Had Shang Zhitao changed her ways?

At the end of the workday, Luan Nian sent Shang Zhitao a message: “Come to my car to get something.”

“Oh.”

Shang Zhitao got into the car, but Luan Nian showed no intention of giving her anything. He drove straight to her building.

“Thanks then.” Shang Zhitao unfastened her seatbelt as Luan Nian also got out of the car. “I’ll see you up.”

…Shang Zhitao couldn’t figure Luan Nian out. He was like the wind one moment, rain the next, then thunder—his emotions weren’t particularly stable.

When they reached the entrance, seeing that he didn’t seem ready to leave, she asked him: “Would you like to come up for a bit?”

“Sure.”

He wasn’t particularly eager to go. He had no interest in other people’s living environments, but remembering how Shang Zhitao had stopped him downstairs last time, and how today she was acting contrary to her usual behavior by not going home with him, he wanted to go in and see exactly what kind of dog thing she had adopted. The stairwell in her building was cramped, and the stairs were uneven. If it were late at night, even a small stray cat darting out from the side could scare someone half to death.

He suddenly thought about the nights when Shang Zhitao worked overtime until late, walking up these stairs countless times. She must have been frightened quite often. Yet she was always smiling, and no one could tell.

Shang Zhitao opened the door and went in. Luan Nian stood at the doorway surveying her home, surprisingly finding it neat and clean. Shang Zhitao felt a bit uncomfortable and pointed to the sofa: “Could you wait here for a moment? I’ll pack my things and then we can go.”

“Go where?”

“To your place, right?” Shang Zhitao presumed Luan Nian’s intentions. Why else would he condescend to come here? It could only be to let his bird out for a stroll. But Shang Zhitao didn’t want to do that here, because this was the home she shared with her good friends, and she didn’t want to do those things here.

…”What about the dog?”

“We’ll take it with us. If the dog doesn’t go, I don’t go.” Shang Zhitao was truly bold today—it must be that Luke had given her courage, allowing her to challenge the human Luke again and again.

“Fine.” Luan Nian took off his coat and shoes, waiting for Shang Zhitao to bring him slippers. Shang Zhitao apologized: “We only have one pair of men’s slippers, and they’re Sun Yuanzhu’s…”

“It’s fine.”

Luan Nian walked barefoot to the sofa and sat down. He watched as Shang Zhitao ran to the balcony and opened a small door. A little snowball came tumbling out, looking extremely happy as it circled Shang Zhitao.

Shang Zhitao was also very happy, stomping her feet in small steps: “Sister is home!” She bent down to pick it up: “Wait a bit, okay? I’ll pack some things. Today we’re going to stay in a big villa. How does that sound—peeing in a villa district?”

Is she crazy?

Luan Nian snorted inwardly and turned his face away, taking out his phone to reply to messages. He had many messages and usually dealt with them all at once. While responding, he felt something warm on his foot. Looking down, he saw Shang Zhitao’s dog thing sitting on his foot, tongue out, looking happy to see him.

Luan Nian called out: “Shang Zhitao!”

His voice was quite displeased as he pulled his foot away and moved his legs onto the sofa. Shang Zhitao ran out, saw Luan Nian’s posture, then looked at Luke, widening her eyes: “Are you afraid of dogs?”

“Get it away from me.”

“Why?”

Luke had only been here for a few days but had already become a star in the neighborhood. When she took him downstairs to pee in the early morning, the elderly people out for their morning walks adored him. Luan Nian was the first person who didn’t like him.

“Get it away.”

Luan Nian didn’t like dogs, especially soft and fluffy ones. Keeping a pitbull would be more exciting—what kind of thing was Shang Zhitao raising? That dog looked just like her, silly and stupid. Now it was sitting on her lap, ears flopping down, round eyes looking left and right, finally settling on Luan Nian. While waiting at a red light, Luan Nian turned his head to glance at the dog thing, and the dog thing seemed unhappy, barking at him once. It was holding a grudge for the coldness Luan Nian had shown.

“What’s its name?” Luan Nian asked Shang Zhitao.

“What?”

“What’s your stupid dog called?”

“It’s just… called… Dog…” Shang Zhitao smiled at him, patting Luke’s head. Luke hadn’t yet adjusted to his name, so it didn’t matter what they called him. He opened his mouth to bite his little ball, his small ears flopping, playing happily.

“What will you do with the dog when you travel for work?”

“My roommates can help me.”

Luan Nian turned his head to scan her face, noticing the happiness she expressed when mentioning her roommates, and said nothing more.

After getting out of the car, Shang Zhitao carried Luke toward the building. Luan Nian asked her: “You’re going to carry it in? The garage isn’t good enough for it?”

“Then I’ll stay in the garage too. Or we can go back to the car, finish quickly, and I’ll… take the dog and leave.” Her face was resolute, determined to stand by her dog.

Luan Nian laughed in exasperation: “Just keep it away from me!”

“It’s shy around strangers. It won’t come near you.”

Shang Zhitao truly didn’t understand her dog. It was indeed shy—once they reached the living room and she put it down, it immediately ran to Luan Nian’s leg, scratched at it, then flopped over with its four paws in the air. Luan Nian was stunned and asked Shang Zhitao: “This? Is she shy?” He glared at Luke and walked away.

Shang Zhitao hurriedly picked up Luke and scolded it: “Can’t you read the room? Can’t you tell if someone likes you or hates you? Why are you getting so close to him? He doesn’t like you.”

These words were quite irritating, and Luan Nian gave her a long look. She acted as if she didn’t see it and continued telling Luke: “Let me tell you, don’t be so enthusiastic anymore. If you irritate me, I’ll beat you.”

She patted Luke’s head and put him down to play. In this new place, Luke found everything interesting—walking here, sniffing there—but not satisfied, he suddenly bent his hind legs. Shang Zhitao was so alarmed her voice changed: “Luke!”

Too late. Luke had peed in Luan Nian’s living room, marking his territory, and even kicked his hind legs afterward. That shout of “Luke” made both the person and the dog in the room freeze.

Luke: Calling me?

Luan Nian: Who is Luke?

Shang Zhitao: Why did I call out like that?

An extraordinary silence fell, as if a century had passed.

Luan Nian looked at Luke, then at Shang Zhitao: “What’s it called?”

Shang Zhitao wished she could bite off her tongue. She smiled at Luan Nian: “It’s called… Dog.”

“What did you just call it?” Luan Nian’s face had already darkened considerably.

Shang Zhitao lowered her head and muttered quietly: “Luke.”

“You named your dog Luke?” Luan Nian asked her.

“I just thought the name… sounded nice.” Shang Zhitao felt a cold wind blowing on top of her head, probably the gates of heaven opening above her.

After a long while with no response, she looked up to find Luan Nian already at the elevator. He was truly angry.

No matter how fierce he had been with Shang Zhitao, he had never disrespected her to this extent. Did that mean he could also get a dog and name it Flora?

When they reached the bedroom and were changing clothes, Shang Zhitao followed him in and cleared her throat: “Luan Nian.”

“Get out.” Luan Nian took off his clothes to change into a home T-shirt. Not hearing her leave, he turned around and looked at Shang Zhitao: “What is it, Flora?” Calling her Flora meant he was really angry.

Shang Zhitao walked up to him and, after a long while, said: “I named it Luke because that was the first name that came to mind, and I thought it sounded good. Only after deciding did I realize why it sounded good—because it resembles your English name. It’s probably because my mind is full of you, so in the heat of the moment… Should I… change its name? I think Alex sounds good too.”

…

She spoke with a certain sincerity, but Luan Nian couldn’t be bothered with her: “Call it whatever you want, what’s it to me?”

Shang Zhitao pouted behind him, with curved eyes and brows—wasn’t that a smile?

“So it’s still Luke then?” Shang Zhitao was getting bolder, and said to the dog beside her: “Luke, come, call uncle.”

“You tell your sister to call me uncle?”

“Well, you’re older…”

Shang Zhitao was truly daring today, repeatedly acting impertinent in front of Luan Nian. Seeing his expression change, she felt a bit pleased inside, thinking: Hmph, I’m not afraid of you.

Though she claimed not to fear him, when the lights went out and darkness enveloped them, when his scorching breath burned across her body, she was indeed afraid. Every time before Luan Nian went on a long trip, he was especially frightening, more fierce than before, and more persistent. Sometimes when Shang Zhitao grew tired, he would say: “Did I tell you to move?”

Implying: I’m not tired, why are you?

Today, Shang Zhitao truly had to thank Luke. Just as she was anxious about how far things would go tonight, Luke suddenly barked at the bedside—he had come in unnoticed. Luan Nian stopped, looking toward the floor in the moonlight. That silly dog was sitting there, watching them!

Damn it.

Luan Nian sat up, taking a long breath to expel the frustration in his chest before saying to Shang Zhitao: “Get your dog out of my bedroom.”

“He needs to sleep with me at night.” Shang Zhitao said seriously, then got out of bed and took Luke to the guest room.

This time it was Luan Nian who was left hanging, lying in bed, unable to sleep. At midnight, wanting something cold to drink, he went down to the living room and opened the refrigerator. He heard the door and saw Shang Zhitao wrapped in a down jacket, returning with Luke. Seeing Luan Nian’s suspicious look, she said: “I was afraid it would pee in your house again. It’s quite tiring to clean up.”

It was so cold outside, yet she got up to take Luke out to pee—what was she thinking? Luan Nian didn’t look at her and turned to drink water. The person behind him, carrying a chill, embraced him with her face against his back. She said to him, “If not Luke, what should it be called? When Luke isn’t here, there’s still Luke…”

She never knew that loving someone could be so profound—her heart unsettled, jealous of his long journeys with friends, unwilling for him to be gone for two months. She felt rather pathetic; he hadn’t even left yet, and she already missed him. She missed him but couldn’t tell him, so she could only speak such light words, with the rest being silent resistance and sharpness.

Being held by her like that, Luan Nian turned around after a long while, cupped her face, and kissed her gently. Luke made a sound beside them, and Luan Nian stopped kissing to ask Shang Zhitao: “So, can your Luke stay in the guest room by himself for a while? It feels like being watched.”

“Okay.”

Luan Nian’s unsatisfied body finally found its place. He felt as if he wanted to empty himself, to gradually refill after leaving her. Unable to control himself, his teeth grazed Shang Zhitao’s neck as she gently pushed back: “Don’t, I need to go home.”

Luan Nian didn’t listen to her—what did it matter if she needed to go home? He held her down, not allowing her to move, his tongue against her neck, hearing her involuntary intake of breath. He knew she liked it.

He liked it too.

Shang Zhitao gave as good as she got, even more so than him.

“Will others mind?” Shang Zhitao asked him.

“There are no others.”

“Hm?”

“There are no others.” Luan Nian answered her question directly for the first time: “You probably have delusions, thinking I have sex partners all over the world? I’m not an animal.”

“Then how do you manage when you’re away for so long?” Shang Zhitao sat up looking at him, wearing his T-shirt, which hung loosely on her. Even though he had bought her loungewear, she insisted on wearing his clothes.

“Want me to demonstrate for you?”

“Sure.”

Luan Nian grabbed her hand and said softly: “Like this.”

It was scorching hot. Shang Zhitao swallowed and dared not look him in the eyes. Luan Nian was dissatisfied and said to her, “Look at me, concentrate.”

His lips pressed against hers, his tongue grazing hers: “Try harder, Shang Zhitao.”

Luan Nian was truly lethal.

Shang Zhitao took a taxi carrying Luke back to her hometown. Luke, not even two months old, was experiencing his first dog-life journey—over two thousand kilometers round trip. It was quite an adventure for him.

Old Shang and Da Zhai were delighted to see Luke, especially Old Shang, who carried Luke on his shoulder like a grandson: “Oh, my little Luke, I’ll take you to pay New Year’s visits on the first day!”

“Can you bow? Try to bow, and we’ll ask for red envelopes, and buy meat for you when we get back!”

“Hey Luke! Don’t eat that meat! It’s salty! Your snow-white fur can’t handle salty things!”

“Where’s Luke? Where’s Luke? Grandpa will take you out to play?”

Shang Zhitao protested: “What do you mean ‘Grandpa’! He calls me sister, calls you grandpa—that messes up the generations!”

“Then what should he call me?”

Shang Zhitao didn’t know what he should be called and finally said after hesitating: “Uncle!”

On New Year’s Eve, firecrackers were popping outside. Shang Zhitao said to Luke: “Another year has passed, Luke.”

In New York, Luan Nian was playing cards with several good friends. A friend named Chen Kuannian noticed two hickeys on his neck and teased: “That was quite intense.”

Luan Nian glanced at him but said nothing.

A while later, he received an email from Shang Zhitao, just a short sentence: “Happy New Year, wishing you all the best.”

“Happy New Year, may your Luke grow strong and healthy.”