Qiao Sheng’s dog.
This highly insulting label, like a malignant tumor, haunted Gu Huo throughout his adolescence.
Gu Huo knew that some people referred to him this way behind his back, but malice was like a virus lurking in the shadows—invisible and intangible. As long as no one dared to call him that to his face, he turned a deaf ear and pretended to know nothing about it.
However, today, under Zhou Zixiao’s malicious provocation and attempts to sow discord, he finally learned that the origin of the term “Qiao Sheng’s dog” came from the girl he lived with under the same roof every day, the girl he took care of with all his heart.
Qiao Sheng’s mind went completely blank.
The wind easily pierced through her bulky, thick down jacket, seeped into her pores, and invaded every part of her body, freezing her into a rigid popsicle.
She couldn’t argue, because she… or rather, the original owner of this body had indeed said that Gu Huo was her dog…
Although Gu Huo was a pitiful stray taken in by his grandmother, he was outstanding and exceptionally good-looking.
His reticent nature shrouded him in an air of mystery, making him appear particularly cool, and he had unknowingly stirred the hearts of many girls in secret.
To satisfy her own ridiculous vanity, the original owner deliberately complained in front of others that Gu Huo was like a dog, always following her around, impossible to shake off, and utterly annoying.
The bespectacled boy, Tang Lize, sneered sarcastically: “Young Master Zhou, perhaps our top student Gu has some unique fetish we don’t know about—maybe he enjoys being someone’s obedient dog. We outsiders shouldn’t meddle in his affairs—right, top student Gu?”
Before Gu Huo could react, Qiao Sheng exploded.
Her mind went blank with rage, and she charged forward: “You bastard, shut your mouth!!”
To others, it seemed like Qiao Sheng was lashing out in shame after being exposed.
But that wasn’t the case.
In the original plot, this clique led by Zhou Zixiao took pleasure in mocking and belittling Gu Huo, both openly and covertly. While reading the book, Qiao Sheng had felt sorry for the male lead, but now, experiencing it firsthand and facing their malice directly, she realized just how despicable they were. Her narrow-minded sense of justice, which couldn’t tolerate even a grain of sand, fueled her overwhelming anger.
She charged like a frenzied beast, startling everyone present.
Tang Lize’s scalp tingled with fear. Forgetting he was a grown man, he instinctively turned to run but accidentally tripped over Zhou Zixiao’s foot, losing his balance and tumbling to the side.
In his panic, he reached out and grabbed something, but instead of steadying himself, he spectacularly dragged down the completely unprepared Zhou Zixiao along with him.
Zhou Zixiao: “…”
His handsome face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
Gu Huo coldly glanced at the two big bastards sprawled on the ground, soaked in filthy rainwater, then grabbed the arm of the furious beast. His voice was flat and devoid of emotion: “Let’s go.”
On the way home, Qiao Sheng hung her head in shame. As they passed a certain stretch of road, the rich aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted over, tantalizingly tempting, but Gu Huo remained unmoved. It seemed he had forgotten his earlier promise to buy roasted sweet potatoes and milk tea for Qiao Sheng before leaving school.
He was still young, far from suffering from dementia, so of course he hadn’t forgotten.
The fiery passion that had surged in his chest and driven his decision had been completely extinguished the moment he learned the truth, leaving behind a pile of disheartening ashes, not even a faint spark remaining.
He suddenly found it laughable.
A concerned glance, a word of advice.
That was all.
What had he been moved by, and what had he been hoping for?
He had actually dared to hope that in the future, they could get along like real family—you would care for me, and I would worry about you…
He tugged at the corner of his lips, revealing a faint, almost imperceptible trace of mockery.
Alongside the disappointment, there was an inexplicable sense of relief, as if something had finally settled.
Based on his life experience, he was destined to be a loner cursed by fate. Otherwise, how could he explain why everyone who truly cared for him had left him one after another?
Yet, deep down, he couldn’t help but yearn for what he couldn’t have…
But maybe this was for the best.
At least he wouldn’t have to worry that one day she, too, would leave him—sour grapes, as they say, probably described someone like him.
No one knew that a heart that had begun to thaw had frozen over once more, sealed away.
All the way home, Qiao Sheng didn’t have the courage to lift her head.
She wished she could dig a hole and bury herself.
The mess was made by the original owner, but now she had to clean it up.
Cowardice and avoidance solved nothing.
Gu Huo went into the kitchen, and she awkwardly followed behind him like an annoying tail.
Gu Huo took ingredients from the refrigerator. “Go wait outside. Dinner will be ready soon.”
He acted as if nothing had happened.
Most people might be fooled by his calm demeanor, thinking he was carefree and unbothered.
But that wasn’t the case. He was human, not a deity. Humans had emotions and desires, and he was no exception.
Compared to others, he was just better at enduring.
Qiao Sheng looked up, meeting his calm, unreadable gaze. Her eyes darted away nervously and guiltily before she remembered her resolve and met his gaze firmly.
She stammered, “I’m sorry.”
Gu Huo paused slightly, then calmly rinsed the rice and began cooking, his thick, duck-tail-like lashes lowered. “It’s fine. You don’t need to apologize to me.”
Qiao Sheng stood rooted to the spot, her expression uneasy.
He said she didn’t need to, not that he forgave her or anything like that. That probably meant he didn’t care.
They were from two different worlds.
If not for fate’s forceful intervention, he would never have befriended someone like her.
His diligent care for her was merely out of a sense of responsibility.
She had naively thought that with enough effort, she could not only resolve their past grievances but also become friends.
But she had forgotten how many landmines the original owner had buried before she arrived.
Her terrible image had already been set in stone in Gu Huo’s mind, beyond redemption.
Yet, the faint, almost imperceptible smile she had caught on Gu Huo’s lips when she left in the morning had fueled her greed.
It made her blindly confident, thinking she could do it—after all, he had even held her hand at the school gate today!
Sigh, she had overestimated herself.
As Qiao Sheng wallowed in dejection, she reminded herself of her place.
She was just a malicious supporting character. What she needed to do was avoid acting like the original owner—freely leeching off the male lead, becoming his stumbling block, and adding to his suffering. As for anything else, she shouldn’t even think about it.
Because even if she shed the label of “malicious,” she was still just a supporting character.
The male lead will soon have the female lead by his side. As a supporting female character, she should stay out of the way and not meddle where she doesn’t belong.
The air grew tense without anyone noticing.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Huo saw the girl standing there, her dejection plain to see. Her hands hung limply at her sides, like a student waiting to be scolded for a mistake.
Gu Huo felt at a loss.
This side of her always left him feeling helpless.
His tone softened. “Don’t act impulsively in the future—you’ll only end up at a disadvantage.”