Chapter 34: Unacceptable

Chapter 34: Out of Line

"Alright, I'm heading out."

Chen Shuo'an's hair was gently tugged—it didn't hurt, just tickled.

He smiled and said goodbye to his buddies, trailing after Yuan Rang toward Guangyang Palace.

"You coming with me tomorrow?"

Chen Shuo'an was lying by the pond watching the golden-red fish swim in the water. Feeling mischievous, he plucked a dead branch from a nearby willow and tossed it in, watching a bunch of dumb fish scramble to snatch at it.

These fish were hilariously fat, each one round and pudgy, all squished together into one big golden ball.

He was having a blast, like a total kid, and replied casually to Yuan Rang's question: "No need, I'm bringing Chen Gangpao along too, so they can all see what a real show-stopper of a dog looks like."

Yuan Rang's gaze dropped, watching Chen Shuo'an's grinning reflection in the water, and pressed again: "Bring Chen Gangpao along—can you come with me?"

Chen Shuo'an, none the wiser, reached his hand down to gently stroke the unafraid fish, letting them swim between his fingers.

"Nah, that's too much hassle for you."

Yuan Rang's dark eyes locked onto the fish that looked like they were kissing Chen Shuo'an's fingertips, telling himself he wasn't about to get jealous over some damn fish.

Chen Gangpao was bad enough, but these fat fish too?

The next second, a pebble plopped into the water, sending ripples across the pond. The goldfish got spooked and bolted out of sight.

"Huh?"

Chen Shuo'an yelped in surprise as his hands were yanked away from the water.

Yuan Rang pulled a clean handkerchief from his robes and casually wiped the water off his hands: "You really had the nerve to stick your hand in there? What if you fell in, huh?"

Chen Shuo'an pouted, thinking his scolding was total bullshit: "I'm seventeen, not seven. I know what I'm doing."

As he talked, he remembered how his buddies had been roasting his precious dog's fur that morning, and asked, genuinely curious: "Your Highness, what do you think of Gangpao's looks?"

Yuan Rang had been sick of Chen Gangpao for a long time, especially since Chen Shuo'an had rejected him twice that day over that stupid mutt.

If Chen Gangpao could one-up him today, tomorrow he'd be two steps ahead.

Yuan Rang's face stayed perfectly neutral, cool as a cucumber, but underneath, he was quietly throwing shade: "Gangpao's got some special fur, real weird-looking, and even the way he plays is different from normal dogs."

Chen Shuo'an immediately got suspicious, yanking his hand back from Yuan Rang's grip, his eyes going wide as saucers, a bad feeling creeping up on him: "What did he do now?"

Yuan Rang neatly folded the handkerchief and held it in his palm, giving a light chuckle, trying to sound reassuring: "Dogs are just naughty. He spends his days chewing on the walls or sneaking out to dig holes and roll around in them. Wild and free, real cute."

Chen Shuo'an: "..."

Cute my ass.

So that's why this dumb dog's mouth fur was getting whiter—he'd been secretly gnawing on walls and staining it!

He took a deep breath, his blood boiling: "Where'd he do it? How the hell didn't I notice?"

Yuan Rang smirked, playing it cool: "You didn't know? Gangpao chewed all the grass in Cuixuan Garden down to the dirt. There are about five or six holes in the ground that the servants can't fill no matter how hard they try. He's been better behaved these past few days, though—spends all his time staring at the white parrot my grandfather left here."

Gnawed the grass bare.

Dug fifteen or sixteen holes that can't be filled.

Staring at someone's little bird with bad intentions.

All of it, the crimes of that little shit Chen Gangpao!

Chen Shuo'an's veins were popping in his forehead, sure that in two lifetimes he'd never seen such a capable little menace of a dog.

Yuan Rang was startled to see he was genuinely mad, and got annoyed at himself. He dropped the whole stirring-the-pot act and slowly moved to Chen Shuo'an's side, reaching out to pat his back and calm him down: "It's fine. Dogs are naturally naughty. No point getting mad over this, Shuo'an."

Chen Shuo'an felt like he was way out of line.

If Gangpao had trashed the Chen family's yard, that'd be one thing. But this was the Sixth Prince's palace, and a dog owned by one of his study companions had torn the place apart. What kind of look was that?

He moped for a while, thinking a person should know their place, and apologized to Yuan Rang from the heart: "Your Highness, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you in the future. I'll go grab Chen Gangpao right now and beat his ass."

Yuan Rang saw how down he was, felt a pang in his chest, a shadow passing through his eyes. For the first time, he hated himself for being so sneaky.

But greed was a hell of a drug—when he heard Chen Shuo'an make that promise, he was thrilled, shaking with how low he'd stoop.

Guilt and excitement churned inside him.

He couldn't help but pull the guy into his arms, keeping his voice low as he coaxed: "Then it's a deal. You'll make it up to me later, Shuo'an."

Chen Shuo'an felt bad. After getting back to Guangyang Palace, he skipped lunch and stormed straight to Cuixuan Garden to grab that black dog by the scruff.

That noon marked the first epic nerf in Chen Gangpao's dog life.

Chen Gangpao's paws clawed at the edge of the tub, howling like his heart was breaking, and he meant it, while Chen Shuo'an gripped a scrub cloth, face twisted like a demon's.

The servants all pitched in to hold down Chen Gangpao, who was fighting for his life. It was a whole circus, like the annual pig slaughter before New Year.

Chen Shuo'an was soaked in sweat, totally worn out.

Well, well, Chen Gangpao—now the whole Guangyang Palace, besides me, can't handle you!

While he was hard at work renovating the old dog, a bunch of people were making a racket, loud enough to reach even the far-off Xianfang Hall.

Liu Shuxian lounged on a daybed, pretending to sleep, holding a snow-white Persian cat in her arms.

The cat lay on its back, purring like a motorboat, its snow-white tail curling lazily, its blue eyes innocently watching Yuan Rang, who was kneeling in the middle of the spacious hall.

"You've always been cold as ice, but with him, you're all soft and mushy."

Yuan Rang stood stiff as a board, lips pressed tight, his dark eyes clouded with gloom.

Liu Shuxian stroked the cat's back, parted her red lips, and let out a soft "tsk."

In an instant, she tossed the cat to the ground, the wooden couch creaking softly as she moved.

The white cat padded on soft pink paws to Yuan Rang's side, its delicate head rubbing against his knees, which were pressed against the cold floor, letting out pitiful little mews that were meant to tug at heartstrings.

"Get out."

——

By the time Yuan Rang arrived at Cuixuan Garden, Chen Gangpao's renovation project was nearly complete.

Chen Shuo'an was holding Gangpao's tail, scrubbing like crazy, sweat beading on the tip of his nose.

He tilted his head, wiping the annoying sweat off with his bare wrist, leaving a shiny streak of water on his arm.

He spotted Yuan Rang strolling in from the doorway and broke into a big, bright smile: "Gangpao's a nightmare to wash—one scrub and a huge clump of fur comes out. I've changed the water several times already."

Yuan Rang chuckled softly, stepping in front of him, and reached out with long fingers to tuck the stray hair behind his ear, lingering there, not wanting to pull away.

"Just let them handle it. How'd you end up all soaked like this?"