SFTD -Chapter 168 Can I Not Have the Surname Zhou?

Zhou Hai pointed at the table full of delicious food and spread his hands. “Isn’t this already a gift?”

The little loli’s smile slowly faded as she looked at him, realizing he didn’t seem to be joking.

“You’re serious?”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Xi Xi cooks me tasty food every day. How can that count as your birthday present for me?”

As she spoke, her lips pouted and she looked like she was about to cry. Lu Xi pushed Zhou Hai lightly and went over to hug and comfort her.

“Your Brother Zhou is just teasing you. The gift is a bit special and not suitable to open in the room, so it’s in the garage. Let’s finish dinner first and then go take a look, okay?”

Seeing how mysterious the two of them were, the little loli didn’t ask further. She quickly finished eating and dragged them both to the first-floor garage.

The moment the lights were turned on, she saw a huge box with a pink butterfly ribbon stuck on it.

She ran over excitedly and pointed at the big box.

“Is this the gift, Zhou Zhou?”

Zhou Hai stood with his hands in his pockets, while Lu Xi held onto his arm. Both of them nodded.

The little loli tore off the bow, lifted the lid of the large cardboard box—and a faint whining sound came from inside.

Zhou Hai walked over and helped her lift the box. A stainless-steel cage appeared before the three of them.

The little loli covered her mouth and squatted down, staring at the sleeping puppy inside the cage in disbelief. She turned to Lu Xi and gestured in a low voice.

“Oh my god! It’s a corgi! My favorite breed! How did Zhou Zhou know?”

Zhou Hai patted her on the head.

“I called John. The annoying lawyer picked up. I couldn’t reach John, but I found out that Luo Luo used to raise a dog before. But Old John is allergic to fur, so you had to give it away.”

“Since I knew that, I asked your Uncle Xu to help me find one. It’s already vaccinated and bathed, but it doesn’t have a name yet.”

The little loli hugged Zhou Hai tightly.

“Thank you, Zhou Zhou! I love this gift so much!”

She opened the cage and carefully picked up the still-sleeping puppy. The sudden movement woke it up; it whimpered softly. But strangely, once the little loli held it and rubbed it gently, it stopped crying.

She looked up at Zhou Hai with an ingratiating expression.

“Zhou Zhou~”

Zhou Hai raised a hand to stop her.

“No. You can’t take it back to your room. There’s a training scent sprayed in here—it needs to get used to using the bathroom here first before it can move into the house.”

The little loli hesitated, then nodded.

“Alright then… I’ll go home and bring my things over to live with it!”

Zhou Hai frowned. Lu Xi shook his arm.

“Let’s carry the cage upstairs instead. That way it can get familiar with the environment, and Luo Luo won’t worry. I don’t feel comfortable leaving it alone either. If it cries at night, we’d still have to come down anyway, and it might disturb the neighbors.”

Her reasoning left Zhou Hai speechless. He helplessly pinched her cheek.

“Fine. You two help me carry it.”

The little loli jumped up excitedly while holding the puppy.

“Yay!”

Zhou Hai quickly made a “quiet” gesture.

“It’s already past ten at night. That’s disturbing the peace.”

The little loli stuck out her tongue at him, then carried the puppy and its sleeping mat upstairs. Zhou Hai shook his head and carried the cage behind her. Lu Xi turned off the lights, and the three of them returned to the room.

—

The next morning, Zhou Hai got up to head to work—it was his first day back. However, a faint light was leaking through the crack of the little loli’s door.

He gently knocked twice.

The door immediately opened, revealing the little loli with messy hair.

Zhou Hai was stunned.

“What’s wrong? You’re up so early?”

The little loli waved her hand and pointed at the computer with a troubled expression.

“I’m searching for Chinese names for it. I don’t know what to name the corgi.”

“Look, these are the ones I picked: Zhou Hong, Zhou Lele, Zhou Apple, Zhou Moon, Zhou…”

Zhou Hai, face full of black lines, raised his hand to stop her.

“Stop!”

“The dog doesn’t need to take the surname Zhou. Also… I’ve seen that many celebrities name their dogs after food. If you like that idea, just pick something like that.”

The little loli’s eyes widened.

“Really? Why didn’t you say so earlier? I’m going to look right now!”

Zhou Hai raised his hand, then thought better of it and put it down again. He turned around and left the room.

Following a strong aroma, he walked toward the kitchen. Lu Xi was wearing an apron and busy cooking. Something was simmering on the stove, and the rich fragrance made Zhou Hai’s stomach immediately growl.

It seemed the timing was just right. Lu Xi stirred the pot and turned off the heat—then suddenly turned around and saw him, getting startled.

Zhou Hai quickly pulled her into his arms to keep her from bumping into the pot.

“Sorry, I scared you. What are you cooking? It smells amazing.”

Lu Xi felt a bit embarrassed and gently pushed him away a little.

“I just made wonton noodles. You always just drink milk before going to work—that’s not nutritious enough.”

Zhou Hai didn’t let go, still holding her.

“Having you is really nice. I’m not actually that particular about food—just filling my stomach is enough. You don’t need to wake up so early to cook.”

Lu Xi widened her eyes.

“What do you mean no need? You’re my boyfriend. I need to fatten you up so those women who are after you will back off.”

Zhou Hai laughed.

“In my eyes, only you and that little loli are women. Everyone else is just… gender-neutral to me.”

Then he added: “Are you jealous?”

Lu Xi nodded and carried the pot and bowls to the dining table, still pouting as she served the noodles, clearly stuck in that mood.

Zhou Hai thought about who Lu Xi had met and suddenly remembered the encounter with Chu Menghan at McKayle on Valentine’s Day. At that time, Chu Menghan seemed to have said something provocative to Lu Xi, but he hadn’t heard it clearly.

Only now did it click.

“You’re talking about… Chu Menghan?”

Lu Xi nodded.

“That Chu Menghan looks like a celebrity. And her figure…”

She glanced down at herself and tried to puff her chest up, but the difference still felt obvious.

“She’s got an amazing body. And most importantly… she likes you!”

Zhou Hai shook his head.

“Silly girl, that’s not important. So what if her figure is good? There are plenty of beautiful women on TV. What does that have to do with me?”

“Remember, what matters is that I like you. Only you.”

“You are my home. Without home, I’d go back to that dark, gloomy life again…”

Before he could finish, Lu Xi tiptoed up and kissed him.

Zhou Hai was once again enveloped in that warmth. His arms tightened around her until she gently pushed him away.

In that instant, Zhou Hai realized something very frustrating—he had been kissed three times, and all three times were initiated by her.

That hit his masculine pride a little. He reached for her waist.

“Don’t move. Let me initiate once. All three times were you—I need to save some face.”

Lu Xi smiled, staying still, her slightly raised lips making Zhou Hai’s eyes warm.

Just as he was about to lean in—

A voice from the side startled him.

“Ahem… can you two move aside a bit? The wonton noodles are getting soggy!”