It took Ruan Xingyao a whole week to finish checking on all the dogs that had been sold from the dog factory.
Unfortunately, after she exposed the factory’s operations, some of the dogs had already been killed by their buyers.
Especially the ones taken out of Mingcheng—she arrived too late for them.
But among the misfortune, there was still some luck.
Most of the dogs had survived.
Even if their original owners no longer wanted them, they were now safely under her care.
Ruan Xingyao brought them all back to Ningcheng.
Between the dogs rescued from the factory, the ones reclaimed later, and a number of abandoned dogs, the total number reached nearly two hundred.
Ruan Xingyao had Xie Lin go to the circus to find Old Yu, and after discussing it with him, they rented out the circus grounds—turning it into a police dog training base.
Once back in Ningcheng, Ruan Xingyao and her group rested briefly before heading straight to the circus.
Xie Lin was already waiting there with Baiyi.
As soon as Ruan Xingyao stepped out of the car, Baiyi dashed toward her.
“werwerwer! werwerwer!”
【Smelly Xingxing! So you do remember to come back!】
“werwerwer! werwerwer!”
【Did you abandon dog?! Do you know what dog’s been through while you were gone?!】
“werwerwer! werwerwer!”
【Too much! You’re too much! Dog is really mad!】
Baiyi barked furiously while biting at the hem of Ruan Xingyao’s pants, pawing at her leg at the same time.
It was obvious—he was truly angry.
“werwerwer! werwerwer!”
【Smelly Xingxing! Bad Xingxing! Unless I get three packs of jerky, this dog refuses to forgive you!】
Ruan Xingyao bent down and picked Baiyi up, patting his big head.
“Oh, come on. Since when has Captain Xie ever let you go hungry?”
She’d received countless videos and photos from Xie Lin over the past few days—this little guy had been eating very well.
Meals, snacks—he’d been devouring everything in sight.
In just a few days, he’d gotten noticeably rounder.
Exposed just like that, Baiyi’s confidence wavered.
He rubbed his head against Ruan Xingyao’s chest, though his barks remained loud and indignant.
“werwerwer! werwerwer!”
【Dog doesn’t care! Dog is still mad! You have to coax dog!】
Ruan Xingyao kissed the top of Baiyi’s head and finally softened.
“Alright, alright, I’ll coax you. Happy now?”
“werwerwer! werwerwer!”
【Hmph! That’s more like it! Xingxing, you’re not allowed to be away from Dog for so long ever again!】
Ruan Xingyao’s heart melted.
She hugged Baiyi tightly for a long while before finally setting him back down.
Baiyi then went to rub up against Ruan Xingzhuo and You Huan as well — being “fair and impartial,” though his way of sharing affection was anything but evenly balanced.
He even went over to Chen Yu.
However, after just a quick nuzzle, he walked away.
Chen Yu sighed helplessly, bent down to pick Baiyi up, and poked its forehead.
“Don’t look so disgusted with me. Even Xingxing has accepted me, you know.”
The way he said it — to anyone unaware of the situation — could have sounded like it meant something entirely different.
Baiyi shook his head and barked, “werwerwer! werwerwer!”
【Fine then, if Xingxing accepts you, dog accepts you too. Dog will treat you as a good person.】
Chen Yu looked at Ruan Xingyao, asking what Baiyi had said.
Ruan Xingyao casually translated it for him, leaving Chen Yu speechless.
Well then — after all this time he’d spent with Baiyi, only now was he finally being recognized as a “good person.”
Ruan Xingyao didn’t bother with Chen Yu’s wounded feelings.
She walked over to Xie Lin, smiled, and said, “Thank you, Captain Xie, for all your hard work these past few days.”
Not only had he helped take care of Baiyi, but he’d also done a lot behind the scenes for her.
Without him, she wouldn’t have been able to expose “Eat Plum Candy”’s crimes or take in so many dogs.
Xie Lin hadn’t immediately approached Ruan Xingyao when she arrived; instead, he had given her plenty of time to reunite with Baiyi.
Now, as her bright, smiling eyes met his, his gaze softened — yet his heart felt complicated.
Because he could clearly sense it: Ruan Xingyao was no longer angry with him.
She treated him calmly, naturally… but that very calmness also made it clear — she wasn’t giving him another chance.
His fingers curled slightly at his side.
Xie Lin said quietly, “It’s what I should’ve done.”
Ruan Xingyao smiled. “If Captain Xie says that, then I won’t be polite about it.”
Xie Lin’s gaze deepened; he knew this wasn’t the time for other kinds of conversation.
He said, “We only had time to make some basic arrangements here. Take a look and see what needs improvement — I’ll get people to handle the renovation.”
Ruan Xingyao nodded without hesitation. “I already thought about it on the way back. It just depends on whether Old Yu agrees or not. Let’s head inside first.”
The group walked in together.
The place had already changed drastically after the first round of remodeling.
As they went further in, Ruan Xingyao asked, “By the way, what about the little ones that were here last time?”
She hadn’t used her spiritual sense to check, but she hadn’t heard any of their sounds along the way either — which struck her as very strange.
Xie Lin paused noticeably.
After a few seconds, he said, “Old Yu said part of them have already dead. As for the rest, he’s isolated them.”
At those words, Ruan Xingyao’s steps stopped abruptly.
She turned to look at Xie Lin, her eyes filled with pain she could no longer hide.
She blamed herself.
She should have come by more often, treated them better.
But she had been held up by one thing after another and never managed to make it here.
Seeing Ruan Xingyao like this, Xie Lin couldn’t bear it.
He lifted his hand, wanting to place it gently on her head and tell her that none of this was her fault.
But before he could, Ruan Xingyao turned her head and said, “It’s fine. I’ll ask Old Man Yu to take me to see them later.”
No matter how many were left, she would heal every single one she could.
Xie Lin unconsciously curled his fingers back and said softly, “Let’s go.”
The group first went to the area where the dogs were being kept.
It was three to four times larger than the factory in Ming City.
Even with nearly two hundred dogs, there was no longer any need for them to be cramped together.
The dogs were arranged in different sections according to breed, age, and temperament.
Some stayed together in large fenced areas with companions, while others rested alone in kennels.
All of these dogs had already been treated by Ruan Xingyao and Yi Wenxue, fully recovering their health.
With the infusion of their spiritual energy, the dogs had become far more intelligent than ordinary ones.
So when the group entered, they weren’t greeted by the usual noisy barking of a dog factory.
Instead, almost every dog stood up neatly the moment they sensed Ruan Xingyao and the others, tails wagging happily in unison.
Some of the more lively ones barked a few times—not noisily, but in a playful, affectionate way, like soft whimpers begging for attention.
It was impossibly cute.
However, that was how it seemed to Xie Lin and the others who couldn’t hear their thoughts.
For Ruan Xingyao, what she heard was a completely different scene:
【Wow! It’s the two-legged being who saved us! She really came back for us!】
【So rude! She’s the pretty lady! Pretty lady, pretty lady, can you take me home? I want to be your dog!】
— The end of the Chapter–
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