“Sorry! I’m so sorry!”
Wang Zekai apologized repeatedly, “I was anxious and spoke without thinking. Zhang Fan, please don’t be angry!”
“It’s fine, as long as it’s cleared up!”
Zhang Fan forced a smile and prepared to leave. Da Huang was still waiting for her in the flower bed. It was a mongrel dog; if someone caught it and made it into hot pot, that would be her fault.
“Hey?”
Wang Zekai stretched out his arm and blocked her way. “My mom said she wants to thank you in person, otherwise she won’t feel at ease.”
If the police hadn’t pulled the surveillance footage, even if she was a girl he’d once liked, Wang Zekai would have been somewhat angry. Now that the truth was clear, it wasn’t just his mother who felt guilty—he did too.
Just moments ago, he’d nearly lost his temper and hit someone.
“No need, I have things to do. Tell your mother to set her mind at ease and rest well. I won’t disturb her!”
Zhang Fan wanted to leave, but was blocked again:
“So you’re refusing to forgive me?” Wang Zekai grabbed Zhang Fan’s arm. “We were classmates after all. Give me some face—don’t be angry!”
What did she have to be angry about? The situation hadn’t developed into the worst possible outcome, and she was already thanking her lucky stars. How would she dare be angry?
“I really do have things to do. My dog is still on the street—I need to get back quickly!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! It’ll be quick. I’ll drive you over in a bit!” Wang Zekai forcibly pulled Zhang Fan into the hospital room.
On the hospital bed, the old woman was already conscious, with a middle-aged woman beside her looking after her.
“Mom, this is our benefactor!”
Wang Zekai pushed Zhang Fan to the bedside. “Her name is Zhang Fan. She was my classmate in middle school!”
“Oh! Oh! Good, good, good!” The old woman stretched out her arm and grasped Zhang Fan’s hand. “I can tell at a glance she’s a good girl. I owe you so much today! How about you become my daughter-in-law? Our family has thirty apartments!”
“Mom!”
Wang Zekai and the middle-aged woman beside him spoke simultaneously, but the old woman glared them into silence. “What are you calling me for? These days, good girls are few and far between. If you don’t snap her up, she’ll become someone else’s wife!”
Then, the old woman smiled at Zhang Fan. “What was your name again?”
Zhang Fan’s face was full of embarrassment. She gently freed her hand from the old woman’s grip. “Auntie, please rest well. I have things to do, so I’ll be going now. I’ll come visit you next time!”
Without waiting for the old woman to respond, she quickly turned and left. She hadn’t gone far when Wang Zekai caught up.
“Don’t rush, don’t rush. My car is parked right at the entrance!”
He grabbed Zhang Fan and shoved her into a Mercedes parked on the roadside. “I really feel bad about this. If your dog is gone, just tell me—what breed is it? I’ll get you a purer one!”
Listen to that tone!
Zhang Fan silently fastened her seatbelt. “Jiefang Park East Road, at that intersection. Thank you!”
“You’re welcome!” Wang Zekai sized up Zhang Fan through the rearview mirror. “My mom has a bit of dementia—sometimes confused, sometimes lucid. Don’t take what she says too seriously.”
Zhang Fan said nothing, her mind on the System Quest.
By all logic, the old woman had already expressed her gratitude to her. So why hadn’t the System Quest given any notification?
After thinking it over, she found the key to the problem—money! She had paid out of pocket!
Damn it!
A good deed done for nothing!
“Um…” Wang Zekai glanced at her a few more times through the mirror and spoke hesitantly. “What about your kid? I hope I’m not delaying you from picking up your child and making dinner?”
“I’m not married!” Zhang Fan knew he was probing for something, so she gave him the answer he wanted without hesitation. Unexpectedly, he slammed on the brakes, nearly throwing her out of her seat.
“You’re really not married?”
Wang Zekai stared at Zhang Fan excitedly, while cars behind them honked furiously—some drivers even rolled down their windows to curse at them.
“Please focus on the road, okay?” Zhang Fan broke out in a cold sweat. They were on a main road—did he think slamming the brakes like that was safe?
“Oh, oh! I got too excited! No, I mean, I’m not… ugh…”
Wang Zekai didn’t know what to say, so he just grinned, his face turning red.
“The dog! My dog!” Zhang Fan nearly jumped out of her seat, pointing at a flower bed by the roadside. Someone on a tricycle was forcibly pulling Da Huang onto the vehicle.
“Where?” Wang Zekai immediately spotted the situation and ran the light—yellow or red, he didn’t care—to get over there.
Once they got close, he rolled down the window and yelled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Is that your dog to steal?”
When he saw the guy revving up to flee, he didn’t even bother parking properly—just stopped by the curb, jumped out, and chased after the tricycle. Gotta say, his stamina and speed were impressive.
He caught up and landed a punch that sent the guy sprawling to the ground, blood pouring out.
“What are you doing?”
Zhang Fan was completely stunned. She quickly scooped Da Huang into her arms.
“It’s fine!” Wang Zekai pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and blew out a wisp of smoke, his foot still planted on the tricycle owner.
“I called out to you the moment I saw you, and you didn’t stop—you ran! That changes everything. That’s robbery, you get that?”
He kept the guy pinned down firmly. Before long, traffic police arrived, followed by regular police and an ambulance.
Zhang Fan was completely numb. Was she just destined to spend the whole day tied up with the police station?
After all the hustle—statements, signatures—before she knew it, it was already afternoon. Luckily, Wang Zekai didn’t end up with any charges, or she’d owe him a huge favor.
“Sorry for making you waste so much time with me!”
Wang Zekai glanced at Da Huang in Zhang Fan’s arms and reached out to rub the dog’s head. “Why is it a mutt? I have a friend who runs a pet shop—they’ve got purebred poodles and teacup dogs there.
You know how other girls are—they wear high heels and carry those little dogs in their arms. Tsk, it looks so cute!”
“Thank you for today!” Zhang Fan set Da Huang down and looked at Wang Zekai, not knowing what else to say. “I still need to take Da Huang to get a dog license, so I’ll get going!”
“Wait!” Wang Zekai grabbed Zhang Fan’s arm. “Look, it’s already this time. How about we grab a meal together?”
Seeing her hesitate, he nudged her along as they walked out. “It’s no big deal—just getting a dog license, right? Coincidentally, my friend’s place can handle that for you. Let’s go eat first. It’s been so many years since we’ve seen each other.”
The man’s enthusiasm was hard to refuse. And it wasn’t like she could just shout, “I’m not going to marry you!”
How narcissistic would she have to be to yell that the moment someone showed a bit of interest?
Wang Zekai had put some thought into it, taking her to a pet-friendly restaurant themed around Shiba Inus. Even though other customers had brought their dogs, Zhang Fan still drew plenty of stares when she walked in with a mutt on a leash.
“Oh, look who it is—you’re everywhere, aren’t you?”
Zhu Li, holding her “giant poodle” and carrying a designer handbag, was about to leave with her best friend when she ran right into Zhang Fan at the entrance.
“So she’s hooked up with a nouveau riche, and that’s why she’s started showing up at these high-end places?”
The woman’s arrogance made people break out in a cold sweat for her. Talking like that—wasn’t she asking to get beaten up?