TLSMLMMM Chapter 25

Liefeng was a well-trained dog. Even with a strip of jerky placed on his nose, he stared straight ahead, resisting the urge to eat it even though drool was about to spill out of his mouth.

Chu Junlie looked around the living room. Ignoring the fragrance of the dishes in front of him, he carefully pushed his chopsticks a little farther away.

Si Yunyi lowered his gaze to his watch, testing Liefeng’s self-control and how well his previous training had held up.

Thirty seconds. One minute. Five minutes. Liefeng didn’t move at all. Drool was already dripping unconsciously from the corner of his mouth, but he still sat steadily—he wouldn’t eat without a command.

Si Yunyi took out a chew stick to increase the distraction. Liefeng’s eyes followed the chew stick left and right as he tried to keep his posture, his fluffy tail swaying lightly as he did his best to stay steady so the jerky on his nose wouldn’t fall.

Chu Junlie stared intently at the hand lightly toying with the chew stick, white like the delicate petals of an epiphyllum blossom. His gaze followed that hand left and right as he sat motionlessly in his chair.

Si Yunyi had more or less understood the extent of Liefeng’s training. Looking at the big wolf-like dog who was practically drowning in his own drool, he gave a faint smile.

“You may eat.”

Liefeng let out a quick “woof,” shook his head, and caught the jerky smoothly into his mouth. Si Yunyi handed him the chew stick as well, as an extra reward.

Hearing the sound, Chu Junlie immediately picked up his chopsticks and took a couple bites of his now-slightly cold meal but for some reason, he felt a small sense of happiness inside.

Hugging his bowl, he quickly finished the rest of the food. Just as he stood up to clean the dishes, he saw in the living room: Liefeng wagging his tail eagerly at Mr. Si, and Mr. Si raising a hand to gently pat the dog’s head, his gaze lowered behind his glasses.

“Good boy.”

Chu Junlie froze in place. A faint sourness welled up in his heart as he stared at that hand petting Liefeng’s head. Without realizing it, he lowered his own head slightly, imagining how it would feel if that hand were patting his head.

It must be very warm… very comfortable.

That night, as they went to sleep, Liefeng had just stretched out in his dog bed when he sensed a gaze fixed on him.

He opened his eyes and saw his master sitting on the bed opposite him, not sleeping—just staring at him with dark, pitch-black eyes.

Not sure what had happened, but experienced enough to understand anyway, Liefeng quietly picked up his dog bed and moved into the bathroom.

Watching him walk away, Chu Junlie pressed his thin lips together, lowered his eyes, lifted a hand, and tried softly patting his own head twice.

There was no feeling.

Because it wasn’t Mr. Si doing it.

Discouraged, Chu Junlie lowered his head and burrowed under the blanket. No matter how he tossed and turned, he couldn’t fall asleep.

His chest felt strangely dry and hollow, like something had been scooped out. Whenever he couldn’t see the person he constantly thought of, that empty space kept letting the wind blow through, echoing emptily in his chest.

He touched his chest, reached into his clothes, and found the small, hard red booklet. Hiding under the blanket, he opened it, lit it with his phone, and carefully looked at the photo of the two of them.

When would Mr. Si realize that he could be even more obedient than Liefeng? And once he realized… would he also pat his head?

After working three consecutive days as a part-time restaurant worker, Chu Junlie followed his plan and went to work as a sales assistant at a clothing store. The store owner had originally hoped that this “experience-life” newbie would attract more customers. But after observing for a week or two, he realized the guy genuinely came just to work.

As he watched the young man serving a customer, the boss couldn’t help frowning.

“I said I want a Korean-style suit. Do you not understand me?” a male customer said irritably while clinging to his girlfriend. “Like the male leads in Korean dramas.”

“But the suits those drama male leads wear usually aren’t Korean-style suits,” Chu Junlie explained seriously, recalling the research he’d done the last two days.

“Korean-style suits have high waistlines, narrow lapels, and tighter fits. But most male leads in Korean dramas wear wide-lapel, hip-covering, well-fitted but not tight suits.”

“I said I want Korean-style. Just bring it to me!” the man snapped impatiently, pointing to the girl sipping milk tea beside him. “My girlfriend likes Korean-style suits. Baby, isn’t that right?”

The girl looked at her boyfriend, then at the salesperson in front of her, and nodded in confusion.

Chu Junlie looked at the girl, then lifted his gaze to the man he’d seen a few days ago, expression utterly blank.

“Your ex-girlfriend also liked you in Korean-style suits. So why did you come back the next day asking for a refund?”

The girl froze, staring at the man beside her in disbelief.

“No—no, I didn’t!” the man quickly tried to explain. “He must be mistaken. Baby, you know my financial situation. I’ve never even shopped in this place before!”

Standing off to the side, Chu Junlie said coolly, “Your ex-girlfriend called you ‘Little Yan,’ and you called her ‘Baby.’”

The girl suddenly seemed to realize something. Her expression changed sharply, and in a burst of anger, she threw her milk tea at the guy beside her before storming out without looking back.

The guy shot a vicious glare at Chu Junlie, then turned around to chase after her.

“Baby, let me explain!”

Another salesperson in the store gave Chu Junlie a thumbs-up. Chu Junlie returned a polite smile, then turned to tidy the clothes he had just taken down. The boss walked over with a displeased expression.

“Xiao Chu, how long have you been working here? How many pieces have you sold?”

“I’ve been here two weeks and worked eight days. Not counting the returned items, I sold six pieces.” Chu Junlie replied, turning back.

“Our products are expensive, sure, but everyone else sells dozens. You only sold six. Isn’t that a bit too little?” the boss said, annoyed.

“I’m still new, maybe I’m not used to it yet.” Chu Junlie pressed his lips together. “But I’ve been working hard to learn.”

The boss looked him up and down, increasingly convinced that he was just an ordinary worker.

“Your sales technique really isn’t great. We already have enough salespeople. If you’re having such a hard time, how about this after the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, just go home.”

Chu Junlie froze in place as the boss walked away naturally, glancing at the other employees who had been watching.

“What are you looking at? Get back to work!”

The employees immediately averted their eyes, though some looked regretfully at the new guy.

The store followed a high-end model with few customers; selling ten pieces in a day was already impressive. Aside from regular clients, they took turns serving whoever walked in. Whether customers bought, or how much they bought, mostly depended on luck. For a newcomer to sell six pieces in eight days was actually pretty good.

That night after work, Chu Junlie walked out of the elevator with his head lowered. The old man was waiting in his usual spot. Seeing Chu Junlie’s expression, he approached curiously and waved a hand before him.

“Grandpa.” Chu Junlie lifted his head and saw the old man. “What do you want to eat this afternoon?”

“The weather’s getting colder. Something hot.” The old man looked him over. “Judging by your face, did your boss scold you? Or a customer?”

Chu Junlie walked ahead silently.

“Looks like both,” the old man muttered, climbing onto his tricycle.

Chu Junlie brought him to a dumpling shop and ordered a bowl of soup dumplings. Halfway through eating, the old man noticed that Chu Junlie kept staring at his phone, eyes filled with disappointment.

Curious, he stood up and glanced at the screen, there was a diamond ring embedded with a red gemstone.

“Oh? That’s expensive.” The old man looked at him. “Kid, you planning to buy that?”

Chu Junlie put away his phone, unable to hide his sadness.

“My lover likes this ring.”

The old man took a bite of a warm dumpling. “Then just work hard. One day you’ll afford it.”

“I wish I had a job that made money faster.” Chu Junlie’s eyes burned with longing. “If I could give this ring to my lover, he would definitely like me a little more.”

The old man paused mid-bite. Suddenly, he raised his hand clearly planning to smack the boy on the head. Chu Junlie reacted faster, catching the old man’s wrist.

“My son also wanted to make quick money back then!” the old man yelled, eyes brimming with anger. “Do you know how that ended for him?!”

Startled, Chu Junlie let go.

“If you keep thinking about fast money every day, don’t bring me to eat anymore!” The old man wiped his mouth with his sleeve, face hardened. “Your path is your path, mine is mine. We… we…”

He was so angry he couldn’t finish. With a huff, he turned his head away, refusing to look at the young man.

“Grandpa, are you worried I’ll go down the wrong path?” Chu Junlie couldn’t help smiling. “Don’t forget—I’m a married man. My lover manages me very strictly!”

“Strict, is he?” The old man turned back. “Don’t get smart with me. You’ve been treating me to meals for days, but I haven’t seen him call you even once!”

Chu Junlie opened his mouth, but didn’t know how to answer.

Recently, Mr. Si had been going to the Si family’s old residence almost every day. After eating dinner at the old residence in the afternoon, he would return and head straight to the bedroom to rest.

The only time he and Mr. Si saw each other was that little bit in the morning. Mr. Si gave him complete freedom. Even when he came home late at night, Mr. Si never questioned it.

Too much freedom.

Chu Junlie’s nose stung; he lowered his head, unable to speak.

Seeing his expression, the old man suddenly fell silent, realizing he’d said something he shouldn’t have. He wanted to comfort the youth but had no idea how.

As he sat awkwardly across from him, Chu Junlie’s phone chimed. He picked it up, glanced at the screen, paused and then instantly straightened up, eyes sparkling.

“Grandpa, look!” Chu Junlie held up his phone, eyes shining. “My lover… he messaged me!”

Before the old man could see the screen clearly, Chu Junlie opened WeChat and read the message inside.

The old man watched as all the boy’s gloom disappeared in an instant, a bright smile blooming on his face.

“My lover is inviting me to his home for Mid-Autumn dinner! Grandpa, your mouth is magical!” Chu Junlie replied to Si Yunyi’s message immediately, terrified that replying too slowly might make him lose this rare chance to be with Mr. Si.

“I-Is that so?” the old man rubbed his chin, puzzled.

“What else do you want to eat, Grandpa? Braised pork? I’ll get you a plate!” Overjoyed, Chu Junlie jumped up to order more food. Watching his retreating figure, the old man couldn’t help laughing.

×××

“Fourth Young Master, sorry to disturb you. This is the menu for the Mid-Autumn family dinner, the dishes and drinks.” The butler handed the list to Si Yunyi. Seeing that Si Yunyi still had piles of documents in front of him, the butler looked a little guilty.

“Normally, these would be reviewed and approved by the Master, but given the Master’s current condition…” The butler paused. From the next room came the sound of furious shouting.

Si Yunyi’s gaze swept over the list of dishes. Listening to the angry voice coming from the next room, his eyes lowered slightly.

“Dr. Ren should have already told you when the illness progresses to the middle or late stages, this kind of behavior is normal.”

The butler nodded sadly.

“In the future, you can bring these matters to me.” After reviewing the list, Si Yunyi signed his name at the bottom.

The butler accepted the list. After thinking for a moment, he carefully asked, “For this Mid-Autumn family dinner, should we prepare a seat for Young Master Chu?”

“Of course.” Si Yunyi looked at him. “Not just for this Mid-Autumn dinner—every future family gathering must include his seat.”

“Then… where should we arrange Young Master Chu’s place at the table?” the butler asked softly.

“Wherever my eldest brother and sister-in-law sit, arrange Chu Junlie’s and mine the same way,” Si Yunyi said calmly. “Don’t treat him any less just because he married into the family.”

“Understood, Fourth Young Master.” The butler showed a slight smile, holding the list as he left the room.

Si Yunyi looked at the documents in front of him. After a moment of quiet, he took out his phone and opened the familiar vegetable-dog avatar.

[ Xiao Chu, do you have time to attend the Mid-Autumn family dinner? ]

A pale green veggie-dog sticking out a small tongue replied instantly.

[ Yes yes yes! Mr. Si, I have time! ]

Chu Junlie even sent an animated sticker of a little dog spinning excitedly on the floor absolutely thrilled.