Chapter 15: Chen Gangpao

Chapter 15: Chen Gangpao

"From now on, wherever I have meat to eat, you'll have soup to drink."

Chen Shuoan stroked the puppy's head affectionately.

Zheng Yuanzhi let out a light chuckle and said, "That's not as practical as just giving it a turd."

"..." Li Wei was now very worried Zheng Yuanzhi might end up hurt again.

Chen Shuoan took a deep breath but ultimately didn't cause trouble for Zheng Yuanzhi. He turned around and said to Zhang Chenggong, "Fetch me a bowl of goat's milk."

Zhang Chenggong asked in confusion, "Why goat's milk?"

Chen Shuoan sneered, "What, are you gonna nurse it yourself?"

"..." Li Wei was now worried Chen Shuoan might get hurt.

Fortunately, Zhang Chenggong didn't cause trouble for Chen Shuoan either and went off to find some milk without complaint.

Chen Shuoan couldn't help but silently sing "Brothers, Give Me a Hug" in his head to praise their unbreakable bond.

Then he turned around and went back to his room to wash his hands with soap.

By the time Li Wei had laid out a full table of breakfast, Chen Shuoan arrived late, carrying the dog.

"What took you so long? Were you giving the dog a teeth brushing?" Zheng Yuanzhi picked up his chopsticks and shoveled food into his mouth.

Chen Shuoan marveled that even a hand injury couldn't slow his eating by a single second.

"Didn't brush. Come on, say hello—these are all your dads now."

Chen Shuoan lifted the puppy's little paw and waved it near its mouth, blowing a kiss to each of them.

"What's its name?"

Zheng Yuanzhi looked at it, stumped.

Chen Shuoan had always had a knack for naming things.

He said seriously, "Look, its head is black and its body is white. Let's call it Gangpao."

Li Wei said speechlessly, "Wait, what's Gangpao got to do with the dog's color?"

Chen Shuoan furrowed his brows, not accepting his argument.

"How's it unrelated? Gangpao's its name now. What more do you want?"

"That's an ugly name. You've got no taste." Li Wei was stubborn to the bone, dead set on fighting for this puppy's right to a decent name.

Chen Shuoan didn't give a damn and shut it down: "This is my dog."

Li Wei slunk off and buried his head in his breakfast.

You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep.

Zhang Chenggong sat back and enjoyed the show.

But Zhang the Master usually kept quiet—and when he spoke, it was always a bombshell.

He wiped his oily mouth with a handkerchief and asked slowly, "Is this dog a boy or a girl?"

Li Wei quickly took the puppy from Chen Shuoan's arms to check. The cafeteria fell silent that morning.

Zheng Yuanzhi leaned in to look. Make that two people silent.

Chen Shuoan thought it was weird, not getting why they were reacting like that.

He took a closer look and got it immediately.

"Hahaha, Gangpao sounds so dainty and elegant—perfect for our little girl." Li Wei was barely holding in his laughter, about to crack up.

Zheng Yuanzhi was crying with laughter, clapping in salute.

Facing their mockery, Chen Shuoan felt no shame—he was actually proud of it: "What a great name. Chen Gangpao, little girl, your grandpa's gonna love you."

Poor Chen Jingxian—trouble came knocking without him even leaving the house. His son wasn't even married yet, and suddenly he had a granddaughter named Gangpao.

Chen Shuoan hadn't had a moment's rest these past few days. He had to help His Highness the Sixth Prince with his medicine and bandages, while also keeping a constant eye on Gangpao so it wouldn't eat its own crap. It was exhausting, to say the least.

And Gangpao was super clingy with Chen Shuoan.

Yuan Rang watched Gangpao spin in circles chasing its tail beside him, with Chen Shuoan laughing joyfully nearby, and his gaze softened.

He couldn't help but warm up to the dog, thinking Chen Gangpao wasn't hopelessly ugly after all.

But that thought vanished the second Chen Gangpao clamped its mouth around Chen Shuoan's index finger and started sucking.

Yuan Rang thought, his face blank.

He was going to pluck every last hair off this beast.

He shot up, strode over to Chen Shuoan in one long step, grabbed the dog by the scruff, and tossed it onto the floor cushion.

When the dog's black mouth let go of the finger, it made a "pop" sound.

Yuan Rang's face went dark with jealousy at the sound, and he lied without missing a beat: "It just did something naughty. Go wash your hands."

His Highness the Sixth Prince was too dignified to say that word out loud.

Chen Shuoan's eyes met Yuan Rang's, and in a flash, he got it.

"I swear! The second I look away, it's eating again!"

Chen Shuoan was grinding his teeth in fury. In the short time he'd gone to get water, Chen Gangpao had nodded along and then pulled off this crime flawlessly!

Yuan Rang pulled him up off the ground, took his hand, and hurried toward the washbasin.

Chen Shuoan was stunned and tried to pull his hand free.

He said in a small voice, "Your Highness, this hand was licked by Gangpao..."

Yuan Rang turned around, playing it sincere: "Oh, really? I forgot. Then let's wash them together."

Yuan Rang took Chen Shuoan's hand, put it in the washbasin, and then covered it with his own.

Chen Shuoan looked enviously at the Sixth Prince's hand over his—with those sharp knuckles and elegant bones—and said, "With bone structure like that, Your Highness is definitely gonna be tall."

Yuan Rang smiled but said nothing, soaping up Chen Shuoan's hand and scrubbing until the skin turned red.

Chen Gangpao was saddled with a huge burden of blame, completely unaware of the danger of having narrowly escaped getting plucked moments ago. After being tossed to the ground, it put on a few fake yelps, and when no one paid it any mind, it whimpered and slunk off into a corner.

Money's tight these days, but... crap's still doable.

————

Today was the big day for the hunting grounds competition, and Chen Shuoan and the others were sure to go check out the excitement.

They'd barely arrived at the hunting grounds when Qin Zhonglian blocked Chen Shuoan's path.

Qin Zhonglian had spent the past few days doing some thinking, realizing that Chen Shuoan truly seemed different from before, and had resolved to approach him to break the ice.

Seeing this burly figure looming before him, his face hidden in the backlight, Chen Shuoan couldn't help feeling a little scared.

What the heck is this? I haven't bullied anyone since I transmigrated, so you blocking me now makes no sense at all!

Unexpectedly, Qin Zhonglian said, acting all proud and tsundere: "Although I shot more prey than you at the hunting grounds, and by our agreement, you lost, I think you're not a bad person, so..."

Chen Shuoan squinted his doe eyes, assuming this was a provocation, and racked his brain trying to remember what happened that day before replying with confidence, "I never agreed to compete with you."

Qin Zhonglian froze, thinking it over.

"Heh, does Duke Zhenguo know his son is out here claiming random fathers every day?"

"Heh..."

"Heh..."

Those two syllables echoed in Qin Zhonglian's head in 3D surround, like they were mocking him for being so foolish.

This little punk really never agreed!

Qin Zhonglian's face went green with rage, feeling more and more like all his agonizing had been a joke.

So he turned around, eager to get away from this mess.

Meanwhile, Chen Shuoan had already pieced it together, guessing that his own heroic display a few days ago had moved Qin Zhonglian.

Following his rule of never abandoning anyone, with the former bad guy coming to him to patch things up, Chen Shuoan would be an idiot to say no if he had any brains.

Fewer enemies, longer life. Win over the third male lead, become bros.

Chen Shuoan hurried after him, throwing an arm around Qin Zhonglian's shoulder like they were old buddies, and said, buttering him up, "Brother Qin, can't you handle a little teasing? There's a competition coming up, right? I'll be yelling my head off cheering for you."

That immediately soothed Qin Zhonglian. He raised his chin, all proud, and grudgingly let out a hum from his nose, counting it as agreement.

Chen Shuoan just smiled.

I beat the original owner, so you can't hit me anymore now.