After Picking Up the Rival Boss, It Smells Really Good - Chapter 4

Lu Lian walked unhurriedly down the street, holding a plastic bag in his right hand, when suddenly an object came flying toward him in a parabolic arc. He steadily caught it with his left hand, gripping the scruff of a brown spotted dog’s neck.

“Woof?” The puppy tilted its head.

Lu Lian glanced up at the culprit who had thrown the projectile from not far away: “Have I ever mentioned that I’m a germaphobe?”

Qin Gou walked over with his arms crossed: “Did your germaphobia act up when you attached the tracker to it?” He recalled following the tracker signal only to find a brown spotted dog, and the moment Jiang Zhuo’s face stiffened at the sight.

Lu Lian tossed the dog back into Qin Gou’s arms: “Are you referring to the one on the hoodie collar? Or perhaps the needle-controlled monitors in your living room and guest bedroom headboard?”

“Impressive as always, Young Master Lu.” Qin Gou chuckled and clapped his hands. “Just some necessary security measures. If Young Master Lu dislikes them, I can remove them immediately.”

Lu Lian couldn’t be bothered to spare him half a glance.

“That alley Young Master Lu just came from isn’t exactly the safest place,” Qin Gou said leisurely. “Many people have been drugged and had their Core Inhibitors extracted around here. Rumors say this is the den of the illegal Core Inhibitor trafficking ring. For Young Master Lu to be in this area after discarding the tracker. it’s truly giving people unnecessary worry.”

Lu Lian remained expressionless: “No need for your concern, Young Master Qin.”

“What’s in your hand?”

Lu Lian directly raised the bag for him to see.

Qin Gou leaned forward along with the dog in his arms. Inside the plastic bag were some noodles, frozen dumplings, and fresh vegetables and ingredients.

“Ah.” Qin Gou laughed without any trace of guilt. “It seems I’ve been neglecting Young Master Lu. From now on, just tell me what you want to eat – I’ll have someone deliver it.”

Lu Lian withdrew the bag without comment.

Standing at the doorway, Qin Gou didn’t rush to open the door but instead gestured to Lu Lian behind him: “Register your pupil membrane, Young Master Lu.”

Lu Lian glanced at Qin Gou: “I thought you’d prefer the imprisonment approach.”

“How could that be? Weren’t you just out and about?”

“Only because you wanted me out.” With the tracker on him.

The scanning beam shone into Lu Lian’s gray pupils, like deep pools gathering in his eyes. Qin Gou watched Lu Lian, his own gaze darkening.

“Registration complete, come in.” What entered along with Qin Gou and Lu Lian was a brown spotted puppy.

Lu Lian looked down at the little dog wagging its tail and pawing at his pants: “You want to keep a dog?”

“Indeed.” Qin Gou said with mischievous delight. “Look at his little spotted face – how about we call him Facey?”

Lu Lian didn’t even lift his eyelids as he organized the ingredients into the refrigerator: “If you plan to adopt him, you should first take him to the hospital for vaccinations.”

“We’ll just have Doctor Bai give him a shot when we have time.” Qin Gou shrugged and revealed the truth. “It’s Jiang Zhuo who wants to keep him. He bonded with this dog brother at first sight, but unfortunately he has to go on a mission, so he dumped this little trouble on me first.”

The puppy ran joyfully around the living room. Lu Lian entered the kitchen. Qin Gou followed him in.

Watching Lu Lian handle the kitchen utensils, Qin Gou raised an eyebrow: “You can cook?”

Lu Lian calmly put the noodles into the pot: “Everyone develops this skill before they starve to death.”

Qin Gou raised an eyebrow. Doing the math, it had been nearly a week since Lu Lian’s plane crash – meaning he hadn’t even consumed nutrient solution for nearly a week.

This was the subtle signal Lu Lian had sent him. Was it to tell Qin Gou that he was truly isolated and helpless here?

The noodles tasted average, but surprisingly, portions had been prepared for both Qin Gou and the puppy. Watching the puppy bury its face in a small bowl on the floor, snuffling as it ate the noodles, Qin Gou glanced at Lu Lian, who was unhurriedly picking up a strand of noodles with his chopsticks. “I’ve noticed you’re somewhat different from what I imagined.”

Lu Lian lifted his eyelids. “What did you imagine?”

Qin Gou paused his chopsticks. He recalled his first attendance at a business gathering of major families when he was eighteen. The Qin family was considered a prominent clan, but Qin Gou, being an illegitimate child without a Core Inhibitor, was naturally assigned to the most obscure corner.

At that time, he was drowned in the clamor of the crowd until someone announced, “The Lu family’s heir has arrived.”

All the noise seemed to halt at those words. Moments later, a tall, slender man walked in, dressed in a well-tailored gray suit that exuded nobility and aloofness. His features were strikingly deep, especially his icy-cold eyes. People gradually gathered around him, but no one dared to make small talk, standing respectfully as he took the main seat. Only then did the man lift his gaze to sweep over the crowd, his gray eyes as cold as a frozen lake.

Lu Lian was like a lake atop a snowy mountain unapproachable.

Qin Gou picked up a strand of noodles. “I imagined you wouldn’t know how to cook.”

A bit too many noodles had been cooked, and the leftovers ended up in the puppy’s stomach. Thus, Qin Gou declared he would name the puppy “Mian Tiao” (Noodles). The puppy’s striped face, with vertical patches, made the name all the more fitting.

Evening.

Qin Gou and Lu Lian hurried down the street, carrying a small cloth bag.

Even with a mask on, Lu Lian’s expressionless face was evident. “Why do I have to come along?”

“It ate the food you cooked before throwing up. In a way, you’re partly responsible.” A dog’s head poked out from the cloth bag in Qin Gou’s arms, ears drooping, whimpering pitifully.

Lu Lian’s brow furrowed slightly. “I only added a small amount of salt to that bowl. Normally.”

“Woof.” Mian Tiao let out another weak bark. Lu Lian fell silent and said nothing more.

After dinner, Qin Gou had played with Mian Tiao for a while and was about to give the puppy a bath when it suddenly vomited, lying on the floor and whimpering. Bai Xianzhi happened to be away on business, so Qin Gou and Lu Lian took the puppy directly to the nearest pet hospital.

“The dog is fine. Its stomach was weakened from previous starvation during its stray days, and it couldn’t handle the sudden large meal. Overeating made it worse. From now on, feed it regularly and avoid giving too much at once.” Mian Tiao had a small IV drip attached to its paw, looking both comical and adorable. The pet veterinarian patted Mian Tiao’s head. “Once this drip is finished, go home and administer the medication on schedule. It’ll recover soon.”

After giving instructions, the veterinarian left for another room. Qin Gou and Lu Lian sat nearby like two anxious parents, waiting.

“Alright, it seems it really wasn’t the fault of the noodles you cooked.” Qin Gou raised an eyebrow. The pet hospital housed many other animals, and he stood with interest in front of a large Tibetan Mastiff’s cage, staring at the fierce creature inside.

The Mastiff bared its teeth, growling low in its throat.

“Hmm… definitely not as cute as Noodles,” Qin Gou said. “Is it hungry? Why is it growling nonstop?”

Qin Gou stared intently at this Tibetan mastiff. It was indeed excessively agitated, its entire body shifting restlessly while continuously emitting anxious, muffled sounds. Even its eyes appeared somewhat reddened.

Qin Gou asked: “Do dogs’ eyes turn red when they’re hungry?”

Lu Lian: “What?”

Qin Gou subconsciously sensed something amiss. The next second, the Tibetan mastiff let out a tremendous roar, smashed open the cage with one paw, and lunged at Qin Gou!