Chapter 144 Gu Ye (ETL) Part 1
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Chapter 144 He’s obviously my dog
To be honest, that lounge was just a temporary place for Gu Ye to sleep when he visited Yu Ze and had nowhere else to go. But from Secretary Liu’s words, he sensed something else. What exactly it was, Gu Ye was too embarrassed to delve into.
In short, this Secretary Liu was usually quite shrewd, and those words made Gu Ye lose face. He urged, “Quickly, scold him and make him stop thinking nonsense. Also, dock his bonus!”
Before Yu Ze could do anything, Gu Ye added, “Forget it.” Gu Ye immediately retracted his earlier statement, making things worse. “You don’t need to get me an office. Even if you assign me work, I won’t know how to do it. Just add a desk to your office. You can work, I’ll study. Elder Tang gave me a lot of books, and I haven’t finished reading them yet.”
Yu Ze then abandoned the idea of adding an office. Hearing Gu Ye mention Elder Tang, he asked, “How many years does Uncle Tang have left to live?”
Gu Ye’s face darkened, and he said regretfully, “Only a little over a year left.”
“Do Jiang Xu and Xie Cheng know?”
“Yes.” Gu Ye smiled bitterly. “The tragedy of a divination master is seeing too much separation and death, knowing when a loved one will die, yet being unable to stop it.”
Yu Ze ruffled Gu Ye’s hair. “Look on the bright side. Masters can see the souls of their loved ones and know whether they are doing well or not.”
Hearing that, Gu Ye immediately smiled and said, “That makes sense. You, an outsider, see things more clearly than I do. Honey, how are you so amazing? You’re so handsome, so capable, and you see things so clearly—whose man are you anyway?”
Gu Ye’s barrage of flattery left Yu Ze both amused and exasperated. Knowing he was deliberately being cheeky, Yu Ze couldn’t do anything about it. As Gu Ye’s praise grew increasingly awkward, Yu Ze reluctantly leaned closer and whispered, “Shut up1.”
Gu Ye immediately stopped. “Honey, calm down, I won’t say anything more.”
Gu Ye’s cowardliness made Yu Ze chuckle. “You’re just being cheeky. We’ll talk about it when we get back.”
“Hehe.”
…
The news that the CEO’s wife was coming to work had already spread throughout the company’s senior management’s private group chat. Many people in the group were reminding everyone: [Be careful lately. Our CEO’s wife is different from others. Who knows what he might see? You all need to be more discerning in your personal lives, strictly discipline yourselves, and behave well. If he notices anything amiss and whispers in the CEO’s ear, you can forget about working here!]
Although it was said in jest, it’s clear that the speaker was very familiar with Gu Ye’s abilities. Someone even asked in bewilderment: [With the CEO’s temperament, why would he bring his little lover to work? Is the CEO under a spell?]
A close friend quickly stopped him: [Don’t talk nonsense! What do you mean by ‘little lover? Can the third young master of the Gu family be a ‘little lover’?]
Realizing his slip of the tongue and worried about word getting out, the person quickly tried to salvage the situation: [I meant President Yu dotes on the third young master, like a little lover. Anyway, everyone should be careful, haha.]
Meanwhile, the Third Young Master, who was being discussed by everyone, had arrived at the pet store, only concerned with buying a dog. Yu Ze was a clean freak and disliked anything with fur, a fact Gu Ye knew. Therefore, Da Hei had never been to Yu Ze’s house. Anyway, Da Hei could see things that humans couldn’t, so it was never lonely; it always had ‘someone’ to accompany it. Of course, Da Hei probably didn’t need anyone’s company.
The only person Da Hei showed respect to was Mrs. Gu, and the limit was only when she played with him, and he didn’t dodge. When the Gu family tried to tease/play with him, Da Hei would aloofly turn his head away, even scaring Gou Wang2 and the others3 away. He didn’t like making friends at all.
“After we bought the little dog, could we bring it to your home sometime? If it doesn’t shed, we could raise it together. Also, I don’t know if Da Hei will like it. We should bring Da Hei along so he can choose for himself.”
Yu Ze bluntly told Gu Ye, “Da Hei won’t like any animals; it just wants to be alone.”
“No, Shakespeare once said that animals, like humans, sometimes feel they enjoy solitude, but over time they’ll come to prefer companionship. After you get used to it, you’ll accept them and say, ‘Ah! Their fur is so smooth! So cute! Smell so good!'”
Yu Ze said helplessly, “Shakespeare would be furious and rise from death if he heard you say that.”
Gu Ye became serious, “It’s not impressive to just rise from death. It’s only impressive if he dares to take me away.”
Yu Ze pinched Gu Ye’s cheek. Such cheeky antics!
Upon arriving at a pet store specializing in dogs, Gu Ye and Yu Ze got out of the car. The shop assistant quickly approached them. Upon seeing Gu Ye, the assistant was initially taken aback, then beamed with excitement, as if seeing a walking banknote. He enthusiastically asked, “What kind of dog would you two like? Do you have any breeds you prefer? Let me introduce you to some.”
Gu Ye earnestly replied, “Short legs, the shorter the better, doesn’t talk back, not picky about food, not difficult to get along with, and a loyal friend. I think a Corgi would be great.”
The shop assistant smiled. “What are your requirements regarding appearance?”
Gu Ye waved his hand. “Any coat color is fine, as long as it’s good-looking, exceptionally good-looking.”
The shop assistant said regretfully, “We don’t have the Corgi you’re looking for right now. All the dogs in our shop are reserved in advance by customers. Some have paid a deposit after seeing their parents. We only have one Corgi left that no one wants. It was born with small eyes and is 4 months old; we haven’t sold it yet.”
Gu Ye turned his head and saw a small-eyed Corgi in a cage next to him. It was about the size of a Bull Terrier. Gu Ye immediately lost interest in the entire Corgi species. “Sorry, it’s not my ideal dog.”
Yu Ze chuckled softly beside Gu Ye. Gu Ye’s attraction to good looks had spilled over into his preference for dogs.
Yu Ze tugged at Gu Ye, “Honey, look at that one.”
Gu Ye turned his head, and his eyes lit up immediately, “That long-haired one! White! What breed is it?”
Turning to see which one Gu Ye was talking about, the shop assistant became impressed and thought to himself, ‘No wonder he’s a wealthy person; his taste is truly excellent.’ The shop assistant said, “That’s an Afghan Hound. It’s 6 months old now, and our manager plans to take it to international competitions.” The shop assistant added apologetically, “We can’t sell that one.”
Gu Ye pouted, saying regretfully, “Isn’t displaying it in the store meant for sale?”
The salesperson tried to dissuade Gu Ye from buying the dog by saying, “I’m really sorry, our manager owns many stores. He’s just temporarily keeping it here because he’s out and asked us to look after it. Besides, this kind of dog is very time-consuming and demanding to raise. You need to groom its fur and feed it very carefully, which is different from what you’re looking for. Look at its legs, they’re much longer than a Corgi’s, and it runs incredibly fast.”
Gu Ye nodded. “I know, this is the kind of ‘aristocratic dog’ that was the only breed permitted to enter a 5-star hotel. It runs like a madman, has incredibly long hair, and looks like a jellyfish when it goes into the water.”
The shop assistant smiled awkwardly. It seems that the legendary Master Gu turned out to be a comedian; indeed, seeing is believing.
At this moment, the dog seemed to realize they were talking about it. Its dark eyes were particularly bright and alert. When it saw Gu Ye, its tail wagged, showing clear interest. The shop assistant introduced, “Its name is Alice.”
The dog glanced at the shop assistant, then aloofly turned its head away. Gu Ye’s lips curled into a smile, and he pointed at the dog, “Qiao Niu’er!”
The dog looked at Gu Ye again. It was unclear if the dog was interested in Gu Ye or the name it was being called; it actually wagged its tail.
Gu Ye laughed, “It’s fate, I guess. Buying a pet is like dating; you have to like it before you can bring it home. I just felt this was my dog. You guys took it to the competition just to create hype so you can sell the puppies for more money later, right? It’s okay, just name me the price of the first-place winner. Ask your boss how much it costs.”
Gu Ye looked at Yu Ze, his eyes indicating he wanted it.
Yu Ze’s lips curled into a smile. After looking at the information on his phone, he said to the shop assistant, “Let your boss name the price. A show-quality dog like this costs around 200,000 yuan. If you’re breeding it, it’ll be retired in 3 years. Including the breeding rights, how much will that cost in total?”
Gu Ye did the math, “It is still young. Who knows if it’ll grow up to be ugly? Whether it’ll even live long enough to participate in the competition is uncertain. Even if it does participate, it’s unclear whether it’ll win. So, should you sell it at a high price now, or raise it until it participates in the competition before selling it?”
The shop assistant thought for a moment and decided it was definitely the best time to sell! They dared to offer a competition-grade price for such a young pup; only a fool wouldn’t sell it! Gu Ye and Yu Ze were definitely not short of money. Even if the shop manager asked for more money, as long as Gu Ye liked it, Yu Ze would definitely pay.
The shop assistant was hesitating about what to say to the shop manager if he called to ask about Alice. Just then, a hearty laugh came from outside the door, “A customer here?”
The shop assistant’s eyes lit up, “Manager, you’re back!” The shop assistant quickly ran over, “Manager, these two customers have taken a liking to Alice.”
The shop manager looked quite young, like a recent college graduate. Upon seeing Gu Ye, he excitedly exclaimed, “Master Gu? Is it really Master Gu?”
Gu Ye’s lips twitched. So, fans always sounded like this when they saw their idol.
The other party exclaimed excitedly, “You’ve got your eye on Alice? Alice’s a bit pricey!”
Gu Ye smiled, “I won’t take advantage of you. I’ll pay show-quality.”
“Then I’ll be getting a great deal. Who knows what it’ll look like when it grows up?” Nobody can say for sure whether it’ll turn out ugly. The shop manager understood this perfectly well. “What if you spend so much money, and the dog doesn’t turn out the way you expect…”
Gu Ye smiled, “It’s okay. I’ve already paid you. Whether the dog looks good or not is up to me. I won’t ask for a refund, and I don’t need it for shows or breeding. I’ll just keep it at home.”
The shop owner smiled sheepishly, “If you put it that way, it makes me feel embarrassed to ask for your autograph later.”
Gu Ye smiled and said, “Don’t overthink it. This is the kind of business you do.”
The shop manager was also worried that such an expensive pet would only get uglier after Gu Ye bought it. Gu Ye might come back angry and cause trouble, which the manager couldn’t afford to offend. Besides, he didn’t want to push away the money that he was about to earn. “How about this? Let Alice out so you can take another look?”
Alice was pure white, with incredibly smooth, long fur. Gu Ye stroked it; it was as smooth as satin. He liked the dog’s temperament, physique, and even its personality. He preferred quiet, unassuming dogs, and this dog’s aloofness suited him perfectly. He didn’t need it to be affectionate with others; he just needed it to be friendly towards his family.
When Alice came out, it looked at all these people. Then it just sniffed Gu Ye’s scent, looked up at him, and wagged its tail.
“Sigh!” the shopkeeper said helplessly, “It seems we have no choice but to sell this dog. Dogs are intelligent and choose their owners. If it doesn’t want to go with you, you won’t be able to raise it well. I’ve had this dog for half a year, and it has never wagged its tail at me like this before. It only sees me as a meal ticket.”
Knowing Gu Ye’s request, the shop assistant quickly added, “It’s not just Alice’s personality; this breed of dog is particularly difficult to train. It doesn’t like to obey commands, ranking second among the most difficult dogs to train. It absolutely cannot follow orders. Furthermore, this dog is aggressive. Right now, you see that it is an elegant dog, but actually, its ancestors were used to hunt animals like antelopes, wolves, and snow leopards. It will definitely not be as obedient as a Corgi.”
Gu Ye poked the dog’s forehead with a finger. “Good boy, will you listen?”
“Woof woof.” The dog whimpered pitifully, as if afraid, yet also trying to appease Gu Ye. Ye smiled. “Isn’t it quite well-behaved?”
The shop assistant was speechless. Perhaps it was the aura emanating from a Master that made the proud Alice feel intimidated.
Gu Ye happily said, “Very good, you’re the one. From now on, you’ll be called Qiao Niu’er. There’s also a brother Da Hei at home so you two must get along peacefully.”
From the noble, elegant, and romantic Alice, the dog became a country bumpkin, Qiao Niu’er. The shop manager is speechless, but whatever the owner says, it’s their decision. The dog even wags its tail; it seems to like the name. The shop manager is slightly heartbroken.
In the end, Gu Ye bought Qiao Niu’er at the price it would cost when it grew up to be a show-quality dog. After buying all the dog supplies from the store, Gu Ye put a leash around the half-grown dog’s neck. Patting its head, he said, “Let’s go! Let’s go home.”
Qiao Niu’er obediently followed Gu Ye out the door, climbing into the car itself under Yu Ze’s disdainful gaze.
The shop manager stood at the door, watching his Alice follow Gu Ye without looking back, not even glancing at him. He felt cold in his heart and also a pang of regret. It’s true what they say, dogs choose their owners. This heartless dog has never treated him like an owner. As soon as Gu Ye arrived, it wagged its tail happily, as if it had been waiting for Gu Ye’s arrival. What kind of fate is this?
The shop assistant thought the manager was reluctant to part with the dog and advised, “It’s good for it to stay with Master Gu. It’ll have a good life from now on.”
“Alright, I’ve already made a profit from this sale. If only I could release the photos of the two of them buying the dog, it would definitely bring in a lot of business. But I can’t. What a pity.”
…
Raw word count: 7674 (whole chapter)
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