Puppy
The butler bent down gracefully and extended a hand, flamboyantly presenting the items inside the wooden cabinet. “Little Master, do you like them?”
Very quickly, he froze in place.
Because in this whole little performance, he was the only one passionately engaged.
His props? The kind that needed to be pixelated.
His sole audience? Staring wide-eyed in stunned silence.
The room’s atmosphere? Awkward, quiet, and downright bizarre.
The butler had always thought that the only person whose thoughts he couldn’t read was Gu Yilan.
But now he realized—he couldn’t make sense of Su Zesui either.
Not because the boy was especially good at hiding his feelings, but because—his emotions were just too contradictory.
Crying and laughing, joy and sadness—they were always so disjointed. They came and went in a flash, not like how normal people process things gradually or in patterns.
Sometimes, the butler even felt like the boy’s body was crying, but his soul was floating somewhere else.
So, he started testing the waters again—
“Little Master, do you know? Young Master Gu is a very terrifying hum… human being,” he caught himself mid-slip and made an emergency correction.
“If you marry him, he’ll use these toys to tie you to his side, lock you in a golden cage, and you’ll never escape his control. You might never even leave this room for the rest of your life.”
As he spoke, he noticed Su Zesui’s eyes begin to sparkle again—like a sky full of stars lighting up one by one inside his pupils.
The butler let out a breath of relief.
…Looks like he guessed right.
“Would Little Master like to come take a closer look?” he prompted again.
He was feeling confident—until he noticed that when Su Zesui’s gaze shifted to the cabinet, the sparkle in his eyes was quickly replaced by confusion and resistance.
Then, a flash of inspiration struck the butler. He spoke with sudden clarity, “Don’t worry, Little Master. These things were all bought by Young Master Gu. He likes them too.”
He won’t think you’re weird.
Sure enough, the moment he said that, Su Zesui slowly slid off the bed and walked over to the cabinet.
The butler felt proud of his quick thinking.
When he saw Su Zesui gently stroke the dog ears inside—like he was petting a real puppy—his heart swelled even more.
Letting Su Zesui see these items served two purposes: on one hand, it might help the boy grow more fond of Young Master Gu; on the other, it would assure Young Master Gu that the little master was obedient, well-behaved, and within bounds—making it easier for him to lower his guard.
And with that sweet, puppy-like image? The effect would double. Maybe Young Master Gu would melt just from one glance.
Su Zesui didn’t understand those strange belts and chains, but he liked fluffy things.
The dog ears he was touching were round and soft, with pale pink skin where there wasn’t any fur. The fluffy texture glided lightly across his fingertips, filling his chest with warmth and softness.
This must be some kind of pretend-animal game.
He had heard of it before—something called cosplay, maybe? A lot of people liked it.
Su Zesui took several of the costume pieces out of the cabinet.
He understood the dog ears and paws easily enough—but that oddly shaped dog tail? He couldn’t quite figure that one out.
From his years of learning “mechanics,” he reasoned that there wasn’t a good structural point on the body to attach the tail securely.
As he sat there with a straight face analyzing the tail’s stress points, the butler, cheeks flushed, quickly snatched the furry tail away. “Little Master, let’s not use this one yet. I—I’ll put it away.”
With that, he dashed off to another cabinet, rummaging frantically and burying the tail in some deep, secret corner that probably wouldn’t see the light of day unless someone moved out.
When he turned back around, he found Su Zesui staring intently at him.
“I want a bunny,” the boy said.
“What?!” The butler panicked, thinking he’d waited too long to hide the tail and had traumatized Su Zesui into a full-blown PTSD-induced nausea attack. “Little Master, please don’t throw up1 in the cabinet! I’ll take you to the bathroom! It’s all my fault!”
Su Zesui frowned in confusion, then raised his little hands above his head and formed two “bunny ears” with his fingers. In a soft, sweet voice, he repeated, “Bunny.2”
The butler froze, then sighed in relief.
Oh, bunny. The little master really did like rabbits—haha.
The butler didn’t really understand BDSM or the “love for aesthetics” part of these games, nor what kinds of animals were popular. So he could only say, “Little Master, just make do for now. Once you marry Young Master Gu, whatever creature you want, he’ll get it for you.”
Su Zesui nodded obediently. He picked up the dog-ear headband from the cabinet and placed it gently on his soft black hair, even giving his head a shake so the floppy ears bounced with it.
The dog paws were full-coverage mitts—you couldn’t really grab anything with them on.
So he went digging for something else.
Inside the cabinet, there was also a leash.
When you tugged on the gold-threaded chain, the leather collar at the end would tighten sharply—it looked suffocating just at a glance.
Su Zesui picked up the leash and held it up to his own neck, as if testing how well it fit. He seemed to think it was a matching “walking the dog” accessory for the costume.
His movements were natural, completely free of psychological resistance.
But for the butler watching on the side, it was he who felt like he couldn’t breathe.
The boy’s skin was fair and delicate, and his slender neck looked like a handful of snow on a winter morning. Paired with the stark black leather collar, it was like an angel fallen to earth—caught between purity and desire, struggling in the space between.
It wasn’t just inappropriate to imagine— It was illegal.
The butler forced himself to stay calm, straightening his back with an air of righteousness as he deflected all responsibility while the boss wasn’t around: “These are all things Young Master Gu likes.”
And the little master liked them too.
Which meant… they were a perfect match, made in heaven.
Su Zesui didn’t care much for the chains. He didn’t like the color black, so he didn’t pick the leash—he only chose the cute dog ears and paw mittens.
“You can try them on first, Little Master. When Young Master Gu gets back, I’ll text you—then you can show him.” Feeling like he was at his limit, the butler made up a flimsy excuse and fled.
. . . . .
Gu Yilan came back at 7 PM.
As soon as Su Zesui got the heads-up from the butler, he dropped the competition prep class he was watching online and quickly put on the cosplay accessories.
He sat down on the bed, his pale, slender arms resting between his legs, eyes lowered, trying his best to pose like an adorable, seated puppy.
From what he vaguely remembered, this was called something like… “role restoration.”
In Su Zesui’s understanding, Gu Yilan had been upset earlier by bad people. So if he played cosplay with him and “restored” a character Gu liked, it might cheer him up. That counted as step two in his strategy for raising affection points.
So, when Gu Yilan walked into the room, what he saw was this—
The boy sat quietly on the bed and turned his head at the sound of the door opening.
His long, dark lashes lifted slightly, and the furry dog ears nestled in his soft black hair twitched ever so gently. The moment he saw Gu Yilan, his brows arched in a sweet smile.
Following the line of his slender body downward, the two fluffy paws placed neatly between his thighs were particularly eye-catching.
Gu Yilan’s step faltered almost imperceptibly. A flicker of emotion passed through his dark eyes—complex, unreadable.
But he was far too used to hiding how he felt, and that flicker disappeared almost instantly.
He walked over to the bed, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked down at the boy without betraying any clear emotion.
The butler, who had followed him in, saw how well-behaved the little master looked and couldn’t help admiring him inwardly: Look at him—so cute, so endearing. This strategy definitely worked.
But to the butler’s surprise, the atmosphere in the room wasn’t as playful or flirtatious as he’d imagined.
The two of them—one standing, one sitting—remained silent for a long time, locked in what felt like a quiet standoff. Whoever spoke first would lose ground.
The tension grew heavier and heavier, until even the butler was considering breaking the silence himself—when finally, the boy on the bed parted his soft lips ever so slightly, as if he had weighed his words for a long time before deciding what to say.
The butler watched him with relief and anticipation, hoping this would end the deadlock.
Then he saw those soft lips move and heard the boy timidly whisper: “Woof woof.”
The butler: ???
Wait—that whole silence was because he was too deep into character?! He really thinks he’s a dog now?!
And yet, those two simple barks had an unexpected effect.
Gu Yilan raised an eyebrow, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly—like a wild wolf lowering its guard.
He gave the boy a slow once-over, making sure there were no… dog tails in sight, before finally speaking: “What are you playing at?”
The boy’s clear eyes reflected his tall figure, and at those words, a hint of worry appeared in them—as though he was debating whether it was okay to break character and talk like a human.
After a long pause, he softly replied, “A puppy.”
“You mean you?” Gu Yilan asked.
Su Zesui blinked his long lashes, then nodded happily.
“Are you done playing now?” Gu Yilan didn’t comment further. He simply turned and walked toward a nearby cabinet. “If you’re done, take it off, lean against the headboard, and close your eyes.”
Su Zesui ignored the first part of that sentence. In his mind, he imagined himself as a puppy lounging on a soft bed, so he obediently leaned against the pillows and closed his eyes.
He heard the sound of rummaging. Then, the sound of footsteps approaching.
Moments later, with two light puffs, he felt a sudden chill around his knees.
He instinctively wanted to open his eyes—but remembering Gu Yilan’s instructions, he kept them shut, tightly.
After a few more cool bursts on his knees, Su Zesui finally heard the man say, “Alright, you can open your eyes now.”
He squinted them open just a little and saw Gu Yilan putting the first aid kit back into the cabinet. The bruised area on his knees still looked slightly damp.
So the “puff puff” sound earlier had been from the spray medicine.
Before he could even come up with words of thanks, Gu Yilan tossed a pair of handcuff keys over and said, “Clean yourself up. We’re going downstairs to watch TV.”
Su Zesui: !
Supplement! I need an emotional supplement before watching TV with that many humans—wuwuwu.
Gu Yilan stood at the doorway, leaning lazily against the frame with his arms crossed, waiting—impatiently. The pressure in his stance made it clear: this was not up for negotiation.
And since Su Zesui had already broken the schedule once that morning, he felt too guilty to say no. Even if he didn’t want to, he had no choice but to comply.
Because he was about to face a whole crowd of humans, he finally took off the puppy costume pieces he’d stubbornly kept on earlier. In just a few quick motions, they were off. He slipped into his little bunny slippers and pattered over to Gu Yilan.
“Let’s go,” Gu Yilan said, lowering his arms and following half a step behind him as they headed toward the living room.
This time, with the big boss present, no one dared to slack off. The projection screen obediently displayed the national news broadcast—dull and monotonous, putting the maids and staff nearly to sleep.
Just like last time, Su Zesui curled up in the last row of seats, shivering slightly, his long lashes trembling.
The only difference was—this time, Gu Yilan sat beside him the entire time.
The unfamiliar proximity of another human body, the soft sounds of his breathing… It was all too much for Su Zesui. His chest felt tight, like he couldn’t catch his breath.
Unable to take it anymore, he quietly took out his phone, propped it up on the little table in front of him, and stealthily started watching a competition prep class.
To him, time always flew when he was studying.
He just wanted to blink—and have this painful moment, surrounded by strangers, be over.
But because he was truly scared, even the competition livestreams he normally liked weren’t helping much. He stared at the screen for ages, but none of the knowledge seemed to sink in.
Just then, a notification popped up on his phone—
[Stranger 。: Are you scared?]
The message hit the nail on the head. Su Zesui’s breath caught, and he felt his heart skip a beat.
Ever since that post went viral, random people had been messaging him. He had social anxiety, so he set his Ahoo app to “Do Not Disturb.” Most private messages were filtered out, and only a few managed to get through the net.
But now, this sudden message not only bypassed his filters, it also nailed his emotional state with uncanny precision. It felt almost supernaturally accurate.
Su Zesui held his phone tightly, didn’t reply, and instinctively glanced at the man beside him.
Maybe his gaze was too direct and intense, because Gu Yilan turned his head slightly and gave him a casual glance—then looked away just as indifferently, eyes returning to the projected news on the wall in front of him, watching with sharp focus.
Mr. Gu took his schedule very seriously. He didn’t even glance around, so he probably hadn’t noticed him secretly watching online lectures—let alone that he’d just received a message from a stranger.
In this entire living room, he was likely the only one quietly slacking off.
Feeling a bit more at ease, Su Zesui also started to feel slightly guilty. After all, Gu Yilan had told him many times not to talk to others.
But after holding it in for a while, curiosity eventually won over reason. Naive and unaware of the dangers of the world, he typed out a question—
[User1947296: How did you know?]