Reborn as a Landlord

The second update, asking for some pink votes.

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A "meow" from a cat interrupted Fatty Shen’s words and broke Lian Manman’s train of thought.

Da Hua, with its tail raised, used its big head to nudge open a corner of the thin door curtain. With an air of elegance, it strode in. Upon entering the room and noticing the presence of a stranger, Da Hua stopped and gave Fatty Shen a proud glance before losing interest. Then, it lightly jumped onto the kang, rubbed against Lian Manman, and settled under the shadow of the windowsill sunlight, closing its eyes and purring contentedly.

Shen Qian’s gaze followed Da Hua the entire time.

"Brother Xiao Jiu, that’s our family cat, called Da Hua," Xiao Qi proudly introduced to Shen Qian.

"Da Hua, huh..." Shen Qian repeated the name, his eyes narrowing in amusement as he smiled.

"Loves eating little fish, really good at catching rats. Da Hua’s an awesome cat," Xiao Qi boasted to Shen Qian. "Brother Xiao Jiu, we’ve also got dogs at home—puppies, super endearing! Mainly, my sister and I take care of them. Want to check them out?"

"Sure," Shen Qian nodded.

"Perfect timing, then, let me show you our study," Lian Manman said to Shen Qian as the kids stepped out of the house.

From the backyard, the group headed straight to the study. Two tiny puppies were lying in their nest, napping. As soon as they saw people come in, they sprang to their feet, barking and rushing over.

Lian Manman, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi were all familiar faces to the pups, but Shen Qian was a stranger.

Cats generally ignore unfamiliar visitors to the house, but dogs are not like that.

The two puppies ran over, barking and pretending to pounce and bite Shen Qian. Small as they were, their round little bodies made them look adorably clumsy. Even though they were trying their best to appear fierce, their effort only added to their cuteness.

Fatty Shen widened his narrow eyes, watching as Xiao Qi squatted down to scoop up a puppy. Mimicking his actions, Fatty Shen tried to pick up the other pup.

Lian Manman was quicker, scooping up Second Fatty in her arms. Don’t be fooled by the puppy’s size—it may still have tiny teeth, but they were already sharp, and its bite strength was developing. With Fatty Shen’s delicate skin, getting bitten would almost surely lead to broken skin and bleeding.

"Fatty, you surely have dogs at home too, right?" Lian Manman said as she led Shen Qian to sit on the kang.

Shen Qian nodded.

"...We’ve got two little white Pomeranians, but I’ve never had dogs like these. What kind of dogs are these? So plump, so fierce, kind of adorable too," Shen Qian remarked, looking enviously at Second Fatty in Lian Manman’s arms. Pomeranians are well-trained, obedient, loving to show affection. Yet these two little meatball-like pups, with short fur, capable of guarding and even pouncing at strangers, seemed all the more charming.

Mature or not, kids are still kids, thought Lian Manman as she observed Fatty Shen.

"Brother Xiao Jiu, these two are wolfdogs. My grandpa found them for us from the mountains to guard the house," Xiao Qi rushed to explain.

"Manman, if your family’s cat is called Da Hua, surely these two puppies have names, right?" Shen Qian asked.

"Of course, this one is Second Fatty, and that one is Da Pang," Lian Manman replied matter-of-factly.

Shen Qian’s eyes instantly squinted into crescent moons, and the smile on his face seemed to freeze.

Lian Manman noticed Shen Qian’s odd expression. Initially feeling puzzled, she quickly figured it out upon further thought.

The two puppies were named Da Pang and Second Fatty, while she had always referred to Shen Qian as Fatty Shen or Fatty.

Da Pang, Second Fatty, and Fatty.

Lian Manman lowered her head, barely holding back her laughter. She truly didn’t intend anything malicious—when naming the puppies, she simply thought they were chubby and blurted out "Da Pang" and "Second Fatty." At that time, she hadn’t given Fatty Shen a single thought.

Wu Lang and Xiao Qi clearly sensed Shen Qian’s unease too. They tactfully turned their heads aside. They understood Shen Qian’s thoughts, but explaining the situation might only make things worse.

"Manman, you always call me Fatty... I’m not upset. I’m not even fat anymore. Could you stop calling me Fatty... And now you even name your dogs Da Pang and Second Fatty..." Shen Qian lifted his eyelids, giving Lian Manman a sideways glance as he muttered softly.

Lian Manman couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but there seemed to be a hint of grievance and accusation in Fatty Shen’s eyes.

Lian Manman coughed awkwardly. Seeing Fatty Shen like this made her feel as if she were bullying him.

"Well... calling you Fatty wasn’t meant in a bad way. You see, Xiao Qi has his full name, too, but we all still call him by his nickname, Xiao Qi," Lian Manman tried to explain to Fatty Shen.