Chapter 16: When That Dog Tinghe Goes Into Heat, There’s No Stopping Him

At that moment, on the third floor of the Jingdu University cafeteria.

The third floor of Jingdu University was a made-to-order dining area, offering a more refined ambiance and better food compared to the first and second floors.

Right now, Lu Tinghe and Bo Yanzhi were seated face-to-face in a corner booth, deep in discussion about Heshuo Technologies’ upcoming initial public offering.

Bo Yanzhi leaned back slightly, his face brimming with confidence. “Relax, Lu Tinghe. Don’t worry. Once that new ELISA antigen detection device hits the market, the IPO is going to blow up. What could possibly go wrong?”

Lu Tinghe smirked, a roguish grin tugging at his lips. “And whose credit is that?”

“You, of course. You are number one under heaven.” Bo Yanzhi was absolutely in awe of Lu Tinghe’s intellect. “Honestly, which window do you think God closed on you? Unless…”

He paused, then leaned forward with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Don’t tell me… you’re not good in bed?”

Lu Tinghe flipped the lighter in his hand, the sharp click of its open-and-close echoing between them. He laughed, wild and unruly. “You really don’t know? Want to try me?”

Bo Yanzhi laughed and cursed under his breath, “You’re so damn shameless.”

As the two chatted, a man and woman suddenly hurried past the escalator, heading toward the back exit.

There was no physical contact between them, but the air crackled with an unmistakable undercurrent of intimacy.

Both Lu Tinghe and Bo Yanzhi turned their heads at the same time.

Bo Yanzhi chuckled from deep in his throat. “Hey, isn’t that Chu Yan? And that girl—looks like the one who got into a fight with Tan Weiwei the other time?”

Lu Tinghe said nothing, continuing to play with the lighter in his hand. The metallic snap of it flicking open and shut made one’s nerves prickle.

“You’ve got your chance now.”

Bo Yanzhi raised an eyebrow. “What chance?”

Lu Tinghe replied, “Didn’t you say you liked Tan Weiwei? Chu Yan just gave you an opening.”

Bo Yanzhi casually brushed the bangs off his forehead, scoffing. “I don’t stoop to sowing discord. I’ll wait for Tan Weiwei to wake up and come to her senses on her own.”

Lu Tinghe curved his lips into a half-smile. “And then the duck you’ve cooked will fly away.”

Bo Yanzhi: “…”

Just as Lu Tinghe was about to get up and leave—his timing impeccable—a new message popped up on his phone.

Lu Siyu:[Image]

[Snatched a little beauty and brought her home.]

Lu Tinghe: “???”

…

On the other side of town, Shang Li followed Lu Siyu to her apartment in Hongxing City, located in the heart of Jingbei.

The elevator took them all the way to the top floor—the fiftieth. Standing by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the imperial palace below and the vibrant, traffic-packed expanse of Jingbei stretching out in all directions.

It was Shang Li’s first time in such a high-end residence. She was momentarily dazed, unsure of where to place her hands or feet.

Lu Siyu tossed her handbag and sunglasses onto the sofa without a care. “Have a seat, little beauty. Make yourself at home.”

Shang Li blushed slightly. “Miss Lu, just call me Shang Li.”

“Alright then, call me Sister Siyu.”

Shang Li hadn’t expected a celebrity like Lu Siyu to be so down-to-earth and approachable. In fact, it made her feel a bit awkward.

She set down the sketch bag she’d been carrying and said, “Um… Sister Siyu, where’s your dog?”

“You mean Hehe? It’s in the room. I’ll let it out in a bit.”

Shang Li’s throat tightened.

Lu Siyu named her dog Hehe? As in “He” from “ Lu Tinghe”?

The room fell into silence for a moment. Lu Siyu just stared at Shang Li, making no effort to conceal the directness in her gaze.

Last night, she’d asked her agent, Sister Wang, to run a quick check—and it didn’t take long to find out that the high school classmate Lu Tinghe mentioned was none other than Shang Li.

So today, Lu Siyu deliberately came up with an excuse to coax Shang Li over, hoping to get a better sense of her.

Even though Lu Tinghe insisted that he and Shang Li were just classmates, with how well Lu Siyu knew him—given his usual patterns—he wouldn’t even utter half a word unless he had a motive. If they were really just regular classmates, would he have jumped out of a car and then followed her onto a bus?

He wasn’t an idiot, after all.

Under Lu Siyu’s gaze, Shang Li began to feel a bit uneasy. She tentatively asked, “Sister Siyu, when should we start sketching?”

“No rush,” Lu Siyu waved it off casually. “You looked like you were heading to the cafeteria earlier. You haven’t had lunch yet, right? What do you want to eat? We can order some takeout. There’s still time to draw after we eat.”

Shang Li couldn’t figure out what Lu Siyu was really up to, but she replied obediently, “I’m not hungry. Pets are a bit tricky to sketch—it might take a while, so it’s fine to finish the drawing first and eat later.”

“Alright then. Wait a moment, I’ll go let Hehe out.”

Seeing that Shang Li insisted, Lu Siyu didn’t press further. She got up and walked toward the room at the end of the hallway.

Left alone on the sofa, Shang Li glanced around the luxurious penthouse. She couldn’t help but think that even if she worked hard for two lifetimes, she might still never be able to afford a place like this.

Her plan was to find a decent job after graduation, hopefully buy a small apartment in Jingbei, and bring her Father and Mother over from Jin City to live with her.

As for getting married and having kids… she didn’t dare hope for too much. After all, finding a man she liked, who also liked her in return, seemed like an almost impossible thing.

She was lost in thought when a sudden bark rang out from the end of the hallway. Shang Li jolted in fright, springing straight up from the sofa.

The next second, she saw a blur of black and gray charging at her like a bullet. For a moment, it felt like a paralysis spell had been cast on her—she couldn’t move a single muscle.

Her mind went completely blank, until she suddenly heard Lu Siyu scream, “Hehe! Get back here!”

The husky sprinted like the wind, leaped into the air with its front legs raised, and slammed straight into Shang Li, knocking her onto the sofa.

The back of Shang Li’s head hit the cushion with a heavy thud, the force of the impact so strong that she lay stunned for several seconds, unable to recover.

The husky drooled profusely, panting heavily, and whimpered affectionately as it hovered over the girl—its posture alarmingly intimate.

Shang Li desperately shielded her head, terrified her brief twenty-year life might come to an end today.

As the husky’s slobbery snout drew closer and closer to her face, Shang Li clenched her eyes shut. Her expression was one of utter despair, as if she had resigned herself to death.

Just as that searing tongue was about to touch her soft, pale cheek, the husky let out a yelp and was abruptly flung aside.

Shang Li sat up with a start, her temples damp with sweat, heart pounding violently as she struggled to catch her breath, still shaken.

Lu Tinghe kicked the husky aside with obvious disdain. “Lu Siyu, I told you long ago to get this damn mutt neutered. Now it can’t even tell humans from dogs—was about to force itself on someone!”

The husky seemed to recognize Lu Tinghe. It immediately scampered to his side, tail tucked between its legs in submission, acting just like a groveling eunuch from an imperial court drama.

Lu Siyu grabbed the dog by its collar and dragged it away, repeatedly apologizing to Shang Li, “I’m so sorry, Shang Li. You’re just too pretty. When Hehe goes into heat, there’s no stopping him—even I couldn’t hold him back.”

Lu Tinghe: “…” What the hell—was that a subtle jab at him?

Shang Li’s cheeks turned crimson as she quickly got to her feet. “It’s fine. Maybe there’s a scent on me he likes.”

Lu Siyu stepped forward to straighten Shang Li’s clothes, asking, “Did Hehe lick you? Still got your first kiss?”