Moonlit: This extra chapter is sponsored by jess.
Back in the familiar office, Zuo Ning effortlessly found his way to the small bedroom. He had initially thought that Lu Chenghe would head home first, but unexpectedly, Lu Chenghe came straight to the company. Seeing that Lu Chenghe was already immersed in work and had immediately grabbed some documents to head to the meeting room upon arrival, Zuo Ning took the opportunity to revisit the place and skillfully opened the refrigerator. However, as soon as he opened the fridge, Zuo Ning was stunned.
The fridge no longer contained the assortment of beverages with unfamiliar brands—it was now stocked solely with the orange juice Zuo Ning always sneakily drank whenever he visited.
Sitting in front of the fridge, Zuo Ning froze in shock. So, Lu Chenghe knew he had been stealing the orange juice? But when did Lu Chenghe find out, and why hadn’t he confronted him about it? Zuo Ning furrowed his brows and calmly thought about it. Could it be that Lu Chenghe’s assistant noticed the missing bottles during routine housekeeping, assumed Lu Chenghe liked orange juice, and decided to only stock those?
As he considered this, Zuo Ning found the explanation quite reasonable. After all, assistants are supposed to cater to their boss’s preferences. If Lu Chenghe had discovered it, while it might not lead to an outright scolding, some sort of confrontation was inevitable. Preparing an entire fridge of orange juice for him? That seemed highly unlikely.
Just as Zuo Ning reached out his mischievous hand to grab the orange juice bottle, his phone buzzed from the bed. He quickly ran over, jumped onto the bed, and saw that the caller was, surprisingly, Lu Chenghe. Besides the usual spam calls, fraud attempts, and telecom company notices, the only person who would contact Zuo Ning was Lu Chenghe.
With a quick swipe of his finger, Lu Chenghe’s voice came through.
“Little pudding.”
Zuo Ning immediately responded, “Woof?” What’s up now? Calling him to send over some forgotten documents, perhaps?
Lu Chenghe said, “You can only drink one bottle of juice from the fridge. If I find two missing, you know the consequences.”
The fur on Zuo Ning instantly bristled—it was obvious he’d been caught!
Though no response came from the other end, Lu Chenghe knew the little rascal must’ve heard him, likely wondering how he got found out. Lu Chenghe smiled faintly, “I’m heading to a meeting now. Stay in the room and don’t wander around.”
Zuo Ning replied in a soft, sheepish voice, “Woof.”
Lu Chenghe chuckled, said “Good boy,” and hung up the call.
Just as Lu Chenghe’s secretary arrived, carrying a towering stack of documents, they overheard the words “Good boy”. For a brief moment, it was as though they’d been electrified—their heart practically melting at the sheer sweetness of it. Since when did their boss have a girlfriend? Someone who could coax such a saccharine tone from the typically stoic Lu Chenghe must be extraordinary!
But no sooner had he ended the call, Lu Chenghe reverted to his usual expressionless demeanor. The secretary quickly lowered their head and scurried off with the documents, astonished by this disparity. Such personalized tenderness—how unfair! This sudden display of affection was like a dose of golden “dog food”, so intense it could feed a crowd.
As for how Lu Chenghe figured it out, it all boiled down to issues with the juice supply. This particular orange juice wasn’t a domestic product but rather a specialty crafted by a private overseas farm with extremely low yearly production. It was one of those things that money couldn’t easily buy. Recently, the farm had suffered damage from heavy rains and hailstorms, ruining many of its trees. Moreover, this juice had to be consumed fresh, meaning there was no existing stock. Thus, the farm had reached out to clients, reducing supply until the next batch of fruit ripened.
Lu Chenghe wasn’t especially fond of juice—he preferred black tea. The juice was only stocked in the company for occasional client needs, which weren’t substantial. Even so, the farm didn’t directly cater to Lu Chenghe but rather to his older brother’s restaurant business, with only a small portion of goods allocated to Lu Chenghe each week. When changes in supply occurred, the secretary naturally informed him.
If this matter had only been briefly mentioned, Lu Chenghe wouldn’t have given it much thought. However, being a bit talkative, the secretary casually asked, “If this juice supply can’t be maintained, should we consider other brands, or does the boss have a preferred brand?”
Lu Chenghe hadn’t paid much attention at the time and replied nonchalantly, “Whatever. There’s no need to consult me about such things.”
The secretary smiled and said, “I just worry that the replacement might not suit your taste, especially since it’s rare to see you enjoy anything other than black tea.”
Thus, the outcome became glaringly obvious. When Lu Chenghe pulled up the recent petty internal management invoices, he noticed something unusual.
Who else could come to his office to sneakily drink juice, go unnoticed, and leave everyone assuming he had consumed it himself? There was no other candidate but Little Pudding.
Had Lu Chenghe discovered this earlier, a lecture would have been inevitable. However, by that point, he already knew Little Pudding wasn’t an ordinary dog. Besides, several days had passed without Little Pudding showing any adverse reactions, so Lu Chenghe decided to let the matter rest. But letting it rest didn’t mean allowing Little Pudding to drink as much as he wanted. The amount had to be regulated.
Little Pudding probably thought Lu Chenghe was clueless and might not have realized that such a sudden scare might ruin his appetite for orange juice today.
Would Zuo Ning lose his appetite due to Lu Chenghe’s sudden ambush? Certainly not. He merely looked at the fridge full of juice with a sigh, resigned to only drinking one bottle.
While skillfully twisting the bottle cap, Zuo Ning sighed. How did he get caught? He hadn’t even drunk that much yet. Without hesitation, he poured the entire bottle of juice into his water bowl. He figured it might be time to practice using a straw—it would surely be more efficient than licking it up with his tongue.
When Lu Chenghe returned from his meeting, he saw Little Pudding lying on the bed watching a drama. Upon seeing him enter, Little Pudding first turned his head to glance at him, then climbed off the bed, wagging his tail with a flattering smile.
Lu Chenghe looked at him coldly. “Did you enjoy the juice?”
Zuo Ning obediently sat on the bed. “Woof.” Of course, it was delicious; otherwise, why would he crave it every time he visited?
Lu Chenghe sat on the edge of the bed. “Be honest. How many bottles have you stolen?”
How was he supposed to answer that? Ever since he got away with it the first time, he’d been drinking one or two bottles every visit. Who could keep track of that many? After some thought, Zuo Ning tentatively extended a paw.
Lu Chenghe grabbed his paw. “Five bottles? I’ll give you one more chance to think carefully.”
Zuo Ning dove into Lu Chenghe’s arms, nuzzling him. “Awoo!” This was too much for a poor dog to handle. How could he possibly remember how many bottles he’d drunk? Did they really need to be this precise?
Pulling the little rascal off him, Lu Chenghe pinched his chubby cheeks. “I’ll let it slide this time. But if I catch you stealing food again, I’ll shave you bald and parade you around as an exhibit!”
Too cruel! Zuo Ning stared at Lu Chenghe in shock. How could he have turned into this kind of Lu Chenghe?!
Lu Chenghe didn’t continue to tease Little Pudding. He glanced at the fridge and confirmed only one bottle had been consumed. He then picked up Little Pudding’s water bowl, rinsed it in the bathroom, and refilled it with clean water. Seeing Little Pudding sitting obediently on the bed watching him, looking adorably well-behaved, Lu Chenghe let out a light snort before turning back to his desk to get to work.
Once seated at his desk, Lu Chenghe opened his email inbox, where a new video message awaited. He glanced at the room where Little Pudding was, then clicked on the video.
The footage began from the moment he had left the room. Lu Chenghe sped through the later parts slightly, and about ten minutes after his departure, a young man wearing his bathrobe appeared.
Lu Chenghe immediately paused the video, rewound it to double-check that no one had entered or exited during that time, and then resumed watching from the moment the young man appeared.
In the video, the young man cautiously opened the door, first sticking his head out to peek around. After stepping one foot out, he suddenly seemed to think of something and retreated. Then, he placed one slipper at the door to prevent it from closing.
Recalling his earlier question to Little Pudding about whether he was responsible for placing the slipper there, and hearing Little Pudding admit to it, Lu Chenghe couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly.
The video continued. The young man first tested the hallway carpet with his foot, glanced around to ensure no one was present, then fully stepped out of the room. He even jumped in place a few times, taking a deep breath with a cheerful smile that lit up his face. The combination of his bright expression and refined features exuded a clean, sunny vibe.
After the young man exited the room, the video showed him holding Little Pudding and chatting at the door for a while before leaving. No one else appeared after that.
Lu Chenghe suddenly recalled the time he didn’t allow Little Pudding to sit at the dining table, which led to Little Pudding angrily locking himself in the walk-in closet. Back then, Lu Chenghe found Little Pudding buried among the clothes—a shirt tucked inside a pair of pants. He had assumed it was just Little Pudding messing around, randomly pulling the items down to use as bedding. But looking back now, perhaps the change began from that moment—or maybe even earlier.
Lu Chenghe stared at the clearest frame from the video, focusing on the young man’s warm and radiant smile. It indeed looked very angelic. If he didn’t overthink it, it was fine, but the more he dwelt on it, the more he felt the young man resembled his own Little Pudding. Especially the way he jumped—it was strikingly similar to how Little Pudding behaved when he was excited: either jumping in place or running and leaping around unconsciously.
Resting his chin in one hand, Lu Chenghe thoughtfully rubbed his jaw. Had he unknowingly been raising a little spirit? And not just any spirit, but one who had already achieved human form? It seemed he needed to reevaluate his understanding of the world entirely.
But that little rascal dared to hide things from him. It appeared a proper lesson was in order if he was going to teach him to behave.
I just love LCH reaction upon finding out his Little Pudding can turn into a human. Acceptance and “you dare to hide it from me? I must punish you.” I’ll light a candle for ZN 😂😂😂🕯️
He is way too chill for his spoiled baby 😂