Chapter 47 Mad Dog Hotel
Lu Qi talked a lot during his meeting with Tian Miaoying and Meng Feiqin.
The most important part of the three-way meeting was how to get those who remained inside out.
According to Lu Shi'an's statistics, there are 24 human guests in the hotel, 20 of whom are women.
In addition to the twenty-four human tenants, there were also nine women who had turned into kobolds.
This number has decreased sharply compared to the initial number of guests.
Tian Miaoying said that after Lu Qi's death, Lulu, who was hunting men everywhere, caused panic, and people organized two escapes.
Without exception, they were caught up by the "dogs" waiting on the lawn before they even crossed the red line at the exit.
Lulu killed the male kobold and the male owner who was bound to the female kobold, and in the end only nine female kobolds attached to the female tenant survived.
The arteries connecting the "owner" and the "dog" clearly indicate that either the "owner" or the "dog" will die along with the other.
This should be a very important rule, but it has never been mentioned in the check-in manual.
Perhaps it's because once rules are established, they are difficult to change.
The despair of the "owner" after losing the "dog" is a given fact, but Lulu does not want this to become a written rule.
Even with his rampage, the number of people remaining was still greater than Lu Qi had anticipated.
In just over a month, the number of deaths decreased by 60%. Excluding Lulu's indiscriminate killing, the number of people who actually died from the rules was only a handful.
Lulu's rules are not complicated, and most of them will not result in death if triggered.
As he said, he just wanted a safe, stable, and orderly home.
This was supposed to be a good thing, but it has backfired on the current situation.
The rules were indeed easy to die under, making it very difficult to send more than twenty people away at once, especially since those who remained had experienced a month of strange tales and had become extremely cautious in their actions.
Tian Miaoying said, "We told other people about the video you left behind and the newly released Rule Thirteen, but the effect wasn't very good."
The rule thirteen that Lu Qi obtained through the death verification process [Life is precious, please cherish it. If you die during your stay, you will be permanently removed from the hotel grounds.] did not help anyone else.
Lu Shi'an warned everyone from the beginning not to blindly trust the rules, but to have their own ability to discern.
This statement is not wrong in itself, but questioning is important, so all the survivors questioned Rule Thirteen.
After all, no matter how you look at it, this rule seems like a bait that incites suicide, which leads them to question Meng Feiqin and Tian Miaoying as well.
"It's really asking the impossible to convince people to commit suicide based on the words of strangers," Lu Qi said, pursing her lips. "But we can't just not try to persuade them."
"Forget it, Sister Lu," Tian Miaoying said dejectedly. "They won't listen. We've already tried to persuade them several times. Let alone trying to persuade them to commit suicide, we almost got killed ourselves."
Even if she promised to commit suicide with him, people would just look at her like she was crazy or a scoundrel and curse her.
Lu Qi was well aware of this. "I am someone who has died and come back. If I were to persuade people, some might believe me."
Tian Miaoying, not holding out much hope, said in a sinister tone, "Let's just be straightforward and kill them all."
Lu Qi smiled and said, "We can try it if all else fails."
“If you really want to go, I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Tian Miaoying said. “There are more people raising kobolds now, so they’re not as hostile towards me.”
Lu Qi agreed, and the two arranged to go door-to-door the next morning, hoping to persuade as many people as possible.
Right now, Lu Qi has been walking outside with Lulu for an hour, but they haven't seen a single living person.
All the survivors stayed cautiously in their rooms, even opting for meal delivery services to minimize going out.
"Do the rules change?" Lu Qi asked.
Lulu tilted her head to look at her, "You want to establish new rules?"
His collar was pulled down by the dog leash, revealing a choker with a buckle.
The dark red velvet accentuated Lulu's long, elegant neck. He smiled and enjoyed his walk with Lu Qi—even though she was leading him.
Lu Qi held the other end of the dog leash, keeping his forearm raised.
This posture is not as effortless as letting your arms hang naturally, but it engages the entire arm muscle group, giving it a powerful look.
Being pulled by a limp, drooping hand is a completely different experience for a dog than being led by a strong, powerful arm.
With Meng Feiqin's guidance, Lu Qi's previously learned behavioral knowledge emerged one by one, illuminating her mind and guiding her to apply the theoretical knowledge in practice.
"I just want to know if the current thirteen rules are all there are."
“Basically, I guess,” Lulu admitted.
Lu Qi looked up and saw someone on the terrace.
The moment their eyes met, the other person stared wide-eyed in surprise, then quickly pulled the curtains shut.
Lu Qi thoughtfully looked away and asked Lulu, "Is there a rule about how long you can stay indoors and then go crazy?"
Lulu shook her head. "Based on a dog's habits, it should be. But I haven't experienced this kind of thing, so I didn't specifically set it up."
The longest he stayed indoors was during his parvovirus treatment, which lasted for a month.
During that time, Lulu was so in pain that he trembled all over just breathing, and he was too weak to go out.
Since there are no restrictions on going out, it's safe for everyone to stay indoors. Lu Qi had just breathed a sigh of relief when Lulu said rather cheerfully, "There's no need to set rules for this. Humans will go crazy if they don't go out for a long time."
“I was initially annoyed that they were staying in their rooms and not coming out. Starting about ten days ago, even though they were eating and drinking well and were safe and sound in their rooms, they still provided me with a lot of negative energy.”
His expression held a hint of smugness. Lu Qi paused for a moment, then tugged on the dog leash.
Lulu was caught off guard and stumbled slightly when she was pulled.
He looked at Lu Qi blankly, while Lu Qi stared at him coldly.
Lulu turned her head away and licked her lips awkwardly.
After walking for a while, the sun completely disappeared behind the western mountains, and Lulu stopped in her tracks. "It's time to go back, Luqi."
Lu Qi also felt it was about time and prepared to leave.
But in doing so, he ended up dominating her again.
She had no intention of forcing him to walk a little longer in order to seize leadership; that would be too deliberate.
Lu Qi thought for a moment, then took a ping-pong ball out of his pocket and waved it in front of Lulu.
Before she could speak, Lulu smiled—a smile that was innocent, pure, and sincere.
“Ballball,” he said, “you like Ballball the most.”
Lulu couldn't help but smile just by seeing what Lu Qi liked.
Lu Qi was stunned for a moment. She shook her head and said, "No, my favorite thing isn't Qiuqiu."
Lulu asked in confusion, "No? Do you prefer flowers, or toast and the sun?"
Lu Qi cupped his face and rubbed it. "...Neither."
She wanted to say that Lulu was her favorite dog; but those words, which she could easily say to a puppy, became difficult to utter when she was outdoors in front of a broad-shouldered, long-legged young man.
“Never mind,” she said, feeling ashamed. “It’s nothing.”
"What is it?" Lulu asked, her curiosity piqued. "Tell me, Luqi, I want to know what you like best."
"Don't you know?" Lu Qi glared at him. She had already rubbed his face; how could he not know?
"Do I know?" Lulu asked, puzzled.
His eyes were innocent and naive; he truly didn't know.
Lu Qi stood on tiptoe, afraid of being overheard. She leaned close to his ear and whispered indirectly, "I like golden dogs that love me."
The pair of light golden eyelashes lifted, Lulu opened her eyes, and finally smiled, "It's me?"
Lu Qi nodded in shame.
"You like me, Lu Qi? Or do you like me the most?" Lulu said easily the words she was too shy to say. "I like you too, Lu Qi. I love you! I will always love you the most. I am honored. Thank you for liking me."
Lu Qi, his face flushed, picked up the ball and hurriedly changed the subject, "Okay, how about we play one last game before we go back?"
Lulu nodded, "Okay, Lu Qi."
"You have no idea what I'm going to do."
Lulu smiled and said, "I love you, and I'm willing to do anything for you."
Lu Qi coughed lightly, and the blush that had not yet faded intensified.
She feinted the ball for the third time, ignoring his words, "Watch closely, I'm going to throw it out with all my might. If you can catch it before it hits the ground, I'll grant you a small wish."
The usual reward was snacks, but Lulu no longer needed her to provide food, and she couldn't think of any other reward she could give Lulu.
Fearing he might make demands that she obey him for life, Lu Qi added, "It's just a small wish."
"What if we land?" Lulu asked.
"It'll be gone once it lands."
Lulu was surprised. "That's not fair. You should have a wish too."
Lu Qi paused.
It was a strange feeling. When Lulu was a man, Lu Qi would have thought he was a flirtatious and promiscuous man, not someone to befriend; but he was just a dog, and he said those words as a predator.
Professor Meng is right, she has a dog that's like an angel.
“Okay, then I can have a small wish too.” Lu Qi smiled.
She loosened the dog's leash, raised her hand, and said, "Get ready, I'm going to throw it away—"
Lulu stared at Lu Qi's hand, ready to pounce.
Lu Qi threw it with a "Hey!" and jumped up and down, while Lulu rushed out.
A night breeze swept past, and the light ping-pong ball was swept back by the wind.
It hit Lu Qi on the head.
As the ball hurtled towards him, Lu Qi instinctively closed his eyes, only to have his shoulder suddenly pressed down.
A warm scent wafted towards her, and the moment she opened her eyes, she saw a beautiful chin and a slender neck.
Before the ping-pong ball could roll off Lu Qi's forehead, Lulu tilted her head back and caught it in her mouth.
He held the ball lightly in his mouth, as if he had caught a plum blossom, and smiled at Lu Qi with narrowed eyes.
Lu Qi was stunned for a moment, "...You reacted really quickly."
She clearly saw Lulu rush forward with the ball, and in the blink of an eye, he had run back.
Lulu bent down and handed the ball to her.
“I’m always watching your every move.” He laughed proudly. “You can’t fool me, Lu Qi. I’m very experienced.”
Lu Qi did indeed fool Lulu many times: pretending to throw it forward, but actually throwing it backward; pretending to throw it, but actually hiding it.
She squeezed the ball that Lulu had taken down and awkwardly explained, "I didn't mean to lie to you this time. I really meant to throw it, really." She hadn't expected it to be blown back by the wind.
"Yes. You threw it with a lot of force, I saw it."
That's why he ran forward.
“I know it came back on its own.” He nuzzled her happily. “Ball loves you, the whole world loves you! Lu Qi, not even a ball wants to leave you.”
Lu Qi remained silent.
She turned to the side and pressed the back of her hand against her cheek to cool it down.
Lulu hugged her, her nose brushing against her earlobe.
“You’ve become so fragrant and sweet,” the young man sighed contentedly, “and so warm.”
The back of my hand couldn't cool down her face; instead, my hand got warm from her face.
"Alright, you win." Lu Qi avoided Lulu's gaze and feigned composure. "What do you want me to do?"
She was overjoyed, indescribably so, and secretly prayed that Lulu wouldn't make any heavy demands that would spoil this beautiful moment.
Lulu had something she really wanted from the start of the day, and she said with a bright smile, "I want your excrement."
"No." The heat on Lu Qi's face instantly subsided.
Lulu thought for a moment, then said, "I want the sanitary napkin you've changed out of."
"Can't!"
Lulu was disappointed, but then she laughed again. "Then can you hug me and tell me you love me? I love you very much, Lu Qi."
Lu Qi discovered that Lulu really liked to pronounce her name.
She probably understood why; for a dog, a name is "love."
They didn't have names; names are a product of human love for them.
This is one of the reasons why many behavior experts forbid owners from calling their dogs by their names when they misbehave.
Regardless of the tone, even if a human calls a dog by its name with disgust or anger, some dogs will perceive it as love, support, and encouragement.
Just like that winter night, she kept screaming "Lulu, Lulu," and with each scream, she strengthened her resolve to fight the two men to the death.
The name is love; she is calling his name, and he must respond to her love.
Lulu cherishes his name. He understands that it is inappropriate for an adult man to be called "Lu Lulu," but he still refuses to change a single word. He also rarely calls Lu Qi "Little Lu" or "Little Qi."
Both characters in Lu Qi's name are beautiful, and he couldn't bear to omit or give up either of them.
"That's all?" Lu Qi asked in astonishment.
Lulu tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion as to why Lu Qi had asked that question.
Lu Qi swallowed his suggestion to change his wish.
What was easy for her was extremely important to the puppy.
By saying that, she belittled his feelings.
Lu Qi thought Lulu would want her to obey him, or never leave this place for the rest of her life.
She judged a sincere little dog with the flawed thinking of humans, and not only that, she also belittled his feelings.
Lu Qi spread her arms, her nose turning red from the wind.
She smiled at Lulu and said, "Okay, come here, Lulu, let me give you a hug."
In the twilight where day and night meet, the fragrance of plum blossoms fades into the distance.
The wind was blowing in my face, but instead of bringing the fragrance of the flowers, it carried their scent into the flower grove.
"Lulu, good Lulu..." Lu Qi followed Lulu's back, half of her face was covered by his shoulder, and her voice was not in his clothes.
She said, "You are the best dog, I love you."
Lulu bent down and hugged her back, "I love you too, Lu Qi, you are the best person."
Lu Qi lowered his head and buried it in Lulu's chest.
In a daze, she seemed to have done the same thing with similar feelings not long ago.
When was it?
Lu Qi didn't remember; she only vaguely felt a faint sadness and sorrow.
She tried hard to recall, but only vague whispers echoed in her memory—
"Whether you catch any fish or not, I'll hug you..."
He should release hormones to make Lulu happy when he has physical contact with her, but lately, she always feels like crying when she's around him.
“Let’s go back,” she said. “Let’s go back.”
Lulu replied as always, "Okay, Lu Qi."
Back in her room, Lu Qi took a shower and sat on the edge of the bed, flipping through the notes she had written before she lost her memory.
After meeting Tian Miaoying and Meng Feiqin, Lulu returned the notebook and check-in manual to them; there was no point in hiding them anymore.
As Lu Qi flipped through the pages, she listened to the sound of water coming from the bathroom.
Lulu wanted to sleep with her, but Luqi set a condition: sleeping was fine, but she had to take a shower first.
The sky was dark, but the streetlights in the park were exceptionally bright, illuminating the outside as if it were daytime.
Lu Qi twirled the page, lost in thought about what he had written earlier, feeling a strange sense of disbelief.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye.
Since returning to the world of ghost stories, this is the first time Lu Qi has encountered a human.
She was startled and went to the terrace, where she saw a person standing on the lawn to the side. The person was petite and it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female, but their clothes and appearance looked very familiar.
The man was very perceptive and noticed Lu Qi's gaze, so he immediately looked up.
Lu Qi was met with a fair-skinned, baby-faced man.
Their eyes met, and both were utterly shocked.
Lu Qi recognized her; it was the girl in the gray hoodie she had met on the overpass!
The girl was standing in the exact spot where the fortune-telling stall had been before, a place Lu Qi remembered vividly.
What's going on?
Why did the outsiders suddenly enter the world of ghost stories?
Did Lulu do something again?
Lu Qi immediately wanted to run downstairs to see the girl and ask her why she had come here.
Lulu was in the bathroom, and he could easily hear her leaving.
Lu Qi hurriedly picked up his notebook, wrote a few large characters on the paper, and held it up for the girl to see.
The girl was also a little flustered. She grabbed the sides of the hood and shrank into it.
When she saw Lu Qi unfold the notebook in front of her, she stared wide-eyed in bewilderment.
Lu Qi frowned. Was the distance too great to see the words clearly...?
She added a few more lines, tore off the page, folded it into an airplane shape, and flew it down.
The paper airplane landed perfectly on the grass fifteen meters away from the girl.
She glanced at Lu Qi in surprise, then at the airplane. At Lu Qi's insistent urging, she hesitantly walked over, picked it up, and squatted down to open it.
The paper read:
"On the overpass, do you remember me? What are you doing here? I'm in room 2602. How can I help you? (You can't go out at night; please be back in your room before 10:30 PM.)"
The squatting girl looked even smaller, like a gray pebble lying on the grass.
She read for a long time, and after a long time, she took out a pen and wrote a few sentences on the paper.
Following the creases, the girl restored the plane to its original position, then stood up and aimed at Lu Qi.
Lu Qi realized what she was trying to do; it was too much of a stretch to accurately deliver such a crudely made paper airplane to the 26th-floor terrace.
"Wait..." She tried to warn her, but the girl had already thrown the airplane at her with a tense expression.
Boom—Bang!
A gust of wind swept past Lu Qi's neck, lifting a few strands of her hair.
In a flash, she turned around in a daze and saw the paper airplane fly over her, knocking the bedside lamp and its plug to the ground.
"Lu Qi!" The bathroom door opened.
Lulu rushed out, her sharp eyes scanning the room. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Lu Qi quickly picked up the paper airplane that had fallen off the bed.
“It’s nothing,” she smiled. “I bumped into the lamp and knocked it over.”
Lulu exclaimed in alarm, "Are you hurt?"
As he approached, Lu Qi felt a little flustered. She gripped the paper airplane in her hand tightly and shook her head, afraid that Lulu would find out.
Lulu hugged her as she hid the paper airplane.
He put his arm around her waist with a mix of heartache and guilt, and stroked the back of her head. "Don't be afraid, Lu Qi. You were scared, weren't you? I'm sorry, baby. I'll never put a lamp in the room again. Don't be afraid, Lu Qi."
This was also what she used to say to comfort Lulu.
Lu Qi gripped the paper airplane tightly.
She couldn't describe the feeling; she couldn't look directly into Lulu's innocent eyes.
"I'm fine." She gently pushed him away with one hand and forced a smile. "You've gotten me all wet, go dry yourself off!"
As she spoke, she averted her gaze from Lulu's, looking down unnaturally.
The initial panic subsided, but a different kind of anxiety arose.
Lu Qi awkwardly turned her face away.
She thought the fur there would be light gold, but it turned out to be white... This makes sense, since the belly of an English Golden Retriever is usually white.
Lulu's fur is lighter than that of a typical British breed, and the fur on her belly is almost pure white. It's not surprising that the fur there is still white after she becomes human.
Following Lu Qi's words, Lulu looked down at the water on her body.
Before he could even make a move, Lu Qi sensed his intention and immediately scolded, "No! You can't shake it here! Go to the bathroom and wipe it clean!"
Lulu grumbled and complained in disappointment.
Lu Qi was ruthless and unyielding. "Go now!"
Lulu mumbled twice, then walked away with her wet feet, pattering on the ground.
Lu Qi breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look out the window, but the girl was no longer there.
She slowly unfolded the paper airplane in her hand, on which were clumsy, childlike scribbles—
"Hello, I remember you. There is a lord in your room. I have come to rescue you and the humans here. The door will open in 7 days, and you can leave through the exit."
The information contained in those two short sentences gave Lu Qi a jolt.
Below that, there was a line of slightly smaller text, where the already immature handwriting appeared even more awkward—
"You care about me, you're a good person, thank you."
Lu Qi held the intact paper and turned to look at the broken desk lamp that had fallen to the ground.
For a moment, she was somewhat bewildered.
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A note from the author:
A ping-pong ball hits Lu Qi on the head.
When Lulu is a fox: Hahahaha, this is the first time I've seen something so stupid.
When Lulu is a Border Collie: ...So clumsy! You're so clumsy, I actually find you kind of cute!
When Lulu is a cat:
With its eyes only on the ball, it extended its claws and slapped the ball off: Huh? Why is your head bleeding?
Golden Retrievers are more angelic than golden retrievers.
——
This is one of the reasons why many behavior experts forbid owners from calling their dogs by their names when they misbehave.
Regardless of the tone, even if a human calls a dog's name with disgust or anger, some dogs will perceive it as love, support, and encouragement.
In keeping with a rigorous attitude, I added "one of the reasons" after "reason".
Novels are artistic creations. For most dogs and all cats, they don't actually have the concept of names. It's just that when humans call their names (like "Mimi"), there's a high probability that something good will happen, like food or games.
So when your cat hears a "meow" sound, it will run over to see what good things are about to happen.
If you have something delicious in your hand, it will see it and run straight towards you;
If you have nothing in your hands and it doesn't look like you're going to touch it or play with it, it will stand uncertainly at the door and observe for a while to see what you want to do.
Unlike dogs, cats are not punished by name. The reason for not calling a cat's name when punishing it is that once the cat realizes that the word "Mimi" might trigger a bad behavior, it will not come running when it hears the name.
Dogs are relatively intelligent. Although most are like cats, a small percentage can understand the concept of their names; Lulu belongs to that small percentage.
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