Chapter Sixty: The Little Corgi with Short Legs

“Little Luo Luo, it’s time to eat.”
“Coming!”
As always, the scene was familiar: lighthearted conversation, delicious food, the three of them sharing a moment of peace.
After lunch, most people would go for a nap, but Luo Hanya’s habits were a little different. He preferred to go outside and bask in the midday sun—he called it “embracing the sun.”
With his eyes closed, Luo Hanya took a few steps toward the sunlight, then turned and walked a few steps in the other direction, moving left, then right, just as if he were sunning laundry—turning over and over to soak up the rays evenly.
His daily ritual of hugging the sun at noon made Luo Hanya something of an oddball in the eyes of many. More precisely, he was the nemesis of his female friends.
Hey! What kind of guy sunbathes every day and still doesn’t get tanned? Is it even possible to be friends with someone like that? Damn it! If you’re going to be fair-skinned, can’t you just have a normal kind of fair? Why does it have to be this unnatural kind of pale?
Still, Luo Hanya came out to bask in the sun every bright noon, completely ignoring the strange looks—shock, envy, curiosity—that he inevitably attracted.
In Luo Hanya’s own words: “All I want is a healthy, sun-kissed complexion. Is that so much to ask?”
“Woof! Woof!” A small dog, yellow and white, barked at Luo Hanya from not far away.
Luo Hanya opened his eyes and locked gazes with the little dog for a few seconds. Seeing Luo Hanya’s eyes open, the dog stopped barking, sat down, and extended a paw, watching him intently.
“Uh…” Luo Hanya noticed something odd in the dog’s expression. It was almost as if the dog was saying, “You may rise?”
“What in the world…?” Luo Hanya straightened up, staring at the dog as if he were looking at some strange creature.
The dog didn’t care, lifting its head and closing its eyes, as though it were enjoying being observed.
“Oh heavens, did a cat’s soul transmigrate into a dog’s body?” Luo Hanya stifled a laugh, launching into a torrent of complaints.
Unexpectedly, the little dog seemed to relish the attention even more, closing its eyes as if savoring the midday warmth. After a long while, it finally opened its eyes, meeting Luo Hanya’s wide, astonished gaze—a real-life staring contest, human and dog.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Luo Hanya blinked at the strange little dog, reaching out to touch it. “Are you homeless? Or did you just fall for my good looks and want to follow me home?”
“Woof!” The dog’s dark eyes glared at him, its mouth clamped shut. It seemed to say, “Could you be any more ridiculous?”
“What? You’re looking down on me?” Luo Hanya felt a sudden wave of existential despair. “Even a dog is scorning me now—how is that fair?”
“Woof! Woof! Woof!” The little dog seemed quite pleased with Luo Hanya’s reaction, barking loudly and sticking out its tongue in a grin.
“Seriously? You’re laughing at me too?” Luo Hanya exploded. Others might have seen warmth or joy in the scene, but to him, the dog was blatantly mocking him.
“Hmph! You’re not even cute, running around everywhere—definitely not a fancy breed. With manners like that, you must be a stray!” Luo Hanya launched into an emotional deduction.
But the little dog looked even more dismissive. With a flourish of its right paw, it pulled a name tag from the fur under its neck, still wearing that smug expression.
“Cardigan Welsh Corgi, royal pet of the British monarchy.” Luo Hanya bent down to read the tag, his face falling instantly.
“Uh… Shorty, where’s your owner?” Taking a breath, Luo Hanya squatted and gently patted the clever little Corgi.
“Woof!” Apparently displeased by the nickname, the Corgi barked angrily, then fell silent, hanging its head dejectedly.
“Did something happen to your owner? Or were you abandoned?” Luo Hanya asked curiously, then chuckled at himself. “I must be losing it—no matter how smart this dog is, it’s still just a dog. How could it answer me?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he was forced to eat his words. Staring in disbelief, Luo Hanya slapped himself across the face in shock.
Because the Corgi was tracing out words in the air!
“What the—am I seeing ghosts in broad daylight?” Luo Hanya gaped at the dog as it seemed to write: “My owner’s gone. I like it here and plan to stay for a while.”
“From a physiological point of view, this Corgi must be a new experimental animal developed by the government, with exceptional intelligence. That’s why it can understand me. Its owner is probably a scientist, and it must have gotten lost, which is why it ended up here.” Luo Hanya crossed his arms and struck a thoughtful pose, glancing now and then at the haughty little Corgi.
“If I look at it from a paranormal angle, then it must be some kind of strange spirit or demon trying to harm me.” At this thought, Luo Hanya narrowed his eyes and shouted at the Corgi, “By the decree of the Grand Supreme Elder! Heaven and earth, unleash the demon-slaying curse!”

Silence stretched between them; even the Corgi seemed stunned by Luo Hanya’s antics.
“Ahem! Alright, you’re not a demon.” Luo Hanya declared with a straight face. “So, you want to stay at my place? Fine—bad luck for you. When I was a kid, someone nicknamed me the ‘Dog-Tormenting Fiend.’ Prepare to be at my mercy!”
The Corgi looked entirely unimpressed, even rolling its eyes.
“Oh? You look down on me, do you, Shorty? I’ll show you what I’m made of!” Without waiting for a reply, Luo Hanya scooped up the Corgi, who closed its eyes in resignation.
“Heh heh, Shorty, let’s go to the clinic and get you vaccinated.” Luo Hanya’s voice was sly, almost devilish.
“Woof! Woof woof!” The Corgi stiffened in his arms, kicking its legs in protest and letting out a pitiful howl.
“Heh, you’d better behave. If you don’t, what if the doctors notice something odd and send you off to a research lab to be dissected?” Luo Hanya continued to threaten.
“Whine…” With a resigned whimper, the Corgi seemed to accept its fate, lying motionless on Luo Hanya’s shoulder.
“That’s better. By the way, from now on, your name is Shorty!”
“Shorty woof, Shorty—”
“Woof! Woof!”
“Still barking? Meowing won’t work either! Protests overruled! As judge, I declare the sentence to be carried out immediately!”
“Woof!”