CFRFGC Chapter 8

Thank you to 貝妮_Blazy for the ko-fi~

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⌈Job? Better yet, lose it.⌋

After entering the shop, Shen Xingzhuo didn’t see where Lu Ran was.

In the center of the store, there was a large fenced area. Inside the fence, some two- or three-month-old puppies were playing.

Da Huang was also inside, letting the puppies climb all over him, biting his tail and ears.

Occasionally, when a puppy got too rowdy or tried to escape, Da Huang would rise and limp over to manage them.

His back leg wasn’t too badly injured, but he looked much different from when Shen Xingzhuo took him out a few days earlier.

The limp gave him a slightly aged appearance.

Shen Xingzhuo averted his eyes.

He scanned the room before finally spotting Lu Ran.

Lu Ran was wearing an apron while cleaning the litter box in the cat room. He was crouched on the ground, looking unexpectedly small, a stark contrast to the fierce figure he had been at the Shen household three days ago.

A kitten, taking advantage of Lu Ran’s busyness, used him as a climbing frame, hooking its claws into his jacket and climbing up.

As the hoodie stretched, it revealed his thin back, so lean that even his spine protruded slightly.

After scooping the litter, Lu Ran carried the trash can outside.

Some kittens tangled around his feet, wanting to play, while others tried to escape when he opened the door.

Lu Ran had no choice but to open the gate, take the litter outside, and then scramble to catch the few escapees.

Afterward, he pulled the kittens off himself and placed them back in the enclosure.

The mischievous kittens made him repeat the process several times.

Shen Xingzhuo, known for his impatience with others, knocked on the counter and interrupted, “Hey, what kind of business are you running? A customer comes in and you don’t even notice.”

His tone was harsh.

Lu Ran immediately looked up. The helpless, tolerant expression he’d had for the cats vanished in an instant.

“What are you here for?” he asked.

“To buy a dog,” Shen Xingzhuo pointed to Da Huang in the pen. “I want that one.”

Without waiting for a response, he continued, “Once you give me the dog, it has nothing to do with you anymore. Anyway, the Shen family doesn’t allow dogs and you’re not allowed to have any either. If you get one, I’ll take it away.”

Shen family members always spoke like this.

They issued orders as if others were obligated to comply with their righteous demands without question.

Lu Ran was long used to this tone.

He remained calm, left the cat room, and even stepped into the puppy pen to change a few of the pee pads inside.

Seeing no reaction, Shen Xingzhuo couldn’t hold back any longer and urged, “Hey, name your price.”

“Is Shen Xingran making you kill my dog again?” Lu Ran asked.

Shen Xingzhuo instinctively refuted, “It has nothing to do with Ranran. Ranran…”

“Stop with the ‘Ranran this, Ranran that’ in front of me,” Lu Ran said, growing a bit impatient. “What you think of your brother has nothing to do with me.”

Shen Xingzhuo wanted to argue back, but Lu Ran suddenly raised the pee pad in his hand.

Shen Xingzhuo reflexively turned around, crouching down with his hands over his head.

The swift, practiced movements were so familiar it was heartbreaking.

Only after Lu Ran tossed the pee pad into the trash did Shen Xingzhuo slowly turn back around.

His handsome face still carried traces of fear.

As Lu Ran went to another cage to clean up more pee pads, Shen Xingzhuo’s tone softened considerably, now sounding much more respectful. “I didn’t mean to do anything to your dog. If you give me Da Huang, I’ll take him to the villa in the countryside. He’ll be well taken care of.”

As if worried that Lu Ran wouldn’t believe him, Shen Xingzhuo emphasized, “I’ve already bought a dog bed and everything he needs…”

Hearing this, Lu Ran turned his head, glanced at him, and sneered, “Shen Xingran must have told you to get rid of the dog, huh? Does he know you’re secretly planning to take care of it behind his back?”

“If he finds out you’re taking care of my dog like some doting grandson, he’ll go mad.”

Shen Xingzhuo froze at the comment but still insisted, “He won’t find out.”

“No problem,” Lu Ran raised his phone and waved it, “I’ll send him the recording right now.”

Shen Xingzhuo was stunned. “Recording? What recording?”

He quickly realized what Lu Ran meant and erupted in anger. “Lu Ran, you actually recorded me? Do you have no shame? Are you trying to drive a wedge between me and Ranran?”

“Oh, absolutely! I’m totally shameless and I’m scheming to stir up trouble in your Shen family!” Lu Ran mocked him with a sarcastic tone. “Isn’t that exactly what you all think of me?”

Shen Xingzhuo was so furious he couldn’t even respond.

Lu Ran dropped his calm facade.

In truth, seeing Shen Xingzhuo here had unsettled him deeply. The mere sight of Shen Xingzhuo reminded him of how, in his previous life, the Shen family had ruined his university education, cost him every job he had, and eventually led to the car accident that left him bedridden for ten years.

Holding the pee pad, Lu Ran threw it at Shen Xingzhuo.

“Are all you Shen family members idiots? You think you can just buy my dog? Just because you want it, I’m supposed to sell it to you?”

“And what’s all this about a dog bed?” Lu Ran’s tone shifted to a sudden realization. “Don’t tell me you actually love dogs and you’ve always wanted one, but you’ve been holding back because of Shen Xingran?”

Exposed, Shen Xingzhuo raised his hands to shield himself from the pet pee pad that Lu Ran threw.

He argued, “Shen Xingran is my brother! What’s wrong with sacrificing a little for my brother?”

“Ha! Spare me!” Lu Ran spat at him. “You want to be Shen Xingran’s lapdog, that’s your business. I’m not interested. I’m keeping Da Huang. If Shen Xingran doesn’t like it, he can get lost!”

Just then, the door to the back room of the store opened.

The shop owner, seeing Lu Ran and Shen Xingzhuo with a pee pad slapped across his face, looked bewildered. “W-what’s going on here?”

Lu Ran pointed at Shen Xingzhuo and said loudly, “Shop owner, this guy abuses dogs! Da Huang’s leg was crippled by him and now he’s here to buy more dogs!”

The shop owner, a girl in her early twenties, immediately turned pale at those words.

“Well, well! You look all refined and handsome, but who knew you’d be an animal abuser?” She walked over to stand protectively next to Lu Ran, pointing toward the door. “Get out of my store! I don’t welcome people who abuse animals.”

“No,” Shen Xingzhuo frowned, “I’m taking that dog with me today, no matter what.”

“Oh, you really want to play tough, huh? Handsome or not, I’ll beat you!” The shop owner was furious.

She grabbed a mop, ready to chase him out.

But before she could do anything, Lu Ran drove Shen Xingzhuo out himself.

Once outside, Shen Xingzhuo calmed down a bit.

He straightened his clothes, shaking off the flustered anger of being exposed, returning to the poised demeanor typical of a wealthy heir.

“Lu Ran, I’m not joking with you.”

Shen Xingzhuo looked at him seriously. “Compared to my brother, a dog is nothing. My brother is far more important.”

Lu Ran ignored him.

In his past life, Lu Ran had watched how Shen Xingzhuo treated Shen Xingran, feeling both envious and hopeful.

He had thought, at one point, that he too was Shen Xingzhuo’s brother.

But he later realized Shen Xingzhuo had only one brother: Shen Xingran.

Shen Xingzhuo didn’t linger in the shop.

As he drove back, he kept thinking about how to handle this situation. That dog, Da Huang, was indeed adorable.

But just as he had said, nothing was more important than his brother.

There were plenty of ways to make a dog disappear.

He also worried that Shen Xingran might get angry if he heard what was said at the shop.

However, when he returned to the Shen family home, he found Shen Xingran waiting for him in the living room.

As soon as Shen Xingran saw him, he came over cautiously, watching him closely.

“Brother, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”

A flicker of warmth surged through Shen Xingzhuo’s heart.

He reached out to pat Shen Xingran’s head. “It’s fine. You can say whatever you want, I don’t mind.”

Still concerned about the recording Lu Ran mentioned, Shen Xingzhuo tentatively asked, “Ranran, you’re… not angry?”

“Why would I be angry?” Shen Xingran’s voice was soft. “I know you treat me the best, second brother. I just hope you won’t be upset and that you’ll stay happy every day.”

As warmth spread through Shen Xingzhuo’s heart, he couldn’t help but inwardly mock Lu Ran’s naivety.

A recording?

Did Lu Ran really think such trivial matters could affect his relationship with Ranran?

Ridiculous. Shen Xingran didn’t care at all.

The two brothers went upstairs together.

Once they reached the second floor, Shen Xingran couldn’t help but indirectly probe, “Brother, about that dog…”

Shen Xingzhuo hesitated for a moment but didn’t avoid the topic anymore. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. If you’re feeling annoyed lately, you can stay at the resort near your school for a few days and take a break.”

Shen Xingran felt a bit dissatisfied.

“I’ll take care of it” meant it hadn’t been handled yet.

Why was Shen Xingzhuo taking so long this time?

But now wasn’t the time to get angry, so he suppressed his feelings.

In the afternoon, Shen Xingzhuo went to his studio and had originally planned to stay at his apartment for the night. However, thinking of Shen Xingran, he returned to the Shen family home.

Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen were staying elsewhere.

That night, Shen Xingzhuo believed his warning would have some effect.

Unexpectedly, Lu Ran brought the dog back to the villa again.

Shen Xingzhuo didn’t go down but stood on the second-floor railing, looking outside.

With a cigarette between his fingers, he was on the phone.

“Yes, that pet shop. I already sent you the location, didn’t I?”

Downstairs, Lu Ran was putting a bandage on Da Huang’s leg.

Da Huang was very obedient, lifting whichever paw he was told to.

When lifting his hind leg, Da Huang lost balance, collapsing onto the grass.

The boy below laughed, then pounced on the dog, playfully squishing him like a pancake.

Man and dog played around, childish to the extreme.

The person on the other end of the phone continued speaking.

“Brother Zhuo?”

Shen Xingzhuo paused for a moment before laughing casually, as he usually did. “You already know what to do. Just don’t touch anything else. That lame dog…”

On the lawn, Da Huang was rolling around, seemingly noticing someone upstairs. His black beady eyes, reflecting the warm glow of the streetlights, curiously and gently looked up at Shen Xingzhuo.

Shen Xingzhuo noticed the dog wagging its tail.

Whether it was because it was having fun with its owner or because it saw him, he couldn’t tell.

“… Just bring it out,” Shen Xingzhuo said.

The person on the other end excitedly suggested something.

Shen Xingzhuo turned around, leaning against the railing with his back to the scene below.

He replied coldly, “Work? It’s better if it gets destroyed.”

After giving his instructions, Shen Xingzhuo took a shower and went to bed.

He wasn’t used to the bed in the Shen family villa and hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few days.

But tonight, feeling a bit tired, he managed to sleep soundly.

Perhaps because of the scene he saw before bed—of the boy and the dog playing on the lawn—Shen Xingzhuo unexpectedly had a dream.

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Moonlit: I’ll be uploading a total of 10 chapters (5 chapters meant for today+5 ko-fi chapters) today.