Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 5

The following day, Jiang Si formally brought Pei Ye to the organization’s training grounds.

The facility was located in a hidden underground space. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, dust, and the cold tang of metallic equipment.

When Jiang Si appeared with that small, thin figure, the shouting and the clashing of gear came to a momentary standstill. Almost every member, whether training or resting, stopped what they were doing. Their gazes swept over in unison, filled with undisguised shock and curiosity.

“Mr. Jiang?”

“I thought the Boss rarely came here. Why is he here now?”

“And he brought that kid with him.”

“Is that the one from the rumors? The one picked up from the warehouse?”

“He is actually still alive. He looks way too small.”

“Bringing him to the training grounds? You have to be joking.”

Low murmurs spread like a tide. Pei Ye could feel those gazes pricking him like needles—some curious, some scrutinizing, and some outright malicious. He instinctively shrank behind Jiang Si, his fingers nervously gripping his own hem. He kept his head down, not daring to look at anyone.

These stares reminded him of the mean older kids and the indifferent adults at the orphanage. His stomach churned. He focused all his energy on the tall back in front of him; that was his only safety zone.

Jiang Si acted as if he heard nothing. He walked straight toward the man in charge of the grounds, a lean, sharp man codenamed Cheetah.

Cheetah immediately stood at attention, his manner respectful. “Fourth Brother.”

“Yes.” Jiang Si nodded toward Pei Ye. “Set him up with basic physical and combat courses. Intensity. Start at half of the minimum standard.”

A flash of surprise crossed Cheetah’s eyes, but he nodded instantly. “Understood.”

His instructions finished, Jiang Si did not leave. Instead, he personally led Pei Ye to an empty training mat.

“Watch closely.”

He demonstrated a few basic combat moves with little patience. His posture was perfect and full of explosive power. “Do it.”

Pei Ye struggled to imitate him. However, his chronically malnourished body was too weak. His coordination and strength were severely lacking, making his movements appear clumsy and powerless. More people gathered to watch, and the whispering started again.

“Holy crap. Mr. Jiang is teaching him personally?”

“Where did this kid come from?”

“His movements are so soft. It is hilarious.”

In the crowd, a teenager wearing an expensive, finely-tailored training outfit crossed his arms, watching coldly.

“Tch. Where did this stray dog come from?” the boy cursed.

The boy was Lu Dongxi, the third son of the Lu family in Xincheng. He had been sent here by his family for “experience.”

“What is with this special treatment?” Lu Dongxi curled his lip in disdain. “A little beggar picked up from nowhere is worth Fourth Brother’s time?”

A lackey beside him immediately chimed in. “Exactly! Young Master Lu is right. Look at how clumsy he is. He is polluting the training grounds.”

“Fourth Brother probably picked up a new toy on a whim. He will get bored and throw him away in a couple of days.”

Lu Dongxi gave a soft snort, his sense of superiority swelling. His gaze toward Pei Ye became even more contemptuous.

However, over the next few days, Pei Ye silenced everyone who looked down on him. Jiang Si made time to come by and supervise personally almost every day.

Although the eleven-year-old child could not even perform basic moves at first, he was exceptionally desperate. He practiced while others rested. He studied the movements while others ate. He fell and climbed back up again and again. Even when he was so exhausted he vomited, he did not make a sound.

I have to work harder.

Otherwise… Master will throw me away.

There was a streak of obsessive ruthlessness in his eyes that did not belong to a child. A week later, Pei Ye had managed to keep up with the minimum-intensity regular training. His results even surpassed a few of the official members at the bottom of the rankings.

One day, while Jiang Si was watching Pei Ye complete a set of endurance drills, his lieutenant called.

The voice on the other end was teasing. “Fourth Brother, still playing with your dog? Things are piling up at the casino. Are you going to handle them or not?”

Jiang Si looked at the small figure on the field, swaying but insisting on finishing the final rep. He twitched the corner of his mouth. “I have played enough for now.”

He hung up and called Cheetah over. “Train him according to the normal process. No special treatment, but do not let him die.”

With that, he turned and left the training grounds.

From then on, Pei Ye was handled by the instructors like everyone else. He remained silent and hardworking, though he would occasionally glance at the entrance. That familiar figure never appeared there again.

Master has not come to see me for two days.

Even when I go home at night, Master is never there by the time I fall asleep.

Why? Does Master hate me? Is he annoyed by me?

Unease began to sprout in his heart like creeping vines.

One evening a week later, after a high-intensity session ended, Pei Ye dragged his exhausted body toward the wash area near the locker rooms. He was aching all over and only wanted to rinse off and go home.

Just as he turned the corner of the hallway, a bucket of ice-cold, filthy water was slammed down over his head.

“Hahaha! A drowned rat!”

“Hahaha, he actually fell for it!”

Several boys jumped out from the side, led by Lu Dongxi. He tossed the bucket aside triumphantly, flanked by his jeering followers.

“Great job, Young Master Lu! A precision strike!”

“How about that, training ground hero? Did you think you were something special?” Lu Dongxi mocked him. “Did you really think Mr. Jiang valued you? See, he left you here and stopped caring.”

“Exactly. Just a stray nobody who got lucky!”

“Look at him. How disgusting.”

Ice-cold water flowed from his hair and down his neck. Pei Ye froze in place. He looked down at his completely soaked clothes. This set of clean, soft casual clothes had been bought for him on his Master’s orders after he was brought home.

They were not a training uniform. They were the clothes his Master gave him—clothes that belonged to “Pei Ye.” They were “his” things, a small proof of the “existence” his Master had granted him.

Soaked. It is all soaked.

Now, they were ruined, drenched, and filled with a foul smell. Just like him, it seemed he could be easily dirtied and discarded at any moment.

He suddenly snapped his head up. His body began to shake uncontrollably—not from the cold, and not from the anger of being bullied.

His eyes turned blood-red instantly, swirling with a manic gloom and violence. The tight string of reason in his mind snapped.

“You… you got them wet.” His voice was hoarse and unrecognizable, possessing a chilling, eerie quality.

Lu Dongxi was startled by his ghoulish appearance and instinctively took half a step back. He tried to maintain a front of composure. “So what if I got them wet? You—”

Before he could finish, Pei Ye lunged like a feral, enraged beast protecting its food. His speed was terrifying, nothing like his usual training form.

“Ah!”

Lu Dongxi was caught off guard and slammed hard into the floor.

“You got them wet. The ones Master gave me.” Pei Ye was shaking even as he spoke, but it was no longer fear. It was an unspeakable rage flooding his brain.

He sat astride the other boy, using fists, nails, and teeth. Every weapon he had was unleashed in a frenzy. He ignored all technique; there was only primal venting and brutality.

“What do I do? What do I do?”

Low, non-human whimpers and repetitive curses escaped his throat.

“My clothes. Master gave them to me. You got them wet. I will kill you.”

“Holy shit! The brat has gone crazy!”

“Someone! Get someone over here!”

“I don’t dare! What do we do about Lu? I am too scared to go in!”

The onlookers were terrified. For a moment, no one dared to intervene. A few people, frightened by Pei Ye’s sudden explosion, ran off to call for help.

“Fuck! Do you know who I am? Ah! Stop!”

“Die.”

Only the sounds of Pei Ye’s frantic blows and Lu Dongxi’s screams remained in the hallway.

What do I do? The clothes Master gave me, they are dirty now.