IANEWtbaSML 5.8

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Chapter 5.8

“……Mingzhou, are you listening to me?” A well-dressed lady sitting opposite him frowns faintly, displeasure over being neglected clear in her voice even as she retains her graceful, courteous attitude.

“Of course, I am listening,” Liu Mingzhou flicks a glance up to her and replies politely, but very soon, his gaze is once again drawn towards the snow-white Samoyed sprawled lazily on the ground next to his feet. The affection and care brimming in his eyes incite a sense of annoyance in the woman.

“Mingzhou,” The lady raps a knuckle on the table, tone hardening. “I feel that we need to have a proper talk – can you look at me and not bother with your dog for a moment?!”

Truth be told, the lady sincerely liked this obedient, clever and beautiful Samoyed when she saw it for the first time. However, is there a woman in this world who can put up with the man they like being more concerned about his pet than her? Thus, this Samoyed gradually changed from a loveable pet to a thorn in her side, making her feel irritated, unhappy – even envious.

Sensing the woman’s dislike of Sui Yuan in her voice, Liu Mingzhou’s eyes darken, a sliver of displeasure surfacing. Still, he adheres to her request, turning his full attention to her. “What do you want?”

“Is it possible for only you and me to be present from the next date onwards?” The lady asks slowly, suppressing her temper with great effort. “By that, I mean leaving your dog at home. Is it possible? I always feel like the third wheel in an established relationship whenever your dog is here. Instead of a date between us, it’s more like you are dating that Samoyed.”

“You think too much,” Liu Mingzhou replies apathetically. Nonetheless, the woman is able to pick out the dismissive undertone, as though he is saying “so long as you understand your situation”, causing her anger to rise.

“I don’t think I am being oversensitive,” she states frostily.

Lifting a hand, he rubs his temple a little impatiently. “Do you still remember what I said when we first met? I don’t plan to marry, and don’t want a girlfriend. The blind date was arranged by my family, and I was pressured into attending against my will. You told me you were forced into it as well, and that we can use each other as shields in order to avoid our respective families disturbing our private lives, isn’t that so?”

The lady chokes, deflating immediately. “So, you’ve always considered me as a shield all these time?”

“That was your proposal during our initial meeting,” Liu Mingzhou responses calmly.

She closes her eyes for a while, originally assertive temperament revealing a vaguely lost disposition. “So…from then until now, you don’t have the slightest affection for me, right?”

“You are a very close friend.” Liu Mingzhou tactfully plays the ‘good guy card’.

“I understand.” Her laughter is a little strained. “Indeed, I am overthinking, and had too much confidence in myself… I’m sorry, I think we should terminate our agreement here as I am beginning to have feelings for you while you do not. As this circumstance wouldn’t benefit either of us, we should stop now… I suppose you don’t wish for this to become complicated, do you?”

“…If that’s what you want.” Liu Mingzhou nods, calm and courteous as always. Like a cup of warm water, he doesn’t give the impression of being too aloof or too enthusiastic. “I thank you for your co-operation this entire time.”

This indifferent answer shatters the final thread of hope the lady has. Although she truly developed some regard towards Liu Mingzhou during this period of time, it is not to the degree of being willing to sacrifice her dignity. Besides, as he pointed out, the one who proposed the idea of using each other as a shield is her, and he has never displayed the slightest bit of interest. Everything was merely her imagining that her regard was reciprocated.

Even though she lost a bit of face, the facts are laid out before her. Being a practical woman, she doesn’t plan to let this error continue and grow.

Very quickly, she plasters on a cordial expression, an easy smile curving her lips. “The matter of ‘breaking up’, shall I leave mentioning it to Aunt in your hands, or shall I do it?”

“…If it’s not too inconvenient, please put in a good word or two on my behalf.” A trace of awkwardness appears on Liu Mingzhou’s face.

“I understand.” She laughs in spite of herself. “I will tell her I’m too busy with work, so the times I am free to meet up with you decreased drastically. Moreover, our personalities do not match. How about it?”

“Many thanks.”

Swiftly arranging their reason for ‘breaking up’, the woman politely bids farewell and stands, walking away on her high-heeled shoes with a prideful air still clinging to her. Remaining in his seat, Liu Mingzhou lowers his head just in time to meet Sui Yuan’s eyes. Stooping over slightly, he rubs the top of the dog’s head soothingly.

Feeling a tad unhappy, Sui Yuan shakes his head and gets to his feet, turning to watch the woman’s departing figure.

Yao Fang – the woman who was acting as Liu Mingzhou’s girlfriend – ought to be an important supporting female lead in this world. In the original text, Liu Mingzhou and Wang Yican cannot make their relationship known to the masses due to them being teacher and student. While all this is going on, his family begins to urge him to find a girlfriend, get married and start a family. Yao Fang is the daughter of Mother Liu’s close friend and is someone she is greatly anticipating to have as her ‘future daughter-in-law’.

Although Wang Yican and Sun Jie are a couple now, Liu Mingzhou is still single. Therefore, Yao Fang will naturally continue acting as his girlfriend, and comes clean with her feelings at the appropriate time. Only, it’s a pity that in the original plot, Liu Mingzhou has Wang Yican, and in this messed-up storyline, he has…a Samoyed dog. Hence, when Yao Fang confesses, she is firmly rejected by Liu Mingzhou. While she is important, she barely appears in the story any more afterwards.

Of course, the role of the supporting female lead is also to cause some drama. In the script, Wang Yican caught sight of Liu Mingzhou on a ‘date’ with Yao Fang once and misunderstood, causing her to become jealous. Thus, the main leads’ relationship enters a crisis. Unfortunately, this portion of the story is completely thrown out now…

Chugging down the last of his coffee, Liu Mingzhou places a sum of money down on the table and leaves the café, stooping over slightly to ask Sui Yuan where they should go next.

Sui Yuan absently wags his tail a few times, lazily following behind the man. In any case, he can only bark, so trying to give a verbal reply is no use.

Strolling around the neighbourhood for a while, they finally return home only to find an unexpected guest.

Yao Fang certainly doesn’t waste time in announcing their ‘break up’, immediately contacting Mother Liu to report this situation as soon as she left the café. Having received this news, Mother Liu, who attaches importance to this matter, quickly rushes over to Liu Mingzhou’s house, intending on lecturing her stupid son for letting her ‘future daughter-in-law’ slip through his fingers.

As he has prepared for this possibility earlier, Liu Mingzhou retains his cool-headedness when he catches sight of Mother Liu. Greeting her warmly, he begins to busy himself with Sui Yuan, meticulously brushing his fur, feeding him and so on. Seeing her son serve his pet dog so seriously, Mother Liu’s frustration mounts, making her feel extremely stifled and anxious.

“Dog! Dog! Dog! All day long you only care about your dog! You might as well spend your whole life with it!” Mother Liu berates her unrepentant son harshly, spitting in anger.

Liu Mingzhou movement pauses, then lifts his head to meet the furious eyes of his seething mother, smiling faintly. “That doesn’t sound too bad ah.”

“Not bad?! The hell do you mean not bad?!” Faced with the stubborn Liu Mingzhou, Mother Liu is at a loss for words. “If you spend your entire lifetime with a dog, then where will I have a grandson to hold?”

“Don’t I have a younger brother?” Liu Mingzhou shrugs carelessly. “Isn’t he getting married soon?”

“Your younger brother is already getting married, so why are you still dallying?! Besides, your younger brother’s child is his, not yours!” Although she is angry at the innocent Samoyed that managed to occupy her son’s heart, Mother Liu is also aware some of the fault lies with her for not intervening sooner.

Falling silent for a moment, Liu Mingzhou eventually laughs helplessly. “I’m sorry, mum.”

Mother Liu’s indignant expression softens and she sighs heavily. “You really make me worry too much. No need to apologise, just find yourself a girlfriend and give me a grandchild soon! Since Little Yao and your personality do not match, then forget it, I will not press the issue. But you must be more thoughtful about this matter from now on!”

Liu Mingzhou doesn’t speak, smile firmly in place as though silently consenting but seemingly rebelling at the same time.

Mother Liu never imagined that Liu Mingzhou’s one line of “I’m sorry” is not apologising over breaking up with Yao Fang, and never did she entertain the thought that her flustered curse in a moment of anger would come true.

Nonetheless, her heart feels something is not quite right after this exchange today. But she steadfastly ignores it, not daring to believe her prideful eldest son would renounce everything for a dog.

In everyone’s eyes, this behaviour is abnormal. Depraved. Mother Liu doesn’t dare say more no matter how she wishes she is able to bring him back on the right path. But despite her best efforts, she cannot overcome Liu Mingzhou’s determination to defend what he labels ‘his’ to the death, causing her to be more discouraged day after day.

After graduating from senior high school, Wang Yican and Sun Jie enrolled in the same university. During the three years there, their relationship was sealed, and they married immediately after. A cute baby boy was born two years into their marriage. As Liu Mingzhou was invited as an important guest to their wedding, Sui Yuan naturally comes along to serve as a mascot. During the entire ceremony, Sui Yuan was treated to an unending scene of the female lead being very harmonious with the supporting male lead.

As for Liu Mingzhou, he remains single still.

No matter how the long-winded Mother Liu reprimands him – even falling into hysteria – or how Father Liu’s patient advices turn to strict compelling, how his younger siblings heap heartfelt words and gentle prompts, Liu Mingzhou obstinately clings to his decision. Ultimately, this silent cold war with his family results in a falling out and ends in the severing of familial relationships. Because the Liu family cannot afford to have an ‘abnormal’ person within.

Being a dog in this world, taken in and carefully sheltered by Liu Mingzhou, Sui Yuan lives comfortably for the next ten-plus years.

“…Rare is it that I am able to die of old age ah…” Lying snugly on the large bed, Sui Yuan’s eyelids are at half-mast, his entire body limp and devoid of the slightest amount of strength.

“…It’s been hard on you,” Leaning against the furry flank, 5237 says solemnly. “Who asked the author to write that the Samoyed peacefully passed away under the care of the main leads? You can’t possibly not walk this path to its end, after all.”

“But it actually feels pretty good? Just feels like a waste of time.” With a considerable amount of effort, Sui Yuan shifts his body so he is leaning on his side. Lying on his stomach makes breathing a little difficult.

Feeling that Sui Yuan doesn’t require his consolidation, it rolls to the end of the bed sullenly. At this moment, the bedroom’s door opens.

At forty-over years of age, Liu Mingzhou is still in the prime of his life. As time passed, his introverted nature makes him shine all the more brilliantly, exuding a mature, refined and aloof air. Currently barefooted, his footsteps are noiseless thanks to the soft carpet laid out over the tiles. Slowly, he approaches the bed and settles himself down next to Sui Yuan.

“I have already sent Ah Li and Ah Yan away ahead of us, so don’t worry.” Liu Mingzhou’s action is still as gentle as ever as he strokes the white fur that has long lost its youthful lustre. “How do you feel right now? Is it uncomfortable?”

Sui Yuan expends a great deal of effort to lift his head and glance at the man, whimpering a soft reply.

“This world is the most boring one I have ever experienced. Can you tell 5237 that no matter what it does, please don’t choose something like this ever again,” Liu Mingzhou complains a little childishly, then flips his body over so he is lying next to Sui Yuan. Then, he cautiously scoops him up and manoeuvres the limp dog into his embrace, keeping an eye on Sui Yuan’s expression as though afraid he might accidentally make him suffer.

Well accustomed to being moved back and forth by Liu Mingzhou, Sui Yuan merely relaxes his muscles and snuggles as best he can, gaze dropping down to the sulking 5237 hovering at the foot of the bed.

The system naturally heard Liu Mingzhou’s complain and lets out a disdainful, “Hmph” in reply. Nonetheless, it keeps to its promise and doesn’t say a single bad word about the man.

The bedroom is now extremely quiet, sunlight shining through the French windows, making Sui Yuan feel extremely warm and cosy all over. Liu Mingzhou doesn’t stop stroking his fur, murmuring lowly about random things in his accented voice. At long last, Sui Yuan gives a final wag of his tail and closes his eyes.

– Being able to die of old age in their owner’s embrace is perhaps the best ending any dog can hope for, right?

---

 

The author has something to say: This arc really sapped by imagination ah. No matter how I write, I couldn’t get it out the way I envisioned. Finally…I can only produce this… OTL

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IANEWtbaSML 5.7

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Chapter 5.7

Although threats were delivered very clearly via silent communication, Sui Yuan ultimately decides to follow Wang Yican since he has fully recovered. After all, it doesn’t matter how reluctant Liu Mingzhou is to let him go, the man has no valid reasons to steal his student’s pet for his own.

Naturally, Liu Mingzhou has plans to work around this obstacle. After expressing his willingness to take care of Sui Yuan for Wang Yican whenever she is busy, Sui Yuan is sent to the devil’s lair every few days to be ‘looked after’.

Because Liu Mingzhou cleanly and efficiently severed this ambiguous ‘teacher-student romance’ route, Wang Yican’s blossoming crush on him wasn’t given a chance to mature, mercilessly chopped down by his strict attitude. Following the logical path, she gives up on this impossible path and grasps another peach branch, skipping down the puppy-love route featuring these two desk mates. Of course, when one’s romantic interest is a peer, the couple will go out and play together.

Initially, Wang Yican felt a little embarrassed as she handed Sui Yuan over to Liu Mingzhou before leaving for her date. However, when she saw no traces of annoyance on her teacher’s face but delight instead, the burden in her heart vanishes. Eventually, she brings Sui Yuan over to Liu Mingzhou’s house so often that the Samoyed might as well be one of the man’s pets.

Sui Yuan feels that his concerns are getting harder and harder to put into words…

Soon, winter vacation passes and the second semester of senior high school commences. Even if the ‘teacher-student romance’ route has been destroyed, Sui Yuan stubbornly persists in following his character’s storyline. For example, stealthily slipping out of the house to ‘seek his owner’ in school on a certain day, and so forth.

Needless to say, these events don’t result in the development of loving emotions between the male and female lead. Rather, the sole outcome of Sui Yuan’s actions is Liu Mingzhou deciding to bring him to his workplace from that time onwards, making man and dog seem inseparable!

As for why Liu Mingzhou can bring a pet to school without being reprimanded? It’s because he is the son of this school’s principal. Faced with the author’s blatant leniency towards the male lead, Sui Yuan can only roll his eyes, too lazy to even roast it.

Since the time Liu Mingzhou begins to bring Sui Yuan with him everywhere, in everyone’s eyes, the Samoyed’s owner is Liu Mingzhou and not Wang Yican. Because the latter is now growing closer to Sun Jie, her life has become busy, hands full with maintaining a relationship, completing schoolwork and studying. Therefore, Liu Mingzhou found a chance to purchase Sui Yuan from Wang Yican, officially becoming his owner.

And a very unfortunate Sui Yuan finally reaches adulthood at this moment, experiencing a rut for the first time in his life.

When he first gave into his animal instincts, failing to control himself and circles around a pretty female dog, Liu Mingzhou’s terrifying expression is comparable to the King of Hell’s. Face dark and unsightly, he immediately drags Sui Yuan home, fiercely slamming the door behind him.

Fur standing on end, Sui Yuan curls pitifully in a corner of the living room, stiffening in fright as Liu Mingzhou’s gaze sweeps thoughtfully over his lower half. One thought fills his mind: that he will perhaps experience unmentionable mental trauma and suffer heavily in the near future.

Laying lazily on top of a high cabinet, the Nightmare beast swishes its tail in anticipation as it watches a good play unfolding below. The Crystal beast immediately hops over to Sui Yuan’s side, attempting to conceal its master behind its several-times-smaller body and obstruct Liu Mingzhou’s sight. It’s a shame that such an act is futile from the very beginning.

“I’ll take you to the clinic, or you control yourself better. Pick one,” Liu Mingzhou states softly as he squats down before Sui Yuan, his shadow enveloping the dog in a mildly threatening loom.

Sui Yuan wags his tail twice, expressing his determination in picking the second choice. He believes that as long as the threat of castration is hanging over his head, he will certainly be able to suppress his doggy instincts! At worst…at worst, he will remain at home and lessen the period of time he spends outside. And if he smells a female dog, he will definitely run the opposite way immediately! He wouldn’t even entertain the thought of taking one step closer!

Liu Mingzhou’s expression lightens. Reaching out to pull the cheeping Crystal beast to one side, he tugs on the collar around Sui Yuan’s neck, making the dog pad closer to him.

Now more than a year old, the Samoyed has already reached full maturity. Hence, one cannot lift it up and hold it in their arms whenever they please like before, which is a tad regretful for Liu Mingzhou, as in this world, he is a mere human man with no gifts of extraordinary strength or the like.

Wrapping his arms around Sui Yuan’s furry neck, he scratches the top of the dog’s head. “This is your final chance.”

Shaking off Liu Mingzhou’s loose hold, Sui Yuan raises up on his hind legs, placing his front paws on the man’s shoulders and proceeds to lick his face enthusiastically as payback. As Liu Mingzhou is momentarily taken back, he throws most of his bodyweight forward, succeeding in knocking the half-kneeling man off-balance.

With a large dog on his chest, pinning him to the soft rug covering the floor, Liu Mingzhou looks particularly vulnerable. Glasses slightly askew, one can clearly see the gentle smile in his black pupils. Sui Yuan’s mind blanks and he lowers his head, using his wet, pink tongue to lick the man’s lips, cheek, neck and collarbone. Only until his brain kick-starts again does he realise Liu Mingzhou’s clothes is now in disarray due to his actions, and he has been rubbing his lower body against a jean-clad thigh all this while.

……Shit!!

Sui Yuan’s doggy mind collapses as soon as he becomes aware of his actions. Rut period is too savage! Having this urge when faced with a female dog is still all right since they are the same type of animal, but why did he expose such shameful behaviours even in front of Liu Mingzhou?!

Seeing the dog on his chest freeze mid-motion, shell-shock and despair surfacing in the Samoyed’s dark eyes, Liu Minzhou, who was ‘taken advantage of’ by his beloved pet merely smiles. Curling an arm around the dog’s neck, he leans forward and speaks quietly next to a pointed ear. “Really want to kill you…”

Sui Yuan has no doubts this sentence is authentic!

After saying that, he pats Sui Yuan’s stiff flank, hinting for him to get off. Sui Yuan moves without the slightest hesitation, a gloomy aura wrapped around him. However, before he can take one step away, he is hauled back by a hand hooked in his collar. Thus, Sui Yuan can only renounce his plan to crouch in a corner and reflect on his terrible behaviour, laying down obediently next to Liu Mingzhou.

“Actually, I have been looking through quite a bit of material recently.” Liu Mingzhou lifts a hand to stroke Sui Yuan’s fur. After devoting so much time and effort tending to him, Sui Yuan’s snow-white fur is fluffy and soft, appearing impossibly sleek and perfect. Anyone who sees it will inwardly praise that this Samoyed is extremely beautiful. There were quite a few instances where owners of other dogs ‘propositioned’ Sui Yuan to be a sperm-donor, but they were all unceremoniously refused by Liu Mingzhou.

…Objectively speaking, Sui Yuan is the most handsome stud in the dog world. As long as he is willing, Sui Yuan will be able to find many females willing to carry his pups during his rut periods. This way, he doesn’t have to repress his sexual instincts and unconsciously make a move on Liu Mingzhou.

Naturally, Sui Yuan is still unable to completely immerse himself in the role of a dog and bring himself touch other female dogs that way…

Tilting his head, Sui Yuan watches silently as Liu Mingzhou retrieves a laptop from the low table, placing it on his lap and open a folder. Full of curiosity, Sui Yuan stares at the screen as a succession on txt files reveal numerous video clips. One close look at the names of these clips cause Sui Yuan’s eyeballs to explode! Thoroughly shocked, he snaps his head around to pin the smiling Liu Mingzhou with an incredulous gaze. He can’t help but wish he could claw out his inquisitive heart as his eyes unconsciously drift back to the monitor.

Sui Yuan: “……”

“Human’s imagination can be so warped it honestly leaves me speechless. Man x animal, animal x man. Of course, I have already deleted those in the latter category,” Liu Mingzhou says, still all smiles even as he laments over his pet’s body being tensed and stiff, obviously shocked silly.

The fact that you initiatively look this up leaves me speechless! Sui Yuan feels that his three views hasn’t been toppled this time. Rather, it’s been annihilated and ground to dust. But perhaps he is not the only victim here, for he speculates that Liu Mingzhou also experienced the same thing…

“……According to my vows, I will absolutely not say a single bad word about him ever again,” 5237’s voice is extremely desolate and withered. Afterwards, it waves its arm a little, stealthily copying the folder from Liu Mingzhou’s laptop.

– It is simply thirsty for new knowledge! Really! This is all for research purposes!

Sui Yuan shifts a little uneasily, feeling that remaining at Liu Mingzhou’s side would be perilous to his health. Although he is well-aware enduring a strong desire and restraining oneself from acting on it is something not everyone is capable of – like him failing to repress his instincts during his first rut ordeal – he absolutely doesn’t want to touch anything pertaining to those intense contents in the file!

“Do you want to try? I’ve researched it already. Everything in this file should be in line with reality, so it is safe to practise with,” Liu Mingzhou’s tone is teasing, but cares a trace of seriousness within.

Making a firm decision, Sui Yuan shakes off his arm, turning around and fleeing to the corner of the living room as far away from Liu Mingzhou as possible. Sitting upright on his hunches, he stares fixedly at the elegant, beast-like man sitting before the computer.

Liu Mingzhou doesn’t move, merely closing the laptop, returning Sui Yuan’s cautious look with a patient and helpless one. The silence stretches for a short moment, then he chuckles lightly. “All right, enough. There’s no need to be so nervous. I was only joking.”

Sui Yuan remains taciturn, not relaxing in the slightest.

“So long as you are unwilling, I will not force you.” Liu Mingzhou’s smile vanishes, replaced by a solemn, serious tone. Probably sensing Sui Yuan is still very tense, he doesn’t try approaching. “I promise.”

Slowly, Sui Yuan’s bunched muscles loosen slightly, but doesn’t move from his spot.

“Everything I said just now is not to disrespect you, but I simply wanted to tell you…I want you very much. This desire cannot be restrained no matter how much I wish to. Even if you are a dog in this world, I still like you.” A restless sigh escapes his lips. “I like you so much I even went and look up things I abhorred before, chaotic thoughts running through my mind like a pervert. I sincerely thought about killing you too. That way, I can put an end to my suffering and enter the next world quickly…”

Sui Yuan fidgets restlessly. Although Liu Mingzhou’s words fill him with horror, it doesn’t invoke disgust or loathing, which leaves him feeling quite confused.

“I will respect you and will restrain myself so I never do anything untoward to you. Equally, I cannot bring myself to kill you, so…” Liu Mingzhou trails off.

Sui Yuan’s ears can’t help perking up in interest.

“Just like you experiencing your first rut upon maturing, I am the same whenever I am around you. I have already endured for more than a year – in no way am I living a happier life than you are right now.” A faint smile curves his lips again, pupils dark but gentle. “Therefore, even if it’s difficult, we can overcome this obstacle together. I am willing to wait until we enter the next world.”

Sui Yuan: “……”

Brother, concluding such an intense, hefty topic with such optimistic words…is it really not a problem?!

“All right, let’s end the talk here today.” Liu Mingzhou exhales heavily, standing up slowly so as to avoid startling Sui Yuan.

Due to his form-fitting jeans, the bulge in his pants is rather obvious when he stands. Evidently, Sui Yuan’s actions just now managed to spark his flames, and said fire has yet to be extinguished up until now. Sui Yuan follows the man with his eyes as he enters the bathroom and closes the door. Tilting his head in puzzlement, Sui Yuan silently wonders what Liu Mingzhou is doing in there. Nonetheless, he quickly loses interest and rests his head on his front paws, feeling an oddly warm sensation flooding his being.

Ignorance is truly a blessing. But thanks to a certain someone, Sui Yuan is forcefully compelled to leave his ‘foolish ignorance’ and ‘childhood innocence’ behind. Now, he has to step into the adult world and share in their various concerns…

---

The author has something to say: I’m wrong! Never will I declare that I am a clean, innocent writer!

…Bloody hell, I was very serious in making this arc pure fluff ah! But the story got out of hand and I couldn’t rein it in! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

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IANEWtbaSML 5.6

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Chapter 5.6

Sui Yuan is treated like a valued guest in Liu Mingzhou’s house, with the Crystal beast as a playmate; the Nightmare beast as an occasional rival for affection and Liu Mingzhou’s wholehearted doting. Despite it all, Sui Yuan still lost quite a lot of weight, appearing extremely wan and sallow. Still, this shocking transformation does keep in line with his ‘recovery from a grave illness’ act.

No matter how badly Liu Mingzhou might want to take the Samoyed for his own, he has no choice but to acknowledge the dog has another legal owner. After refusing to allow an anxious Wang Yican to see her beloved pet for the third or fourth time, he has to compromise eventually. Thus, he relents, giving her permission to visit his house and take a look at Sui Yuan.

Placing the phone down, Liu Mingzhou glances at the Nightmare and Crystal beast, giving them a single command. “A guest is coming, disguise yourselves as an ordinary cat and rabbit.”

The Nightmare beast swishes its tail reluctantly while the Crystal beast’s long ears tremble faintly. Nonetheless, no matter how much they might oppose it, the two spirit pets obediently follows his order. Evidently, they have already cowered to his authority after interacting with him for a long while, neither daring to throw a tantrum.

Watching as the Crystal beast’s long tail morphs into a bobtail, Sui Yuan sidles up ‘inquisitively’, tugging on the fluffy ball lightly with a paw. Raising his head, he meets Liu Mingzhou’s gaze only for the latter to beam brightly, dark eyes expressing “is it very amusing to continue acting?” clear as day. Sui Yuan deflates instantly, turning his head away in a huff and presenting his butt to the man.

Every day upon waking up, he will always be faced with this man lying in wait, intending on catching Sui Yuan’s pigtails. This pressure he feels is far from ordinary. If he continues down this frightening path, he is certain a nervous breakdown wouldn’t be far away!

Therefore, when Wang Yican arrives at Liu Mingzhou’s house, Sui Yuan becomes so emotionally moved, welcoming her passionately as though she is the Saviour. Throwing himself in her arms with a whine, he licks her face and wags his tail enthusiastically, exerting all his strength to display his hope that his owner will take him home.

Seeing her beloved pet so spirited, Wang Yican can get rid of the weight in her heart at last. Even though Little Snow lost some weight, it is a lot better seeing him so spirited compared to the half-dead state he was in that night. All Wang Yican feels for Liu Mingzhou is deep-seated gratitude.

Watching the loving interaction between Sui Yuan and Wang Yican with cool, calm eyes, the corners of Liu Mingzhou’s mouth is pulled up in a faint smile. However, this smile is piercing and appears somewhat sharp. Naturally, Wang Yican is able to sense this gaze on her, causing her to turn towards her teacher embarrassedly. Due to her joy in seeing her pet again, she was lacking in manners and hurriedly apologises for her poor conduct.

“Many thanks, Teacher Liu, I’ve never seen Little Snow being so lively before!”

“Samoyed dogs require the companionship of their owners,” Liu Mingzhou replies, smile still in place. Stooping down, he rubs the top of Sui Yuan’s head gently, a trace of reproach in his tone. “Since you regularly leave him alone at home, he naturally becomes downcast and can’t bring himself to be active.”

Sui Yuan: …This liar can really spout nonsense without thinking!

Wang Yican startles in alarm, recalling that no matter if she is going to school or on school holiday, she indeed leaves Sui Yuan at home frequently. She can’t help lowering her eyes to stare at the snow-white dog, dark pupils remorseful.

“It’s reasonable to say that as a senior high school student living alone and swarmed with schoolwork like yourself is not suitable to rear pet dogs.” Picking up on Wang Yican’s wavering heart, Liu Mingzhou follows up his victory with another attack. “Not only will it influence your grades by distracting you from your studies, it will cause the young dog to lack care and attention. Presently, your circumstance is still all right. But once you reach your second and third year? Did you think about this?”

“Then…then what should I do?” Small amounts of panic seep into her heart. She can reduce the amount of time she spends going out with friends during the holidays to accompany her pet, but vacation is almost over, so she cannot do anything but leave Sui Yuan at home by himself. What’s even more terrible is there will be revision classes in the evening when she enters the second year, and in the third year, she will most likely board in school. Thinking up until here, Wang Yican feels she wasn’t very responsible when she bought this Samoyed from the store a year ago. It’s just that she fell in love at first sight with the puppy and didn’t consider too far ahead about whether or not she is well-prepared to undertake the duty as an owner of another living being.

As the girl squirms in discomfort, seeking help from him, Liu Mingzhou smiles soothingly, having already manipulated her emotions so his desired outcome will be reached. “What should be done ah…? In the off-chance you don’t have the energy to take care of him, just leave him here with me. I have a cat and a rabbit, but lack a dog.”

“Really?!” Wang Yican perks up instantly, then hesitates. “In this case…would it be an inconvenience to you?”

“No in the slightest.” He reaches over to lift Sui Yuan from her arms, cradling the dog close to his chest and kissing his forehead fondly. “I really like Little Snow. Sometimes, I think how good it would be if he is living in my home.”

A surge of jealousy suddenly hits Wang Yican when she sees the practised interaction between Sui Yuan and her teacher, as though her beloved is being coveted by another and said beloved is about to run away with him. Still, this idea is rather laughable when one has second thoughts about it – isn’t it natural that her pet will be closer to someone who devotes so much attention to it than its irresponsible owner?

Of course, while this is to partially persuade herself, Wang Yican still want to show that she is a good owner who is very concerned about her dog. “That’s right, Teacher Liu, I have already made an appointment with the pet clinic to do a full-body check-up for Little Snow, and see if he has recovered fully. What do you think?”

“Check-up?” Liu Mingzhou freezes, glancing down at Sui Yuan, whose attention remains firmly on the girl even if he is in the man’s arms. A mildly odd smile curves his lips. “Of course, it is necessary. Just in case there are any lingering side-effects from the medicine.”

Obtaining Liu Mingzhou’s permission, Wang Yican smiles happily. “I see Little Snow is more or less recovered, so may I bring him back home with me now?”

“Let me drive you home.” Liu Mingzhou nods, setting Sui Yuan on the floor before throwing on a coat and grabbing his car keys, gesturing for Wang Yican to head out the door.

Sticking close to the girl’s side, Sui Yuan’s heart palpitates excitedly as soon as he sets foot outside the lair of the demon Liu Mingzhou. All he has to do is wait for his full-body check-up to be done, proving he is sound of health, then he can return home with Wang Yican. Is there a finer matter compared to this?

Thus, on the whole journey there, Sui Yuan is in very high spirits. Even the wretched, reluctant look on the Crystal beast’s furry face doesn’t dampen his mood. The only consolidation Sui Yuan gives it is a prominent, apologetic expression.

Seated in the passenger seat, Wang Yican and Liu Mingzhou’s conversation topic never strays from Sui Yuan. Did he give Teacher any difficulties at home these few days? Are there any other pointers to better take care of Samoyeds? And so on. Like a good teacher he is meant to portray, Liu Mingzhou patiently answers each of his student’s questions. But from time to time, the glances he shoots towards Sui Yuan causes the dog’s scalp to go numb, as though the former is pondering over some strange affairs that wouldn’t bode well for the latter.

Like this, in the gradually escalating atmosphere of tense excitement, the car arrives outside the clinic. As Wang Yican talked to the vet over the phone, they are naturally aware Sui Yuan’s grave illness came from catching a cold, so without asking unnecessary questions, the doctor begins to examine Sui Yuan carefully.

Sui Yuan acts like a clever and compliant dog, putting up only the minimum expected resistance when the vet extracts a sample of his blood. Occasionally, he will also act stupid under Liu Mingzhou’s sharp gaze. Due to his well-behaved act, the doctor repeatedly praises him for being docile and obedient – up until said person takes out a mercury thermometer to take his body’s temperature.

Lying on his stomach, Sui Yuan stares at the thermometer in the vet’s hand as they sterilize it, wiping the narrow tip down with Vaseline. It is here that an abrupt sense of bad things to follow arises involuntarily.

“Who is the dog’s owner? Would you mind helping me secure his head and forelimbs to the table? I would like you to both soothe him and ensure he doesn’t move around too much,” The doctor says mildly, glancing between Wang Yican and Liu Mingzhou.

Wang Yican promptly walks forward, following the vet’s request and holding Sui Yuan’s upper body down, placating him with soft, reassuring words. But Sui Yuan is not the least bit comforted as he fixes his eyes on the vet, alarm bells going off in his mind, watching the stranger come to a halt behind him and lifting up his tail.

– Ple – please let me off!!

When the ice-cold tip of the thermometer touches the skin beneath his tail, Sui Yuan’s doggy-mind descends into disarray, subconsciously beginning to struggle. Unprepared for this sudden movement, Wang Yican’s thin arms fail to hold him down. Without giving her any time to recover, Sui Yuan throws her hands off.

The Sui Yuan who absolutely refuses to be poked in the arse – moreover, in the arse by a thermometer!! – doesn’t dare believe humankind is capable of doing such wretched things to a pure and innocent dog! In a public place, in broad daylight, under the gazes of multiple people! Regaining his freedom, Sui Yuan is about to jump down from the table to the floor when he is scooped up by Liu Mingzhou, who has already prepared himself for this possibility.

Believing it is because of her inadequate actions, Wang Yican apologises repeatedly to the doctor, coming forward with the intention of placing her dog back onto the table. However, this time, Sui Yuan refuses to be docile any longer. After fighting Liu Mingzhou’s firm grip for a while, he comes to realise the man doesn’t plan on handing him over. Reassured, he burrows further into Liu Mingzhou’s embrace, hiding his face in the crook of an arm, leaving Wang Yican to stare helplessly at his back.

The Liu MIngzhou who sullenly watched owner and pet being all lovey-dovey in the car is now filled with smug satisfaction as he pats the frightened dog consolingly. Under the two imploring gazes from Sui Yuan and Wang Yican, he chuckles and finally speaks, “Since Little Snow is unwilling, let’s skip rectal thermometry. It would be very dangerous for him if the thermometer is inserted and he struggles too much. Who knows, it might break and be stuck inside. How about taking his underarm temperature instead?”

“Thermometer inserted…”, “stuck inside…” and a few other words enter Sui Yuan’s ears, causing his fur to stand on end. He never knew that being a dog will still force him to encounter such awful things. No, he should say because he is now a dog, these things sound more dreadful than ever!

Reaching adulthood and going into rut will result in castration, falling ill requires a thermometer to be inserted in the rectum…it’s more terrifying being a dog than a human! Humans can fool around with each other all year round without facing the threat of castration! Catching a cold will not require taking temperature by inserting something down there! At this very moment, Sui Yuan can’t help the rising sense of resentment towards humans. He reckons deciding to play the role of a dog is the worst choice he made in his entire life! Worse than anything he experienced before!

5237: “Yiyiyiyi…I made a terrible mistake……light a candle, light a candle, light a candle…”

With Liu Mingzhou interceding on his behalf, Sui Yuan successfully escapes the rectal temperature examination. When he is carried out of the clinic, he appears listless like a limp eggplant, soul already half-expelled from his body due to suffering a heavy strike.

After helping Wang Yican open the passenger’s side door, Liu Mingzhou climbs into the driver’s seat with Sui Yuan held close to his body. As he strokes the snow-white fur, he murmurs lowly, “Now you know how frightening it is for someone with a human’s conscience to be trapped in the body of a dog? Especially when your owner doesn’t know you have the mind of a human, and treats you like an ordinary animal.”

Liu Mingzhou’s fingers worm their way to his chin, lightly scratching the spot there and tilting his head up so their eyes meet. “You ought to know who is the best choice for you, am I right?”

– If you don’t choose me, you will be castrated!

– If you don’t choose me, I will take you back to have your temperature taken again!

This close to each other, Sui Yuan can read every thought that flashes through Liu Mingzhou’s eyes, and every warning bellied beneath the seemingly gentle smile.

Please…quit…it… QAQ

Silently lights a candle for himself…

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IANEWtbaSML 5.5

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Chapter 5.5

On the way back to Liu Mingzhou’s house, Sui Yuan and 5237 spend the entire time debating on whether or not his identity has been exposed, or if Liu Mingzhou is trying to sound him out. Sui Yuan bets on the former, but 5237 perseveres to stick with the belief it is the latter no matter how many reasons Sui Yuan comes up with to persuade his system otherwise.

In any case, it doesn’t really matter if it is the former or the latter, because Sui Yuan has already set his heart to pretend until the very end. If that becomes impossible…then…we’ll talk about it when we reach that step…

Liu Mingzhou’s frame of mind is evidently extremely good. Parking his car in the garage, he carries Sui Yuan and strolls up to the door, smiling at him as he turns the key in the lock.

In the capacity of a ‘Campus Romance’ plot’s male lead, Liu Mingzhou’s family is apparently very well-off. His house is filled with especially high-end, fashionable furniture, and the interior is a classy, expensive and tasteful design. Placed on the soft, velvety sofa in the living room, Sui Yuan becomes somewhat stiff, unwilling to explore in case he knocks something over. Glancing around, he finally notices the black cat sprawled lazily over the other arm of the sofa.

…For some reason, doesn’t this black cat look rather familiar?

Seeing Sui Yuan, this unexpected guest, the black cat’s golden eyes narrow slightly, carrying a measure of arrogance and disdain. Seizing the dog up after a short moment, the cat gets to its feet, padding gracefully over and circling once around him. Like a queen inspecting her troops, the cat stops beside Sui Yuan, then lifts a lithe paw and steps directly on his head.

Blatantly bullied by the cat, Sui Yuan’s fur instantly puffs out in annoyance. Low growls rumbling in his throat, he flings the paw away with a flick of his head. But the other animal is not the least bit afraid. Instead, sharp, shiny claws are revealed as though determined to let Sui Yuan know who the boss here is.

A standoff occurs between cat and dog, the thick tension brewing signals a fight that can explode at any moment. When Liu Mingzhou emerges from the kitchen, the first scene he sees is this tensed spectacle.

Lips thinning, he barks, “Ah Yan!”

The black cat startles, head whipping around to glance back at Liu Mingzhou. Its ears flatten slightly, putting in a great effort to prove its innocence. A pity that its owner’s heart is biased, for Liu Mingzhou quickly steps forward and picks the cat up by the back of its neck, carelessly tossing it away from the Samoyed.

Fortunately, the tiles are covered by a soft, thick carpet, and the cat’s reflexes are top-notch. Flipping a couple of times through the air, it lands nimbly on its feet, not a single whisker out of place. Its golden eyes watch attentively as its master cradles Sui Yuan gently to his chest, placing a bowl filled with low fat cow’s milk in front of the dog. Being an intelligent creature, it understands it absolutely cannot provoke the dog as long as Liu Mingzhou is in the vicinity. Swishing its tail resentfully, the black cat turns its head haughtily and walks away.

Curled up in Liu Mingzhou’s embrace, Sui Yuan absent-mindedly laps the milk from the bowl, still keeping an eye on the departing cat.

“Its name is Ah Yan,” Liu Mingzhou says meaningfully as he strokes Sui Yuan’s fur. “Surely Little Snow recognises it, right?”

Sui Yuan: “……”

“I didn’t expect him to bring his Nightmare beast over!” 5237 is utterly amazed.

Naturally, Sui Yuan is more astonished than his system. “Is it possible to take living animals with you from one world into another?”

“Of course. But it does cost quite a considerable amount of points to do so,” 5237 stage-whispers, not bothering to hide his disdain for this local tyrant’s way of handling things. “He truly has too many points in his hands that he doesn’t know how to spend it!”

“The Nightmare beast has been brought over…makes me wonder how Ah Li is doing.” Sui Yuan feels a little despondent, as though he has lost something constant in his life. After all, having lived together for so long in the previous world – and being accustomed to the Crystal beast’s innate gift of acting cute – Sui Yuan sincerely loves it from the bottom of his heart. However, he never thought he would be able to bring his spirit pet together with him when he left that world. Nevertheless, even if he wanted to his meagre points is not enough.

Because he has been sick for the entire day, he hasn’t had the chance to eat anything. Now that he has fully recovered, the first reaction is naturally hunger. Licking the bowl of milk clean, he still feels unsatisfied.

Sui Yuan has never gone hungry before ever since his creation, so he automatically turns famished eyes on Liu Mingzhou as the man takes the bowl into the kitchen, hoping he will bring more food out to fill his stomach. As expected, Liu Mingzhou doesn’t disappoint him – only, Sui Yuan can clearly see the evil intentions lurking in the man’s eyes.

“…Will dogs avoid eating half of their owner’s meal?” Sui Yuan inquires 5237 as he stares unwaveringly at the half-eaten ham sausage.

“……Most probably not,” 5237 replies stiffly.

Wagging his tail weakly, Sui Yuan has no choice but to come down from the sofa and sidle up to Liu Mingzhou, snatching the remaining ham sausage from his hand and gobbling it up.

“Little Snow is really obedient,” Liu Mingzhou flashes a satisfied smile as he rubs Sui Yuan’s head. Following that, he carries the dog in his arms and half-lays down on the sofa, with Sui Yuan settled comfortably on his chest.

A sudden surge of indignation rises in Sui Yuan’s heart, resenting the fact that he is growing so slowly. Wait until he has fully reached adulthood…hehehe…this position will definitely allow him to crush Liu Mingzhou’s chest then!

Wriggling around uneasily with the intention of leaping down to the floor, his movements are restricted by a firm arm wrapped around his middle. Incapable of throwing it off, Sui Yuan decides to switch tactics to express his dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, Liu Mingzhou dangles another ham sausage before his nose, easily drawing his full attention.

From the most basic necessities to the most extravagant luxuries, everything Liu Mingzhou purchases is of the highest quality. So it comes as no surprise with the ham sausage’s meat is fresh, tender and delicious. One cannot make out any traces of starch when chewing on it. It is extremely enticing to…this dog. In addition, smelling this fragrance on an empty stomach, he immediately recalls the taste of it from the small portion before. Sui Yuan’s can’t help salivating, inching closer to the food, sniffing it thoroughly – the damned base instincts of a dog cannot be overcome!

Seeing Sui Yuan take the bait, Liu Mingzhou’s faint smile grows into a more cheerful one. Then, he places one end of the sausage in his mouth, holding it between his teeth. Sui Yuan is momentarily stunned by the action.

He has a mind to turn his head away, displaying stubborn integrity, but the aroma that wafts to his nose and assaults his brain is too irresistible. Sui Yuan’s brain short-circuits for a brief moment. When he becomes clear-headed once more, he realises his body moved on its own, snatching away half the sausage from Liu Mingzhou’s mouth. He is also mortified by the fact that his doggie brain made him lick the man’s mouth in the process.

Sui Yuan really feels his dog body is faulty!

And Liu Mingzhou! Treating a dog like this! What kind of sadist are you?!

“……Hai…your acting is really not too shabby. If you continue displaying this sort of attitude, I feel Liu Mingzhou will probably come to believe you are really just a simple dog,” 5237 says drily, the slightly mocking tone beneath conveyed clearly in its words.

Sui Yuan: “……”

“All right, that’s enough, stop with the thunder-struck expression It’s not as if you two haven’t kissed before,” 5237 sighs, tone softening a tad to comfort its partner.

“But that and this are two different circumstances!” Sui Yuan weeps, valiantly trying not to have too big of a mental breakdown.

Whether it is due to abandoning himself to despair, or planning to conform to his identity as a dog to get away with it – or maybe it’s a combination of both? – Sui Yuan, who has already discarded his dignity, starts to transition smoothly into a dumb house pet.

At last, with his stomach filled, Sui Yuan is somewhat inattentive, not rebelling the slightest when Liu Mingzhou arranges him so he is standing upright, braced against the man’s body. Hind legs on his laps, front paws on his chest and chin on shoulder, Sui Yuan licks his lips absently, savouring the last traces of the delicious sausage. Liu Mingzhou supports the dog with one hand, the other slowly stroking continuously from neck to back. After a period of silence, Liu Mingzhou opens his mouth, tone a little contemplative, “If you insist on maintaining this attitude, it is actually not too bad.”

Sui Yuan stiffens, turning his head slightly to study that pair of pitch-black pupils.

“You can only comply with my requests, rely on me, stay by my side. Compared to when you are in a human’s body, you are much more obedient like this.”

Sui Yuan expresses……he doesn’t understand what this human is saying… →_→

“Of course, where there are advantages, disadvantages will also exist,” Liu Mingzhou chuckles lightly, the complicated but undoubtedly dangerous glint in his eyes from before vanishing. The hand patting Sui Yuan stops at the root of his tail, as though hinting towards something obscure. “No matter how much I may like you, it’s very difficult to create ‘sexual interest’ in a dog ah. I’m not so perverted I will try bestiality.”

Sui Yuan: Are you sure you’re not that perverted?! Considering this topic to such an extent should be counted as being perverted, right?!

Looking at the once more puffed-out fur and wary gaze as though facing an enemy, Liu Mingzhou finally decides to show temporary mercy and stop pursuing this matter for the time being. Getting up, he wanders over to the bathroom and pulls the door open, placing Sui Yuan down on the tiled floor. Pointing with a finger to the corner arranged specifically for a dog’s business, he says, “Wang Yican always talks about how clever you are, able to remember everything after being showed how to do it once, and will never make a mistake after. I assume you wouldn’t make mistakes you ought not to during your stay here, am I right?”

Standing stiffly in the middle of the bathroom, Sui Yuan deeply regrets unprofessionally revealing such intelligence, all in order to wriggle into the female lead’s good graces. He had been considering if he should learn to display some genuine mannerisms of typical dogs, like occasionally making mistakes here and there. However, this train of thought is quickly dispelled by Liu Mingzhou’s words.

“Just in case you err, don’t blame me for giving in and being perverted for a while.” Liu Mingzhou’s smile is exceptionally good-natured…and carries a trace of anticipation. This really makes all his hair stand on end as he shudders in dread.

Sui Yuan: “…… QAQ”

According to Liu Mingzhou’s view, one should take care of their business before heading to bed. However, under Liu Mingzhou’s hawk-like stare, an embarrassed Sui Yuan simply cannot bring himself to empty his bladder. Like this, man and dog engage in a deadlock for a whole five minutes. In the end, it is the man who initiatively retreats a step, probably acknowledging he cannot push Sui Yuan too far. If the other is forced to the point of disregarding everything to rebel against him, then things will definitely sour between them.

Once again leaning down to carry Sui Yuan up, Liu Mingzhou gently helps him groom his fur, patiently running a brush up and down his body. With Sui Yuan’s long, show-white fur sleek and pretty now, Liu Mingzhou carries him to the bedroom.

It is here that Sui Yuan spots the Crystal beast he was thinking about not too long ago.

Huddling in on itself, the white beast appears somewhat dispirited and wan. With its long, fluffy tail hidden beneath the blanket, it looks no different from a regular bunny. Registering a new presence on the bed, the Crystal beast merely glance at Sui Yuan lazily, clearly not in the mood to do anything else. On the other hand, Sui Yuan subconsciously inches closer, then hesitates.

…Should he refrain from displaying such familiar attitude?

Seeing Sui Yuan dithering, undecided, Liu Mingzhou takes it upon himself to nudge him towards the Crystal beast, pushing the two white furballs nearer together and says coaxingly, “This little thing became very downcast as soon as its master left. In the case of Crystal beasts, without its master, it is very difficult for them to survive. Although I brought it with me to give you a nice surprise, if it continues to be unable to find its master, it might die after a few days. Truly pitiful.”

Somewhat anxious, Sui Yuan whimpers lowly. Ultimately, he no longer cares about avoiding anything that will expose his identity. Shuffling closer cautiously, he sticks out his tongue and licks the tip of his spirit pet’s nose.

The Crystal beast shrinks back slightly, but doesn’t actively moves out of reach. That pair of red eyes are wide, round with shock as it stares at Sui Yuan, apparently harbouring a mixture of doubt and hope. Once it gains Sui Yuan’s ‘goodwill’, it whines and approaches more boldly, sniffing the dog’s body.

When Liu MIngzhou finishes his shower and walks out clad in his nightclothes, the two white furballs are cheerfully playing together on his bed, rolling and bouncing around joyfully. The Crystal beast has lost its previous listlessness, full of vigour and spirit, sticking closely to Sui Yuan’s side, refusing to leave. On Sui Yuan’s side, he sacrifices his dignity for a while, acting like the dog he appears to be and accompanying the rabbit-like creature to play.

Compared with the lively pair of animals, the Nightmare beast, who slipped into the bedroom at some point, maintains its noble bearing as it leaps agilely into its small, exclusive nest. Settling down gracefully with front paws crossed before it, the black cat watches them with contempt.

Liu Mingzhou laughs lightly, scooping Sui Yuan into his arms, before chasing the reluctant-to-part Crystal beast down from the bed. Laying down, he turns slightly to flick off the bedside lamp.

“Goodnight.” Leaning over, Liu Mingzhou kisses Sui Yuan’s forehead.

“……Arf,” Sui Yuan answers a little reluctantly. Circling the mattress once, he relies on his base instincts to find the cosiest spot to rest. In the end, he curls up on the pillow between Liu Mingzhou’s neck and shoulder, then closes his eyes.

He doesn’t know if it is because he is now in the body of a dog, but Sui Yuan feels the scent wafting off Liu Mingzhou makes him feel very at ease. On the other hand, Liu Mingzhou feels that the warm, fluffy body brushing his cheek and neck is especially intimate, filling in the void in his heart. Even if the other is now a dog, an inconceivable sort of sensation like “he’s the one!” rings all the more clearer through his soul.

– Without a doubt, even if Sui Yuan is now an animal, he is still able to find him.

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IANEWtbaSML 5.4

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Chapter 5.4

Temporarily succeeding in breaking away from the crisis, Sui Yuan can only shed hot tears for his fellow dog’s fate. After the final exams ended, Adrienne was brought to the vet clinic by its owner and underwent the castration operation. The poor husky seemed to wither, its spirit at the lowest point possible after its return. While sighing with sorrow on the husky’s behalf, he ensures to be more cordial and obedient in front of Wang Yican. Of course, he also dare not to ‘offend’ the very person whom Wang Yican always listens to and obey, Liu Mingzhou. Even if the man pats and plays with him as though he is a large plushie, Sui Yuan doesn’t hesitate to conform to that guy’s wishes. He is afraid that should Liu Mingzhou be displeased, he will raise the issue of castration again…

Wang Yican’s scores for her exams were not bad, hence, the sense of worship she has for Liu Mingzhou has increased another notch. And through their regular revisions during the period before the finals, the relationship between these two have eased into friendship, changing them from student and teacher to friends. It is not surprising that Liu Mingzhou remains a frequent visitor to Wang Yican’s house even after the finals are over.

As her parents are both working away from home, Wang Yican has long gotten used to living alone, so she is naturally a good cook. Being single, Liu Mingzhou will occasionally accept her welcoming invitation to stay for a meal during one of his visits to her house. As for Sun Jie, he comes over whenever he can. Only, since both his parents are in the country, he has to return for dinner every day, and can’t help feeling jealous that Liu Mingzhou has the opportunity to taste her homemade cooking while he doesn’t.

In order to seize the attention of the girl he likes, Sun Jie will always call Wang Yican out to play during the school holidays, whether it be theme parks, cinemas, gaming arcades… As long as it is a place where teens can be entertained for an entire day, they would have gone there at least once, giving anyone who sees them the feeling that they are an established couple.

Although he has never harboured hope for Liu Mingzhou and Wang Yican’s relationship to cross the friend zone as according to the plot, Sui Yuan still worries a lot over the development happening between Wang Yican and Sun Jie. But of course, whatever Liu Mingzhou wants to do is up to him. All Sui Yuan needs to do is ensure his affairs are well taken care of. For example, he has to fall ill when it’s time for him to do so.

In the script, Wang Yican forgot to close the windows in the house before she went out, leaving her dog in the house alone. Being not fully-matured yet, the Samoyed dog couldn’t quite withstand the chilly air and caught a cold, falling sick that very night. However, Wang Yican is inexperienced and didn’t know how to nurse the dog back to health, causing its sickness to worsen.

That night, it was already pretty late, so the pet clinic near her house is already closed. At a loss for what to do, Wang Yican was on the verge of frustrated, anxious tears. With no other alternative, she can only call the one adult she is familiar with, Liu MIngzhou, for assistance. A compassionate man who has done a bit of research on pets, Liu Mingzhou immediately rushes over to tend to her dog, eventually stabilising its illness and making their relationship grow even closer.

Despite being an independent girl, Wan Yican is still a young girl under the age of eighteen, who thirsts for an adult to show care and concern. Liu Mingzhou’s appearance fills this gap in her heart, causing her to gradually depend on him, growing closer emotionally. As time passes, this intimacy borne from friendship develops into love.

Suffice to say, the crucial point for their growth in affection all hinges on a dog. This pet is the catalyst for the start of their romance.

“……So cold. Are you sure this will only result in me falling ill and wouldn’t cause my death?” Sui Yuan stand straight on all fours before the wide open window, allowing the chilly breeze sweeping through the house to ruffle his fur. Unable to endure any longer, he sneezes heavily, breaking the noble image his sleek looking appearance induces.

While he is no stranger to mutilating oneself for the sake of the storyline’s progression, this is the first time he doesn’t have everything grasped properly in his hands. There are unknown factors at work now, and he is certain not everything is under control. He is still unfamiliar with the inner workings of a dog’s body, after all. On top of that, reading the descriptive passage about the worsening illness the original Samoyed has to go through makes Sui Yuan worry that he might accidentally overstep his current capabilities and consequently lose his little life.

“…There probably shouldn’t be too big of a problem?” 5237 hovers by Sui Yuan’s side, trying to comfort him. “Relax, I still have the bottle of Jade Pearl pills that you did not finish in the last world. In case anything happens and you can’t pull through, I will feed one of them to you. Although this body is that of an ordinary dog and will therefore not increase your strength or power, it is still guaranteed to cure all illness!”

Recalling said pill was able to rescue a mortally wounded Shao Peiyuan from certain death in the last world, Sui Yuan’s heart finally settles down.

When Wang Yican bids Sun Jie farewell and returns home with a bright smile across her face, Sui Yuan has already achieved his wish after being blown by the cold wind for the entire day, laying listlessly on his stomach and looking like he is dying.

Not seeing the Samoyed dog who habitually waits behind the door for her return every day, the grin on Wang Yican’s face instantly freezes, changing into a troubled concern. “Little Snow? Little Snow!”

Sui Yuan lets out a miserable whimper. Following that pathetic sound, Wang Yican finds her beloved pet dog struggling to crawl down from the cushion to welcome her. Despite the dog’s efforts, its body is entirely robbed of all strength, tail waving weakly behind. This image causes an itch in her heart, pity rising involuntarily.

“Little Snow?!” Traces of fear surfaces in Wang Yican’s heart as she dashes over, cautiously drawing Sui Yuan to her bosom. Seeing that pair of hazy, dark eyes, she can’t help sniffing, voice trembling as she fought the urge to cry. “What happened? How did you fall ill?”

Stroking Sui Yuan’s fur, she kisses the top of his head a few times to soothe his discomfort before turning around to take in the entity of her house in an attempt to find what caused her beloved pet to fall sick. It doesn’t take her long to spot that wide-open window.

She remembers opening the window early in the morning in order to let fresh air circulate through the house. However, because of Sun Jie’s urging, she hurriedly rushes out the door and forgot to close the window. Overwhelmed by guilt and self-blame, Wang Yican goes to find a down-filled jacket and wraps it around him, then carry him up, tearing out the door.

She sprints all the way to the vet clinic in the vicinity, only to discover it is already closed. Gasping for breath, Wang Yican hugs Sui Yuan tightly, not knowing what she should do next as they shiver in the cold. Who knows how long later, she eventually takes her phone out dazedly and rings Liu Mingzhou’s number.

Although Wang Yican’s call is unexpected, once Liu Mingzhou hears that her pet dog is ill and the vet clinic has already closed, worry immediately seeps into his voice. After asking for Wang Yican’s exact location, he tells her to find somewhere able to block the chilly wind and wait for him there. He will come over as soon as possible.

At this time, Sui Yuan’s consciousness is already muddled. His body burns hot one moment and cold in the next, and is already finding it difficult to continue updating his system on his body’s condition. 5237 revolves around Wang Yican anxiously, for in case its partner dies from heavy illness in this world, it will surely be penalised too.

Just as one human and one dog are praying for a miracle, Liu Mingzhou arrives in his car.

Seeing him, Wang Yican rushes over, the tears she so valiantly tried to hold back finally bursting forth.

Fretfulness written all over his face, Liu Mingzhou doesn’t say anything further, reaching out to take the warmly-wrapped dog from Wang Yican’s arms. He doesn’t even have the mood to reassure his student, merely signalling for her to quickly get into the car.

Not daring to dally, she promptly slides into the passenger seat, then turns her head just in time to see Liu Mingzhou retrieving a white bottle from somewhere. A small pill is taken out of the bottle and placed into the dog’s mouth. Being particularly trusting of Liu Mingzhou, Wang Yican doesn’t possess the slightest trace of doubt at his actions, simply staring at Sui Yuan and nervously anticipating his reaction.

The fragrance of a Jade Pearl pill is not unknown to Sui Yuan. Even though he doesn’t have the strength to swallow it, the pill dissolves into a stream of warm energy as soon as it is placed in his mouth, flowing down his throat and into his body, removing aches and agony as it goes along. As his strength returns, Sui Yuan shakes his fur slightly and wants to stand up, but his movements are halted by Liu Mingzhou pressing down on his body.

Raising his head, Sui Yuan looks at the man with puzzled eyes, only to see the unsightly expression on Liu Mingzhou’s face. There’s no gratification to be seen, only a trace of hidden threat.

At once, Sui Yuan feels the fur on his body bristle as he tries to throw Liu Mingzhou’s grip off. However, no matter how hard he struggles, it is all in vain. Ultimately, he can only settle in the man’s arms obediently even if he is unclear on what the other guy wants to do.

“Little Snow…how is he?” Wang Yican notices Sui Yuan’s condition has improved a little and inwardly heaves a sigh of relief. Glancing towards the teacher she wholeheartedly trusts, she hopes to receive some good news from his mouth.

The man doesn’t return Sui Yuan to his owner, instead starting the engine of the car and places the dog on his lap, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the pet’s body. “I gave him some medicine so he should be a little better now. But one can’t be too careful. Dogs are weak before their reach adulthood. Owners ought to take better care of them to prevent evitable incidents from happening.”

Wang Yican nods her head repeatedly, shedding tears of gratitude, “Really, thank you so much, Teacher Liu. Fortunately, you arrived on time or else I really wouldn’t know what to do. Perhaps Little Snow…Little Snow would be…”

“He was fine when I saw him yesterday. How did he fall so gravely ill today?” Because he is only driving with one hand, Liu Mingzhou ensures his speed is not too fast, that the ride is as smooth and steady as possible.

Hearing the displeased tone, Wang Yican feels even more remorseful. Fresh tears well in her eyes as she quietly recounts the fact that she forgot to close the window before heading out, leaving her dog in the cold house all alone for an entire day. Liu Mingzhou’s expression becomes more solemn, ending in a dark look that she has never seen before. Ducking her head, she hunches her shoulders, not even daring to breathe too loudly, looking like a kid who made a mistake and was reprimanded by her parents.

With strict reproach substituting the gentle placation and soft appeasement described in the original text, the young sprout of affection growing in the crevices of the female lead’s heart is swiftly strangled. Thus, this one moment causes the relationship between Liu Mingzhou and Wang Yican to become much less complicated. Observing their interactions quietly, Sui Yuan can’t help praising Liu Mingzhou’s ingenious grasping of an opportunity to separate himself from the plot.

According to the author, Liu Mingzhou is someone who loves animals, having extra affection for house pets like cats and dogs. Therefore, the type of people he can’t stand the most is someone who neglects their pets or doesn’t dedicate themselves to the animals’ well-being. In actual fact, Liu Mingzhou’s first impression of the female lead is rather favourable because her shy, obedient nature truly resembles a small animal one can’t help but dote on, and she also cherishes her pet dog very much.

Due to her momentary carelessness, Wang Yican’s dog contracts a serious cold. Logically speaking, Liu Mingzhou shouldn’t be so annoyed. It’s just that in the original text, Liu Mingzhou placed more importance on Wang Yican than her Samoyed, which is why any resentment he feels over this incident vanishes as soon as he looks at her pitiful, guilty eyes. Here, he chose to soothe her sadness instead of blaming her.

Such a shame that this man’s soul has already been swapped out for another who harbours zero intentions on ever starting a romance with the female lead. This time, he places the dog’s well-being over his student’s, so it’s reasonable to say that the storyline will deviate from here on.

Driving all the way to the street Wang Yican’s residence is located, Liu Mingzhou helps the girl open the car door, but doesn’t show the slightest intention of handing the dog over, instead asking in a no-nonsense tone, “Do you know how to take care of an ill dog?”

“N – no, I don’t…” Heart leaping in fear, Wang Yican shakes her head, staring at her teacher helplessly.

Sighing lightly, Liu Mingzhou shifts Sui Yuan so he sits comfortably in the crook of one arm, then lifts his other hand to rub the area between his eyebrows. “How about this? I’ll bring him back home to nurse him back to health, then return him to you once he has fully recuperated. Would it be a problem?”

As expected, Liu Mingzhou suggests a solution to this situation that is totally different from the story.

“No problem! Thank you, Teacher!” Under his sharp, mildly imposing gaze, Wang Yican doesn’t dare object. Besides, at present, she is not very confident she will be able to do as good a job as Liu Mingzhou, so she is slightly relieved to leave this task to her teacher.

Satisfied, Liu Mingzhou nods, expression easing back to his usual friendly look as he spots Wang Yican’s reluctance to part with her beloved pet fading to relief. Softly, he tells her to quickly return home to rest, warning her to take a hot shower and drink hot water in order to avoid catching a cold.

Touched by his show of concern, Wang Yican replies with an affirmative, watching until her teacher gets into his car with the dog, before turning around to sprint back home.

As soon as she disappears, the hand pressing firmly against Sui Yuan’s back lifts. With a smile, he removes the down-filled jacket from around Sui Yuan’s body, then kisses his forehead.

“I finally got my hands on you. Pity that it’s only temporary.” Liu Mingzhou chuckles, lifting Sui Yuan with both hands so man and dog are at eye-level. “Next, I have to think of a way to make her agree to place you in my care forever.”

Sui Yuan: “……”

“You surely understand what I’m saying, right?” Liu Mingzhou narrows his eyes.

Sui Yuan, who is trying his best to act dumb: “……Woof.”

“It’s all right, your foolish mannerism right now is also pretty adorable.” Drawing closer so both foreheads are touching, Liu Mingzhou smiles so sweetly it appears positively evil. “If you are capable, then continue acting like this to the end.”

Sui Yuan: “……Arrwwooo… QAQ”

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IANEWtbaSML 5.3

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Chapter 5.3

Under Wang Yican’s care and attention, Sui Yuan matures rather quickly. Being served delicious food daily, strolling with his owner in the evenings, playing around with the husky and occasionally being ‘disturbed’ by Liu Mingzhou, it can be said that his life is quite smooth-going.

Samoyeds are similar to huskies in that they reach adulthood at around a year and a half old, therefore, the rate at which he reaches full maturity is rather swift. Of course, he doesn’t simply shoot up in the span of a day, but one can tell the moment he leaves behind his tender, infant phase and becomes a formidable-looking adolescent dog. At minimum, whenever Sui Yuan walks alongside Wang Yican, she will not be afraid of mis-stepping and accidentally hurting her pet.

In a blink of an eye, the final exam for the first semester of school arrives. An unending stream of assignments and homework takes over Wang Yican’s daily life. While she is very conscientious about her studies, she is not extremely intelligent, especially in the field of science. Subjects like chemistry, physics and biology leaves her brain aching from strenuous effort. Even if she dedicates more time to them, she often fails to grasp the outline.

Naturally, as her desk-mate and close friend, Sun Jie cannot turn a blind eye to her distress. Thus, the two of them walking their dogs, doing their homework and discussing problems becomes the norm. Only, it’s a pity that Sun Jie is the type of student who prefers having a good time over studying. As a result, he cannot contribute much to their study sessions together. Most of the time, Wang Yican and he can only stare at each other in dismay whenever they are met with a question they can’t solve.

Seeing the day of the final exams approaching closer and closer, but a huge pile of unsolvable problems still lying before them, Wang Yican finally makes a decision after some consideration. “We cannot go on like this. Let’s ask Teacher Liu and see if he has time to spare to go over these topics with us.”

To be honest, worries over her studies is just one part of why she wants to ask Teacher Liu for assistance. The amorous feelings sprouting in the heart of a young girl longing for more interactions with the man she admires is the other part of the reason. Moreover, they occasionally meet Liu Mingzhou when they are walking their dogs in the garden. Chatting and laughing with the man makes him seem more like a friend than a senior, causing Wang Yican’s mental barrier to lower around him and also strengthening her desire to get closer.

Hearing Wang Yican’s proposal, Sun Jie’s face immediately darkens. He has long pegged that teacher as a target he has to take careful note of, but is at the same time afraid and respectful of the man. “Ai…you don’t mean that, do you? Seeing that teacher’s face every day in school is more than enough. Why do we still have to see him for afterschool revisions? I will die from it!”

“In any case, I have made up my mind. If you don’t like it, you don’t need to come!” Wang Yican replies heedlessly, rolling her eyes. Adding Sun Jie’s carefree personality and the fact that both of them are very familiar with each other, Wang Yican allows herself to speak freely before him, unafraid that she might unknowingly provoke his anger.

“…Fine, I’ll come,” Sun Jie murmurs resentfully. Even if he doesn’t like the idea of sitting through revisions with Liu Mingzhou, he is unwilling to leave Wang Yican alone with the teacher. After all, he is well aware of his friend’s regards towards Liu Mingzhou, and no matter how old a man is, they will always unconsciously put up their guard around their love rivals.

Thus, this matter is settled just like that.

Sui Yuan, who has been lying next to them throughout their conversation, yawns widely. Judging that the storyline is developing smoothly in the general direction it is supposed to head towards, he doesn’t bother paying close attention, simply lazing on his soft, velvety cushion. No matter how the lively husky nudges and walks over him, he remains stubbornly motionless.

By now, he has seen Liu Mingzhou around quite often, approximately once every two days, so he no longer tenses up whenever the other man approaches. At the same time, Sui Yuan also feels that Liu Mingzhou hasn’t seen through him yet. While he always displays tenderness when interacting with Sui Yuan, it is merely the affection a human has for a pet. There is no other deeper meaning than that.

Regarding this, Sui Yuan has to admit that he feels the slightest trace of loss, but this unusual sensation is an insignificant influence on his determination to distance himself from his senior colleague.

On the day Wang Yican brings Liu Mingzhou and Sun Jie back home for revision, Sui Yuan is conscientiously learning all sorts of cultural knowledge from 5237 that might come in handy later on in other worlds.

Ears pricking up at the familiar gait outside the door, Sui Yuan stands and shakes his fur^[1], stepping gracefully towards the door. Welcoming one’s owner at the door upon their return is one of the few standard requirements for every competent pet dog. Doing so will surely be able to increase goodwill between an owner and their pet!

Adapting the most adorable posture, he sits on his hunches before the door, – Sui Yuan has always been good at exploiting his pretty appearance and ‘angel-like smile’ – tail wagging joyously. He is determined to give the fatigued Wang Yican an affectionate welcome back after her long, exhausting day at school.

However, when the entrance door opens, the first he sees is not the gentle, shy smiling face of his owner, but a black-and-white shadow that darts swiftly into the house.

Sui Yuan’s fur bristles, getting up on all fours with the intention to turn and flee. But he is one step too late, and is bowled over by the other party.

The snow-white Samoyed and black-and-white husky roll head over heels in a tangled ball. The former wriggles out with great effort while the latter pursues unremittingly, tongue lolling out in a doggy-grin. Even if Sui Yuan doesn’t like to bark, he can’t help the low growl rumbling in his throat. Despite the threatening edge to it, he fails to incite any fear in the husky or deter it in any way.

Regarding the interactions between their beloved pet dogs, Wang Yican and Sun Jie have long since stopped paying attention, merely laughing once and moving on. Placing their articles for study down on the table, one enters the kitchen to brew some tea while the other invites Liu Mingzhou to sit down.

Settling down on the sofa in the living room, Liu Mingzhou’s profound gaze is fixed on Sun Jie, who is busying himself with helping the female lead. A short moment later, his eyes fall on the two dogs currently wrestling and rolling over towards the sofa. A foot shoots out, the tip of a shoe lightly nudging the husky in its side, urging it off Sui Yuan.

Heckles rising, the husky lifts its head to stare directly at Liu Mingzhou, then abruptly quietens. Seizing this opportunity, Sui Yuan promptly throws the other dog off, scrambling to his feet and dashing off to the corner furthest from the sofa. Once he determines he is relatively safe, he begins to smooth down his messy coat of fur.

Adrienne whines lowly once, head hanging dispiritedly as though it was just reprimanded by its owner. Eventually, its excitement over seeing Sui Yuan again calms. Shaking its fur, it makes its way over to Sui Yuan before lying down on its stomach near him, head on its front paws.

Seeing no other movements from the husky, Sui Yuan’s heart calms a little and assumes the same position. His eyes move towards the two senior high school students, who have finished busying themselves with serving the guest, and are now sitting before the small side table in the living room.

Although Liu Mingzhou is a physics teacher, he is in truth an all-rounder. As long as it is a science subject, he will be able to answer any questions pertaining to them. Hence, he is able to explain everything clearly, answering their inquiries with patience and concise replies. Afterwards, he personally writes out ten different practise problems for them.

While Wang Yican and Sun Jie immerse themselves in their studies, Liu Mingzhou pulls out the fiction novel he brought on his person in order to pass the time.

Minutes tick by like this. Bored out of his mind, Sui Yuan gets to his feet, padding quietly over to Wang Yican’s side. At his nearly full-grown height, he is able to peer over the girl’s shoulder and read the question on the paper before her.

“……I can actually do it!” Crowing in excitement as though he has just discovered a new world, Sui Yuan dutifully reports to 5237, “And I understood everything Liu Mingzhou was explaining just now!”

“Naturally! Can’t you see who your teacher is?!” 5237 sways smugly in the air. “The current you will have no problems dealing with university-level subjects. So just in case you need to play the role of a senior high school student under a lot of schoolwork pressure, you will not be so confused when taking important exams!”

Nodding his head obediently, he glances askance at Liu Mingzhou when he places the book in his hands to one side and stands to his feet.

Walking over to Wang Yican, Liu Mingzhou merely scans her paper for a second with an expressionless face. Stepping past her swiftly, he stops beside Sun Jie.

Wang Yican sighs in relief, somewhat disappointed. On the other hand, Sun Jie instantaneously tenses, his originally muddled train of thought disrupted completely.

Noticing Sun Jie’s pen nib has stopped moving, unable to continue writing another word, Liu Mingzhou leans even closer, one hand on the boy’s shoulder and the other pointing out mistakes on the paper as he murmurs softly beside Sun Jie’s ear.

Sui Yuan watches as Sun Jie’s ear gradually reddens, eyes wandering back and forth over the page, clearly not carefully listening to his teacher’s instructions. The dog’s eyes shift to Liu Mingzhou next.

The man’s expression appears rather solemn, displaying a serious teacher’s attitude towards educating their student. Nonetheless, Sui Yuan feels that this scene is somewhat strange, and can’t help asking. “He…is he trying to seduce Sun Jie?”

“So it seems,” 5237 states disdainfully, tone self-satisfied but regretful. “Sure enough, he is a male lead actor who has already gone through arduous training and hard work in countless worlds, knowing how to use his appearance and charm to its full advantage. See how skilfully he sinks his claws into a person and hook them towards him? If he is only sounding Sun Jie out and doesn’t break all connection, the poor boy will most probably become bent.”

Knowing the boy is suffering in his place, Sui Yuan can only look at him in sympathy. But no matter how guilty he feels, he will not expose himself in order to rescue someone from that fate.

As Sun Jie becomes increasingly agitated, all thoughts of studying vanish, and his eyes constantly dart stealthily towards Liu Mingzhou; the teacher who is well aware of every little twitch can’t help revealing a split-second of disappointment. Removing his hand from Sun Jie’s shoulder, he distances himself once more.

Not knowing if it is due to nervousness or something else, Sun Jie exhales softly in relief, heart still thudding rapidly in his chest. However, even if Liu Mingzhou has walked away, Sun Jie’s brain is still a jumble of chaos, unblinking eyes staring blankly at the words on his paper, all coherent thoughts escaping him.

Sui Yuan can only inwardly shake his head in remorse, thinking that this meat-shield of his will die valiantly in battle before long. Just as he is caught up mentally lighting a candle for Sun Jie, the husky, unwilling to remain lonely and idle any longer, slinks up beside him. Sniffing all over his body, it suddenly rises up, placing its two front paws on either side of his waist.

Sui Yuan’s head snaps around, staring bewilderedly at the husky leaning about half its weight on his back. Only when 5237 begins shrieking wordlessly does he realise something inconceivably wrong is about to happen to him.

Before Sui Yuan can react or even begin to ponder what all this is about, the husky’s tongue lolls out of its mouth as it pants, it’s body moving excitedly. Not being able to turn his head all the way around, he can only feel something being placed below his tail, near his hipbone….rubbing back and forth…

“Ah!” Wang Yican, who is sitting the closest to the two dogs, is the first to notice the problem. She yelps in shock, recoiling a little before a flush creeps up her cheek as she flounders over what’s to be done.

Snapped out of his confused state of mind by the sharp eek, Sun Jie whips his head around to stare at his beloved pet dog. His face slackens into a ‘囧’ when he takes in the scene.

Not waiting for Sun Jie to take action, Liu Mingzhou has already walked over, one hand curling around the husky’s collar, dragging the bigger dog away without any trace of politeness. Returning to his senses, Sun Jie leaps to his feet and wraps his arms around its body, apologising awkwardly to Wang Yican while restricting its motions.

Even if Wang Yican is still relatively ignorant regarding this matter, she is aware that her precious baby was about to be taken advantage of by Sun Jie’s dog – no, her pet was indeed taken advantage of and was almost forced to engage in something unspeakable! She half-rises from her seat, about to soothe Sui Yuan, only to discover Liu Mingzhou is already doing what should have been her job. Drawing the snow-white Samoyed towards him gently, her teacher’s slender fingers scratch the dog’s neck comfortingly. When Liu Mingzhou’s eyes shift towards the husky in Sun Jie’s embrace, a glint of unhappiness surfaces.

Sun Jie’s scalp tingles, the complex feelings that rose after the interaction between his teacher and himself just recently is instantly tossed out the window. Seemingly afraid that Liu Mingzhou will devour his dog whole, his arms tighten minutely around Adrienne.

Noticing Sun Jie’s cautiousness rising, Liu Mingzhou narrows his eyes slightly and smiles. “You husky is already more than a year old, right?”

“……Yes.” Sun Jie nods stiffly.

Liu Mingzhou: “Has it been castrated?”

Sui Jie: “!!!”

“Seems like it hasn’t?” Liu Mingzhou arranges his expression slightly to a grave look, warning the boy with heartfelt advice. “It is better for male dogs to be castrated, or else they will chase female dogs everywhere. They might even aim for other male dogs too, and will be rather aggressive during this short period of time. At the same time, it will restrict their urge to mark territories with urine and will improve their health. They will have lesser chances of developing prostate or testicular tumours.”

Sun Jie has indeed heard of these problems before, but he has always not bothered to care about them. But still, he has to admit that Adrienne’s actions towards Little Snow made him somewhat embarrassed.

On the other hand, the husky completely doesn’t sense the danger it will be facing in the near future, merely sticking its tongue out foolishly and wagging its tail. At the same time, Sui Yuan, who understood everything Liu Mingzhou said, is feeling extremely restless.

…He must have heard wrongly! He misheard, right?! Castration and all that…isn’t it too cruel?! In the off-chance he himself is taken to be castrated, even if he is currently a dog now, Sui Yuan swears it will forever leave a dark shadow behind in his heart!!

Please spare me!! QAQ

Liu Mingzhou can be considered as a low-key person who seeks to blend in, but will amaze the world with a single, brilliant feat. Instantaneously, he has reduced the minds of two students and one dog to smithereens.

Facing with an impending crisis and a shell-shocked Sui Yuan, 5237 nearly pissed in its figurative pants out of horror. Although it wouldn’t be the one castrated, it knows this experience will undoubtedly traumatise its partner. If that ever come to pass, it will definitely also suffer a calamity and be implicated ah!

“This is illogical! Why didn’t the original text mention this?!”

“Who cares if it’s logical or not, the crux of this matter is what’s to be done!” Sui Yuan is currently on the point of breaking down to tears. If he has to be castrated…even he is unsure if he will throw aside his mission to complete the story and run away or not…

It’s a pity that he is now in the body of a dog. He doesn’t possess a right to speak in regards to this matter. All decisions will be left in the hands of his owner. Hearing Liu Mingzhou speak with such frank assurance about Sun Jie’s husky and the necessity for it to be castrated, Wang Yican becomes somewhat mindful about this topic. “If that’s the case…Little Snow will also have to…do that?” This girl with such a thin skin cannot bring herself to say “castrated”, but it is very apparent what she is referring to.

As soon as Wang Yican asks this question, Sui Yuan can’t help but shudder. Lifting his head to gaze at Liu Mingzhou, his watery, limpid, dark eyes lock onto the man, full of pitiful begging.

Met with this look, Liu Mingzhou, who is just about to reply with a “yes”, freezes for a split-second. A somewhat complicated and helpless smile on his face, he rubs Sui Yuan’s head and speaks, voice full of pampering affection. “Little Snow is still small, so it’s not urgent. Wait until he is more than a year old, then we’ll see if it is necessary based on his behaviour.”

Glaring at Liu MIngzhou with disdain and bitterness, he gnashed his teeth and silently pledge in his heart that he will definitely! Be! Very! Well! Behaved! Absolutely! Won’t! Be! Castrated!

5237: “…I’ll light a candle for you…”

---

Footnotes:

[1] Shakes its fur: Don’t know if this is the right word for it, but it’s something like this:

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IANEWtbaSML 5.2

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Chapter 5.2

Calling the garden below the apartment a large flowerbed instead would be more suitable. However, due to Sui Yuan’s current body being that of a delicate, soft puppy, he cannot run far away even if he is allowed to go out for fresh air. At most, he can only circle around the most secure location in the garden and stretch his muscles.

It is pretty evident early on that Sun Jie agreed to walk their dogs together on the same day because he wants to spend more time with her. Preferably without their dogs in the way. Sui Yuan doesn’t care either way, keeping himself busy by wandering around aimlessly near Wang Yican’s feet. On the other hand, the leashed husky by Sun Jie’s side fixed its gaze on Sui Yuan, like a tiger watching its prey. Only the cord around its neck prevents it from leaping forward, forcing it to remain obediently by its owner’s side.

A year-old male husky can already be said to have reached its full maturity, and its huge size causes Sui Yuan enormous pressure. He is able to accept needing to lift his head to look up at humans, as they are no threat to him. Rather, they fall over themselves trying to pat him. However, staring up at a husky several times bigger and bulkier than himself is rather intimidating.

Truth be told, a husky with blue eyes like this is extremely pretty, black and white fur spread out distinctly. The two white spots above its eyes where its eyebrows are located gives it a very spirited look. Its name is Adrienne, and one can tell by looking at its sleek, gleaming coat that it is clearly being very well taken care of. While it carries itself with a graceful, kingly air, its bright eyes betray its naïve inquisitiveness, like that of an innocent child.

Sui Yuan stares at the husky, cautious of its fervent gaze even as he sticks close to Wang Yican’s feet, afraid that the larger dog will snatch him up and carry him away between its jaws the moment he leaves the safe zone. As a result, Wang Yican doesn’t dare move even a single step for fear that she might accidentally step on her tiny, treasured pet. Her heart will certainly break if something befalls it.

Seeing the girl he likes paying her undivided attention to the weak little puppy at her feet, Sun Jie feels a little jealous and immediately lets his husky off its leash. If the dogs play together happily, Wang Yican wouldn’t be so worried anymore.

Not waiting for its owner’s command, the husky relishes in its newfound freedom, tail wagging furiously as it springs towards Sui Yuan. Greatly startled, Sui Yuan involuntarily emits a soft yelp, turning around and dashing away from Wang Yican’s legs.

Evidently, Sui Yuan’s actions attract the lively husky, who catches up to Sui Yuan in two or three bounds and proceeds to run alongside him. As the larger dog circles his much smaller self ceaselessly, it sniffs all over Sui Yuan’s small body. Having never experienced such a ‘passionate’ greeting from a complete stranger, Sui Yuan huddles into a tight ball, steadfastly ignoring 5237 hovering above him and shouting encouragements, refusing to move an inch even when the system turns to jeers of, “You are a human actor, why are you scared of a mere dog?”

……Goddamn! With such a large mouth filled with sharp teeth filling one’s vision, it is able to scare anyone shitless, all right?! Comparing their size and build, he is pretty sure the other dog would be able to swallow him whole in one bite!

“……Is Little Snow all right? He seems to be afraid…” Wang Yican, who is constantly keeping an eye on her pet dog and its interaction with the husky, asks worriedly.

“Relax, Adrienne has a good personality, so he wouldn’t be harmed. It’s just your dog is slightly afraid of strangers. Give it a while to familiarise itself and all will be well!” Sun Jie laughingly comforts his classmate, extremely satisfied with his house pet’s way of handling things.

Wang Yican nods her head, feeling a little relieved, successfully convinced from walking over to rescue Sui Yuan, who has encountered a ‘crisis’. After all, she can tell that Sun Jie’s husky doesn’t hold any malice towards her beloved puppy, merely wanting to play with Little Snow.

Holding firm to his belief of “wouldn’t move if the enemy doesn’t, if the enemy moves…keep absolutely still”, Sui Yuan’s foremost thought is to protect his vulnerable belly and throat. Hence, he curls in on himself as best he can, resembling a fluffy white ball. Meanwhile, the husky persistently tries all ways to make him stand up and play with it. At last, it wriggles its muzzle beneath Sui Yuan’s abdomen, flipping him onto his back like a tortoise who has withdrawn into its shell.

As he has yet to fully become accustomed to controlling a dog’s body, Sui Yuan is instantly thrown off-balance. He tumbles twice before he finally manages to scramble miserably to his feet. Before he can stand firmly, one of the husky’s front paws darts out towards him.

The somewhat forceful pat causes Sui Yuan to lose his balance again, rolling head over heels three or four times before coming to a stop. Dazed and dizzy, he staggers around for a short while, then sprawls out on the grass with legs shot out in four directions.

The pitiful, slightly foolish antics of the poor, bullied puppy is clearly entertaining the two dog owners watching over their pets. Sun Jie laughs unrestrainedly, and Wang Yican also can’t help smiling despite the worry lingering in her heart. She jogs over with the intention of picking up her beloved pet, but someone beat her to it, stooping down to carry the soft, powerless Samoyed pup up.

The feeling of someone’s hands beneath his tummy is a little uncomfortable, but he can only stare blankly as the ground moves further and further away from him, a sense of fright rising involuntarily. Although he has experience in acting quite a few villainous and aggressive roles, he mainly relied on the fact that the characters’ base foundation already surpasses almost everyone else. Now, however, Sui Yuan is a young pup that can be easily squished to death, so the number of things that can scare him has increased significantly.

Locking his muscles and not daring to move an inch due to fear of slipping and falling to the ground, Sui Yuan only heaves a sigh of relief when he feels himself being embraced in a safe, secure hold. Turning his head, he wishes to see who exactly picked him up.

This unknown person is clearly familiar with dogs, for the fingers stroking through his fur is extremely comfortable, neither too hard nor too light. The arm around him is strong and steady, but relaxed and full of tenderness. Complying with his doggy-instincts, Sui Yuan wags his tail, whining in pleasure as fingers scratch his chin, eyes narrowed in delight. However, his movements abruptly freeze as soon as he catches sight of the mysterious person’s face.

“T – teacher!” Wan Yican startles, then rushes over to greet him.

Sun Jie stops laughing and follows along, a trace of displeasure on his face as he gives a more reserved greeting. “Teacher Liu.”

“Hello.” This world’s male lead, Liu Mingzhou smiles and nods his head in return, patting the husky who sidled up and is making a supreme effort to sniff the Samoyed pup in his arms with his free hand. “Out to walk your dogs?”

“Yes,” Wan Yican replies, a blush staining her cheeks. Wanting to reach out and claim her puppy from him but not wishing to seem discourteous, she can only fiddle with the hem of her shirt.

“Teacher Liu, why are you here too? Do you live in the neighbourhood?” Unlike the female lead, Sun Jie is more relaxed, extending a hand to draw his husky away from the older man so the dog does not continue disturbing Liu Mingzhou.

“That’s right, I live in the vicinity and come here for a walk occasionally,” Liu Mingzhou replies with a nod, scrutinising Sun Jie with an unreadable gaze, causing the student’s scalp to feel somewhat numb. Subconsciously, he wonders if he did something wrong, and his form teacher has managed to grab him by the pigtails.

Fortunately, Liu Mingzhou’s eyes move away from him quickly and land on Wang Yican. Reaching out, he places the snow white pup in her arms and warns gently, “Be a little more careful. Your Samoyed puppy is still small, so it might bruise it if allowed to rough-house with the larger husky.”

“Got it, thank you, Teacher!” Wang Yican immediately embraces her pet carefully, smoothing down his rumpled fur.

Because Liu Mingzhou advised her not to, Wan Yican will naturally not allow her beloved pet to rough-house with Sun Jie’s husky anymore, refusing to put him down until the larger dog is placed back on the leash.

Without the threat of the husky looming over him, Sui Yuan bestirs himself, standing steadily on his own four feet and shaking his body. Walking in a tight circle twice to test his physical condition out, he keeps an eye on the still-smiling Liu Mingzhou in his peripheral vision, who is now seated on a stone bench and watching his two students attentively.

“Sure enough, his first target is Sun Jie,” 5237 states somewhat smugly. “Hehehe…there’s no way he will think that you are actually in the body of a dog!”

Sui Yuan doesn’t reply, feeling a little relieved, but a little tangled up. This new sensation leaves him confused, unclear about what his emotions are trying to tell him.

Sun Jie and Wang Yican are chatting very happily. Sui Yuan didn’t really pay attention to the conversation, but something exchanged between them causes Wang Yican to laugh until she can’t straighten. Sun Jie sheepishly scratches the back of his head and blinks, carrying the typical, clumsy, awkward air of a young boy standing before the girl he likes.

Although Liu Mingzhou’s kind smile never falters, his pupils darken, emitting a downcast aura. In this world, he is again gifted with handsome, scholarly features, with a gold-wire framed spectacles over his knowing eyes filled with wisdom and a slender figure, he resembles a painting just by sitting on the stone bench, surrounded by flowers. Nonetheless, Sui Yuan’s instincts tell him to beware of an approaching crisis.

Apparently sensing Sui Yuan’s stare, Liu Mingzhou’s eyes move from Sun Jie and Wang Yican to him. Sui Yuan subconsciously wags his tail in response, awkwardly retreating half a step.

The snow white pup’s eyes are warm and friendly, glistening with a pure and limpid light. Liu Mingzhou blinks blankly at it for a second as though recalling something. His expression immediately softens after and he rises from the bench, crouching down facing it, one hand extended outwards as though calling the dog over.

Sui Yuan takes a step forward, then pauses, not knowing if he should express such intimacy with a supposed stranger.

Seemingly knowing the reason for the dog’s hesitation, Liu Mingzhou merely retains the soft smile on his face, crouching patiently there on the grass. Sui Yuan can’t help but feel he would be terribly guilty if he refused to get closer and leave the other hanging. Moreover, a small voice within him is urging him to approach. Perhaps it is instinct, perhaps it is a deeply ingrained habit, or maybe it is something else entirely…

Thus, after three whole minutes of dithering, the Samoyed puppy inches towards Liu Mingzhou. Bowing his head to sniff the outstretched palm as though determining if it is safe or not, his fluffy tail wags leisurely.

Liu Mingzhou keeps his movements easy and relaxed, not giving the sensitive puppy who is afraid of strangers any unnecessary pressure. Slender fingers run lightly over the white fur, gently at first to test him out. Seeing the puppy doesn’t shy away from or refuse the touch, the strokes become bolder. Feeling extremely contented, Sui Yuan unconsciously leans forward more, all but delivering himself into Liu Mingzhou’s hand.

Now that the puppy’s wariness has reached zero around him, Liu Mingzhou picks him up with a satisfied smile, returning back to the stone bench before placing it on his knee. Sui Yuan’s human predisposition have been completely suppressed by his animal instincts, tail wagging vigorously under the man’s skilful caresses.

Unable to bear watching this scene, 5237 turns its head away, inwardly thinking that placing Sui Yuan into the body of a dog is actually not such a good idea after all. His IQ is originally pretty low. Making him play the part of a dog…has actually resulted in him becoming more stupid!

It’s a shame that Sui Yuan cannot hear his system’s silent curses as he immerses himself in enjoying Liu Mingzhou’s pats. He is even oblivious to it when the man flips him over onto his back, exposing his tummy. Only when the fingers scratching his neck and wander down to his abdomen abruptly freezes does he realise something is amiss.

Cocking his head to the side, Sui Yuan stares at Liu Mingzhou, confused about why the other stopped so suddenly. As the short silence stretches, he notices Liu Mingzhou’s gaze is lowered, directed towards an odd region.

“It seems, this is a boy…” Liu Mingzhou chuckles lightly, cheerfully meeting Sui Yuan apprehensive eyes. At the same time, a finger pokes his private part lightly.

Sui Yuan stiffens, rendered absolutely speechless by that single action.

As a dog met with such a situation, could he yell “molester!”?

---

The author has something to say: Come, come, come! Those who bet that the husky is the male lead, pay up!! Really don’t know why anyone will think that! I clearly said that Zhao Xihe is the male lead, and the male lead is the teacher! In what BG world (with normal, non-shifter humans) would the male lead be a dog?! It’s too illogical! The holes in your brains are bigger than mine!

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IANEWtbaSML 5.1

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Chapter 5.1

Opening his eyes in the fifth world, the first thing Sui Yuan does is glance at 5237. Hovering at eye-level, the system shakes its head wordlessly, indicating that they were not quick enough. They didn’t manage to lose Zhao Xihe, once again allowing him to follow them into this world.

Although a sense of disappointment immediately rises, it is almost drowned by a slightly relieved and nonchalant, “Ah…is that so…” After keeping in close contact with another for an extended period of time, even cats and dogs will grow to tolerate each other, let alone human beings. Sui Yuan lived with Zhao Xihe in the same residence for several decades in the last world, and engaged in the most intimate of acts more times than he can count. One can consider them to be very familiar with each other, so Sui Yuan no longer instinctively rejects Zhao Xihe’s presence or touch. He even felt a little reluctant to part with the other man.

Besides, even if Sui Yuan didn’t accidentally stuff up the middle portion of the plot, he reckons the ending would have been similar, if maybe a little more frustrating on his side. In any case, everything worked out for the better. Zhao Xihe gave him a lot of help to achieve an ending that didn’t land him with a terrible score…

“On top of that…” 5237 coughs, displaying a rare case of awkwardness. “In this world, I have to trouble you once more…”

Sui Yuan wags his tail, tilting his head to the side and barks once to indicate that he understands.

…That’s right. It’s not a mistake. He does indeed have a tail and he did bark. Fixedly licking the claws of his foreleg, he acts as though saddened by the loss of his human form. While he doesn’t really care if he becomes a cat or a dog or whatever, he was born in the form of a human being, and has been living as such for quite a long while. Suddenly being thrust into the body of another animal requires a period of adjustment so he can get used to it.

Therefore, Sui Yuan’s first few steps are very shaky and tottering, stumbling as his hind legs get tangled around his forelegs and so on. Still, such a display is understandable…

Compared to the previous worlds filled with battles, magic and mayhem, this current one is a peaceful, slice of life story. The female lead, Wang Yican, is a senior high school student who lives alone due to her parents working in foreign countries. In order to stave off loneliness, she bought a puppy and raised it as a companion. As for the male lead, he is her form teacher^[1].

Originally, the two of them have a normal student-teacher relationship. However, things start to change when the female lead’s puppy is met with an incident. Gradually, they go from complete strangers to familiar acquaintances. As feelings begin to develop between them, this pair of student and teacher struggle to restrain themselves, resulting in several misunderstandings and hesitation. Now, Sui Yuan’s role in this world is that of an important supporting male lead puppy, responsible for facilitating romantic notions between the forbidden couple.

“When we were in the space between worlds, I handed in an application for BL worlds. However, I have not received approval yet, so I decided to use this chance to test something,” 5237 states confidently, as though it already knows it will obtain the desired outcome. “If Zhao Xihe is able to look past your physical appearance, glimpse your true nature laying beneath, and willingly turn this shoujo school romance plot into an intense bestiality story, I will kneel down to him! And I will never say another bad word about him ever again!”

Seeing 5237 make such a solemn vow with a malicious air, Sui Yuan lifts his front paws and folds his ears down. Just because he is used to his system’s headstrong attitude doesn’t mean he wishes to listen further.

In any case, being a mere dog, Sui Yuan’s assignment this time is relatively simple. He doesn’t need to do more than eat, drink, act cute, and when the time comes, he just has to serve as a living stage prop. This can be considered a rare vacation period.

“I reckon you should have used this trump card in the previous world,” Sui Yuan grumbles in his heart as he yawns. Having taken over the body of a puppy barely out of infancy, he naturally feels not very energetic.

“……I didn’t think about this plan then,” 5237 admits shamefacedly. “But enacting it now as soon as I came up with it is not too late!”

“…If Zhao Xihe doesn’t notice that I am acting the part of the dog in this world and we manage to break away from him, would we still need to transfer to BL worlds?” Sui Yuan questions. Truthfully speaking, he much prefers BG worlds. After all, that’s where he began working in as soon as he was created, and is hence a very familiar environment.

“That…” 5237 trails off tentatively. Since this is its first time applying for transfer, it is rather ignorant regarding this matter.

“Still, I feel our odds of success is pretty big,” Sui Yuan says assuredly as he skims over the script. It is his belief that after an actor goes through countless worlds, they will habitually assume every role they play will be a humanoid character. Thus, he is betting on the fact that Zhao Xihe might assume Sui Yuan is a human in this modern world too. Moreover, besides this important supporting male dog, there is another male student who has intentions towards the female lead. Perhaps Zhao Xihe’s target would be that person and not him…this dog.

“If so, let’s put in a great effort to achieve victory!” 5237’s will to fight has escalated a hundred-fold.

Sui Yuan emits a low whine, lazily wagging his tail to acknowledge his system’s words. Head on his front paws and curled into a small ball, he seems to be in a gloomy mood

Ring ring, the small bundle of small bells chime as the pet store’s door is pushed open. A schoolbag on her shoulders, a female, senior high school student walks in, glancing around the place inquisitively, eyes roving over the various animals lounging within.

Delicate, pretty facial features and slender build coupled with a shy, soft air, it is clear as day that this girl is a goody-two-shoes. Perhaps it is natural intuition between a supporting male lead and a female lead, but as soon as Sui Yuan lays eyes on her, he instinctively knows that she is Wang Yican. Instantly, his good mood returns, and he leaps to his feet happily.

Fluffy, snow white fur all over his small body, he resembles a puffy furball with a madly waving tail. Forelegs braced against the top of the cage, his eyes lock onto the girl hopefully. Faint whimpers rumbling in his throat, he appears more refined than the other dogs barking madly at the appearance of a stranger.

Wang Yican is attracted to Sui Yuan at first glance. Limpid, black eyes, mouth curled up as though constantly smiling, pointed ears that are slightly drooping, with a body of soft, fluffy, snow white fur that begs to be stroked. She finds that her gaze refuses to leave the adorable puppy.

“This is a Samoyed pup, a two and a half months old male. Do you like him?” Seeing Wang Yican’s adoring eyes fixed on the little puppy, the shopkeeper immediately walks over to the cage. Picking Sui Yuan up, he holds the dog out to the student, letting her carefully wrap her arms around it.

Wang Yican’s embrace is very gentle, as though she is hugging a fragile, treasured item. Sui Yuan likes this feeling very much, thus can’t help wagging his tail incessantly. Placing his front paws on the girl’s clothes, he lifts his head and rubs against her cheek softly. As of yet, he doesn’t know if the female likes having her face covered in a puppy’s saliva or not, so Sui Yuan decides to be prudent in his actions in order to achieve the desired outcome.

Evidently, Wang Yican has fallen in love too deeply to bear parting with Sui Yuan, reluctant to place him down once the puppy is in her arms. Immediately asking the shop keeper about Sui Yuan’s price, she purchases him without further ado.

The first obstacle has been successfully cleared. Sui Yuan obtained the female lead’s favour, revealing his talent and standing out amongst the other dogs, officially becoming her beloved pet

Showing her attentive side, Wang Yican patiently makes inquiries pertaining to rearing a Samoyed puppy, and proceeds to purchase a pile of goods that a dog will require. Since she is unable to carry it all away by herself, she writes down her home address so it can be promptly delivered to her door.

The shopkeeper is also rather welcoming, so Sui Yuan doesn’t give him trouble. At the same time, he strives to increase the female lead’s adoration for him. His efforts thus earn him the privilege of being personally placed on the large, soft bed, allowing him the glory of sleeping beside the female lead.

What comes next is a period of peaceful activity. Wang Yican is meticulous in taking care of Sui Yuan, her every action following the guidebook accordingly. She drowns him in love and pampers him thoroughly, never punishing him even once. Fortunately, Sui Yuan is not a genuine puppy in soul, so no matter how doted on he is by someone, he will never develop an arrogant and spoiled attitude. Whether it be having a meal, going to bed, even…doing his business, he is equally obedient. One only has to show him to do something once and he will never make a mistake.

Basically, Sui Yuan is the absolute, one and only, well-behaved puppy!

Even if he is locked in the house every day, Sui Yuan doesn’t allow himself to become lax, continuing to keep a firm grasp on the storyline. Of course, part of the reason is thanks to his owner’s attitude.

When an adolescent reaches their sixteen or seventeenth year of life, a young lady will begin to pay attention to the males in her surroundings, especially when her form teacher is a handsome, refined, and scholarly gentleman.

Generally, female school students like to gather together and discuss things about their form teacher, Liu Mingzhou, like how popular he is, how talented, how considerate and kind… Wang Yican’s natural disposition is reserved and shy. She doesn’t like discussing topics like this with her female peers, but in her heart, she can’t help possessing a yearning for Liu Mingzhou. Therefore, Sui Yuan becomes her sole close confidant whom she tells everything to. Every day, after she returns from school and finishes her assignments, she will play with Sui Yuan and tell him everything that happened in school that day. Of course, the majority of it revolves about Liu Mingzhou.

At this moment, Wang Yican only harbours simple worship towards Liu Mingzhou. It is no more than a young girl’s longing for a mature, young and promising academic, like the inexplicable love everyone has for beautiful things. Listening attentively to Wang Yican’s stories, Sui Yuan feels that Zhao Xihe who has taken on the role of Liu Mingzhou is considerably more dedicated to his work. At minimum, he hasn’t tried to do anything that will derail the storyline.

Besides Liu Mingzhou, there is another male student called Sun Jie who has also been mentioned by Wang Yican quite frequently. This person is the other supporting male lead in this world, Wang Yican’s desk-mate and the cannon fodder used to divert that pig teammate Zhao Xihe’s attention.

Sun Jie is a sociable and somewhat unruly boy, which is typical of senior high school male students. As he harbours some regard towards the petite and shy girl who shares a desk with him, he is especially cordial when interacting with her. He can be considered Wang Yican’s first male friend in high school.

“Sun Jie’s house is close to ours, in the small neighbourhood opposite the garden. We promised to find a day to walk our dogs together there.” Wang Yican smiles brightly as she lifts Sui Yuan from the ground ad hug him, kissing the top of his furry head. “He also has a dog at home, a husky that is nearly one-year-old. It’s a boy too, so when the time comes, Little Snow, you will be able to make a new friend! You must get along with him properly!”

Sui Yuan pokes his tiny, pink tongue out, licking the tip of the girl’s nose and causing her to laugh.

Little Snow – this is Sui Yuan’s new name. Although it doesn’t sound so fitting for a small puppy, Sui Yuan doesn’t feel the least bit unsatisfied. Each time his name is called, he will cheerfully wag his tail and stare up at the caller with an eager, anticipating gaze.

Regarding this, 5237 has only one evaluation to give. “…For some reason, I feel that you are more skilled at being a dog than a human?”

Sui Yuan reckons that this sentence is a personal attack, right?

---

The author has something to say: The previous worlds are all action-filled ones with murder and battles, so let’s have a more peaceful world this time around.

---

Footnotes:

[1] Form teacher: a teacher who is in charge of an entire class for the whole of a school year. They might not teach a core subject (English, Maths, Science, etc) to the select class, but they are responsible for the group of students on their roll-call list.

[2] Samoyed puppy:

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IANEWtbaSML 4.14

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Chapter 4.14

Xuan Ling and Sui Yuan’s dual-cultivation ceremony shocks the entire cultivation world, causing countless jaws to drop to the ground. Firstly, it is because they are a male-male pair. Secondly, it is because the formidable Sword Cultivator, who practises a ruthless Sword Art and is in the late stage before Ascension, is actually getting married for love.

Not long ago, when he gave into fury and nearly decimated an entire Demonic sect, his blade didn’t show mercy to even the Demon Ruler, gravely injuring him. This news has already spread far and wide. No matter if one reveres Xuan Ling for his good looks or are taken in by his prowess, they gather to give their blessings one after another. Suffice to say, everybody celebrated together as soon as the news went out. Even if someone is inwardly disdainful, none would dare expose their true feelings in a public place with countless people. They can only control themselves and sneer in private. As there are individuals jealous of Xuan Ling’s incredible strength, there are also those envious of the little Core Formation Talisman Cultivator who is lucky enough to catch the eye of this Elder and climb this large tree.

And at this very moment, what is said lucky Core Formation cultivator who managed to hug a golden thigh doing?

……He is cornering the female lead.

5237: “……”

“Senior Martial Brother, don’t say anymore!” Shen Jiayi yells as she retreats, tone full of suffering. In the next blink of an eye, however, she masks it all under a serene expression. “You are Master’s partner, and my respected elder. No matter the past between us, we can only be senior and junior now!”

Sui Yuan gazes at her, then slowly closes his eyes in grief, complexion pale and unsightly.

“……I understand your misery.” Shen Jiayi sighs, tone softening in pity and distress. “You agreed to be Master’s companion for the sake of the sect, for that I am grateful and…sad. But Master loves you so much. He is willing to give anything up for you. I believe he will treat you very well and you…you will surely come to love him gradually too…”

“Love him? I clearly have another whom I love…” Sui Yuan murmurs softly, leaving the latter half unsaid as he chuckles bitterly. “Yes, you are correct. Since I have already made my decision for the benefit of the sect, I have to continue walking down this path. I should not attempt to do anything else in vain.”

“Senior Martial Brother…” Struggling with herself for a while, she finally bows respectfully. “I wish you will always be hand in hand with Master and ascend together.”

“……Many thanks.” After a long silence, Sui Yuan chokes out these two words as he watches Shen Jiayi unhesitantly turns his back on him, walking briskly away as though trying to flee without looking like she is running away.

Staring at her retreating back, Sui Yuan covers his mouth with a hand, concealing his cheerful smile. Inwardly, he praises himself for displaying such a moving scene, conveying Liu Minghui’s repressed feelings towards the female lead.

“I give you eight points,” 5237 evaluates drily.

“What did you deduct two points for?” Sui Yuan is an individual willing to take criticism and learn from his mistakes, a student eager to study and increase his knowledge.

“Because this dialogue doesn’t appear in the original script,” 5237 replies blandly.

He abruptly staggers as though an arrow struck his knee. He nearly fell down on all fours before his system! Did it really have to keep reminding him of that?! Before his legs give out from under him in despair, an arm wraps around his waist to steady him.

“Minghui, are you all right?!” Shao Peiyuan asks anxiously. He was actually already here earlier, and heard the entire conversation between Shen Jiayi and Sui Yuan. His gaze never strayed from Sui Yuan, so he clearly witnessed the longing stare fixed on Shen Jiayi’s retreating back. Seeing him stagger from heartbreak, Shao Peiyuan forgets to mask his discourteous action of eavesdropping and immediately darts forward, his own heart aching on Sui Yuan’s behalf.

Ever since he heard about the dual-cultivation ceremony to be held for Elder Xuan Ling and Liu Minghui, Shao Peiyuan feels his emotions have all been kicked askew! Frustration and impatience burning through his veins, he impulsively wants to rush over to the Heavenly Cosmos sect and interrogate Minghui. However, he was obstructed by his cool-headed master, who proceeds to shake him from his daze.

But no matter how Shao Peiyuan tries to clear his head, he remains incapable of peaceful meditation. At last, he gives up and seized the first opportunity to get out of the Heavenly Element sect, heading straight here.

The dialogue he overheard between Shen Jiayi and Minghui allowed him to piece together the full story. Helplessness is instantly replaced by rage, and if he had been as impulsive as he was a couple of days ago, he would have recklessly challenged Xuan Ling and fight for Minghui’s freedom.

Shao Peiyuan constantly tells himself that all he is doing is coming to the aid of a close friend suffering an injustice, his fury due to not wanting to see Minghui live in sorrow. Never has he pondered the deeper meanings behind his actions – or one would be more accurate to say that he dares not think too deeply.

The abrupt appearance of Shao Peiyuan causes Sui Yuan to stiffen. Fortunately, he retains his habit of keeping a façade up anytime and anywhere in order to prevent leaks. When he sees the distress on the other Head Disciple’s face, sympathy surfaces in his heart and he grips Shao Peiyuan’s hand in his.

Being so close to Sui Yuan, Shao Peiyuan’s chest feels heavy, robbing him of the ability to think properly. Eyes fixed on those moving lips, he doesn’t hear Sui Yuan’s plea, but can only nod his head instinctively to ease his friend’s grief.

Sui Yuan’s expression relaxes a little as soon as Shao Peiyuan nods. “Junior Sister Shen…I will trouble you to take better care of her…”

Shao Peiyuan freezes. An automatic protest rises, but doesn’t get past this throat as he recalls his nod just moments ago. He cannot go back on a promise. Even if his principles allow him to take his words back, he finds that he cannot when a gratified smile blooms on Sui Yuan’s face. “Don’t worry, I will definitely not renege on my promises to you.”

Straightening with a soft laugh, Sui Yuan pushes Shao Peiyuan away gently. “Go on, then. Junior Sister Shen will…she will need someone to console her right now.”

“But you…” Shao Peiyuan hesitates.

“He has me.” A chilly voice interrupts. Clad in his usual snow white robes, Xuan Ling strolls over. The spiritual pressure bearing down on Shao Peiyuan almost sends him to his knees and causes him to pale drastically.

With a wave of his sleeve, he shoves Shao Peiyuan away from where he stands too close to Sui Yuan.

Shock running through his being, Shao Peiyuan forgets to give a respectful greeting. “Wh – when did you get here?!”

Sui Yuan and Shen Jiayi are both Core Formation stage cultivators, so they naturally couldn’t sense the Nascent Soul Shao Peiyuan. Similarly, being an initial-level Nascent Soul cultivator means it is impossible for him to sense Xuan Ling, who is near Ascension. If the Elder knows Sui Yuan still harbours feelings for Shen Jiayi, and only agreed to be cultivation partners for the benefit of his sect, then… What will come next is something he doesn’t wish to imagine.

Apparently not caring about Shao Peiyuan’s fluctuating emotions, Xuan Ling glides over to Sui Yuan and places a possessive hand on the youth’s shoulder. Only then does he focus all his attention on Shao Peiyuan. Under the razor-sharp stare, the Shao Peiyuan who has always patiently endured any animosity directed towards himself can feel the deep, unconcealed hostility emitting from the Elder.

Clearly, Xuan Ling can pinch a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like him to death… But he knows why the other doesn’t lift a hand. Towards this, he can only breathe a relieved but sorrowful sigh.

Looking at the two of them standing side by side, the air between them is oddly harmonious, so companionable that they seem inseparable. Inwardly admitting defeat, Shao Peiyuan’s shifts his line of sight away. Turning his back on them, he walks off in the direction Shen Jiayi took.

Seeing Shao Peiyuan finally leaving, Xuan Ling’s imposing aura vanishes as he scoffs in displeasure. Although he knows it is all acting, personally witnessing it still fills him with resentment.

Unfortunately for him, Sui Yuan doesn’t notice his gloomy mood. Once the scene has ended, he lifts Xuan Ling’s hand from his shoulder and drops it without a second’s hesitation, before spinning on his heels and striding away.

Even though he obtained his body and will be officially declared his husband in the very near future, the indifferent gaze in Sui Yuan’s eyes whenever the youth looks at him is extremely stifling. Therefore, he will naturally have to vent this frustration on Sui Yuan’s body.

On Sui Yuan’s side, this poor person who has to endure Xuan Ling’s insatiable desires is currently crying tears of blood. He deeply regrets being foolishly lured into agreeing with Zhao Xihe’s proposal. This time, he truly walked down the path to hell on his own!

“Do you know…” After their latest bout of sex is over, Xuan Ling hugs the boneless Sui Yuan to his chest, lips wandering aimlessly across the slender neck and shoulder, occasionally nipping or sucking a small red mark on the smooth skin. “The sole point I am pleased about this world that 5237 picked is that we will reside in this world for a relatively long period. An ordinary person’s lifespan is a mere hundred years on average, so a story will mostly span only a few years, or the rare few decades. However, in this type of setting, a decade is a mere blink of an eye for cultivators, so it is possible that we can spend several hundred years together…”

Sui Yuan chokes. “……Save…”

Xuan Ling: “What’s that?”

“Save me… QAQ”

Xuan Ling: “……”

So, in order to save himself from being ravished nightly for several hundred years, Sui Yuan risks his life to drive the plot forward as quickly as possible. Although Xuan Ling frequently impedes his progress by outwardly helping but secretly hindering, he cannot outwit Sui Yuan, who is now exceedingly familiar with his true nature.

Therefore, besides the little hiccup with Liu Minghui obtaining a husband and having a different villainous co-worker, everything else proceeds as according to the plot. Under Sui Yuan and Xuan Ling’s urging, Shao Peiyuan becomes closer and closer to the female lead. Initially, due to harbouring feelings for the same target only to let another snatch them away, these two mutually console each other, helping one another to pull out of their grief. Afterwards, with Sui Yuan out of the picture, their friendship deepens. As one of the important supporting male leads meant to fall in love with Shen Jiayi, Shao Peiyuan is naturally able to let go of the crush even he himself is unaware of. Bit by bit, the female lead’s halo draws him in, and Shen Jiayi also develops deeper regards towards him. In short, the plan to push this supporting male lead, Shao Peiyuan, into the seat of male lead is very successful.

Following that, Sui Yuan begins to reveal his cloven foot, allowing Shen Jiayi’s suspicion of him to rise.

Taxing his mind and body, Sui Yuan finally walks to the eve of his scheduled death. At last, he is able to tell Xuan Ling “I’ll go to my death first, you continue doing your best.” Just as he finishing saying these words, tears of excitement nearly fall from his eyes.

Lifting a hand, Xuan Ling pats his head with a gentle smile. “Don’t worry, I will follow you as quickly as I can. I will absolutely not let you wait too long.”

Sui Yuan: “……Please slow down.”

“Be good. Don’t think unrealistic thoughts anymore,” Xuan Ling’s tone is especially compassionate.

Sui Yuan & 5237: “………”

In the Dark Mystic Cave, Sui Yuan’s plan to steal the female lead’s treasures fails spectacularly, and was instead coerced by her to fall into her trap. Bound and vulnerable, Sui Yuan raises his head to look at the combined disappointed, distressed gazes of Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan. Laughing wildly as he hacks up mouthfuls of blood, he is finally able to recite the lines he spent the last few decades going over.

The downside to every villainous character or leader of villainous organisations is the fact that they follow their own brand of logic, one of which is the need to proclaim themselves and their ideas in front of the main leads before their inevitable death. Of course, Liu Minghui is no different.

Ever since he became cultivation partners with Xuan Ling, Liu Minghui grew into a well-known figure within the cultivation world. Naturally, everyone present is well aware of his identity, and never did they imagine the mastermind behind the scenes would turn out to be him.

Listening to Sui Yuan’s monologue, Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan becomes increasingly grieved. “Senior Martial Brother, we know you were compelled to become Master’s cultivation partner and have been suffering ever since. But you have really walked down the wrong path this time ah… Whatever you wish for, Master will definitely not refuse. So why do you insist on harming others without benefitting yourself? By doing this…have you ever considered how sad Master will be? I don’t believe that after being together for so long, you still do not harbour even the slightest trace of friendly regard for him!”

Sui Yuan’s mind screeches to a halt, silently skimming through the script only to discover that this question is not written down. How should he answer it, then?!

The sudden silence causes a sliver of hope to rise in Shen Jiayi. Just as her thoughts race, trying to find the best way to convince her originally virtuous and upright Senior Martial Brother to see the error of his ways, another voice unexpectedly cuts through the tense, quiet atmosphere. A familiar voice that makes her eyes widen in shock.

“What you said is not wrong. Whatever he wishes for, how can I refuse?” Appearance eternally unchanging even after several decades has passed, Xuan Ling strolls through the crowd. Even though his words are directed towards Shen Jiayi, his gaze is firmly locked on the bloodied Sui Yuan.

“Master?!” Shen Jiayi exclaims in disbelief. “You – you have always…don’t tell me you have known about this all along?!”

“Indeed, I have always known. I even assisted him in the dark,” Xuan Ling replies quietly. Kneeling down to gather Sui Yuan into his arms and planting a soft kiss on his forehead, he doesn’t seem to care about his partner’s fresh blood staining his white robes.

Staggering back from hurt and devastation, Shen Jiayi retreats into the embrace of an equally numb Shao Peiyuan.

The Senior Martial Brother whom she always trusted and loved is the true mastermind behind the scenes. And the Master whom she deeply respects actually helped him walk into dangerous situations time and again. In this one split-second, her perception of black and white has been horribly flipped on its axis.

“I know you are perhaps incapable of accepting this as the truth.” Xuan Ling eventually glances at Shen Jiayi, his dark pupils carrying a glint of tranquillity and accomplishment. “But no matter what, I cannot bring myself to toss him aside. If he stays righteous, I will remain so. If he becomes a demon, so too, will I. If he steps down the wrong path, I am powerless to prevent it, and can only walk alongside him.”

Xuan Ling’s head tilts down, staring at Sui Yuan in his arms, whose breathing is coming out shorter and more feebly, but still stubbornly struggling to keep his eyes open. The corners of Xuan Ling’s mouth pulls up into an affectionate, calm smile. “If he dies, I will follow.”

As Xuan Ling’s emotional, public declaration of the depths of his love comes to an end, Sui Yuan breathes his last. Not knowing what to say, he merely eyes the other man with a somewhat accusing stare before his eyelids finally slide close, soul separating from the body.

Xuan Ling’s dark irises darken to a pure black, one arm tightening even further around the corpse, as though trying to fuse with it. His other hand grips Sui Yuan’s cooling hand, intertwining their fingers together.

For a long while, the Elder remains motionless, so everyone within the cave don’t dare have any ideas either. Liu Minghui may not be someone they fear, but Xuan Ling is a Sword Cultivator who is just half a step away from Immortal Ascension. If he wants to take revenge on his partner’s behalf, everyone in this cave – no. It should be the entire cultivation world will not be able to escape his wrath!

As the silence stretches without end in sight, the first individuals to break it is Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan, the couple who shared a deep relationship with Xuan Ling and Liu Minghui.

Softly calling their names, Shao Peiyuan pushes Shen Jiayi behind his back, cautiously approaching first to scout out the situation. However, when he finally steps up beside them, he realises there is absolutely no reaction from the silently embracing couple.

A huge fright instantly envelops Shao Peiyuan’s heart. Falling to one knee, he lifts a lightly trembling hand to touch the tightly intertwined fingers. As soon as his fingertips brush their skin, he freezes.

“Peiyuan…” Shen Jiayi says quietly, wanting to inch forward and see for herself, but afraid to know the answer.

“They have…passed on…” Shao Peiyuan forces out before choking on grief, vision obscured by tears.

Shen Jiayi and he never planned to take Liu Minghui’s life. They only wanted to expose him, then turn him back onto the right path. However, he was unexpectedly stubborn, refusing to give them any opportunities to convince him to return. Instead, he ended his own life in a haughty manner.

And Xuan Ling…naturally chose to follow him…

Memories of his childhood flash through Shao Peiyuan’s mind. The first time he ever saw Liu Minghui, the thin, small boy was also headstrong and arrogant, resembling an aloof beast with no sense of fear, who is always on guard around people and very observant of his surroundings. Even as a child, Shao Peiyuan cannot help but want to break down Liu Minghui’s barriers, to become his close friend.

As that boy grew, he became gentle, well-mannered, reliable, honest, and trustworthy. It was as though he didn’t possess a single flaw. Shao Peiyuan still clearly remembers that very day in the Eternal Bliss Heavenly Ground, where Liu Minghui saved him from the verge of death but refused to acknowledge it. It was around that time Liu Minghui caused confusion to surface in his heart, turning his world upside down.

His distress, his laugh, the gorgeous, serene look beneath the moonlight. Every frown and every smile was imprinted deep in his heart. Only until he genuinely fell in love with Shen Jiayi does he come to realise his feelings for Liu Minghui were beyond simple friendship.

Even if Liu Minghui walked down the wrong path, even if he attempted to harm them time and again, the enlightened Shao Peiyuan never once harboured a grudge against him. The only thought he had was to rescue this friend who abandoned himself to despair…that’s all…

Liu Minghui saved his life once before. Even if asked to exchange his life for Minghui’s, Peiyuan will definitely not hesitate in the slightest!

Only, it appears his understanding of Minghui is still insufficient. He forgot how prideful the other can be, how he has never been able to tolerate the slightest personal flaw. Now that Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan had revealed his schemes and dark plans, how could Liu Minghui bear to continue living in a world where his reputation was blackened?

Perhaps if he had been more considerate, if he had caught onto Minghui’s difficulties and helped him through it, maybe… Maybe Liu Minghui wouldn’t have given up on life?

Tears streaming down her face, Shen Jiayi’s knees thud heavily to the ground. While she feels she did not do anything wrong, she also cannot excuse herself. Her method of handling this issue led to the deaths of her beloved Senior Martial Brother and Master. Smacking her forehead on the ground as she bows, Shen Jiayi sobs wholeheartedly, uncaring about the trickle of blood seeping down between her eyes. Everything happened too quickly for her to react. All that remains now is a bone-deep sorrow, terror and regret.

“…This was their choice.” Shao Peiyuan wraps an arm around her shoulders in comfort, his voice cracking with restrained emotions.

Liu Minghui chose to stake everything in this plan and took his own life when his deeds were exposed. His pride and dignity didn’t allow him to continue living after being thoroughly discredited. As for Xuan Ling, he chose to accompany the person he treasures with all his being, not letting go even in death.

All those years ago, Liu Minghui went against his heart, renouncing the woman he loves due to his duty, living an unhappy life as Xuan Ling’s cultivation partner. After all, the sect must come first. But what kind of talented man with such a bright future ahead will willingly give himself wholly to another man he doesn’t love, subjecting himself to be mocked and ridiculed behind his back? Thus, his situation caused him to become twisted, abandoning himself to despair, willing to give up everything in order to free himself of these unwanted chains. And as the very person who placed these chains on Liu Minghui, Xuan Ling’s love is too deep for him to even consider letting Liu Minghui go. So the only thing he could do was allow his treasured one to do as he pleases, to accept his misconducts and walk alongside him forever. Ultimately, due to this infatuation and lingering guilt, he forsakes the chance of Ascension within reach and followed the other to his death.

The cycle of karma and retribution. In the end, no one can really say who the offender is and who the victim is. Is it Xuan Ling and his love, or Liu Minghui and his hatred? The only thing anyone can do is hope that this tragic couple left this world without regrets…

---

 

The author has something to say: This time it is a relatively peaceful scene where they die together in the name of love…

Perhaps I should change this title to <<101 Ways For the Supporting Male Lead and Male Lead to Die Together in the Name of Love>>…?

P.S: In the eyes of everyone else, the reason for their death is always so grave and sorrowful… °(ಗдಗ。)°.

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IANEWtbaSML 4.13

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Chapter 4.13

When Sui Yuan wakes up, he feels as though he is having an out-of-body experience, and his soul has returned to a body that isn’t his own. His limbs feel extremely heavy and incapable of the slightest movements. The rear place where Xuan Ling penetrated is so sore that he wants to cry whenever he thinks about it.

Naturally, Sui Yuan is not alone in this bed. As his senses gradually stir, he can feel an equally naked body hugging him from behind. Said person is already awake and lazily playing with a lock of Sui Yuan’s hair, absently twisting it around his finger.

Staring dully at the fingers in his peripheral vision, Sui Yuan shifts his body a little, turning his head to look at the person behind him.

Xuan Ling smiles gently, placing a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth, then tightens his arms around Sui Yuan’s waist.

As the other man did not let go of his hair, Sui Yuan is somewhat displeased when the small action of turning his head causes a tingle of pain in his scalp. “What are you doing?”

“Binding your hair^[1],” Xuan Ling replies lightly. “Once this act is done, both will be eternally joined, to our final days and beyond.”

Sui Yuan falls silent, still unable to accept the touching words falling from the other man’s mouth as well as his sweet attitude. Not when he is wearing the face of the stern, unsociable Xuan Ling. Even if he knows the soul residing inside is Zhao Xihe, Sui Yuan feels this situation is too surreal.

“I feel very unwell.” Sui Yuan gathers up his long, free-flowing hair. The silky strands between Xuan Ling’s fingers slide away following his movements. Looking unspeakably sorrowful but maintaining an unfeeling façade, this appearance causes Xuan Ling’s eyes to darken for a split-second.

Considerately helping Sui Yuan to sit up in bed, Xuan Ling flicks a wrist, materialising a bottle of Jade Pearl pills. Removing one, he holds it out in front of Sui Yuan’s mouth.

Although this is a very precious item and it is a little wasteful to use it like this, Sui Yuan doesn’t reject it as he remembers who exactly is responsible for his current ‘injuries’. As soon as the pill dissolves in his mouth, his sore, aching muscles instantly vanishes. Feeling rejuvenated, Sui Yuan prepares to get out of bed and throw on his clothes when he is once again dragged back into Xuan Ling’s embrace.

His struggle is cut short thanks to Xuan Ling’s next words. “What do you plan to do after?”

Frowning, he tilts his head in question. “Plan?”

“I succumbed to my inner demons for you, and you gave your body to me in order to return my sanity,” Xuan Ling answers. “Don’t tell me you intend to break off our relationship just like that?”

“……What else do you expect me to do?” Sui Yuan’s guard goes up immediately as he recalls 5237’s warning – everything he did is to rescue Zhao Xihe, there is no other meaning.

“Let’s become cultivation partners,” Xuan Ling replies bluntly.

An urge to touch Xuan Ling’s forehead and check if the other has a high temperature rises in Sui Yuan. Are you sure you are fully awake? Suggesting this kind of unreliable proposal! Or should I ask if you are really sober, thinking I will approve of this plan which will further mess up the storyline?!

“If you have anything to say, feel free.” Understanding the myriad of emotions flickering across the youth’s face, Xuan Ling offers him a smile. “I already told 0007 to convert this place into a separate zone.”

Hearing this, Sui Yuan’s worry eases and he turns around with a solemn face. “Don’t try to create more trouble. You are this world’s male lead!”

“It’s not necessarily me.” Zhao Xihe quirks an eyebrow, an expression Sui Yuan is particularly familiar with surfacing. “From the beginning to the end, the original text never explicitly said who the male lead is, isn’t that so? There are only a few vague descriptions, and I am not the only one who fits them all.”

“You mean…”

“Push another up to replace me as the male lead,” Zhao Xihe states in a matter of fact tone. “As long as your story doesn’t change too much, you will not be penalised too harshly. The one who will bear the brunt of being replaced as the male lead is me, not you.”

Sui Yuan is still hesitant. “You mean…you will give up completing your story to help me complete mine?”

“Correct.” Zhao Xihe nods. “Your character will have to die near the end anyway. If you become my cultivation partner, I will not hinder you from here onwards, and will even help you if you face any difficulty. You can go about completing your task however you wish. Trap the female lead, fall in love with her, setting up the last trap and be killed by her…I will help you as long as you require it. After all, the plot is already a mess. I killed He Lianyu during my berserk state so you have no one else to collude with. Wouldn’t it be difficult operating on your own?” He stares at Sui Yuan with eyes full of absolution. “Therefore, I am willing to take He Lianyu’s place and assist you to the end.”

Truthfully, Zhao Xihe’s words were very reasonable. Sui Yuan can’t help but be pleasantly surprised, and his wavering heart eventually falls thoroughly by Zhao Xihe’s next sentence.

“If you reject my proposal, I will give you all sorts of trouble. But if you are my cultivation partner, everything will be smoothly completed with my help. Which will you choose?” In order to tie this person to him, he has already planned everything in advance. “It is impossible to return this storyline back on track, so you should just focus on what’s in front.”

And thus…the Sui Yuan whose gaze is firmly fixed on the cave’s entrance in front nods stiffly, agreeing to his proposal.

It is only until a white-robed, clear-headed Xuan Ling exits the cave and walks through the doors of the temple, hand in hand with Sui Yuan that every Elder present finally realises they have been living in a dream. But no matter how much they try to, they can’t seem to grasp this new development.

Where is the promised Master-Disciple pair?! Where is the treasured female student?! Isn’t this scene as flabbergasting as the groom being snatched away by a handsome interloper on the day of his wedding?!

“……What exactly is going on here, Junior Brother Xuan Ling?” Sweeping his eyes over the hall, his gaze lands on the tottering Shen Jiayi, who looks as though she has been struck by lightning. With supreme effort, he suppresses the overwhelming urge to wash his hands off everything and walk away, plastering on a calm, steady façade that a sect leader must have. “Why is it Minghui? I never knew you…the both of you have become so close.”

The sect leader really wants to cough out blood. Although he already harbours worry that Xuan Ling has become a victim of love, if it cannot be avoided, he will naturally accept this development. However, never did he expect the target of this infatuation is not Shen Jiayi like they all thought, but his beloved eldest disciple who harbours a somewhat ambiguous feeling for Shen Jiayi.

Regarding this matter, the sect leader is undoubtedly suffering from a double bad news attack. There wasn’t even a foreshadowing omen! He didn’t have even a little bit of time to mentally prepare himself! This common love triangle featuring a woman and two men has suddenly ended with the two men getting together and the female lead being tossed aside!! How can such a story be acceptable?! Miraculous developments shouldn’t be used in this way ah!

“I am unsure if Senior Martial Brother believes in fate.” Whether or not he notices the sect leader’s mental breakdown, Xuan Ling’s icy, indifferent expression doesn’t waver in the slightest. Only when his eyes settle on Sui Yuan does faint warmth seep into those dark eyes. “I too, do not understand why, but my heart is unable to let go of him the moment I first laid eyes on his person.”

“…The moment you first saw him?” The sect leader murmurs in contemplation.

“It was that very day I called him over to the Heavenly Blade Peak after receiving news that Minghui saved my succeeding disciple,” Xuan Ling answers. “From that day onwards, his shadow constantly lingers in my heart. No matter how I try, I was incapable of forgetting. Understanding how poor an image I would be presenting, I repressed the urge to seek him out, enduring the ache in my heart and meticulously distanced myself.”

Thinking back to how Xuan Ling indeed didn’t interact with Minghui for a long while after that day, the sect leader nods, still muttering to himself.

“However, when I heard he was trapped within a mirage array in the Eternal Bliss Heavenly Ground, I realised I cannot hide any longer.” Xuan Ling’s eyelids slide close, fingers holding Sui Yuan’s hand tightening, as though extremely afraid the other will suddenly disappear.

“…Therefore, you took the initiative to reduce his sentence, and went to see him at the first available moment after his terms of isolation commenced. By chance, you were there when he nearly wandered off the Righteous Path and insisted he remained in the Heavenly Blade Peak until his injuries heal. You even helped him straighten his meridian every day without fail…” The sect leader’s words trail off, ending in a heavy sigh. Xuan Ling has been openly displaying his feelings for the world to see, but he missed every sign and was blindly deceived into believing otherwise. “Afterwards, when I proposed letting Minghui and your succeeding disciple be cultivation partners, you strongly opposed it. It wasn’t because of your disciple, but for Minghui?”

“Yes.” Xuan Ling nods.

Not aware that something like this occurred, amazement paints Shen Jiayi’s face. Her gaze towards Xuan Ling and Sui Yuan becomes increasingly complicated.

Both are clad in snow white robes, one stern and cold, the other warm and gentle. Indeed a pair created by the Heavens for each other. As a cultivator’s lifespan is exceedingly long, most desire a cultivation partner in order to avoid loneliness. Producing offspring is not their main concern. Hence, not everyone sticks to the conventional male-female pair. Still, the natural order is a man and a woman. Although male-male couples are not considered taboo, very few proclaim themselves in public. With one being her deeply respected Master and the other the Senior Martial Brother whom she is enamoured with…

Shen Jiayi knows that she would probably need a period of time before she can accept this fact.

“When Minghui was recuperating in the Heavenly Blade Peak, I visited him every day, but never dared to linger. For I gradually sensed problems arising due to my emotions.” Xuan Ling tilts his head down to glance at Sui Yuan. “I dared not allow myself to interact with him more than what was necessary. I had hoped to control this danger as quickly as possible. However, I unexpectedly fell deeper.”

Sui Yuan can’t help recalling Xuan Ling’s wan complexion whenever he came to treat him. At that time, Sui Yuan wanted to ask but was brushed off. He had thought since the other is Zhao Xihe, there wouldn’t be any problems, so he tossed it to the back of his mind. It is only until much later when 5237 explained that the actor cannot be separated from the body of the character they are playing as does Sui Yuan finally understand. In the original text, Xuan Ling nearly succumbed to his inner demons because of Shen Jiayi. Now, Zhao Xihe genuinely fell to the Demonic Path because of Sui Yuan.

As of now, there is a clear explanation for Xuan Ling’s berserk state. All this time, he has been repressing his feelings of love, too busy to care about anything else. However, when he received news of Sui Yuan being snatched away by He Lianyu, his self-control faltered. And in this crucial moment when he teeters on the edge, he personally witnessed He Lianyu and Sui Yuan…ahem…that scene. Thus, Xuan Ling’s restraint shattered, and he stepped firmly onto the Demonic Path.

What Sui Yuan can glean from Xuan Ling’s words, the Elders are naturally able to as well. The fact that Sui Yuan’s presence is able to pull him out of his berserk state evidently shows that his feelings for the youth is too deep to free himself from. If they do not give Xuan Ling consent, he might just succumb to his inner demons again.

…Heh, a berserk Sword Cultivator who is at the last stage before Ascension is not something anyone wants to imagine.

Nonetheless, joining hands to be cultivation partners is not a matter of only getting the consent from one half of the pair… The sect leader’s gaze rests on his beloved succeeding disciple, partly afraid that he will refuse and partly hoping that he would. Ai…his current state of mind is extremely complicated. “Minghui, Junior Brother Xuan Ling wishes to be your cultivation partner. Are you…willing?”

Seeing the concealed anticipation on the sect leader’s face, Sui Yuan turns to glance up at Xuan Ling, who is also paying him undivided attention. Thinking back to their prior agreement, a firm, bold resolve settles in his gut. Calmly, he nods. “Disciple…is willing.”

“I understand.” The sect leader’s tone is regretful, but his tense expression relaxes as he chuckles lightly. “Then, the both of you may retire and rest. A few days from now, the sect will prepare a dual-cultivation ceremony for you.”

Xuan Ling and Sui Yuan bows in agreement as one.

Hence, not only has Sui Yuan’s virginity been offered up to Xuan Ling on a silver platter, even his first marriage ceremony – and his first time acting the part of a bride – is also taken by this man. This ‘good news’ causes 5237 to cry ‘tears of joy’ as soon as it is informed. In its heart, it really wishes to vent against the multiple worlds.

– The male leads in BG worlds are mongrels! None of them are virtuous at all!

---

 

Footnotes:

[1] In ancient times, one will bind their hair once they come of age. The act of binding a lock of hair together also exists between a newly wedded couple. The bride and groom will intertwine a lock of hair together to signify their eternal union.

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