Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 24

Over the next few days, a strange, eerie calm settled over the penthouse.

Jiang Si’s demeanor remained unchanged. He continued to issue orders coldly, process documents, listen to the Adjutant’s reports, and occasionally head out for necessary appointments. He never mentioned the tattoo again, nor did he spare a second glance at Pei Ye’s chest, as if everything that had happened that night was merely a fever dream of Pei Ye’s own making.

But to Pei Ye, this “normalcy” was the most agonizing form of torture.

He became even more silent, like a taut shadow following Jiang Si’s every step. His efficiency in executing orders reached an unprecedented level of precision; he made zero mistakes. Yet, only he knew that something inside him was quietly fracturing.

Every time Jiang Si’s gaze drifted toward him, even unintentionally, his heart would stop, and his muscles would lock. The faint scent of cedar that clung to Jiang Si whenever he walked past made it difficult for Pei Ye to breathe. He began to fear being alone with his Master, yet he could not endure the terror of being out of his sight.

Where did that terror come from? He feared Jiang Si’s disgust; he feared being abandoned again; he feared that the last hidden sanctuary of his soul would be utterly crushed. In his twisted interpretation, Jiang Si’s silence was the calm before a storm, a delayed execution of a final judgment.

Pei Ye began to suffer from insomnia.

His shallow sleep was haunted by grotesque nightmares. Sometimes it was the cold stench of the corpse pile from when he was eleven; other times it was the mockery of the Fourth Division members and the twisted face of Crocodile as he kicked him out of the escape door.

Most of all, it was Jiang Si, Master looking at the tattoo over his heart with a cold, scrutinizing gaze, then turning away without mercy, never looking back no matter how much Pei Ye screamed.

He would often wake up in the dead of night drenched in cold sweat, needing to confirm that Jiang Si was actually in the next room before he could fall back into an uneasy sleep, his fingers habitually clutching the fabric over his heart.

When the Adjutant came to report one day, his gaze lingered on Pei Ye’s face for a moment. Pei Ye noticed immediately and lowered his lashes, burying his emotions even deeper.

“Fourth Brother,” the Adjutant’s voice was steady as usual. “Pei Ye seems a bit fatigued lately. Should we adjust the intensity of his assignments?”

Jiang Si, who was reading a report, didn’t even look up. He replied flatly, “No need. He’s fine.”

The Adjutant said no more, but as he left, he spared another subtle glance at Pei Ye.

Strange…

He clearly remembered Fourth Brother asking him a bizarre question a few days ago: “What should I do if a puppy’s emotions are running too high?”

He had thought Jiang Si was joking and gave a casual answer: “Just give him the cold shoulder for a while, and he’ll settle down.”

He had assumed Jiang Si was talking about Pei Ye… but looking at the boy today, so dejected and pitiful, how was that “high emotions”?

What a strange pair of master and servant…

A few days later, a mission finally broke the superficial calm between the two.

A shipment of important cargo at the West District docks had encountered a glitch during the hand-off. The squad responsible for guarding it had vanished into thin air, and the goods were gone. This wasn’t a simple theft; the traces left behind pointed to a rising gang trying to challenge Skeleton’s authority—they were arrogant and used brutal methods.

Jiang Si decided to handle it personally.

When the news broke, Pei Ye was cleaning and maintaining one of Jiang Si’s favorite handguns. He heard Jiang Si calmly giving orders over the phone: “Prepare the car. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

Pei Ye put down the tools and stood upright immediately. “Master, I’m coming with you.”

Jiang Si glanced at him. He said nothing, which served as silent permission.

The West District docks at night were filled with the scent of salt and rusted iron. Searchlight beams cut through the darkness, illuminating a scene of total wreckage scattered containers, drag marks, and dried, blackened bloodstains that hadn’t been fully cleared.

Jiang Si wore a long black trench coat, the hem snapping in the wind. He inspected the scene with an expressionless face, listening to the trembling report of the site manager. Pei Ye stood a pace behind him, his sharp eyes scanning every shadow, his nostrils flared as he tried to pick out more information from the mingled scents.

“They were professional. Cleaned up well, left almost no clues,” the manager’s voice shook. “But we checked the surrounding surveillance and found a suspicious truck leaving the dock area around the time of the incident, heading toward the Old Industrial Zone.”

“Old Industrial Zone…” Jiang Si repeated, his eyes turning cold.

That area was filled with abandoned factories, a den of vipers and the perfect hiding spot. He took out his phone and dialed the Adjutant directly. “Lock onto a truck with license plate 080. Last seen near the Old Industrial Zone. Mobilize all resources. I want to know exactly which rat hole it’s hiding in within the hour.”

“Understood,” the Adjutant replied.

While waiting for news, Jiang Si leaned against the side of a black car and lit a cigarette. The scarlet ember flickered in the darkness. The sea breeze was strong, messing his black hair and instantly tearing apart the smoke he exhaled.

Pei Ye stood guard silently, like a statue. His focus was sharp, but the corner of his eye never left Jiang Si. Through the smoke, Jiang Si’s profile looked sharp and hard, his gaze fixed on the dark sea in the distance.

That familiar, suffocating sense of distance seized Pei Ye again. He felt like a weapon that had been brought along useful, but unable to truly touch his Master’s world.

Just then, Jiang Si spoke. His voice was calm, yet it was like a stone dropped into a still pond, sending massive ripples through Pei Ye’s heart.

“The tattoo,” he took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled slowly, not looking at Pei Ye. “Does it still hurt?”

Every muscle in Pei Ye’s body locked to the extreme. His blood felt like it had frozen. He snapped his head toward Jiang Si, his lips moving but making no sound. Days of agony, fear, and speculation rushed back to him in an instant.

Why… why ask that now?

Just when I thought the matter had passed?

“…It doesn’t hurt,” he finally found his voice, which sounded horribly dry.

Jiang Si finally turned his head. His gaze landed on the boy’s face through the thin veil of smoke, his eyes deep and unreadable. “When you got it, were you thinking of me?”

The same question… identical to that night.

Pei Ye’s breathing became erratic, his fingers curling into tight fists. He couldn’t answer. He could only stand there stiffly, enduring a gaze that felt like it was piercing through him.

“…Never mind.”

Jiang Si didn’t seem to need an answer. He stubbed out the cigarette and looked back out into the darkness, as if he had just made a casual remark.

But to Pei Ye, it was a renewed form of torture. He felt like his freshly scabbed wounds had been brutally torn open again, exposed to the cold wind. He didn’t understand.

Was the answer to that question really that important?

Just then, Jiang Si’s phone rang. It was the Adjutant.

“Fourth Brother, we found it. Abandoned Refinery No. 3. Signs of heavy activity. They might have heavy firepower.”

“Understood.” Jiang Si hung up and straightened. “Let’s go.”

His tone was as light as if he were headed to a gala, rather than walking into a tiger’s den.