Chapter 7 — My First Time as a Kept Pet, All I Want Is a Yadea

I was overcome with joy, immediately hugging the box and sitting down right there in the living room to sort through the clothes. Inside that small container lay a mix of patterns and solid colors, and nestled among them—a white dress shirt. The price tag was still attached, the twenty-eight hundred dollar figure looking particularly glaring. I had almost forgotten about it myself; after that graduation ceremony, I had fled back home in a panic, shoving this shirt into the box on an impulse.

"What are you holding?"

Luc Diem’s footsteps were silent. I hadn't even realized when he had returned, or when he had appeared directly behind me. He leaned over, using his long reach to effortlessly pluck the shirt from my hands. After flicking his gaze over the price tag for a few seconds, his expression darkened.

"This was released during your senior year."

"Back then, you wouldn't have been willing to spend such a fortune on yourself, would you?"

"So, you bought it for that fellow, Yu."

His deductive skills were terrifying.

"And you've kept it all this time? Still can't bear to throw it away?"

"If I hadn't cancelled a meeting and come home early today, I wouldn't have known you were so sentimental. Sitting here at home, clutching a gift your ex-boyfriend didn't even want, just to dwell on the past."

"Hua Zhao Zhao, I have poured my heart and soul into you, and this is how you treat me?"

"You truly are an ungrateful creature."

That was Luc Diem for you. When he was angry, he loved to use words as daggers, even if those same words left him gasping for air.

"This isn't what—"

"Shut your mouth. I don't want to hear about your past loves or hates."

He threw the shirt onto the sofa with force and turned to leave, not giving me a single chance to explain. It was rare to see Luc Diem lose his composure so completely. In that moment, I finally realized that Yu Qi Qi had always been a thorn wedged between us. Usually, we pretended it didn't exist, but the moment it was touched, the pain was heart-wrenching. But how could he refuse to listen to a single word from me? I lowered my head, my tears spilling over uncontrollably. Perhaps he had pampered me so much lately that I had grown soft; even a minor incident like this brought me to tears. How useless. I pinched myself hard, wiped my eyes, and stood up. I climbed onto my little electric scooter and gave chase to his luxury vehicle.

The gap between four wheels and two was still too great. I inhaled exhaust fumes for an entire hour before arriving beneath Luc Diem’s office building. As expected, the lights on his floor were still on. A misunderstanding could not be left to fester overnight, or it would inevitably grow into a larger wedge. I didn't care what others thought, but I—I could not bear to have such distance between me and Luc Diem. I used the security card he had given me to take the elevator up. As I reached the office door, I heard the faint clinking of glasses and the murmur of conversation from within.

"Come on, it’s not like you to call me out for a drink in the middle of the night. Not at a bar, but in this suffocating office?"

Luc Diem was in a foul mood, his voice heavy.

"If you don't like drinking here, leave."

"Fine, fine. I can barely remember the last time you asked me out for a drink. Today, I’ll suffer through it with you, brother."

"No need to suffer. I’ll have two drinks and then go home."

"..." The person opposite him was silent for a moment before letting out a soft curse. "Luc Diem, are you serious about this?"

Luc Diem didn't answer, but I heard the sound of wine being poured.

"Look, she’s just a little canary; you’re supposed to treat this as a game. Whether you’re staying by her side or showering her with affection, giving her money or emotional validation—what are you even after? You’re so gloomy tonight; it has to be about her, right? My advice? Once the novelty wears off, kick her to the curb and find the next one. Why keep her around if she's just going to make you unhappy?"

My heart climbed into my throat. Hearing those words, I didn't even dare to breathe.

"Alright, since you're so miserable, I’ll find you a hundred girls just like her tomorrow. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

I desperately wanted to flee, but my feet wouldn't budge. I had to hear it. I had to hear Luc Diem’s answer. It felt like an entire century passed. Luc Diem sighed.

"None of them are her."

"What do you mean, 'none of them are her'?"

Luc Diem set his glass down.

"I used to believe that whatever a person views their fate as, that is what fate will give them."

"If you view it as a disaster, it will bring you suffering. If you view it as a challenge, it will give you a reward for passing the trial."

"But when fate posed a question to Hua Zhao Zhao, do you know what she did?"

"What?"

"She didn't answer. She just ate every meal with sincerity and cherished every night filled with stars. Living well is her way of moving forward. She didn't let fate push her; she moved forward on her own accord. It’s... too foolish, and yet, too extraordinary."

"I don't get it. So, you like the foolish type?"

Luc Diem remained silent.

"Can you stop talking in riddles? Speak like a normal person, will you?"

Luc Diem suddenly laughed. A hand patted the other man's head.

"I’m saying that I’ve fallen, and I’m done for. I am perfectly willing to cherish Hua Zhao Zhao. Do you understand now?"

"Oh, oh, oh! I get it! You could have just said that earlier. So, why did you call me out here?"

"Help me think... how can I make sure that her heart is filled with only me?"