Chapter 509: Extra: Qin Muye - Good Little Puppy (End)

Qin Muye’s head started to throb the moment he heard that voice.

He suddenly felt he should take a page from those old fossils in the Department of Rites and check the almanac before going out. Otherwise, he’d just keep running into annoying people.

But no matter how much he didn’t want to see him, Que Feiling still ran over.

Jiang Qingli smiled. “What a coincidence.” She then waved to Fang Chi and the three other officers who had come with Que Feiling. “Good evening~”

The three men hurried forward to greet Jiang Qingli. One of them shook her hand respectfully.

Que Feiling hadn’t seen Jiang Qingli in a long time, either.

He knew Jiang Qingli had arrived, but he figured that, like before, she would most likely be accompanying Qin Muye.

He’d originally planned to just grab a bite to eat by himself. But when his colleagues called him to go out, he suddenly remembered that Jiang Qingli disliked drinking nutrient solution and decided to try his luck. He never expected to be so lucky as to actually run into her.

‘The astrology show was right after all,’ he thought. ‘Today really is my lucky day.’

Que Feiling’s lips curved into a smile. Ignoring Qin Muye’s murderous glare, he took a step forward. “Miss Jiang, this restaurant has a lot of innovative dishes. It’s very popular right now, and the food is excellent.”

“Yeah, yeah, we just waited in line for over an hour!” another officer said, nudging the person next to him with his arm. “Isn’t that right, Fang Chi?”

“Yeah.”

Fang Chi nodded. From the moment he saw Jiang Qingli, he suddenly became very busy.

One moment he was coughing twice, the next he was looking down at his terminal, then putting his hands in his pockets only to take them out again. He was busy, but it was unclear what he was busy with. His eyes, however, never once looked at Jiang Qingli.

The two of them seemed like complete strangers.

Only Qin Muye, who was closest to Fang Chi, saw a small green sprout pop out from his wolf-cut hairstyle, trembling as it swayed toward Jiang Qingli.

Qin Muye wrinkled his nose. He subconsciously felt something was off.

He thought about it more carefully.

‘Over the past few months, whenever Jiang Qingli came to see me, aside from Que Feiling, the person I’ve run into the most is Fang Chi…’

‘Every time we ran into him, Jiang Qingli would just greet him and chat for a bit, and he’d get all awkward, like he had fleas, not knowing where to put his hands.’

In the past, Qin Muye had heard medical staff say that brain damage could also affect limb coordination. Thinking he’d ended up like this because of his service to the Empire, he had even felt a little sympathy for him.

‘Now that I think about it… heh.’

‘The good news is, there’s nothing wrong with Fang Chi’s brain.’

‘The bad news is, Fang Chi is also trying to steal my girl.’

Seeing that several of the officers were trying to get close to Jiang Qingli and invite her to dinner, Qin Muye balled one hand into a fist, held it to his lips, and let out a cough.

Everyone immediately fell silent.

Qin Muye looked at Jiang Qingli and held out his palm to her. “Share a table?”

He was a little annoyed, but the dishes at this place were genuinely novel. If Jiang Qingli liked it, he could reluctantly put up with the smell of that peacock.

“No, it’s okay.” Jiang Qingli placed her hand in his palm and smiled at the others. “Sorry, I actually just wanted to take a look. There’s another place I’d rather eat at. Enjoy your meal.”

Seeing this, the others didn’t feel it was appropriate to make them stay.

After the two left, one of the officers sighed. “Ah, the Prince is so lucky. His female master comes to accompany him every time…”

“I want that kind of luck too!”

While the few single guys were whining, Fang Chi glanced at Que Feiling. He used to join the others in complaining about being single.

But it seemed he hadn’t heard him express such thoughts in a long time.

Besides, Fang Chi had a feeling that Jiang Qingli had glanced at Que Feiling before she left. ‘Could it be that they…’

Before he could react, Que Feiling looked at him first and raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Fang Chi said. “Just envious that you’re lucky too.”

Que Feiling smiled without any attempt to hide it.

But after a moment, he rubbed the tip of his nose. “But what I’m most worried about now is that Qin Muye will get angry. Qingli cares a lot about his feelings. Sigh… I’m so envious…”

…

Leaving the restaurant, Qin Muye asked, “Where do you want to eat?”

“You decide,” Jiang Qingli said.

Qin Muye’s brain couldn’t quite process that for a second. He was a little confused. “But didn’t you just say…”

“You dummy.” Jiang Qingli pinched his cheek firmly. “Those were all your colleagues. I couldn’t very well say we weren’t eating there because you’d mind, could I?”

‘So she was being considerate of me!’

Qin Muye’s eyes lit up. The anger from running into his rival vanished in an instant, and the corners of his lips curled up high.

If they weren’t on a public street, his tail would have started wagging.

Jiang Qingli said with an amused smile, “Let’s go. To that place you loved to eat at when you were a kid.”

She remembered Qin Muye saying that when he was little, whenever his adoptive father earned some money, he always liked to take him out for a “feast.”

Qin Muye scratched the back of his head. “That place… is kind of rough.”

After all, his adoptive father wasn’t a rich man. Living in the Lower District while burdened with him, the “feasts” they could afford were just things a little better than cheap nutrient solution.

‘In front of her… it seems a bit shabby.’

As if she didn’t understand, Jiang Qingli’s eyes curved into crescents. “What’s wrong with it being rough? Don’t I have my puppy to protect me?”

A sweetness bloomed in Qin Muye’s chest. He took Jiang Qingli out of Zone A and drove toward a more remote area.

As the lights receded, the surroundings grew more and more desolate.

About twenty minutes later, Qin Muye parked the car on the side of the road, led Jiang Qingli into an alley, and after several twists and turns, found a fast-food joint that was still open.

The shop looked like it had been around for years, but the inside was quite clean. A middle-aged male in a worn apron sat behind the cash register and looked up at the sound.

When he saw clearly that it was Qin Muye, the male’s face lit up with a pleasant surprise. “Prince, you’re here!”

“Brought my female master.” Qin Muye nodded. He always had a cocky way of speaking when he was out. “The usual.”

It sounded like they were very familiar with each other.

The male wasn’t a talkative person. After acknowledging the order, he went into the kitchen. But in the breaks between cooking, his eyes kept darting toward Jiang Qingli’s face. When their gazes occasionally met, he would smile in a friendly, ingratiating way, his face practically blooming.

The owner and Qin Muye were old acquaintances.

When it was time to pay, the owner refused for a long time and wouldn’t take the money. “My place is in a bad location. It’s only thanks to your help that I can stay open. How could I take your money? Especially when you’re with Miss Jiang, who saved the Twelve Cities…”

After much persuasion, he just pushed them out the door.

–

「At night.」

Lying in bed, Qin Muye transformed from the imposing Prince back into a puppy.

After washing up, with his hair still a bit damp, he carefully pulled Jiang Qingli into his arms, nuzzled her cheek, and asked, “Was it good?”

‘I’ve been wanting to ask all evening,’ he thought. ‘We were out for so long, I didn’t have a chance.’

Jiang Qingli reached out, hugged him, and said affirmatively, “It was delicious. My second dad used to make something similar when I was little. He also spent a long time in the Twelve Cities.”

Qin Muye wagged his tail. “Then let’s bring your second dad to eat here next time.”

“Okay. Anything else you recommend…?”

As the two of them chatted, Qin Muye gradually started to feel sleepy.

The mission had drained too much of his energy. He had been forcing himself to stay awake just to spend more time with Jiang Qingli. Now, with her soft, gentle voice, the weariness washed over him.

How could Jiang Qingli not see what was on his mind?

She gently pushed Qin Muye down and held him in her arms. “How about I sing you a lullaby to help you sleep?”

‘This is too much of a luxury,’ Qin Muye thought. ‘I don’t even want to sleep anymore.’ But he said, “Okay,” and perked up his ears.

While patting his back, Jiang Qingli began to sing: “Puppy, be good, good little puppy, smart and lively, naughty and cute~”

Qin Muye: “…”

His mouth twitched as he listened. He lifted his head and asked, “What song is this?”

“A children’s song.”

“How come I’ve never heard a children’s song like this…”

“Well, you have now.” Jiang Qingli was displeased that he had interrupted her. “Are you still listening or not?”

“I’m listening.” Qin Muye lay back down.

“Good boy.”

Jiang Qingli stroked his hair and continued singing.

In truth, she wasn’t a very good singer and was a bit off-key.

But it wasn’t long before Qin Muye’s eyelids grew heavy, and his breathing gradually evened out.

Jiang Qingli adjusted his sleeping position and lay down beside him. She watched him for a while in the lamplight, then reached out to tap the tip of his nose, asking with a smile in a breathy voice, “Qin Muye, are you my puppy?”

“Mmm…” Qin Muye hummed softly.

Jiang Qingli laughed silently and asked again, “Then do you want to be my best, most well-behaved puppy?”

“I do.”

Qin Muye’s eyes were closed, but there was no hesitation in his voice.

Jiang Qingli: ???

Jiang Qingli pinched his nose. “Hey, you’re not asleep?”

“Almost. Let’s sleep together.”

Jiang Qingli was just about to retort when he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Even with his eyes closed, Qin Muye accurately found her lips and pressed his against them.

“It’s true,”

he said suddenly, a little embarrassed but also exceptionally serious,

“Jiang Qingli, I’m yours for my whole life.”

“I’m sticking with you.”