Lu Chenghe felt the warm breath beside his ear so he subconsciously turned his head. A wet and soft little tongue managed to lick his lips. He did not have a reaction but Little Pudding suddenly widened his eyes and rapidly retreated. Little Pudding had an expression of undisguised shock. Heh, he really was like an emoticon travel pack.
He smiled when he saw Little Pudding's exaggerated expression. Then splashed a small amount of water on him. "One day I'll put some chilli flakes on your tongue. That'll teach you to naughtily lick everything."
Zuo Ning's ears stood up immediately when he heard the threat. Chilli was good! God knows how a spice addicted person like him managed to last for this long not eating anything remotely spicy. It was like the bitter suffering of someone who ate hotpot all their life going to the hamburger country and not being able to find a single bottle of Old Grandmother spicy sauce. No, it was even more bitter than that!
He pondered over the aftertaste of the object that his tongue touched. It was warm. It was soft. It was too sudden. He didn't prepare for it at all in his heart and almost scared himself to death.
Since Lu Chenghe did not seem to care, Zuo Ning slowly made his way closer and sat down. Lu Chenghe was relaxing by the side of the pool with his eyes closed so Zuo Ning stretched out his paws to touch the water. Although the water was a bit hot he felt that it would be super comfortable to soak in. He also wanted to get into the water but Lu Chenghe would definitely not help blow dry his fur afterwards. He would be trading his life for a moment of pleasure.
Zuo Ning could only stick his paws in the water and play for a bit.
Lu Chenghe opened his eyes. "No splashing."
Zuo Ning gave him a glance. "Woof." His mouth agreed but he still kept his paws in the water. He was continually paddling his paws until he touched Lu Chenghe's shoulder.
The skin under his paws was full of elasticity. When pressed slightly with his meat pad, the feeling was very awesome.
When Lou Jiu came in, he saw the scene of Zuo Ning happily stepping all over Lu Chenghe's shoulders. He laughed. "You have raised an amazing dog there. It's even giving you a massage as you bathe. Very considerate service."
Zuo Ning turned his head to look at Lou Jiu. He had already changed out of his nightgown and was now wearing white sportswear. He looked younger and his long and narrow peach blossom eyes were very beautiful when he laughed. Although using the adjective on a male made it seem like some sort of seduction was going on, it really suited this guy. He had the sort of warm beauty.
Lu Chenghe opened his eyes and poured some water over his body. "They have arrived?"
"Just received their message. They are currently at the base of the mountain. They'll arrive in approximately twenty minutes. They must have arrived together because they were bickering with each other on the call." Lou Jiu continued to chat. "Are you planning to renovate that old district with née Shang?"
Lu Chenghe looked at him. "Who did you hear this from?"
Lou Jiu smiled. "Shang's second son. Recently he's flushed with success and is pressuring Shang Fan. I heard that he's recently gained attention from his father. The entire situation has been spread around a bit."
Lu Chenghe retracted his gaze and indifferently replied. "No such thing."
Lou Jiu smilingly said. "It's good if there isn't."
Lu Chenghe listened to him and squeezed the misbehaving dog paws in the pool. Only until he saw the little rascal retrieve his paws in pain did he respond. "Since you're saying that. There must be an inside story."
Lou Jiu shrugged. "Where would I get so much information from? I just feel that anyone with a discerning eye can see that the old district is a good plot of land. As long as it is developed, there will be a big profit. There haven't been many demolitions and relocations this year, so there are many people who are looking forward to this. But the situation now is not how many people will make a move, but how many people dare to."
The situation was definitely strange now he had pointed it out. Qingniao City had a rapidly advancing economy. Development was so quick it seemed like only one day was needed to build a skyscraper. But there had always been an area populated by houses from many years ago. The area already looked like a slum from outside. The layout of the area was also built so messily it was like a honeycomb. That old district was like a black spot in Qingniao City. Everyone wanted to clean up this black spot but none of them dared to do it.
Lu Chenghe leaned by the poolside. Lou Jiu was using a leaf from a potted plant to tease Little Pudding. Lu Chenghe only opened his mouth after a long while of silence. "You cannot help Shang Fan. You would not hesitate to leave Lou family for him but he will not leave Shang family for you."
The hand that was patting the dog paused slightly but Lou Jiu immediately laughed. "I know." He looked at Lu Chenghe. "But there are three things in life that cannot be controlled. Illness, poverty, and emotions. I am fortunate that I have discovered an emotion that I cannot control. Although it might seem like it is a suffering to you guys and that I lose more than I gain. But it is better than following the order and muddle through life."
Lou Jiu sighed and watched Little Pudding run back to Lu Chenghe's side and attempt to put his paws in the water. He also watched Lu Chenghe push against Little Pudding's head before once again playing around with it. Lou Jiu let out a laugh and lamented, "I hope you will have a day where you discover a romance that will make you lose your rationality. Relax. This isn't a curse but a beautiful blessing."
Zuo Ning placed his paw on Lu Chenghe's shoulder and faced Lou Jiu. "Woof!" He only needs to lose his rationality for me!
Lu Chenghe gave Lou Jiu a glance but declined to comment. He doesn't think that there would ever be a day where he would experience anything like an uncontrollable love.
It was very normal for people to separate and get back together. Those excessively beautiful feelings were just fabricated from the yearning of fiction from televisions and books. Although he admits that a love like walking hand in hand through life and remaining faithful until death does exist in the world, it is only a minority. If you want such a special feeling, you need to coincidentally meet a person you love dearly. A pity that it is not so easy to coincidentally meet someone like that.
Lou Jiu is the odd one out in their group. Compared to Lou Jiu who staked everything on one opportunity, Shang Fan's choice was a lot more rational and normal. Many people felt pity for Lou Jiu, however, it was his choice so they couldn't say much.
Lou Jiu glanced at the time. The others were about to arrive and it was the right time to head to the kitchen to prepare. Tonight they were going to eat hotpot and many ingredients were just cooked on the spot so it would be very easy. He stood up and looked towards Little Pudding. "Little Pudding, let's go. I'll bring you to eat something delicious."
Zuo Ning looked at Lou Jiu. Although this man was very handsome and looked very gentle and soft, he still liked his Lu Chenghe. So he remained unmoved.
Lou Jiu smiled in response. "Looks like I also need to raise a dog. Having such a loyal little guy by my side would feel very good."
After Lou Jiu left the room, Lu Chenghe looked towards the grinning Little Pudding and snorted coldly. "You only have this advantage."
Zuo Ning copied him and snorted. He had many strong points. He's just worried he would scare you!
But before Lu Chenghe could see Zuo Ning's advantages, Zuo Ning discovered Lu Chenghe's new skill. Lu Chenghe was wearing a v-neck sweater with a pair of white slacks. He had his sleeves folded and was wearing an apron. The silhouette of him slightly bent over chopping vegetables blinded Zuo Ning's eyes.
A dog's heart was smashed to pieces when he saw that thin waist and long legs as well as the appearance of dutifully cutting vegetables. My god, how can there be such a good looking man?! He instantly understood why those crazy little sisters became so excited they cried when they saw their idol at school. Lu Chenghe was so good looking it made his heart itchy!
Lou Jiu looked at the Little Pudding who had fallen down and was rolling all over the rug. He looked doubtfully at Lu Chenghe. "What's wrong with your dog?"
Lu Chenghe placed the sliced ham on a plate and didn't even raise his head. "Daily convulsion."
Lou Jiu couldn't help but laugh. He had already heard tales about the three silly dogs at Lu Chenghe's house but Little Pudding was very obedient when he last saw it. It was constantly following Lu Chenghe and didn't even incessantly cling to the dining table at mealtimes. Instead it just dutifully sat by Lu Chenghe's feet. He had thought that Lu Chenghe was so lucky to raise such a smart and normal Samoyed. It turned out that he just didn't have enough contact. Stupid is still stupid and crazy is still crazy.
Lou Jiu jokingly said, "Then it seems like the bloodline is very pure. You are definitely not raising a fake dog."
From the corner of his eye, Lu Chenghe glimpsed that little thing had twisted itself into a higher position and then turned his head to look at him. He couldn't help but raise a corner of his mouth. Really was stupidly cute.
Zuo Ning was itching to howl twice when he saw the shadow of a smile on Lu Chenghe's mouth. Good looking at every angle. He really wanted to rush over and lick him.
When the two of them had almost finished preparing the ingredients, two snowmen came inside.
The first to create a ruckus was Nie Yong like usual. "The weather outside really wants to freeze someone to death. The snow accumulated on the road makes you create a tunnel with every step. Who knows how deep the snow will be if it doesn't stop tonight. I'm afraid it won't be easy going down the mountain tomorrow."
Shen Tao following behind and coldly said, "We could have just gone to Lou Jiu's place to eat. But we have to insist on eating here. How idle are you that we have to go so far away."
Nie Yong snorted. "What do you know? Isn't the mood very sentimental? Soaking in a hot spring on this kind of snowy day is a type of pleasure."
Shen Tao was too lazy to argue. He knew the way and directly put his things in his room. He changed into lighter clothing and came out to help prepare dinner.
Zuo Ning saw that Nie Yong did not seem to be too affected. He took several glances back and forth before focussing on Lu Chenghe's beauty.
But before he could indulge himself for long, a pair of strong hands reached out to hug him. Zuo Ning looked back and was shocked when he saw it was Nie Yong. What does he want to do? Don't tell me he wants to take revenge? Zuo Ning quickly called Lu Chenghe. "Awoo!" Chenghe, come quickly! Someone is going to abuse your dog!
Nie Yong held Little Pudding and turned him to face him. He sat on the floor with legs out and knees up and fixed the dog between his two legs. He then pinched one of his paws with his hand. "Little Pudding. Do you know what you have done?"
Zuo Ning turned his head to look for Lu Chenghe. "Awoo!" Why are you still not coming?
Lu Chenghe glanced at them when he passed by carrying two plates. "Don't scare him."
"Awoo awoo…" I'm already scared!
Nie Yong smiled then hugged the dog. "Be good, don't move. Let me hug you. Everyone says dogs can heal. So give me some healing as well, ok?"
Zuo Ning originally wanted to struggle but then calmed down. Forget it. Since you seem so pitiful, I will tolerate you for three seconds.