One Sentence Was Enough to Make Ethan Jiang Break His Rules Again

After finalizing the documents related to the Huayi Corporation project, Eric Chen personally drove Adrian Jiang to the airport.

The entire ride there, Adrian's face was a thundercloud.

The pressure inside the car was so heavy, it felt as if even the air had frozen over.

At the last red light, Eric considered breaking the silence to ease the atmosphere. But a glance at the rearview mirror, where Adrian was seated staring coldly at his phone with an expression darker than night, quickly made him change his mind. Eric silently rubbed his nose and chose silence instead.

When they arrived at the terminal, Eric's face wore a flawless, courteous smile.

"Mr. Adrian, if you run into any issues while abroad, don't hesitate to reach out. I, along with the secretarial team, will do everything we can to assist you."

Adrian spared him a sideways glance but said nothing.

Another call from Grace Su buzzed in. Adrian's irritation deepened. He blacklisted the number without hesitation, and just as he turned to head toward the terminal, he paused.

"How long was the original duration of this Huayi project?" he asked.

Eric gave a small cough. "...Two months."

Adrian's jaw clenched tighter, but he said no more. He walked straight toward the boarding gate.

Eric remained where he was, watching until Adrian disappeared through security. Only then did he pull out his phone and begin preparing for his next task—contacting a canine behaviorist.

—

That evening, after returning from Huaihai University, Elena Shen headed straight to the Jiang family estate.

She hopped out of the car and jogged eagerly toward the courtyard, dying to scoop Tuan Tuan into her arms.

But after searching the courtyard with no sign of the little fluff ball, she headed instinctively toward the main hall. The moment she stepped through the door, she spotted the chubby puppy wagging its tail energetically beside a bowl of warm goat milk.

On the sofa to the pup's left sat Ethan Jiang, listening intently to a professional dog trainer he'd hired. The trainer was explaining in detail the dietary needs and care strategies for young puppies.

In front of Ethan lay a stack of documents—carefully printed feeding schedules, vaccination records, deworming plans—everything tailored for Tuan Tuan's daily care.

When Ethan noticed Elena enter, he turned slightly toward her.

"Back early today?"

Elena set down her laptop and walked over, her eyes bright with a smile.

"Classes ended early. Ethan, are these all Tuan Tuan's records?"

She bent down and picked up the stack, flipping through a few pages.

Ethan nodded. "Yes."

His gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before he motioned for the trainer to continue.

Half an hour later, Butler Li escorted the trainer out of the villa.

The little pup had just finished its milk and bounded over with its fluffy tail wagging happily, looking like a cloud of sugar as it nestled against Elena's legs.

She scooped Tuan Tuan into her arms, sat on the couch, and began stroking its soft fur, teasing it gently.

After dinner, Ethan headed to the study for a video conference.

Elena took Tuan Tuan out to the garden to play. Around nine o'clock, both girl and puppy were tired. She carried the little one back into the hall.

Before heading out earlier, Elena had glanced through the feeding guide Ethan had left on the table. She recalled one line in particular: puppies around one month old should be fed small amounts, multiple times a day.

She asked Butler Li when the pup had last eaten, then checked the time and calculated the interval. With a quick decision, she had him bring another bottle of warm goat milk.

At 9:15, Ethan wrapped up his video call.

He found it odd that Elena hadn't returned to her room yet—she was usually curled up in bed with her tablet by now, reading financial reports. So, he went downstairs to look for her.

Just as he reached the staircase, he saw her kneeling in front of the puppy's bed, gently massaging its tiny belly while feeding it milk.

His eyes paused on the now-bulging little pup. After a moment, he walked over and called to her.

"Tuan Tuan's had enough. Elena, you don't need to feed him anymore."

He added, "It's getting late. Time for bed. Put him back in his bed. Let's go upstairs."

Elena had just finished feeding and was already thinking of having the milk taken away. At Ethan's words, she obediently picked up Tuan Tuan and nodded at Butler Li to take the remaining milk.

But once the milk was removed, she didn't immediately set the puppy down. Instead, she glanced hesitantly at the dog bed Butler Li had specially prepared, then tilted her head and looked up at Ethan.

A question slipped out, soft but clearly audacious:

"Ethan… can he sleep in the bedroom?"

Butler Li had just returned and froze mid-step upon hearing this.

He stared, instinctively glancing at Ethan.

Everyone knew Ethan Jiang wasn't the type to like animals. The fact that he'd not only allowed Elena to keep the puppy, but had also taken time out of his packed schedule to hire a dog trainer—that was already shocking enough.

But to let a dog into his bedroom?

That should be beyond the line, no matter how indulgent he was with Miss Elena.

Elena looked up at Ethan, hugging the puppy close. His gaze was calm and unreadable. She gave a sheepish laugh, then quickly tried to retract her request.

"…Forget I said that. I didn't mean anything. Never mind."

With that, she gently placed Tuan Tuan into its bed and turned to Butler Li with a serious expression.

"Uncle Li, please keep an eye on him. Make sure no one accidentally steps on him."

There were many servants in the estate, and the spacious hall made it easy for the little guy to get into hidden corners. She didn't want him to get hurt.

The butler smiled kindly and agreed.

Once the puppy was safely settled, Elena stood up, stealing a quick glance at Ethan before heading upstairs without another word.

Ethan remained standing by the sofa.

He looked at the soft bed where the little pup was now whimpering faintly, curling into itself like a ball of white fluff.

A sigh escaped him as he rubbed his brow. Then he turned to Butler Li and said:

"Uncle Li, get a portable dog bed ready for him."

Butler Li blinked. "You mean… he's allowed in the bedroom?"

Ethan was already walking away, the warm light from the hall outlining his tall figure as his voice drifted back:

"We'll see. If he doesn't make a fuss, he can stay."

For a while, Butler Li didn't know whether to laugh or be speechless.

In the end, he patted the clueless pup on the head with a half-smile, half-sigh.

"Tuan Tuan, you'd better stay on your best behavior. Your master's not easy to please."

Just one sentence from her, and Ethan Jiang was breaking his rules again.