Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 14

Life in the medical department was tedious and disciplined.

Pei Ye or “Sixie” was recovering at an astonishing speed. His body seemed designed specifically to adapt to trauma and heal rapidly.

Removing stitches, physical therapy, strength training, he completed every instruction in silence, working harder than even the strictest medical officer required.

“That boy is practically gambling with his life.”

“This kind of ‘self-mutilating’ recovery method… it’s terrifying.”

The medical officers’ evaluations of Pei Ye were unusually unanimous: his frightening recovery speed and a sensory threshold that seemed oblivious to pain were not at all what one would expect from an eleven-year-old child.

During his recovery, Wind Hawk would occasionally drift by under the guise of “visiting a teammate,” though he was mostly just bored and looking for amusement.

Sometimes he would bring overly sweet cakes bought from a street corner and force Pei Ye to eat them, watching with a grin as the boy finished them with a scowl. Other times, he would suddenly strike to test the boy’s reaction speed each test more cunning than the last until Goshawk arrived to haul him away.

“Brother, that kid is really interesting! The way he keeps his face so tense is a bit like how you were when you were little!”

“Shut up and be quiet.”

Goshawk visited less frequently. Each time he came, he would simply lean against the doorframe, ask a few brief questions about the recovery progress, and drop off electronic or paper copies of the First Division’s basic training manuals. “Read these in advance. Don’t come over and drag us down,” he would say before leaving.

He spoke little, but every appearance carried the invisible pressure and expectation unique to the First Division.

Pei Ye poured nearly all of his time into it. Training, reading.

He knew he had to seize this opportunity to become stronger and more useful. He never wanted to experience that feeling of being easily discarded again, the despair of being powerless to resist.

More importantly, this was what his Master expected.

During this period, the adjutant visited once to officially confirm his recovery progress and future arrangements. He informed Pei Ye that the Fourth Division was being reorganized and that the personnel involved had all been “handled.”

When Pei Ye heard the news, his eyelashes only fluttered once. He replied in a low voice: “Thank you, Adjutant.”

The cold, barren wasteland within him, birthed by betrayal, seemed to be injected with a twisted sense of security by his Master’s thunderous methods.

After that, the rehabilitation training continued.

Half a month later, the medical officer finally signed his discharge papers.

By the time he returned to Jiang Si’s residence, the sky was approaching dusk. The vast penthouse apartment remained cold and orderly, permeated by the faint, characteristic scent of his Master, tobacco and cedar.

Everything here made Pei Ye feel at peace. This was his Master’s home, and also his sanctuary.

Out of habit, he moved toward the kitchen to prepare the drink Jiang Si usually favored, but he was interrupted by a communication from the adjutant.

“Pei Ye, someone will help you pack your personal belongings tomorrow and move them to the First Division’s collective dormitory.”

The adjutant’s voice came through the comms, calm and steady, without a trace of emotion. “Team regulations require all members to be stationed on-site for emergency mobilization. Report directly to the team tomorrow afternoon.”

The call ended.

Pei Ye stood still, an ice bucket he had just taken out still in his hand. The biting cold seeped through his fingertips, but it was nowhere near as cold as the sudden void opening in his heart.

Moving out?

I can’t live here anymore? I can’t see Master every day? I can’t wait for him to come home?

Even though he had known what joining the First Division meant, when the moment actually arrived, a wave of panic-stricken reluctance seized him.

He was used to everything here, the smell of his Master in the air, the comfort of being placed as “property” in the position closest to him.

Leaving this place felt like being uprooted.

He silently set the glass down and walked slowly back to his bedroom, a room he rarely actually used.

The room was so tidy it looked as if no one lived there. He sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers unconsciously picking at the hem of the sheets. He kept his head low, his bangs obscuring his eyes.

Outside, the city’s neon lights flickered to life one by one. The strange, colorful lights filtered through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long, distorted shadows on the floor. The apartment was terrifyingly quiet.

He didn’t know how long he sat there until the faint sound of the electronic lock echoed from the foyer.

Pei Ye snapped his head up, his heart feeling as if it had been gripped. At this time Master usually didn’t return this early.

He immediately stood up and walked quickly to the living room.

Jiang Si was taking off his black coat and tossing it onto the sofa. A faint trace of fatigue and irritability hung between his brows; it seemed things outside weren’t going smoothly.

He loosened his collar and, as he looked up, saw Pei Ye standing by the bedroom door, looking somewhat lost.

“Discharged?”

Jiang Si’s voice was slightly raspy. He walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey, no ice.

“Yes, Master,” Pei Ye replied in a low voice, keeping his eyes downcast as he walked over to stand a few paces away, just as he always had.

Jiang Si took a sip of the whiskey. The burning liquid slid down his throat, seemingly dispelling some of the exhaustion.

His gaze swept over Pei Ye. The boy was wearing a simple white tank top and trousers; his frame was leaner due to his injuries, but his back was straight, and that inner resilience was still there.

“Did the adjutant notify you?” Jiang Si swirled his glass, his tone flat.

Pei Ye’s body tensed imperceptibly. “…Yes. I report tomorrow afternoon.”

“Mm,” Jiang Si grunted in response. He said no more.

To him, this was a natural arrangement. His “dog” needed a more suitable environment to be sharpened, not to be kept forever in a comfortable nest.

Silence stretched between them.

Pei Ye’s hands, hanging at his sides, quietly clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms. He could tell his Master was in a bad mood today; he shouldn’t bother him with his own feelings.

But… the panic of the upcoming separation wrapped around his heart like vines, tightening further and further.

He suddenly took a deep breath as if summoning a massive amount of courage. He took a small step forward and looked up. His dark eyes held a faint glimmer that bordered on a plea, and his voice was so soft it was almost inaudible:

“Master… I… is it absolutely impossible for me to stay here? I can go the earliest and come back the latest every day. I won’t disturb you I…”

His words cut off abruptly. Because Jiang Si had turned his head to look at him.

There was no anger in that gaze hardly any emotion at all only a faint, scrutinizing curiosity, as if Jiang Si couldn’t fathom why he would ask such an obvious question.

That look made Pei Ye feel more humiliated and desperate than a scolding would have.

He realized instantly how foolish and out of line his request was. He was just a “pet”, how could he question his Master’s arrangements? How could he delude himself into thinking he could occupy the position closest to his Master forever?

He jerked his head down, his face pale. “I’m sorry… Master… I spoke out of turn.” His voice carried an imperceptible tremor.

Jiang Si looked at him. The boy looked like a startled animal trying desperately to hide itself. The irritation Jiang Si had brought home from work was strangely smoothed over by this sight.

He knew exactly what Pei Ye was thinking. This total, twisted dependency was exactly what he had cultivated with his own hands.

He didn’t hate it. In fact, he found it somewhat satisfying.

He set his glass down and walked over to Pei Ye. The boy instinctively shrunk his shoulders as if fearing punishment.

Jiang Si reached out. He didn’t touch him, but instead used his fingertip to hook Pei Ye’s chin, forcing him to look up.

“…Master…” Pei Ye’s eyes were slightly red, but he grit his teeth hard, refusing to let any weakness overflow.

“Little dog,” Jiang Si’s voice was low, carrying an unmistakable sense of control. “Putting you in the First Division isn’t exile—it’s refinement.”

His fingertip applied slight pressure, tracing Pei Ye’s jawline. “You need to become stronger, not spend forever hiding behind me wagging your tail. Do you understand?”

Pei Ye stared at him blankly. The meaning behind his Master’s words caused the light to slowly gather back into his despondent eyes. It wasn’t disgust, it wasn’t abandonment… it was… expectation?

“The First Division is the best whetstone,” Jiang Si continued, his gaze sharp. “There, you will learn how to truly bite, how to survive, and how to become more useful to me. That is what you must do.”

He released his grip, his tone returning to its usual coldness. “Don’t disappoint me.”

Those words were like a lightning bolt, shattering all of Pei Ye’s confusion and reluctance.

Yes… the meaning of my existence is to be useful to Master. If leaving this place means I can become stronger and help Master more, then what is there to hesitate about? What is there to fear?

A new, more obsessive determination replaced the panic of departure.

He looked at Jiang Si, his eyes growing exceptionally bright and steady. The previous fragility vanished, replaced by a near-fanatical loyalty.

Suddenly, he made an incredibly bold move.

He dropped abruptly to one knee, tilted his head up, and reverently took Jiang Si’s hand that was hanging at his side.

His own hands were trembling with tension and excitement, but his movements were resolute.

Jiang Si arched an eyebrow. He didn’t move, curious to see what this “dog” was planning to do.

In the next second, Pei Ye lowered his head. His warm, dry lips pressed with extreme solemnity against Jiang Si’s knuckles.

It was a kiss devoid of any eroticism. It was more like a ritual of swearing fealty, carrying a scalding, undeniable resolve.

“Master.”

He looked up, his dark eyes like cold stars forged in fire. Every word was crystal clear:

“I swear to you… I will become your sharpest blade, your most obedient dog. I will survive in the First Division and become stronger than anyone strong enough to stand by your side and tear apart every enemy for you.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a decisive power that echoed in the empty living room.

“My life is yours. My loyalty, my everything, is yours. Please, watch me.”

Jiang Si looked down at the boy kneeling at his feet. Pei Ye’s gaze was pure, obsessive, burning with a fire that bordered on destructive. It reflected only Jiang Si, with room for nothing else.

A strong sense of satisfied possessiveness and control surged through Jiang Si’s heart.

Look at that. This is the perfect masterpiece I have raised. Fear, dependency, loyalty, ambition… every emotion born only for me.

He turned his hand over and, using the very fingers that had just been kissed, lightly patted Pei Ye’s cheek in an intimate gesture of reward.

“Good,” he replied with a single word.

But for Pei Ye, it was enough.

This was his promise to his Master, and his Master had heard it.