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Yuan Hong had never considered himself a man who was easily rattled.
Years spent abroad had taught him patience and restraint. He had learned how to keep his temper in check; even when he wanted to punch someone for insulting him, he could hold himself back.
He could stay calm.
He could ignore deliberate provocation.
And yet there was one person who possessed an almost supernatural talent for rendering every one of those carefully honed skills utterly useless.
The worst part was that Zhao Shaoshang didn't even seem aware of the power he held over him. It wasn't as though he needed some elaborate scheme.
All he had to do was smile innocently, look at him with those eyes, and... simply exist. Again and again he would appear at Yuan Hong's side, slowly but inevitably making his way into his heart.
"Xiao Yuan, come here."
Yuan Hong stopped mid-step at the sound of Zhao Shaoshang's voice.
He turned toward it automatically. Before he even realized what he was doing, his feet were already carrying him toward the young master, who was crouching beside a bench. Raising an eyebrow, he looked down to see what had captured Shaoshang's attention.
The puppy—whom Yuan Hong had accidentally ended up adopting during one of their previous cases—lay sprawled on the ground, happily allowing Shaoshang to rub his head. His tongue lolled out as he panted loudly, while his tail wagged with infectious enthusiasm.
"What did you name him?" Yuan Hong asked, his voice a touch tighter than usual.
Shaoshang looked up. He noticed the tension in Yuan Hong's expression—and promptly ignored it.
"Xiao Yuan," he answered simply.
"He's your dog, isn't he? So he ought to have your name. But I can't exactly call him Yuan Yuan—you might both think I'm talking to you. So Xiao Yuan it is."
He explained it as though he were patiently teaching an obvious fact to a child who wasn't even trying to understand.
Yuan Hong snorted in annoyance and turned away.
"Don't call him that. He already has a name."
Without looking back, he added over his shoulder,
"Young Master."
The indignant protest that erupted behind him improved his mood considerably as the courtyard gate clicked shut.
+++
"Xiao Yuan."
Shaoshang's voice was gentle, almost amused, as he called out once more.
Yuan Hong, who had been setting down a bowl of water for the dog, paused for a heartbeat.
Not because it was the first time he'd heard Shaoshang use that name.
Oh, no.
Young Master Zhao had apparently decided that Xiao Yuan was the perfect name for the puppy, much to Yuan Hong's everlasting displeasure. Unsurprisingly, the dog had quickly learned to respond whenever Shaoshang called him.
The animal was young, foolish, and hopelessly attached to Shaoshang ever since the first day he'd come over to play with him. The puppy had accepted him as his person almost immediately, apparently forgetting that it was Yuan Hong who fed him, trained him, and cared for him every single day.
It was irritating.
Not irritating enough to truly matter.
The real problem was something else entirely.
The real problem was that every time Zhao Shaoshang said,
"Xiao Yuan, come here,"
Yuan Hong turned around instinctively.
Only a second later would he notice the dog happily running toward Shaoshang...
...and every single time, a quiet wave of irritation settled in his chest.
Because Shaoshang wasn't talking to him.
No.
Of course he wasn't.
He was talking to the dog.
Naturally he was talking to the dog.
And yet...
Yuan Hong liked hearing Xiao Yuan spoken in Shaoshang's voice.
The only problem was that he wasn't the intended recipient.
"What is it?"
Shaoshang had noticed him staring.
Of course he had.
He was one of the most infuriating people Yuan Hong had ever met because he noticed everything everyone else overlooked. A glance. A twitch of the hand. A moment's hesitation.
One look was all it took before Shaoshang had already reached his conclusion.
Nothing escaped him.
"Nothing," Yuan Hong answered quickly.
Shaoshang arched a brow.
"Really?"
He pressed no further.
"I'm just distracted," Yuan Hong explained, hoping that would satisfy him.
"Xiao Yuan."
Shaoshang called again.
Despite every effort to remain composed, Yuan Hong looked over once more.
Shaoshang was stroking the puppy's head.
"You're the cutest, Xiao Yuan."
Yuan Hong pressed his lips into a thin line.
It was childish.
He knew it.
It was utterly, pathetically childish.
A grown man.
A detective who had survived countless investigations, confrontations, and situations where one careless word could cost someone their life...
...was standing in his own courtyard feeling jealous.
Of a dog.
His own dog.
Then Shaoshang buried his face against the puppy's head and murmured softly,
"You're absolutely the sweetest, Xiao Yuan."
Something unpleasant twisted painfully inside Yuan Hong's chest.
For the first time, he regretted ever taking the puppy in.
He was jealous.
Because he wanted Shaoshang to look at him that way.
He wanted him to speak to him like that.
Pathetically, hopelessly jealous...
...of the name Shaoshang had given the dog.
+++
Over the next few days, that name followed Yuan Hong everywhere.
"Xiao Yuan, come here."
"Xiao Yuan, did you enjoy that?"
"Xiao Yuan, you're adorable."
"Xiao Yuan, let's go for a walk."
No matter how hard he tried, Yuan Hong couldn't stop reacting.
Every time the words left Zhao Shaoshang's lips, he would instinctively look up, checking—hoping—that Shaoshang was speaking to him.
Every time he realized he wasn't...
...he felt another small disappointment.
Because he wanted Shaoshang to be calling him.
Until one evening, when they were working late in Yuan Hong's study, searching desperately for anything that might revive an investigation that had reached a dead end.
"Xiao Yuan, hand me those documents," Shaoshang murmured, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand.
The dog, fast asleep in the corner atop Shaoshang's discarded jacket, naturally did nothing.
Shaoshang lifted his head.
His gaze met Yuan Hong's, who had looked up instinctively the moment he heard the name.
It sounded so beautiful in Shaoshang's voice that he simply couldn't help himself.
"I think he's gotten lazy," Shaoshang complained.
"He's a dog," Yuan Hong replied.
He hadn't intended to defend the puppy's honor.
Still...
It was his dog.
And unfortunately, Shaoshang had insisted on giving it his name.
He couldn't very well let someone insult a member of his family.
Did that technically make the puppy his... what?
Son?
"Mhm." Shaoshang hummed. "Just like you. Sometimes you pretend not to hear me, too."
"That's not true."
It wasn't.
Yuan Hong had never been capable of pretending not to hear Shaoshang.
He would have to be deeply lost in thought—
—or dead—
—not to give him his full attention the instant he spoke.
Especially when he said his name.
Shaoshang merely nodded and returned to the documents.
Yuan Hong did the same.
His peace lasted only a few moments.
"Xiao Yuan."
He looked up again.
And in that instant...
...he realized he had lost a battle he hadn't even known he was fighting.
Shaoshang sat opposite him, perfectly composed, smiling with unmistakable satisfaction.
Like a cat that had stolen the cream—and been rewarded with a slice of ham afterward.
Like a man who had just uncovered a priceless treasure.
Like someone who had discovered his greatest enemy's weakest point.
He looked impossibly pleased with himself.
"Oh."
Shaoshang smiled wider.
"So you answer to that name too."
"Don't compare me to a dog," Yuan Hong replied immediately, desperately trying to salvage what remained of his dignity.
"But I saw you react."
Yuan Hong said nothing.
Not because he lacked an answer.
But because every possible answer led somewhere he wasn't ready to go.
The problem had never been that Shaoshang called the dog Xiao Yuan.
The problem was that somewhere deep inside...
Yuan Hong wanted that name to belong to him.
Not as a joke.
Not by accident.
Not because there happened to be a dog standing between them.
But because it would mean something that belonged only to the two of them.
Something beyond friendship.
Something beyond everything they had ever dared to name.
Yuan Hong wanted more.
He simply wasn't ready to admit it.
Silence settled between them.
For one impossible moment, Yuan Hong almost thought Shaoshang understood.
Neither of them spoke.
Time passed.
Eventually the dog trotted out into the courtyard, lured away by unfamiliar sounds and enticing smells, leaving only Yuan Hong and Zhao Shaoshang alone in the quiet study.
+++
Yuan Hong sat at his desk, reviewing the last of his notes.
Zhao Shaoshang stood by the window, watching the first rays of sunrise spill across the horizon.
For a long while, neither of them spoke.
It was the good kind of silence.
The kind that didn't need to be broken simply to chase away awkwardness.
The kind of silence Yuan Hong had never known before.
A silence where words became unnecessary because the other's presence alone was enough.
"Yuan Hong."
He looked up.
"Yes?"
Shaoshang turned toward him.
This time there was no teasing in his eyes.
No provocation.
Only something far more dangerous.
Tenderness.
"Xiao Yuan."
His voice was soft.
Yuan Hong froze.
Not because he'd heard the name.
He was fairly certain he'd grown accustomed to hearing it.
No—
He froze because the dog wasn't anywhere nearby.
There was no excuse left.
No joke to hide behind.
Only Shaoshang.
Looking directly at him.
For a long moment, Yuan Hong couldn't find a single word.
"You know, don't you?" Shaoshang asked quietly.
Yuan Hong frowned.
He knew countless things.
Yet somehow, whenever he stood before Shaoshang, he always ended up feeling like a fool.
"Know what?"
Shaoshang pushed away from the windowsill and walked closer, leaning casually against Yuan Hong's desk.
"You know..."
He smiled.
"...that I'm not always talking to the dog."
Before Yuan Hong could answer—
Shaoshang leaned down and kissed him.
It wasn't a long kiss.
It wasn't passionate.
It was something far more dangerous.
A confession that words could never adequately express.
When he finally pulled away, Shaoshang continued looking into his eyes with the same unwavering certainty that had first drawn Yuan Hong toward him.
"Xiao Yuan," he whispered.
This time...
Yuan Hong heard the name differently.
Not as a joke.
Not as teasing.
Not as an accident.
But as something that belonged to him.
To him alone.
For the first time in days...
He felt no irritation.
Only peace.
And quiet happiness.
Because suddenly he understood.
Zhao Shaoshang had never truly been trying to replace him with a dog.
He had only been waiting to see how long Yuan Hong would pretend he didn't want to hear that name.
Waiting to see how long it would take before Yuan Hong tried to reclaim it as his own.
"You're truly troublesome," Yuan Hong said at last as Shaoshang's hand slid into his hair, gently combing through it with the same affectionate strokes he'd once reserved for the puppy.
"And yet you still love me."
Yuan Hong looked at him for a long moment.
Then, much to his own surprise, he reached out and straightened Shaoshang's collar, which had folded over while he'd been so absorbed in his work.
A simple gesture.
Almost invisible.
To anyone else, it would have meant nothing.
But Shaoshang fell silent.
Because they both knew Yuan Hong had never been a man of grand declarations.
He saw little point in dramatic speeches or flowery confessions.
He preferred simple things.
Taking care of someone.
Being there.
Sharing conversations.
Sharing meals.
He had never liked speaking about his feelings.
But with Shaoshang...
He had learned another language.
"Xiao Shang," he said quietly.
And in that moment, Shaoshang knew he had won.
Not because he'd managed to annoy Yuan Hong into surrendering.
Not because he'd discovered exactly where to press to get a reaction.
But because the man who had spent his entire life hiding his emotions behind perfect composure had finally allowed him to see something genuine.
Something that belonged only to them.
"Xiao Yuan..." Shaoshang mused with a grin. "Or perhaps I should start calling you Xiao Hong instead, and let our dog keep his name?"
Yuan Hong merely rested his head against the hand Shaoshang held out to him.
Like a well-trained dog performing a trick.
He simply allowed himself to be rewarded with kisses...
...for patiently indulging his beautiful, infuriating young master.