Chapter 45: The family is still alive, but the money is gone.

Meng Yiqiong spread her suitcase out on the side of the bed, packed a few clothes and essentials, and the suitcase was still empty.

She didn't even know what to pack. Every time she went on a business trip, she thought one bag would be enough, but Ganlu needed two suitcases. After getting off the plane, she would have to wait for Ganlu to collect her luggage, so she simply brought one for herself too.

Tianle stood at the bedroom door; the inside seemed like a forbidden area.

If the master doesn't like him entering the bedroom, then he won't disobey the master without permission.

With a band-aid on his forehead, Tianle felt a little itchy and rubbed his forehead against the wall, making the edges of the band-aid rough.

The owner's belongings are dwindling one by one; is he moving again? Meng Yiqiong has no intention of taking him with her...

He knew he had made a mistake today; he shouldn't have bitten people and upset his owner...

Tianle was the name he chose for himself.

When Meng Yiqiong first took it home, it wanted Meng Yiqiong to write it down, but it couldn't think of a good one. Later, it found these two characters on the road and thought they were perfect.

Meng Yiqiong always looks melancholy, and it wishes its owner could be happy every day.

She squatted on the ground folding clothes, occasionally touching the black square.

The owner touches the cube more often than he touches himself.

Meng Yiqiong checked the items, then suddenly stood up and said, "Oh right, there's also a water bottle, and we should bring some fruit too."

She walked past Tianle, her gaze still fixed on the square in front of her, her brows furrowed, her expression serious.

Taking advantage of the moment, he stuffed his collar into the bottom of his suitcase.

It was a black collar about a finger's width, made of cowhide with a metal buckle, the first gift his owner had ever given him.

He acted like a thief, quickly retreating to the outside of the door to stand guard.

Meng Yiqiong returned with a water glass, still staring at her phone screen.

She lifted a corner of her clothes, about to put the water cup aside, when a section of the leash was revealed.

Tianle's heart was pounding, and he dared not look into his master's eyes any longer.

Meng Yiqiong pulled the collar out along the leash and said in surprise, "How did it get here? Luckily I saw it."

She casually tossed the collar onto the table, then tapped the cube a few times before throwing it onto the bed, and finally put the water glass inside.

She got up again and went to wash a few apples.

In the instant they brushed past each other, Tianle quietly grabbed a corner of her clothes.

He didn't dare to use force, just held it loosely, so much so that Meng Yiqiong didn't even notice.

She went to the kitchen to get a water glass, and Tianle followed behind her, looking down at the slippers on his feet.

Although the shoes were very uncomfortable, he obeyed his owner's instructions to wear them.

His five toes were pressed together awkwardly, and the overhead light compressed his shadow into a gray mass at his feet, as if it had taken root.

He stared at his pale knuckles, rubbing them carefully, feeling the roughness of the cotton and linen, the raised seams, and the fluffy texture from the sun.

"I'm sorry..." he suddenly said, startling Meng Yiqiong.

"Can I come with you...?"

Soon the house will be empty, all its belongings will be moved away, leaving only the house.

Then, a new buyer will move in, and it will be driven away; if it doesn't leave, it will be beaten; if it still doesn't leave, it will be sold to a dog meat shop; if it escapes, it can only scavenge for food in the garbage dump.

Meng Yiqiong sighed, gazing at his drooping blond hair, unable to discern his expression: "Didn't I tell you? Buying plane tickets at the last minute is too expensive, over ten thousand per person, and the hospital won't reimburse it. I really can't afford to take you..."

Yes, the previous owner also said they couldn't afford to keep it anymore...

Meng Yiqiong calculated her expenses for the month, and they were three times more than her salary.

"I... I can cook for you." Tianle's hands unintentionally crumpled her clothes.

“No need. There’s a canteen where we’re going. I don’t think I’ll have much time for a big meal while I’m on the project.” Meng Yiqiong gently pushed his forearm to let go of her.

“But…” Tianle’s voice trailed off, “But you used to take care of me.”

"Before?" Meng Yiqiong squatted down and poured the apples into the box. "You used to be able to fit into this box, but look at you now, what box can fit you?"

She half-jokingly said, her face relaxing a little, "Besides, I've only ever driven you around before, when have I ever taken you on a plane?"

Tianle kept staring at the floor and didn't see her expression.

Hearing her say that, Tianle finally gave up and silently walked away.

He went to the balcony, faced the moonlight, clasped his hands together with only his index fingers touching, and desperately mobilized all his internal energy to attract the remaining moonlight.

Several complex energies were surging within his body. He concentrated intently and tried his best to change back to his original state, but he couldn't.

Unable to revert to dog form or shrink his body, Tianle was drenched in sweat, his efforts all in vain.

How could this be? There's no way that someone who cultivates to become human can't revert back to human form...

Tianle slumped into a corner, hugging his knees. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke rose behind him, followed by a swaying shadow on the wall.

Tianle turned his head to look and saw that it was his own fluffy tail.

Its snow-white fur is as light as a feather when it sways, and each hair is filled with a sense of airiness.

He hugged it tightly, which was quite an improvement, as his master's favorite thing was its tail.

He was just about to share this small joy with Meng Yiqiong when he heard Meng Yiqiong say to the black cube on the sofa, "See you at the airport at 8:30 tomorrow morning, okay."

He approached step by step, his tail swaying exaggeratedly like a peacock's tail.

Just as he was about to thrust his sword into Meng Yiqiong's face, she finally lifted her heavy eyelids and glanced at him before continuing to type rapidly.

"Master, Master~" Tianle happily stuck out her buttocks and arched her back, making a kind of invitation.

As soon as Meng Yiqiong looked up, she sneezed several times in a row.

The long-awaited shedding has settled on the gleaming coffee table and floor.

She covered her nose and said, "Put it away."

Tianle's tail immediately drooped; his owner had never ignored him like this before.

He stared at the black cube, his eyes suddenly gleaming with the murderous intent inherent in the wolf pack's genes.

He lay motionless on the sofa. More than twenty minutes later, Meng Yiqiong finally got up to take a shower. Tianle's eyelids, which had been drooping lazily a second ago, suddenly opened as if by an invisible blade, his pupils dilating into a dark abyss, reflecting the outline of his prey.

The moment his upper lip unconsciously lifted to reveal his canine teeth, his eyelids blinked at their lowest frequency—a final visual calibration before an animal attacks. He walked to the coffee table and swept his large tail, sending Meng Yiqiong's phone flying to the ground with a "click."

Meng Yiqiong was startled by the sudden attack. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the precious phone on the ground was cracking from the center of the screen, with tiny, star-shaped cracks spreading outwards to the four corners. There were also faint blue spots of light seeping into the glass interlayer.

She picked it up quickly, looked at Tianle in disbelief, a mixture of anger and regret in her eyes: "What are you doing?"

After yelling that, she checked her phone. She saw a message asking whether to quickly shut down the phone or never shut it down. She couldn't remember for a moment, and couldn't find another phone to check. She watched helplessly as the screen changed colors and then went completely black.

Just like when he made a mistake before, Tianle did it on purpose this time, but seeing his master's anxiety, he was still filled with guilt.

He instantly tucked his tail in and his ears snapped back. He wanted to destroy this 'love rival,' but he didn't want to see his master sad.

He reached out, trying to see if there was any way to salvage the situation, but Meng Yiqiong slapped him away, stood up, and looked down at him, saying, "Do you know how many important documents are in here? I'm leaving tomorrow, and you broke my phone today. How am I supposed to get by for the next few days?"

What she couldn't understand was that Tianle had always been well-behaved since he came to her house and had never caused such a big trouble before. What was wrong with him today?

The shattered screen acted as a fuse, and she poured out all the frustration she had been holding in: "I don't want to live anymore, but I don't want to starve to death. You've experienced the feeling of going hungry one day and eating a full meal the next. Haven't you heard the saying that the most painful thing in life is dying before you've spent all your money? Do you know what the most, most painful thing in life is? Being alive and having no money left."

Jianjie wasn't lying to him; did the master really not want to live?

Master, you can't do this. Although the garbage dump is dirty and smelly, the sunshine is warm, the wind feels good when you run, and the morning glories in the corner are beautiful. Since following Master, he has been to many places, and there are still many, many places he hasn't been to, many, many delicious foods he hasn't eaten, and many, many fun things he hasn't done.

The master was only twenty-five years old, but he had already lived for over eight hundred years and hadn't lived enough. He wouldn't allow his master to give up his life so easily.

Jianjie had told him about a child, that as long as the master's genes were implanted into her body, her life could be continued by the next generation she gave birth to.

Meng Yiqiong threw her phone onto the sofa: "You're enjoying your peaceful life at home, while I'm struggling outside. Food, air conditioning, air conditioning—all of these cost money, you understand? I can afford to feed an extra dog at home, but I can't afford to feed an extra man. Is that okay? Just leave, okay?!"

Tianle clenched his fists, remained silent, and kept his head bowed. Finally, his master spoke those words.

Before his owner came home from work today, he proudly styled his hair and changed his earrings. But now, his guilt makes him realize that this dressing up and trying to please others is a joke.

"I... leave...?"

"Yes, you can leave. You have hands and feet, and you're tall enough to starve to death here!" Meng Yiqiong was furious, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she launched into a tirade.

He can make money, he can make money... He can support his master. If his master doesn't want him for this reason, then he can support his master instead.

But he barely knows any words, and he lacks the education and work experience needed to earn money in the real world. He doesn't even have an ID card, so he can't sign contracts and can only live as an unregistered resident.

He had plenty of strength, so he could only look for jobs that involved cash transactions.

-----------------------

Author's Note: This is my first time trying out this kind of male lead character, and the writing isn't going very smoothly. I'll be taking a day off tomorrow to sort things out, and I'll resume normal updates the day after tomorrow. Sorry, I'll be giving out red envelopes when I update the day after tomorrow [shy].