Chapter 9

After sending the friend request, even after Xu Yinghuai finished browsing the information Linda had sent, the request still had not been accepted.

She held her phone and waited a little longer. Then she opened X-In, liking her own video multiple times in a row, but there was still no response from the other side.

Xu Yinghuai’s stomach started to feel a little hungry. She checked the time—eight o’clock.

Thinking of the plain bun on her bedside table, she hesitated for a moment before picking it up. Imitating the method she recalled from Chi Yi’s memories, she ran to the kitchen and boiled a pot of hot water.

At first bite, it seemed fine—nothing too difficult to eat.

But by the time she had eaten nearly half…

It was so dry. The taste in her mouth was unbearably bland.

At that moment, she discovered the magic of hot water. She took a big gulp from her cup.

Still, she found it hard to finish the rest.

She wrapped the remaining bun and prepared to throw it into the trash.

As her hand hovered over the trash can, she suddenly remembered something—

Xiao Bai!

Her fingers curled slightly, and she withdrew her hand. Putting on her shoes, she opened the door and decided to go downstairs to find Xiao Bai.

She felt uneasy the entire way.

Zhang Qiuwen was allergic to dog fur—so severely that she had once been hospitalized because of it, almost losing her life.

Because of this, Zhang Qiuwen was terrified of dogs to an extreme degree. As a result, Xu Yinghuai had little opportunity to interact with fluffy animals growing up.

If a stray dog appeared within ten meters, Zhang Qiuwen would panic, scoop Xu Yinghuai into her arms, and rush away in fear.

That reaction had been deeply ingrained in Xu Yinghuai’s subconscious: the moment she saw a dog or a cat, she had to immediately flee.

But now, she had Chi Yi’s memories.

In those memories, the stray dog named Xiao Bai was special.

Just thinking about it made Xu Yinghuai feel a warmth in Chi Yi’s heart.

She didn’t want to break the connection between Chi Yi and Xiao Bai, so she decided to face her fear and try interacting with the dog.

When she was about twenty meters from the iron gate, she spotted a small figure sitting obediently under the streetlamp, gazing into the distance.

The orange glow of the lamp seemed to favor Xiao Bai, wrapping it in soft light as if gently stroking its fur.

Sensing her presence, Xiao Bai suddenly turned its head, glanced at her a few times, stuck out its tongue in a playful grin, and then sprinted toward her excitedly, circling at her feet.

Xu Yinghuai felt her heart melt, and a smile appeared unconsciously on her lips.

She crouched down, took the bun from the bag, and placed it on the ground. Xiao Bai immediately lowered its head and started eating.

Watching the dog devour the food, Xu Yinghuai’s smile deepened.

She stretched out a finger, wanting to try touching it, but just before reaching Xiao Bai, she hesitated.

Its fur looked dirty.

A wave of hesitation hit her. The smile on her face stiffened, and a voice from her childhood echoed in her mind.

She recalled Zhang Qiuwen’s panicked warning when encountering a stray dog:
“Nannan, you must stay away from these filthy stray dogs! You don’t know how many germs they carry. If you touch them, you’ll get sick, end up in the hospital, and have to take medicine every day.”

“Did you hear me?”

Xu Yinghuai had always feared taking medicine, and the warning had terrified her into nodding obediently.

Looking at Xiao Bai now, she deflated and slowly withdrew her hand.

Xiao Bai, however, was too hungry and ate so eagerly that it tumbled forward with the bun, rolling a few times in her direction. The next moment, its fluffy head bumped into her hand.

—Warm. Soft. Fuzzy…

Xu Yinghuai suddenly understood Chi Yi’s feeling—that instant warmth that filled the heart.

A light, happy warmth danced in her chest, making her heart feel tender.

She straightened her fingers and gently rubbed Xiao Bai’s head.

And just like that, Xu Yinghuai was completely captivated.

Xiao Bai never resisted Chi Yi. No matter how Chi Yi played with it, it remained docile.

Seeing how well-behaved the dog was, Xu Yinghuai grew bolder.

From a tentative single finger, she spread her hand out, stroking Xiao Bai’s soft head, then down its neck, rubbing the soft fur along its body.

After finishing its meal, Xiao Bai licked Xu Yinghuai’s palm, then flopped onto the ground, exposing its belly for her to pet.

Xu Yinghuai couldn’t contain her joy, and when she spoke to Xiao Bai, her voice even had a playful lilt.

“Xiao Bai, from now on, I’ll be the one feeding you!”

Xiao Bai twitched its ears, panting with its tongue out—“Woof!”

—

“Ding!”

A crisp notification sound rang in her ears. Xu Yinghuai’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up straight in bed.

After blinking around for a while, she confirmed—this was indeed Chi Yi’s rental apartment. A complex mix of emotions surged in her chest.

A mix of calmness, resignation, and disappointment.

That faint elevator chime from yesterday had left a lasting shadow in her mind.

She hadn’t noticed it much at the time, but as she lay in bed, the accident replayed endlessly in her head. That chime, marking the start of everything, now seemed eerily loud and unsettling.

Xu Yinghuai raised her hand to cover her face, took a moment to compose herself, then got out of bed to wash up and change clothes quickly before heading out.

Given Chi Yi’s living conditions—and the massive debt—taking a taxi was out of the question.

After waiting at the bus stop for a while, an old, shaky bus puffing black smoke finally arrived. Xu Yinghuai squeezed into the crowd, grabbed a pole, and steadied herself as she began thinking about her job duties.

Yesterday, Linda had specifically instructed her that she was responsible for bringing Zhou Zirong breakfast.

She suddenly recalled the alarm going off several times before falling silent, followed by the notification sound. She quickly pulled out her phone to check.

The first message that popped up:

zz: “I’ve accepted your friend request. We can chat now.”

She felt no particular emotion and simply responded professionally:

[Boss, what would you like for breakfast?]

The reply came swiftly.

zz: “Anything. You decide.”

Bringing breakfast for Zhou Zirong…

In the past, that had nothing to do with the great Miss Xu Yinghuai.

But now…

The bus came to a sudden stop. She clutched her phone tightly, swaying forward with the momentum, then adjusted her slipping bag strap.

She was now Zhou Zirong’s assistant. She depended on him for a living—she couldn’t afford to throw tantrums anymore.

Besides…

Her eyelashes fluttered as she lowered her gaze.

Yesterday, she had noticed—Zhou Zirong had been truly worried about her.

When he heard about her accident, he was so shaken that he nearly walked into traffic himself.

Xu Yinghuai pressed her lips together and decided to be a little nicer to him.

She racked her brain for ideas.

Suddenly, she recalled a hotel she had booked before—its crayfish dish was amazing. Pairing it with a fresh salad and soy milk would be a great meal.

“Move forward…”

“Damn it, stop pushing!”

More people squeezed onto the already packed bus, forcing her arms tightly against her sides.

This commotion jolted her back to reality.

Right. Crayfish?

She couldn’t afford that now.

Even a branded coffee was a luxury for her.

Sigh.

Xu Yinghuai sighed inwardly.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to treat Zhou Zirong well—it was just bad timing.

She remembered a convenience store selling porridge.

Today’s breakfast? Pumpkin millet porridge, a fried dough stick, and a boiled egg.