Fortunately, Xie Lin was strong and steady; even when Baiyi rammed into him, his hand remained firm, and the phone only shook slightly.
Baiyi had already leapt onto Xie Lin’s lap, pressing its big face close to the phone.
Whether it actually saw Ruan Xingyao or not was unclear, but it kept barking “werwer” at the top of its lungs.
“Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer!”
【Poop-scooper, when are you coming back! Without you, Dog can’t eat, can’t sleep, and can’t go out to play! Dog’s getting mad! Dog’s going to wreck the house!】
Ruan Xingyao narrowed her beautiful eyes and said, “Don’t lie. No way would Captain Xie not give you good food.”
Baiyi: “Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer!”
【Dog doesn’t care! Dog didn’t get anything tasty! Dog’s been abandoned! Dog’s being abused! Dog doesn’t want to live anymore!】
Ruan Xingyao asked Xie Lin, “Captain Xie, what did you feed it?”
Xie Lin replied, “I ordered dog food delivery from a pet store. I was too busy today, I really couldn’t make anything else for it.”
He sounded apologetic.
After picking Baiyi up from Ruan Xingyao, he had gone straight to the police station, left it in his office, and then got caught up in work.
It wasn’t until he came back just now that he remembered to feed it.
He quickly ordered takeout for it so it could at least fill its belly.
Xie Lin said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Yaoyao, I didn’t take good care of it. When you come back, I’ll make it up to you.”
Ruan Xingyao replied, “Oh, come on, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like it went hungry. What are you apologizing for?”
Before Xie Lin could answer, Baiyi started barking again.
“Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer!”
【Human! Are you abandoning Dog?! You promised Mom you’d take good care of Dog! And now you’re saying it’s fine as long as Dog’s not starving?!】
“Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer!”
【Dog doesn’t want to live anymore! Dog’s never suffered such humiliation! Wuwuwuwu! Dog wants Mom!】
Its cries grew louder and more pitiful, as if it truly had been cruelly abused.
But after spending so much time with Baiyi, Ruan Xingyao already knew what kind of character it was.
It was a little drama king of a dog—able to act so convincingly just to get its way.
Ruan Xingyao said, “Enough! Baiyi, tell me what you want right now. If it’s convenient for Captain Xie, he’ll take you. Okay?”
Otherwise, Xie Lin would probably be barked to death.
The moment Baiyi heard her say this, its barking instantly dropped off.
It awkwardly turned its face away, glancing left and right, sneaking little looks at Xie Lin’s phone from time to time.
After a long while, it finally whimpered.
“Werwerwerwer! Werwerwerwer!”
【Human! Dog doesn’t want anything… Dog just misses you!】
That one sentence nearly brought Ruan Xingyao to tears.
She wrinkled her nose slightly, suppressing the sour ache spreading in her chest, and pretended to speak casually:
“In a few days we’ll be back. Be good, don’t go around chewing on things, okay?”
Baiyi: “Werwer!”
【Got it!】
Ruan Xingyao looked at Xie Lin in the video, meeting his deep gaze.
She said, “Captain Xie, if it’s convenient, let Baiyi run around in the yard. Otherwise, I’m afraid it’ll tear apart your office.”
Xie Lin agreed readily, “Alright, I’ll take it out in a bit.”
Ruan Xingyao gave a small smile.
For some reason, an odd feeling suddenly welled up inside her.
She said to Xie Lin, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up first. Goodbye, Captain Xie!”
Before he could reply, she directly ended the video call.
Just as she was about to put the phone down, it buzzed again—it was a message from Xie Lin.
He wrote: “Baiyi misses you.”
A few seconds later, another came: “So do I.”
Ruan Xingyao immediately set the phone face down on the table.
Maybe it was because the hot pot was too warm, but now it felt like the heat outside had seeped in, making her skin burn.
She only managed to press down that strange burning sensation after gulping half a glass of her drink.
But when she lifted her head again, she found the other three all staring at her with gossipy faces.
You Huan wiggled her brows at her. “Xingxing, why are you blushing?”
Ruan Xingyao instantly puffed up like a startled kitten, her pitch rising without her realizing it. “I am not!”
You Huan only laughed more shamelessly, and even reached out to poke Ruan Xingyao’s cheek. “Redder than blush, like a big peach.”
Saying that, You Huan deliberately spread her arms around Ruan Xingyao’s neck and puckered her lips, leaning closer to her cheek.
Having just eaten, even though she had wiped her mouth, it still made Ruan Xingyao instinctively raise her hand and smack You Huan’s face.
The slap wasn’t light, and it made You Huan whine in mock grievance.
“Xingxing, do you not love me anymore? How could you treat me like this, wuwuwu…”
As she spoke, You Huan batted her eyes, her beautiful eyes welling with tears, making her look like she had really been bullied.
Ruan Xingyao could never resist You Huan acting spoiled and playful like this, so she immediately leaned in. “Kiss, kiss, here, I’ll kiss you.”
You Huan happily smacked a kiss onto her, then held her cheeks in both hands, swaying her head with delight like a cat that had just stolen a fish.
The two young girls—one acting coy, the other doting—left the two men across from them stunned for a moment, before they silently averted their gazes.
When they came out of the hot pot restaurant, the sky was already completely dark, yet the temperature remained high.
Ruan Xingyao nearly turned back into the restaurant right then and there.
“Expert Ruan.”
Someone called out to her.
She looked over and saw the police officer they’d met earlier waving at her.
“Expert Ruan, since you’ve finished eating, would it be convenient for you to come with us to the station now?” The young officer spoke politely, flashing a bright smile, making it hard for Ruan Xingyao to refuse.
Ruan Xingyao said, “Give me a moment.”
She turned to look at You Huan and Ruan Xingzhuo, asking, “Why don’t you two go wander around on your own? It’s better if you don’t come with us to the station.”
After all, she was going there to work, and it wasn’t very appropriate to bring family along.
Ruan Xingzhuo instinctively glanced at Chen Yu.
The thought of leaving his sister alone with Chen Yu at work made him uneasy.
Chen Yu pretended not to notice, quietly standing off to the side.
Ruan Xingyao said, “Alright then, you two go have some fun. We’re off.”
With that, she strode boldly toward the car.
Ruan Xingzhuo and You Huan watched her back for a long while without moving.
It wasn’t until the car drove away into the distance that You Huan tilted her head up to look at Ruan Xingzhuo. “If you’re really that worried, we can just wait somewhere near the station.”
Ruan Xingzhuo lowered his gaze to meet hers.
After a few seconds, he said, “Come on, let’s find somewhere to hang out first.”
After all, this was his sister’s good intention—how could he let it go to waste?
— The end of the Chapter–
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