Life-Saving Days by the Husky’s Side

Zhou Li tried to maintain his current expression, squeezing out an “oh” without changing his face.

In fact, his heart was extremely on edge. On one hand, he wanted to quickly borrow that ancient book to have a look; on the other hand, he knew it wouldn’t work.

Because Ji Shaoyan is too smart.

If he asked to borrow the book, Ji Shaoyan will definitely find someone to translate the contents beforehand in order to figure out what he wanted to do. If he read something that he shouldn’t have read, Ji Shaoyan might figure out that Zhou Li may not be the so-called second personality he claimed he was and directly throw the book into a fire.

This was tricky.

As fate would have it, one of the ancient books was actually in the hands of this con-man*.

[T/N: 白切黑/white cut black: white exterior (appearance), black interior (soul)

For a moment, Zhou Li even wanted to forget about trying at all. He could honestly stay for one more month and if he manages to return to his world once the time is up, he’ll host a party on his grave. If he can’t transmigrate back, he’ll simply continue to live* this life. However, once he turned this idea over in his head, he felt quite unwilling.

[T/N: 得过且过/muddle through: just getting by with no ambitions (satisfied to just get through)]

Inexplicably falling into a three-day coma, his weird dreams, a jade that exists in both worlds… These events showed that there was a problem. For all he knew, he could still be here today, but be thrown elsewhere out of the blue tomorrow.

Although he was technically dead and will profit no matter where he ends up, he didn’t want to live his days so precariously. Besides, the detective work was truly tough; he can’t even work out how he came through and how to go out. This was just a failure all around.

After thinking about it, he immediately asked, “Was there anything else at the auction?”

Ji Shaoyan: “Of course there was. How about you give me a hint?”

Zhou Li succinctly offered, “Antiques.”

Ji Shaoyan smiled slightly. “Oh, then I’ll have to carefully think about it.”

Zhou Li hummed “en” then looked at the podium in silence.

He regrets his actions very much. This con-man indeed held a grudge and it will probably take some time before the young master is able to ‘think’ about things. 

Option subjects lasted for two consecutive periods, still with a maximum of 30 students in a classroom. If there were too many people in the course, the students in each class will be divided randomly by the system. This system was truly so powerful that it was able to throw all of them together.

The first class was over very quickly. Liang Jingxiu turned around once again to face them. “Continuing with our chat before, weren’t you going to show us videos of the little golden retriever? Show me some photos of Eggy along the way bei.”

Ji Shaoyan glanced at him.

Liang Jingxiu knew he will meet some kind of misfortune very soon but right now, he was far too curious. He’ll admit his wrongdoings at a later time*.

[T/N: 之后就是被整他也认了 (not sure what this means)]

Zhou Li felt a chance appear and said, “I don’t have any photos of him in my phone.”

The smile at the corners of Liang Jingxiu’s lips stiffened. It’s over, he thought. I’m doomed.

But he soon recalled that A-Yan said he had slept with Zhou Li in the same bed. No matter what, it was impossible for his friend to be neglected like this ah, so he asked, “Why?”

Zhou Li sighed, softly confessing, “Because he was injured at the time, he just laid on his stomach all day long, so I thought that I’ll wait for him to fully heal before considering photos. When he was finally okay, he happened to be vaccinated and slept throughout most of that day. Afterwards, some issues came up and I had no other choice but to give him away. I ended up not taking any photos, or else I’d just feel sad everytime I looked at them.” 

Liang Jingxiu suddenly felt the dark clouds above his head disappear and said, “But didn’t you think he was cold?”

Zhou Li naturally couldn’t overturn his own words and openly admitted, “I did ah.”

However, there must be a turning point here*. He said, “But he was very obedient and smart. He didn’t demolish the house like other huskies. A fluffy little ball, always willing to watch TV with me…”

[T/N: could refer to both ZL and LJX trying to make JSY happy to get what they want]

It’s such a shame that the best Eggy in the world will never return to him.

His sorrow appeared to be very genuine and he sighed again. “Let’s change the subject ba. Anyway, he’s returned to his owner’s side. Don’t make me think about him anymore.”

Ji Shaoyan looked at him and finally participated in the conversation, where he had not made a single contribution during the topic surrounding pets. With a tranquil and even-tempered voice, he asked, “So you later went on to raise a golden retriever? You won’t give it away this time?”

Why are you like this? Why can’t you even let go of one little golden retriever?

Zhou Li strongly criticised the person in his heart and honestly said, “It’s unnecessary to send it away. Last time I sent Eggy away, it was because of personal reasons and my family environment. Since I live with the Zhou family now, even if my other personality is not willing to raise a dog, my family will help raise it anyway.”

Ji Shaoyan had already predicted this reasoning and answer. Nevertheless, he still felt uneasy.

However, drinking vinegar over a little golden retriever was kindergarten behaviour, so he suppressed his discontent, thinking that as long as Zhou Li’s focus could return to him and him only, he would be able to tolerate that play-thing for the time being.

Zhou Li snuck a glance and found that the young master’s expression had not changed at all. He was gradually growing more melancholic. “Alright, let’s talk about something else.”

Ji Shaoyan was very considerate. “Okay. I haven’t met my brother’s girlfriend yet so I’ll also come along with you two after school ba.”

Zhou Li raised his eyebrows.

Coming to look at the body of the dog you occupied before, this young master is truly immune to discomfort.

Hearing the new turn of plans, Liang Jingxiu quickly interjected, “I’ll come too”

This matter was quickly settled.

Once Zhou Li was finished with his remaining option class, he ended his plastic sympathetic act with a certain desk mate and went out, contacting Song Yingshi along the way.

Song Yingshi has long suspected the husky in the videos and photos was not the same as the one they raised. She was worried that Ji Shaoyan may also be in on the animal experiment project. After running wildly through her messy thoughts, she asked, “What if he wants to stay close so he can observe us? Is this okay?” 

Zhou Li said, “It’s okay. We’re in broad daylight.”

Song Yingshi thought what he said made sense and no longer disagreed after that.

Everyone went back to their designated classes for two more periods in the afternoon. Once school was over, they met up by the entrance and walked outside. Zhou Luwen and Zhou Li usually took a ride back home together every day. Hearing that the other boy was going to visit the dog today, Zhou Luwen decided to follow along.

Ji Tianyang and his little cousin were waiting for them at the door. Seeing this parade approaching them, they were immediately taken aback.

The little cousin’s fell under Ji Shaoyan’s gentle eyes and his knees went soft in an instant.

Back then, he stole his father’s technology and pressed the activation button with his cousin to perform the experiment on Young Master Ji. Right now, seeing the person in front of him, he couldn’t hold back feelings waves of guilt and fear, knowing that in the next few years, they will suffer greatly under the hands of this young master.

Ji Tianyang saw from the corners of his eyes that his cousin was on the verge of scuttling behind him to hide, so he said, “You go back first ba.”

As if he had been granted amnesty, the little cousin reluctantly greeted these people before speedily climbing into his car to run away.

Ji Tianyang, on the other hand, could not hide. He bit the bullet and went to stand in front of his older brother, asking with a concerned tone, “Ge, has your ankle healed yet?”

Ji Shaoyan glanced at this stupid little brother.

He has only seen Ji Tianyang once since he regained consciousness in his own body, and shortly afterwards the the two of them were grounded in separate locations. Today was the second meeting after so many days. He warmly assured, “It’s okay, you can’t be blamed for this. Your personality is just like this, you trust people too easily.”

So you’re calling me stupid bei?

Ji Tianyang endured it, honestly listening to the lecture in its entirety before sending him into the car, step by step.

Several cars drove out of the school one after another and quickly arrived in a community.

Ji Tianyang’s little girlfriend was not Mingying’s, but a student from a public high school. They waited for a while in the small central square for the girl to come back from school, and then waited an additional seven or eight minutes to see her walk over with the husky.

Song Yingshi subconsciously took two steps forward and tentatively called out, “Eggy?”

“……” It was the first time Ji Tianyang had heard of this name, because they all used “it” when addressing the dog in the group chat.

He was almost caught off guard. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly and he everything in his power to stiffen his expression.

Song Yingshi didn’t notice this reaction and went on to squat down, looking at the husky. “Eggy?”

The husky puppy suddenly stumbled upon these strangers and paused in its steps. Then, it yelled “ao” with its squeaky milky voice.

Zhou Li: “……”

Song Yingshi: “……”

Zhou Li noticed that it was looking up and he saw the exact replica of the “Laozi is upset just by looking at you”* emoticon pack. He thought it was pretty meng and he wanted to pick it up to knead its fur.

[T/N: 老子看你不爽 表情包: search this for examples]

The husky puppy surrendered immediately, screaming “ao” once again. It struggled with its little body to jump out of his arms, even stepping on him with two tiny paws.

Zhou Li: “……”

The little girlfriend became embarrassed. “Sorry, it’s a bit antsy and doesn’t know how to stay still.”

As she said this, she looked up at this group of people, although her gaze stayed on Ji Shaoyan for a few seconds longer than the others. Realizing that he was about to look over, she switched to look at Song Yingshi and raised a friendly smile. “Did you guys call it Eggy? This name is so cute.”

Song Yingshi strained to return the smile and, afraid of exposing themselves, said to Zhou Li. “We’ve seen it now, let’s go back ba.”

Zhou Li’s glass heart almost shattered into pieces under the stomps of the two tiny paws. He silently returned to Zhou Luwen’s side and briefly waved to Ji Tianyang as a goodbye before turning away to leave. Ji Shaoyan flicked a glance over at Silly Fool, then calmly watched the husky who was joyously bounding around. He kindly excused himself and the others, saying that they won’t disturb their date for any longer, and also left afterwards.

The little girlfriend didn’t know why they all left so soon. When everyone cleared out, she looked at Ji Tianyang and cautiously asked, “Want to go for a walk?”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “You go by yourself ba, I’m going back to eat.”

His girlfriend said, “Then let’s eat together?”

Ji Tianyang refused, “No.”

The girl’s eyes reddened, feeling wronged. “Just what do you want? All you’ve done these days is neglect me. I admit, I shouldn’t have kicked up a fuss over a dog back then and that I caused you to be grounded, but I’ve already apologised for everything ah! Can’t you forgive me and let us be a proper couple?”

Ji Tianyang, with that sloppy temperament of his, wore a smile that did not feel much like a smile. “Become a proper couple, then find a way to hook up with my big brother? Just now, your eyes were almost lurking on him, did you think I wouldn’t catch that?”

His girlfriend’s expression stiffened and she instantly cried out, “You’re accusing me! Besides, your brother isn’t my type at all!”

Ji Tianyang laughed out loud. “How does him not being your type have to do with anything? All he has to do is to put his identity out in the open. No shame in admitting it, people climb high while water flows low*. I’ve always liked your wisdom* when it comes to judging the situation.”

[T/N: 人往高处走水往低处流/people go to high places, water flows to lower places: people are ambitious and will work hard to achieve their wants. Water, by nature, flows downwards if there’s a slope. This saying basically means, if people don’t work hard, they will go down (like water)]
[T/N: 小聪明: clever in trivial matters/sharp but petty-minded]

With this praise, he no longer bothered with her and left without a word.

The little girlfriend subconsciously wanted to run up and hug him but was avoided. She could only look at him in a panic, not daring to ask what their relationship was like now. 

She didn’t know why this turned out as it did. Some time ago, there was an inexplicable feeling that “the more you make trouble with him, the more he likes you”. But would’ve known he would turn his face faster than turning a page in a book, changing his personality in the blink of an eye as if the previous indulgences and heartwarming sweetness were all fake.

After Ji Tianyang left, he directly went home and hurried into the house before dinner started.

Ji Shaoyan was slightly surprised. “Don’t you want to stay with your little girlfriend some more?”

Ji Tianyang pretended to be a little dissatisfied with his own actions, saying, “I wanted to, but she kept insisting on doing her homework. I don’t even know why she has so much homework to finish.” 

How could he risk staying ah?

It’s his big brother’s first day back home after being discharged from the hospital and he, the source of this entire incident, actually ran out to play. If his grandfather didn’t see him at the dinner table, he definitely wouldn’t be willing to see him in the future. His big brother is truly black-hearted, able to set down a trap for someone anytime, anywhere.

Ji Shaoyan was noncommittal and motioned for the little brother to push him into the dining room.

After their family peacefully made it through the filling meal, Ji Tianyang returned to his bedroom and soon received a call from his little cousin.

“How was it, how did Zhou-shao and Song Yingshi react?” The little cousin was almost too nervous to function. “Did they say anything about it being a different dog from before?”

Ji Tianyang said, “They didn’t say anything.”

The little cousin suddenly saw a ray of hope. “Then doesn’t this mean we didn’t succeed, he was just in a coma for the summer holiday?”

Ji Tianyang: “Doesn’t look like it.”

“Ah?” The little cousin was unable to form a single coherent word at this point. “Are-are-are you sure? Maybe we’re just think-think-thinking too much? Maybe it really didn’t-didn’t…didn’t succeed ah! We can’t scare-scare-scare…scare ourselves!” 

Ji Tianyang said, “You’re right. So, try to show up in front of him as little as possible. If you really can’t escape the encounter, pretend you were unsuccessful in the experiment.”

The little cousin was about to burst into tears. “I can’t do it!”

He felt like the sky was falling. “He won’t let us go, what do we do? Do you think sending him something he likes will work?”

Ji Tianyang retorted, “What do you think?”

The little cousin mumbled, “Just…let’s just try it bei?”

Ji Tianyang berated this absolute dumbass in his head and said, “Sure, then you go find something, we’ll discuss this more once you do.”

He dismissed his cousin, thinking that with the type of character Ji Shaoyan occupied, how could he possibly be bought by an object?

Instead of wasting time on Ji Shaoyan, it was better to develop a good relationship with Zhou Li and Song Yingshi. Basing off Ji Shaoyan’s attitude towards Zhou Li, it was obvious that Zhou Li was the true key to success.

He followed through with his plans and bought two small gifts the following day, giving them to Zhou Li and Song Yingshi with the excuse of ‘his girlfriend wanting to thank them for taking care of her husky’.

When it was lunchtime, he scanned around the room and came to a stop in front of Zhou Li with a food tray in his hands. Putting away his usual frivolous attitude*, he smiled politely and greeted, “Zhou-shao, Xiao Wen-ge*, is anyone using this seat?”

[T/N: 玩世不恭: takes a non-serious attitude towards everything]
[T/N: 小文哥: (little) big brother Wen; don’t know why he’s called that. Maybe JTY called him that previously? Don’t know where the ‘little’ comes from since the Zhou Li and Zhou Luwen were born on the same day]

Zhou Luwen nodded at him, watching the other sit down beside him and asking, “No one’s here to eat with you?”

Ji Tianyang: “It’s not that; I’m here to find Zhou-shao. He was injured because of a misunderstanding before and it’s constantly weighing on my mind.”

Zhou Li flicked a glance over to him. “It’s fine, you already paid for it.”

Ji Tianyang smiled and said, “Thank you, Zhou-shao. You have a truly magnanimous heart*.”

[T/N: 大人大量: a person with a big heart and will not bear hatred]

He pulled out his ‘little brother’ appearance and chatted with them from time to time throughout the meal. It wasn’t until they were almost finished that he offered an invitation, “Zhou-shao, do you like basketball? How about we go a few rounds after this?”

Zhou Li subconsciously wanted to refuse bu the words stopped a second before they were about to leave his mouth.

The original plot has gone crooked at Ji Tianyang’s sub-plot. He hasn’t figured out what’s going on yet, and he didn’t know whether his transmigration had anything to do with this. If there was no correlation, then Ji Tianyang’s character is indeed stupid. And if he was indeed stupid, that’s even better, because then he can borrow that book through Ji Tianyang instead.

So he happily agreed, taking a short brief after the meal before going out to play with Ji Tianyang.

The cafeteria in the school’s leisure area faced the basketball court. Ji Shaoyan sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, silently staring in their direction.

He thought that judging by Zhou Li’s peculiar attitude towards a certain interest, the boy would’ve definitely asked him about the progress of his antique-search today. Who would’ve expected that this silly fool would instead nest in his classroom for practically the entire morning, not coming to find him during the lunch break but instead running off to play with Ji Tianyang.

His gaze fell on Ji Tianyang. His eyes narrowed. 

From last night’s interactions to today’s observations, he constantly felt that his stupid little brother was behaving rather strangely. The changes lately have not been small.

Liang Jingxiu and Yan Yunhui were also in the cafeteria.

The former followed his gaze and said with a smile, “How did these two come together? I think they also ate lunch together today.”

Ji Shaoyan asked, “Who has Xiao-Yang been close to recently?”

Liang Jingxiu answered, “Since the beginning of school, I’ve only seen him hanging out with his little cousin.”

He paused, then smiled meaningfully. “Your little lover is likely to be the runner up.”

Ji Shaoyan didn’t respond in any way and continued to stare in that direction. 

Either Zhou Li realised yesterday that the husky was not the same one as before and through his brain’s powerful ability to conjure up ideas, wanted to gather information on Ji Tianyang, or, his stupid little brother wanted to get close to Zhou Li for some unknown purpose.

He thought about Zhou Li’s attitude towards him, balanced the pros and cons in his mind, then made a decisive decision. He called his driver, asking the man to help him buy something, then finished his afternoon classes and sent a message to Zhou Li just when school was about to end: Are you free today? I remembered something about the auction, want to chat?

Zhou Li looked at the WeChat display with great satisfaction.

He originally wanted to test things out but didn’t expect it to actually work. It has only been a day and Ji Shaoyan took the initiative to find him.

He immediately replied “okay” and briefly informed Zhou Luwen on what he where he will be going after class. With a wide grin on his face, he went to find Ji Shaoyan and helped push the other’s wheelchair downstairs. “Where shall we chat?”

Ji Shaoyan said, “You can choose anywhere outside.”

Zhou Li had no objections, following him into the young master’s car and watching the other raise the sound insulation board. He thought that they were about to have a long discussion about the subject at hand and praised the rather high efficiency of this young master.

Just as this thought flashed by, Ji Shaoyan took out an object and placed it in the space between them.

The object appeared to be as big as a tablet. It was a plastic husky head, with the bottom row of teeth being two rounds shorter than the one they played with in the past. 

Zhou Li: “……”

Ji Shaoyan said, “Come, play this with me.”

Zhou Li: “……”

It’s over. In what way does this young master want to talk about antiques, he obviously wants to confess* to him!

[T/N: lay out his cards]

I only left you for a day! How the hell did you come to this conclusion?

The author has something to say: 

Zhou Li: What to do, pretend that my injury isn’t fully healed? Is it fine to faint?

Ji Shaoyan: It’s fine. It would be best if it’s the kind of fainting that won’t wake you up no matter what I do to you.