The message struck Jiang Jue like a thunderbolt.
His mind went blank with a buzzing sound, thinking Jing Nian had encountered some grave danger. He immediately dropped everything and rushed over.
Jing Nian’s legs had gone numb from squatting, so he stood up to stretch. Although the German Shepherd seemed to have relaxed its guard, it had actually been observing his every move. Its alert ears caught the sound, and it immediately assumed a posture ready to pounce at any moment.
Xiao Tu and Tuan Tuan trembled in fear, their fur standing on end.
Of course, Jing Nian wasn’t faring much better either.
Xiao Tu was the first to back down. “Nian Nian, maybe we shouldn’t go out today. Let’s go back first and ask the property management to deal with the dog before coming out.”
His pounding little heart really couldn’t take the scare.
Jing Nian reached out to stop him, his tone still relatively calm. “No rush, someone will come to handle it soon.”
He wanted to see how Jiang Jue would deal with the fierce German Shepherd.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jue used his powers to instantly appear in a secluded corner of the neighborhood.
He steadied himself, first instructing the driver to park the car outside the neighborhood as a cover, then asked him to buy breakfast on the way. Only then did he take a deep breath and hurry toward the building where Jing Nian lived.
But what he saw was…
…a wolf dog?
His heart, which had been in his throat, instantly settled back down. After catching his breath, he even felt a little amused.
If Jing Nian was afraid of big dogs, it was actually Jiang Jue who had caused it in the first place.
That year, a friend’s Tibetan Mastiff had given birth to a litter of puppies, all gentle and non-aggressive, just a few months old. Jiang Jue took one, thinking it would keep A’Nian company.
But he had forgotten that A’Nian was still young too. A few-month-old Tibetan Mastiff puppy was already a giant in Little Nianzai’s eyes. The little one clutched the hem of his clothes, tiny fists clenched tightly, hiding behind him and whimpering, wanting to look but too afraid to get close.
Curiosity, as they say, killed the cat. One day, Little Nianzai mustered up some courage and took a piece of dried meat to feed the little Mastiff in the yard. When the puppy saw its usually indifferent little master bringing snacks, it got so excited that it dashed over, wanting to get close and affectionate.
By the time Jiang Jue heard the commotion and rushed over, this was the scene he witnessed:
Little Nianzai, holding the dried meat, was running as fast as his short little legs could carry him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t run fast enough.
The little Mastiff chasing him seemed to be teasing him on purpose—when he slowed down, it slowed down too; when he sped up, it sped up as well, maintaining just the right distance, wagging its tail happily all the while.
“Waaah… Daddy… save me, save me…”
Jiang Jue laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, quickly scooping Little Nianzai into his arms to rescue him. Unfortunately, the child was left with a lifelong trauma that could never be fully healed.
“You got here so fast?” Jing Nian waved, signaling Jiang Jue to come over.
Jiang Jue smiled, explaining lightly, “I happened to be nearby. I thought you were in danger, so I rushed over.”
“I didn’t expect…”
His tone was somewhat ambiguous. Jing Nian had a feeling he was about to be teased and pouted, glaring at Jiang Jue. “Hmm?”
Jiang Jue changed his words at the last second. “I didn’t expect there really was danger.”
Jing Nian pointed accusingly at the fierce German Shepherd blocking the way, as if tattling on it. “It won’t let me leave.”
And this German Shepherd only blocked him—it completely ignored the other neighbors passing by.
Jiang Jue smiled and stepped in front of Jing Nian, unable to resist the urge to ruffle his hair again. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll just chase it away.”
Not far away, the German Shepherd whimpered. Its animal instincts told it that the man before it was not to be trifled with. After a moment of hesitation, it tucked its tail between its legs and scurried away.
“That looks like the dog that ran in front of the car last night,” Jiang Jue remarked, watching the German Shepherd’s retreating figure.
“It wasn’t on a leash, so it must have run away from someone’s home. I asked in the property management group, but no one has come looking for it yet.”
Jing Nian, grateful for Jiang Jue’s help in chasing the dog away, didn’t mind the hair-ruffling. But this guy took advantage of the situation—noticing the faint red marks on Jing Nian’s face from pressing against the pillow, he subtly and gently pinched his cheek.
“You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you, A’Nian? I bought waffles and hot milk on the way here. You can make do with these for now.”
His gaze drifted downward, settling on the clothes Jing Nian was wearing today, and a layer of affection surfaced in his eyes. “It looks good. Your skin is so delicate. You really shouldn’t wear rough fabrics in the future.”
Jing Nian raised his hand to rub the spot where he had been pinched, refusing to let it go. “Don’t think you can change the subject. I know you pinched my cheek.”
So rude!
At his age, he still doesn’t know how to behave!
Jiang Jue, knowing he was in the wrong, smiled without saying a word.
Little Rabbit climbed onto Jing Nian’s shoulder, thinking that waffles were anything but “making do.” Little Rabbit loved waffles, especially freshly made ones.
Urged by Little Rabbit, Jing Nian followed Jiang Jue to the car to get breakfast. He broke off a small piece of waffle and stuffed it into Little Rabbit’s mouth.
Tuan Tuan, catching the scent, whimpered and pawed at Jing Nian’s pant leg.
Only then did Jiang Jue bring up the unfamiliar little dog. “Is this one yours, A’Nian?”
Jing Nian shook his head. “No, it’s being fostered here by the landlord.”
“One rabbit is already enough trouble. Having a dog would be even more of a hassle.”
Jiang Jue wasn’t concerned about the dog; he just quietly noted the landlord who had been mentioned twice by Jing Nian.
The waffles tasted a bit sour.
But on the surface, he had to maintain an air of generosity. He opened the rear car door for Jing Nian, gesturing for him to get in. “The movie doesn’t start until the afternoon. How about I take you to the mall first?”
Since he was already here, Jing Nian nodded, only to remember that he had never actually agreed to watch a movie with Jiang Jue!
Was this the power of advanced tactics?
Tuan Tuan, perhaps accustomed to Shi Yi’s home, tried to run to the passenger seat as soon as it saw the car but was stopped by Little Rabbit tugging on its leash.
Unbeknownst to them, this act of stopping the dog inadvertently exposed Little Rabbit. Jiang Jue asked Jing Nian casually, “Does the rabbit you’re raising also walk dogs, A’Nian?”
Jing Nian’s steps faltered, nearly choking on his milk. He turned around and glared fiercely at Little Rabbit.
Little Rabbit immediately dropped its front paws, placing all four paws firmly on the ground, its large, moist eyes wide with feigned innocence.
Jing Nian felt a pang of guilt. “You must have seen wrong. It often pretends to be a dog and plays with the leash.”
Jiang Jue didn’t press further, the corners of his lips curling slightly as he got into the car with Jing Nian.
Jing Nian glanced out the window and saw the German Shepherd that had blocked his way earlier running past again.
Resting his chin on his hand, he suddenly felt a wave of concern for the future.
Would he have to face this thing blocking his way every day after work from now on?
A cat’s enemy is a dog.
Jiang Jue took a tissue and wiped the milk from the corner of his mouth, soothing him gently, “Don’t worry, we’ll find your owner soon. Or another day, I can help take you to a rescue shelter.”
No rescue shelter would be willing to take in such a large dog, but Jiang Jue could always throw money at the problem.
After a thousand years, human society remained the same—money could solve everything.
The car passed by a pet shop, its exterior and interior decorated adorably. It was quite large, occupying an entire small building.
Little Rabbit caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and immediately sprang up, pressing his two front paws tightly against the car window.
His little ears twitched slightly as he pressed his entire body against the glass.
Mom!
Yes, Little Rabbit had a mother, along with three older siblings. In fact, their whole family had been raised by Jing Nian.
However, as time passed, his mother and siblings had all made some progress in their cultivation, learning to take human form and adapting to mortal life in various places. That pet shop was run by Little Rabbit’s mother.
Only Little Rabbit himself was unimpressive. Back then, he had greedily eaten a strange elixir, which not only turned his gray fur yellow but also permanently fixed his body in its baby rabbit stage. He could never grow up, nor could he learn to take human form.
Since Little Rabbit saw it, Jing Nian naturally noticed the pet shop too, though his attention was drawn to the “Help Wanted” sign at the entrance.
He began considering the possibility of quitting his job and becoming a pet shop employee. After all, he would rather die than go back to catching ghosts.
Ghosts were even harder to communicate with than humans.
Once he actually started working in the service industry, he would realize that humans were even harder to deal with than ghosts. Every job had its own frustrations.
Whether Jiang Jue could become a long-term meal ticket was still uncertain. After all, there was the precedent of Gu Yehan—the man who had once claimed to love him but ended up abandoning him without a word.
Jing Nian pretended to wipe away a nonexistent tear with Little Rabbit.
He rarely went shopping alone. Apart from occasionally accompanying Chi to pick out gifts for his wife, he hardly ever visited malls.
After getting out of the car, Jing Nian held Little Rabbit in his arms and led Tuan Tuan by the leash, looking heavily burdened.
Seeing him like this, Jiang Jue naturally reached out, “Let me take Tuan Tuan.”
And in doing so, his hand brushed against Jing Nian’s.
It was a bit cool but soft.
Jing Nian had almost become desensitized to this kind of thing. He narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips, and stuffed Little Rabbit into his pocket without saying a word.
Jiang Jue held the dog leash and strolled leisurely beside Jing Nian. Every time they passed a clothing store, he wanted to buy every single item inside, dressing Jing Nian up one outfit at a time.
He was determined to replace all the cheap clothes in Jing Nian’s wardrobe.
Jing Nian was startled and tried his best to dissuade him, “Maybe we should just go eat. I didn’t really get full earlier.”
Food was the top priority for a child, so Jiang Jue replied without hesitation, “Alright.”
Jing Nian breathed a sigh of relief and then opened his phone to search for group deals.
What a joke—they had only known each other for a few days. Even someone as shameless as him felt a bit embarrassed letting Jiang Jue pay for everything, as if he hadn’t contributed anything at all.
He focused intently on his phone, unconsciously slowing his pace. Jiang Jue didn’t notice what he was looking at, assuming it was something important, and quietly slowed down as well, not wanting to disturb him.
Poor Tuan Tuan, who was being tugged along by the leash in his hand.
The little dog was full of energy, trotting forward on its short legs with great enthusiasm. But before it could run more than a few steps, it was yanked back by the unyielding force behind it.
At first, Tuan Tuan didn’t understand what was happening. After being pulled back repeatedly, it finally turned around angrily, only to find the person tugging it flashing a smile in its direction.
…A smile full of provocation!!
What kind of person picks a fight with a dog?!