Pudding to comfort him, but seeing him vomit continuously, his face grew increasingly worried.
Upon seeing the situation, Wen Ting immediately stepped forward to examine him and said with a somewhat grim expression, “Little Pudding isn’t sick. He must have inhaled something toxic. The medicine I brought isn’t suitable. He needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.”
Lu Chenghe didn’t ask any more questions, wrapped Little Pudding in a blanket, and headed out.
After a long ordeal lasting until midnight, with a needle in his paw, Zuo Ning was finally carried back by Lu Chenghe. Mother Lu, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed over as soon as she saw them. Lu Nianqi, pale-faced, was also there. Seeing Lu Chenghe return, Mother Lu quickly asked, “How is Little Pudding? Is he okay?”
Zuo Ning weakly barked at Mother Lu, indicating he was fine, just dizzy.
Lu Chenghe looked directly at Lu Nianqi. “Wait here. I have some questions for you.”
Lu Nianqi, already pale, turned even whiter with fear. Seeing this, Mother Lu tried to comfort him. “Don’t be afraid. Just answer whatever your second brother asks. This matter surely has nothing to do with you. Otherwise, your second brother wouldn’t be asking but would have dealt with you directly.”
Lu Nianqi wanted to say, “Aunt, you’re not comforting me at all. I’m even more scared now.”
Lu Chenghe carried Little Pudding back to the room. The butler quickly found a stand to hang the medicine bag. Seeing the young master’s tired face, he softly said, “Young master, you haven’t had dinner yet. The kitchen probably has something left. Shall I have it heated up?”
“No need. Just cook a bowl of noodles.”
The butler quickly went to arrange it.
Lu Chenghe placed the paw with the needle outside the blanket. Seeing Little Pudding lying quietly without struggling, he couldn’t help but stroke his head. “It’s okay now. Just sleep, and you’ll be fine.”
Zuo Ning licked Lu Chenghe’s hand. Ugh, it scared the life out of me. I thought I was going to die.
Seeing that he was drowsy, Lu Chenghe lightly patted the blanket for a while before getting up and going downstairs.
As soon as Lu Nianqi saw his second brother, he couldn’t help but feel nervous, especially since Little Pudding’s situation seemed related to him. He was even more terrified.
Lu Chenghe directly asked, “Tell me where you went and what you did today.”
Lu Nianqi recounted everything in detail. Today, he only had half a day of classes, and in the afternoon, the student council organized a volunteer activity at the dog shelter. Aside from interacting with a few dogs, he mainly spent his time cleaning dog kennels with another student council member.
“Did you come into contact with anything unusual? Also, hand over the clothes you changed out of to the butler later.”
Lu Nianqi thought for a moment and shook his head. “Besides cleaning the kennels, I didn’t do anything else.”
Seeing that he couldn’t get more information, Lu Chenghe decided to wait for the butler to take the clothes for testing. However, even before the test results came back, one of the girls from the student council discovered the unethical practices of that shady dog shelter.
Haha Little Pudding drank orange juice and left the empty bottle in the fridge. I thought he threw it in the bin. And poor mc that he was poisoned.