Chapter 107: A Familiar-Looking Dog
Even though Xu Youyou’s house was just a few minutes away from the Song family’s residence, and it was broad daylight, both Song Zhibai and Lu Jingyao insisted on escorting her home.
“I really don’t need anyone to walk me back,” Xu Youyou had lost count of how many times she had repeated this.
She had come over to the Song family as a guest today. Since she wasn’t planning to go out of the neighborhood, she had given her bodyguards and Xu Fang the day off. As a result, she looked like she was alone, unlike usual.
Lu Jingyao spoke with confidence, “There are quite a few rowdy kids in the neighborhood. I’m afraid they might bump into you.”
Song Zhibai also went out of his way to find an excuse, “There are a lot of dogs in the area too, and some people don’t even leash them. It’s pretty dangerous.”
After saying that, the two men exchanged glances, sparks faintly flying in the air.
Xu Youyou was speechless. She almost thought she lived in some kind of danger zone where even a few hundred meters of distance was filled with peril.
“First of all, I’m not afraid of rowdy kids. Second, I’m not afraid of dogs either,” Xu Youyou said.
Lu Jingyao, however, seemed to be reminded of something and said, “I remember you have a dog. People who own dogs usually aren’t afraid of them.”
Xu Youyou nodded. She thought that after saying this, these two self-appointed bodyguards would finally go home.
But Lu Jingyao, who wasn’t great at interacting with girls, was instead inspired by this and suddenly found a common topic: “I had a dog too. Unfortunately, the person taking care of it got careless, and the dog went missing.”
Xu Youyou said, “You don’t look like someone who would keep a dog.”
Lu Jingyao had always been a clean freak, and it was quite obvious. Xu Youyou found it hard to imagine him running around and playing with a dog.
Lu Jingyao let out a bitter smile and said, “It was a gift from my grandmother. She consulted a fortune teller, who told her that my luck this year wouldn’t be great and that raising a pet could help change my fortune. So, she searched far and wide and got me a puppy. I kept it in my house in Suzhou, but one day, it just disappeared. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find it. I still don’t know if it’s doing well now.”
What Lu Jingyao didn’t mention was that the fortune teller had also said this dog would help him find his fated love.
Although the dog was gone, he had managed to escape danger while abroad and had even met a girl he truly liked. For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether he should credit the dog for that.
Xu Youyou thought about her own obedient and adorable dog, Guai Guai. If Guai Guai went missing, she would be just as anxious. She suddenly felt a little sympathetic toward him. “Losing it might not be a bad thing. Maybe it was lucky enough to find a kind owner and is living a good life.”
Lu Jingyao nodded. “I hope so.”
Song Zhibai had never owned a dog, and at this moment, he felt subtly excluded. But he quickly found his rhythm, lowering his head slightly and saying, “That’s nice… I wanted to have a dog when I was little, but they wouldn’t let me.”
With his already delicate, fragile looks, Song Zhibai’s attempt at looking pitiful made him even more endearing.
Xu Youyou recalled that Song’s mother was an open-minded woman. If someone had refused to let him have a dog, it was most likely his grandmother, Madam Shen, or his father.
She had only just met the Shen family yesterday. Madam Shen was rigid and difficult, and Shen Yiren was arrogant. It wasn’t hard to imagine how someone as fragile as Song Zhibai must have suffered in that household.
“You can make your own decisions now. If you want a dog, you can get one,” Xu Youyou comforted him.
Song Zhibai’s eyes lit up, but he quickly shook his head. “I’d rather not. Raising a dog is like raising a child. If I can’t be there for it long-term, it would be unfair to the dog.”
Xu Youyou suddenly felt a little guilty. She had been running around a lot lately and hadn’t spent much time with Guai Guai. The housekeeper was the one who walked the dog every day.
“I’d like to see your dog. Is that okay?” Song Zhibai asked.
Lu Jingyao had a bad feeling about this. He instinctively felt that Song Zhibai was putting on an act, but Xu Youyou was clearly falling for it.
“Of course! Guai Guai is just a regular little mutt, not a fancy breed, but it’s super cute and really fun…” The moment Xu Youyou started talking about her dog, she became animated.
Seeing how well Song Zhibai and Xu Youyou were getting along, Lu Jingyao refused to sit back and do nothing. He tried to join in by imitating Song Zhibai’s pitiful expression and lowering his head. “Ever since I lost Ah Huang, I haven’t dared to keep another pet.”
As expected, Xu Youyou looked moved.
But then Song Zhibai casually remarked, “If I had a pet, I would never lose it. If I did, I’d regret it for the rest of my life—it would be an unhealable wound in my heart.”
Lu Jingyao: … Kid, what’s with the passive-aggressive jab?
Not to be outdone, Lu Jingyao retorted, “If I were a real man, I definitely wouldn’t get all emotional over losing a pet.”
Watching the two men start another standoff, Xu Youyou felt a headache coming on. She could only be grateful that the walk home was short. If it were any longer, they might actually start fighting.
As soon as they arrived, Xu Youyou eagerly led them to the dog room, hoping they’d see the dog and then go home.
The house was spacious, and Xu Youyou was generous with Guai Guai. She had converted an entire 100-square-meter suite into a dog room.
The floor was covered with soft carpets, toys were scattered everywhere, and there was even a connected outdoor terrace of the same size, giving Guai Guai plenty of space to run around.
As soon as Guai Guai saw Xu Youyou, it ran over to complain, barking, “Woof woof! Human, you went out without me again!”
When Xu Youyou first got Guai Guai, it was nothing but skin and bones. But after months of being well-fed, it had turned into a little pig-dog. Its steps were now noticeably heavy.
Xu Youyou’s smile stiffened as she pretended not to understand and instead asked, “Were you good today? Did you have fun? My little Guai Guai wouldn’t trouble the housekeeper, right?”
Guai Guai gave Xu Youyou a strange look before continuing to bark, “Woof woof! Don’t change the subject! Any human who leaves without taking me is a bad human!”
Xu Youyou patted its head. “Stop watching those ridiculous cartoons.”
Guai Guai had a giant TV in its room and was obsessed with a cartoon called Superhero King Dog, watching it with full concentration every time.
At first, Xu Youyou worried that too much screen time would ruin its eyesight.
But when she tried turning off the TV, Guai Guai rolled all over the floor in protest.
The housekeeper, Aunt Liu, had been beside herself.
“Miss Xu, Guai Guai doesn’t need to study. Let it watch TV if it wants to,” Aunt Liu had advised.
Xu Youyou had actually been convinced. After all, bad eyesight wasn’t a big deal, but doggy depression would be a serious issue.
At that moment, Guai Guai’s eyes twinkled smugly. “Woof woof! I love watching TV, and I will keep watching it forever!”
Xu Youyou felt both amused and exasperated.
Then—
Lu Jingyao hesitated and muttered, “This… this dog… looks kind of familiar…”
If he hadn’t raised Ah Huang himself, he would never have connected the dots between this round, plump little mutt and his lost dog.
