Even since he entered this comic world, every time he found himself in a sorry state, it was almost always because of this old geezer.

Jiao Bai’s anger and resentment mixed together with the original Wang Chuqiu’s fear and displayed vividly on his sickly pale, twisted face.

The sight sent Shen Ji’s blood racing.

“You fell on your own, and now you’re blaming me?” Shen Ji gave the little hmuzkhc lying on the ground a kick. The smoke curled in strands around his face, obscuring his expression. “Have you forgotten who you broke these three bones for?”

Jiao Bai clawed the top of Shen Ji’s feet, leaving behind several bloody scratches.

Shen Ji kicked Jiao Bai away and looked down at him writhing in agony with an indifferent expression, but a vein at his temple was bulging menacingly.

Tonight, Shen Ji wrapped up his work in the study and headed to bed, but just as he lay down, those eyes that brought a snowfall to his heart appeared before him again.

Immediately after, the abnormal fire he had kept at bay with work surged up uncontrollably, gnawing wildly at his reason and principles, driving him to commit the absurd act of driving halfway across South City in the dead of night.

If the light in this room hadn’t been on, he likely would have already crossed through the darkness, pinned the person down on the bed, smothered them with a pillow, and unbuckled his belt.

Shen Ji finished his train of thought and found that the little invalid was still writhing on the floor, and was glaring ferociously at him despite the immense pain he was in.

It was these very eyes causing all the trouble.

—There was a mirage there, with four distinct seasons.

Shen Ji wasn’t an inexperienced young student. By his age, he had experienced a great deal in both his personal and professional life. Consequently, he could already faintly sense that there was a point in his life’s trajectory that had veered off course, while he had been completely unaware or noticed but simply chose to ignore it at the time.

The affected area wasn’t large.

It couldn’t be seen with the naked eye and could only be detected upon close examination with a magnifying glass.

But what worried him was that if it wasn’t fixed now, that small area would gradually expand over time.

And bring about endless trouble.

“Argh... you... you lnsgdqetbjdq... Shen... Shen Ji...”

“Shen Ji...”

Someone dared to call him directly by name?

Yes.

Not only did he call him directly by name, he also hurled insults and cursed at him to his face.

One after another, with complete disregard for the consequences.

Again and again, this person pushed his limits—throwing a spoon at him during dinner, talking back, giving him attitude, and now he was courting death again.

His guts were too big and his heart was also really large[1], greedy and insatiable. He was just so determined to be special.

With a dark, cold expression, Shen Ji lowered his gaze and only then realised that at some point, his foot had come to rest on the young man’s neck.

He didn’t move his foot away but he unconsciously withdrew the weight bearing down on the person’s neck.

Jiao Bai was gasping and coughing. Every time he coughed, his body would convulse, and the nails of his curled-up fingers were filled with tiny bits of flesh and blood.

He had suffered, but he wasn’t going to let the enemy escape unscathed.

Shen Ji looked at the scratches on the top of his feet. They covered quite a large area. The last person to leave a mark on him had been Xiao Jiang. He had only scratched his neck yet Shen Ji had almost killed him in bed.

“Lao Shen, that child looks like a withered, yellow weed, but he has a tenacity that doesn’t match his appearance. Just now, he was different yet again compared to last night. He keeps changing like a kaleidoscope. It’s not every day you come across someone like him. You should spend some time to watch over him too.”

His old friend’s words echoed in Shen Ji’s ears. At that time, he only found these words amusing. After all, it was just a dog.

Yes, it was just a dog. No matter how sharp its teeth or pointed its claws were, it was still just a dog. All he had to do was tie it with a sturdy leash, and it would never escape his grasp, no matter what.

In two weeks, regardless of whether the dog’s bones had healed, he was going to swiftly get down to business.

By that time, he might find that the taste was nothing special, wrap things up hastily, and kick him out.

Even if they were physically compatible, so what?

This wasn’t the first time he had come across a little plaything that satisfied him. He just needed to arrange a place to keep him, and he would get tired of him eventually. In a month or two, or six months at most.

So, he would have the results in just two weeks, a timeframe short enough to avoid any complications.

Shen Ji crouched down and said, “Little dog, you must feel quite proud of yourself, huh?”

Jiao Bai was lying flat on the ground. He met the old azrszqc’r gaze head-on and let out a hoarse and ambiguous laugh.

“You’ve got me so intrigued that I keep bending the rules for you.” Shen Ji gently caressed the bruise on Jiao Bai’s neck, which felt cold and clammy to the touch. “Playing hard to get can work once or twice, but overusing it can easily backfire, leaving you with nothing.”

Jiao Bai knew very well that if he had shown even a hint of fear or cowardice when he locked eyes with the old geezer just now, it would have been the end for him.

Wherever the head of the Shen family went, he was met with reverential gazes, cowering shoulders, lowered heads, and obsequious flattery.

From his position, he saw only those who tailored their actions to align with his mood.

That was why, when someone dared to look straight at him or fart[2] at him, that person instantly attracted his interest.  Even a fart could make him think “You’ve successfully caught my attention.”

If someone wanted to act foolishly[3], not even ten bulls could hold them back.

Moreover, once they’ve made an exception and acted foolishly once, they would inevitably do it again and again.

This was universally applicable to all the main and supporting characters of every dog-blood comic.

Jiao Bai gazed at the activity level which was about to break through the 50 mark. He found Shen Ji in the little notebook in his mind, and took his time to record down everything Shen Ji did to him tonight.

A pair of arms picked him up, and he instinctively grabbed onto whatever was within reach.

Shen Ji glanced at the hand clutching his shirt, his stern eyebrows arched, and he teased, “So my words have gotten through to you, no more playing hard to get?”

Jiao Bai gestured with his chin toward the bed. Quickly, please. Thanks.

A chill enveloped Shen Ji’s body, and he loosened his arms.

Jiao Bai was already on guard, and quickly clung onto the old man’s waist.

This position… belch...

Wait, that cute little Pikachu seems to have, um, gotten fatter[4]?

Etbj!

I have no words.


[1] 心大 – literal translation – ‘big heart’ – means: to aim too high / to bite off more than you can chew / too ambitious

[2] 放屁 (fàng pì) – means ‘to fart’ and can also mean ‘to talk nonsense’

[3] 犯贱 (fàn jiàn) means ‘to act cheap’ or ‘being foolish’ or ‘degrade oneself’ – behave in a way that undermines one’s dignity or worth.

Examples of 犯贱 (acting cheap):

-          when someone ignores you, you still shamelessly approach them
-          when they insult you, you force a smile and try everything to please them
-          when they disregard you, you do your best to meet their needs

[4] The general consensus in the comments on Jinjiang is that the ‘Pikachu’ here refers to Shen Ji’s chbj.