Chapter 17: Pet Training Manual

The crisp clack of block heels echoed against the library floor, syncing bizarrely with the furious beating of Su Yao’s heart.

It felt like she wasn’t stepping on the ground—

But stomping directly on Su Yao’s soul.

That freaking hurt.

“You know, taking pictures without permission is not allowed, student~”

Her voice wasn’t the high-pitched chirp of a young girl,

Nor the soft, slow drawl of a mature woman—

But something in between: smooth, magnetic, like a big-sister-type anime character.

It had that teasingly sultry tone, like a gentle older sister blowing warm breath into your ear, stirring something dangerous in your heart.

Mu Nanqiu leaned slightly forward, placing a hand lightly on Su Yao’s trembling shoulder.

“What’s your name?”

“……”

Su Yao blanked.

Mind wiped clean.

A total BSOD.

I’m dead. This is it. My life is over.

If she decides to report this, I’ll be expelled, publicly executed on the socials, and maybe sued into oblivion.

I should’ve never listened to Oyster Sauce. Never sold my soul for that ¥100…

“I-I’m Yao Su…”

She stammered out a barely audible lie, voice shaking with dread.

Mu Nanqiu chuckled inwardly.

Yao Su? That’s just her own name reversed.

Same laziness, same habits. No doubt about it—this is Su Yao.

So sensitive… both in body and temperament.

Mu Nanqiu had originally planned to teach Su Yao a proper lesson about “how scary the real world is”—

But seeing her like this, she hesitated.

She didn’t want to break her toy too early.

Some things… had to be eased in.

Especially when the pet in question was this delicate.

So she offered a way out.

“Yao Su, since you’re a girl, I’ll let you off—

Just hand me your phone so I can delete those photos.”

“Okay!!”

The moment Su Yao heard she wouldn’t be punished, she came back to life—

She nearly leapt up from her chair in relief.

But remembering that Mu Nanqiu was still standing right there, she froze, kept her head down, and handed over her phone like a repentant criminal.

Mu Nanqiu blinked at the ancient, cracked phone.

Wow. This relic still works?

She took it, then pushed it back.

“Password?”

“Ah! Y-yes… Sorry…”

Su Yao buried her face even deeper.

She wanted to crawl under the table—

But couldn’t.

Because her shoulder was still under Nanqiu’s hand.

Mu Nanqiu glanced at the screen.

The gallery opened—

And her eyes lit up.

The first image? The one Su Yao had just taken.

She deleted it immediately—

But then saw the others.

Suppressing her giggles, she sent them all to her “Oyster Sauce” account.

Then deleted all traces from the chat history.

Only she would know.

Perfect~

Handing the phone back, she patted Su Yao’s shoulder softly.

“Look at me.”

Su Yao flinched.

It’s happening. She’s gonna scold me, destroy me, tell me I’m worthless—

After a violent internal crisis, she finally dared to lift her head.

And froze.

She thought she’d see disdain, anger, icy contempt—

A lecture from someone high above.

But what she saw…

Was a warm, smiling face.

Mu Nanqiu reached out and pinched Su Yao’s flushed cheek, gently.

“Yao Su, if you wanna take pictures… Just ask me, okay~?”

There’s a saying—nine shallow, one deep.

Even light teasing leaves a mark when it’s done right.

Having dished out her “lesson,” Nanqiu waved nonchalantly, grabbed a nearby copy of 《Pet Training Manual》, and casually strolled off toward the staircase to the second floor.

Su Yao watched that tall, graceful figure fade into the distance, swallowing hard to moisten her dry throat.

Her fingers brushed the cheek where Nanqiu had pinched her.

Everything that just happened…

Felt like a dream.

But the lingering sting on her face told her otherwise.

That was her punishment—

For taking unauthorized photos of the goddess without asking.

It hurt…

But oddly, it also reassured her.

Only after a ten-minute recovery break did Su Yao finally escape the library.

On the walk back to her dorm, she checked her gallery—

WHAT?!

The photos aren’t hidden??

She panicked.

Wait… She actually checked my phone?

On this ancient brick?!

Even a recycling shop would reject it!

She saw everything??

The realization hit like a truck.

She gasped.

Her knees nearly gave out.

Meanwhile, Mu Nanqiu leisurely strolled to the underground parking lot.

Feeling idle, she unlocked her phone—

Her new wallpaper glowed on screen:

A girl, petite but very well-proportioned, in a black slip dress.

Of course—

It was Su Yao.

Taken the first time Su Yao ever wore that nightdress.

Dim lighting, delicate posture, duck-sitting on her bed, shy and nervous expression—

Looking up blankly at the camera from a slightly tilted angle, one arm raised to take the picture, the other resting bashfully against her chest, forming a peace sign.

Mu Nanqiu had picked through several photos…

But this one was her favorite.

So adorable… So pure… So photogenic.

What a waste if I didn’t make a personal collection out of her~

Back online, re-assuming her identity as Oyster Sauce,

She messaged like nothing ever happened:

“Is Man Tou Sensei still alive?”

“……”

“Good. Still breathing.”

“It’s your fault I nearly lost my head!!”

🐼 “Panda scratching head, sheepish smile.jpg”

Another ¥100 red envelope arrived.

This time, Su Yao accepted it guilt-free.

She re-uploaded the deleted photo from her cloud backup and sent it.

“So? Pretty, right?”

“Tch… she’s actually kinda hot.”

“Kinda?! She’s gorgeous! Look at those long legs in black tights—absolutely stunning!”

“Those are fleece-lined winter tights, genius. Super warm. You should try some too.”

“Pfft, I’m a guy! Why the hell would I wear those?!”

Mu Nanqiu scrolled through their chat, admiring the five images she had.

Still… feels like it’s not enough.

She’d learned some photography once upon a time.

The equipment was still there.

And Man Tou Sensei?

Cute face, killer figure—

What a waste not to shoot a full photo set.

Of course… for her eyes only. 😏