A man relies on his dog's power (revised)
Fang Chuan's hand rested on Huang Fuda's shoulder, his breathing soft. He tentatively massaged it a few times, and the bathrobe began to slowly unravel. His gaze then drifted to Huang Fuda's legs. Feeling awkward, Fang Chuan sat down beside him and said, "Boss, why don't you go change into some pajamas?"
"If you don't want to move, just press any button."
"..." Fang Chuan put his hand back down, pressed it a few times, and finally couldn't resist getting out of bed to get his pajamas and put them next to Huang Fuda's head.
"Change it. It's uncomfortable to sleep in this at night, and you don't sleep well, so the robe will definitely come undone."
Huang Fuda lay there lazily for a while before getting up to change into his pajamas. The pajamas were made of a smooth, thin material. He placed his hand on his back, and the heat from his body instantly penetrated through him. The pressure was just right, and all of Huang Fuda's fatigue dissipated. He comfortably closed his eyes, but was suddenly startled by a pain in his shoulder blade, which made him jolt up.
"Fang Chuan! Be gentle."
"You have some fascial adhesions here. Let me massage them to loosen them for you, and you'll feel more comfortable later."
Fang Chuan continued to massage the spot with undiminished force, causing Huang Fuda to break out in a cold sweat. He grabbed Fang Chuan's arm and said tremblingly, "That's enough, no need to massage it anymore, move to another spot."
"OK."
Fang Chuan moved his hand to the opposite shoulder blade, pressed down with his thumb to loosen the tendon, and sure enough, it was stuck. Then he pressed harder and started massaging the area. Huang Fuda was trembling with pain. He turned around angrily and lashed out at Fang Chuan.
"Fang Chuan! It hurts! Be gentle!"
Fang Chuan stopped what he was doing, sighed helplessly, looked at Huang Fuda's fierce eyes that were filled with tears of pain, lowered his head, pursed his lips, and comforted him, "Okay, I won't rub it anymore."
Fang Chuan's subsequent movements were much gentler. From the shoulders and back to the waist, after a set of massages, he had Huang Fuda lie on his back and began to carefully massage the front of his body. He rubbed Huang Fuda's neck and collarbone, made eye contact with Huang Fuda, and then skipped the chest and abdomen to massage the legs and soles of the feet.
Huang Fuda felt hot all over, and sweat poured down his forehead. He pulled his legs back, took the blanket from Fang Chuan's hand, covered himself with the blanket, lay down on his side with his back to Fang Chuan, and said, "Okay, go to sleep."
With the lights off, the only sound was the patter of rain outside. The two remained silent, an arm's length apart.
A draft kept getting into the space between the two of them. Fang Chuan lay on his side, facing Huang Fuda's back, and stretched his arm out of the blanket to cover the gap between them, making sure that the blanket covered Huang Fuda completely.
It was getting late, and his eyelids started to droop. Fang Chuan fell asleep without realizing it.
Huang Fuda listened to the soft breathing behind him and couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He quietly lifted the quilt and went out, took out the half-finished wine, and sat by the window to listen to the rain.
He hates rain; nothing good ever comes of it, but it doesn't always seem to be like that.
Huang Fuda sipped his wine, the rain turning the whole city gray. He poured out the last glass of wine and gently clinked it against the empty glass next to him.
A clap of thunder suddenly erupted from the clouds, and the room was momentarily illuminated. Huang Fuda gazed towards the bed, where the person turned over, fumbled around on the mattress for a few moments, and then abruptly sat up.
Fang Chuan looked around the room and saw Huang Fuda secretly drinking by the window. He got out of bed, walked to Huang Fuda's side, and held up the empty bottle, feeling both angry and helpless.
Why aren't you sleeping?
"I can't sleep."
Fang Chuan looked at Huang Fuda, who was still sipping his drink, lowered his eyes, and asked, "Insomnia?"
"I forgot to bring my sleeping pills. And you don't allow me to drink alcohol."
"...Have you been relying on sleeping pills to sleep for the past five years?"
Huang Fuda looked out the window and said, "The first year was yes. The second year was spent running a business, which was very tiring, so I didn't have time to sleep. After losing my job, I went to Sichuan and started taking medication again until last year."
"Then why have you been sleeping so much lately—" Fang Chuan swallowed his words. Why couldn't he sleep again? Was it because of him…?
Huang Fuda smiled, got up and walked to the bedside, "I'll be sleepy after drinking. Don't disturb me tomorrow morning, let me sleep a little longer."
He sank into the soft bed, curled up and wrapped himself tightly in the blanket. A warm breath came from behind him as Fang Chuan's hot body pressed against him, and an arm wrapped around him.
"Boss, I need to hold someone to fall asleep, can you let me hold them for a while?"
Huang Fuda closed his eyes without speaking. He was being held tightly in a hug, and he slowly relaxed, his eyelids closing uncontrollably as he drifted off to sleep. Fang Chuan carefully tucked the blanket around him again, then buried his head in the back of Huang Fuda's neck and fell into a deep sleep himself.
When Huang Fuda woke up, it was almost noon. There was no one beside him. He went outside and saw Fang Chuan holding a video conference at the far end of the room.
He didn't disturb them, and lay back down on the bed, burying himself in the covers and feeling lazy. The bed smelled of hotel shower gel and was still a little warm. He stayed like this for who knows how long, until there was a knock on the suite door.
Huang Fuda got up and went to open the door; it was the food delivery person. He glanced back at Fang Chuan, who was still in a meeting.
Huang Fuda was indeed hungry. He sat at the small dining table, waiting for Fang Chuan to come over. The meal was a mix of breakfast and lunch, and he picked up a few jams and tried a small bite of each; they were quite good.
After waiting a while, Fang Chuan came over. He looked at the untouched food and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"
"Waiting for you to come together."
Fang Chuan paused for a moment, then smiled with narrowed eyes, "The boss still treats me well."
The two set off back to Luozhou that afternoon. The assistant said that the two little devils had fought again, and a TV and two hydroponic vases had been destroyed. Fang Chuan looked at Huang Fuda beside him with a headache and said, "This is the consequence of you abandoning them so early, making them too rebellious."
Huang Fuda raised his eyebrows. "What does this have to do with me? They were fighting the very first day you brought them back."
"I don't care, take those two little devils away and raise them for a few days, get to know them. They don't even have names yet, they're just waiting for you to come up with one."
"..." Huang Fuda was a little surprised, "Then what do you usually call them?"
“Mimi, zuo zuo.” Fang Chuan stroked his chin. “That dog also listens to whistles.”
Fang Chuan had the driver stop in front of a pet store, then pulled Huang Fuda inside. "You need to prepare cat beds and such for your house, so let's buy them together. We'll deliver both of these little devils to your house tonight so my plants can have a breather."
Standing downstairs at Fang Chuan's house, Fang Chuan recited a string of numbers and then asked Huang Fuda if he remembered them.
"Huh? Why do you need to write this down?"
"It's my home password." Fang Chuan opened the unit door and let Huang Fuda in. "Come and walk them when you have time, so they won't be unfamiliar with you as their owner."
Huang Fuda was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "I am not their owner. You are."
"No, I bought them to keep you company. I don't like them at all. I've been taking care of them for you these past few years. You have to come and see them often, or I'll throw them in the trash one day."
As soon as he opened the door and entered Fang Chuan's house, two cats, one black and one white, rushed to his feet and started circling around him. The cat even jumped onto his shoulder and rubbed against him.
Fang Chuan explained to Huang Fuda, "They get very clingy when I come back from business trips. I'm going to Beijing in the next few days, so it'll be perfect for you to keep them."
"Going on a business trip?"
"Not counting business trips, it was a party organized by someone I know, I'll probably be back in two or three days."
Of course, there was one more thing: he had to accompany Miss Chen to the hospital to see Mr. Chen, but he dared not say it, for fear that Huang Fuda would overthink it.
Huang Fuda nodded knowingly, and then began to observe Fang Chuan's house. It was more than twice the size of his own, but for Fang Chuan's wealth, it was still too simple.
He saw the open-air balcony Fang Chuan had mentioned. It was spacious, with flower stands, a rocking chair, and a small round table outside. Various flower pots were placed along the railing, and the entire balcony was separated from the outside by a glass door. The beanbag chair inside the glass door had been taken over by the cat, and the large sofa in the living room had been replaced with a tasseled one. The place where the TV should have been was empty, with only two pots of broken branches and missing leaves of pothos plants.
Fang Chuan noticed his gaze and explained, "If it weren't for the fact that some of the pots can't see the sun, I would have to put them on the balcony too. They've ruined the place inside."
Huang Fuda looked at the pet room specially reserved for the two of them. It was fully equipped, but the door was wide open, allowing the two little devils to run wild in the house.
"Why not keep it in the pet room?"
“That little house is so cramped, I’m afraid they’ll get depressed in there.” Fang Chuan turned to face Huang Fuda, squinting and smiling. “I’m even more afraid their owner will come back and cause me trouble. So boss, shouldn’t you reward me a little?”
Huang Fuda smiled gently and asked, "What do you want?"
Fang Chuan leaned closer, lowered his head slightly, and said, "Touch it."
Huang Fuda lowered his eyes, and after a moment, he reached out and placed his hand on Fang Chuan's head. Fang Chuan slowly raised his head, breathing very lightly, and said, "Can I be a little more presumptuous and let you hug me?"
“…”
Huang Fuda turned around and walked towards the kitchen, leaving behind only four light words.
"I'll go cook."
Fang Chuan watched his retreating figure, pursed his lips, and went over to help. Five dishes and a soup were all made to Fang Chuan's liking, and he was very satisfied.
It would be even better if people could stay at his house directly.
The mattress I bought for Huang Fuda hadn't arrived yet. Fang Chuan glanced around, swallowed his food, and then casually said, "Why don't you stay here with me while I'm in Beijing for a few days? The mattress is the one you used before; I'm afraid you won't sleep well if you go back."
Huang Fuda refused decisively, "Fang Chuan, this is not appropriate."
"Anyway, no one's home, so you can just look after the kids."
"Where did this child come from?" Huang Fuda asked in confusion.
Fang Chuan pointed to a cat and a dog and said, "Isn't this your son and daughter? Boss, you, as the father, need to pay more attention and cultivate a better relationship with your children. They've become estranged after five years apart."
Ignoring his unreasonable nagging, Huang Fuda lifted his eyelids and asked, "Didn't you say you were going to send him to my house to raise recently?"
"I didn't think it through back then. Your children are shy around strangers, and they'll be stressed if I'm not around. It's better if they stay at my place. Okay?"
Fang Chuan's eyes were full of pleading, as if refusing him would be a terrible sin. Seeing that Huang Fuda was still hesitating, he simply started to act spoiled. He whistled, and Gouzi came running over.
"Daughter, tell me, do you want your dad to stay here with you?"
Woof!
Fang Chuan pointed at the dog and said smugly to Huang Fuda, "Did you hear that? Your daughter said yes."
What a scoundrel who abuses his power!
Huang Fuda hadn't been sleeping well since moving to his new house and relied entirely on medication. That's why he didn't refuse Fang Chuan's offer to buy him a mattress last night, because he genuinely couldn't afford one and truly needed it. Also, because of Lin Fengxiao, he still harbored reservations about the medication, and frankly, he didn't want to take it anymore.
Looking at the man and dog in front of him, Huang Fuda gave in.
He grabbed the cat that had been stealing food from the table, held it in his arms, and asked, "Are you leaving tonight?"
Fang Chuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly agreed.
"Okay, then I'll wait until you come back."
Outside the window, lights twinkled, everyone busy with their own lives. Inside, cats and dogs were running around in a chaotic mess. The two of them cleaned up the mess their two little devils had made, then sat on the sofa chatting about this and that. Before they knew it, it was 10 o'clock. Huang Fuda should go to sleep, so Fang Chuan found him new pajamas, changed the sheets, and only left reluctantly after everything was settled.
That night, Fang Chuan stayed at a hotel near his home.
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