Lin Yuan watched the surveillance feed.
The Rose Brooch danced between his fingertips, its tiny silver thorns grazing his skin and delivering faint pricks of pain. Amid this subtle, flickering ache, he watched the young man he’d pampered for eighteen years furtively snap photos with his phone.
Not just snapping photos—he wanted to cop a feel too, like a sneaky little rat.
The boy he craved but couldn’t have was savoring the thrill of a secret crush, instinctively mastering peeping and midnight raids. His phone held hundreds upon thousands of photos, and his closet hid a pair of pink panties fished from the teacher’s trash bin.
No, not “couldn’t have”—it was…
Lin Yuan’s brows furrowed. The rose’s thorns pierced his clenched palm, the sharp pain snapping his wandering mind back to focus.
On the screen, that hand finally reached down, only to be caught by the young man’s wrist and yanked away. What followed wasn’t scolding or curses, but soft coaxing words, gentle persuasion—not even bothering to put his shirt back on.
What was the difference from encouraging Little Deer to keep going?
Outwardly, he played the role of an upright, virtuous good teacher. But in private, he tussled playfully with his student, cooed sweet nothings to the bodyguard calling him “big brother,” while facing Lin Yuan like he was some man-eating monster, trembling in fear.
Suddenly, Lin Yuan wondered what reaction the young man would have if he knocked on the door right now.
Forget it.
No need.
…
Shen Leyuan buttoned his clothes neatly and sat on the edge of the bed, stewing in frustration.
Not at Little Deer—at himself. He knew the villa was full of gay guys, and Little Deer’s situation was special. So why hadn’t he learned his lesson? Why strip in front of him?
Good thing the big boss didn’t know, or he’d never live it down.
After some self-reflection, Shen Leyuan coaxed Little Deer back to his room. After hesitating endlessly, he decided to report the incident to the big boss anyway.
The boss listened in silence after hearing it out. Who knew if he was pissed?
Ashamed, Shen Leyuan offered his self-criticism: “I failed in my duty as a teacher. I wasn’t properly dressed or composed, which might have a negative impact on Little Deer. For that, I’m willing to accept appropriate punishment.”
After a long pause, Lin Yuan asked, “You called me in the middle of the night just to ask for a beating?”
Shen Leyuan shot back seriously, “Appropriate punishment.”
Lin Yuan stared at the young man on the screen for a moment, thoughtful: “The same punishment as Little Deer?”
Shen Leyuan: …
Not the boss for nothing—so sharp.
Last time Little Deer bit him and tearfully claimed he’d “obediently taken his punishment,” Shen Leyuan had been dying to know what the boss had done to Little Deer, if it was too much or crossed any lines.
A soft chuckle seemed to come from the boss’s end: “Want to know?”
Shen Leyuan didn’t dare make a sound.
The boss said, “Ponder it.”
Beep—
Shen Leyuan stared at his phone in disbelief: He hung up on me again!
And right after piquing my curiosity—he did it on purpose. Definitely on purpose!
Blindsided by debt during the day, slaving away like an ox at night—Shen Leyuan grew more furious the more he thought about it. Exhausted to the point of delirium, he still couldn’t sleep. Anger flared, and at 3:30 a.m., he called the boss.
“Have you gone to bed?” he asked.
Lin Yuan had been woken by the call. He didn’t understand why he’d set special notifications for the young man, nor why he answered with a low “Mm.”
Maybe out of curiosity.
Curious what the young man would say or do next, what surprise he’d bring.
He waited ages—so long he suspected the young man had dozed off and nearly tapped the surveillance feed—before the response finally came.
“Here’s the thing. I’d like to apply for an age-appropriate playmate for Little Deer.”
“Young people should hang out with other young people. Spending all day with older folks—I mean, with me—can mess with their mindset. According to adolescent development patterns, besides studying, he should be making friends his age. But he doesn’t have any peers.”
“They say every three years is a generation gap. The youngest in the villa is still at least two generations older than him. At his age, always being alone—you as his father must want him to grow up healthy, right?”
“That’s all. Go back to sleep. Good night.”
Beep—
Hung up.
3:42 a.m. Lin Yuan pondered deeply: Why am I keeping Shen Leyuan around?
To piss myself off?
Shen Leyuan slept like the dead until Little Deer came to rouse him for class.
Recalling his antics from last night, he closed his eyes peacefully: “Little Deer, teacher didn’t sleep well. I want to take the day off and catch up on rest.”
Maybe the last sleep I’ll ever get.
But Little Deer was thrilled: “Teacher, teacher, teacher! Extracurricular activities today, and a new member! Get up, get up, get up!”
Shen Leyuan bolted upright: “Your dad got you a playmate?”
Little Deer nodded: “Yeah!”
Shen Leyuan: “Fuck?”
He paused, then said stiffly, “Talk about a real cuckold vibe, flower, so pretty. Extracurricular activities are great.”
Little Deer nodded happily: “Yeah, yeah!”
Shen Leyuan breathed a sigh of relief. Working so hard not to corrupt the kid.
On top of that, he felt a twinge of guilt: The boss’s reaction was unexpected. So far, aside from over-focusing on Little Deer, there was no sign of him turning into a creepy dad. He was even more approachable than most, the type who seemed cold but was warm inside.
Here he was, taking out his bad mood on the boss. Not cool.
Should apologize.
That thought died the moment he saw the “playmate.”
As the playmate strode over with vigorous steps, Shen Leyuan practically leaped behind Little Deer, voice quavering: “This is the playmate Mr. Lin found for Little Deer?”
The bodyguard nodded: “Two years old—equivalent to human eighteen. Specially trained. Very obedient. Doesn’t bite.”
Shen Leyuan’s voice shook harder: “Today’s extracurricular is walking it?”
It was a pure-black wolfhound, fur thick and glossy, towering and fierce. Teeth sharp and terrifying, jaws big enough to snap his neck. Built like it was made to send him straight to the afterlife.
Little Deer glanced at the dog, then at the teacher, and murmured, “Teacher’s scared of dogs… so we won’t go?”
His voice was soft, but his gaze on the Black Dog brimmed with longing.
The pup’s too good!
Whatever. If it’s not meant to be, it won’t be. If doom’s coming, can’t hide. If the boss really wanted to punish me, he wouldn’t go through all this trouble. Besides, the dog that kills the original host in the story is called Timon—this one’s clearly not.
Bolstering himself, Shen Leyuan grabbed the leash: “Teacher’s not scared. Let’s go.”
A chance to head out with Little Deer was rare.
Even just strolling nearby beat being cooped up in the villa all day.
Still a bit worried about accidents, he held the leash with the hand farther from Little Deer, trying to keep the Black Dog away from him. But the dog kept weaving between them.
The half-man-high beast sniffed around, even licking their calves. The wet sensation seeped through the thin fabric of his pants, sending shivers straight to Shen Leyuan’s quaking heart.
Little Deer glanced at the Black Dog, eyes lingering on the damp spots.
Envy.
Shen Leyuan missed his gaze, lost in recalling dog-related plot points from the original story. He’d skimmed them back then out of embarrassment, but the ones that stuck were the original host’s grim reaper dog and the Tibetan Mastiff that got freaky.
The Tibetan Mastiff wasn’t a real one—a man in disguise underneath.
A guy, six-foot-three, long legs, big chest, badass fighter. Later on, when he used his body to “find” Little Deer, no bodyguard could match him. Fiercest in bed too—could hold Little Deer up and go at it standing.
But that was later. No sign of the Tibetan Mastiff yet.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Black Dog pawed at Little Deer’s leg, huffing and puffing. Its rough tongue lapped from calf to knee. Shen Leyuan frowned uncomfortably, then—lightbulb.
He remembered—a similar scene in the original!
The Flower Market twink’s charm worked on dogs too. Mid-to-late story, a young big dog pins Little Deer down, does every lick-dog thing possible, just short of…
Too gross to dwell on. Shen Leyuan yanked the leash.
“Come here!”
Sensing his hostility, the supposedly well-trained, obedient Black Dog wheeled around, baring its teeth at him with a suppressed growl rumbling from its throat.
Shen Leyuan’s heart clenched. Face stern, he locked eyes with it and whispered to Little Deer, “Run quick, call the bodyguards. It might bite… Little Deer?”
Under his anxious gaze, Little Deer’s eyes lit up as he approached the Black Dog. Delicate white fingers stroked its solid back, voice admiring and eager: “Nah, it’s very obedient.”
As if given permission, the Black Dog paused, then lunged at Little Deer.
“Little Deer!!!”
Shen Leyuan’s heart seized. Without thinking, he charged forward.
…
It hurts so much… so scary…
Shen Leyuan trembled all over, mind blank.
Pinned under the massive dog, he couldn’t muster full strength. He could only claw desperately at its jaws lined with razor teeth. Blood dripped through his fingers onto his face. His waist and abdomen gaped open, flesh torn, grass blades embedded in the wounds.
But he gritted his teeth, refusing to let go. Wouldn’t let go, not ever.
If he did, Little Deer would face something worse than death.
He had to protect his student.
Little Deer sat dazed nearby in his tattered clothes, round eyes wide. Only after ages did he scramble up in panic, lunging at the Black Dog, clawing and shrieking: “Bad dog! Bad dog! Let go of teacher!!!”
The Black Dog whipped back, snarling with predatory hunger in its eyes.
“Go… get… help…”
Shen Leyuan wrenched its head back, forcing the words through clenched teeth.
Little Deer hesitated, but a sharp “Hurry!” sent him bolting toward the villa. A few steps in, he halted, pleading tearfully: “Daddy, save teacher quick! Hurry!”
Shen Leyuan looked up, meeting the boss’s calm eyes.
At the same time, a pitch-black gun barrel entered his view. His heart pounded like a drum. For a moment, he forgot the Black Dog on him, one thought dominating: He’s going to kill me!
Because I blocked his path, got in his way.
The shock of first waking to Little Deer, panic at realizing he was cannon fodder, tension then easing around the boss… memories flooded. Was his second life ending like this?
No. No way.
Even with over a hundred million in debt, even walking on thin ice, even facing endless hardships ahead—he refused to die like this!
Strength surged from somewhere. Shen Leyuan shoved the Black Dog off with a mighty heave.
And right then—
Bang!
The Black Dog’s foreleg exploded, hot fluids splattering his face.
The gun was aimed at the dog… or me?
Shen Leyuan gasped wildly, chest heaving with raw drama. Eyes dazed, lips bloodied, pale cheeks blooming with vivid red like a flower.
Lin Yuan’s breath hitched.
He saw the young man look up, dark flames burning in his eyes—like a dying belief, an emotion on the verge of snuffing out, or pure rage.
Shen Leyuan rasped, “Is this the punishment?”
He swayed, trying to stand, but collapsed back to the ground after barely lifting himself.
Lin Yuan watched him, face shadowed to the extreme.
![Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life]](https://i1.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/farmm.jpeg?resize=151,215 "Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life]")
