Wen Ting had already lost count of how many times the butler of the Lu family had urgently summoned him. He felt that Lu Chenghe wasn’t raising a dog, but rather a troublemaker. While other people’s “Three Silly Dogs” would cause havoc and bother their owners, Lu’s dog, whether it caused a mess or not, seemed to always find a way to get itself into trouble.
Under Lu Chenghe’s intense gaze, some examination data and analysis results finally came through. Wen Ting meticulously reviewed them and said, “Mr. Lu, rest assured, Little Pudding is healthy. His body is developing well, his digestive system is in good shape, and it’s clear he gets plenty of activity. Just keep it up.”
Zuo Ning turned his head to glance at Lu Chenghe. See? He’s fine, and he got pricked by a needle for nothing, all because someone insisted on a blood test.
Lu Chenghe gave him a chilly look, silently implying that they would settle the score properly once they returned to the room. Then he stood up and told Wen Ting, “Please trouble Dr. Wen to check the other two dogs in my household as well later.”
Wen Ting naturally nodded, then watched Lu Chenghe take Little Pudding away. Soon, the butler brought up two tall black German Shepherds. Wen Ting gently stroked them to ease their wariness and tension around unfamiliar faces. Although they might not receive as much affection as Little Pudding, the two German Shepherds were well-fed and cared for by the Lu family. Their fur was sleek and shiny, their limbs strong and muscular—they would undoubtedly be top contenders if entered into competitions.
While Wen Ting busied himself examining the German Shepherds, Lu Chenghe directly brought out a rattan cane.
When Zuo Ning saw this, he silently squatted before Lu Chenghe, lowering his head in preparation for a lecture.
Lu Chenghe sneered coldly: “So, now you’re being very self-aware, huh? You realize what you’ve done wrong?”
With his head bowed low, Zuo Ning murmured pitifully, “Woof…” It’s all his own fault. Why did he have to mess with that girl on purpose? Now he’s getting disciplined, and frankly, he deserves it.
Thinking about the paw prints he painstakingly stamped onto the canvas with various colors, he wondered if they had been thrown away. It would be such a pity if they were—that was his first masterpiece. But now, he didn’t dare return to the crime scene. If Lu Chenghe thought he was still unwilling to give up and wanted to play again, the cane would surely come out, and it wouldn’t be pretty.
Lu Chenghe used the rattan cane to lift his chin, forcing him to raise his head. “Do you realize how dangerous your actions were today? Is that something you should be playing with?”
Forced to face Lu Chenghe, he avoided eye contact, his eyes darting around but never meeting his gaze.
Every time he made a mistake, this little troublemaker would put on the same guilty yet pitiful expression. Lu Chenghe tapped his head with the cane. “Did you dig those paints out of someone else’s bag to play with?”
Although Lu Chenghe had been furious earlier when he saw Little Pudding in the middle of a pile of paint, wanting to grab him and give him a good scolding, he hadn’t ignored the surroundings. The black bag left by the flowerbed clearly still contained a few half-used canvases sticking out, along with a box of paints.
If Ren Shishi hadn’t given the paints to him, then the only possibility was that Ren Shishi had been painting and hadn’t noticed the commotion behind her. This little troublemaker must have dragged them out himself, and that seemed highly likely.
Zuo Ning pawed at Lu Chenghe’s leg. “Woof.” I know I was wrong. Please stop talking about it. I promise I won’t mess around anymore.
Lu Chenghe brushed his paw aside and picked up the rattan cane. “Paw. Stretch it out.”
Zuo Ning looked at Lu Chenghe in shock. He’d already been spanked, and now he had to get his paw hit, too? His butt had fur, but his paw pads didn’t!
“Rummaging through other people’s belongings—do you know how impolite that is? Have I ever gone through your things? And now you’ve learned to go through others’ stuff. What’s next? Are you just going to take whatever you like whenever you see it?”
Zuo Ning silently extended his paw. Fine, maybe he’d been in this dog’s skin for too long. Thinking back, he realized he had indeed gone too far. He wasn’t even a real dog, so what had possessed him to act like that? Go ahead, punish me. I admit my mistake.
Lu Chenghe didn’t hold back. Every time he said he’d discipline him, he never truly went through with it. And that’s exactly why this little troublemaker had grown increasingly disobedient. Although Lu Chenghe wasn’t sure if Little Pudding truly understood why he was being punished, as long as it taught him a lesson and stopped him from repeating such behavior, it would suffice.
He struck the paw three times in a row. Even though he held back a bit, it still hurt. But seeing that Little Pudding didn’t flinch and kept his paw extended despite the pain, Lu Chenghe’s heart softened again. He set the rattan cane aside, scooped Little Pudding up, and gently kneaded his paw. In a low voice, he asked, “Do you know what you did wrong?”
“Awwooo…” I know.
“Will you do it again in the future?”
Zuo Ning glanced at him, then turned and wrapped his arms around Lu Chenghe’s neck. “Aooo…” I won’t do it again.
Lu Chenghe patted his back. “From now on, you’re not allowed to mess with other people’s things, and you absolutely can’t put random stuff in your mouth. Got it?”
“Awwooo.”
“And when you damage someone else’s belongings, what should you do? You need to take responsibility and make up for your own mistakes.”
Zuo Ning glanced at Lu Chenghe, then turned his gaze to his kennel. Other than that pile of toys, the only things of value he had were his shed fur and replaced teeth, both of which had been hung on the wall by Lu Chenghe as keepsakes. He couldn’t bear to give them away. After some thought, Zuo Ning jumped off the sofa and rummaged through the toy pile, pulling out a white teddy bear. The bear’s fur was made of soft rose-patterned curls, which felt particularly comforting to the touch. It was still brand new, untouched by his usual mischief.
Zuo Ning pushed the teddy bear toward Lu Chenghe’s feet and looked up at him. “Woof.”
Lu Chenghe picked up the bear. “You want to give this to her?”
Zuo Ning barked softly and wagged his tail.
When Lu Chenghe carried the bear downstairs with Little Pudding, he coincidentally ran into his mother, who was bringing Ren Shishi over.
Upon seeing that Little Pudding was still lively and energetic, Mother Lu heaved a sigh of relief. “Little Pudding is okay, right?”
Ren Shishi had mentioned that Little Pudding had played with her paints, which had frightened Mother Lu terribly. Those weren’t things to play with lightly—what if he ate some and got poisoned?
Lu Chenghe replied, “He’s fine. The paint just got on his fur. Washing it off was enough, and he didn’t swallow any.”
After speaking, Lu Chenghe handed the teddy bear to Little Pudding, signaling for him to handle his own affairs.
Carrying the teddy bear in his mouth, Zuo Ning walked over to Ren Shishi and placed it at her feet. “Woof!” Then, he scampered back to Lu Chenghe’s side.
He acknowledged his fault and apologized, but there was no way Lu Chenghe would let him off the hook!
Ren Shishi picked up the teddy bear, looking a bit puzzled.
Lu Chenghe explained on Little Pudding’s behalf, “This is Little Pudding’s way of making amends to you. He’s apologizing for messing with your belongings and wasting your paint and canvas.”
Ren Shishi had been worried about upsetting Lu Chenghe over the incident. After all, dogs don’t understand such things—it’s in their nature to play and mess around. It was her fault for not putting her things away properly. She’d been especially concerned, thinking that Lu Chenghe had genuinely gotten angry this afternoon. If anything bad had happened to the dog because of this, she wouldn’t have known how to face her aunt.
Even though Mother Lu had reassured her repeatedly on the way over that it was fine, she still felt uneasy. She hadn’t expected that not only did Lu Chenghe not blame her, but he also had Little Pudding apologize to her. She believed that Little Pudding’s actions must have been guided by Lu Chenghe; after all, a dog wouldn’t know how to do something like that without being taught.
Holding the teddy bear, Ren Shishi felt inexplicably conflicted.
It was clear that Ren Shishi’s thoughts were also shared by Mother Lu. Although she didn’t spend much time with Little Pudding, she knew he was clever. However, she wasn’t sure just how intelligent he could be. Hearing her son’s explanation, she assumed he was using Little Pudding as an excuse to apologize to Ren Shishi. She’d heard that her son had been quite intimidating this afternoon—she was all too familiar with how frightening his cold demeanor could be. It was already impressive that Ren Shishi hadn’t burst into tears outright.
To Mother Lu, this exchange between them was progress. She smiled warmly, deciding to let them figure things out themselves. There were plenty of cases where people who started off disliking each other ended up together. As long as there was interaction, it was a step forward. The important thing was not treating the other as invisible.
Zuo Ning, originally clinging to Lu Chenghe, turned his head and noticed the satisfied look on Mother Lu’s face. Inspiration suddenly struck him, and he was stunned. What had he done today? Had he accidentally created an opportunity for them?
Zuo Ning stiffly turned his head to look at Lu Chenghe. Seeing that Lu Chenghe still wore a blank expression and hadn’t glanced toward Ren Shishi at all, the heart he’d been holding in suspense finally eased slightly.
At that moment, Lu Chenghe’s mother added, “Since you’re here, why not stay for dinner tonight?”
If emotions could materialize, Zuo Ning felt as though he were entirely enveloped in a dark shadow, squatting forlornly in a corner like a pitiful background character.
No matter how unwilling he was, there was no way to stop this dinner. Glancing at his own dog paws, Zuo Ning lowered his head and let out a sorrowful sigh.
Lu Chenghe flicked his finger against Zuo Ning’s forehead as if chastising him for even daring to sigh.
Zuo Ning hugged his head, looking at Lu Chenghe with deep grievance. You don’t understand my sadness at all! This is enough to drive a dog mad!
For this dinner, Zuo Ning was not permitted at the table. Usually, when he ate with Lu Chenghe, he would have his own special chair, and his food bowl would be placed right beside Lu Chenghe, which counted as sharing the table somehow. Even if Mother Lu joined them for a meal occasionally, it would still mostly be like that. But today, with Ren Shishi being a guest, no matter how pampered Zuo Ning usually was, there was no way they’d allow a dog to eat at the table—it would be far too improper.
Zuo Ning stared at his dinner, which had both meat and vegetables, for a long time. Meanwhile, Mother Lu kept trying to spark conversation at the table, hoping that the two of them would start talking. The Lu family didn’t have a strict “no talking while eating” rule, so Lu Chenghe would occasionally respond politely, keeping the atmosphere from being too awkward. As for Ren Shishi, it was unclear whether her reserved demeanor stemmed from her naturally cool personality or simply a lack of interest in Lu Chenghe. She didn’t actively initiate conversation and only occasionally followed Mother Lu’s lead, adding a few words here and there. Overall, she didn’t come across as an unlikable girl.
In such a harmonious atmosphere, there was no way Zuo Ning could enjoy his dinner. He simply flicked his tail, turned, and ran upstairs. If he couldn’t stop the situation, then avoiding it altogether was his only option.
Originally, he had intended to curl up in his kennel to silently nurse his wounded spirit. After all, he was just a dog, and the kennel was his destiny. Why had he ever tried to sleep in a human’s bed? From now on, he wouldn’t sleep on beds anymore—whoever wanted to sleep in them could do so. However, as he passed by Lu Chenghe’s walk-in closet, Zuo Ning paused for a moment and darted inside.
He squatted in front of the large mirror, staring at the fluffy, white version of himself. Unable to resist, Zuo Ning reached out a paw to touch the mirror. He wished so desperately that this was merely an illusion—a moon reflected on water, or a flower within a mirror. If he could break through the calm surface, everything would return to its original state. How wonderful that would be.
With his acute hearing, Zuo Ning could even catch snippets of the conversation downstairs. Following Mother Lu’s lead, Ren Shishi shared stories about her experiences abroad. Apparently, Lu Chenghe had also studied overseas in the past, so the two of them were bound to have plenty to talk about.
Zuo Ning glanced at himself again. Even if he were to turn into a human, he was just an ordinary person who had never left his country’s borders. His English proficiency couldn’t even pass the sixth-level exam, and he had no notable talents, neither in academics nor skills. He used to think that if he could graduate and land a job with a monthly salary of over ten thousand, he’d be perfectly content with no further ambitions. How could someone like him ever be a match for Lu Chenghe?
Lost in these thoughts, Zuo Ning suddenly felt something stirring inside his body. His head grew dizzy, and the room seemed to spin wildly. Before he knew it, he collapsed onto the floor.
The passage of time became unclear—perhaps it was a minute, or perhaps much longer. All Zuo Ning could feel was a chill running through his entire body. As he gradually regained consciousness, he was startled to discover that he had hands and feet—and he was completely naked.
Frozen in shock, Zuo Ning looked at his hands. His fair, slender fingers were unmistakably human. Instantly, disbelief filled his mind as he lifted his gaze toward the mirror. Reflected back was a similarly stunned young man staring at him.
Zuo Ning lunged toward the mirror, touching his face. Had he really turned into a human? Just like that?
Looking at the face in the mirror—strange yet somewhat familiar—Zuo Ning felt his heart pounding harder than ever before, so intensely that his chest actually hurt.
The reflection resembled his previous appearance by about sixty or seventy percent. However, his skin was paler, his features more refined. While he used to have deep brown eyes, now his irises were pitch black, like his eyes had been when he was still a dog. This kind of blackness wasn’t something he’d seen on people before, except perhaps those wearing colored contact lenses. He parted his lips slightly, revealing two prominent canine teeth, and instinctively touched them—they even felt sharp.
As he stared at his reflection, Zuo Ning couldn’t help but notice how, despite the soft and milky texture of his new body, he now had only one abdominal muscle. It was surprising, given that he had joined Lu Chenghe on morning runs every day. Yet, despite everything, he felt an overwhelming urge to cry—he had truly become human. That morning, he thought he saw something—turns out it hadn’t been a dream, nor was his anxiety and unease unfounded. He really could transform into a person.
All the fear, uncertainty, despair, and helplessness he’d been carrying suddenly erupted the moment he saw himself as a human. For the first time, he didn’t have to fear the future. For the first time, he could look forward to every tomorrow with hope.
Just as he was reeling from excitement and uncertainty, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Zuo Ning’s eyes widened in alarm. It was Lu Chenghe’s footsteps—he wouldn’t mistake them. Instinctively, he rushed to lock the walk-in closet door and was overcome with panic.
What was he supposed to do now? He had inexplicably turned into a human—how could he possibly explain this to Lu Chenghe? Should he tell him that he was a dog demon? Or claim that he had always been human? Thinking back on all the foolish things he’d done before, Zuo Ning wished he could cover his face in embarrassment.
All those reckless things he’d done before—what was he even thinking? His brain must’ve been waterlogged.
Feeling a chill on his body, Zuo Ning casually grabbed one of Lu Chenghe’s shirts. His gaze inadvertently landed on the neatly folded underwear in the closet, and his cheeks flushed red as he quickly looked away. He then picked out a pair of lounge pants and put them on. No matter how chaotic the situation might become, he figured he should at least be properly dressed.
Lu Chenghe’s clothes were noticeably oversized on him. Perhaps it was because his dog body hadn’t fully matured, so now his human form wasn’t very tall—probably just the height of an average teenager. He was even shorter than his original height as a human, and he wasn’t sure if he’d even reached 170 cm. Now that he was human, he wondered if he’d continue to grow. He hoped so; otherwise, being this short would make him feel like a third-rate failure.
Realizing his thoughts were spiraling into nonsense, Zuo Ning snapped back to reality. The footsteps were getting closer. The door—it was opening! He was doomed. Lu Chenghe was coming in. Would he notice that Zuo Ning wasn’t in the bedroom and start searching elsewhere? The house was so big—please, let him stay in the bedroom.
Zuo Ning frantically tried to recall the layout of the estate and realized the entire perimeter was covered by cameras, leaving no blind spots. If he tried to sneak out through a window, he’d likely get caught. Was this transformation into a human going to land him in trouble right away?
Lu Chenghe had initially thought Little Pudding had simply gone upstairs to play and would come back down soon. Although Little Pudding didn’t like dog food, he was usually well-behaved at mealtime. But today, he had run off and hadn’t been seen for ages. Lu Chenghe waited for a while as he ate, but when Little Pudding still didn’t come back down, he decided to go upstairs to look for him.
After searching the bedroom and bathroom and calling out twice without receiving a response, Lu Chenghe assumed Little Pudding wasn’t in the bedroom. Then he noticed the walk-in closet door was closed. He tried to push it open to check if Little Pudding was inside, only to find that it was locked.
Lu Chenghe didn’t bother calling out to the closet door. Though he couldn’t understand how it had been locked, it wasn’t possible for a dog to lock it themselves. So, he simply asked the butler to bring the key.
When the door opened, Lu Chenghe swept his gaze around but didn’t see Little Pudding. “Little Pudding?”
Receiving no response, Lu Chenghe stepped inside and spotted something bundled up in his clothes and pants inside the wardrobe, trembling slightly.
Standing nearby, Lu Chenghe spoke in a tone that revealed no emotion: “Little Pudding.”
The bundle seemed to realize it had been discovered and stopped trembling, curling up and refusing to budge.
Lu Chenghe walked forward and pulled away the clothing. What emerged was a disheveled Little Pudding, fur fluffed up in chaos, with faint tear stains at the corners of his eyes.
Pausing for a moment, Lu Chenghe let out a helpless sigh, tossed the clothes aside, and scooped up Little Pudding. “Hiding away to cry? Are you upset because I disciplined you today, or because you weren’t allowed at the dinner table?”
Usually, at home, Little Pudding was always allowed at the table. Ever since Lu Chenghe had brought him home, Little Pudding would sit at the table for nearly every meal, as the family rarely entertained guests. The sudden exclusion today must have upset him. But hiding to cry—Lu Chenghe wasn’t sure whether to feel sorry for him or find it amusing.
Raising such a clever, overly sensitive, and extremely pampered dog was undeniably exasperating.
Zuo Ning stared at Lu Chenghe with an utterly defeated expression. Those were tears of excitement, okay? But what was going on? Is this a case of charging for half a year and transforming into a human for only five minutes? Why am I back to being a dog again?!
Lu Chenghe wiped away the tears from the corner of Zuo Ning’s eyes, carried him out, and gently coaxed him: “Alright, don’t be upset anymore. From now on, you’ll always be allowed at the table during meals, okay? Hiding away to cry—did you lock the door yourself? You can lock doors now? Don’t do this again. What if you lock yourself in a room and can’t open the door? Are you trying to starve yourself?”
Zuo Ning lay on Lu Chenghe’s chest, feeling utterly drained. He didn’t want to say anything—he just wanted to quietly play the role of a lifeless dog.
Seeing Little Pudding sulking and ignoring him, Lu Chenghe patted his stomach. “Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?”
Zuo Ning turned his head away. Even dragon meat wouldn’t taste good to him right now. He was deeply shaken, and no amount of delicious food could heal this blow.
Lu Chenghe found his sulking demeanor amusing and deliberately teased him: “If you don’t want to eat, how about some meat? Your favorite roasted meat—want some?”
Zuo Ning slowly turned his head, facing Lu Chenghe, but still kept his head lowered without saying a word. He hadn’t yet recovered from the shock and needed time to process. His limbs felt weak, and the terror he’d just experienced was unlike anything he’d ever felt—not even the haunted house trips with his classmates had been this frightening.
Seeing that Little Pudding finally reacted to the mention of roasted meat, Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but ruffle him a bit. “You heartless little thing—your eyes are only for meat.”
Meanwhile, Ren Shishi silently stared at the paints and new canvases the housekeeper had brought over. From every angle, Lu Chenghe was undeniably an exceptional person, whether it was his character, family background, or personal abilities. He was thoughtful, considerate, and a true gentleman. Yet, recalling the icy look in his eyes that afternoon, Ren Shishi couldn’t help but feel a shiver of fear.
He was the kind of man she couldn’t see through, and that made him intimidating to her. There were plenty of young and talented men in their social circles, and thanks to her aunt, she had interacted with quite a few of them. She could always discern, at least to some extent, what those men were thinking—whether they were interested in her or indifferent, whether they admired her appearance or looked down on her background. There was always some clue in their eyes. But with Lu Chenghe, she couldn’t read him. She couldn’t grasp him.
He wasn’t a man she could control, nor was he someone she dared to try and control.
tysm for the translation! I thought this would never get picked up so this has honestly made my year
I’m so ready for human Zuo Ning shenanigans :’)