After finishing her conversation with Dong Shan, Cheng Yao checked the time—it was already six o’clock. Since there wasn’t anything urgent at the firm, she decided to head straight home.
She had been so busy these past few days that she barely went outside. Megatron had probably been cooped up in the apartment for too long. Seeing that the weather was nice, Cheng Yao decided to take her dog out for a long-overdue walk.
The moment Megatron was back in the open air, he was ecstatic, tongue lolling as he ran around excitedly. Cheng Yao had no choice but to hold onto the leash and follow along.
She prided herself on being fully prepared for their walk. Holding the leash in one hand, she also carried trash bags, tissues, and a small shovel—after all, dogs didn’t understand the concept of designated bathroom spots. Being a responsible citizen, she was ready to clean up after Megatron at any moment.
But she had been too naive.
It turned out Megatron didn’t need her to scoop up any poop—because he was the poop transporter himself!
“Excuse me, could you tell me where Building 5 is?”
After helping a delivery guy with directions, Cheng Yao suddenly realized that Megatron, who had been running wild just moments ago, had gone suspiciously quiet. She was standing near the greenbelt, and her dog was obediently nestled in the bushes, licking something.
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Ms cl bsdlpv, Ubldt Zys bye yzoyup qswde Ckd Ckd’p est vs cl y bydeqwz. Twpjklp olal ldlatlvkn, elpvawnvkhl, yde dlhla pvyule pvkzz ewakdt oyzjp. Jwv vseyu, bl oyp ynvwyzzu clkdt ps nyzx yde olzz-clbyhle—kv oyp ldswtb vs cakdt vlyap vs bla lulp.
Pstp olal vawzu kdvlzzktldv nalyvwalp. Fbl bye clld lmbywpvle qasx osajkdt sd nyplp vblpl rypv qlo eyup, yde lhld bla est wdelapvsse yde oyp vaukdt vs cl nsdpkelayvl…
Ekvb vbkp vbswtbv, Ubldt Zys’p blyav psqvldle. Fbl naswnble esod, kdvldekdt vs tkhl Yltyvasd y tldvzl ryv sd vbl blye.
Tsolhla, Yltyvasd bye ycpszwvlzu ds kdvlalpv kd bla ayal xsxldv sq yqqlnvksd. Tl alxykdle qwzzu qsnwple sd zknjkdt obyvlhla kv oyp sd vbl taswde, wvvlazu ldtaspple.
Eykv—
Gp pbl zlydle nzspla, tlvvkdt y nzlyala hklo, y ellr pldpl sq ealye qkzzle bla.
Ebyv jkde sq vbkdt nswze nyrvkhyvl y est ps nsxrzlvlzu?
Ebyv jkde sq vbkdt nswze xyjl y est qsatlv yzz kvp osaaklp?
Ebyv jkde sq vbkdt nswze alxykd kaalpkpvkczl lhld yqvla vypvkdt yzz vbl qkdlpv est qsse yde tswaxlv valyvp?
Mblal oyp sdzu sdl ydpola—
POOP!!!
MEGATRON WAS EATING POOP!!!
Maybe her intense gaze was too piercing, because Megatron finally, albeit reluctantly, lifted his head. For a brief moment, he wavered between the poop and Cheng Yao, caught in an internal struggle.
And then, after a tense showdown, Cheng Yao triumphed over the poop—Megatron chose her.
Unfortunately, Cheng Yao felt no joy at this victory, because the next second, Megatron, tongue still dripping with the remnants of his “meal,” happily bounded toward her, clearly intending to give her a big, affectionate lick.
Cheng Yao’s vision went dark. Her scalp tingled with horror as she instinctively stepped back.
Dogs were indeed intelligent creatures. The moment Cheng Yao hesitated and loosened her grip on the leash in her attempt to evade him, Megatron seized the opportunity like a seasoned escape artist. Twisting around, he bolted like a fugitive on the run.
By the time Cheng Yao realized what had happened, the leash was already out of her hand.
It was peak evening time, and the neighborhood was bustling with people. When she tried to chase after him, Megatron had already turned a few corners and blended into the crowd.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
**
Qian Heng had a client meeting tonight and didn’t return to his rented apartment until 8:45 PM. But at this hour, the house was empty—no dog, no Cheng Yao.
He recalled the notice he saw at the neighborhood entrance earlier.
Recently, several women in the area had been harassed by a groper. This pervert liked to take advantage of the darkness to commit his crimes, and with each successful attempt, he grew bolder. Just yesterday, a woman jogging at night was attacked, and she was nearly dragged into the bushes and assaulted. The property management and police had issued warnings, advising female residents to be extra cautious when going out at night.
Qian Heng loosened his tie. That notice at the entrance was impossible to miss—was Cheng Yao blind? It was already dark, and she still wasn’t home.
Was she trying to force him to go out and look for her?
Qian Heng let out a cold snort. As if. What a ridiculous idea! Would someone like him, whose time was worth 166.666 RMB per minute, personally go downstairs to search for a missing woman and her dog?
Keep dreaming.
Cheng Yao had been searching for Megatron since dusk, but by 9 PM, there was still no sign of the dog.
What she did see, however, was her boss, Qian Heng.
Between 8:50 and 9:00, in just ten minutes, Qian Heng had come downstairs to throw out the trash five times.
Qian Heng was the kind of person whose mere act of using the restroom could make people marvel—how could someone as busy as him find time to do such a mundane thing? So now, seeing him personally take out the trash was already shocking enough. But whether he had suddenly fallen in love with throwing out garbage or had developed a special attachment to the trash can, Cheng Yao had no idea—because he had done it five times in a row.
The first time, she was surprised.
The second time, she was amused.
The third time, she was stunned.
The fourth time, she got used to it.
By the fifth time, she seriously started wondering if Qian Heng had fried his brain today.
Finally, when he came down for the sixth time, Cheng Yao couldn’t hold it in anymore. She called out, “Boss!”
Qian Heng was delicately holding a trash bag between two fingers, carefully avoiding direct contact by placing a few napkins between his skin and the bag. The moment Cheng Yao spoke, he tossed the bag into the trash can with visible disgust.
Clearly, he had no particular affection for either taking out the trash or the trash can itself. So why the hell was he forcing himself to do this six times?
“You can just leave the trash to me! No need for you to come all the way down to throw it out!” Cheng Yao flattered him with a fawning smile. “How could someone as distinguished as you use your precious hands for something like this?”
Qian Heng shot her a glance and snorted. “Of course, my hands shouldn’t be used for throwing out trash. But where were you? I couldn’t find you all night.”
“I lost my dog!” Cheng Yao sighed dejectedly at the mention of Megatron. “I don’t even dare tell my friend that I lost her son…”
“It’s late. Go back for now. Print some ‘Lost Dog’ flyers tomorrow.”
But Cheng Yao was determined. “No, I have to keep looking. Huskies can’t find their way home once they run off—they’re dumb.” She glanced at Qian Heng. “Boss, you should go back upstairs. It’s cold outside. I’ll go up once I find the dog.”
Yet, Qian Heng didn’t leave. He stood there in the night breeze, tall and sharp-featured, looking so striking that Cheng Yao couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.
Was he planning to help her search for the dog?
“…Do I need you to decide whether I go upstairs or not?”
“…”
Qian Heng had finally spoken.
And with that, he successfully taught Cheng Yao an important lesson—never, ever fantasize about your boss.
“I’m not going upstairs.” Qian Heng announced his stance succinctly. “I ate too much at dinner. I need to walk it off.”
Fine, whatever. Cheng Yao thought. You’re the boss, whatever you say is right. If you said you wanted to streak naked right now, I’d probably even help you undress to show my support.
She had no hope that Qian Heng would actually help, so she prepared to continue searching for the dog alone. But just then, he spoke again.
“If you beg me, I suppose I could help you find the dog.” The night wind seemed to make his voice a little unnatural. He tilted his head back, looking toward the small grove in the distance. “After all, if you end up finding the dog in the middle of the night and make too much noise coming in, what if you wake me up?”
Dignity? What dignity? Cheng Yao instantly abandoned it and eagerly complied. “Boss, I’m begging you!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Qian Heng started walking.
He pressed his lips together and glanced back at her. “What are you standing there for? Let’s go. Find the dog.”
Cheng Yao hadn’t expected much from her boss’s involvement, but in the end, it was actually Qian Heng who spotted Megatron first.
The dog had gotten stuck between the bars of a decorative fence in the community garden. The area was surrounded by evergreen shrubs, making it almost impossible to notice a husky head wedged in there, especially in the dim light.
Naturally, the honorable task of pulling the dog out couldn’t possibly be left to Qian Heng’s esteemed hands.
Without hesitation, Cheng Yao rushed forward and started tugging. But Megatron wasn’t cooperating, wriggling left and right. The way he was stuck was baffling—how did such a big dog head even get in there in the first place? Cheng Yao pulled with all her might, practically reenacting a vegetable harvest, but after a long struggle, the dog still wouldn’t budge.
“Boss…”
Qian Heng scoffed. “Why are you looking at me? You expect me to pull the dog out?”
Well, fair point. Cheng Yao thought.
Not only was her boss high-maintenance, but he was also afraid of dogs.
Calling 119 to ask the fire department to come and pull out a stuck dog seemed a bit much. Cheng Yao thought for a moment and suddenly had a brilliant idea—she could call Gu Beiqing! He lived nearby, and since he was her senior, he would probably help.
Just as she was about to scroll through her contacts, Qian Heng, standing beside her, spoke up.
“Who are you calling?”
“My senior!”
Qian Heng frowned, his tone rising. “Gu Beiqing?”
“Yeah, he—”
Before Cheng Yao could finish, Qian Heng abruptly took off his expensive custom-tailored coat and, in one fluid motion, threw it over Megatron’s head. Before she could say anything, he yanked the dog’s head out.
“Done. No need to call.” He shot her a cold glance. “Dragging someone out in the middle of the night just to pull a dog’s head out? That’s too much. And besides, it’s just a work relationship. Don’t give people the wrong idea or any room for imagination.”
???
Cheng Yao looked confused. “What wrong idea or room for imagination?”
“They might think you’re using this as an excuse to see him, that you’re trying to get close to him.”
Boss, are you overthinking this??? Do all men have such dramatic inner monologues???
Still, Cheng Yao was genuinely touched by Qian Heng’s help. She also didn’t miss a key detail—almost as soon as he pulled Megatron’s head out, he threw the dog into her arms like a hot potato.
Clearly, he was afraid of dogs. And yet, in the end, he still helped.
“Boss, your coat—I’ll get it dry-cleaned for you!”
At the mention of his coat, Qian Heng’s face twisted in undisguised disgust. “No, just throw it away.”
“But it’s expensive!”
“I don’t want anything that’s been touched by a dog.” Qian Heng looked repulsed. “Keep it away from me.”
Cheng Yao eyed him and tentatively asked, “So is it because you’re afraid of dogs that you don’t want anything they touch?”
Just when she thought he wouldn’t answer, Qian Heng pursed his lips and spoke.
“I’m not afraid of dogs.”
Yeah, right. The look in your eyes when you saw Megatron said everything!!!
“I just hate them,” Qian Heng snorted. “Dogs are filthy.”
Cheng Yao was about to argue that Megatron was bathed daily and was very clean when Qian Heng continued—
“Do you know that dogs actually eat poop?”
Cheng Yao: ???
Qian Heng’s expression was as if he were reliving a traumatic nightmare. He furrowed his well-shaped brows, his face full of barely suppressed horror. “When I was a kid, a dog that had just eaten poop chased me for half a street. Ever since then, in my mind, dogs are basically the same as poop. Anything they touch, no matter how expensive, becomes poop.”
Cheng Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Why… why was it chasing you so persistently?”
“What could I do?” Qian Heng sighed, his voice carrying a rare hint of helplessness. “Maybe my personal charm is just too great, even dogs can’t resist it.”
“…”
“I really don’t understand why dogs eat poop.” Under the night sky, her esteemed boss posed this philosophical question as if it were a matter of great importance. Then, he glanced at Megatron, who had finally settled down. “But your dog gets imported dog food every day, so I assume it doesn’t do that, right?”
“Boss, a dog can’t change its nature. Don’t assume Megatron is any different.” Cheng Yao still had lingering trauma from what she had just witnessed. She couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “Don’t be fooled by how he looks. He just ate a fresh, steaming pile of—”
Before she could even finish her sentence, Megatron suddenly sprang up and bolted toward Qian Heng. In a split second, his wet, slobbery tongue shot out and started enthusiastically licking Qian Heng’s right hand as if thanking him for freeing his head.
In that moment, Qian Heng’s usually healthy complexion drained to a ghostly white. Then, almost instantly, his face turned coal black.
He was stunned. Frozen. Petrified.
Cheng Yao could only hear his words echoing in her mind—
“Dogs are basically poop. Anything they touch becomes poop.”
…
So, Boss, now that your hand has been licked by a dog that just ate poop…
Are you going to cut it off, or cut it off, or cut it off???
Cheng Yao felt like she could never look at Qian Heng’s hand the same way again!
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