Dog Leash - Alright, Now Everyone's a Dog. Part 1

On the liveliest day of the Lunar New Year's Eve, Yin Le was contemplating running away from home.

Dad was useless, Mom was just watching the show, big brother wasn't human, and big sister-in-law... big sister-in-law had been corrupted by big brother. Life was so hard, he couldn't go on.

He sat in the corner of the sofa, simmering with anger but not daring to speak, hugging his New Year's gift with a dejected look.

"Xiao Le, come help wrap dumplings!" Chou Feiqian called out loudly from the dining room.

"Oh..." Yin Le responded listlessly, his gaze drifting towards the main door.

He really should just run away. No one in this family cared about him anymore. He was like a forgotten cabbage in the field, tormented daily by his big brother.

"Xiao Le."

Yu Zhen suddenly sneaked over like a thief, pulled a small key from the pocket of his loungewear, and quickly stuffed it into his hand, whispering, "Don't be upset. Here, don't tell your brother."

Yin Le paused, picked up the key, and saw that it was for the community's parcel locker. A small flame slowly rekindled in his heart of dead ashes. He turned his head to look at Yu Zhen. "Brother Yu, is this..."

"The newest model of that figurine you wanted. I asked someone... uh, I found a way to buy it for you," Yu Zhen explained vaguely. Hearing footsteps approaching, he quickly straightened up, pretending to be nonchalant, and raised his voice. "Let's go, help Mom wrap dumplings. They're making your favorite shrimp filling."

Yin Le, however, wasn't one for acting. His heart filled with explosive joy, he instantly tossed aside the practice papers in his arms, turned, and gave Yu Zhen a big bear hug, shouting gleefully, "Brother Yu! You're my real big brother! I love you! I—"

"Yin Le."

Yin Yan stood at the threshold between the dining room and living room, holding a piece of fruit in one hand and a fruit knife in the other. The tip of the knife was pointed in their direction, glinting coldly under the light.

"...Brother Yu, I will repay you."

Yin Le decisively retracted his arms, then turned and strode towards the main door. Without even putting on a coat, he rushed out of the house in just his loungewear, running against the cold wind in the direction of the community parcel locker.

Yu Zhen: "..." Useless teammate.

"Yu Zhen," Yin Yan called, seemingly calm.

Yu Zhen turned his head stiffly, forcing a placating smile. "Um, why did you come out... I can explain, really..."

The fruit knife in Yin Yan's right hand moved to the fruit in his left. He gave Yu Zhen a quiet look, then turned and walked away.

"..." It's over. He's angry again.

Ten minutes later, Yin Le rushed back in, his face red from the cold, clutching a figurine box and grinning from ear to ear.

"Brother Yu, Brother Yu, Brother Yu, how did you get this? It's so hard to buy, it was a limited release! I queued up for it but couldn't get one!"

Right now, Yu Zhen genuinely wanted to kill him.

"Xiao Zhen, you actually bought this for him. Look how happy he is." Chou Feiqian walked out with a smile, reaching out to rub Yin Le's ice-cold face. She rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly and pushed him upstairs. "Go, wash your face with warm water and drink a cup of hot water. Don't catch a cold."

Having gotten the gift he wanted, Yin Le was completely satisfied and instantly transformed into a well-behaved boy, cheerfully carrying his gift upstairs.

Two minutes later, Yin Le's joyous shriek rang out again. "Ah! There's another one! Ahhh, I must be dreaming!"

Hearing this, Chou Feiqian turned to look at the silent Yin Yan, shot him a smiling glare, and asked, "You bought him one too?"

"It's only once a year," Yin Yan replied, turning back into the dining room.

Yu Zhen watched his back and listened to Yin Le's shouting upstairs, four words flashing through his mind—it's really over.

When Yin Yan had said he would give him practice papers, Yu Zhen had thought it might not be appropriate and had decided to prepare this figurine. Seeing that Yin Yan didn't seem to like Yin Le wasting money on these things, he had planned to give it to him secretly, without Yin Yan's knowledge.

He never expected Yin Yan to have bought one too.

This was the first time the two of them had been so out of sync, and also the first time they had been so perfectly in sync.

Feeling slightly guilty, he followed Yin Yan and walked to his side, staring at his hands as he wrapped dumplings. He said meekly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you bought one too, and I shouldn't have bought Xiao Le a gift behind your back."

"Buying a gift is a gesture of kindness. You did nothing wrong," Yin Yan replied calmly. His hands were steady as he wrapped the dumplings, each movement standard, elegant, and beautiful to watch.

Yu Zhen was a little mesmerized... So beautiful. Yin Yan's hands seemed to be getting more and more attractive.

It seemed that after he had entered the Dao and his cultivation had advanced, Yin Yan had also improved in certain ways. He didn't know about the inside, but on the outside, he was still the same person, yet every detail had become more captivating.

It made sense. Their fates were linked. Half of the Merit he gained would be shared with Yin Yan. He had grown taller and stronger, so Yin Yan should have as well.

"What are you looking at?" Yin Yan asked suddenly.

"Looking at how beautiful you are."

Yu Zhen answered instinctively. Then, with a pop, the dumpling in Yin Yan's hand was crushed.

"Pfft." Chou Feiqian, who had come in a step behind and was secretly listening to their conversation, couldn't help but laugh, her eyes full of teasing and amusement. "Oh my, our little Xiao Yan is shy."

Shy? Yin Yan could be shy?

A thought stirred in Yu Zhen's mind, and he looked up at Yin Yan.

But Yin Yan put down the crushed dumpling, turned to pick up a tray of wrapped dumplings from the table, and went into the kitchen, leaving only his back for Yu Zhen to see.

He ran off so quickly. Could he really be shy?

Yu Zhen's heart suddenly felt a little ticklish. Just as he was about to follow, Yin Le rushed in holding a small note, grinning slyly. "Brother Yu, Brother Yu, there's a figurine in my room too, and the gift-giver's name is you, hehehe. Someone used your name to give me a gift, look!"

He held the note out. It wasn't really a note, but a New Year's card. The words on it were printed, not handwritten. There was a blessing, and the signature at the end was indeed his name.

Yu Zhen took the card. His superior senses immediately caught the faint, cool scent of Yin Yan on it. His mind couldn't help but picture Yin Yan seriously preparing the gift and the card. His heart beat a little faster, and the corners of his mouth turned up uncontrollably.

"Ooh, Brother Yu, the way you're smiling... mmph mmmph."

Yin Le was about to start teasing when Chou Feiqian swiftly covered his mouth and forcefully dragged him away.

Yu Zhen caressed the card in his hand, feeling both touched and warm. After a pause, he started walking toward the kitchen.

Giving a gift to Yin Le in his name, and in such a surprising way, it must have been to make the Yin Family like him more. Although, in reality, the Yin Family already showed that they liked him very much.

He stepped into the kitchen, walked up behind Yin Yan, and held out the card. "Thank you," he said.

Yin Yan placed the dumplings in the freezer, closed the door, and turned around. He stuffed a wooden box into Yu Zhen's arms and said, "A New Year's gift. You're a year older. You have to cultivate even harder next year." After saying that, he patted his head and turned to leave again.

"..." This didn't look like shyness, more like he was still angry.

The smile on Yu Zhen's face vanished. He looked at the carved wooden box in his hands, rubbed it a couple of times, and suddenly had a flash of insight, understanding why he was angry.

...Was it because he had prepared gifts for everyone else in the Yin Family, but not for him?

With this guess in mind, he began to secretly observe Yin Yan. He even deliberately waited until after everyone had seen the new year in and they had returned to their room to give Xu Wu a small gift right in front of him.

"I don't know if you like cat toys, but I bought some yarn and wound this yarn ball myself. I soaked the yarn in the Lotus Pond water, so it smells nice and is very pleasant. Here, smell it."

The yarn ball was beautiful, wound with colorful threads, and even had a pattern crocheted on the surface. It did indeed smell very nice.

Xu Wu liked it a lot. It couldn't resist batting it with a paw. Then, it caught sight of its master's seemingly calm but murderous face out of the corner of its eye, trembled, and let out a meow in response before hugging the ball and diving back into the space.

"Time to wash up and go to bed." Yin Yan stood up and walked into the bathroom with a placid expression.

Yu Zhen tilted his head to watch his back, observing the speed of his walk, and finally couldn't help but smile.

He really was angry about not getting a gift.

In his eyes, Yin Yan was powerful, omnipotent, reliable, and someone who wouldn't flinch even if a mountain collapsed before him. Yet now, this person was silently sulking over not receiving a gift, and acting so awkwardly about it.

Just like a little child.

He felt as if that sense of reverence he had for Yin Yan, like that for an elder, had shattered with a crack.

He summoned Xu Wu and got the small handmade sachet he had secretly stored with it. He squeezed it shyly, hesitated for a moment, and then temporarily placed the sachet under his pillow.

After they both washed up, Yu Zhen pretended to lie down on the bed casually. After the lights were turned off, he lay there quietly for a while, guessing that Yin Yan should be asleep by now. He then reached under his pillow for the small sachet and stretched his arm out to quietly tuck it under Yin Yan's pillow.

Pa.

His hand was suddenly caught by a warm grasp.

Yu Zhen's eyes widened in shock, and he reflexively tried to pull his hand back.

"Don't move," Yin Yan's voice sounded in the darkness. Then, with another click, the bedside lamp was turned on.

Yin Yan sat up, lifted his frozen hand, and gently pried open his tightly clenched fingers, pulling out the small sachet made of dark cyan cloth, which had the character "Yan" embroidered on it with white silk thread.

"For me?" Yin Yan asked, playing with the simple sachet as he looked down.

Perhaps it was because of the light, but Yu Zhen thought he saw a hint of a smile in Yin Yan's eyes, and even a trace of shyness.

Shyness? No, no, that must be an illusion.

His face turned a little red. He pulled his hand back and burrowed deeper into the quilt, mumbling a response.

He hadn't originally planned to give a sachet, but... most of the things he had were given to him by Yin Yan. The only things of value he had were the Bodhi Lotus seeds and lotus petals.

After much consideration, he felt these two things were perfect for making a sachet. He figured that Yin Yan, being an "antique," would have worn things like sachets in the past and wouldn't reject it. So... so he looked up tutorials online and forced himself to make one.

"Inside is powder made from dried and ground lotus petals. I also ground up the cores of a few lotus seeds. The scent is very light, with a slightly astringent bitterness, so it won't be too feminine. I used the lotus seeds to make Lotus Cake, it's with Xu Wu. You... you can have some to eat."

Seeing that Yin Yan wasn't saying anything, he couldn't help but explain, then turned over evasively and wrapped himself in the quilt. "It's late, time to sleep. Good night."

He said that, but his eyes were still open and his ears were perked up, listening intently for any movement from Yin Yan.

After a long silence, a low chuckle was heard. "So you were holing up in the Revolving Vessel every day just to make this?"

This was the first time Yu Zhen had heard Yin Yan laugh. It was low, with a hint of ease and delight, sliding across his eardrums like silk. It was very pleasant.