◎She Has Another “Dog” Outside◎
Zhong Yao realized that her newly registered account had been banned, but before she could even react, Dou Dou had already gone berserk.
【Who dares to ban my account? Just wait and I’ll make you crawl on the ground looking for your mommy!】
She wanted to comfort it, but the little figure had already rolled up its sleeves and disappeared. Zhong Yao shrugged helplessly and continued going through the tutorials Chen Zhu Jing had sent her.
It wasn’t until nightfall that Dou Dou finally returned.
“This took a while? You were gone that long?”
Dou Dou’s gaze flickered, a little guilty: 【I handled a few other things along the way.】
Zhong Yao gave it a look but didn’t press further. She simply closed her laptop, rubbing her eyes, feeling tired.
Staring at the screen so intently really took a toll, she realized she truly wasn’t as resilient as she used to be.
Si Ning Qing was sensitive about his eyes and had stocked a variety of eye drops. Zhong Yao, unreserved, wanted to just grab one, but staring at the many bottles left her a bit puzzled.
Which one actually relieved eye fatigue?
She opened WeChat to check their last conversation, it was from noon, asking if she wanted to eat together.
Si Ning Qing only replied two minutes later: “I have some things to handle outside. I’ll be back tonight. You and Ah Xiang eat first.”
Zhong Yao frowned, feeling that something was off. A lingering unease settled over her heart, making her restless for no clear reason.
She sent a message: “Ah Han, can I borrow your eye drops? But out of all these bottles, which one relieves eye fatigue?”
She stared at her phone for five minutes before Si Ning Qing replied: “The blue one.”
Seeing the reply, she finally let out a small sigh of relief. She pressed her left eyelid, which had been twitching nonstop, still sensing a lingering bad feeling.
She applied the eye drops and leaned back in her chair, ready to rest her eyes for a moment, but suddenly, a wave of unease hit her.
If it were really Si Ning Qing, how could he respond so coldly with just four words when she mentioned her eyes were uncomfortable? This definitely wasn’t him.
She immediately sat upright, snatched her phone, and dialed Si Ning Qing’s number.
A familiar, melodious tune played in her ears, the ringtone was the first piece she learned on the piano as a child, recorded by Si Ning Qing and set as her ringtone ever since.
The longer the ringtone played, the heavier her heart felt. She furrowed her brows, instinctively holding her breath.
Finally, just a second before the call would have been automatically disconnected, it was answered.
Zhong Yao said urgently, “Qing Qing? Where did you go?”
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize how sharp her tone was, and she softened it: “There’s curfew tonight, when are you coming back?”
Unexpectedly, a strange male voice sounded on the other end: “She’s not coming back tonight.”
What the hell?
Zhong Yao froze. If she hadn’t misheard, that was definitely a man’s voice.
As far as she knew, Si Ning Qing had no biological brothers, nor any cousins, it wasn’t Uncle Li’s voice either. That left only one conclusion—
This was some wild man from outside!
Her Qing Qing had another “dog” behind her back!
“Who are you? Let Qing Qing answer the phone.”
The man was silent for a moment before saying, “She’s asleep.”
Holy crap, crap, crap, what was this? What did she just hear? Was this something a pure, unmarried girl like her was supposed to know?
“If you’ve got the guts, turn on video. I need to verify it, what if you’re a human trafficker trying to fool me?”
Su Luan sighed inwardly, thinking what kind of human trafficker wouldn’t proactively call to threaten people, but would instead wait for the family to call and question them.
Still, considering this little ancestor’s place in someone’s heart, he hung up the call himself, walked to the bedside, recorded a five‑second video, and sent it over.
In the video, Si Ning Qing lay on the bed with her eyes closed, breathing steadily, fast asleep.
Su Luan placed the phone on the bedside table, sat by the bed, and stared fixedly at the person lying there, the emotions in his eyes so complex they were impossible to read.
He hesitated as he reached out, his fingertips hovering just above Si Ning Qing’s brows and eyes, as if waging an inner battle.
Just as he finally made up his mind to touch her, a voice suddenly came from behind him: “My king, my lady said you’re not allowed to touch her.”
Su Luan spun around and shot a fierce glare at the newcomer. “She’s asleep right now, no awareness at all. What’s wrong with me touching her?”
You Bei jumped in fright, shrinking entirely into his oversized black cloak. He swallowed and mustered the courage to say, “But my lady said that even from a hundred zhang away, she can smell the dog scent on you. If she finds out you took advantage of her while she was asleep, once she wakes up… she might very well butcher you.”
Su Luan was furious, his gaze turning into razor‑sharp blades that stabbed toward the little dwarf in front of him.
He snorted coldly. “If you didn’t call me ‘my king,’ I wouldn’t even know whether you truly serve me, or serve her instead.”
You Bei, already small in stature, shrank even further, almost blurting out: “Wasn’t it you who said that what’s yours is hers, and that we should put you first in everything?”
Fortunately, before the words left his mouth, he looked up and saw Su Luan’s dark expression. Survival instinct kicked in, and he swallowed his words, trembling as he stayed silent.
Su Luan swung his sleeve, stopped his hand, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. By now, night had fully fallen, but Dongchuan City, a city that never sleeps, was still brightly lit.
Thousands of lights flickered in his eyes as he asked, “Have they caught that group?”
Hearing the conversation turn to business, You Bei straightened his back and followed Su Luan, speaking calmly: “They’ve all been caught and are being escorted back by Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai. Shall we deal with them immediately?”
Su Luan said, “No need. Handle them properly and send them over to her.”
You Bei instinctively glanced at the person on the bed and nodded: “Understood.”
Handle them properly, he thought to himself, might as well deal with them outright. No matter what form the adults took, they were always the untouchable “imperial wrath” in the king’s heart.
Zhong Yao stared at the five-second video, biting her nails in tears. Her Qing Qing had really found another “dog” behind her back.
Dou Dou couldn’t stand it and said: 【Instead of lamenting the loneliness of being alone, why not become independent and strong so that people can’t resist you? Aren’t you curious how much merit today’s prophecy earned you?】
Zhong Yao felt listless. She knew it would take her a long time to process the whole Si Ning Qing situation.
After the Shao Siming account went public, she checked it, followers had already climbed into the four digits. Her growth rate was unprecedented. But she had no idea how many people would trust her prophecy enough to avoid danger.
【Today’s merit: 0.】
Zhong Yao pressed her lips together. As expected, normal people seeing that video would just ridicule it, block, or report it.
“You sound pretty happy about this?”
【Everything must be done step by step. Gaining this many followers at once already exceeds my expectations.】 Dou Dou crossed its legs, grinning with pride.
So, it hadn’t really expected much from her, or had low expectations, which was why it was now so pleasantly surprised?
Zhong Yao curled the corner of her mouth: “The weather forecast is only once a day?”
【You really plan to treat my prophecy like a weather forecast? Rarity is what makes it valuable. If it’s daily, the hype might last at most a week before everyone forgets it.】 Dou Dou’s lips curved slyly, eyes glinting with mischief: 【The point is to make them see it but not touch it, touch it but not have it, keep them desperate and itching.】
Zhong Yao was stunned. “I didn’t realize you actually understand the rules of internet traffic that well.”
Dou Dou raised its head proudly: 【Of course, I, the great master…】
【Zhong Yao, go save someone!】
Before it could finish its boast, it suddenly went berserk, and even through the screen, Zhong Yao could see it losing control.
Zhong Yao froze. “What’s wrong?”
【I don’t have time to explain in detail, you need to go, go now!】 Dou Dou frantically paced across the screen. If it weren’t for consideration of Zhong Yao’s roommates in the dorm, it probably would have wanted to crawl out and shove her out the door.
Seeing it in such a rush, Zhong Yao didn’t dare delay. Still confused, she quickly changed her shoes and ran out.
As she exited the dorm, the dorm supervisor shouted after her: “Student, curfew’s coming up, hurry back!”
With no one around, Dou Dou crawled out of the phone and climbed up her arm. 【No time to explain, you have to go save a very important person right now.】
Seeing it move slowly, Zhong Yao grabbed it and placed it on her shoulder. “How important? Your partner?”
Dou Dou extended a shadowless kick at her shoulder, but tripped and almost fell. It steadied itself, looking a bit embarrassed. 【I am so noble and aloof, no human could ever deserve to be my partner.】
Pointing down the road, it explained: 【That person is a police officer. He’s done many heroic deeds, keeping people safe and punishing evil. His life shouldn’t end now. If you can save him, the merit you earn will be enormous.】
Zhong Yao frowned. “If his life shouldn’t end, what kind of accident happened? If it’s a natural disaster, that’s understandable. But if it’s man-made and even the police can’t handle it, wouldn’t I just be running into danger for nothing?”
Dou Dou’s expression grew serious. It shook its head. 【It’s neither a natural disaster nor a human one, it’s an evil spirit.】
If only Si Ning Qing were here, she was the nemesis of evil spirits.
It swallowed that thought. Zhong Yao, being clueless about Si Ning Qing’s true identity, didn’t need to know yet. Since Si Ning Qing wanted to keep it secret, Dou Dou said no more, content to wait for the exciting reveal later.
【I’ll explain what an evil spirit is when the time is right.】 Dou Dou preemptively blocked her questions, then added: 【Right now, you wouldn’t stand a chance against an evil spirit. But there’s someone who can.】
【Remember last time at the antique street, when that creepy man was bothering you and a police officer came to rescue you? That’s the same officer being targeted this time. Back then, he had a man with him, he’s capable of handling evil spirits.】
Zhong Yao was confused. She remembered the officer vaguely, but another person with him? She hadn’t noticed anyone else while rushing to meet Qian You Tong at the time.