Chapter 3 "I want a person. If you really want to be a dog, go somewhere else."
Li Xiaoxian took advantage of my momentary lapse in attention and suddenly leaned close to my ear and shouted.
I was startled and instinctively took a step forward, but I tripped over a crack in the bricks and fell to my knees with a thud.
"Hahahaha, look at you, you idiot!"
Amidst the excruciating pain that shot straight to the top of my head, I heard Li Xiao's unrestrained laughter. I clenched my teeth tightly and didn't make a sound.
The knuckles of the two hands supporting him on the ground were pale from the force he was exerting.
"Oh, you've grown some backbone, huh? You're keeping quiet because you know no one will help you, or because you feel guilty seeing me?" Li Xiao laughed, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm and contempt.
I remained silent, simply waiting for the excruciating pain to subside with time.
In the past, when I first encountered similar treatment, I would feel confused, bewildered, and wronged. I thought I had done my best to minimize my presence and avoid provoking Li Xiao.
If Li Xiao tells me to get lost, I get lost without hesitation.
Li Xiao told me not to tell Young Master Lan the truth, and I obediently did so.
But he wouldn't let me go, and even became more and more hostile towards me.
It's like seeing a dog lying on the roadside sunbathing in the distance. Even though the road is wide open and they have nothing in common, he insists on going around to it, first using his shadow to block the sunlight, and then kicking the dog hard in the dog's bewildered and confused gaze.
He thinks he's funny, but he's actually utterly wicked.
I no longer expect Li Xiao to treat me like a normal person.
To put it bluntly, in his eyes I'm probably not even as valuable as a dog. After all, there's a saying that you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog.
Despite his apparent fear and care for Young Master Lan, Li Xiao showed no mercy when bullying me.
Sometimes I wonder if he really likes Young Master Lan, otherwise why would he repeatedly ignore the hateful look in his beloved's eyes?
"I'm asking you a question, are you pretending to be deaf and dumb with me?" Li Xiao's dissatisfied voice interrupted my drifting thoughts. Just then, my knees had regained some feeling, so I slowly got up from the ground.
During this time, Li Xiao kept talking, saying things like since I have ears and a tongue and don't need them, I might as well just cut them off. Even if they were just hung on the wall as decorations, they would be more useful than growing on my body.
He spoke of these cruel and horrifying things as casually and lightly as if he were talking about children playing house.
I used to think that this was mostly an exaggeration used to scare people.
After all, on the surface, Li Xiao's appearance is quite convincing.
Initially, when things weren't so tense between Li Xiao and Young Master Lan, he would obediently follow behind the young master like a harmless boy next door, calling him "Brother Lan" sweetly and affectionately.
In particular, the boy had a pair of heterochromatic eyes that were as clear as glass, with a touch of emerald green in them that was more beautiful than priceless jade.
His hair was also lighter than that of ordinary people, smooth and shiny like silk that could not be easily touched. Coupled with his extremely fair skin, he always made everyone else around him pale in comparison when he stood in a well-lit place.
The first time I saw Li Xiao, he was backlit.
At that time, I had just been promoted and selected to serve Young Master Lan.
Before that, I carefully washed and dressed, changed into the new clothes and shoes I was given, and checked repeatedly to make sure that nothing was missing before I nervously arrived at Young Master Lan's door.
Just as I was hesitating whether to announce myself first or knock on the door, the carved wooden door was suddenly pushed open from the inside.
The door panel narrowly missed my nose. I took a step back and looked up in a panic, only to see a boy standing there against the light, looking at my disheveled appearance with a strange expression.
There were lights in the corridor, but the lights inside the room were noticeably brighter.
When Young Master Lan was choosing people, he did not appear in person, but was separated by a screen. Therefore, I only heard Young Master Lan's voice, but never saw his face.
Seeing such a handsome young man emerge from Young Master Lan's room, I naturally mistakenly assumed that he was my new master.
Without thinking, he bowed his head and began to bow.
"This humble... this humble loquat greets... Young Master Lan..."
A soft chuckle interrupted my stammering words.
"Where did this idiot come from?" The boy looked over with a half-smile, his chin held high, exuding a disdainful air. "Your eyesight is bad, and your tongue is tied too."
I was stunned. Firstly, I didn't expect such a handsome young man to utter such awful words. Secondly, I am not deaf, and in fact, I have a pretty good memory. Therefore, I immediately recognized that this was not the voice of Young Master Lan that I had heard before.
"Ah Xiao, don't bully children." A gentle voice came from behind the boy.
Upon hearing this, the boy called A-Xiao turned his head, his arrogant face instantly becoming obedient and sweet, as if coated with a layer of sweet icing.
"Brother Lan."
The young man called out cheerfully, half-pouting and half-complaining, "If you feel too lonely by yourself, Xiao'er can stay here and keep you company. Why bother bringing such a fool around? Who knows who will be taking care of whom in the end?"
As he finished speaking, the boy glanced coldly at me, who was standing there dumbfounded. His voice still carried a smile, but his eyes were filled with deep contempt and disgust.
Being scrutinized like that, I, who was already flustered and at a loss, immediately stiffened up and lowered my head as much as possible.
At that moment, I almost wanted to run away.
But I know clearly that if I run away now, not only will I have nowhere to go, but I will probably have nowhere to stay in this building in the future.
What awaits me is an even more miserable situation than before.
So I stood still and didn't dare to move an inch.
At this moment, Young Master Lan spoke up from inside the room.
"Ah Xiao, I've said it before, I don't like my judgment being questioned, and I hate being easily swayed by others in my choices. Just because we were friends before doesn't mean we will be in the future."
His voice was calm, even giving a gentle feeling.
But upon hearing this, the boy's face turned ashen, as if he had been suddenly struck in a sore spot, yet he was powerless to refute it.
After a long pause, he responded softly, "I understand."
The boy didn't say anything more, but bit his lip, glared at me fiercely, and then turned and left.
He left so suddenly, as if without a trace of lingering affection, yet the heavy sound of his shoes on the wooden floor betrayed his deep resentment and grievances.
At that time, Li Xiao probably hoped that his Lan-gege would call out to him.
Unfortunately, that last glimmer of hope in my heart was ultimately shattered.
Lan Yunzhi didn't chase after him, nor did he even stand up from his seat because of the boy's actions. He simply looked up at me, who was standing there dumbfounded, and waved gently, saying, "Don't stand outside the door, come in quickly."
Upon hearing this, I felt as if I had been granted a pardon and gratefully lifted my leg to walk into the house. However, after maintaining the same posture for too long, my hands and feet became somewhat unresponsive, and for a moment I even started to move my hands and feet in unison.
I tried my best to adjust my movements, but the more anxious I became, the less my hands and feet obeyed my commands. By the time I finally reached Young Master Lan, I was drenched in sweat and could no longer lift my head.
"Loquat, is it?" Young Master Lan's voice was gentle, befitting his surname.
"The small ones are loquats."
I want to say my name confidently, just as I've rehearsed in my mind beforehand.
But when she actually made a sound, she realized it was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and her voice sounded like it was blocked with a wad of cotton, muffled and unpleasant.
I immediately thought, "Oh no, now I've really become a stutterer, just like that boy said."
How could someone so clumsy and unlikable be allowed to stay and serve Young Master Lan?
—But what if I can't stay this time?
I recall the moment the building manager officially announced my selection, and the hostile gazes cast upon me—a mixture of surprise, jealousy, and resentment…
I believe that if I were to go back like this, without the person in charge even saying a word, those rejected boys would be the first to come after me.
The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became, and my knees buckled so much that I almost knelt down.
As the saying goes, a man's knees are worth gold, but for someone like me, who was bought by my parents with a string of copper coins, it's already a blessing to be alive and not starve to death. What does dignity matter?
But in the end, I couldn't bring myself to kneel down.
Because Young Master Lan reached out and grabbed my hand. His handsome brows furrowed slightly, as if he were somewhat puzzled.
He asked me, "What is this for?"
To this day, I don't quite remember what I said exactly, but it was something like I begged them not to send me away, that they would do anything...
I imagine I must have looked awful back then, with tears and snot streaming down my face, looking both pathetic and pathetic, completely unpresentable.
But Young Master Lan didn't say anything to stop me. He just listened and watched quietly until I said that as long as I could stay, I would be willing to be your dog.
Young Master Lan finally spoke, his voice tinged with coldness: "What I want is a person. If you really want to be a dog, go somewhere else."
Upon hearing this, I was immediately stunned. Did this mean... they wanted me to leave?
I thought desperately, forgetting to breathe for a moment, leaving only a stiff shell standing there, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Upon hearing Young Master Lan's calm voice, he asked, "Well, have you thought it through?"
My mind was a mess, and it took me a while to understand what the other person meant. This meant... there was still a glimmer of hope?!
I immediately perked up and nodded vigorously, saying, "A person! I... Pipa wants to stay by Young Master Lan's side as a person!"
Young Master Lan stared at me silently for a while, I don't know what he was thinking.
I dared not ask, nor did I dare to look up. I only felt a gaze quietly falling on my head, face, and entire body.
After a long while, a soft sigh fell.
A fair hand with distinct knuckles reached out in front of me, gently lifting my chin upwards.
The hand did not linger.
It was quickly withdrawn, leaving a faint fragrance in the nose and a little warmth on the chin.
Young Master Lan said, "Since you've decided to follow me, you shouldn't keep your head down anymore."
After he said that, I knew I could stay. I was so excited that I even started trembling uncontrollably the moment I heard the news.
That was the happiest day I'd had since leaving my parents and being sold here far from home. I almost completely forgot all the unpleasantness and troubles I'd experienced before.
Naturally, she also forgot that since she was staying by Young Master Lan's side, there was a high probability that she would meet that arrogant young man who had previously made things difficult for her again.
I think that's probably when Li Xiao started to hate me.
Because of me, he inexplicably provoked his sweetheart to say some cold words, and after leaving in a huff, he probably sulked for quite a while.
Unexpectedly, when I visited again a few days later, I ran into this stupid, unpresentable person.
Later, whenever he wanted to see Young Master Lan, he would inevitably have to see me, and as soon as he saw me, the unpleasant memories that had been dead would immediately resurface.
However, with Young Master Lan present, he couldn't easily lash out. Over time, this led to him accumulating resentment and eventually becoming ill.
However, Li Xiao has never been one to swallow his anger—otherwise, he wouldn't have given me that shove a few days ago that left me with a bloody head.
Perhaps because it had been so long since we last met, when I turned around to face Li Xiao, he even paused slightly, then frowned as if examining something, and after a moment he suddenly reached out his hand towards me.
I was startled, but I didn't flinch.
There's no way to avoid it.
Even if you manage to hide for a while, you'll eventually be dragged to this young master by the people in the building. What's the point?
I really didn't expect to see Li Xiao at this time.
Because Young Master Lan is not currently in the building. I heard that he went to a large pharmacy in the city with his purchasing agent to stock up on some commonly used medicinal herbs for the building. He probably won't be back for at least two or three hours.
With Young Master Lan not around, I naturally lowered my guard.
Given Li Xiao's consistently impatient nature, once he learned of Young Master Lan's whereabouts, he would definitely go straight to the pharmacy.
But this time he didn't. And so, I was really unlucky.
I tried my best to suppress my fear and stood still without turning around and running away.
But when that hand reached towards my face, I involuntarily closed my eyes. I was afraid. So afraid that I could only barely control my trembling body by clenching my teeth.
The imagined pain did not occur for a long time.
However, instead of feeling relaxed, I became increasingly tense as I waited. Until a disdainful sneer rang out in the darkness.
"Tsk tsk, are you addicted to getting beaten up?"
"..."
"Why do you have to close your eyes and put on this death-defying act in front of me? Do you know that with Brother Lan backing you up, I won't really do anything to you, so you're just pretending to come over here to disgust me?"
"..."
"Ha, you really are something. But it's also my fault. How come I never noticed before that seemingly honest face could be such a good actor?"
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