Нas Shang Zhi Тао сhаnged her waуs? Whеn it was time tо get off wоrk, Luаn Niаn sеnt Shаng Zhi Тao а message: "Come tо mу cаr to gеt sоmеthing."
"Оkaу."
Shаng Zhi Тао got intо the car, but Luаn Niаn showеd no intention оf giving her anуthing. He drоvе strаight tо thе еntrаnce оf hеr aраrtmеnt building.
"Well, thаnk yоu thеn." Shang Zhi Tао unbucklеd her seatbеlt, and Luan Nian аlsо gоt out оf the car: "I'll wаlk уоu up."
...Shаng Zhi Тао соuldn't figure Luаn Niаn out. Нe wаs like a gust оf wind onе mоmеnt, a dоwnроur thе next, and thundеr the next—his emotiоns weren't pаrticularlу stablе.
Whеn Shang Zhi Тao reached the entrance of her unit and saw that he had no intention of leaving, she asked him: "Would you like to come up for a bit?"
"Sure."
He wasn't particularly keen on going. He had no interest in other people's living environments, but remembering how Shang Zhi Tao had stopped him downstairs last time and how she was acting out of character today by not going home with him, he wanted to see what kind of "dog thing" she was raising. The hallway in her building was cramped, and the stairs were uneven. If it were late at night, even a stray cat darting out from the side could scare someone half to death.
Suddenly, he realized that on the days Shang Zhi Tao worked late into the night, she must have walked up these stairs countless times and probably endured quite a few frights. But she usually smiled and laughed, so no one could tell.
Shang Zhi Tao opened the door and went inside. Luan Nian stood at the doorway, glancing around her home, and was surprised to find it clean and tidy. Shang Zhi Tao felt a bit uneasy and pointed to the sofa: "Could you wait here for a moment? I'll pack my things and we can go."
"Go where?"
"Aren't we going to your place?" Shang Zhi Tao had assumed Luan Nian's intentions. Since he had condescended to come here, what else could it be for? It was probably just to let his "bird" out for a stroll, but Shang Zhi Tao didn't want to do it here because this was her home with her good friends. She didn't want to do those things here.
..."What about the dog?"
"I'll bring it. If the dog doesn't go, I won't go." Shang Zhi Tao was really bold today. It must have been Luke who gave her the courage to challenge Luan Nian again and again.
"Hmm." Luan Nian took off his coat and shoes, waiting for Shang Zhi Tao to bring him slippers. Shang Zhi Tao apologized: "There's only one pair of men's slippers at home, and they're Sun Yuanzhu's..."
"It's fine."
Luan Nian stepped onto the floor, walked over to the sofa, and sat down. He watched as Shang Zhi Tao ran to the balcony, opened a small door, and a snowball-like creature tumbled out, rolling and scrambling, overjoyed as if it were something incredible, circling around Shang Zhi Tao.
Shang Zhi Tao was also delighted, stomping her feet lightly on the floor: "Your big sister is back!" She bent down and picked it up: "Wait a moment, I'll pack my things. Today, I'll take you to live in a big villa. How about we go pee in the villa district? What do you think?"
Are you insane?
Luan Nian scoffed inwardly and turned his face away, pulling out his phone to reply to messages. He had a lot of messages and always dealt with them in batches. Just as he was replying, he felt something warm on his foot. Looking down, he saw Shang Zhi Tao's "dog thing" sitting on his foot, sticking out its tongue and grinning at him.
Luan Nian shouted: "Shang Zhi Tao!"
His voice was clearly displeased as he pulled his foot out and moved his leg onto the sofa. Shang Zhi Tao ran out, saw Luan Nian's posture, and then looked at Luke, her eyes widening: "Are you afraid of dogs?"
"Get it away."
"Why?"
Luke had only been here for a few days but had already become the star of the neighborhood. When Shang Zhi Tao took it downstairs to pee in the early morning, the elderly grandparents out for their morning walks adored it. Luan Nian was the first person who didn't like it.
"Get it away."Luan Nian didn't like dogs, especially the kind that looked soft and floppy. How much more exciting would it be to raise a pit bull? What on earth was that thing Shang Zhi Tao was raising? That dog looked just like her—dumb and dopey. Right now, it was sitting on her lap, its two ears drooping, round eyes glancing left and right, before finally settling on Luan Nian. When they stopped at a red light, Luan Nian tilted his head to glance at the little beast, and the little beast wasn't pleased, barking at him once. It seemed to hold a grudge against Luan Nian for his coldness.
"What's its name?" Luan Nian asked Shang Zhi Tao.
"What?"
"What's your dumb dog's name?"
"It's just... Dog..." Shang Zhi Tao smiled at him and patted Luke's head. Luke hadn't quite gotten used to its name yet, so it didn't matter what it was called. It opened its mouth to bite its little ball, its small ears bouncing up and down, thoroughly enjoying itself.
"You got a dog—what are you going to do when you travel for work?"
"My roommate can help me."
Luan Nian glanced sideways at her, noticing the happiness in her expression when she mentioned her roommate, and fell silent.
After getting out of the car, Shang Zhi Tao carried Luke inside. Luan Nian asked her, "You're carrying it inside? Isn't the garage good enough for it?"
"Then I'll stay in the garage too. Or we can go back to the car, make it quick, and I'll carry... Dog away." Her expression was resolute, as if she was determined to stand by her dog through thick and thin.
Luan Nian was both annoyed and amused. "Keep it away from me!"
"It's shy around strangers. It won't get close to you."
Shang Zhi Tao really didn't know her own dog. So "shy around strangers," huh? As soon as they reached the living room and she set it down, it ran over to Luan Nian's legs, scratched at them, and then rolled over onto its back. Luan Nian was stunned. He asked Shang Zhi Tao, "It? Shy around strangers?" He glared at Luke and walked away.
Shang Zhi Tao hurriedly picked up Luke and scolded it, "Can't you read the room? Can't you tell if someone likes you or hates you? Why are you getting so close to him? He doesn't even like you."
These words were quite irritating. Luan Nian gave her a dark look. She, however, acted as if she didn't notice and continued talking to Luke, "I'm telling you, don't be so enthusiastic anymore. If you push me too far, I'll smack you."
She patted Luke's head and set it down to play. Luke, in a new place, found everything interesting. It wandered around, sniffing here and there, but still felt unsatisfied. Then, its hind legs bent, and Shang Zhi Tao's voice turned frantic, "Luke!"
It was too late. Luke had peed on Luan Nian's living room floor, marking its territory. After finishing, it even kicked its hind legs a few times. That shout of "Luke" left both the person and the dog in the room stunned.
Luke: Calling me?
Luan Nian: Who is Luke?
Shang Zhi Tao: Why did I say that out loud?
An eerie silence fell, as if an entire century had passed.
Luan Nian looked at Luke, then at Shang Zhi Tao. "What's its name?"
Shang Zhi Tao wished she could bite off her own tongue. She smiled at Luan Nian and said, "It's called... Dog."
"What did you just call it?" Luan Nian's expression had already turned grim.
Shang Zhi Tao lowered her head and muttered softly, "Luke."
"You named your dog Luke?" Luan Nian asked her.
"I just thought the name... sounded nice." Shang Zhi Tao felt a cold breeze blowing over her head, as if the gates of heaven had opened above her.
But after a long moment, there was no reaction. When she looked up, Luan Nian had already walked to the elevator. He was truly angry.
No matter how harsh he had been to Shang Zhi Tao before, he had never disrespected her to this extent. Could he, then, also get a dog and name it Flora?Upon entering the bedroom to undress, Shang Zhi Tao followed him in and coughed lightly. "Luan Nian."
"Get out." Luan Nian took off his clothes and went to change into a casual T-shirt. Hearing no movement of her leaving, he turned around to look at Shang Zhi Tao. "What is it, Flora?" Calling her Flora—that really meant he was angry.
Shang Zhi Tao walked up to him and, after a long pause, said, "I named him Luke because the name came to mind right away when I was thinking of one, and I thought it sounded nice. It was only after I decided that I realized why it sounded nice—because it’s so similar to your English name. Probably because you’re all I can think about, so I got carried away in the moment... How about... I change his name? I think Alex sounds nice too."
...
Her words carried a certain sincerity, but Luan Nian couldn’t be bothered to engage. "Call him whatever you want, what does it have to do with me?"
Behind him, Shang Zhi Tao pursed her lips, her eyes curving into a smile—wasn’t that a grin?
"So it’s settled, his name is Luke?" Shang Zhi Tao pushed her luck, saying to the dog beside her, "Luke, come on, say hello to Uncle."
"You’re his sister, and I’m his uncle?"
"You’re older, after all..."
Shang Zhi Tao was truly bold today, acting recklessly in front of Luan Nian one after another. Seeing Luan Nian’s expression darken, she even felt a bit pleased, thinking to herself: Hmph, I’m not afraid of you.
Though she told herself she wasn’t afraid of him, once the lights were off and the room plunged into darkness, she still felt fear when his scorching breath swept over her entire body. Every time before Luan Nian went on a long trip, he was always terrifying—more ferocious and harder to handle than before. Sometimes, when Shang Zhi Tao grew tired, he would say, "Did I ask you to move?"
The implication was: I’m not tired, so why should you be?
Today, Shang Zhi Tao really had to thank Luke. Just as she was anxiously wondering how far things would go, Luke suddenly barked by the bedside—she hadn’t even noticed when he’d come in. Luan Nian stopped, looking down at the floor under the watery moonlight. That clueless dog was sitting there, staring right at them!
Damn it.
Luan Nian sat up, took a deep breath to release the frustration in his chest, and then said to Shang Zhi Tao, "Get your dog out of my bedroom."
"He sleeps with me at night," Shang Zhi Tao replied seriously, then got out of bed and took Luke to the guest room.
This time, it was Luan Nian who was left unsettled, lying in bed unable to sleep. In the middle of the night, wanting something cold to drink, he went down to the first-floor living room and opened the refrigerator. Hearing the door open, he saw Shang Zhi Tao wrapped in a down jacket, returning with Luke. Noticing Luan Nian’s suspicious gaze, she explained, "I was afraid he might pee in your house again. Cleaning up once is exhausting enough."
On such a cold night, why would she get up and take Luke out to pee? Luan Nian didn’t look at her, turning away to drink water. The person behind him, carrying a chill, wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his back. She said to him, "If not Luke, then what should I call him? When Luke is gone, there’s still Luke..."
She never knew that loving someone could be so profound—her heart felt unanchored and adrift. She envied his long trips with friends and didn’t want him to be gone for nearly two months. She felt rather useless; he hadn’t even left yet, and she already missed him. She missed him but couldn’t tell him, only able to utter a few light words like these. The rest was just silent resistance and sharp edges.Luan Nian stood there, held by her for a long time before finally turning around, cupping her face, and gently kissing her. Luke let out a soft sound beside them, and Luan Nian paused the kiss, asking Shang Zhi Tao, "So later, can your Luke stay in the guest room by himself for a while? Feels like we're being watched."
"Okay."
Luan Nian's restless body finally found its place, wishing he could empty himself entirely, only to slowly fill up again after leaving her. When he lost control, his teeth grazed Shang Zhi Tao's neck, and she pushed back slightly, "Don't, I have to go home."
Luan Nian ignored her. What did going home matter? He held her down, not letting her move, his tongue pressing against her neck until he heard her gasp, unable to hold back. He knew she liked it.
He liked it too.
Shang Zhi Tao gave as good as she got, even more so than him.
"Would others mind?" Shang Zhi Tao asked him.
"There are no others."
"Huh?"
"There are no others." Luan Nian answered her question directly for the first time: "You probably have some kind of delusion, thinking I have flings all over the world, right? I'm not an animal."
"Then how do you manage when you're away for so long each time?" Shang Zhi Tao sat up and looked at him. The T-shirt draped over her was Luan Nian's, loose and baggy. Even though he'd bought her loungewear, she insisted on wearing his clothes.
"Want me to show you?"
"Sure."
Luan Nian took her hand and whispered, "Like this."
It was scorching hot. Shang Zhi Tao swallowed hard, not daring to meet his eyes. Luan Nian was displeased and said to her, "Look at me. Focus."
His lips pressed against hers, his tongue brushing against hers: "Try harder, Shang Zhi Tao."
Luan Nian was truly something else.
Shang Zhi Tao carpooled back to her hometown with Luke in her arms. At less than two months old, Luke embarked on his first journey in his dog life—a round trip of over two thousand kilometers. He was quite proud of himself.
Old Shang and Da Zhai adored Luke, especially Old Shang, who held Luke on his shoulder like a grandson: "Ah, my little Luke, I'll take you out to greet the New Year on the first day of the Lunar New Year!"
"Do you know how to bow? Learn to bow, and we'll get some red envelopes. I'll buy you meat when we come back!"
"Hey, Luke! Don't eat that meat! It's salty! Your snow-white fur can't handle salty food!"
"Where's Luke? Where's Luke? Grandpa will take you out to play!"
Shang Zhi Tao protested, "Why call him Grandpa? Call me sister, and call him Grandpa—that messes up the generations!"
"What should we call him then?"
Shang Zhi Tao didn't know either. After thinking for a while, she finally said, "Call him Uncle!"
It was still New Year's Eve, with firecrackers crackling outside. Shang Zhi Tao said to Luke, "Another year has passed, Luke."
In New York, Luan Nian was playing cards with a few good friends. His friend Chen Kuan Nian noticed the two hickeys on his neck and teased, "Pretty intense, huh?"
Luan Nian glanced at him but said nothing.
A little later, he received an email from Shang Zhi Tao, still just a short line: "Happy New Year. I wish you all the best."
"Happy New Year. May your Luke grow strong and healthy."
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