Looking Up at the Roses

[Spoiled Princess ✖️ Humble Puppy Top Student]

Chen Jinyu first met Yu Jibai when she was thirteen.

Her parents told her he would be living with them from now on, and Jinyu instantly bristled.

The boy looked gentle and refined, but the girl, who had always been utterly doted on by her parents, could not stand this outsider. On his very first day, she ordered Yu Jibai to call her “Princess” every time he spoke to her.

*

“Puppy, wipe my shoes.”

Chen Jinyu folded her arms and looked down in annoyance at her shoes, stained with water. With a look of disdain, she ordered Yu Jibai around.

Yu Jibai knelt on one knee before her, his expression blank. He simply obeyed, wiping away the water with a tissue.

He said quietly, “Princess, is that better?”

Seeing the boy beneath her fawn over her lifted Chen Jinyu’s spirits. Her sense of superiority was satisfied. She pretended to bend down, moving close until their eyes met, then reached out and patted his cheek, her voice full of teasing:

“Good puppy!”

*

“Am I really just your dog?”

Yu Jibai held Chen Jinyu tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck, angry and hurt.

Feeling something wet against her neck, Chen Jinyu was at a loss, her hand suspended in the air with nowhere to go.

When he saw that she remained unmoved, Yu Jibai bent down, his eyes brimming with tears. He cupped her face in his large hands and pleaded with her to look at him.

He spoke in a wounded voice: “Puppy wants a kiss.”

When the girl gave a quiet, affirmative “Mm,” Yu Jibai tenderly cradled her face, gently clasped her waist, and kissed her with stubborn intensity.

*

“I really want to be your puppy forever.”

Yu Jibai placed one last kiss on the lifeless palm of her hand.