You've Never Been This Good to Me

Chen Zhi's palms were covered in sweat, his clammy hands tightly clutching a single bank card.

From the kitchen came the roaring noise of the range hood, a sign that Comrade Zhang Guifang was currently unleashing her ultimate stir-frying skills.

If he didn't make his move now, when would he ever get a better chance?

Chen Zhi sprang up from his chair, tiptoed, and silently slipped over to the door of the master bedroom. The door was left slightly ajar, letting out a faint scent of mothballs from within.

He cocked his ear and listened. The clinking sound of the spatula hitting the iron wok in the kitchen maintained a steady rhythm.

Safe.

Chen Zhi slipped into the room and headed straight for the large mahogany wardrobe. He knew Zhang Guifang's habits all too well. Even though this woman was a bank teller, deep down she still believed that money was safest when kept right under her own nose. In the bottommost drawer, buried beneath an outdated red woolen coat, sat an incredibly ordinary-looking tin mooncake box.

If someone who didn't know the inside story opened that box, all they would see was a pile of needles, threads, and sewing scraps.

Chen Zhi held his breath, hooked his fingers gently around the drawer pull, and inched it outward bit by bit.

Squeak—

The old sliding rails let out a faint, high-pitched scream.

Chen Zhi's movements instantly froze in mid-air. His heart slammed violently against his chest, as if trying to jump out and take a look at the outside world.

The sound of the spatula in the kitchen stopped.

Zhizhi? If you want water, pour it yourself! Mom is busy here! Zhang Guifang's booming voice smashed right through two wooden doors.

Chen Zhi swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He quickly adjusted his vocal cords and shouted back, Got it, I'm just looking for... looking for toilet paper!

The paper is under the coffee table! You're going to die of stupidity!

The clattering of the spatula resumed, even more fiercely than before.

Chen Zhi let out a long breath of relief and sped up his hands. He pulled open the drawer, lifted the heavy coat, and there lay the tin box printed with the words Blooming Flowers and Full Moon. He expertly pried off the lid, brushed aside the messy tangle of yarn and thimbles covering the top, and revealed a layer of newspaper underneath.

Lifting the newspaper exposed a stack of red banknotes, though the thickness had shrunk somewhat.

He quickly slipped the bank card from his hand into the pile. He even meticulously aligned the direction of the bills and did a simple shuffle of the crisp and worn notes, striving to make his handiwork absolutely flawless. Once all this was done, he covered it back up with the newspaper, returned the yarn to its place, closed the lid, and pushed the drawer shut.

The entire process took less than thirty seconds.

By the time Chen Zhi sat back down at his desk and flipped open his Primary School Math Olympiad Solutions, his back was already completely soaked with sweat.

These days of living in constant fear were finally over.

As long as that wallet.dat file hidden deep in his D drive wasn't lost, and as long as the historical progression of Bitcoin didn't deviate, he, Chen Zhi, was destined to spend the rest of his life rolling around on a mountain of cash.

For the next few days, Chen Zhi behaved exceptionally well.

He wasn't picky with his food, he didn't kick his blankets off in his sleep, and he even voluntarily poured foot-washing water for Comrade Chen Jun. This left Chen Jun so overwhelmed by the unexpected favor that he briefly suspected his son had caused some massive disaster at school that would require them to sell the house to pay for damages.

That was, until Saturday afternoon.

The sunlight spilled lazily onto the balcony of the old residential complex. Chen Zhi was sitting with his legs crossed, staring blankly at his computer screen. He was researching current graphics card prices, pondering whether he should get his hands on a top-tier GPU to play around with.

Bang bang bang!

The security door was pounded so hard it shook the heavens. Just from the rhythm alone, he knew immediately it was Lin Wanwan.

Chen Zhi! Chen Zhi, are you home! Open the door, quick!

Her voice carried an unmistakable thrill of excitement, like a little mouse that had just successfully stolen some oil.

Chen Zhi sighed helplessly and dragged his slippers across the floor to answer the door. It's the weekend. Why aren't you at home watching your cartoons instead of running over here? I don't have any extra popsicles left in my house.

As soon as the door opened, Chen Zhi froze.

Lin Wanwan was wearing a little pink floral dress. Her small face was flushed red, and a few crystal-clear drops of sweat hung on her forehead. But none of that was the main point. The main point was the furry little bundle she was holding in her arms.

It was black and white, with three distinct flame-like marks on its forehead, and two eyes that resembled blue sapphires, radiating a pure, unadulterated sense of stupidity.

A husky puppy.

Look! Lin Wanwan shoved the furball right in front of Chen Zhi's face as if offering up a priceless treasure, her eyes curving into two happy crescents. Zhizhi, look, isn't it cute? My dad bought it for me!

Chen Zhi's gaze instantly locked onto it.

In his past life, as a seasoned corporate slave, Chen Zhi's ultimate dream had been to own a cat and a dog of his very own. During all those days when he worked overtime until late into the night and dragged his exhausted body back to his rented apartment, he had fantasized countless times about having a furry little creature waiting to greet him at the door.

Unfortunately, when he was a kid, Comrade Zhang Guifang held absolute veto power over the matter. Her reasoning was, Raising you is exhausting enough. If we raise a beast on top of that, how are we supposed to live? Later, when he grew up and started working, a lack of money, time, and energy meant he could only resort to petting dogs virtually on the internet.

He never expected that, having been reborn, this wish would manifest right before his eyes in such a manner.

Is... is this a husky? Chen Zhi's voice actually cracked a little.

You recognize it too? Lin Wanwan lifted her chin proudly and hoisted the puppy slightly higher. My dad says it's called a Siberian Husky, it's super cool! But my mom thinks the name is too long, so she told me to call it Xiaobai.

What the hell kind of name is Xiaobai.

This was the future captain of the home demolition squad, the terminator of furniture, a walking internet meme—a husky!

Right now, the little husky was at the absolute peak of its physical appeal. It was covered in soft, fluffy down, its four little paws were a tender pink, and it was staring out with those trademark blue eyes, tilting its head to study Chen Zhi while letting out soft, milky whines.

Chen Zhi's rationality completely collapsed in that exact moment.

To hell with Bitcoin! Right now, immediately, at this very second, he needed to pet this dog!

Quick! Let me hold it!

Chen Zhi paid absolutely no attention to whatever Lin Wanwan was saying. His two hands reached out like iron tongs, forcefully snatching the little meatball right out of her arms without a word of debate.

It felt heavy in his hands, and the texture was so incredibly good it was absurd.

That warm little belly pressed against the palm of his hand, carrying the rhythmic thumping of a heartbeat. It was like a current of warmth shooting straight through to the top of Chen Zhi's skull.

Ah, be gentle! Lin Wanwan was startled by his ravenous, tiger-pouncing demeanor, her small hands nervously clutching the hem of her dress. It's very shy around strangers!

Shy?

Chen Zhi looked down at the little guy in his arms, who was currently frantically licking his fingers. He figured the word shy simply didn't exist in this creature's dictionary. Its dictionary only contained the phrases let go and I'm gone and I want to tear this house apart.

He expertly flipped the little husky over so its belly faced upward. Supporting its back with one hand, he used his other hand to vigorously rub its soft, squishy tummy. The puppy squinted its eyes in pure comfort, kicking its four paws wildly in the air and letting out contented grunts.

Holy crap, the way this feels... it's unreal.

Chen Zhi felt every single pore on his body open up. He lowered his head, buried his face deep into the soft fur at the nape of the little husky's neck, and took a massive, deep breath.

Inhale—

It was a scent that mixed the fragrance of milk, the smell of sunshine, and that unique, distinct aroma of a little puppy.

"Zhizhi... what are you doing?"

Lin Wanwan stood to the side, completely dumbfounded as she watched Chen Zhi's intoxicated expression, looking almost like an addict having a fit. She had known Chen Zhi for so many years and had never seen him make such a face.

It was a kind of heartfelt, unreserved, and even slightly perverse affection.

Usually, when this guy faced her, he either looked disgusted or gave her that old-fashioned, perfunctory smile. When had he ever been so gentle?

"Sniffing the dog, you wouldn't understand. It's good for your physical and mental health." Chen Zhi didn't even look up. He took another deep sniff and kissed the puppy on the forehead. "From now on, this is my blood brother from another mother and father."

The little husky seemed to sense the human's affection as well. It stuck out its wet little tongue and slathered a layer of drool all over Chen Zhi's face.

"Hahahaha, don't lick! It tickles!" Chen Zhi laughed like a two-hundred-pound child.

Lin Wanwan's small mouth slowly began to pout.

She had originally come to show off. She wanted to see the envy in Chen Zhi's eyes, wanted to hear him praise her for having a good dad, wanted to see him hover around her and beg her to let him pet the puppy.

But now, the script was completely wrong.

Chen Zhi wasn't paying attention to her at all!

Only to that dog!

That dog he had just met less than five minutes ago!

A sour feeling fermented and swelled in Lin Wanwan's small chest. She watched Chen Zhi spin around with the puppy in his arms, saying all sorts of mushy things: "Little baby, let big brother see if your teeth have all grown in... Aww, look at these chubby little paws..."

"Chen Zhi!" Lin Wanwan suddenly shouted.

Chen Zhi finally stopped what he was doing and looked up blankly, still tightly hugging the little husky in his arms. "What's wrong? Are you going home for dinner?"

Lin Wanwan was so angry that her cheeks puffed out like freshly steamed buns. Her watery eyes glared fixedly at Chen Zhi. She pointed at the dog in his arms, her finger trembling. "Give Xiaobai back to me!"

"Don't be so stingy. Let me play with him for five more minutes, just five minutes." Chen Zhi couldn't bear to let go and even took a step back.

"You... you..."

Lin Wanwan was so mad she couldn't even speak clearly. She had carried the dog all the way here, her arms aching, but this guy didn't even say a single "Thank you, Wanwan," nor did he even look her straight in the eye.

"Look how much he likes me." Chen Zhi, blissfully unaware of his impending doom, lifted one of the puppy's paws and waved it at Lin Wanwan. "Come on, Xiaobai, say hi to the big sister. Tell her she looks really ugly when she's jealous."

This was simply adding fuel to the fire.

Lin Wanwan's string of reason completely snapped.

She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and charged at Chen Zhi in a fit of rage.

Before Chen Zhi could react, he saw a flash of a pink figure before his eyes.

"Thump!"

A muffled thud echoed.

Lin Wanwan didn't hit him with her hands or kick him with her feet. Instead, she used her smooth, plump forehead to viciously headbutt Chen Zhi right in the chest.

This headbutt was heavy and forceful, carrying all her grievances and jealousy.

Caught off guard, Chen Zhi let out a muffled groan from the impact. He stumbled back two steps and fell flat on his butt into a chair. The little husky in his arms was so frightened by the sudden jolt that it let out a yelp, taking the opportunity to break free from Chen Zhi's demonic clutches. It jumped to the floor and scurried under the bed, wagging its tail.

The room instantly fell silent.

Clutching his chest, Chen Zhi grimaced as he looked at Lin Wanwan, whose head was still buried against him. He was just about to complain when he felt a sudden wave of damp heat soaking through the fabric on his chest.

Lin Wanwan didn't look up. Her forehead remained firmly pressed against his chest. Her voice was muffled and thick with a nasal tone, every word seemingly squeezed out through her teeth:

"You've never even treated me this well."

At that moment, even the chirping of the cicadas outside the window seemed to freeze. The playful grin on Chen Zhi's face slowly faded. He looked down at the little head trembling slightly against his chest, his hands suspended in mid-air, suddenly at a loss for where to put them.