Ji Zhaoxi counted the days one by one. When she realized that seven days of her vacation had already passed, her mood suddenly took a turn for the worse.
She curled up on the living room sofa, hugging a cushion and letting out a deep sigh.
Her mother was sitting on the sofa too, leaving Ji Zhaoxi squeezed into the corner.
“Mommy will take you out to have some fun.” Her mother patted her hand.
Ji Zhaoxi tucked her face into the sofa and said lazily, “I don’t want to go.”
Her mother scolded her, “You lie around all day. People your age are full of energy. Look at you—you take fewer steps in a day than your grandmother!”
Ji Zhaoxi pretended not to hear. When her mother tried to pull her up, she clung to the sofa for dear life.
Her mother was so exasperated that she ended up laughing. She stood up and said, “Fine, don’t go. I don’t want to take you anyway. Come on, honey, let’s go out and have fun, just the two of us!”
Her father boomed, “Sure. We won’t take Ji Zhaoxi with us. Let’s leave her home to starve to death!”
He carried her mother’s bag and waited obediently at the side. Once her mother had put on her shoes, the two of them finally left.
As she closed the door, her mother reminded her, “Don’t forget to take the dog out to buy some toys. Your dad will reimburse you!”
“Got it.” Ji Zhaoxi lay sprawled on the sofa and answered weakly.
She was seriously sick of this dark-soy-colored golden retriever!
Speak of the devil, and he appears. Before long, the golden retriever ran into the room.
Ji Zhaoxi quickly held her breath and pretended to be asleep.
The golden retriever didn’t care in the slightest. It kept whining beside her and pawing at her.
It wanted to go buy toys!
Ji Zhaoxi squeezed her eyes shut. She was asleep. She was definitely asleep…
“Whine… Woof! Woof, woof, woof!”
The golden retriever’s barking was full of complaint. When Ji Zhaoxi still refused to get up, it began howling, nudging her with its snout.
Ji Zhaoxi sat up, and the golden retriever immediately ran off, dragged out its leash, and placed it directly in her hand, wagging its tail nonstop.
“You horrible dog!”
“Woof, woof, woof!”
The golden retriever was furious, spinning around in place.
Ji Zhaoxi put the leash on it and dragged herself out the door, looking utterly listless. The sun was blazing, and she still had to take the dog out. Her life was so miserable.
Unable to resist, she took a picture of the silly dog in front of her. The golden retriever, sensitive to the slightest movement, turned its head and stopped dead.
“I wasn’t talking about you. Keep walking.” Ji Zhaoxi’s lips twitched.
Only then did the golden retriever start moving again.
Ji Zhaoxi couldn’t help posting to her social media feed, going on at length about the stupid dog. Several comments appeared almost immediately.
【Senior Brother: I really want to walk a dog… I’d rather walk a dog…】
【Senior Sister Wen Shuning: Junior Sister, is this the dark-soy-colored golden retriever from your family? ［covered-mouth laugh］】
【Mom: Remember to stick to the shady areas!】
【Dad: Buy some extra snacks when you’re at the mall. Dad will reimburse you. ［grinning］】
【Lin*: Senior Sister, I’ve put the leash on!】
【Qin*: Ahhh, Xixi, when did you get back? Let’s grab a meal!】
…
As soon as they reached the mall, the golden retriever wagged its tail and expertly wove through the rows of shelves, heading straight for the pet-toy section.
Ji Zhaoxi held onto the leash and crouched down to look at the toys on the bottom shelf. “Pick whichever one you like. Just bite it.”
The golden retriever bit one, then ran over to another toy and began whining, gazing at Ji Zhaoxi with hopeful eyes. It looked nothing like the dog that had been cursing her at home.
“Fine, we’ll take these two.” Ji Zhaoxi picked up the two toys and tried to pull the dog away.
The golden retriever planted itself firmly on the spot and refused to budge. Its eyes darted guiltily, and it nudged the toy beside it with its snout.
Ji Zhaoxi: “…”
She pretended not to notice and pulled with all her might, but the golden retriever stubbornly refused to move.
A small poodle nearby kept barking.
The couple holding its leash looked utterly exasperated. “Don’t you already have this toy at home? Why do you want to buy another one?”
The small poodle didn’t understand a word. It just stood beside the toy and cried pitifully.
The couple exchanged a glance with Ji Zhaoxi. The misery in all three of their eyes was unmistakable.
The three humans and two dogs remained locked in a stalemate. Just then, a breathless voice suddenly came from behind them.
“I can buy it.”
Ji Zhaoxi turned around, and the moment she saw who was behind her, she froze.
“Lu Huainan?”
Lu Huainan looked terribly disheveled, as if he had just finished running a long distance. His face was flushed bright red.
He knew how scruffy he looked and didn’t dare meet her eyes. His voice was hoarse as he said, “I’ll buy the dog its toys.”
Ji Zhaoxi faltered. One look at him told her that Lu Huainan had no experience with this.
She moved closer and whispered, “This dog is incredibly crafty. You don’t understand.”
Lu Huainan was still far too innocent.
If she bought this horrible dog a third toy, it wouldn’t leave until it had taken every single one on the shelf.
When Lu Huainan saw Ji Zhaoxi approach, his breathing stopped for a moment. He had run all the way here—what if he smelled?
He wanted to check his own scent, but all he could smell was her. He was so nervous that he instinctively shifted a little farther away.
The golden retriever’s ears twitched. Although it couldn’t understand what they were saying, it was highly sensitive to the fact that Ji Zhaoxi was talking about it.
“Woof!”
It knew that Ji Zhaoxi was already immune to its tricks, so it bit down on Lu Huainan’s pant leg instead, trying to drag him toward the toy section.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll make it let go.” Ji Zhaoxi panicked at once.
What was wrong with her dog? Why had it suddenly become so rude?
Lu Huainan’s ears turned bright red. While Ji Zhaoxi wasn’t paying attention, he secretly sniffed himself.
There was no smell.
He finally relaxed.
Watching Ji Zhaoxi struggle with the golden retriever, he couldn’t help saying, “It’s fine. If it likes them, just let it have them.”
In the end, the golden retriever happily walked out of the store. Lu Huainan carried several full bags of dog toys, each one carefully selected by the golden retriever—and bitten by it.
Looking at all those toys, Ji Zhaoxi could already imagine herself standing in the garden and throwing them one after another. She could practically feel the muscles in her arms growing hard.
“Did you…not want to buy a toy for yourself?” Lu Huainan suddenly asked.
Ji Zhaoxi was caught off guard. She cleared her throat. “I’m all grown up. Those toys are for children.”
“Grown-ups can play with them too.” Lu Huainan walked beside her and spoke softly.
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Mm.”
Walking side by side, the two of them suddenly had no idea what to say.
Their meeting today had been far too unexpected.
The two of them and the dog soon reached the entrance of the mall. Only then did Ji Zhaoxi realize that Lu Huainan hadn’t bought anything for himself.
She couldn’t help asking, “Lu Huainan, did you forget to buy something?”
“I don’t have anything to buy.” Lu Huainan paused.
Ji Zhaoxi looked puzzled. “If you didn’t have anything to buy, why did you suddenly come to the mall?”
Lu Huainan instinctively wanted to say that he had just happened to be passing by.
But…if he said that, wouldn’t he become the same person he had been in high school again? Someone who could only watch her from the sidelines, too afraid to do anything—not even brave enough to tell her his name.
“I…I came because I saw your post,” Lu Huainan stammered.
He kept his eyes on the road ahead, his face and neck turning completely red.
Would she think badly of him for coming like this? But he really wanted to see her. She had told him that if he wanted to hang out with her, he should just say so—but he still didn’t dare.
“Do you not want me to come?” Lu Huainan asked cautiously.
Ji Zhaoxi’s face felt hot from the sun. She fanned herself with her hand, suddenly unsure how to answer.
Seeing the pitiful look in Lu Huainan’s eyes, she cleared her throat awkwardly. “I do.”
Lu Huainan’s eyes lit up at once.
Meanwhile, the golden retriever was panting heavily from the heat. Were these two ever going to leave?
