Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 3

After getting cleaned up, the lieutenant led Pei Ye back into Jiang Si’s office.

With the blood and filth washed away, Pei Ye’s original face was revealed delicate and pale, with soft, damp hair clinging to his forehead. His wounds had been properly bandaged, and he had been changed into a set of clean, slightly oversized children’s casual clothes. The clothes made him look even smaller and thinner, but he finally looked like a human being again, no longer the little monster struggling in a pile of corpses.

Jiang Si was still sitting behind his desk, a cigarette between his fingers. He looked up, his gaze lingering on Pei Ye for a few seconds as he appraised him from head to toe.

“Tch. Not bad.” He exhaled a cloud of smoke, a faint curve appearing at the corners of his mouth. “Cleaned up, you look much easier on the eyes than before.”

Does that mean I looked unpleasant before?

Pei Ye stood still, his fingers curling unconsciously as he tugged at his overly long sleeves. The sound of fabric rustling followed as the man stood up and walked toward him. Pei Ye felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of nervousness.

“You really do have an obedient face.” The man stopped in front of him and gently tilted his chin up.

Pei Ye seemed stunned by the comment. The tips of his ears began to flush an unnoticeable red. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly found the courage to ask in a very soft voice:

“Do… do you like it?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed shocked himself. As if he had not expected to dare ask such a question, he immediately buried his head even lower.

“Ha.” Jiang Si seemed surprised that the little creature dared to question him, but he did not find it offensive. He answered lightly, “It looks alright.”

Pei Ye did not dare speak again, simply nodding his head repeatedly.

Hm? Like a little chick pecking at grain.

Jiang Si withdrew his hand and leaned against the edge of his desk. “How old are you?”

“Eleven.” Pei Ye’s voice was still very soft, carrying a hint of uncertainty.

Jiang Si froze as he reached for his cigarettes. He turned his head, his gaze falling back on Pei Ye with clear scrutiny. “Oh?”

He re-examined the boy’s excessively thin frame and pale face.

“Eleven?” he repeated, his tone skeptical. “You look seven or eight at most.”

Thin as a rail. What did he grow up eating?

Are eleven-year-olds supposed to be this thin? Back at the warehouse, holding him with one arm felt like holding a cloud. Anything he compared the boy to would probably weigh more.

Jiang Si suddenly felt a flicker of inexplicable irritation. Leaning against the desk, he glanced at Pei Ye again and let out an ambiguous “Tch.”

Hearing that sound, Pei Ye’s body gave an imperceptible shudder. He mistook it for impatience and disgust. Panic flashed across his pale face, and he twisted his sleeves even tighter. His voice dropped so low it was almost caught in his throat.

“Do… do you hate me?”

Jiang Si frowned and clicked his tongue again, this time with clear displeasure. “Do not ask things you should not ask.”

Those words hit like a bucket of ice water. Pei Ye immediately clamped his mouth shut and buried his head deep, not daring to make another sound.

As I thought. I am hated after all.

Watching the boy shrink into himself like a frightened quail, Jiang Si felt a surge of restless annoyance. He reached up and ran a hand through his hair. After staring at the top of Pei Ye’s head for a few seconds, he suddenly grabbed the internal phone on the desk and pressed a speed-dial key.

The call was answered almost instantly.

“Yes, Fourth Brother?”

“It is me,” Jiang Si said, his voice flat. “I changed my mind.”

The lieutenant on the other end seemed taken aback. “Regarding the kid?”

“Yes.” Jiang Si’s eyes remained on Pei Ye. “I was going to toss him into some random squad and let him fend for himself. Forget that now.”

He paused, his voice dropping with finality. “I will train him personally.”

Pei Ye’s heart skipped a beat.

Train him personally? That means, he can stay by Master’s side and won’t be handed off to someone else?

A secret, uncontrollable joy bubbled up, but he forced it down immediately. He did not dare ask, and he certainly did not dare bet on whether this sudden decision was a whim or something else. He simply kept his head down to hide his emotions.

Jiang Si ignored his silence and dialed another number, giving brief instructions. “It is me. Get a new set of furniture for the spare bedroom at my place. Bed, wardrobe, desk everything small, suitable for a child. Have it done by the end of the day.”

He hung up, crushed his cigarette in the ashtray, and grabbed his car keys.

“Let’s go,” he said to Pei Ye, heading out first.

Pei Ye blinked, and before he could process it, his body instinctively moved to follow in a small trot.

Where are we going? What did he just say? New furniture? For whom?

Is it for me?

The underground garage was lit with a deathly white glow, the air thick with the smell of gasoline and dust. Jiang Si walked to a black sedan, pulled open the passenger door, and looked at Pei Ye expressionlessly.

Pei Ye hesitated for a moment before climbing into the seat, his movements clumsy due to the oversized clothes. The car door slammed shut, sealing them off from the world.

The interior was clean, smelling of leather and faint tobacco. Jiang Si started the car; the engine gave a low growl as they pulled out of the garage. The city lights blurred past the window, neon flickers dancing across Pei Ye’s face.

He sat stiffly, picking at his long sleeves. He did not dare look around or make a sound, only occasionally stealing a quick glance at Jiang Si as he focused on the road.

The car eventually entered the underground parking lot of a high-end residential complex. The elevator went straight to the top floor.

Jiang Si’s home was a penthouse apartment—extremely spacious and decorated in a modern, cold style. With a palette of black, white, and grey, it was so clean it felt uninhabited, vast and chilling. It was very much like the man himself.

Jiang Si opened the door and pointed to a room at the end of the hallway. “That one is yours. The rules are simple: do not bother me if nothing is wrong, do not touch my things, and do not cause me trouble.”

Three “do nots” established the boundaries.

After speaking, Jiang Si walked toward the living room on his own, seemingly without any intention of fulfilling the role of a “guide.”

Pei Ye stood in the entryway, looking at the excessively clean and cold apartment with a sense of helplessness before turning toward the door that was now his. He carefully changed his shoes at the entrance, his bare feet gradually touching the smooth marble floor.

So cold. So surreal.

He looked up and walked slowly toward his door, pushing it open gently. The room was not large, but it was fully equipped with brand-new furniture. It was a world apart from the warehouse or anywhere else he had ever been. He stood in the center of the room, unable to believe this was real.

Jiang Si’s voice suddenly drifted coldly from the living room, breaking his trance. “Clean yourself up in the bathroom. There are new towels in the cabinet. Do not get water everywhere.”

“Yes, Master,” Pei Ye replied softly, closing the door.

He leaned against the doorframe, listening to the faint sound of Jiang Si walking across the tiles outside. A twisted sense of security mixed with a massive wave of unease slowly enveloped him.

Master. Apartment. Home.

He inexplicably combined these three previously unrelated words. He slid down the door until he was crouching on the floor, carefully touching the fabric of the clothes he was wearing.

It was real. He had been rescued. It was not a dream.

He buried his head between his knees, nuzzling the soft fabric, and vaguely whispered the name: “Jiang Si… Master.”

“I love him so much.”

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