The Man in the Black Sweater - 6.2: The Great Demon King

Luo Xu crouched down and picked up the little bundle. Its eyes were unnervingly bright, but a whimper came from its throat as its eyelids drooped, as if it no longer had any strength, as if it knew its time was almost up.

Behind them, cars kept blaring their horns, the whole street filled with impatient noise.

Luo Xu carried it back into the car and said, “We need to go to a hospital.”
Brother Liu stepped on the gas. “Pets aren’t allowed at home. Even if you take it back, it’ll have to be dealt with immediately.”
“Why not? It’s so small, it won’t take up much space.” Luo Xu stroked its fur—soft and fluffy, though admittedly, yes, the smell was a bit strong.
“Mr. Pei doesn’t like pets. He won’t allow it.”
Luo Xu pressed her lips together, clutching the trembling little dog. “Let’s at least get it checked. I think its paw is injured.”

The vet’s fees weren’t cheap. Luo Xu didn’t have that much money on her, so Brother Liu paid in advance.

“I’ll pay you back when I get back.” Luo Xu gave an embarrassed smile.
Brother Liu said, “You’d better think about how to deal with it instead.”

Luo Xu looked inside through the glass. Its eyes were half-open, half-closed, fixed on her the whole time.
“Poor little thing…” Luo Xu leaned against the glass window, sighing softly. “I’ve managed to make it through, but what about you…”

When they got home, Luo Xu was still clutching the little white dog tightly. After the vet had washed it clean, they realized it wasn’t a little black dog but actually a little white dog, tender and young, only three months old.

“You really want to take it inside?” Brother Liu looked at the girl and the dog with a troubled expression.
“His paw is injured. Let’s wait until he heals before letting him go.” Luo Xu pleaded sincerely.
Brother Liu said, “How are you going to convince Mr. Pei?”
“Uh… that might be a little tricky.” Luo Xu stalled.

Pei Yan was clearly not the kind of person who would easily change his mind for someone else.

The old butler had seen the car drive in but hadn’t seen anyone come inside, so he pushed open the door and went out, knocking on the car window.
Luo Xu immediately wrapped the puppy up with her scarf, quick and sharp.

“Have you eaten yet?” the old butler asked with a squinty smile.
Luo Xu got out of the car, hunched over, and said, “I’m hungry, my stomach hurts a little.”
“Go in and eat, your meal is still kept for you.”
“Where’s Mr. Pei?”
“In the living room watching TV.”

Luo Xu nodded and bent over as she walked into the house.
The old butler looked at all the trinkets dangling from her body and chuckled, “You must’ve had a good time out there.”

The driver silently parked the car in the garage, choosing not to say anything.

Luo Xu, sneaking like a thief, held her bundle tight and rushed up the stairs, not caring whether the people in the living room had seen her or not.

“Stop.” Pei Yan put down his teacup and cast his gaze over.
Luo Xu froze, coughed a few times, and said, “You’re back? I’ll just go upstairs and put these things away…”
“Where did you go?”
“Just wandered around.”
“Until now?”

Luo Xu lowered her head, staring at the bundle in her arms. Always covering it like this—she was afraid the little thing would die in her hands.

“Ah, my stomach hurts…” She grabbed the railing and bent over. “I’m going upstairs to lie down for a while, I feel awful…”

Without waiting for Pei Yan’s reaction, she bolted off in a flash.

Once inside the room, she quickly tore off the scarf. The little white dog looked timidly at her, completely still. Wrapped up like that earlier, it hadn’t made a sound, as if it knew the situation was bad.

“Good boy, from now on you’ll just stay in this room, don’t go downstairs.” Luo Xu placed him on the sofa, touched his nose, and said, “Big sis saved you, so you’ve got to do your part too. You have to get better quickly.”
“Whimper…” He lay there, sniffling.
“Mm, don’t get too emotional.” Luo Xu bent down, rubbed her cheek against his little face, and seriously reminded him, “Downstairs there’s still a big demon king. You have to be good, don’t drag big sis down and get us both thrown out.”

…..

After settling the little dog, Luo Xu changed clothes and went downstairs. That set of clothes was covered in dog hair—any fool could spot something suspicious.

Pei Yan was on the phone, so Luo Xu took the chance to slip into the kitchen to look for her dinner.

“Where did you go? Coming back only now,” Auntie Chen asked.
“Went to Nan Alley, it was pretty fun.” Luo Xu smiled, lifting the pot lid and leaning down to sniff. “Ah, braised pork.”
“Still just a child,” Auntie Chen sighed.

It was hard to tell whether she meant going to Nan Alley was childish, or Luo Xu’s eyes lighting up at the braised pork was childish—or maybe both.

In the Pei household, the rule was meals had to be eaten at the table. So even if Luo Xu was the only one eating, her food still had to be carried to the table.

Pei Yan finished his call and came over. “Going out tonight?”
Luo Xu froze for a moment. “Are you going out?”
“I’m the one asking you right now.”
Luo Xu shook her head. “I’m not going.”

If the puppy came running out while she was gone, she could imagine how shocked the whole household would be.

Pei Yan raised a brow. “Looks like the sun’s rising in the west.”
Luo Xu gave a dry laugh and waved. “Hope you have fun.”

The corner of Pei Yan’s mouth tugged. He picked up his coat and left.

Once Pei Yan was out the door, Auntie Chen came out of the kitchen smiling, gave Luo Xu a thumbs up, and said, “Good thing you didn’t go.”
“Really? Was there some kind of trap?”
Auntie Chen chuckled. “It was Miss Linru who asked him out. If you’d gone too, wouldn’t you have been the third wheel? How awkward would that be.”
“Miss Linru?”
“She’s the fiancée the old madam picked out for Mr. Pei, from a very powerful family.”

The corner of Luo Xu’s mouth twitched, just like Pei Yan’s had when he left earlier. She lowered her head to eat, but even the braised pork had lost its taste.

Auntie Chen went on about how well-matched the two of them were. Luo Xu listened, occasionally chiming in with a word or two.

Luo Xu wasn’t jealous. She just felt envy—envy of the girl who could stand as Pei Yan’s equal.

She must be wonderful. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to the appointment.