pet

pet

Xie Yong seemed very unhappy with my appearance and forcibly pulled me out of the car. I followed him from the parking lot and typed on my phone to ask him, "Why did I come to your house?"

He gave me an impatient look. "Why don't you check how much snow is falling outside?"

At first, I was puzzled, but after the private elevator stopped and I walked behind Xie Yong, I saw what it looked like outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Outside the wraparound terrace, a thin layer of snow drifts down, offering views of almost every iconic building in the Empire State, including Central Park, which is also within easy reach.

Xie Yong skillfully took off his overcoat and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving the collar slightly open to reveal his pale skin and collarbone.

This made me feel a little embarrassed. I slowly looked away and turned around, intending to leave, but no matter how I pressed the buttons, the private elevator wouldn't budge.

“Without the owner’s permission, nothing here will listen to you,” Xie Yong said coldly. “Otherwise, why do you think I spent a lot of money to buy this apartment? I hate being harassed all the time.”

I hesitated and turned to look at him, only to be met with a pair of deep, dark eyes.

Xie Yong had sharp eyes and a haughty air about him.

My intuition told me that he was expressing his dissatisfaction with me, so after thinking about it, I walked towards him.

As night deepened, my silhouette was reflected even more clearly in the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The overly beautiful dress I was wearing accentuated my curves. It was so short that it barely covered my upper thighs, and my long, curly hair swayed in an incredibly suggestive arc as I walked.

I suddenly stopped awkwardly in place, motionless. Xie Yong saw that I was standing there stiffly again, raised his eyebrows, picked up his coat, and came closer to me. While I was still in a daze, he draped the coat over my shoulders, covering my calves completely.

"Aren't you tired of standing like this?" he asked softly.

I looked up, and Xie Yong took my hand. He had a natural indifference that no one could possess, but it was not as oppressive and aggressive as Jiang Zhao's, which made me less afraid.

"Did I do it?" he asked me.

I glanced down and saw that my wrist was red, probably from when Xie Yong pulled me off the car; he must have used a bit too much force.

But you can't blame him. I always leave a red mark when you pinch me, and because my skin is fair, it's especially noticeable. Yu Xu and I usually leave marks when we kiss in bed, even a little kiss.

"..." I quickly shook my head.

Xie Yong's expression turned slightly dangerous, his long, narrow black eyes revealing a hint of ferocity. "It wasn't me, it was the person who sent you the flowers."

Although I've only known Xie Yong for a few days, I know he's not the type to show his emotions so openly. He usually just smiles and stares at people coldly, making it impossible to figure out what he's thinking.

He might have had too much to drink today; he's been acting strangely since earlier. But I haven't given up on getting him to testify for Yu Xu in court. I picked up my phone. "How about I tell you something?"

His gaze paused slightly, and he nodded gently.

I thought he had agreed and smiled, but to my surprise, he left me there and went upstairs to take a shower by himself. I sat in the living room waiting for him.

Xie Yong's apartment has a particularly minimalist and sophisticated decor, and it looks very high-end and simple, with all the top-of-the-line smart home features.

The room was filled with a cool, woody scent. Facing me was a huge floor-to-ceiling window. Looking out, it seemed that the snow had covered the entire Central Park. The night was quiet, even a little lonely.

The stylish clock on the wall reminded me that Xie Yong had been upstairs for almost two hours. I hesitated whether to look for him. Just as I got up from the sofa, I saw the ridiculously long black staircase and instinctively felt a chill.

I'm afraid of such overly luxurious decorations in a place where hardly anyone lives. I once lived in a villa like this, which was full of surveillance cameras, for many years, and I had nightmares every day.

I draped my coat over my shoulders and lay down on Xie Yong's sofa. Looking at the photos of me and Yu Xu on my phone, and remembering what the lawyer had told me—that Yu Xu wanted to break up with me and didn't want to drag me down with him—I let out a pitiful sob that even I could hear.

My phone was low on battery and reminded me that it would shut down in 30 seconds. The last image was of Yu Xu and me on a summer vacation, with him smiling happily next to me.

"Woof...woof woof woof!" The barking of a pet dog made me jump up. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a white Samoyed lying gently not far away, all soft and fluffy, as if it were smiling at me. It was very cute.

I was a little confused, but seeing how glossy and healthy the dog's fur was, it was probably Xie Yong's pet. I reached out my hand, and the puppy immediately ran towards me, its tongue lolling out, and jumped into my arms like a marshmallow, barking twice.

This little dog was so well-behaved and polite that I couldn't help but bend down and hug it. It even touched my face and brought me its toy ball.

I tossed the ball a little further away, and the puppy immediately ran over excitedly, then fetched the ball and brought it back to me.

"..." So cute.

It was all fluffy and warm, with a faint fragrance. I suddenly remembered a puppy I used to have, which was just as cute and small, and always rubbed against my legs.

I picked it up one rainy night, kept it at home, and gave it a cute name: Pudding.

It was soaked in the rain and looked pitiful. No one in the family except me cared about this extra puppy. Every day after school, I would play with it and take care of it as soon as possible, and even completely forgot about the brothers Jiang Zhao and Jiang Mingzhuo.

My life is so boring, I desperately need something new. Pudding has become my emotional support. I long to take it to the yard outside, throw a ball to it, and play carefree all day.

That day, they asked me to go to the concert with them, but Pudding got sick. I took it to the hospital, calling its name and holding its little paws with heartache. Jiang Zhao was behind me. It wasn't until I brought the puppy home that he cornered me in the room and asked me a question.

"Why does this thing have a name?" He asked in a calm tone, his handsome yet cold expression cutting straight to me. I was stunned.

“It’s my friend…that’s the name I gave it,” I told him.

Jiang Zhao lifted the sleeping puppy from my arms. The veins on the back of his hand were bulging. He only used a little force, and the puppy began to struggle. It was already sick, and after being tormented like this, it looked like it was on its last legs.

I was terrified and cried, begging him, "Don't hurt it, it won't do anything to you."

"I hate it when you waste your time on things other than me." Jiang Zhao's tone was indifferent, but the coldness in his eyes seeped deep into my heart. He tossed the puppy back into my arms. "Don't name this kind of thing. Once you have a name, you'll easily develop feelings for it, hmm?"

I hugged the puppy tightly and looked at him. He stared down at me, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Although he warned me like that, I still didn't take it seriously. After Pudding recovered, Jiang Zhao took me hunting, and I took Pudding with me to play in the forest. It hopped around to pick up the toys I threw out, but it didn't come back for a very long time.

When I felt uneasy and scared, I begged Jiang Zhao to help me find it.

In the evening, I found Pudding dying deep in the jungle. Beside him were two Doberman Pinschers, baring their teeth at me fiercely and terrifyingly, their sharp teeth even stained with blood.

They killed my pudding.

"..." I bit my lip, afraid of the warning growls these two Dobermans made at me, but Jiang Zhao forced me to see the scene clearly. He knew I would be scared, but he still maliciously emphasized: "Don't pick it up. Maybe it can live a little longer."

Jiang Zhao simply whistled, and the two agile and beautiful Dobermans returned to his side and obediently lay down beside him.

“If you like pets, I’ll find some well-behaved ones to play with you,” Jiang Zhao said. He patted the Doberman’s neck, and the two dogs picked up the toys from the corner and squatted in front of me. They were very well-behaved and obedient after being trained by Jiang Zhao.

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Jiang Zhao picked up the toy, walked back to my side, placed it in my hand, and gestured for me to play with his "carefully selected" pet.

I shuddered, and the hairs on my body stood on end.

That chilling feeling gradually emerged from the depths of my memory, and I almost stopped breathing. The little dog in front of me clearly didn't understand why my body had suddenly stiffened, and its furry head was still rubbing against me.

"Bruce." A deep, sharp voice came from afar. The little dog obeyed as usual, but seemed worried about me, its eyes sparkling as it circled around me.

Xie Yong frowned slightly. "Who exactly is your master? Come here."

The puppy then got up and barked twice. Xie Yong squatted down, stroked its fluffy head, and said in a gentler tone, "Alright, go to sleep now. Daddy will play with you again tomorrow."

A pair of men's slippers were thrown at my feet. Confused, I blinked and looked at Xie Yong. He had changed into very casual clothes, his hair looked like it had just been dried, with wispy strands falling naturally over his forehead, and even his long eyelashes were clearly visible.

"Go take a shower," he ordered me. I lowered my eyes cautiously, wanting to tell him that there were no clothes for me to change into, but my phone was dead and he couldn't understand my sign language. So I searched for paper and pen in my line of sight, hoping to write it down for him to see.

Xie Yong seemed to understand what I was thinking, and paused for a moment. "It's all ready for you. Go take a shower first." I was slightly surprised, but Xie Yong had already walked to the semi-open kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of mineral water, and poured himself a drink. I lowered my head, went up to the third floor, and entered the guest bedroom's bathroom.

The bathroom suite was thoughtfully designed, with two doors, a simple wardrobe in the middle, and a bathtub at the far end. It was my first time taking a bath and spending the night in a man's house who was a complete stranger to me, so I was naturally very careful and quick. I only squeezed out a little shampoo to wash my long hair clean.

Stepping out of the house in those oversized men's slippers, I picked up a hairdryer to dry my hair before noticing the dust bag beside me. When I opened it, it contained neither pajamas nor a girl's underwear, but an exceptionally loose, dark black men's T-shirt.

It was clear that Xie Yong was also at a loss as to what to do about me being a part of his family.

I felt a little awkward. Wearing the T-shirt made me feel empty all over, and I especially disliked the feeling of my legs being exposed under the T-shirt. Trying to cover it up, I grabbed a bathrobe and dawdled out of the bathroom. There was no one in the room.

I breathed a sigh of relief. The air conditioner's warm air was just the right temperature and very comfortable. I tossed my bathrobe on the floor, went to bed, and snuggled into the white down comforter. The day's fatigue was completely relieved at that moment, and slowly, sleepiness crept in.

Half asleep and half awake, I felt someone touching my cheek. In my daze, I thought it was Yu Xu.

Before going to sleep, the lights were already off. In the darkness, I simply hugged Yu Xu tightly, rubbed against his neck, and snuggled into his arms. I couldn't make a sound, but I instinctively hoped that Yu Xu would hold me tighter. I even leaned in and gently kissed his lips with my sense of touch.

The force on my waist suddenly increased.

"...You seduced me first."

In a daze, I heard someone say that to me, but I was too tired today and quickly forgot about it.