Xie Lin couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Ever since he met Ruan Xingyao and learned that these little animals could understand human speech, he had never been able to treat them the same way as before.
Now, facing Baiyi, it felt more like facing a human with thoughts of its own, making it even harder for him to bring up Zhao Wanying’s situation.
Baiyi had been so excited about going out for a walk with Ruan Xingyao, but now it sensed the heavy atmosphere between her and Xie Lin.
It looked at Ruan Xingyao, then at Xie Lin, and started barking “werwer.”
“er! erwerwer! ererwerwer!”
[Human! What happened? What’s wrong with you two? Human! Did you cry?]
“erwer! ererwerwer!”
[Human! Don’t be sad! Dog is here with you! Dog can make you happy!]
Barking like this, Baiyi pressed its big head against Ruan Xingyao’s neck, rubbing affectionately like a well-behaved baby.
That instantly made Ruan Xingyao’s eyes well up again.
She hugged Baiyi tightly, taking deep breaths, trying her best not to cry out loud.
But the more she suppressed it, the more uncontrollably the tears fell.
Big, heavy drops splashed down onto Baiyi’s fur, soaking it wet.
Seeing this, Xie Lin felt unbearably heavy-hearted.
He reached out, pulled Baiyi into his arms, and held its front paws so its eyes were level with his own.
He said, “Baiyi, listen to me. Your owner, Zhao Wanying, committed suicide early this morning. Now I need to take you to see her one last time.”
Saying it out loud was undeniably cruel, but Xie Lin had no other choice—he could only tell Baiyi in the simplest words what had really happened.
It was unclear if Baiyi truly understood what he said.
Its mouth, once open, gradually closed, and the dog drooped completely, as if all its vitality had been sucked out in an instant.
No one knew how long it took before Baiyi suddenly howled again, straining its voice.
“erererwer! ererwerwer!”
[Dog doesn’t believe it! You’re lying to dog! Dog’s mama is still being treated—she’ll come take dog home!]
“erer! erer!”
[You’re bad people! You just want to separate dog from mama! Dog won’t listen to you anymore!]
Baiyi began to struggle violently, and even Xie Lin, caught off guard by its frantic thrashing, couldn’t hold on.
Within seconds, Baiyi broke free.
Baiyi leapt straight out of the car window.
“erer! ererwerwer!”
[Bad people! Dog doesn’t like you anymore! Dog is going to find Mama! Dog is going to bring Mama home!]
Baiyi howled as it bolted forward.
Xie Lin reacted instantly, yanked the car door open, and sprinted after Baiyi.
Ruan Xingyao was a little slower to respond, but she also jumped out of the car and ran after it.
She couldn’t run as fast as Xie Lin, so she released a faint trace of spiritual power, allowing Baiyi to sense her intent—hoping it would wait for her and Xie Lin.
Finally, after chasing for two whole streets, Xie Lin caught up with Baiyi and grabbed it.
Baiyi was still howling nonstop.
At first it struggled, then it began cursing, and even tried to swat at Xie Lin with its paws.
If Xie Lin hadn’t clamped its muzzle shut, he probably would’ve been bitten already.
Carrying Baiyi back, Xie Lin stopped in front of Ruan Xingyao.
Ruan Xingyao stroked Baiyi’s head, trying to soothe it. “Baiyi, we’re taking you to see your Mama right now, okay?”
At this point, Baiyi had no patience left for Ruan Xingyao.
Even with its muzzle restrained, it still tried to hurl the harshest words it could at her.
It was the first time Ruan Xingyao had ever been cursed at by a little animal.
If she were still in the Beast-Taming Sect, she would have surely taught it a lesson.
But now, she truly didn’t have the heart for that.
She said softly, “Baiyi, if you run there on your own, it’ll take a very, very long time. If you go with us, you’ll see her very soon.”
Hearing this, Baiyi finally quieted down.
It wanted to see Mama—right now, nothing was more important than that.
Xie Lin handed Baiyi over to Ruan Xingyao. “I’ll go bring the car around quickly.”
Running back for it himself would save more time than if they all went together.
Ruan Xingyao nodded—she really couldn’t run any longer anyway.
Soon, Xie Lin drove the car back.
This time, once they were inside, Baiyi became unusually quiet, slumping in Ruan Xingyao’s arms with drooping eyes.
At last, the car drove into the detention center.
Baiyi recognized the place.
As soon as the car passed through the gates, it stepped onto Ruan Xingyao’s stomach, propped its front paws against the window, and looked ready to leap out again.
This time, Ruan Xingyao reacted quickly and held Baiyi tightly in her arms.
She said, “Baiyi, don’t be anxious.”
Baiyi barked “werwer” twice but in the end stayed obediently in Ruan Xingyao’s embrace.
The two of them, with the dog, went to Zhao Wanying’s room.
Because Xie Lin had made arrangements in advance, Zhao Wanying had not yet been moved to the morgue.
Standing at the doorway, Ruan Xingyao set Baiyi down on the floor.
Her legs suddenly felt as heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, making it impossible for her to lift her feet.
Xie Lin raised his hand and gently touched the back of her head, silently giving her comfort.
He said, “I’ll take Baiyi in first.”
Ruan Xingyao looked up at Xie Lin, tears spilling down her cheeks.
She nodded and lowered her gaze to Baiyi.
Baiyi was already scratching at the door—it had caught its mama’s scent and wanted to see her.
Xie Lin pushed open the door, and Baiyi shot inside like a firecracker.
It leapt onto Zhao Wanying’s bed, barking “werwer.”
“erer! erererwer!”
[Mama! Dog came to see you! Did you miss dog?]
“erer! ererwerwer!”
[Mama! Why aren’t you answering dog? Did you fall asleep?]
“erwer! ererwerwer!”
[Mama! Those bad people lied to dog, saying you died! Dog doesn’t believe it! Dog is smart, right?]
“erer! erer!”
[Mama! Hurry and wake up and tell them you’re not dead! They can’t fool dog! Mama! Dog is waiting for you to take dog home!]
But no matter how much Baiyi barked, even when it bounced up and down on Zhao Wanying’s body, Zhao Wanying gave no response at all.
Gradually, Baiyi’s barking weakened.
It pressed its face carefully against Zhao Wanying’s, and slowly lay down by her side.
“erwer! erer!”
[Mama! Do you not want dog anymore? Why won’t you talk to dog? Dog can eat less, Mama—please don’t abandon dog, okay?]
Yet, Zhao Wanying still showed no response.
At last, Baiyi accepted the truth.
Its mama was truly gone.
Though Baiyi was just a dog, it still understood what death was.
It knew now—its mama would never come back.
Outside the room, Ruan Xingyao leaned against the wall, hearing Baiyi’s heartfelt cries loud and clear.
Her heart ached so much it felt like it was shattering.
But in the face of death, she was powerless.
— The end of the Chapter–
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