Shen Jin didn’t hesitate. “Of course I like dogs.”
He looked at her. In my entire life, there’s never been anything I truly liked.
—Except you.
Hearing Shen Jin say he liked dogs, Su Xiahe felt a sudden sense of relief. “Then… would you be willing to adopt this dog?”
Realizing she might be overstepping, she quickly added, “To be honest, I’m a student at Jiangcheng University, and I live in the dormitory. The dorms don’t allow pets.”
“But this dog is really pitiful…”
Seeing that Shen Jin hadn’t responded, Su Xiahe immediately added, “Oh, right—whatever it costs to care for the dog, you can keep track of it, and I’ll cover the expenses.”
If he agreed too quickly, the girl would definitely get suspicious.
Shen Jin hesitated for a few minutes before smiling to ease her concerns. “Don’t worry. I really do like dogs. I’ll adopt him.”
Then he shifted his gaze to the little Labrador, his smile radiant.
The Labrador instinctively shrank back.
Those deep, unfathomable eyes held a look that even a dog was afraid to meet.
But Su Xiahe praised him with genuine sincerity. “Mr. Shen Jin, you have such a kind heart.”
Shen Jin: “Let’s give him a name.”
Su Xiahe thought for a moment. “I’ve never owned a dog before, so I can’t think of a good name off the top of my head.”
Shen Jin looked away from the dog, and the little Labrador suddenly let out a breath of relief.
“How about I come up with one?”
“Sure.”
Shen Jin pondered for a few seconds. “What about ‘Yuhe’?”
Su Xiahe: “?”
What on earth?
Don’t people usually name their pets something like Ball Ball, Bean Bean, or Fluffy?
Which two characters did he mean by “yu-he”?
“Yuhe” as in healing?
Or “Yuhe” as in jade and grain?
Or “Yuhe” as in crossing a river?
But since she’d already troubled him to adopt the dog, she certainly couldn’t question the name he’d chosen.
She nodded emphatically and said, with great insincerity, “Mm, it sounds lovely.”
She asked, “Does it have any special meaning?”
Shen Jin smiled. “No, just made it up on the spot.”
The meaning is: my desire was born from A-He.
Su Xiahe glanced at the time—it was almost noon.
“Mr. Shen Jin, it’s getting late. I should head back to school now.”
Shen Jin opened the car door and placed the dog in the back seat. “Jiangcheng University is on my way. I’ll give you a ride.”
Su Xiahe thought about the bus she’d waited an hour for earlier, and her heart felt cold.
Since this Mr. Shen is heading the same way, I might as well catch a ride.
With that thought, she no longer felt any hesitation.
“Okay.”
She obediently got into the passenger seat.
“A-He.”
Su Xiahe was taken aback again. This Shen Jin—they’d only just formally met today.
How could he call her by her nickname so naturally?
Even she, as the one being addressed, wasn’t used to it.
“What’s the matter?”
Shen Jin said calmly, “From now on, just call me by my name. Drop the ‘Mr.’ at the end.”
“…Oh.”
From the street park to Jiangcheng University was still quite a distance.
Shen Jin drove as he made small talk. “What’s your major?”
“I’m majoring in Spanish, but I’m minoring in the pipa.”
Shen Jin kept his eyes on the road. “These days, very few people study the pipa.”
“Yeah, but I really love it. I think the pipa gives off a fiery, burning feeling—its melodies can stir the soul.”
“Also, I have an idol I admire the most—Teacher Yitong. Do you know her? Teacher Yitong is truly amazing…”
When it came to the pipa, Su Xiahe had plenty to say.
After a long stream of words, she suddenly realized she might be talking too much.
She immediately stopped. “Sorry, I talk too much.”
Shen Jin smiled. “Not at all. I think your personality is very straightforward.”
“…Oh.”
Though he may not have meant anything by it, Su Xiahe couldn’t help but feel there was a hint of something ambiguous in Shen Jin’s words.
Afraid of overthinking, she gave a weak nod, turned her head toward the car window, and stared at the scenery outside without saying another word.
By the time she returned to school, it was already one-thirty.
Su Xiahe texted Meng Wanxing to ask if she’d eaten. Meng Wanxing said she had.
She grabbed a quick meal at the cafeteria and then headed back to the dorm.
Meng Wanxing was lying in bed watching videos. When she saw Su Xiahe come back, she sat up. “A-He, you’re back?”
Su Xiahe nodded, opened her lunchbox, and started eating.
“Did your volunteer work go smoothly today?” Meng Wanxing asked.
“Hmm… how should I put it? If I say it went smoothly, it doesn’t quite feel that way.”
“Oh? Tell me more.”
Su Xiahe then told Meng Wanxing about running into Shen Jin last night and today.
But she only mentioned that his surname was Shen and that he was a doctor at Jiangcheng Hospital—she didn’t give his full name.
Meng Wanxing cut straight to the point. “You like him? That man you ran into.”
Su Xiahe swallowed a huge mouthful of rice and shook her head firmly.
Meng Wanxing was convinced she had it all figured out. “I don’t believe you! You described him in such glowing terms.”
“I just genuinely think he has a good personality and a kind heart. I really don’t have any other thoughts.”
Shen Jin, who had a good personality and a kind heart: Thanks, I appreciate that.
Meng Wanxing wasn’t convinced. “That’s it?”
Su Xiahe nodded.
Meng Wanxing teased, “What, is his face not good enough?”
Su Xiahe didn’t deny it—his looks were truly one in a million.
Seeing that Su Xiahe didn’t answer, Meng Wanxing had no choice but to change the subject. “Did you go take photos for the volunteer work today?”
Su Xiahe pulled up the photos. “I did.”
Meng Wanxing got out of bed. “Send me the photos, and I’ll upload them to the volunteer website for you.”
“Okay.”
Meng Wanxing helped her upload the photos. “I’ve submitted them. Once the review passes, your total credits should update.”
“Mm.”
Twenty minutes later, Su Xiahe’s volunteer activity was approved.
In the academic system, her credits finally became 185.
Meng Wanxing reminded her, “Hurry up and submit that financial aid application.”
Su Xiahe nodded, filled out the application form very carefully, and sent it to her counselor, He Jinzhou.
Jiangwan Mansion.
Shen Jin sat in the study, making no effort to hide the joy in his heart.
He opened his computer, clicked on that investigation report on Su Xiahe, and at the very bottom of the information, added a line:
[Most admired person: Xie Yitong]
After that, he pressed the switch hidden behind the bookshelf. The bookshelf split apart from the middle, revealing a secret room.
He picked up his wine glass and entered the secret room.
Inside the room, glass bottles of all sizes were piled up, filled with animal specimens of various shapes.
Shen Jin sat down on a single sofa. Beside him was a square glass container, with a steel plate in the middle separating two ferocious spiders.
Shen Jin reached out and pulled out the steel plate.
The two spiders crawled toward each other and quickly began to fight.
Shen Jin took a sip of wine, watching leisurely as the two spiders engaged in a life-and-death struggle inside the glass container.
The black spider bit off the brown spider’s leg.
The brown spider bit back and severed the black spider’s head. Soon, the black spider stopped moving.
Clearly, in this interesting contest, the brown spider had gained the upper hand.
The victorious brown spider strutted proudly in the container.
The next second, a bottle of colorless, odorless liquid was poured all over its body.
Its body began to convulse violently, and soon, the entire body was corroded away completely.
Shen Jin set down the bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid and stared at the severed limbs and remains in the glass container.
He laughed to himself and murmured, “I don’t need you anymore. I’ve found a more interesting prey.”
The black spider that had lost the battle was also drowned by the concentrated sulfuric acid that seeped over, vanishing completely from the container.