I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 11

The hot spring villa was surrounded by towering winter pines where crows circled, feeling utterly desolate.

It was a leisure area in City A that one could only frequent with status; it was open exclusively to the wealthy. There were over a dozen outdoor hot springs, decorated in a predominantly Japanese style. The proprietress was Japanese, but as for the owner—no one knew who they were, likely someone from one of the major great families.

This hot spring villa had been booked by the Cheng family a month in advance. Aside from the Cheng family members, there were only staff inside the resort.

Shen Yinan grabbed a glass of freshly squeezed mango juice in the buffet area. Dressed in a white bathrobe, she looked lethally attractive. With her fluffy, slightly curly short hair and pursed lips, she looked like an obedient puppy, making one want to reach out and ruffle her hair. The bathrobe was wrapped tightly around her, cinching her slender waist into a graceful curve; she possessed a feminine, delicate aesthetic that ensured her womanhood wouldn’t be ignored just because of her short hair.

Standing to the side, Cheng Wanqiu watched with eyes full of appreciation—eyes that looked as if they wanted to devour Shen Yinan right then and there. But she held back because of Shen Yinan’s slow-to-warm-up personality.

“Shen Yinan, you’ve finished the mango juice, haven’t you? It’s time to come soak in the hot spring with me.”

Cheng Wanqiu said this like a villain waiting to do something wicked, while the “puppy” did her best to find an excuse to stall for time. Shen Yinan choked on her mango juice, coughing repeatedly. Under the young mistress’s gaze, she hurriedly wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Miss… do we really have to soak together?”

Those eyes began to emit a weak, pitiful light again, as if pleading, “Don’t bully me, Miss.”

Meeting that gaze, Cheng Wanqiu drew in a sharp breath.

“Ahem,” Cheng Wanqiu cleared her throat. “Have you forgotten the punishment I mentioned last time? Daring to zone out in front of me… little puppy, you’ve got quite the nerve.”

Shen Yinan immediately admitted her fault, hanging her head unhappily. “Miss, I was wrong.”

Ice-cold fingers lifted her chin. Forced to tilt her head back, her eyelashes drooped halfway, giving off a strong sense of being controlled. It seemed that in her master’s hands, she was merely a doll to be manipulated at will. With a height difference of only 5 centimeters, Cheng Wanqiu didn’t need to stand on her tiptoes; her aura already towered over Shen Yinan.

“What’s the use of admitting you’re wrong now? My little puppy, it’s just a soak in a hot spring.”

The overwhelming pressure made Shen Yinan feel breathless. Only then did she realize the young mistress wasn’t joking with her. Her apology hadn’t softened the lady’s heart; instead, it had provoked her.

“I understand, Miss,” Shen Yinan said with difficulty, her head still tilted back.

Cheng Wanqiu’s icy fingers brushed against her lips, her thumb rubbing over them. Her thumb tried to slip into her mouth, but a row of teeth stood in the way. The eldest Miss pried open her upper lip, revealing her white canine teeth.

Shen Yinan’s heart beat like a drum. These actions caused her to stop breathing several times. It was only then she realized: a dog is a dog, and a master is a master.

“I’m not going to eat you, don’t always look like this.”

Shen Yinan’s hot, sticky saliva stained Cheng Wanqiu’s fingers. The movement was like a professional dog seller in a market inspecting a puppy—examining the teeth and bite. A mouthful of saliva coated the lady’s thumb, and as she pulled it away, a strand of saliva stretched and broke against Shen Yinan’s chin. She panted heavily.

“Miss, I won’t do it again,” Shen Yinan gasped, looking incredibly pitiful.

Cheng Wanqiu hadn’t intended to truly scare her. Seeing Shen Yinan looking so terrified, she felt a slight twinge of guilt, as if she had done something wrong.

“I’ll give you the time it takes to drink one more glass of mango juice. You can drink it slowly,” Cheng Wanqiu said arrogantly, pulling a tissue from the side to wipe her fingers.

Everyone in the Cheng family knew that Shen Yinan’s favorite food was mango. Her love for it couldn’t be hidden; to please her, giving her mangoes was better than anything else.

In the brightly lit buffet area, there were only a few staff members. They all acted as if they were blind, keeping their heads down and focusing on their own tasks. Shen Yinan took her glass to the girl squeezing juice and spoke with a slightly hoarse voice, “I’d like another glass of mango juice.”

As she handed the glass over, the girl in the black apron looked up. Beneath her eyes was a clouded, hard-to-decipher lust, and her cheeks were flushed crimson. The commotion earlier hadn’t gone unnoticed; rather, they couldn’t afford to offend, so they kept their heads down and feigned ignorance. But had truly nothing happened? The sounds, the voices, the panting—they had heard it all.

Shen Yinan paused, then self-consciously looked away first. She took the juice from the server and hurried back to Cheng Wanqiu’s side as if fleeing.

There was a small bar where Cheng Wanqiu was sitting on a barstool. Upon reaching her, Shen Yinan’s earlobes were flushed red. She placed the glass on the bar and climbed onto a stool, leaning against the counter. Cheng Wanqiu noticed the redness of her ears and let out a faint, nonchalant smirk.

A glass straw stirred the alcohol in a crystal glass. Mint leaves and lemon slices collided in the swirling liquid, releasing a fresh fragrance. It was a homemade cocktail.

Sensing the eldest Miss’s gaze, Shen Yinan tilted her head to the side. She met Cheng Wanqiu’s fiery and blunt eyes; while the lady was stirring with the straw, her eyes were fixed entirely on her.

“Finished drinking?”

Hearing that cold voice, Shen Yinan immediately shook her head. As if instinctively knowing how to please the lady, she picked up the glass and drained the mango juice in one gulp. The glass was now empty; she was finished.

Cheng Wanqiu curled her lips in a satisfied smile. In Shen Yinan’s eyes, that smile looked wicked. Cheng Wanqiu removed the straw from her cocktail and downed the strong drink in a single breath.

The bartender, wiping a glass until it reflected light, said with a lowered head, “Miss has just consumed a strong spirit; it is not advisable to soak in the hot spring for too long.”

The bartender was speaking to Cheng Wanqiu, but Shen Yinan was the only one who truly took it to heart. Miss just drank a strong liquor!

“Let’s go, puppy,” Cheng Wanqiu said, crooked her finger.

Shen Yinan hesitated for a second, then immediately looked up and followed.

In the indoor hot spring where the steam drifted, shameful gasps rose and fell. Natural, large, irregular pebbles formed the rim of the spring. A woman’s sexy back slammed against those stones. She pushed away the person pressing against her and groaned.

“Anzi… you bit my lip, and my back hit the stones. It hurts.”

Xiaoquan Anzi, also panting heavily, glared at the short-haired woman. Her Mandarin carried a slight accent: “You were the one who provoked me. You were the one who kissed me, and you were the one who hit the stones. Little dog, you make it sound like I’m the one who caused you pain.”

“Anzi, you’re so heartless. I just wanted you to comfort me.”

The “puppy” got angry, lowering her eyes as if to wipe away a tear.

“Fine, fine, I get it. Don’t cry. If outsiders see you, they’ll think you’re a crybaby.” Xiaoquan Anzi cupped the crybaby puppy’s face with both hands.

This scene happened to be witnessed by Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu. They saw more than just that—they saw everything from beginning to end. For some reason, even though they could have boldly walked in, they instinctively hid, as if they were intentionally eavesdropping and watching others kiss.

But that wasn’t the case. Neither Shen Yinan nor Cheng Wanqiu were relaxed.

Cheng Wanqiu held Shen Yinan’s hand, their palms meeting—one cold, one hot. The lady squeezed her hand tightly, interlocking their fingers, her nails leaving marks on the back of Shen Yinan’s hand.

Cheng Wanqiu’s upbringing had been strict. Many things were never explicitly told to her, and no one around her spoke of such things, but she was by no means a blank slate. She glanced at Shen Yinan out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that Shen Yinan showed no sign of reaction, she looked like a complete blank slate—as innocent as a child.

Shen Yinan asked purely, her eyes as innocent and guileless as a toddler’s, “Miss, why are we hiding?”

This confirmed Cheng Wanqiu’s suspicion: she was a blank slate. Cheng Wanqiu had no desire to tease her at a time like this. They had arrived at an awkward moment; she recognized the people in the spring—one was the proprietress of the villa, and the other was a rising star in the business world. Of all the people to catch kissing, it had to be acquaintances.

“We ran into people we know,” Cheng Wanqiu said coolly.

Shen Yinan quickly understood and stopped asking.

The two in the spring water began to grow intimate again. The sounds from the water reaching their ears were highly suggestive. They were squeezed into a narrow gap between wardrobes, their bodies pressed together. Both had silently agreed not to look, but overhearing was an uncontrollable reality.

The lady’s cheeks were flushed red—whether from the strong liquor she had just consumed or something else. Facing Cheng Wanqiu, Shen Yinan did her best to restrain her breathing so as not to blow hot air onto the lady’s face.

The long hair on her forehead poked into her eyes. To scratch it, she would have to move against Cheng Wanqiu’s body. With her hands restricted, she could only shake her head occasionally to toss her hair back.

Cheng Wanqiu watched these movements. She pulled her hand out from between their pressed bodies, inevitably brushing against them. Shen Yinan’s eyes filled with panic; her back was against the wardrobe, her heels pressed against the base—there was nowhere to retreat.

She couldn’t guess what the mistress was going to do. There were many “excessive” things the lady could do to her—take advantage of her, or something else… She dismissed the idea of the lady simply tidying her hair, because in her eyes, the eldest Miss was always a master who wanted to bully her, watching her spin in circles like a dog chasing its tail.

“M… Miss…” Shen Yinan pleaded for mercy in advance, saying pitifully, “Don’t bully me…”

That appearance only made one want to bully her more.

The hand stopped at Shen Yinan’s collar. Her bathrobe was wrapped tightly, but it couldn’t withstand a single finger gently prying it. A pale finger traced Shen Yinan’s neck, her fingernail grazing the sensitive skin. Even the act of swallowing could be felt in the rise and fall of her throat.

Cheng Wanqiu really didn’t mean to toy with her. But Shen Yinan grew even more afraid.

Splash!

The two in the water emerged, and the sound of the water startled the two hiding in the gap, causing them to hold their breath. Instinctively, Cheng Wanqiu pulled at the collar of Shen Yinan’s bathrobe. Suddenly, the area below her collarbone was exposed—a patch of snowy white. The neckline was wide open, looking as though it had been disheveled during a moment of passion, sparking the imagination.

She really hadn’t done it on purpose; it was a purely subconscious reaction.

Being like this with the Miss… surely we won’t be discovered?