Life-Saving Days by the Husky’s Side

Ji Shaoyan was not an idiot. It was impossible for him to press it.

Before his little paw could be grasped by someone’s hand, he took two speedy steps backwards, pretending to be thirsty and jumping off the bed to drink water, then climbed back up at his own pace. If was as if he had forgotten what they were just doing. Flopping down to lay next to Silly Fool, he looked especially innocent.

Zhou Li silently stared at this little fluffy husky ball with mixed feelings.

Forcibly pretending nothing happened, what an outstanding young master. In fact, I know you are human. Do you believe me?

He wanted to make Uncle Dog finish the game, but when he turned his eyes to the toy, he paused. Suspecting that it may be a broken product, he pressed the remaining tooth with his hand. In just a “pop”, the husky’s dog head crashed down on his fingers.

Zhou Li unconsciously let out an “ao” before realising that it didn’t hurt at all. He cracked opened the toy and said, “Turns out it’s not broken.”

Ji Shaoyan did everything in his control to not send him a “watching the mentally handicapped” look, continuing to lie flat and pretending to be innocent.

Zhou Li hugged Uncle Dog to sit directly opposite to the toy and kept him in place. “It doesn’t hurt at all, okay? If you act dumb*, I’ll use force and choose for you.” 

[T/N: refuse to acknowledge that he’s lost the game]

Once he finished speaking, he made the first move and pushed down on a tooth…

Just to hear another “pop“. One round and he won the grand prize. The dog head smacked down on his fingers once again.

Zhou Li: “Ao!”

Ji Shaoyan: “……”

One person and one dog stared at each other for two seconds. Zhou Li started another game with an aggrieved expression on his face.

Ji Shaoyan lightly wagged his little tail, a smile forming in his heart. His mood had improved, for some strange reason.

They played until the sky turned dark and there was the unexpected sound of the door opening from outside. Qian Duoshu had come back.

Zhou Li stayed where he was sitting, only opening his mouth to greet the man before returning to the game between him and Uncle Dog. At this time, he heard Qian Duoshu curse and yell out for him to help support his body, so he could only walk out helplessly to take care of the drunkard.

The living room lights were turned on.

Qian Duoshu was in the middle of changing his shoes, cheeks slightly flushed and eyes a little cloudy. He didn’t seem to be too drunk, judging by his current state.

Zhou Li walked over to hold him up. “You still need to go to work tomorrow, what are you drinking for?”

Qian Duoshu grinned vaguely. “They told me to go along, so how can I not? You don’t understand what goes on in the workplace, you only know how to tease the dog and anger me every day, and…and what else can you do?” 

Zhou Li echoed, “En, I don’t understand.”

Qian Duoshu lectured him, “If you don’t understand, be honest and don’t cause trouble. Don’t just go around playing with those good-for-nothing friends of yours, none of them are decent kids.”

Zhou Li said, “Actually, they’re quite good.”

He had never been in contact with this type of group in his past life and he felt that these little gangsters were unreasonable, but once he got to know them, he found that the boys were actually pretty cute. They were a bit rebellious, just a little bit, but they can still be saved.

As this thought flashed by, a hand landed on his cheek, the sudden slap instantly catching him off-guard.

The next moment, a force struck him and a kick landed on his stomach. He tumbled backwards and dropped to the ground, quickly raising his head. Only then did he notice the red glow in Qian Duoshu’s eyes.

Maybe it was because he had held back for too long, when everything burst open this time, Qian Duoshu’s entire face was buried underneath a layer of brutality.

He dragged his son’s collar and rammed his neck into the sofa, raising his fist pummelling down. “You dare talk back, did I give you too much face these few days, is that right? Did you think beating me once was enough to make me scared of you? You want to climb on my head and force me to back down*, but let me tell you, like hell that’s going to happen!”

[T/N: author used a variation of an idiom that goes something like ‘climb on my neck and sh*t on everything’, which means to bully or insult someone unscrupulously]

As Zhou Li was beaten, he was admittedly a little confused. After returning to his senses, his first instinct was to resist, but he found that he had been firmly pinned into the sofa by the other man, with absolutely no space for him to act.

“What, you still want to fight back? You want to double back on payment, is that right?” Qian Duoshu’s eyes were bloodshot. “I am your laozi, it is your laozi’s right to beat his son*. Since all you do is waste your time reading without taking in knowledge*, laozi will properly teach you a good lesson!”

[T/N: 天经地义/heaven’s law and earth’s principle]
[T/N: literally, everything you read goes into the dog’s stomach, meaning reading without comprehending the words]

Ji Shaoyan heard the sudden and loud “pa“. His heart jumped and he anxiously scurried out.

At this moment, stumbling across this scene, he had not yet discerned just exactly what his emotions were and subconsciously took a few steps forward.

Qian Duoshu saw the thing walking about from the corner of his eye and immediately threw his son down to the floor. “And you, who eats and sleeps in my house, living a better fucking life than laozi! What, and you still want to bite me?”

Zhou Li heard this and mentally shouted ‘damn’, rushing to climb up and wrap him in his arms before Qian Duoshu had the chance to kick him. He quickly carried him back to the bedroom and slammed the door shut with the back of his hands. Before he was able to make the next move, he received another punch to the face.

Qian Duoshu was enraged. “You still dare to protect it? Get out of laozi’s way!”

Zhou Li naturally wasn’t willing to let him do anywhere near his dog and lifted his legs to swing a kick.

Even so, to work in the field, one had to specialise in the field. To be unskilled in a profession was a fatal flaw and he was quickly defeated once again, beaten with great force right into the floor.

“Remember this, fucking listen to your laozi from now on!”

Qian Duoshu beat him up until he wore himself out and forgot about grabbing the husky to settle accounts. Once he threw out this sentence, he marched into his room with three brisk steps. 

Zhou Li stayed where he was on the floor, his body unmoving as he tried to adjust his breathing in an attempt to relieve the pain in his body.

There was a soft “squeak” by his ear.

Zhou Li slightly turned his head and found that Uncle Dog had finally managed to open the previously closed door.

Ji Shaoyan walked over until he was sitting right in front of his face, lowering his head to stare into his eyes.

Zhou Li reached out a hand and rubbed the other’s head, tugging at the corner of his mouth to smile at him.

Still smiling? Go to a mirror and take a look at your face, how can you still smile at this time?

Ji Shaoyan’s eyes were cold. His mood seemed to be worse than the past two days combined.

Zhou Li took him into his arms and ruffled his fur, feeling a little more comfortable.

He stayed on the ground for a while more, then sat up and rolled his limbs. Going back into his room, he pulled out the baseball bat and went to find Qian Duoshu, only to find that this uncle had been deeply put to sleep by the power of alcohol.

He scuffed his foot against the floor a couple of times, letting out a sigh in his heart.

Be polite to others, in order to reap rewards*. As expected, this principle really wasn’t good. If it were during those first two days after his arrival into this world, he would’ve definitely been able throw his hands down, but recently they have been eating at the same table, so Qian Duoshu was now considered half an acquaintance to him. When he begins his attack, he will subconsciously reduce his strength and the beating won’t even make him that happy.

[T/N: 吃人嘴短: English proverb is most similar to ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’]

He let go of any violent urges and and walked two steps forward, looking down at the person on the bed.

After receiving his salary today, he had bought an electric toothbrush just before leaving the mall to go home. The gift was still sitting in his bedroom, like a big joke.

Even though today was the last day, this was the result.

To be honest, he was a little disappointed, but also not too disappointed.

Initially, when he proposed this deal, he felt that it was very unlikely for Qian Duoshu to fulfil their agreement, but Qian Duoshu’s restraint during the past few days gave him a little hope. Now that the spark of hope had been shattered just as they landed on the last step, while unexpectedly regretful, he suddenly had some understanding towards how the original owner felt during all these years.

The original owner had a label stuck onto his entire body, with the word “trash” written in bold letters. Only the expectation he had towards his father was like a shining pearl amongst the rubbish, painfully polished by the boy protecting this one treasure in his body.

He worked hard to cook his father’s favourite meals, carefully trying to get along and please the man every day, all in the hope that his father could return to his former self as soon as possible. And then, he was disappointed again and again, falling apart again and again.

Ji Shaoyan followed his steps and looked up at him.

Silly Fool was not as sombre nor as mad as last time. Rather, he was strangely at peace.

It was his eyes. This wasn’t the look of someone watching his father, or even the look of watching an assailant who had just attacked him.

If he had to describe it, it was as if he was standing at completely irrelevant position, looking at a person who was completely irrelevant to him. His expression was almost indifferent.

Why?

All this, just because he was the second personality?

Ji Shaoyan couldn’t understand. He thought that even if this guy was the second personality, he still shouldn’t be completely indifferent to being treated like this by his own father.

Zhou Li wasn’t lost in his thoughts for too long, quickly being brought back to the present by the pain in his body.

He must take back control, otherwise this single exception will become endless. He thought about it for a while and tried to lift Qian Duoshu, and found that this fatty was too heavy. He quickly gave up, walking back into his bedroom and picking up his phone to send Er-ge a message.

Out of all these little brothers, Er-ge was the one closest to his house, only living four buildings away from his own.

After the message sent through, Er-ge rushed over and saw the wounds on Ying-ge’s face. His eyes were a little red. He furiously exclaimed, “Fucking hell, where is he!”

Zhou Li said, “Bedroom.”

He had already changed his clothes. While saying the other man’s whereabouts, he picked up the car key that Qian Duoshu had thrown on the shoe cabinet and stuffed it into his pocket. He said to his little brother, “Come, help me carry him downstairs.” 

Er-ge saw this physical battle between body size and his anger disappeared instantly. He cautiously asked, “Ying-ge, what do you want to do?”

Zhou Li said, “Drag him to a good place.”

Er-ge was horrified. “You can’t be considering where to bury him ba?”

He wanted nothing more than to hug Ying-ge’s thighs. “Ge, you, please calm down, we can’t do something like this ah!”

Zhou Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, making an expression that stretched the wound on his face and causing him to let out a “sss”. “Don’t make me laugh, obviously it’s not that. What are you thinking?” 

Er-ge: “Then…”

Zhou Li: “Drink too much and you’ll hurt your body, do you know?” 

Er-ge: “I know.”

“He always drinks, but I’m not willing for him to treat his precious body like this,” Zhou Li said, words deep in sorrow, “I have to be nicer to him!” 

Er-ge blinked. “So?”

Zhou Li said, “I want to take him to the hospital for a stomach pump.” 

Er-ge: “……”

Ji Shaoyan: “……” 

Er-ge was stunned into silence by his genius but was able to quickly recover, following him into the bedroom.

The two worked together to drag Qian Duoshu up and out through the door, lifting him downstairs and stuffing him into the car. Er-ge took a seat in the front passenger seat when he suddenly thought of a serious question. “Ying-ge, can you drive?”

Zhou Li: “I can.” 

Er-ge: “Been…been on the road before?”

Zhou Li: “I’ve been on before. Relax ba.”

Er-ge remained sceptical. Only when he saw that Ying-ge was driving smoothly did he let go of the tight grip on his heart.

Zhou Li drove the car directly to the emergency department and lugged Qian Duoshu into the hall. The moment he stepped into the building, he was instantly possessed the spirit of an actor, yelling in a panic, “Doctor, help! My dad got drunk tonight and beat me, and I don’t know, maybe he was ashamed of himself, but he swallowed a bag of pesticides and now I can’t wake him up! Quickly give him a stomach pump, I’m afraid what’ll happen if it’s too late!”

Er-ge: “……”

Fucking awesome!

The doctor in the emergency room spurred into action by his howling, running out with a “hula” to lay the patient on a bed, and wheeling him away.

After being tossed around this much, Qian Duoshu finally woke up. Opening his eyes ever so slightly a flash of a dazzling white light snuck between his eyelids. It took a moment for him to process group of people standing in front of him.

Qian Duoshu: “?”

The next second, the stomach tube was inserted into his mouth.

Qian Duoshu: “???”

What happened next, Qian Duoshu has no desire to recall.

When he was pushed out, the alcohol had been sucked out, and the whole person slowly recovered from the dumbfounded “Who am I, where am I” state. It was at this point that he saw the culprit.

Zhou Li stood in front of the hospital bed, looked at the drip hanging above the man’s head, and smiled at him. “Come on, experience this in advance.”

Qian Duoshu mumbled, “…What?”

Zhou Li leaned closer and softly whispered, “Experience the feeling of illness, the feeling of being hospitalised in the future, with no one to take care of you. The feeling of lying in a hospital bed, alone.”

He didn’t know whether the rich family would be willing to return their son who they had raised for more than ten years.

Even if the son was willing, he felt that after the young master who had no feelings for Qian Duoshu and had a broad vision with plenty of resources experienced being beaten once by his biological father, the chances of him running from that household sat at a high 80%. Therefore, if Qian Duoshu refused to change, then sooner or later he’ll watch this man meet his end.

“Don’t forget to pay the bills yourself later. I’ve left your wallet on the table.” 

With this, he straightened up and turned away to leave.

The hospital at night was lively and bustling with people coming and going through the doors, but despite the movements of all these strangers, the ward separated by a single wall was terribly quiet.

There were two patients in the room, one on either side of his bed, both with their family members patiently accompanying them. They snuck glances at Qian Duoshu from time to time, a little curious about him and the seemingly friendly but sharp teenager.

Qian Duoshu opened his eyes and looked at the snow-white ceiling. His memory slowly returned.

He had beat his son again, on the last day of their agreed deadline.

Thinking about the rage-induced madness before, then about the wounds on his son’s face and the cold words just now, his eyes gradually reddened. For the first time in all these years, he finally realised with full clarity that he had little to no control over himself. He had to see a doctor.

Zhou Li climbed into the car once he walked out of the emergency department. He first sent his little brother home before returning to his own.

He parked the car and went upstairs, and it was at this time that his memory returned. Compared to the cold-eyed observation from last time, didn’t it feel like Young Master Ji seemed to care for him during this smack-down round? Just a little bit?

He thought for a while and felt it was necessary to try. After taking a shower, he leaned against the bed’s headboard and kept silent.

Ji Shaoyan snuck a few looks, then waddled over to squat in front of him, looking directly at him.

Zhou Li pretended to be gloomy for little while, then pretended to spot him. Touching the dog’s head, he grabbed the golf ball from the side drawer and asked, “Play fetch with me?” 

Drawing cards and playing with toys; the former made him more than a little unhappy and the latter can be done when his paws were forcibly moved to play. Only pushing the ball can be done with his own will. He had thought about this since a long time ago, that the day when this master pushed the ball back was the day he would give him away, but he didn’t know whether this task can be accomplished today.

His voice was very faint, unlike the euphoric way he usually spoke when finding him to play games.

Ji Shaoyan continued to stare at him, watching a small ball roll over from the corners of his eyes. He remained sitting, motionless.

Zhou Li smiled, unbothered.

Ji Shaoyan had always thought that this smile was a bit pitiful. After a few seconds of silence, he thought to himself, let’s just get this over and done with, and stretched out his paw to roll the ball back.

Zhou Li’s eyes lit up with visible sparkles shining. As he was just short of holding his breath, he tentatively pushed the ball once more.

Ji Shaoyan looked at his pitiful state today, especially when it came to saving his face. Filled with compassion, he rolled it back again.

Zhou Li grabbed the ball in a tight grip.

Done!

It’s finally done!

Tomorrow, I can finally wrap you up and send you away!

The author has something to say:

Zhou Li: Great, I can finally spend my remaining years alone!