Chapter 76

Song Wen slept until almost eleven in the morning, awakened by a strange movement. Opening his eyes, he saw the dog raised by Lu Siyu pulling down the expensive sheets at the bedside.

Song Wen got up, rubbed his eyes, and Lu Siyu was no longer in bed. The dog stuck out its tongue at him, then, as if protesting, used its paws to pull on the sheets, making a whimpering sound. After a few seconds of waking up, Song Wen touched the dog’s soft head. Its fur was very smooth, giving a good feel, and he could tell it was washed with expensive shower gel.

Song Wen went to the bathroom, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. Then he received a call from Li Luanfang. As soon as he picked up, she straightforwardly said, “Mom recently heard from Auntie Li next door that their family’s pretty daughter is looking for a partner. The age, height, and everything are suitable. How about I get you her WeChat?” After saying this, without waiting for Song Wen’s reply, she reported the girl’s education, family situation, and was about to calculate her birth chart.

Song Wen was bewildered by this news. After Li Luanfang finished speaking, he dared to respond, “Mom, stop it. I’m so busy, and I have high standards.”

Li Luanfang sensitively asked, “Is there something you don’t like? Do you think her education is too low, or her income is too little?”

Song Wen said, “Mom, don’t you understand me? She needs to be good-looking, virtuous, and intelligent. We should have common interests, preferably not talkative. It’s annoying to come back from work and hear endless chatter. If she can contribute to my work, that’s even better.”

Li Luanfang added, “And she should be good at cooking and housekeeping, have money, and preferably come with a house, right? That would be perfect.”

Song Wen nodded, “Yes, yes, that’s the standard.”

Li Luanfang pierced Song Wen’s thoughts, “What ‘yes, yes, that’s the standard’? Are you looking for a wife or a little fairy? I don’t think you really want to find one.”

“Then just let me stay single. You focus on eating, drinking, having fun, and taking care of your health. By the way, Mom, how’s your Chinese painting class at the senior university going?” Song Wen smoothly changed the subject, coaxing his mother for a bit, before finally hanging up and heading downstairs. It seemed like Little Wolf had taken a liking to him, as it followed him closely, excitedly spinning around.

Then Song Wen remembered that he had forgotten to mention his moving to Lu Siyu. However, since Li Luanfang’s senior university graduation was still pending, she probably wouldn’t rush over. He would tell her about it when he had the chance.

In the kitchen downstairs, Lu Siyu was cooking with incredible skill, filling the whole house with a delightful aroma of food. Song Wen sat on a chair, glancing at Little Wolf still circling around his feet, and remarked, “Your dog seems to be quite smart, even knows how to wake people up.”

“It’s slightly better than someone who can’t get out of bed by ten o’clock…” Lu Siyu replied without lifting his head.

“When there are no cases, I can sleep until three in the afternoon…” Song Wen yawned, thinking that it was only because he was worried that Lu Siyu might not feel well in the middle of the night and had gotten up to check on him a few times.

Then Song Wen glanced around the room, which was neat and tidy.

Lu Siyu’s house had various cleaning tools, and sometimes he hired housekeeping services, mainly for tasks like mopping the floor and wiping windows. However, most of the cleaning was done by himself. He had a mild obsession with cleanliness and a bit of OCD. For example, after taking off his slippers, they had to be neatly arranged, and the cups on the table had to be aligned in a straight line. When serving meals, the positions of hot and cold dishes couldn’t be mixed up.

Song Wen looked at the clothes on the sofa, which had been washed and dried neatly folded.

Good-looking, smart, not talkative, excellent cooking skills, and able to communicate well with him—wasn’t there already someone like that here? Why bother with blind dates?

Song Wen looked satisfactorily at his little fairy, “You’re… too virtuous, aren’t you?” He remembered reading a post online once, saying that living with another man was the happiest thing, you could play games together, watch movies together, and there were even two houses. You didn’t have to worry about a pile of troublesome things. In this situation, it was simply the ultimate ideal state of life.

As Song Wen was thinking, Little Wolf ran over again and circled around him, using its paws to tug at his slippers.

Lu Siyu turned around and glanced at Little Wolf, which was constantly circling around Song Wen, making a motion as if it wanted to lift its hind legs, and explained, “It wants to go out…”

Every time he cooked, Little Wolf didn’t dare to bother him, but now it was sticking to Song Wen.

“Just moments ago, you were trying to bite me, now you’re in a rush…” Song Wen teased Little Wolf, then leaned over to look at the cleaned vegetables on the cutting board. “What are we having for lunch?”

Lu Siyu pointed to the semi-finished dishes nearby. “Chicken soup with shrimp and lamb, blanched Chinese broccoli, and later I’ll stir-fry some silver fish with scrambled eggs.”

“So lavish…” Song Wen usually ordered takeout as soon as he got home, so this menu surprised him. He knew Lu Siyu liked cooking and making delicious dishes. He initially thought it was just a hobby, but later realized it was the norm. Whenever time permitted, Lu Siyu would prepare a table full of dishes, all meticulously balanced in flavor, aroma, and nutrition.

“I usually like making a bit more when I have time. It’s hard to finish it all alone,” Lu Siyu said as he put the Chinese broccoli into the pan, skillfully stir-frying it. “If you have any preferences, just let me know in the future.”

“Do you need any help?” Song Wen asked as he approached from behind, blowing a breath onto the back of Lu Siyu’s neck. He wanted to wrap his arms around him but was afraid of startling his subordinate.

Lu Siyu felt a bit ticklish from Song Wen’s breath. Suppressing a smile, he coolly pursed his lips and reached for a bottle of vinegar from the seasoning cabinet. “Not right now. Just help me clean up the kitchen later, in about half an hour.”

“I’m not much help in the kitchen,” Song Wen thought Lu Siyu wasn’t interested and refrained from meddling further. He glanced at the trembling dog nearby and crouched down to rub its ears. “Then I’ll take the dog for a walk first.”

Lu Siyu glanced at their dog. Little Wolf was always excited to go out. He wasn’t sure whether to feel sorry for the dog or for Song Wen. He pointed towards the TV cabinet. “The leash is under the TV cabinet. Take it for a walk, and take yourself for a walk too.”

Thirty minutes later, Lu Siyu finished cooking and waited at the table. The entire villa was unusually quiet, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable. It seemed like the atmosphere had become livelier since Song Wen came over. But now, it was back to being tranquil.

Lu Siyu furrowed his brows slightly. With no one at home and the dog gone too, why was everyone so unenthusiastic about having lunch? After waiting for another two minutes, Lu Siyu couldn’t bear it anymore and got up to look for Song Wen outside.

After all, this was one of the top high-end communities in Nancheng, and the property management had built several small gardens within the community. Now, in one of the nearby gardens, the flowers were blooming in their most vibrant colors.

The weather today is nice. The sky is blue, without a cloud in sight, and the air feels fresh, as if it carries a hint of a refreshing scent.

Song Wen and the dog are in the center of the garden, each putting in effort in their own way.

Lu Siyu walks over with a hint of helplessness, glancing at Song Wen and then at Little Wolf, completely puzzled. “What are you two… doing?”

Song Wen explains, “Training the dog. Your dog seems spoiled, doesn’t even know the basics like sitting and shaking hands, let alone the more difficult commands.”

Lu Siyu rubs his forehead with his fingers, feeling a bit exasperated. “My dog isn’t a police dog, you know.”

Song Wen replies, “Just passing time, gotta give it a try. Who knows, it might come in handy one day.” As he speaks, he pats his elbow with his right hand and makes a downward motion with his palm.

Little Wolf watches from the side, wagging his tail.

“What exactly are you training it to do?” Lu Siyu asks.

“Stay in place,” Song Wen explains, then gestures with his right hand pushing forward. The pose looks quite impressive.

“What about this one?” Lu Siyu inquires.

“Charge and break through enemy lines…”

Little Wolf lets out a whimper, moving closer to Lu Siyu, his eyes somewhat wary as he looks at Song Wen, as if complaining to his master that this new tenant might be crazy.

Lu Siyu looks at Song Wen with a bit of speechlessness. Song Wen is usually reliable and dependable, but now, with Little Wolf, he seems like a child. Could it be that every man has a little boy living inside him? Lu Siyu suddenly feels a sense of exhaustion as if taking care of children, and not just one but two.

Meanwhile, Song Wen continues to wrestle with the dog, hands on hips, looking down at Little Wolf earnestly. “You’re really clueless. I learned this move from Lao Fu, it’s absolutely correct. How come you don’t understand it at all?”

“It’s not the dog that’s clueless, it’s you,” Lu Siyu rolls his eyes at Song Wen. “You’re so impatient. And where’s the police dog training? Don’t they usually train dogs with treats? If you don’t give them food, how do you expect them to learn? Are you hiring him as a police officer without pay?”

Typical police dog training involves preparing some tasty treats to create conditioned reflexes in the dog, so they can remember the commands. Song Wen… seems to be overestimating Little Wolf a bit too much.

Song Wen shook his head. “I probably wouldn’t do it without pay.” Then he looked up at Lu Siyu and whispered behind him, “You might, though.” Isn’t this kind of freeload the glorious tradition of Lu Siyu? Song Wen figures Lu Siyu probably hasn’t even checked his salary card.

Lu Siyu happened to hear this, feeling infuriated. “Song Wen, you…”

Seeing a faint blush on Lu Siyu’s pale skin, making his features even more attractive, Song Wen hurriedly tried to soothe him. “Little ancestor, it was just a slip of the tongue. You have noble ideals… don’t lower yourself to my level.”

Lu Siyu licked his lips, then turned to Song Wen. “You first, let’s practice.”

Song Wen digested Lu Siyu’s words for a moment, realizing Lu Siyu wanted him to play the dog. The head of the criminal investigation team began to resist. “Are you training a dog or a person? I’m at least a captain…”

Lu Siyu pretended to walk away, but Song Wen quickly grabbed him. “Alright, tell me how to do it, I’ll cooperate.”

So Lu Siyu and Song Wen practiced the “stay” command once. When Lu Siyu pressed down, Song Wen followed and squatted, resting his chin on his hand, looking up at Lu Siyu.

Lu Siyu blushed under his gaze.

Little Wolf, curious, watched his master and the new tenant. Not understanding what they were doing, he tilted his head and wagged his tail, thinking, Uh oh, have they gone crazy today?

Without looking at Song Wen, Lu Siyu reached into his pocket and found some snacks. He took out a bag of jerky, fed a little to Little Wolf, then made the “stay” gesture again. Crossing his arms, he lightly patted his elbow and then pressed his right hand downward, saying, “Little Wolf, sit.”

Little Wolf let out a whimper, unsure if he understood Song Wen’s demonstration just now or Lu Siyu’s current action. Tempted by the jerky, he obediently sat down.

Seeing that Little Wolf did it correctly, Lu Siyu fed him the rest of the jerky, then rubbed his head. “That’s called ‘stay.’ Got it?”

Little Wolf whimpered a couple more times, scratched his face with his paw, and then happily chewed on the jerky.
Lu Siyu nodded in satisfaction, rubbing Little Wolf’s fur. After completing the correct demonstration of dog training, he turned to look at Song Wen, who was still squatting on the ground. “And you, have you learned?”

Song Wen extended a hand, looking at him. “What about my jerky?”

Lu Siyu gave him another glare. “Am I going to have to walk you next time?”

Only then did Song Wen stand up, speaking seriously. “I got it. Next time, I’ll bring more jerky. We’ll come up with a training plan for it.”

Hearing this, Lu Siyu looked at Little Wolf with a hint of sympathy. “Is Captain Song planning an end-of-year evaluation too?”

Song Wen hadn’t thought that far. “Well then, let’s go back and eat. We’ve been out for a while and we’re all hungry.”

Only then did Lu Siyu remember that he had come out to find these two to go back for dinner.