Don't You like Little Dogs? Now that I'm Taking Liberties, You're Suddenly Reluctant? - Chapter 6

Inside the office, Jiang Si was listening to his lieutenant report several recent unusual transactions at the casino. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk.

“That is essentially the situation. But seriously, Fourth Brother, are you actually interested in that kid? You are ignoring huge profits just to spend your days playing with a dog,” the lieutenant grumbled, arms crossed.

Jiang Si ignored the teasing. He simply pulled a cigarette from the case and prepared to light it. “Just a bit of fun to kill the boredom.”

Suddenly, the office door was flung open. A subordinate rushed in with a panicked expression, forgetting to even knock.

“Mr. Jiang! Something happened!”

The subordinate’s breathing was ragged. “That boy, Pei Ye. He has gone crazy! He got into a fight with Lu Dongxi, the third young master of the Lu family. He beat him so badly that Lu is unconscious and has been rushed to the infirmary!”

Jiang Si and the lieutenant both froze.

Jiang Si instantly crushed the unlit cigarette. He stood up, his brows knit tight. “Where is he?”

The subordinate was startled by the sudden shift in Jiang Si’s expression. Assuming he was asking about Lu Dongxi, he answered quickly, “Young Master Lu is already being treated in the infirmary. That boy Pei Ye, he is simply—”

“I asked where Pei Ye is,” Jiang Si interrupted, his voice laced with sharp impatience.

The subordinate choked on his words and stammered, “In. In the solitary cell.”

Jiang Si said nothing more and strode out of the office. The lieutenant followed immediately.

The solitary cells were located deep within the training grounds. The hallway was damp and freezing.

Two men stood guard at the door, their faces still pale with lingering fear. When they saw Jiang Si approaching, they immediately straightened up.

“Fourth Brother.”

“How is he?” Jiang Si asked, his eyes scanning the closed iron door.

One guard replied hastily, “He is inside. Fourth Brother, please do not go in yet. That kid has completely lost it! He bites anyone who gets close! It took Cheetah and several others to forcibly restrain him and lock him up. We tried to go in to put a restraint on him, but we could not get near. He lunges at anyone who tries.”

Jiang Si ignored the warning. He simply commanded, “Open the door.”

The guard hesitated but eventually took out the keys and unlocked the heavy iron door.

The door creaked open. The light inside was dim, revealing only a shadow curled in the corner.

Pei Ye was huddled in the deepest part of the corner. He was soaked through, covered in mud and darkening blood—it was impossible to tell if it was his or someone else’s.

New wounds were slowly oozing blood, mixing with the filthy water. He looked a mess. He was like a terrified yet highly aggressive beast; his body shook violently as he let out suppressed, threatening whimpers.

Jiang Si’s gaze fell on the boy’s soaked and filthy clothes. His frown deepened. “Why have his clothes not been changed?”

The guard looked miserable. “We could not even get close to him, Fourth Brother.”

Jiang Si did not ask further. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

Hearing the footsteps, Pei Ye snapped his head up. His eyes were clouded and manic. He bared his teeth, preparing to lunge and bite.

“Pei Ye.”

The familiar voice was not loud, but it pierced through his frantic consciousness like an icicle.

Pei Ye froze instantly. A flash of dazed clarity flickered in his bloodshot eyes. He recognized the man standing before him.

A second later, he looked as if he had seen something horrifying. He shrank back, burying himself deeper into the corner. His voice was shattered as he pleaded, “Do not. Do not come closer. Dirty. I am very dirty. Master, do not look.”

He tried to hide himself, desperate to keep the man from seeing him in such a disgusting state.

Jiang Si crouched in front of him and reached out to touch him.

“No!” Pei Ye recoiled with a violent start, nearly screaming. “Do not touch me! Dirty. I will ruin your hands.”

Jiang Si’s hand paused in mid-air. Then, he withdrew it.

He did not leave. Instead, he moved closer until he could smell the mixture of blood, sewage, and terror clinging to the boy.

“Why did you hit Lu Dongxi?” he asked. His voice sounded exceptionally clear in the tiny cell.

Pei Ye was shaking uncontrollably. He buried his face in his knees, his voice muffled and thick with tears and a twisted obsession. “He. He poured water. He dirtied. The clothes you gave me.”

It was not because he was bullied. It was not because of the pain or anger.

It was simply because something belonging to his Master had been defiled.

Jiang Si watched him in silence for a few seconds before letting out a low, soft laugh. The laugh was unreadable, but it made Pei Ye tremble even harder.

Suddenly, Jiang Si reached out. Ignoring the filth and the bloody water, he forcefully pulled the shivering, curled-up body into his embrace.

Pei Ye was horrified. He instinctively tried to struggle away. “No! Dirty! Master. Let go.”

“Do not move,” Jiang Si said against his ear. It was a soft voice, but it carried absolute authority.

Pei Ye went still instantly. All the strength for his struggle vanished. He remained motionless in Jiang Si’s arms, though his body continued to give tiny, uncontrollable shudders.

“You need a bath,” the man stated as an order.

“I. I will be good. Master. Do not throw me away,” Pei Ye whispered, nodding in dazed terror.

“I am not throwing you away.”

Jiang Si stood up with the boy in his arms and walked out of the cell.

Outside, the guards, the lieutenant, and the newly arrived Cheetah all watched the scene in stunned silence.

The child who had just been acting like a mad dog, biting anyone in sight and even scratching Cheetah’s arm during the struggle, was now incredibly docile in Jiang Si’s arms. Despite being covered in filth, he was eerily quiet.

Jiang Si did not even look at them. He only dropped a cold instruction: “Prepare new clothes. He needs a bath.”

Having said that, he carried Pei Ye directly toward the showers. He left a group of speechless people in his wake.

The lieutenant snapped out of it and looked at Cheetah, noticing the clear, bleeding scratches on his arm. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “He did that to you?”

Cheetah looked like he had seen a ghost. He stared at the direction Jiang Si had gone and nodded, his voice still tinged with shock. “Yeah. That kid. He is wicked. That frenzy just now—he did not seem like a child at all.”

But this current docility was even more unsettling.

“Fourth Brother quite likes the new pet he picked up. There is no helping it,” the lieutenant said, brushing his hair back and shrugging.

Cheetah did not speak. He watched their departing figures, but the unease in his heart only grew.

What kind of pet was that? That little thing was clearly a mad dog.