Zuo Ning felt that Lu Chenghe’s gaze had been somewhat peculiar these past few days. But whenever he looked over at Lu Chenghe, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about him. Ever since Zuo Ning transformed into a dog, his instincts had become remarkably sharp. Sometimes, when someone was watching him, he could feel the weight of their gaze. Thus, he was absolutely certain that Lu Chenghe had been secretly observing him.
The last time Lu Chenghe had covertly studied him like this was apparently when Zuo Ning’s secret was uncovered. Zuo Ning couldn’t help but think deeply about it, but couldn’t figure out what else might have slipped out of his control. As for the fact that he was once human, he believed he had hidden it exceedingly well. Everything related to his past, whether openly or secretly, had been kept untouched. No matter how smart Lu Chenghe was, he couldn’t possibly know about it.
After some careful pondering and confirming that he hadn’t done anything suspicious, Zuo Ning began confidently observing Lu Chenghe in return.
Watching Lu Chenghe sneakily stealing glances from a corner, only to pretend he was sunbathing whenever Zuo Ning noticed him, Zuo Ning found it amusing. Lu Chenghe chuckled, “Such nice weather today. Why don’t you go out and play with your new friends?”
Zuo Ning let out a small growl, “Woof woof.” The so-called friendships in the entertainment industry were as flimsy as plastic flowers. There was nothing more comforting than lounging at home in the sun. Having finally gotten a break from work, where he didn’t need to plaster a false expression on his face like a fool, Zuo Ning naturally opted to stay at home to relax.
By now, Zuo Ning had become quite adept at transitioning between his human and dog forms. Every morning, he’d head out as a dog with Lu Chenghe. Upon reaching Lu Chenghe’s office, he’d transform back into a human to wait for the assistant before heading to the film set together. In the evenings, if he wrapped up filming early, he’d wait for Lu Chenghe in his office, transform back into a dog, and go home with him. If filming went late, Lu Chenghe would wait for him near the set. To ensure Zuo Ning’s transformations remained convenient, Lu Chenghe always drove to pick him up personally, without a chauffeur or bodyguard.
Once home, Zuo Ning could freely switch between forms, though only within the confines of his room. Unless there were special circumstances, he would always be in his dog form when outside his room.
So, the “Lu Ning” hadn’t visited the Lu family for quite some time, which made Mother Lu wonder if her interference had caused Lu Chenghe to stop bringing friends over. She had hoped her son’s private life would be a bit more lively.
Yawning lazily, Zuo Ning rolled over. Although the weather was getting hotter, the indoors remained cool. The warm breeze, kissed by the sun, carried the refreshing scent of spring. Zuo Ning rubbed his eyes with his paw, feeling drowsy. A comfortable life leads to indulgence. He just wanted to continue this indulgence—lounging around like a pancake-shaped dog was the ultimate bliss.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. Zuo Ning opened his eyes to see Lu Chenghe standing beside him, looking down at him. Instinctively, Zuo Ning wagged his tail, “Awoo?” What’s up? Are you admiring my stunning beauty and planning to lay your hands on me?
Lu Chenghe crouched down and stroked his fur. “It’s time for a trim. Apart from the monthly touch-ups, you haven’t had a proper haircut. The weather’s getting hotter, and your fur is way too thick.”
Zuo Ning quickly flipped over and got up, placing his paw on Lu Chenghe’s hand and patting it. He even flipped his paw pad to show him, then stuck out his tongue and panted twice, followed by a dramatic eye-roll.
Lu Chenghe chuckled, “Are you saying dogs cool off through their paw pads and tongues, and it has nothing to do with their fur?”
“Woof!” That’s common knowledge, isn’t it?
“But no matter how much you cool off through your tongue and paw pads, wearing such a thick layer of fur must still be uncomfortable.”
Seeing Lu Chenghe reaching out to pick him up, Zuo Ning panicked and backed away repeatedly, “Woof woof!” What are you trying to do? I’ll report you for harassment!
Lu Chenghe grabbed one of his front paws and threatened, “If you dare transform into a human, you’ll be sleeping in the kennel for three days. Come on, I’ll take you for a trim. Don’t worry, I won’t shave you bald. I promise.”
Zuo Ning was skeptical, but due to Lu Chenghe’s threat of making him sleep in the kennel, he didn’t dare transform into a human. Instead, he puffed up his cheeks in frustration and let Lu Chenghe drag him along.
The butler saw the young master carrying Little Pudding downstairs and remarked, “Still carrying him at this age? Young master, you spoil him too much.”
Lu Chenghe chuckled while stroking the dog’s back. “I’m taking him for a trim. I won’t be back for dinner tonight.”
The butler nodded in agreement. With such thick fur, it was indeed time for a trim. Although Little Pudding was a breed with dense fur, perhaps due to excellent care, he had never caused a scene of fur flying everywhere. It was said that the young master had been collecting the dog’s fur, intending to gather enough to make a plush toy resembling Little Pudding. It seemed that achieving this goal wouldn’t be possible just by daily brushing; regular trims would be necessary.
Zuo Ning thought Lu Chenghe would call a groomer to the house for the service. Previously, his fur trims were either done during health check-ups or by a groomer who came to the house. Hearing that they wouldn’t be back for dinner, Zuo Ning looked at Lu Chenghe with a questioning gaze.
Tonight’s dinner at home seemed to be seafood, which Zuo Ning hadn’t had in a long time and was looking forward to.
Lu Chenghe carried him into the car and said, “We’re going to Lou Jiu’s place for dinner tonight to send him off.”
Upon hearing this, Zuo Ning perked up his ears. “Awoo?” Send him off? Where is he going this time? Hopefully not to some remote mountain where he’d be stuck. And what about Wang Cai?
Lu Chenghe naturally understood his concerns and patted his head, saying, “This time, he wants to explore the world and will be taking Little Wang Cai with him.”
Zuo Ning stretched out his hind leg, using his paw to touch Lu Chenghe while looking at him.
Lu Chenghe smiled and pinched the paw pad on his hind leg. “It’s all healed. The rehabilitation went well. As long as you don’t engage in intense activities, normal walking won’t be affected.”
Zuo Ning finally withdrew his hind leg from Lu Chenghe’s palm, rested his head on him, and sighed. Traveling the world—he wanted to go too. Unfortunately, Lu Chenghe was so busy that it was impossible for him to take Zuo Ning on such adventures.
Lu Chenghe rubbed his ears. “Want to go traveling?”
Zuo Ning let out a soft whimper. Of course, he wanted to. Who wouldn’t want to roam the world and see its wonders?
Lu Chenghe said, “Then from now on, I’ll take you on a trip once a year. You can decide where we go.”
Zuo Ning immediately lifted his head to look at Lu Chenghe, confirming that he wasn’t just saying this to comfort him but genuinely meant it. Unable to contain his excitement, Zuo Ning let out a howl and rolled onto Lu Chenghe, playfully tumbling around. The destination wasn’t the most important thing—it was about having someone willing to share the journey and the scenery with you.
Lu Chenghe laughed and held him protectively, preventing him from rolling off the chair.
The driver kept his eyes straight ahead but still paid attention to the commotion in the back. Having worked for the Lu family for so many years, his biggest takeaway was: humans are no match for dogs.
Lu Chenghe promised only a minor trim, and Zuo Ning trusted him. During the grooming session, Zuo Ning obediently sat on the table. However, through the transparent glass partition in the adjacent room, he could see a cat undergoing neutering. The scene was too gruesome. Zuo Ning turned away, deciding not to watch. But the groomer deliberately turned him to face the other room, forcing him to look.
The cat was strapped to the operating table. Whether it hadn’t been given anesthesia yet or the anesthesia hadn’t taken effect, its cries were nothing short of harrowing. It was unclear whether the cat was aware of the impending procedure and making a final struggle or simply reacting to the unfamiliar environment and the helpless fear of being restrained. The heart-wrenching cries made Zuo Ning’s fur stand on end. It was too tragic. If this wasn’t for the cat’s well-being, such actions would be utterly inhumane.
But it seemed he always encountered unexpected situations. The cat, which should have been restrained, managed to break free—it actually escaped from the operating table. The startled cat began running around in a frenzy, crashing into everything. The equipment in the operating room was knocked over and scattered across the floor.
Zuo Ning, meanwhile, calmly watched while getting his fur trimmed, thinking to himself: Go for it, brother. If you make it out, you’ll still be a man.
Of course, there was no way the cat could escape. The operating room door was already closed. Zuo Ning watched as the cat was caught again, injected with something, and its pitiful cries gradually quieted. The poor creature, now completely subdued, was tied back onto the table.
Zuo Ning sighed and shook his head. Poor thing.
But soon, he began to pity himself. His once fluffy and beautiful fur, which had looked so stunning, was now trimmed short and no longer fluffy. At first glance, he even resembled an oversized Bichon Frise! Zuo Ning wanted to howl in frustration. Why couldn’t they give him a stylish layered cut? Now he just looked like a fuzzy caterpillar!
Lu Chenghe hadn’t expected Little Pudding’s trim to turn out like this. He wanted to laugh but, not wanting to hurt Little Pudding’s pride, nodded approvingly. “It looks great. Doesn’t it feel much lighter now that your fur’s trimmed?”
Zuo Ning couldn’t take it anymore. “Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof woof!” Liar! You big liar! I look awful!
When the groomer handed him back to Lu Chenghe, they were still brushing his fur and commented, “This little guy is so calm. Even with that cat screaming next door, he just sat still for his trim. So adorable.”
Lu Chenghe nodded and picked up the disgruntled Little Pudding. Once they were back in the car, he stroked the now Bichon-like Little Pudding and said, “Alright, your fur will grow back quickly. If you don’t like this style, we’ll try something different next time.”
Zuo Ning, unable to hold back, bit Lu Chenghe—not on the chin or nose this time, but directly on his lower lip, refusing to let go. “Mmph mmph mmph!”
Lu Chenghe wasn’t prepared for the bite. Although Little Pudding’s puppy teeth were sharp, he could feel that Little Pudding hadn’t used much force. Still, the tugging could easily cause injury. Lu Chenghe had no choice but to hold him tightly and tug his ear slightly, saying, “Let go!”
Zuo Ning bit down hard before finally releasing him. Lu Chenghe’s lower lip was left reddened with two small tooth marks, though it wasn’t broken.
Lu Chenghe touched his lip, looked at him expressionlessly, and said, “So you’ve learned how to bite people now?”
Feeling wronged, Zuo Ning looked at him, then lowered his head to glance at his fur. He whimpered and pretended to cry, curling up on the chair. How could he go out and face people like this? Even ordinary animals struggle to accept changes in their appearance, let alone someone as extraordinary as him!
Seeing that Little Pudding was genuinely upset about his fur, Lu Chenghe couldn’t bring himself to scold him as he had intended. Instead, he sighed and said, “It really doesn’t look bad. If you don’t like it, we can dress you up when we go out.” Then, he picked him up and whispered in his ear, “Or you can stay like this only when you sleep at night, and be human the rest of the time.”
Zuo Ning turned to look at him. Seeing his still-teary eyes, Lu Chenghe helplessly ruffled his fur. With the fur trimmed short, it didn’t feel as good as before. It seemed Little Pudding was truly vain, crying over his fur.
Hearing Lu Chenghe’s suggestion, Zuo Ning placed his paw on the backrest of the seat. In the trunk were several outfits prepared for him. Zuo Ning’s intention was clear: he wanted to transform into a human right now. There was no way he’d meet Lu Chenghe’s friends looking like this.
Although Lu Chenghe genuinely didn’t think the new look was bad—in fact, the rounder appearance made him even cuter—he didn’t force Little Pudding to accept it. At the next intersection, he had the driver get out and head home, taking over the wheel himself to drive to Lou Jiu’s place.
Zuo Ning hid in the backseat, transformed into a human, and put on his clothes. Only then did he climb into the passenger seat, holding a mirror and checking his reflection repeatedly. He occasionally glared at Lu Chenghe, saying, “What if my fur trim messes up my hairstyle? It won’t match the continuity!”
Lu Chenghe coolly exposed him, “You’re acting in a period drama. Even if you shaved your head, it wouldn’t affect continuity.”
Zuo Ning let out a grunt and finally relaxed upon confirming that the fur trim hadn’t affected his human hairstyle.
Lu Chenghe glanced at him. “We’ll deal with your biting when we get back.”
Zuo Ning immediately tensed up, sneaking glances at Lu Chenghe. Seeing that he genuinely seemed intent on settling the matter, Zuo Ning let out a soft whimper. Once they were home, he planned to transform back into his dog form—let Lu Chenghe try to hold him accountable then! He’d just act like he didn’t understand.
When Lou Jiu noticed a boy appearing by Lu Chenghe’s side, he was so surprised he nearly forgot to mask his reaction. Over the years, since childhood, Lu Chenghe had never brought anyone along, regardless of the occasion. Lou Jiu looked at Lu Chenghe, then at the boy with the radiant, sunny smile. Instantly, his face softened into a look of almost maternal relief and comfort.
thx for the chapters! These two are hilarious lmao