Shiqi · Chat

On the seventh day after Shiqi was brought home, something finally happened. To say "something happened" isn't quite accurate. To be precise, that Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, who looked majestic but was actually a total coward, couldn't hold it in any longer on this night. Here's how it went. Throughout this week, you felt that the dog you picked up was incredibly smart. He would bring his food bowl in his mouth to ask for food, squat by the door waiting for you before you unlocked it after work, and fetch the slippers you casually threw. There was only one thing that made you wonder—this dog never barked. Other dogs bark when they see a delivery guy, bark when they hear firecrackers, or at least whine if their tail gets stepped on. Not Shiqi. He was as silent as a giant stuffed animal with a mute button on. Occasionally he would let out a suppressed whimper, only to shut up immediately, as if afraid you'd find out something. You didn't think much of it, assuming he had suffered some trauma while living on the streets. On the seventh night, you didn't get home until after nine because of overtime. When you opened the door, you found that Shiqi wasn't squatting at the entrance to greet you as usual. The living room was empty. "Shiqi?" No response. Changing into your slippers, you searched room by room. Not in the bedroom, not in the kitchen, not in the bathroom. Finally, you found him on the balcony. Shiqi was curled up in a corner of the balcony, his entire body bunched into a huge ball, his head buried between his paws, shivering slightly. Hearing your footsteps, he looked up at you. His amber eyes were actually brimming with tears, and the fur around his eyes was completely soaked. Startled, you crouched down to pat his head. "What's wrong? Not feeling well? Did you eat something bad?" Shiqi rubbed his head against your palm, letting out a suppressed, broken whimper from his throat. His whole body was shaking, his four legs tensed rigid, yet his tail was wagging frantically, as if telling you "I'm fine, I'm just uncomfortable," while also desperately holding something back. "Good boy, I'll take you to the pet hospital, right away—" Before you could finish, you saw Shiqi's body begin to change. That change didn't happen in a flash; it was like ice melting into water, slow and irreversible. It spine straightened, its limbs lengthened, and its thick grey fur faded away, revealing human skin beneath. Those amber eyes kept watching you, his gaze filled with panic, unease, and a pleading attempt to please—as if saying, "I didn't mean to lie to you, please don't be afraid of me, I beg you." The whole process probably lasted only a few seconds, but to you, it felt like a century. When everything stopped, there was no longer a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog curled up on your balcony. In its place was a completely naked young man curled up in the corner. Your brain short-circuited for a full three seconds. Your first reaction was to scream. You took two steps back, your back hitting the glass door of the balcony, your hands fumbling behind you to find something for self-defense—you grabbed a clothes drying pole. You pointed the pole at the man, your voice trembling: "Wh-who are you?! Where is Shiqi?!" The man in the corner shuddered. He raised his face to look at you. It was a face so handsome it was almost aggressive, with sharp eyes, a high nose bridge, and a clean-cut jawline. His lean muscles were smooth and well-proportioned, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The moonlight shone on him, carving out the outline of every single ab clearly. But right now, this face was covered in tears. Sitting on the balcony floor, he crawled a couple of steps toward you on all fours. His movements were clumsy, and his knees hit the tiles with a thud, but he didn't seem to feel the pain. Halfway there, a pair of fluffy dog ears suddenly popped out from the top of his head, and a big fluffy tail sprouted from behind, nervously tucked between his legs, though the tip of the tail couldn't help but wag slightly. He spoke. His voice was unexpectedly deep and magnetic, the kind of swoon-worthy baritone that could make someone swoon just by hearing him speak. But the content and tone were like a three-year-old child. "Master... it's me." As soon as he said this, his eyes turned red again, and tears fell pattering down. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, his movements terribly clumsy—clearly not used to using human hands—wiping his left eye but missing his right, and his right finger accidentally poked his nostril, making him let out an "ow" as his erect ears drooped into airplane ears. "I-I couldn't hold it in anymore. You were gone all day, and I missed you so much, so I got anxious and turned into this..." He spoke incredibly fast, crying as he talked. "I'm not a monster, I'm good. I won't bite, I promise. Please don't hit me with that—I mean, you can hit me if you want, just hit a little lighter, okay—" He crawled another two steps forward, looking up at you with those wet amber eyes. His ears completely collapsed into airplane ears, his tail tucked even tighter, and a low, tearful whimper escaped his throat. Under the moonlight, he looked like a big dog that had done something wrong and was waiting for punishment. Holding the clothes pole, the gears in your brain spun rapidly. You looked at this 1.9-meter-tall adult male—broad shoulders, defined muscles, a body any fitness trainer would praise—then looked at his constantly twitching dog ears, his tucked tail, and his eyes desperately pleading "please don't abandon me." You slowly lowered the clothes pole. "Shiqi?" you called out tentatively. The man's ears instantly perked up, and his tail began to wag frantically, thumping loudly against the wall behind him. His expression went from "despair" to "hope," and before his tears could even dry, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled upward. "It's me, Master, it's me!" His voice cracked with excitement. He desperately rubbed his head against your knees, and feeling that wasn't enough, he used his lips to touch your fingers hanging by your side, his movements incredibly cautious. "You didn't abandon me." You looked down at the big head buried in your knees and sighed. "You—get up first. Don't kneel on the floor, it's cold." Hearing this, he immediately looked up, his eyes sparkling. "Can I get up?" "Yes." "Can I go inside?" He pointed to the living room. "Yes." "Then—then—" He swallowed, his voice suddenly dropping, his ears drooping slightly again, incredibly cautious. "Can I... hug you? Just once, just for a bit, I've really held back for so long." Before you could answer, the next second, you were wrapped in a burning hot embrace. Shiqi held you incredibly tight, burying his face in the crook of your neck, his nose pressed against the skin of your neck as he took a deep breath. Then, you heard him let out a satisfied sigh, mixed with a nasal tone, the end of it rising slightly, like a large dog finally returning to its nest. His heartbeat came through his chest, pounding like a drum, incredibly fast. "I've really held back for so long," he mumbled, his voice choking up again. "I wanted to change on the first day, but I was afraid you'd be scared of me. I wanted to change on the second day too, but I was afraid you'd throw me out. The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, I held it in every single day. It was so hard—" "Okay, okay, you worked hard." "Pet me." You reached out and ruffled his messy hair. His ears immediately collapsed into comfortable airplane ears, and a deep purr came from his throat. His tail wagged frantically, thumping against the leaves of your pothos plant, sending leaves falling all over the floor. —I'll have to move the pothos tomorrow, you thought. "Master." "Yeah?" "Hungry..." You looked down at the 1.9-meter-tall naked man hanging in your arms, silent for three seconds. "...Put some clothes on first." "Don't have clothes." "Then wrap yourself in a blanket first." "Don't know how." "—How many years have you been in human form?" "Don't remember," he continued to rub his head against your neck, completely unabashed. "Anyway, I don't know how." You took a deep breath. You had a feeling that starting tonight, your peaceful life was completely ruined. Outside the balcony, the moon was perfectly round. On the neighboring balcony, a husky suddenly howled at the sky, its tone twisting and turning, somehow turning a dog howl into karaoke. Hearing this, Shiqi's ears shot straight up, his entire body tensed, and a low response instinctively rose from his throat—but he forced himself to swallow the wolf howl, awkwardly changing the tone into a mumbled: "You're right—" "...What is he saying?" Shiqi's ears collapsed guiltily. "N-nothing." The neighboring husky howled again, this time clearly mocking him. The fur on Shiqi's tail puffed up. You would only find out later that the husky next door was also a dog in human form, and an old acquaintance of Shiqi's. But that was a story for another time. Right now, you stood on the balcony, with a 1.9-meter-tall crybaby wrapped in a crumpled blanket hanging in your arms, a floor covered in pothos leaves swept down by his tail at your feet, a full moon overhead, and the rising and falling wails of two dog spirits in your ears.