The bathroom door slowly creaked open.
A pair of shoes wrapped around soft, pale feet peeked out from inside, leaving one small footprint after another on the clean floor.
Looking at the spotless room in front of her, Chi Qingya’s lips curved slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face.
She felt that Su Li was truly the best “dog” she had ever come across.
All she had done was provide a place to stay, and in return, she could effortlessly harvest Su Li’s emotional and service value.
Look at that—without even being asked, she had taken the initiative to tidy the room this well.
It was all thanks to her daily effort in training Su Li… nurturing her into a frugal, neat, and obedient little darling.
She loves me so much!
If Su Li didn’t have feelings for her, how could she be so obedient?
Everything she said, Su Li remembered clearly and accepted without resistance.
Still, Chi Qingya thought Su Li had a lot of room to improve.
She spent far too much time outside every day, who knew doing what.
Wouldn’t it be great if she could spend all 24 hours serving her?
Wandering around aimlessly didn’t even earn her a cent…
She might as well just stay at home.
Here, she was fed and housed well; there was nothing she needed to worry about!
Sometimes, when she was home, she would still feel thirsty.
If someone handed her a glass of water in those moments, that would be perfect!
Su Li gave Chi Qingya a brief glance, then turned to head into the bathroom.
Her steps stopped at the doorway, and she instinctively tugged up her skirt a little.
Sure enough, a major cleanup project awaited her inside.
Even before stepping in, she could see that the water had nearly overflowed from the bathroom.
The floor was covered in water mixed with shampoo, body wash, and some strange, slightly fishy-smelling fluids, with a plastic basin floating like an adventurer on the surface.
Inside the basin sat a blue-and-white pair of underwear, unwashed worn stockings, and several odd little toys that would make someone blush just to look at.
Water droplets still clung to the toys.
The toilet nearby was splashed messily with water.
Hair had already clogged up the drain and needed to be cleaned out.
The water heater had been turned off, and it would take time to warm the water up again.
Maybe it was because Chi Qingya was so thoughtful—worried Su Li might be bored while waiting for the hot water to be ready.
Cold water crept over her ankles, and Su Li let out a helpless sigh.
Having lived with Chi Qingya for so long, she understood her all too well.
She had a secret little fetish.
When no one was around, she liked to stand and…
……
By the time Su Li had finished everything, the water had just reached the right temperature.
Perhaps Chi Qingya had planned everything out perfectly, making sure Su Li had something to do while the water heated up.
Now that she was done with all the chores, a shower was the perfect way to wash off all the sweat.
After showering, Su Li double-checked to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, then dragged her exhausted body toward her room.
From Chi Qingya’s room, bursts of shouting and game music continued to blare intermittently.
Su Li ignored it and collapsed onto her bed.
She had long since developed the ability to sleep in noisy environments.
A bit of sound like this was nothing.
Besides, in her emotionally numb state, nothing could stir her feelings.
She quickly drifted off to sleep.
Especially since she had to go to school in the morning.
After finishing another match, Chi Qingya stretched comfortably.
She had once again crushed her lane opponent and even managed to make that whiny, useless teammate cry.
Feeling the hunger grow in her stomach, Chi Qingya stepped onto the carpet and prepared to scavenge for food.
Through the gap in the door, she saw Su Li’s worn-out expression and paused for a moment.
A tiny twinge of guilt and self-reproach welled up in her heart.
But she quickly brushed it aside.
She felt ashamed of even having such inner conflict.
She was the one paying rent, and she was the one giving Su Li money for daily supplies.
Between the two of them, she was clearly the one working harder!
Su Li just wandered around all day and barely did anything.
She cooked one meal and cleaned the house—how tiring could that be?
Such minor tasks barely took up any of her time and weren’t worth mentioning.
She wasn’t completely stupid; she knew that even a well-trained dog needed to be fed.
Otherwise, if it starved to death, it would be useless.
Though Chi Qingya believed Su Li still had a lot of room to improve, she figured it was time to give her a little treat.
She took some snacks and drinks from the fridge—the ones she had made Su Li pick up on the way home—and returned to her room, browsing online for clothes.
Wearing pretty outfits was another way of pleasing Su Li.
Even just letting her admire from afar served as a kind of reward.
That’s why she made sure to wear a different outfit every day. And from the results, it was working.
Su Li was becoming more and more obsessed with her beauty, unable to pull herself away.
Just like all those boring admirers at school.
But unlike those other dogs who might turn on their owners and go looking for someone new…
Su Li was different. She could be completely controlled—a good dog that belonged to her and her alone.
She was even more obedient and sensible than an actual dog.
Real dogs required all kinds of care.
Sometimes their shedding would turn the house into a mess.
But not Su Li. Su Li cleaned up after herself, knew when to come home, and wouldn’t let herself starve.
And she would never betray her!
Chi Qingya was an expert at understanding people.
Her eyes drifted to the bookshelf.
Books like The Art of Reading People, Social Manipulation, Dark Psychology, The Secrets of Human Nature…
Thanks to those, she had a deep understanding of how people worked.
It was like a fun game—manipulating others in the palm of her hand.
Giving Su Li constant rewards would only make her lazy.
She’d start thinking her master was too easy to handle, and might even grow rebellious.
Give her a peck of rice, she’s grateful. Give her a bushel, she resents you.
Once those thoughts took root, betrayal wasn’t far behind.
But now, the results proved she had been right all along.
Only with this push-and-pull approach could Su Li feel a constant sense of insecurity—and know her place.
As for buying gifts for Su Li?
Not a chance!
The money was for Su Li to see, not to spend.
Even if it was to please her, the money had to be spent on Chi Qingya herself—for self-improvement.
At most… at most she might buy a few cheap handmade trinkets on some discount app and give them to Su Li, just to keep her hooked.
She had already provided Su Li with a place to stay so she wouldn’t have to drift through the city.
Why should she have to spend even more on her?
If anyone should be paying, it should be Su Li paying her.