Chapter 33 Mad Dog Hotel
A light rain began to fall from the sky.
Lu Qi held an umbrella as she walked from the hospital to her rented room.
She walked across the overpass, where small stalls were scattered on both sides. One of the streetlights at the end was broken. As Lu Qi passed by, she heard a slow, aged voice calling out:
"girl."
She stopped and turned her head, and saw a small folding table set up by the roadside, with an old man sitting behind the table holding an umbrella.
His stall was under a broken streetlamp, in a dark place where neither of the two lamps in front nor behind could illuminate it.
"Girl," he called softly again, "have you ever owned a dog?"
Lu Qi was taken aback.
The old man's upper face was hidden under the umbrella, and his voice was like sandpaper rubbing together: "It has devoured all the beast spirits around you. Two souls and four spirits are no longer enough for it. You must be careful."
Lu Qi's pupils contracted slightly.
"Huh...!" She suddenly opened her eyes, pulling herself out of the collapsing dream.
My body felt sticky, and my back and chest were soaked with sweat.
The heavy blanket pressed down on her, and Lu Qi calmed her wildly beating heart. Turning her head, she met a pair of dark, round eyes.
The young man, worried, kissed her damp temples. "Did you have a nightmare, baby?"
Lu Qi stared straight at him, while Lulu tilted her head in confusion.
She continued to stare at him, but Lulu's eyes flickered slightly as she avoided his gaze. She lowered her head to spread out the crumpled blanket for her without touching her.
Lu Qi thought to himself, and he performed a very standard dog-calming maneuver.
Dogs are not good at hiding. Once you connect Lulu with "dog", you will find that he has too many flaws.
"What's wrong?" Lulu tidied the blankets aimlessly for a while, and seeing that Lu Qi was still staring at him, she lay down on her side facing him. "Do you want to touch me?"
He winked gently at her, his golden eyelashes fluttering like yellow butterfly wings, accompanied by a gentle, watery voice—but when these gestures were applied to a dog, the atmosphere lost its romantic quality; he was simply trying to express friendliness.
Lu Qi had always thought Lulu had a rich romantic history and had flirted with many women, but it turned out that she was just being delusional and misinterpreting his meaning with human thinking.
She turned around and curled up with her back to Lulu.
Lulu was taken aback, and cautiously reached out to touch Lu Qi's shoulder.
“Lu Qi…” he called out to her helplessly.
Lu Qi lifted the blanket to block his hand.
When she returned in the morning, Lulu hugged her—or rather, she subdued her.
“You touched it, twice. And again after you put on the necklace.” He pressed his face against hers, scrutinizing every expression. “Why did you touch that dog, Lu Qi?”
He discovered it.
The blank pages in the manual appeared after Huang Zhenyi turned into a dog.
The Samoyed was supposed to bite Tian Miaoying, but it changed its target after Tian Miaoying put on the necklace.
There must be a rule about necklaces.
After putting on the necklace, Lu Qi tried it on again.
Sure enough, the Shiba Inu, who didn't mind her pinching its ears, barked angrily after she put the necklace on it and touched its head slightly.
For a dog, being petted on the head is a reward, but being petted on the head by another dog is a humiliation.
Xiao Lu never touched her head.
Lu Qi has already unlocked how to use the necklace, but the manual still hasn't updated the rules.
This is important information limited to ghost stories, and the manual should not omit it unless—it has been deliberately erased.
That blank page was truly abrupt.
"What's there to ask? It's so cute, what's wrong with touching it?" Lu Qi struggled to break free from Lulu's embrace.
Her mind was in such a state of confusion that she didn't know how to face him.
“I’m tired,” she said, turning away towards the bedroom. “I’m going to sleep for a while.”
And then, that dream came about.
Lu Qi lay with his back to Lulu, his voice coming from under the covers, somewhat muffled, "Little Lu, so many people have died... don't you feel anything at all?"
Lulu's hand, which was trying to touch her, stopped in mid-air.
"Why did they die..." Lu Qi shrank deeper into the blanket. "Why dogs... Is it because we opened a dog training program here, or because we disturbed some dog god, or because I caused their deaths?"
"No, you didn't kill them!" Lulu leaned in, tugging at her arm, anxiously watching her expression. "You didn't hurt anyone. I promise!"
Lu Qi buried her face in the blanket so he wouldn't see it.
Lulu was too perceptive; she was afraid he would notice something amiss from her expression.
"How dare you say that!" She covered her face with her hands, her voice hoarse. "Their internal organs and intestines were spilling out... those were wounds from animal bites. They're dead! They deserve to die a horrible death! Their families and friends were waiting for them to celebrate the New Year, and they're dead! They're dead and nobody even knows!"
She only wanted to test the waters, but once the words were out, her emotions crumbled.
Lu Qi wanted to believe Xiao Lu, even if he really wasn't human, it didn't necessarily mean he had anything to do with this strange tale.
The hotel was booked by the association, and Xiao Lu appeared quite early on.
If Lulu can turn into a human, then other dogs can too. This hotel is probably a setup by other dog demons and has nothing to do with Lulu.
But what if...?
Lu Qi couldn't help but think: What if it really is Lulu...?
The thought of this possibility filled her with shame, and she didn't know how to face the innocent victims.
Lulu pulled down Lu Qi's hand that was covering her face and looked at her flushed and wet face.
She stared intently at Lulu and asked him, word by word, "Did we... kill someone?"
Lulu turned her head away, but Lu Qi cupped her face in his hands. She stared at him closely and said in a stronger tone, "Answer me! Did we kill someone, Lulu?!"
"No, no," Lulu denied hastily. "...No!"
Those people didn't die; they simply left the ghost story behind.
When Lulu needs it, she can hear the sounds of the entire hotel.
He wouldn't normally do that; the noisy, unfamiliar sounds would drown out Lu Qi, preventing him from hearing her soft, beautiful voice.
When he called to gather people that day, he selected the five people whose voices were the most hesitant.
He called them to inform them that the food in the entire hotel would be under control from now on, and advised them to collect supplies while no one was around.
While everyone else stayed in the meeting room, the five of them went to the commercial area to shop.
No signal, mobile payment is not possible.
They tried to leave without paying, so they were dealt with by the store staff and security guards.
Through the corpses of the five people, Lulu not only gained a lot of negative emotions from the others, but also eliminated five suspicious and unfriendly individuals.
He plans to eliminate all men, harvest energy from the dead, and transform the place into a home for women and dogs.
"You really didn't kill anyone?"
“Really, no.” Lulu was certain they weren’t “dead.”
Lu Qi breathed a huge sigh of relief.
That's good.
Dogs aren't good at hiding their emotions, so she was willing to believe Lulu wasn't lying.
Lu Qi didn't know what other dog demons were like, but Lulu was just a puppy who had just turned ten years old. Even after becoming human, he still retained many of the behavioral habits of a dog. He still thought in a "dog" way. As a dog, he might hurt or kill people, but he would never start such a cruel prank.
Animals attack for only two reasons: self-defense or to compete for resources.
Such a farcical tale could not have been made by Lulu; it must have been made by some other dog demon, or some kind of twisted monster that has lived for decades or even centuries.
Lu Qi felt relieved. Whether or not to be open and honest with Lulu was something he needed to carefully consider.
Ultimately, she was still unsure whether Xiao Lu was actually her Lulu.
If it turns out that this was just her own delusion, Lu Qi probably won't be able to bear it.
But if he really is Lulu, then why did he come back and why did he turn into a human?
During the time Lu Qi gave up the college entrance examination and sought divine intervention everywhere, the various sects and schools she knew all shared a common understanding—
Where the spirits of the dead linger, there must be vengeful spirits.
Lulu suffered from illness throughout her life, and her death was violent. She had every reason to resent it.
It must have some obsession that keeps it in this world.
What does it want to do? What does it want to get? What is its current attitude towards humans?
Was it in pain? And what did it think of her...?
Is it really her Lulu...?
She couldn't remember how many hurdles she had overcome, how many gods and Buddhas she had knelt before, how much ash water she had drunk, or how many talismans she had obtained.
It's useless, completely useless!
She is gone, and can never return to her side.
But now, this young man who looks just like Lulu has miraculously appeared in front of her.
Is it really it? Has her Lulu really come back...?
Lu Qi stared at the young man before him, trembling.
He carefully observed her expression, trying to lick away the tears on her face, but then sensed a hint of anger in Lu Qi and dared not approach her easily.
Lu Qi lowered his eyes.
Whether Lulu hates her or resents her or not, it doesn't matter anymore.
It died because of her, so it's understandable that it wanted revenge.
She had no attachment to this world; it was her last family. If her death could bring Lulu relief, Lu Qi wouldn't mind going with her.
Anyway, her parents are in that other world; she'll have to go there sooner or later.
Having figured this out, Lu Qi treated Lulu just like he treated this ghost story, without any psychological shackles.
She raised her hand and tentatively placed it on Lulu's head.
Lulu, who had become human, became one of her kind.
For an adult male dog, having its head pinned down by another dog is an extremely impolite provocation.
That's what happened to the Shiba Inu. When Lu Qi, who was wearing a necklace, touched its head, it was so angry that it almost jumped up and choked her.
Lu Qi was unsure whether this move, which Lulu used to love the most, would no longer be possible due to her change in status.
Her slender fingertips landed on the young man's blond hair.
In an instant, Lulu's eyebrows relaxed, and she smiled elegantly and gently.
"You forgive me?" he asked happily.
Lu Qi asked in confusion, "I... I never blamed you, T."
"Hmm." Lulu wasn't bothered by the reason. He leaned forward, making it easier for Lu Qi to stroke him.
He only needed to make sure that Lu Qi was calm and that Lu Qi didn't dislike him.
“This is the first time you’ve touched my head,” he invited her, “you can touch it a little harder.”
He's still the same as before.
Lu Qi felt a mix of emotions, and with a bitter smile, said, "Only puppies like to be petted on the head."
Lulu's body stiffened instantly. After a moment, she said casually, "It doesn't mean anything. Cats like it too."
Lu Qi was stunned, then burst out laughing, finding it both funny and absurd.
This is just too obvious a cover-up.
This silly little thing... So many years have passed, and he is still just a simple little dog, the Lulu she knows.
Lulu looked up in surprise, not understanding what she had done to please her.
Lu Qi said, "You mentioned to me before that you wanted me to call you by your name."
That was when they first started dating, Lulu nodded.
"Lulu."
Lulu was taken aback.
He stared blankly at Lu Qi, noticing a call that came out of nowhere, and realized that something had changed.
Lu Qi's gaze towards him changed, and so did the tone of her voice when she called his name.
Her feelings for him transformed from awkward and shy to tender and rich, like a pink rosebud glistening with dew, each petal outstretched with exquisite beauty.
"Why, why?" He was overjoyed, putting his arm around Lu Qi's shoulders and licking her chin and lips. "Because I let you touch my head? Or do you like me saying 'cat'?"
His earnest actions made her nose tingle with emotion.
She's the one who caused his death; he was beaten to death. He should hate her.
Why couldn't she see any gloom in his eyes?
Why is he still so enthusiastic and joyful?
Why is he still willing to stay by her side, protect her, and love her?
Lu Qi lowered her eyes, suppressing the bitterness in her heart, and pondered in a seemingly relaxed manner, "Hmm... I think you're cute when you say 'cat,' and you'd be even cuter if you could meow."
She knew this wasn't the time to tease Lulu; her emotions were still running high, and there were many things weighing on her mind that she needed to confirm with Lulu:
What is his obsession? What are his thoughts on this ghost story? What are they now? Is he suffering? Is he afraid? Is he resentful?
But when Lulu looked at her excitedly, Lu Qi suddenly felt that there was no need to pursue the matter.
As long as he is still alive, there is no need to delve into anything further.
She suddenly realized why Lulu held such a fatal attraction for her, allowing her to lose herself in his kiss in a restaurant where someone had died that morning—
That's not sexual attraction between opposite sexes, it's dog hormones.
When people and dogs interact closely, their hormones stimulate the production of dopamine and oxytocin in each other.
She wasn't the only one captivated. Dogs don't have the concept of "kissing," but driven by hormones, Lulu instinctively sought the most intimate contact, a skill she learned without being taught.
This surge of hormones spiked once again.
A few minutes ago, her heart was filled with sadness and pain, but just under Lulu's gaze, her mood gradually calmed down. She couldn't help but be infected by his smile and wanted to laugh and be happy too.
"A cat? You like me to be like a cat?" Lulu tilted her head and looked at her.
This is an observation action when the instruction is uncertain.
Lu Qi coughed lightly, realizing he had been a bit naive. "I was just saying it casually."
“Of course I can be like a cat.” Lulu smiled.
He lay back, tucked his limbs in, twisted his waist to look at Lu Qi, opened his eyes wide, and made a coquettish "meow meow" sound in his throat.
Lu Qi froze, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "It doesn't look like that at all, the body is too stiff, this is a dog's way of being affectionate."
She smiled again. Lulu gazed at her smiling face, mesmerized. "Is that so?"
He knelt on the ground, stretched out his arms, arched his back and stuck out his buttocks, making a cat stretching motion.
Judging by the standard of yoga cat pose, he did it fairly well, but Lu Qi always felt that something was wrong.
She observed for a while, then suddenly realized, "No, no, your expression is too happy. This is clearly a dog inviting you to play."
Lulu thought for a moment, then tucked her limbs in, nestled on the bed, and turned to look at Lu Qi.
"What is this, a turtle?" Lu Qi laughed. "Your arms and legs are too long and too stiff to be a cat with its paws tucked in."
"Huh?" Lulu knelt up, looking confused and bewildered. "Something's not right?"
“No,” Lu Qi crawled forward on his knees and said to Lulu, “This is how a cat should act cute—”
She raised her hand and gently placed it on Lulu's forearm.
She touched him very lightly, then quickly withdrew. Finding that Lulu didn't react, she gently touched him again.
After receiving no response two or three times, she turned around, licked her arm, sat primly, frowned, and stared longingly at Lulu.
Lulu understood this action; it was a common playful gesture between cats and dogs.
But every dog has its own social preferences, and Lulu didn't really appreciate this way of inviting others to play.
Dogs that touch someone's body right away are usually frivolous and rude. He disdains associating with such dogs, as it would be an insult to his status.
But when Lu Qi touched him like that, Lulu's heart melted.
She was so elegant, Lulu thought. Even such an impudent touch was handled with politeness and restraint. She was truly a born aristocrat.
He longed to hold that lovely finger in his mouth, to mark it with saliva, to gently bite it with his teeth, to keep it with him forever. Lu Qi, she was truly perfect and radiant.
Receiving no response, Lu Qi took another action.
She crawled on her knees, her back arched and her body leaning forward, her head brushing against Lulu's chin.
Lulu jerked her head back in surprise. This was incredibly rude; he had never rested his chin on Lu Qi's head before.
Lu Qi didn't stop; she rubbed against his chin from the left to the right, and then back from the right to the left.
Warm, soft hair rested against Lulu's chin, rubbing back and forth like a water snake.
She rubbed against him while letting out a plaintive and pitiful cat-like whimper.
Even though Lulu isn't a cat, she can understand the intention behind this action through her voice—
She's being coquettish.
She's saying: Please pay attention to me, okay?
Lulu's Adam's apple bobbed.
He discovered for the first time that cats weren't so stupid after all—no, cats were still stupid, it was just Lu Qi who was wonderful.
“You know a lot about cats,” he said, belatedly sounding a little downcast. “Do you prefer cats?”
“Hmm…cats and dogs are the same, right?” Lu Qi turned back into a human. “For pet owners, the best is always their own pet.”
Lulu's eyes lit up.
Lu Qi couldn't help but chuckle, "I know dogs quite well too."
She braced herself on the soft bed with both hands and began to circle around Lulu, turning counterclockwise and then back clockwise, sniffing his body from time to time.
Logically, she should have smelled Lulu's genitals, but Lu Qi couldn't get over her psychological barrier.
She didn't need to sniff anything; after Lu Qi turned around once, Lulu immediately straightened her back quietly.
Unsure what Lu Qi was observing, he tried his best to appear tall, strong, and graceful.
He reacted, and Lu Qi immediately stepped back.
Using her knees as a pivot, she awkwardly spun around in front of him.
Lulu didn't understand what the action was at first, but after trying to make sense of it, he opened his eyes wide and laughed so hard he stuck out his tongue.
So cute! Only the cutest little girl can make a spinning jump look as adorable as a worm wriggling!
Before Lu Qi could bend down and lower his center of gravity, Lulu had already crouched down, making a gesture of inviting him to play.
Lu Qi found it both funny and frustrating.
Lulu's behavior was very obvious, but if she hadn't entered the supernatural world, she probably would never have associated Lulu with a dog.
The little dog is good at interrogating others, but he himself is a fool who is easily interrogated.
According to the game rules, the dog that first bends down to invite the game becomes the prey.
Lu Qi accepted Lulu's invitation to play and pounced on him.
He didn't catch it, so he nimbly jumped off the bed.
Lu Qi stood on the bed and reached out to grab him, and he excitedly ran around the bed. Lu Qi opened his hand and grabbed Lulu's sleeve, but Lulu dodged to the side.
"Don't run, don't run!" She circled him on the bed, but couldn't catch him several times. Lu Qi glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, pretended to step on the edge of the bed, and fell down, exclaiming, "Ouch!"
Lulu rushed over and caught her by shielding her from below—but Lu Qi grabbed her collar.
She raised her eyebrows and looked down at him with a smile.
We should be thankful that this isn't a cat ghost story, and also thankful that it's not a cunning human ghost story.
Lulu realized she'd been tricked, and smiled at her breathlessly, as if she was pleased that she'd been caught.
Before Lu Qi could finish celebrating her victory, a sudden, powerful force pushed her to the ground.
She lay down on the soft bed, with Lulu pinning her beneath her.
Their positions were reversed, and it was now his turn to look down at her with a smile.
Lu Qi realized that in a dog chase game, the roles of predator and prey can switch at any time.
She caught Lulu, so it was her turn to be the prey.
Now Lulu has caught her again—"It's my turn," Lu Qi struggled to get up, "Get up, it's my turn to catch you."
Unbelievable, she was incredibly happy.
Her blood began to circulate, her heart began to beat, and all the hopes, dreams, passion, energy, and youth that had been sealed away on her eighteenth birthday returned to her body along with Lulu's return.
Lu Qi felt an unprecedented vitality.
From the moment Lulu tackled Lu Qi, her eyes became somewhat dazed.
He nestled against Lu Qi's neck and rubbed against her, saying, "Wait a little longer, just a little longer, baby. I like this position."
"What position!" Lu Qi blushed. "You didn't wait for me either, don't try to cheat me."
She kicked her legs, trying to get up, but was unable to sit up due to her weak core strength.
This resistance made Lu Qi even more vibrant; her cheeks were rosy, and the fine sweat from her exercise was as bright as her eyes, making her look full of energy.
Lulu held her shoulders and praised her with delight, “You look so charming struggling. Luqi, you can continue.”
Lu Qi was already embarrassed because he couldn't sit up, and Lulu's seemingly sarcastic praise made him furious. "Get up, I'm not playing with you anymore."
"No, no!" Lulu leaned down and licked her chin in a pleading manner. "Let's play together. I love you. I only like playing with you."
These words stung Lu Qi.
Lulu didn't have the right to choose his playmates because he was never allowed to come into contact with other small animals due to parvovirus.
She was his only family member and his only friend.
"Alright, alright, we'll play later." Lu Qi patted his back. "Could you get me a glass of water? I'm a little out of breath."
Upon hearing that Lu Qi was unwell, Lulu immediately regained her composure.
"OK."
He shook his head slightly to dispel his excitement and went out of the bedroom to get water for Lu Qi.
Lu Qi was 90% certain that Lulu was her puppy, but she still lacked the final confirmation.
After Lulu left, Lu Qi took out her phone from under her pillow and unlocked it with mixed feelings.
Opening the Anxin Hospital's work group, the last message was from two days ago, a photo of a lecture shared by Lü Shi'an, with a "like" from Dean Lü below.
She found the training documents from last month; the first page was the introduction, and the second page was the registration form. Dean Lü sent it to the group chat, asking interested doctors to fill it out.
Lu Qi was the first to sign up; she didn't see the names of the people who followed her.
She had never paid attention to Lulu's name.
She remembered that after filling out the form, she checked the time and place on the notification again, but she couldn't remember whether she checked it on her own phone or by looking at Tian Miaoying's.
Without internet access, if she registers and then never opens the document again, the document cannot load the content filled in by subsequent users.
I gripped the tennis racket too hard, and my fingers were trembling and wouldn't cooperate. It took me two tries to open the file.
The gray loading circle spun across the screen. Two seconds, or ten seconds later, the file opened, and Lu Qi hurriedly scrolled down.
She saw her own name first, then Tian Miaoying, Huang Zhenyi, Lü Shian...
The moment the last line of the applicant's name appeared, a heavy sense of relief weighed on Lu Qi.
She stared at the screen, unable to tear her gaze away from those three words—
Lulu...
"Lulu"
He loved his name so much that he didn't want to hide it even a little bit.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [He disdained associating with rude dogs; it was beneath his dignity.]
Lu Qi: Who is your identity?
Lulu: The world's most polite and well-behaved dog.
——
We've been dating for almost a month, and I still don't know my boyfriend's last name. Is that normal?
"Xiao Xu has resigned."
"Little Xu, which Little Xu?"
"Xu Huiwen!"
Who is Xu Huiwen?
"Cathy! Didn't you two work together for six months?"
"So her name is Xu Huiwen!"
Yes, campus romances are abnormal, but workplace romances are normal.
Also, I apologize to everyone, because the ranking rules have changed, so the update time will be postponed by one hour and will be set for 9 pm.
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