Chapter 28: Cat or Dog?
What's the consequence of being too considerate? You're being completely controlled!
That bastard Lin Yan drew endless strength from my heartfelt words, and that night he made me deeply understand what "restoring factory settings" meant - and it was an overclocked version!
No matter how much we messed around at night, we could always finish work before dawn. This time? Oh, he actually made it until daybreak! The light outside the window changed from pitch black to deep blue, then to pale white, and finally poured in with a golden glow, making my eyes hurt. During this time, he was still able to move while putting on his gentle, harmless face and whispering in my ear: "Ruirui, I've been having a hard time holding back these past few days, so... this time may be a little longer. Thank you for your hard work..."
"Thank you for your hard work!" I've lost all my energy to curse, my throat hoarse and unable to utter a single word. I can only watch in despair as the light filtering through the gap in the curtains gradually grows brighter. I feel like my body is no longer my own, my soul is drifting. This smiling tiger, when cut open, is pure black inside! Revenge! This is definitely revenge for the fear I gave him earlier!
When he finally relented and left my body, I couldn't even move a finger. I fell face first into the pillow and passed out instantly.
I slept like a log. Lin Yan later described how he tried to wake me for lunch and dinner, even gently patting my face, but I didn't respond. I was as deep as a coma. He said he almost called 120 for a doctor. Ugh, that's an exaggeration! I was just exhausted!
When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next afternoon. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a heavy truck eight hundred times, and it was incredibly sore. I reached for my phone, and the screen lit up, revealing several messages, all from that gossipy Xiaoyou.
"Brother Rui! Are you alive, brother Rui!"
"The battle is fierce, Brother Rui! Your health is the capital of revolution, take care! (A mean dog head)"
"Brother Rui? Are you really dizzy? No way, no way? (Frantically testing)"
This isn't caring, it's clearly gloating! I was just about to send a Zuan greeting when Lin Yan's gentle and (dangerous) voice came from beside me: "What are you looking at? So focused?"
Having learned the painful lesson of "hiding my whereabouts" and causing him to go crazy, I immediately thrust the phone screen in front of his eyes and said angrily, "Look! You did a good thing! Xiaoyou is waiting to see you make a fool of yourself!"
Lin Yan glanced at me and instead of getting angry, he chuckled softly. He came over and pulled me, blanket and all, into his arms, rubbing his chin against the top of my head. His voice was filled with the laziness and pleasure of satisfaction: "Yeah, my bad. Ruirui, you've worked hard." After that, he kissed me several times on the face and neck, mumbling some sweet words like "I love you" and "That's great" that gave me goosebumps. Only then did he get up contentedly to get me something to eat.
I collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling, realizing with all my heart that my life was completely ruined by this man. Yet… I still loved him to bits! Thinking back to last night, how he gently apologized while simultaneously demanding, and that damned daylight outside the window… my face started to burn uncontrollably again. Damn it, there's no hope.
After another day of lying in bed, thanks to Lin Yan's meticulous feeding (mainly various nourishing soups and easy-to-digest foods), I finally regained some of my goblin energy and returned to my game room, reveling in the virtual world. Lin Yan also returned to his normal self, busy and caring as usual, occasionally bringing cut fruit or warm milk to feed me, his eyes gentle and his movements natural, as if the humble Lin and crazy Lin from before were just hallucinations.
That day, the fourth brother’s girlfriend Xiaoyou popped out again and enthusiastically invited us to a newly opened cat and dog cafe, under the pretext of “enhancing your relationship as husband and wife”. Lin Yan and I both knew the actual purpose - this girl just wanted to get closer to the couple!
I've always been a hidden cat lover, but Lin Yan usually "feeds" me too well (too busy), so I don't have the chance to show it. As soon as I entered the cat cafe, man, I went crazy!
"Holy crap! This little cow is so cool! The look in her eyes is exactly like mine when I'm addicted to gaming!"
"Ahhh! Maine Coon! That big scarf! That aura! Boss Neko Nakabayashi! (Ignoring the momentary narrowing of the eyes of the person next to him)"
"Look at this big orange! So fat! I want to rub it till it's bald!"
I was like a mouse in a rice jar, darting around, petting this one, teasing that one, completely forgetting who I was with. Forget about fostering a relationship, I couldn't even bother to glance at Lin Yan, who was standing next to me. His signature gentle smile seemed... a little stiff?
Xiaoyou was covering her mouth and laughing secretly, her eyes were frighteningly bright.
Maybe my "forgetting husband when seeing cats" behavior irritated someone, Lin Yan decisively suggested: "Ruirui, the dog cafe is next door. I heard there are large dogs there. Do you want to go and have a look?" His tone was gentle, but his eyes showed "Get out of this cat's den as soon as possible."
I was enjoying petting a Ragdoll cat, but when I heard about large dogs, my eyes lit up again! Okay, let's change the scene!
The result was… worse.
As the door to the dog cafe opened, a fiery golden retriever, seemingly armed with its own radar, instantly located me and pounced on me like a cannonball! The sheer force of the impact made me stumble and nearly fall. Its tail was wagging wildly, its big pink tongue lolling out, its large, wet eyes brimming with "Love you!" as it licked my face furiously.
"Hahahaha! What a guy! So enthusiastic!" I was so happy that I hugged the golden retriever's big head and rubbed it hard.
Lin Yan's expression beside me was beyond description. He stood there, watching me being molested by a dog, that silly dog sticking out its tongue with a perverted look on its face. I felt the air around him freeze, the pressure frighteningly low. He twitched his lips, trying to maintain a smile, but no matter how he looked at me, he looked... suffocating.
I finally finished petting the dogs and walked out of the store. I was still savoring the golden retriever's enthusiasm and the plumpness of the orange, and I couldn't get enough of it. I sighed, "Lin Yan, let's get a pet too! They're so cute! And they can provide emotional value!"
Lin Yan paused and turned his head to look at me. The eyes behind the glasses were deep and unfathomable, but the corners of his mouth raised a perfect arc: "Oh? Ruibao means... that I can't feel any emotional value when I am with you?"
Me: “…” It’s over, I stepped on a landmine!
I quickly tried to make amends, "No! You're being way too jealous! Why are you arguing with a little animal?"
"Heh." Lin Yan snorted lightly, his expression obviously darkening.
Seeing his expression, I got a little timid and deliberately moved closer, poking him with a smile: "Oh - I remembered! I forgot that we already have a large dog at home, a Jade Buddha brand, and he's very clingy, right, Boss Lin?"
Lin Yan was so choked by me that he couldn't speak. He could only glare at me fiercely and squeeze my hand tightly, so hard that it seemed like he was going to crush it. I thought this matter was over.
In the end, I was still too naive.
One evening, after dinner, we took a walk around the neighborhood to digest our food. We passed a small square and saw a chubby Shiba Inu being walked by its owner. The Shiba Inu saw me and, for some reason, suddenly broke free from its leash and charged towards me like a cannonball, its target clearly in mind—my face!
"Woof!" It barked happily, kicked its hind legs, and accurately washed my face with its wet tongue! It also made a "huffing" sound of satisfaction.
Me: "..." A little confused, but... still pretty cute? Silly dog.
"Shit!" Lin Yan cursed softly, his face instantly turning as dark as the bottom of a pot. If I hadn't stopped him, I felt like he was going to kick me in the next second (of course, that's just my feeling; Boss Lin's manners wouldn't allow him to actually kick me). He pulled me behind him, his eyes coldly fixed on the Shiba Inu, which was hastily grabbed by its owner and had its tongue hanging out innocently.
After petting the dog (forced), I felt inexplicably good. While wiping my face, I casually asked Lin Yan, "Hey, do you like cats or dogs?"
Lin Yan took a deep breath, tried to calm down, and forced a smile: "A cat. Small, quiet, and cute." I could tell that this was the biggest concession he could make.
Unfortunately, I didn't receive his signal at all and was still immersed in my own fantasy: "Oh, if I were to raise a dog, I would definitely raise a big one! How majestic! Samoyed, with a smile like an angel! Golden Retriever is also fine, a warm man! German Shepherd is the most handsome, but I heard that it is too smart, I'm afraid it will think I'm stupid..." I counted on my fingers and imagined the wonderful life of a large dog.
Lin Yan couldn't stand it any longer, so he grabbed my hand and interrupted my daydream. His voice was gentle but unquestionable: "Baby, you have a large dog, so how can you find time to feed and walk it? Don't you still have to play games to rank up? Large dogs need a lot of exercise."
This really hit a sore spot for me. I lowered my head and thought, I really can't lose the game... "So... a small dog?"
"Small dogs are prone to illness, are delicate, and like to bark." Lin Yan immediately followed up with good reasons.
I was discouraged: "Then... I'd better get a cat." Forget it, a cat is fine, at least I don't have to walk it every day.
Lin Yan looked at my dejected look, and perhaps he softened his heart (or thought cats were less threatening?), sighed, and ruffled my hair: "Okay, if you like it, keep it."
So, our family soon welcomed a new member - a ragdoll cat with blue eyes, white fur, and an amazing appearance. Xiaoyou gave it a very silly name called "Snowball".
At first, Lin Yan was quite satisfied. Cats, being aloof and independent, wouldn't be too clingy and take up Ruirui's time. He even placed a small mat next to the cat's bed, trying to create the illusion of harmonious coexistence.
However, reality slapped Lin Yan in the face.
A month later, Lin Yan completely understood the true nature of Snowball—it wasn't a cat at all! It was a dog in cat's clothing!
It scoffs at the species characteristic of "cats are not friendly"!
As soon as I sit on the sofa, no matter if I'm playing games or watching TV, this guy will definitely jump up at the first moment, accurately find the most comfortable position on my thigh, curl up into a ball, make a deafening snoring sound, rub his head against my hand, and ask to be touched.
Even more amazing is that every time Lin Yan comes over with a cat snack, it acts more fawning than anyone else, meowing and circling around Lin Yan's legs, its tail erect like an antenna. But once the snack is finished, it immediately turns its back on me and dives into my arms. That cat toy in Lin Yan's hand? What is that? It doesn't smell as good as my thigh!
What makes Lin Yan's blood pressure soar the most is that every time we finally have a little "two-person world" atmosphere, just after we kiss, or just when his hand dishonestly reaches into my clothes, this guy! Absolutely! Will! Show up! On time!
It doesn't bark. It just silently jumps onto the bed, walks over to us, and then plops down next to our snuggled bodies, sprawled out on its back, revealing its furry white belly. Its blue eyes blink innocently, and it meows sweetly, as if to say, "Touch me! Look how cute I am! Don't just focus on making out!"
Lin Yan looked at Snowball, who was lying between us, forcing his presence, and then looked at me, who looked "so cute" and didn't feel disturbed at all. The gentle smile on his face finally cracked. I seemed to hear him roaring in his heart:
The so-called cat is not clingy? It’s all a lie!
This cat-shaped dog is definitely the ultimate boss trying to steal Ruirui's attention!
He silently buried his head in the crook of my neck, took a deep breath, then raised his head and gave Snowball an extremely "kind" smile.
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