My Husband is a Younger 'Cool Dog' - Chapter 1

The July sun was brutal, especially around noon when the ground felt hot enough to scald one’s feet. Despite the sweltering heat, an unusual line of luxury cars was parked in front of a dilapidated auto repair shop tucked away in an alley at the corner of Huasao Street.

Nearby shopkeepers were no longer surprised. Ever since a new apprentice arrived at the repair shop three months ago, the stream of luxury cars had been constant. No one knew exactly where the kid came from. However, the neighbors did not mind; their own businesses benefited from the overflow. High school girls from the surrounding areas flocked there as soon as school let out, significantly boosting foot traffic.

A young man with dyed yellow hair emerged from the shop, tugging at his loose waistband. He squatted down and leaned over to peer under a car. Moments later, a clean, cool voice with a hint of magnetic depth drifted out from beneath the chassis.

“Jing-zai, wrench.”

As the voice fell, a hand reached out. The fingers were long and elegant like jade, the knuckles well-defined, with faint blue veins pulsing beneath pale, cold skin. Anyone seeing this hand would feel a sense of pity; such a beautiful hand belonged on the black-and-white keys of a piano, meticulously cared for, not covered in grease doing dirty work.

“Got it, Ling-ge,” Chen Jing said, quickly handing over the tool. Sensing the other person was about to come out, he took a few steps back.

Soon, a youth with strikingly platinum-blonde hair crawled out from under the car. He moved with agile, flexible grace. Because of his large movements, the hem of his oversized overalls rode up, momentarily exposing a firm midsection. His smooth waistline, well-defined muscles, and the raw hormonal energy of youth made the already stifling air feel even more restless.

When the youth looked up, a face that was almost excessively beautiful was revealed to the crowd. With exquisite features, a high bridge to his nose, and that defiant platinum hair, he looked like he had stepped straight out of a manga. A silver stud in his left ear glinted brilliantly in the sunlight.

For a moment, the surroundings fell silent. Even the birds in the trees seemed to stop chirping. Then, a few suppressed screams broke the stillness. Hearing the noise, the youth knit his brows, a trace of hostility flickering in his eyes. He did not look particularly friendly, so despite his stunning looks, few dared to approach him.

In both appearance and temperament, he seemed entirely out of place in this grimy shop. He did not look like a mechanic; he looked like a lost young master from a wealthy family.

Jiang Ling was, in fact, a runaway wealthy heir. He had not “gotten lost”; he had left home on his own.

Ignoring the staring eyes, he lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his face. He looked at Chen Jing and tilted his chin. “Jing-zai, what were you asking me just now?”

“Nothing, I forgot,” Chen Jing stammered for a second before remembering. “Oh! Ling-ge, I remember now. I wanted to ask if that Porsche parked outside belongs to a friend of yours?”

Jiang Ling glanced in the direction Chen Jing was pointing and frowned. “Don’t know them.”

“I wonder who they are looking for. It has been sitting there for half an hour. Here, Ling-ge, have some water.” Chen Jing handed him a bottle, followed quickly by a towel. “Wipe your sweat.”

Jiang Ling thanked the yellow-haired youth who was bustling around him. He unscrewed the cap, took a large gulp of water, and then used the towel to roughly scrub the sweat from his forehead. The weather was getting hotter. His platinum hair was damp with sweat and left in a disheveled mess by the towel. On anyone else, this crude movement would be unsightly, but with Jiang Ling’s face, it just looked cool and rebellious.

“No need to thank me, Ling-ge. We are brothers,” Chen Jing said, scratching his head sheepishly.

“Jing-zai, does not matter who they are looking for. As long as they come to our shop, they are a customer,” a crisp voice interrupted.

A thin youth wearing the same uniform walked out of the shop holding a calculator. He smiled and said, “Ling-ge, you must be tired. Go sit on the sofa and cool off by the fan.”

“Okay,” Jiang Ling replied, though he did not move.

“That car just now had a minor service: oil change and some small parts. I calculated it to be about 4,400 yuan. Since he is Ling-ge’s friend, I was going to give a 10% discount, making it 3,916.”

“You stingy bastard,” Chen Jing joked. “Since when did you become so generous?”

“Hey, it is Ling-ge’s friend! I cannot rip them off.”

Jiang Ling let out a soft snort, his smile fading slightly. “Give others a discount. Not this one.”

Since the news of him apprenticing here had spread, people from his old circles had come by: some out of genuine concern, but many just to mock him and watch the spectacle. He did not want to give those people a second glance, but he was not above fleecing a “sucker” while they were there.

Zhao Ming caught on instantly, his expression turning sly. “Oh! Ling-ge, I just remembered. I missed a few items: four spark plugs, an AC filter, and your labor fee, which is not cheap. Let me recalculate. The final total should be 28,800 yuan.”

Hearing the number, a knowing smile appeared on Jiang Ling’s face. “Hmm, that sounds like a lucky number. We are done for today. If anyone else comes, tell them to wait in line.”

“You got it, Ling-ge!”

While they were talking, the door of the pink Porsche opened. A woman with long, wavy hair and oversized sunglasses stepped out. She scanned the shop as if looking for someone. Jiang Ling stared at her for two seconds; when their eyes met, his body instantly went rigid.

The woman reacted immediately. Her eyes locked onto him, her mouth parting in surprise. She shouted, “Jiang Ling!”

At the sound of his name, Jiang Ling jolted. He shoved his water bottle into the arms of the boy next to him and bolted, throwing back a single command: “Stop her for me!”

Seeing him run, Jiang Cheng chased after him, her seven-centimeter heels clicking on the pavement. “A-Ling, don’t run!”

It would be a miracle if he did not run.

“I am not here to drag you back!” she yelled.

“Liar!” Jiang Ling shouted back. His bluntness made Jiang Cheng’s face flush with embarrassment. With so many people watching, she could not yell back properly. Hindered by her heels and the apprentices blocking her path, she could not keep up with the fleet-footed Jiang Ling. She stopped, took off her sunglasses, and looked up toward the second floor of the shop.

“Jiang Ling! I really did not come to take you back! I just got back to the country and heard about what happened!”

After a moment, Jiang Ling appeared, leaning over the second-floor railing. He looked down and frowned. “Then what do you want?”

“Can’t I just have something to talk to you about?”

“You? Having business with me?” Jiang Ling snorted. “Do you even believe that yourself?”

Jiang Cheng looked awkward. They were cousins, but they had never gotten along. They fought constantly as children, and while they were civil as adults, they were far from close.

“Did Jiang Qicheng send you?”

“I am here because something actually happened,” Jiang Cheng said, her voice turning serious. “Jiang Ling, your grandfather is in trouble.”

The air went still for a few seconds. Then, a panicked voice echoed from the stairwell: “What happened to my grandfather?”

Jiang Cheng felt a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, she saw a white shadow rush in front of her. Her wrist was grabbed. Jiang Ling asked urgently, “What did you say happened to him?”

Seeing the rebellious youth look so genuinely distraught, Jiang Cheng realized he was not completely heartless. She regained her composure and said slowly, “Did you not block everyone’s number?”

Jiang Ling’s grip tightened. “Get to the point!”

“Your grandfather is in critical condition. He has been sent to the hospital.”

“What?!” Jiang Ling’s face went deathly pale.

“Anyway, I have delivered the message. The rest is none of my business. I have other things to do, so goodbye.”

“What illness? Is it serious?” Jiang Ling panicked. “Jiang Cheng, don’t leave! Explain it clearly!”

As she moved toward her car, he chased after her. Just as she was about to close the door, Jiang Ling slammed his hand against it, holding it open.

“What do you want?” she sighed. “I do not know the details. I was just the messenger. Let go, I am going home.”

Jiang Ling would not budge. He stared at her with dark, intense eyes. “Take me to City A.”

“What? Take you to City A!” Jiang Cheng’s voice spiked. “No way! City A is far away. Buy a plane ticket!”

Jiang Ling stiffened. The truth was, he could not. When he ran away, he left in such a hurry that he took nothing: not even a penny. He had earned some money now, but replacing his IDs would be a nightmare unless he reached out to his family and admitted defeat.

His father, Jiang Qicheng, knew exactly where he was but had not reached out, wanting to let his son suffer a bit. Jiang Ling, fueled by spite, had not called his father once, even when he was starving. Neither man wanted to bow first.

The two cousins stared each other down for several seconds. Finally, Jiang Cheng gave in. “Fine! Get in. I must have owed you in a past life!”

Jiang Ling’s lips quirked into a faint, inadvertent smile. “Give me a minute.” He ran back into the shop. “Family emergency. I have to leave for a few days.”

Zhao Ming and Chen Jing had overheard enough to understand. “Go on, Ling-ge. We have the shop covered.”

“Hurry up!” Jiang Cheng called out.

“I am coming!” Jiang Ling hopped into the car.

The drive to City A was long. Exhausted from a day of work, Jiang Ling began to doze off as the AC hummed.

“If you are tired, sleep,” Jiang Cheng said, looking at him with a complicated expression. Seeing him covered in grease earlier had tugged at her heart. He was the eldest young master of the Jiang family; he had never suffered like this. “Your dad is cold-hearted for cutting off your cards, but you are stubborn too. He just wanted to send you abroad for school. It was for your own good. With your grades, you will not get into a good university here anyway. Just apologize to him.”

She stopped when she realized he was not responding. Just as she thought he was asleep, his voice rang out.

“I did not do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?” He stared out the window, any trace of sleepiness gone. “That is his vision for my life, not mine.”

He did not want to go abroad to a strange place and waste years. He knew the pattern: go abroad, come back, and then get forced into an arranged marriage with a woman he did not like to produce an heir. That was not a life. He was a human being, not a dog to be trained. He would rather suffer now than regret it later. Even if this path was “wrong,” it was his choice.

As evening fell, the sky turned dark. The car hit a bump, and Jiang Ling suddenly noticed the scenery outside.

Wait.

This road looked exactly like the one near his home. He turned to Jiang Cheng, his face darkening with rage. “You lied to me!”

Seeing the ruse was up, Jiang Cheng looked guilty. “I did not want to! Blame your father!”

“So Grandpa being sick was a lie? Just a trick to get me back?” Jiang Ling’s eyes turned red with fury. His chest heaved. “Stop the car. Now!”

He grabbed the door handle. Panicked that he might jump out of a moving vehicle, Jiang Cheng slammed on the brakes. As soon as the car slowed, Jiang Ling leaped out.

However, the moment his feet hit the pavement, he realized he was surrounded. Several cars had boxed in the pink Porsche. A dozen burly bodyguards in black suits stepped out, forming a perimeter.

A middle-aged man in a tailored suit, whose features bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Ling’s, walked through the crowd.

Jiang Ling let out a cold laugh. “Jiang Qicheng. You did not need this much of a spectacle just to catch me.”

The father’s face darkened at the sound of his son calling him by his full name. “Jiang Ling, you have caused enough trouble!”

“Say whatever you want,” Jiang Ling hissed, his eyes narrowing. “I am not going back.”

He lunged toward the weakest point in the line of bodyguards.

“Jiang Ling!” Jiang Cheng screamed as he rushed toward her.

“You brat! What do you think you are doing?” Jiang Qicheng roared. “What are you standing there for? Get him!”

Thirty minutes later, Jiang Ling was caught. Exhausted and outnumbered, he was tied up and thrown into the back of a car.

“I am telling you, Jiang Qicheng, even if you ship me abroad, I will just run back!” he shouted, struggling against the ropes.

“You certainly are a runner,” his father remarked, almost surprised. “If I had known you were this fast, I would have put you in track and field. Maybe you could have won something for the country instead of embarrassing me.” It had taken a dozen professionals half an hour to catch one tired teenager.

“Who said I am sending you abroad?”

Jiang Ling froze. “Then why did you catch me?”

“I am sending you to City A, to your grandfather’s.”

“You are lying,” Jiang Ling said, suspicious.

“Why would I lie about that? Your grandfather had a minor health scare a few days ago and was hospitalized.” Jiang Qicheng closed his eyes, looking tired. “He is old. He misses his grandkids. It is normal.”

Sensing a heavy gaze, Jiang Qicheng opened his eyes to see his son staring at him. “What?”

“Don’t you think you are being a hypocrite?”

Jiang Qicheng stiffened. “Jiang Ling, I am your father!”

Jiang Ling went silent. The car moved through the night. After a while, Jiang Ling noticed the route had changed again. “I thought we were going to City A. Where are we?”

“I cannot take you there looking like a ghost,” his father said. “First, we are dying that white hair back to a normal color. Then, we are getting you out of those rags.”

Jiang Ling panicked, struggling to protect his hair. “No! Don’t touch my hair! Jiang Qicheng, you might as well kill me!”

Two hours later, the defiant Jiang Ling was hauled back into the car, completely transformed.

His eye-catching platinum hair was now a low-key, steady black, falling softly against his ears. His row of rebellious silver studs had been removed. The grease-stained overalls and studded jeans were gone, replaced by a tidy, academic-style outfit. Combined with his delicate features, he looked exactly like a top-tier student.

Jiang Qicheng looked at his son in his “new skin” and nodded with satisfaction. He looked like a proper student now. The only flaw was the sheer ferocity in the boy’s dark eyes.

“Jiang Ling, drop that look. You are visiting your grandfather, not going to commit a murder.”

Jiang Ling snorted and turned his head away, his expression still arrogant.

He told himself not to let anyone find a chance to stop him from escaping.

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