Chapter 8: Being a good dog to your master will bring extra rewards if you behave well...
--very good.
Even after some time apart, Li Xiao is still just as annoying as ever.
I didn't respond immediately. Instead, I scrambled to my feet, carefully brushed the dust off my clothes, and then looked up at the boy, trying my best to appear neither humble nor arrogant.
"It hasn't been that long since we last met, yet Young Master Li's memory seems to have gotten worse. Pipa's master has always been only Young Master Lan. Surely Young Master Li isn't so forgetful as to have forgotten his beloved?"
It was rare for me to speak so clearly and without stuttering in front of Li Xiao.
Because I knew that we disliked each other. So no matter how submissive I acted, Li Xiao would only think that I was faking it, playing the victim, and trying to gain sympathy.
While Li Xiao kept saying he hated my pretentiousness and thought I was undignified, he never hesitated to watch me make a fool of myself and used it as a form of entertainment.
I don't understand this.
But I can always do something to make Li Xiao feel that this matter is not so interesting after all, and maybe one day when he gets bored, he can completely let me go and find the next fun.
As for who Li Xiao will approach, and who is so unlucky as to be targeted by this young master, that's not something I need to care about.
I don't have the means to support this kindness, so I don't need any extra sympathy.
Sure enough, Li Xiao seemed somewhat surprised to see me like this.
For a moment, they couldn't think of anything more offensive to say to embarrass me, and even the smile on their lips couldn't help but fade.
"Have you... taken the wrong medicine?"
Li Xiao hesitated before uttering a sentence, and a genuine worry appeared in his eyes as he looked at me. I really couldn't understand what he was thinking.
I could only vaguely hear him standing there muttering something to himself, before he stepped forward and stood directly in front of me.
He was tall, and his shadow enveloped me completely. A patch of coolness was cast amidst the almost dizzying warmth of the golden light.
Then, without warning, his hand landed on my forehead. It was icy cold, making me shiver.
Wow, I thought to myself, "Wow, wow!"
If my shoulder hadn't been firmly held down by Li Xiao's other hand, I would have jumped up on the spot by now.
Meanwhile, Li Xiao was still seriously comparing the temperature difference between himself and me, as if he really thought I was having a fever or chills, which was why I was speaking so abnormally.
I have serious doubts about Li Xiao's conscience. I always felt that Li Xiao had come up with a new way to torment me because he realized that verbal attacks were no longer effective.
I imagine that while I was diligently eating to grow taller, he was probably feeling suffocated at home, unable to see his sweetheart or get to vent his frustrations.
I could see that cold paw about to touch my forehead again.
I finally couldn't hold back any longer. I immediately squatted down, and as the pressure on my shoulders suddenly eased, I turned around and ran back.
I know that Li Xiao is a troublemaker, but he will restrain himself to some extent in front of Young Master Lan.
So I ran resolutely toward the nearest small door.
Unfortunately, he hadn't run two steps before someone grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
"Hmph, you run pretty fast." Li Xiao's teasing voice rang out from behind him, carrying a hint of coldness. "You don't look sick."
"I...I'm not sick at all..." I swayed gently in mid-air, my body going limp because my feet were off the ground.
—I'm afraid of heights; I've been afraid of heights since I was little.
As a child, I always dreamed of falling from a great height, the sound of the wind filling my ears. I was terrified, but I could never wake up in time. My body kept falling, as if I would never reach the end, as if the rest of my life would be endlessly wasted in this endless fall...
Fortunately, dreams always end.
But every time I wake up from a dream, I'm drenched in sweat and it takes me a while to come to my senses.
Therefore, I cannot climb walls or trees like many children in the village.
Although I know that falling from that height and being caught by the soft soil won't cause any serious problems, I'm still scared.
I'm afraid of the fall, afraid that my nightmare might come true.
So even if Li Xiao didn't actually hang me high up, I would still be unable to move because of my body's instinctive fear, just like a cat or dog being grabbed by the scruff of its neck.
"You were running pretty fast just now, what, you're backing down so quickly?" Li Xiao said mischievously.
I opened my mouth, but in the end I lowered my head and tacitly agreed with what the other person said.
I know Li Xiao wants to see me bow my head, especially when I'm forced to submit after my attempts to struggle have failed. That would surely win him his favor.
"Fine, since you're so sensible, I'll let you off the hook for today."
Sure enough, Li Xiao chuckled and easily loosened his grip, causing me to sway and almost fall headfirst.
There was nothing I could do; after being suspended in mid-air just now, my hands and feet were still weak.
Seeing that I was about to have a close, face-to-face collision with the pebbly ground, I resignedly closed my eyes.
However, the expected excruciating pain did not come.
Instead, a string of genuine, angry curses erupted.
"Did you lose your hand or your brain? You're standing there like a dead man, not moving an inch as you watch yourself fall without even trying to stop yourself? Didn't you see all those pebbles on the ground? Is your deadpan face not ugly enough, or are you just asking for trouble—"
The angry voices stopped abruptly.
Li Xiao probably finally noticed that my face looked rather unpleasant. After a pause, when she spoke again, her voice sounded a little guilty: "Why are you staring at me like that without saying a word? It's like I've bullied you."
"..."
“Speak up. Do you really think you’re dead just because I say you look like one? You wouldn’t…” Li Xiao frowned slightly as if he suddenly thought of something, and his gaze towards me was filled with vigilance.
"You're not planning to tell Brother Lan on this again, are you?"
He spoke so earnestly that even I began to doubt whether I was truly as he described.
My throat felt slightly congested, and something murky surged up, flowing through my bloodstream and into my entire body, cold and sticky.
It's always the same. They could easily trample on someone, but they insist on making up some baseless excuses to ridicule them.
—Does he really think that this is the only way to make things more interesting?
I don't understand, but I really don't have the energy to continue acting with Li Xiao.
"I don't……"
I finally spoke up in denial, but the sound I made was much softer than I had imagined. Compared to Li Xiao across from me, it sounded more like I was talking to myself.
Li Xiao hadn't heard clearly either, and asked in confusion, "What did you just say?"
“I said, I didn’t want to complain to anyone, and I never mentioned to you that Young Master Li accidentally pushed me down. I… Pipa is just an insignificant servant in this building. Young Master Lan is kind-hearted and only took pity on me, which is why he was willing to take me in and give me food. I am very grateful, but I am also very clear that I will always be just a servant.”
I spoke haltingly, and even I was surprised that I could say such a long passage.
Perhaps it's because every single word in it represents my deepest, most genuine thoughts.
“Pipa knows that Young Master Li and Young Master Lan are close friends. Their deep friendship, both in the past and present, is far beyond what others can compare to. Not to mention someone like me who can be sold off at will. I’m more like an object than a person, and a worthless one at that. Just an insignificant object. Why would Young Master Li waste his breath on me?”
I finally finished speaking in one breath, and the tightness in my throat disappeared. My hands and feet were still a little cold, but thankfully they were starting to warm up.
I don't know what Li Xiao will think after hearing these words.
—Most likely they'd scoff at it.
Actually, given Li Xiao's usual temperament, the fact that he was able to patiently listen to the whole thing without interrupting was already somewhat beyond my expectations.
"Heh, what is it?"
After a moment of silence, Li Xiao chuckled briefly.
Then he leaned down slightly, getting closer until his eyes were level with mine.
Without the barrier of blood and tears, this time, I clearly saw myself reflected deep within those jade-green pupils, a small pair that looked both innocent and bewildered.
"Didn't we already agree that if you lose, you'll become my dog?"
Both shoulders were pressed down at the same time, and the boy's face, which seemed to be smiling but was not, was close at hand, his bright red lips opening and closing like a beautiful flower bud.
"A dog, you know what that is? It's a living, breathing animal that runs, jumps, barks, and wags its tail obediently at its owner. It's not some object to be sold. Honestly, I thought you were going to say something else. I've patiently listened for so long, and you're just trying to go back on your word..."
The force concentrated on the shoulder deepened with the boy's smile.
—It hurts a lot. Even through my clothes, my shoulder still aches, like it's being crushed.
It was at this moment that I belatedly felt a sense of dread.
The boy in front of me, judging from his appearance, seemed to be no different from before, but he was not the Li Xiao I knew.
Like those young boys who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, carefree since childhood, and always arrogant and domineering, they always show their joy or anger on their faces so that everyone can see it clearly.
Instead of being as gloomy and morbid as it is now...
Looking at Li Xiao, who had suddenly become a stranger to me for some reason, I unconsciously held my breath and didn't even blink.
As if amused by my nervousness and unease, the boy suddenly chuckled.
Li Xiao laughed so suddenly and unrestrainedly, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. He suddenly bent over laughing, his whole body shaking with laughter. In stark contrast, I stood opposite him with a completely bewildered expression.
A somewhat absurd thought suddenly flashed through my mind—could Li Xiao have gone mad?
If that's the case, then there's a reasonable explanation for why he hasn't appeared in the past few days.
No wealthy family would let a madman out in public and make a spectacle of himself.
But if that's true, why is Li Xiao suddenly here now?
—Could it be that they snuck out?
My limbs were stiff, but my mind was racing.
The more I think about it, the more real it seems, and the more frightened I become.
In all my years, I've never been face-to-face with a truly insane person, but some things are more terrifying the less you understand them...
I think I need to run as fast as I can, to create a great distance, and ideally, to yell and call everyone from the other places over.
The truth is, I lost my voice again, much to my dismay.
One of us was teetering on the edge of our seats as the other pulled on us, because even though Li Xiao was laughing like that, he still didn't let go of my hand.
Because of his movements at that moment, he was almost entirely hanging on me.
If this continues, I feel like my neck is about to break...
Finally, Li Xiao seemed to get tired and gradually stopped laughing. As he stood up, he raised his face, which was covered with a few stray strands of hair.
Overall, apart from his face being a little red and his eyes being wet as if covered by a layer of mist, he seemed normal and didn't look like a madman.
But I still remember what he looked like just now.
Therefore, we decided to remain still while the enemy does not move, and to respond to all changes by remaining unchanged.
However, I don't seem to be as calm as I thought I would be.
"Hmph, what kind of expression is that? Are you scared? I didn't really do anything to you." Li Xiao snorted, the blatant disdain in his tone reminiscent of the boy I knew.
But I'm not sure. After what just happened, I feel like I can't be sure about anything anymore.
Even though my feet are firmly planted on the ground, I feel as if I'm suspended in mid-air... I can't find my way down.
“You don’t need to be afraid. Really.” Li Xiao said again, squinting his eyes and looking at my expression with satisfaction. “You must not go back on your word or break your promise. Just be a good boy and keep our agreement.”
—An agreement?
If those unreasonable and unfair terms can be considered an agreement.
I did lose...
I lost because I wasn't ruthless enough.
They couldn't bear to watch Li Xiao die.
She was even less certain that her escape would not implicate Young Master Lan.
So in the end, I am still a cowardly person who is afraid of death.
I looked up and met the boy's smiling face, which looked down at me with a gentle, persuasive tone.
"If you behave well as your master's good dog, you'll get extra rewards, like... being able to buy your freedom."
My heart skipped a beat, and I swallowed hard. The temptation of the words "redemption" was simply too great.
It means I can stop living in fear of being thrown back into that smelly, dark room for doing something wrong.
It also means that I might be able to take some of the money I've saved up over the years and go home, back to that little fenced courtyard where my parents are and where the loquat tree is.
The people in the building cannot redeem themselves, nor can they help each other redeem themselves.
Therefore, even if one reaches a position like that of the King of Flowers and the Queen of Flowers, very few people are able to leave the Flower Moon Pavilion.
Because they dare not gamble, dare not entrust their life savings to an outsider, not only because they know the coldness of human nature, but also because there are many precedents.
Many men and women who thought they had found their soulmates, who had finally given their hearts and all their savings, were ultimately cheated out of both their money and their love. When they grew old and their beauty faded, they had no money left to live on and were often left to die miserably in the alley behind the building.
Human nature is inherently susceptible to testing.
I know that with my qualifications, it is a pipe dream to think that I can redeem myself through my own abilities or wait for someone who is willing to redeem me.
It would be wonderful to stay by Young Master Lan's side, but how long can he protect me?
I am different from him, after all...
I don't have his confidence, his composure and calmness.
Maybe one day he will get tired of it too. When that time comes, how should I deal with myself?
I really don't want to die here. I've seen people in this building die for all sorts of reasons—illness, being beaten to death, exhaustion… The cleanest one is probably suicide.
But I don't have that kind of courage.
I'm afraid of pain, and I'm also afraid of ending up like Aunt Li.
But Li Xiao told me that if I was willing to obediently act like a dog in front of him, he could redeem me right now.
For Li Xiao, redeeming someone like me, who had only recently entered the building and had no name or surname, would be a piece of cake.
Moreover, once I do this, I will no longer stay by Young Master Lan's side and get in someone's way.
This can be described as a win-win situation.
so……
I looked into Li Xiao's eyes, those deep blue eyes were slightly narrowed, like two shimmering pools of water.
I saw two shrunken versions of myself, each shaking its head simultaneously within the other.
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