Initial Success, and I'm Already Hooked on Matchmaking (Bonus Update)

"I want to..."

Mao Ruirui blurted out instinctively before quickly covering her mouth, afraid that Lin Yu nearby might hear her words.

What’s going on? What’s happening?!

Lin Yu was talking to Good Luck, not her. So why was she so nervous?

That feeling just now was like...

Lin Yu, towering like a mountain, had appeared in her mind, bringing an overwhelming sense of pressure that left her completely defenseless.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say...

She didn’t dare resist!

Had Lin Yu always had such an intimidating presence?

She’d never noticed it before!

Little did she know...

Lin Yu had not only heard Mao Ruirui’s "I want to," but he’d heard it loud and clear.

This kind of training, which served two purposes at once, should have started sooner.

Starting now was still a bit late.

The same kind of intimidation had a nearly identical effect on Good Luck.

For a dog, being denied food was absolutely devastating.

Good Luck immediately gathered strength and jumped again, giving it another try.

However...

He still fell far short of the standard Lin Yu had set.

Though it was much higher than his first attempt.

"For a dog your size, is this height really that hard?"

"You’ve got two more chances. If you still can’t reach it, no food for two days."

"And... you’ll have to do a hundred jumps in place as punishment."

Lin Yu intensified his tone, piling on the pressure.

Compared to dealing with people, communicating with a dog was much simpler—there was no psychological burden to bear.

Good Luck didn’t understand what "a hundred times" meant.

He only knew it sounded like a lot.

Then he remembered how he used to jump onto windowsills as a puppy...

If he couldn’t reach a height from a standstill...

He could take a running start!

And so...

Under the watchful eyes of Lin Yu and Mao Ruirui from a distance...

The usually lazy Good Luck backed up far away.

Then...

He charged forward in a sudden burst, leaping with all his might while at full speed.

This time...

With the momentum from his sprint, Good Luck finally managed to touch Lin Yu’s hand with his head.

"Amazing!"

Mao Ruirui clenched her fists in excitement.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on what kind of charm Lin Yu had, but animals just listened to him.

No matter how difficult the situation, as long as he stepped in, it could be easily resolved.

Lin Yu patted his hands in satisfaction, then raised them above his head.

"Good Luck, I knew you weren’t incapable—you just needed the right opportunity."

"Your owner has been protecting you too much, unknowingly dulling your natural athletic talent."

"A dog like you..."

"Was born for sports."

"Come on, believe in yourself—you can definitely do it!"

Good Luck’s eyes sparkled: "!!!"

What was this inexplicable surge of energy?

Had he always been a dog with great athletic potential?

Before, whenever he saw other dogs running wildly through the streets, jumping and climbing everywhere...

He’d just think they were exhausting themselves for no reason, that they must be crazy.

But now, he suddenly understood them—he even wanted Lin Yu to set the bar higher!

......

Encouragement-based training was, at its core, also a kind of intelligence trap.

Whether for dogs or humans...

Once they received positive emotional feedback from someone they cared about, they’d strive to do even better, craving more praise.

With that initial breakthrough...

Good Luck progressed at an astonishing speed in the subsequent training.

Mao Ruirui watched in awe from the sidelines, admiring Lin Yu even more.

During the training, Mao Ruirui made sure not to get too close.

She observed from a distance, occasionally cheering to praise Lin Yu’s skills.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help or assist Lin Yu up close...

It was just...

The moment she got even slightly closer and heard Lin Yu’s words, she couldn’t help but want to respond.

From afar, she could still hold back a little.

But up close, the reaction became even stronger!

Such bizarre behavior couldn’t possibly be let Lin Yu notice.

Otherwise...

He might think Mao Ruirui had some "weird energy" clinging to her.

How else could she have such ridiculous reactions?

Lin Yu wasn’t in a rush to "educate" Sister Ruirui just yet.

The most pressing matter was still ensuring Good Luck mastered obstacle running.

Encouragement was one thing...

But no matter how obedient a dog was, if it couldn’t do something, it simply couldn’t.

Fortunately...

This wasn’t an overly difficult task—just a matter of practice.

With enough repetition and verbal reinforcement to ingrain the movements...

It wouldn’t take more than an hour for Good Luck to handle it with ease.

"Look here—you can’t touch these plastic poles."

"You’re a dog, not a hunk of scrap metal, not a pillar."

"Your body is flexible—you can weave through here quickly. Again."

"......"

"Where are you running off to? In a hurry to eat?"

"You have to go around every single pole. Watch my feet—follow my steps."

"Like this... not a single one missed!"

"......"

"Not bad, not bad, starting to look decent. Try speeding up a little more."

"After clearing these poles, step on the red pedal."

"Miss it once, and you’ll have to run the course ten more times!"

"......"

After nearly an hour...

Lin Yu had transformed a lazy, clumsy dog into something resembling a beginner competition hound.

Apart from his average speed, Good Luck could now basically complete the obstacle course.

Mao Ruirui wasn’t about to take all the credit for herself.

Once the training showed clear results in the latter half...

She took out her phone and recorded a full video of Good Luck navigating the poles.

Then...

She sent it via WeChat to their landlady, "Song Chunxia."

Soon...

A voice message reply came through.

Song Chunxia (Voice Message): "Holy sht! Is that my baby?! That’s insane! How’s he running so well? Ruirui, is that young guy your boyfriend? A professional trainer, right? Damn, he’s good!"

Listening to Song Chunxia’s voice message, Mao Ruirui felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

But she still replied carefully.

Mao Ruirui: "Chunxia-jie, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s a good friend I asked to help train Good Luck—his name is Lin Yu."

Song Chunxia (Voice Message): "Oh!! So that’s Lin Yu! No wonder Biaozi called me this morning asking about Good Luck. If he’s not your boyfriend yet, you’d better hurry up—this guy’s got skills, really capable! And come on, what ‘good friend’? There’s no such thing as pure friendship between men and women! Hahahaha..."

Song Chunxia (Voice Message): "I’ll drop by your shop at noon to see my baby. If you two are free, I’ll treat you to lunch. Your jie here loves playing matchmaker!"

Song Chunxia’s bold remarks left Mao Ruirui blushing.

Was it really true that men and women couldn’t be just friends?

Maybe... it was?

......

(Bonus chapter delivered! Today’s updates are all done—more to come tomorrow. If you have time, I’d appreciate an ad watch, a free vote, or some love-powered support for this little author!)