Chapter 37: Who exactly is the dog?

Translator: Abo Dammen

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Case Two: Dance of the Night Charm

The consequence of staying up late is listlessness.

Actually, last night’s mutual assistance didn’t last very long. Xu Pei finished in a few minutes, and He Yixun didn’t deliberately drag it out either. He was like a machine that could precisely control the duration, switching the program to a results-focused, rapid mode after Xu Pei’s release, and soon finishing himself off with his hand around Xu Pei.

From being carried to the bed to the end of the mutual assistance, the whole process took less than half an hour. 

What followed for Xu Pei was endless tossing and turning.

Lying back down on the sofa, listening to the quiet, hypnotic ticking of the wall clock, he found himself completely unable to sleep, his mind filled with serious scientific questions.

So, do people in this world also go into heat?

Otherwise, he really couldn’t understand He Yixun’s behavior. 

Before this, during all the times he had asked He Yixun for help, He Yixun’s motivation had always been purely curiosity.

But this time was clearly different.

He was no longer passively observing. He showed some active intention.

For example, kissing Xu Pei. 

That wasn’t a soothing saliva, it was pure lip and tongue entanglement. He could no longer use treatment as an excuse and claim it wasn’t intimate behavior.

Another example: not allowing Xu Pei to take off his socks.

The control clearly exceeded the scope of helping. It was obvious he just liked clothes being worn neatly on Xu Pei, and once they became disordered, he wanted to take them off. Perhaps this could also be explained as his innate desire for control over order.

But one point was utterly inexplicable: that he failed the test of the demon and wanted to enter Xu Pei… 

It was just so unlike He Yixun.

Xu Pei lay on the sofa, turning over and over as he pondered, only managing to fall asleep in the early hours of the morning. Time flew, and it was morning.

Even with the blanket pulled over his head, he couldn’t block out the harsh light. The sizzling sound of eggs frying came from the kitchen. It wasn’t loud, but it was particularly noticeable. The aroma of breakfast drifted into the stuffy space under the blanket, aggravating the load on his brain. Everything around him seemed to be fighting against his sleepiness.

He yanked the blanket down from his head. The wall clock showed it was only 7 AM, yet sleepiness had already been torn to shreds by reality. 

Finally, the noise from the kitchen stopped, only to be replaced by He Yixun’s voice. “Get up. Breakfast.”

“I need to sleep a bit more,” Xu Pei mumbled, pulling the blanket back over his head.

A plate made a crisp sound as it met the table. He Yixun said, “We need to go see Shao Hui later.”

Fine. No matter how tired, we can’t delay important matters. 

Xu Pei dragged his limp limbs to the bathroom to wash up. He heard He Yixun turn on the morning news outside.

“Last night, a homicide occurred at the Vidley Winery. Wei Tai, the station director and actual controller of BinshiTelevision, was suspected to be poisoned to death. According to sources, the winery was hosting a promiscuous party with many upper-class participants. Currently, Police Chief Shao Hui has been suspended pending investigation and may be directly linked to the incident…”

Brushing his teeth, Xu Pei peeked out and saw that the station airing this news was, sure enough, not BinshiTelevision.

If Wei Tai hadn’t died, the Vidley Winery incident might not have been exposed. Given Wei Tai’s status, he could have pressured other media outlets or made deals to suppress the story. 

But the key was, he was dead.

His death was extremely sudden. The Progressive Society lost a crucial protective shield in the media sector, leading other outlets to scramble to report the story. Among them, Binshi Television stood alone, not reporting on its own owner’s tragic death.

However, Xu Pei was a bit curious about what they were broadcasting instead.

Coming out of the bathroom, Xu Pei switched the TV channel to Binshi Television and found they were broadcasting old news from yesterday—Li Menglan had officially taken office as the Mayor of Binshi. 

The woman on screen had neat, shoulder-length hair. The white strands mixed in with the black weren’t deliberately dyed perhaps due to lack of time for upkeep, or perhaps because the marks of time better highlighted her steadiness.

In her inaugural speech, she heavily emphasized her commitment to cracking down on crime. Coincidentally, the Vidley Winery incident happened right at this juncture. The old men of the Progressive Society would probably lay low for a while.

Just like the free market fears corporate monopolies, a city also fears absolute power wielded by one hand.

Fortunately, the factions of Li Menglan and Lin Mei were as incompatible as fire and water. Regardless of whether Li Menglan had personal motives in the mayor’s position, as long as she provided a counterbalance, Binshi wouldn’t completely become a playground for criminals. 

“What time are we leaving?” Xu Pei asked, munching on a sausage.

He Yixun, holding a knife and fork, checked the time. “8:30.”

Another hour.

Professor Xu, severely sleep-deprived, felt like stabbing someone. “Then why did you wake me up so early?” 

“We need to review what happened last night,” said He Yixun.

Xu Pei was taken aback for a moment before realizing He Yixun meant reviewing their intimate encounter from the previous night.

Perfect, Professor Xu thought.

He was very curious whether this world also had an estrus mechanism. Reviewing it together was definitely best. 

“What was up with you last night?” Xu Pei asked. “It didn’t seem like you at all.”

“Mm,” He Yixun hummed. “I am a normal adult male. Occasionally, I have the need to vent. This usually happens after I’ve completed a major operation or encountered a difficult case—either gaining a sense of achievement or accumulating stress. I believe it’s hormones at play.”

“Yes,” Professor Xu nodded in agreement. “Like dopamine affects pleasure, oxytocin promotes social bonding. Our scent signatures are essentially a type of hormone that lead a person’s behavior.”

“Last night’s operation was ruined by Shao Hui. My emotions were affected,” He Yixun said, analyzing his own behavior like a bystander. “There was a sense of frustration, and also anger. I urgently needed an outlet.” 

“So, frustration led to anger,” Xu Pei summarized.

“No,” He Yixun said flatly. “I was angry because other men touched you.”

“Cough! Cough!” Xu Pei nearly choked on his sausage. He took a gulp of freshly squeezed juice to calm his inexplicably racing heartbeat, but he couldn’t suppress the faint blush rising behind his ears.

“What did you say?” 

“I thought about it carefully. The time I started having other thoughts about you,” He Yixun paused, “was after you said I had marked you.”

Huh?

Oh, right. Xu Pei remembered. He’d been caught in the act of masturbating and couldn’t explain why he was so dependent on He Yixun’s scent, so he had followed He Yixun’s assumption and bluffed, claiming He Yixun had already marked him.

“Marking is a term with emotional connotations,” Teacher He began his language lesson. “A dog marks its territory, puts its mark on its belongings. This all means claiming something as one’s own. 

“Because you said I marked you, subconsciously, I felt you were my possession. I needed to take responsibility for you.”

“…Oh.” Xu Pei felt inexplicably guilty. He shouldn’t have taken advantage of He Yixun’s lack of knowledge about his world to deceive him so casually.

He knew full well that He Yixun was a serious and responsible person. Tricking him about marking was practically emotional blackmail, wasn’t it?

“And, factually speaking, you are indeed my possession,” He Yixun added. “Your food, clothing, shelter, and transportation all depend on me. I picked you up and brought you home. Since no one else has claimed you, legally, it can be determined that you belong to me.” 

That actually made some sense, but something still felt off.

“In summary, you are the stray little dog I brought home,” He Yixun used that “case closed” tone again. “You are my thing, so I don’t like others touching you.”

Xu Pei: “…..”

Damn it. Why am I so incredibly pissed off? 

“Yeah, a police dog.” Xu Pei forked a piece of sausage, smiling through gritted teeth.

“The Binshi police force actually has Beagle police dogs. I can take you to see them if you want,” said He Yixun. “But you’re more like a pet at home.”

Damn it, that made his head hurt with anger.

Xu Pei wasn’t angry about anything else. He just wanted to stand his ground. “Do you enjoy kissing dogs?” 

Who was the one who kept biting and kissing him?

He Yixun didn’t answer. He put down his knife and fork, pulled a napkin, and wiped his mouth, as if Xu Pei’s attack was of no consequence.

Xu Pei wanted to argue logically, but He Yixun simply wouldn’t engage. Professor Xu was so furious smoke practically rose from his head. “You bit my nipple when you came! Who’s the real dog here?!

“And you even wanted to fuck the little dog! Are you even human?!” 

Finally, a slight change flickered across He Yixun’s expression, but it was only a momentary stiffness at the corner of his mouth before it returned to normal. He took a deep breath and spoke. “I happened to be in a state where I needed release last night. As a biology professor, you should understand that hormones controlled my behavior.

“Just like you can’t control yourself during your heat, I believe this is an understandable situation. Especially since heat is commonplace for you, you should understand it even more.”

Damn it! He could even explain that away.

Xu Pei’s understanding of this logic-obsessed control freak was refreshed once again. 

He refused to believe this guy was unbeatable. He asked, “Do you feel like releasing right now?”

“No,” He Yixun answered. “Last night was a special circumstance.”

“Are you sure?”

Xu Pei leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and lifted one foot under the table, placing it on He Yixun’s lower abdomen. He wasn’t wearing socks, lacking the neat sense of order from last night. Guessing it probably wouldn’t trigger He Robot’s interest, he deliberately slid his foot downward, lightly brushing against the slumbering lion. “You wouldn’t feel anything even if I step on you?”

Bad dog.

He Yixun lowered his gaze, his eyes darkening. “Don’t be naughty.”

He grabbed the troublesome ankle, intending to push it away. Unexpectedly, a memory he was trying to ignore flashed in his mind, causing him to pause his movement. 

It was a familiar feel in his hand.

His middle finger and thumb met perfectly around it. Had it already become muscle memory?

Can’t think about that anymore.

The logic he had painstakingly straightened out was like a Jenga tower on the verge of collapse. Pulling out one more block would make it crumble. 

He Yixun really disliked this feeling.

Logic should be like carabiners, linking one ring to the next. But for the self-analysis he just did, the chain of logic was barely held together by super glue, giving him a frantic feeling of being unable to convince himself.

But this logic was clearly sound. Where was the problem?

These thoughts stayed in He Yixun’s mind for only a very short time. He pushed Xu Pei’s ankle away and stood up. “If you’re finished eating, go change clothes. Let’s leave early.” 

So completely unmoved, huh.

Xu Pei grumbled inwardly. So people here can use “little dogs” as release objects when they’re in the mood?

He didn’t even know why he was stubbornly competing over this. He curled his lip. “Sir yes sir.”