The Top Star Fell for Me at First Sight After I Transmigrated as a Dog-Like Streamer - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Atavism 3.0

Watching the faint trace of disappointment in Yu Congyue’s eyes, Bai Xun hesitated for a few seconds before lifting his left paw and pressing it into Yu Congyue’s palm.

When the warm, soft paw pad landed, Yu Congyue’s breathing visibly hitched.

“You remember?” Seeing that Bai Xun had prioritized comforting him, Yu Congyue’s heart melted completely. In the next second, he scooped up the furry head and gave him a firm kiss right behind the ear.

Bai Xun froze. His ears flicked twice as he realized that his previous move hadn’t gone through his brain at all. He tried to shrink back a bit, but he couldn’t escape those eyes—eyes filled with an unmistakable seriousness.

“When your Atavism Month is over, we need to have a real talk about this.”

About the fact that you only see me as a brother.

What on earth was so important that it had to wait until he could speak human words again?

Did he say something earth-shattering while drunk yesterday?

Quitting? A confession? Or something even more scandalous?

Bai Xun was stunned.

Misinterpreting the flash of suspicion in his eyes, Yu Congyue quickly explained: “Don’t be nervous, I’m not forcing you. It’s just that there are many relationships involved, and I need to make some preparations on my end. I will respect your choice; don’t feel pressured.”

Hearing words like “relationships” and “preparations,” Bai Xun’s brain automatically connected the dots: this was 80% likely about “headhunting him to jump ship.”

Thinking about how he had just terminated his contract with his old company and wasn’t ready to jump to a new one yet, he immediately felt a bit guilty.

This matter truly required careful consideration.

He decisively walked over to the speech buttons and pressed one firmly several times.

“Okay. Okay. Okay.”

Yu Congyue let out a laugh, the weight on his heart finally lifting significantly.

…

The next morning, Bai Xun’s phone rang.

Yu Congyue took the phone and turned on the speakerphone.

It was the legal department from TaoMai calling to say that the MCN had sent over the final compensation contract. They needed a face-to-face final confirmation.

Bai Xun paced in circles on the bed in a panic. Fortunately, Yu Congyue had pushed aside most of his non-essential work to take care of Bai Xun, so he had time to accompany him. He gave the puppy’s head a reassuring pat and sighed softly.

“Xiaobai has undergone atavism these past two days. If his condition is stable, I can bring him along, though communication might be a bit difficult.”

“Oh, that’s no problem. He can come to sign… or rather, press an authorized stamp. We’ll handle the follow-up. Thank you, Mr. Yu. Shall we meet at ten? Is that convenient for you?”

“Yes, see you at ten.”

After hanging up, Yu Congyue glanced at Bai Xun, who was sitting by the bed trying his best to adapt to walking on four legs. He couldn’t help but burst into a laugh, then turned to go downstairs to find something he had custom-ordered overnight.

Bai Xun saw him pull a light blue collar out of a box. Hanging from it was a metallic tag with a clear “Yu” engraved on the front, and a string of code plus the initials of Yu Congyue’s name on the back.

Seeing his confused expression, Yu Congyue tapped his phone against the metal tag and activated the corresponding functions step-by-step according to the prompts.

“This is a GPS tag. Since you can’t talk right now, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Come on, look up.”

So, Bai Xun found himself looking up in a daze. He felt a slight tightening around his neck, and as he shook his head, he heard the crisp clinking of the metal plate against the buckle.

Next, using excuses like “the temperature is dropping and you’re a puppy” and “puppies’ knees are easily injured,” Yu Congyue coaxed him into wearing blue-and-white checkered long knee pads and a matching lace-trimmed bib.

Bai Xun was surprisingly cooperative. In his original world, he had always wanted a dog—he’d try to pet every big or small dog he passed. Thus, he completely understood Yu Congyue’s feelings and was willing to let the man fuss over him.

Finally, they got into the car. To Bai Xun’s surprise, Yu Congyue had placed a box in the back seat that sat level with the chair, topped with a large cushion. The cushion was firmly secured with straps; Yu Congyue seemingly didn’t care about the marks they might leave on the leather.

Yu Congyue drove slowly the whole way. A trip that should have taken less than 20 minutes stretched to over half an hour. When they reached the underground garage, the people from TaoMai were already waiting. Seeing Yu Congyue carrying a small Golden Retriever in his arms, they hurried over to open the security gate for them.

This time they were in a different conference room. Seated inside, besides TaoMai’s legal team, were a few familiar faces from Yu Congyue’s own staff.

After a nod of greeting, the TaoMai lawyer got straight to the point: “Atavism is considered a special circumstance, so representation is allowed, but we still need to perform an identity verification.”

He turned a tablet toward them, displaying several simple verification questions.

Bai Xun was nestled in Yu Congyue’s arms, squinting while chewing on a piece of jerky. The exhaustion of early atavism made him not want to move at all. He forced his eyes open, poked his head out from the collar of Yu Congyue’s coat, and propped his paws on the table to read the questions.

Fortunately, they were basic questions about his identity—birth date, last few digits of his ID, and so on. After answering quickly, he curled back into the warm embrace to continue his nap.

“Verification passed, Mr. Bai. We will now proceed with the contract termination on your behalf.”

Bai Xun let out a yawn and lifted a paw to signal his agreement.

Yu Congyue’s attention remained entirely on Bai Xun the whole time. He frequently reached out to stroke the furry head, rubbing the soft ears between his fingers. If there hadn’t been so many people present, he probably would have held the puppy’s head in his hands to give it a few more kisses.

The termination process went smoothly. On one hand, the MCN had a relatively good attitude; on the other, with Yu Congyue himself sitting there, the legal teams on both sides felt considerable pressure and cooperated with great efficiency.

The head of Yu Congyue’s legal department picked out the sections of the two contracts that needed stamping. He pushed them forward along with an ink pad and wet wipes. “Now, we’ll need you to provide a thumbprint… or a paw print.”

“Xiaobai, wake up.” Yu Congyue looked down at the half-asleep Bai Xun. He couldn’t bring himself to wake him, so he gently took Bai Xun’s front paw, pressed it lightly into the ink, and quickly stamped the documents. After he finished, he used a wet wipe to clean the paw meticulously before tucking him back into his coat.

The members of Yu Congyue’s legal team exchanged subtle glances, their eyes full of gossip.

“Thank you, Mr. Yu and Mr. Bai. The process is complete. This includes the transfer of the Wooge contract. Mr. Bai is now temporarily affiliated with TaoMai’s promotion department. We’ll review the independent contract once you’ve recovered.”

Once certain there was nothing more to handle, Yu Congyue showed no intention of staying. He prepared to take Bai Xun back to rest.

“Boss, are you and Xiaobai free to stop by the studio? The project manager for Wooge wants to discuss the new product endorsement with you. I just recommended Xiaobai; I feel his overall image is a perfect fit.”

Yu Congyue wanted to refuse, but he didn’t want Bai Xun to miss out on more exposure. After weighing his options, he took him to the studio. Before leaving the garage, he glanced in a certain direction and frowned as he called the PR department.

“I went to TaoMai to discuss a contract today; we might have been photographed. If any situation arises that’s unfavorable to Xiaobai, make sure to suppress it immediately.”

…

“Oh my goodness, Xiaobai is here! You’re wearing such a cute outfit, oh…” Tracy was already waiting at the elevator. The moment she saw Bai Xun in Yu Congyue’s arms, her voice automatically went high-pitched.

“Alright, he’s not fully awake yet. Where are the Wooge people?” Yu Congyue held Bai Xun a bit higher to dodge Tracy, who was reaching out for a pet.

“In Meeting Room 04. You can go straight in.” Seeing her boss’s stinginess, Tracy sighed and led them to the room.

The Wooge project managers stood up to greet the boss as he entered, but their attention was immediately captured by the furry ball in his arms.

Yu Congyue followed their gaze down to Bai Xun, who was buried in his coat and focused on sleeping. He let out a light chuckle and gestured for them to begin.

“President Yu, there are two main things to discuss today. One is the selection of the spokesperson for the new product, and the other is the contract issue regarding Mr. Bai Xun.”

Hearing his name, Bai Xun slowly lifted his head and blinked. He looked around and recognized a few familiar faces—the same people he had signed with at his previous company.

His movement caused everyone in the room to look in the same direction. A younger intern let out a very faint “Wow.”

Yu Congyue nodded, patted Bai Xun’s head soothingly, and asked: “Hasn’t Xiaobai’s contract already been transferred? Are there still lingering issues?”

“It’s not a lingering issue. Mainly, the planning department feels that Teacher Bai’s vibe fits our new product perfectly, so we intend to slightly expand the scope of the original contract.”

Hearing there was more money to be made, Bai Xun’s head snapped up. He propped his front paws on the table, standing shakily on Yu Congyue’s lap. His round eyes darted back and forth as he calculated how much more he could earn with an expanded scope.

Yu Congyue guessed his thoughts in an instant. He simply picked him up and placed him directly on the conference table, watching with doting eyes as the pup struggled with his new limbs, falling onto his bottom before looking back innocently.

“You’ll have to ask Xiaobai about this. I can’t make the decision for him.”

One of the strict requirements for working at Wooge was that you must have a pet at home, with random checks on their care. Consequently, the people seated there found it hard to look away from the plush-toy-like Bai Xun; everyone was silently praying he would walk toward them.

“Yes, we just wanted to report to you first and then contact Teacher Bai once things are finalized.”

At that moment, someone pulled a piece of jerky from their pocket and hid it in their palm. Bai Xun caught the scent and wabbled over at a trot. After getting permission, the person happily petted Bai Xun’s head, their excitement nearly overflowing.

“Actually, our current thought is to have Teacher Bai as the spokesperson for the new quarter. His new ‘Professional Experience’ series is also very suitable for promotion. Based on the final data and feedback from the TaoMai event, his overall efficiency is far higher than similar…” the project manager paused. “Theoretically speaking, among similar bloggers on the market, there is no one who can replace Teacher Bai.”

Yu Congyue felt a surge of nameless pride—an achievement akin to having his own aesthetic taste universally validated.

“Also, is this one yours, Boss? This look is perfect for our new puppy series. If possible, we wouldn’t need to look for another pet blogger. We could just have him work alongside Teacher Bai.”

Bai Xun was currently leaning into the intern’s palm while chewing jerky. Hearing this, he shot a quick look at Yu Congyue, his eyes full of heartbreak at the thought of not being able to earn a second salary.

Yu Congyue finally couldn’t help but chuckle. He shook his head with an “I’d love to help but I can’t” expression.

“I’m afraid that won’t work.”