I went to my boss’s house to drop off some documents, and a puppy opened the door for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making fun of anyone.
There really was a puppy there to open the door!
2
My boss has a Border Collie named Tiểu Hà.
She’s very smart.
The saying “A dog is a dog, but a Collie is a Collie” really does apply to Tiểu Hà.
Still, I never expected her to be smart enough to open the door by herself.
Tiểu Hà and I—one person and one dog—stared at each other on Lục Từ Niên’s porch.
Somehow, in her bright black eyes, I detected a kind of intelligence unlike her usual self.
There was even something… melancholy about them?
Like my boss, Lục Từ Niên.
Come on, stop it.
I shook my head, banishing the strange thought, then bent down to pet the dog.
Tiểu Hà turned away, avoiding my hand.
???
My heart lurched. Tiểu Hà usually loved me, so why was she acting like a completely different dog today?
Tiểu Hà gave a few quiet barks, then ran back into the living room.
Calling for Lục Từ Niên, I hurried to change my shoes.
“Lục Từ Niên?”
No one answered.
I found it strange.
Dog food and water were scattered all over the spacious living room, making a mess that was completely at odds with Lục Từ Niên’s fastidious nature.
Tiểu Hà stood beside the communication buttons Lục Từ Niên had bought for her and barked loudly at me.
“I.”
Her electronic voice rang out.
“Human.”
“Dog.”
“I.”
What on earth was that?
I stared at Tiểu Hà, utterly baffled.
Tiểu Hà seemed a little annoyed and was about to press the buttons again when a loud crash suddenly came from the bedroom.
In the blink of an eye, I saw my boss—the man who was usually as elegant and imposing as a pine tree—on all fours, mouth agape, charging at me at a terrifying speed.
The next thing I knew, his tall body had landed on top of me, knocking me to the floor.
3
That had been a truly earth-shaking collision.
I was so dazed that it took me a while to come to my senses.
I lay on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, my head still spinning. Lục Từ Niên was still rubbing up against me, burying his head against my body.
That tickles!
I grabbed him, stopping him at once. Lục Từ Niên stopped, but kept grinning at me with his mouth open. His eyes held a light I’d never seen in my usually cold boss: innocence and enthusiasm.
Like a happy little kid.
That was when an idea suddenly struck me.
“Tiểu Hà?”
Lục Từ Niên’s eyes lit up. A few low, raspy sounds rumbled in his throat as he wriggled free of my hold and rubbed against me again.
I went rigid and let him rub against me, my heart pounding. Looking toward the Border Collie beside us, I stammered, “Lục… Lục Từ Niên?”
4
Had my boss really turned into a dog?
No, I mean… my boss really had turned into a dog!
Lục Từ Niên sat on a small sofa, his dog face solemn.
I sat on the large sofa, with Lục Tiểu Hà beside me desperately trying to get my attention.
Using Lục Từ Niên’s six-foot frame, she curled up on the sofa, rested her head on my lap, and grinned foolishly.
Just thinking that this was my boss, a decisive businessman who was so cold he could seem distant, made me feel the weight of the situation.
Silence settled over the living room.
Along with a touch of humor.
I wanted to say something to dispel the awkwardness, but realized that neither I nor anyone else there spoke the same language.
So I had no choice but to fall silent again.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Lục Tiểu Hà sensed my change in mood and hurriedly got up from my lap, nearly bumping into my chin.
Before I could react, she knocked me onto the sofa. Lục Từ Niên’s beautiful, cool, phoenix-shaped eyes had turned into a puppy’s gaze.
Lục Tiểu Hà was so enthusiastic.
She usually loved playing with me, always pouncing on me and acting all affectionate.
But now, the puppy was using Lục Từ Niên’s body.
I reached out again to stop “him,” but the man’s body was too heavy; I couldn’t push him off, no matter how hard I tried.
“Tiểu Hà! Get down—”
A warm, wet sensation brushed across my cheek, raising goose bumps.
I looked into Lục Tiểu Hà’s innocent eyes. A radiant smile spread across the man’s normally cold face as he looked at me like I was something precious.
This was really…
Too bizarre!
The hair on my arms stood on end. I tightened my grip, but the man didn’t budge.
He lowered his head, about to touch my cheek again.
At the last possible second, the person on top of me suddenly stopped.
I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to scold him, but then I noticed the man pinning me down had gone completely rigid, his breath turning cold.
The Border Collie on the sofa suddenly jumped down and barked loudly.
Sensing something was wrong, I loosened my grip and asked hesitantly, “…Lục Từ Niên?”
The man went even more rigid.
“You’re back?!”
5
The silence gave way to excruciating awkwardness.
My aloof boss had finally lost his cool-guy image today.
My secondhand embarrassment flared up, but when I remembered Lục Từ Niên was my capitalist boss, I couldn’t suppress the glee bubbling inside me.
Lục Từ Niên lowered his eyes and silently turned into a beautiful statue.
Lục Tiểu Hà had no idea what was going on. She changed position, wagged her tail, and pounced on me again.
“What happened?”
I asked as I petted the Border Collie.
“I don’t know,” Lục Từ Niên said tiredly. “I woke up this morning and immediately knew something was wrong.”
“Did anything strange happen to you yesterday?”
“Strange?”
Lục Từ Niên looked at me, bewildered.
“…No.”
“Then what did you do yesterday?”
“Yesterday… I got up and read for a while, went shopping at the supermarket, had lunch, then looked over some documents in the afternoon…”
“I called you once, and in the evening…”
He called me?
My heart pounded. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me, and I remembered.
Yesterday, my best friend had invited me to a temple to cast a fortune stick, saying it was really accurate and that I should pray for love.
Before I could pray for love, I got a call from Lục Từ Niên while I was buying incense before heading to the temple. He told me to send him some documents right away.
I hated having my boss exploit my labor on my day off, but I had to bow to his higher rank and reluctantly agree. After hanging up, I couldn’t resist muttering, “You damn dog.”
Could it be that my muttered curse—“You damn dog”—had actually come true?
Panic suddenly gripped me, and I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye.
Lục Từ Niên seemed to notice something was off about me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing,” I said, hurriedly waving my hands. “What about you? Can you still go to the office like this?”
The man fell silent.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how long this will…”
The atmosphere grew heavy.
I felt an immense weight pressing down on me and wanted to tell Lục Từ Niên everything.
But even I found the whole thing hard to believe. Would he even believe me if I told him?
“Nhiếp Khê.”
Lục Từ Niên addressed me solemnly by name,
“Could you help me?”
6
For a moment, I thought he’d discovered the truth.
Thankfully, Lục Từ Niên only asked me to keep it a secret.
Then I suddenly remembered my grandmother once telling me there was a powerful spirit medium in her village.
I’d never believed in superstition, but now that Lục Từ Niên and Lục Tiểu Hà had switched bodies, I had no choice but to believe.
The man glanced at me, then lowered his head again. His whole demeanor sank, and he looked like a dejected puppy.
I rarely saw him like this.
Back when we were in high school, he’d already been tall as a pine, cool and composed, with the air of someone who had everything under control.
A few years later, I joined his company. The first time I saw him again, his perfectly tailored suit accentuated his slender waist. His cool, aloof air seemed to conceal the vivid color at the corners of his eyes as he spoke in a low, serious voice, giving instructions to an employee. I watched him.
The instant our eyes met, Lục Từ Niên looked a little surprised, then smiled. Like a spring breeze, his smile swept away the chill around him.
“Long time no see, Nhiếp Khê.”
My heart pounded. Something welled up inside me, but all I did was return a similarly friendly smile.
“Long time no see, Lục Từ Niên.”
Back then, even in my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined that after just five months working at the company, my old classmate—and boss—would switch bodies with a dog right in front of my eyes.
If I were him, I don’t think I’d ever have the nerve to show my face in front of him again.
Lục Từ Niên was taking the situation remarkably calmly. Anyone else might have panicked by now. I wasn’t sure whether to comfort him first or commend him for having nerves of steel. After hesitating for a while, I sighed.
“How about… I take you to see a spirit medium?”
“My grandmother knows one. I’ve heard she really does have powers.”
A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Lục Từ Niên’s eyes.
As I met his grateful gaze, I suddenly felt like the most heinous person alive.