Chapter 76: Buying a Dog

In a child’s understanding, “like” is a very simple and pure word. It is a word that, once spoken, will surely bring happiness—both to the person expressing it and to the one receiving it.

So, Miaomiao couldn’t quite understand why her mother looked so conflicted, as if saying “like” out loud was an incredibly difficult thing to do.

Ming Can had always felt that wearing love on one’s lips was a pretentious act.

Chi Xiao’s affection for her was mostly expressed through actions. The last time he had made a serious confession was years ago—something only an inexperienced high schooler would do.

As they grew older, the words in their hearts multiplied, but the words on their lips grew fewer.

For the countless time, Ming Can felt as if Miaomiao could see right through her, knowing that she was being insincere, that she often valued saving face over being honest.

Thinking about it carefully—

His request wasn’t unreasonable.

They were already in a relationship. Saying out loud what they both knew in their hearts shouldn’t be a difficult thing for anyone.

Ming Can picked up the warm soy milk and took a slow sip to moisten her throat.

At first, she was only thinking about not disappointing Miaomiao. She turned to look at the man sitting beside her. The moment their eyes met, she suddenly felt as if she had been pulled into a space both real and intimate. The school’s clock tower chimed softly in the morning light. During a short break between classes, she had clutched a freshly filled cup of hot water, stopped the senior passing by in the hallway, and prepared to make a proper confession.

Chi Xiao had been lazily leaning against his chair, but now, his posture straightened slightly, his gaze resting lightly on her face.

“I li—”

She barely got two syllables out before getting stuck. Her voice faltered, and in that instant, her heartbeat lost its rhythm.

“Like you.”

The last syllables drifted down lightly, like a spring breeze brushing past the tip of a leaf—youthful, yet heart-stirring.

Ming Can averted her gaze and, as if starving, grabbed a sandwich from the table and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation.

Was this hurdle finally cleared…?

“Dad!” Miaomiao suddenly propped himself up on the table and bounced, like a demanding little director, giving Chi Xiao his critique. “How can you just smile and not answer Mom?”

No, it wasn’t over yet.

Hearing Miaomiao’s words, Ming Can almost choked.

She struggled to swallow the food in her mouth, and just as she managed to get it down, a low voice reached her ears.

“Ming Can.”

Before she even had time to react, the moment their eyes met, Chi Xiao spoke without hesitation:

“I like you too. I have for a very, very long time.”

Ming Can was stunned.

In that instant, it felt as if she had fallen into the world within his eyes—a vast, lush field bathed in warm, golden sunlight, where everything swayed and grew in the wind. Time had passed, yet there remained a youthful honesty and unwavering vitality.

“Oh.” Ming Can nodded. “Since we both like each other, let’s date, then.”

“Okay.” Chi Xiao nodded as well. “I’ll do whatever you say.”

The two of them held back their laughter until the end, and only when Director Miaomiao was finally satisfied with their performance did he give them permission to start eating.

For some reason, this confession under the watchful eyes of their child felt even more nerve-wracking than the day they officially got together.

Ming Can took a slow bite of her sandwich and saw Miaomiao happily munching away, swinging his head from side to side, utterly delighted.

It was as if, in his eyes, the fact that his parents were now officially dating was an unexpected joy—something truly worth celebrating.

Thinking back to earlier, Miaomiao had repeatedly asked if she really liked Chi Xiao, as if he found the idea utterly unbelievable.

Ming Can naturally deduced that in the time and space Miaomiao came from, his parents were not in love. To him, that was a fixed, undeniable fact, which was why he now seemed so surprised.

She trusted a child’s intuition—if, in that world, she and Chi Xiao weren’t in love, then they truly weren’t.

If this had been a few months ago, Ming Can would have completely understood her future self.

Even if they were married, she wouldn’t have fallen for someone she found utterly unappealing. She couldn’t even imagine being deeply attached to Chi Xiao—her only wish was for him to stay far, far away from her.

But just a few months later, everything had changed. Now, she couldn’t even picture a version of herself that didn’t like Chi Xiao.

Just being close to him, meeting his gaze, or exchanging a few casual words was enough to set her heart racing. It was as if her entire sense of attraction was centered solely on him.

Doing the math, Miaomiao was about to turn six. Including the ten months of pregnancy, her future self and Chi Xiao had likely been married for at least seven years—or even longer.

Ming Can admitted that she hadn’t liked him before. In fact, she had been somewhat repulsed by him.

But if he had managed to make her fall for him in just two or three months, then how could he have failed in seven whole years?

She didn’t believe that a minor misunderstanding from high school could have kept her resisting her husband’s affection for all that time.

Expanding her thoughts, she reluctantly arrived at two possible explanations for such an outcome—

One: Chi Xiao or his family had done something that crossed her bottom line.

Two: The Chi Xiao of the future… no longer loved her.

Chi Xiao picked up a potsticker with his chopsticks, dipped it in sauce, and was just about to take a bite when he suddenly felt a sharp, icy glare from beside him.

He looked aggrieved. “Why are you glaring at me?”

“Nothing.” Ming Can withdrew her gaze, forcing down the invisible blade from the future, refusing to let it recklessly stab people in this timeline. “Hurry up and eat. After breakfast, we’re taking Miaomiao to the shop to pick out a puppy.”

“Yay!” Miaomiao was overjoyed. “I’m getting a puppy!”

Ming Can never wasted time worrying over uncertainties.

Her stubborn confidence extended to love as well—she only recognized the person in front of her. Since she had chosen him, she would give him her full trust.

The small discomfort in her heart quickly faded into the lively laughter around the table.

—

After breakfast, Ming Can went home to change into a fresh outfit and put on some light makeup. By the time she stepped onto the street, most of the shops had already opened for business. They visited a few of the larger pet stores, but since their criteria were quite specific—small-sized, low-energy, quiet, and available to take home the same day—they weren’t overwhelmed by choices. By the third store, Ming Can had already set her sights on a tiny, snow-white and silver Yorkshire Terrier. It was just a little fluff ball with long fur and round ears, looking a bit flashy. When they picked it up and placed it in Miaomiao’s hands, it let out a soft whimper but didn’t struggle or make a fuss. Instead, it simply blinked its big, round eyes, curiously looking around—absolutely adorable.

Miaomiao beamed. “Mom, I love this one!”

“You love every single one,” Ming Can said with a chuckle. “But I like this one too. Go show it to your dad.”

The pet store naturally had cats as well. Every time Ming Can and Miaomiao went inside to pick a pet, Chi Xiao would stand outside, wearing a mask, watching them interact with the animals through the glass.

Miaomiao ran excitedly to the door, holding up the tiny Yorkshire Terrier to give his dad a full display.

Ming Can followed, taking out her phone to snap a picture of her son and the puppy.

The father, isolated outside, gave a subtle nod and pulled down his mask slightly to mouth, “Looks good.”

Though, in his mind, the fur was a bit long.

Today, all the dogs Ming Can had Miaomiao bring over to show him were long-haired breeds.

Chi Xiao seriously suspected that Ming Can was doing this on purpose. Miaomiao had once mentioned that, in the future, he would braid the hair of a long-haired cat. Now, it seemed like Ming Can was deliberately choosing long-haired dogs to start training his grooming skills early.

There was no need to ask—

The task of maintaining the dog’s coat would definitely fall on him.

For all the dogs Miaomiao had shown him earlier, his response had been a consistent “It’s okay.”

Now, he had upgraded it to “Looks good.” That probably meant this one suited his taste a bit more.

Since Ming Can also liked this one best, she decisively made the final call. Through the glass, she flashed a hand gesture to Chi Xiao—three fingers.

Thirty thousand yuan.

Before pulling his mask back up, Chi Xiao couldn’t help but mutter: Wow, that’s expensive.

Ming Can shot Chi Xiao a “You’ve never seen the world before, huh?” look, then turned around to find a store clerk and pay for the dog.

The thirty thousand yuan was just for the dog—on top of that, they spent several more thousand on various dog supplies. Ming Can carefully wiped everything down with disinfectant to remove any lingering cat scent before having Chi Xiao carry it all to the car.

And with that, they headed home.

Suddenly being taken away from the pet store seemed to have scared the little dog. It nestled quietly in Miaomiao’s arms the entire way, staying alert and looking around warily, but not making a sound.

Since it wasn’t barking, Miaomiao couldn’t hear it talk, so he found himself another task—naming the puppy.

“What should we name you?” Miaomiao stared at the tiny dog in his arms, its fur a mix of colors—gold, white, and silver on the lower part, with black tips on top. It would take some time for the black to fade away, turning it into a truly snow-white and silver little fluff ball.

Because of its colorful appearance, Miaomiao wasn’t sure what name would suit it best.

Then, suddenly, inspiration struck. “You have a Corgi brother named Xiao Er! How about you be Xiao San?” (Little Three)

Ming Can: …

Chi Xiao: …

Kid, can you not be so casual with names?

“That’s not gonna work.” Ming Can’s expression was frozen between amusement and disbelief. “Try another one. See? The dog didn’t even react to ‘Xiao San.’”

“Really?” Miaomiao lifted the puppy up. “Xiao San? Xiao San?”

“Stop calling it that.” Ming Can pressed a hand to her twitching lips. “It really doesn’t respond.”

“Alright. Looks like it doesn’t like the name Xiao San^[1]In Chinese internet slang, “小三” (xiǎo sān) is a derogatory term that refers to a mistress or homewrecker—a third party who interferes in a romantic relationship, usually an … Continue reading.”

No one would like that name, my dear child…

Ming Can silently roasted him in her head, then offered a suggestion. “What do you think its special traits are?”

Miaomiao thought for a moment. “It’s so tiny! Even smaller than Xiao Zhu… I know! Let’s call it Xiao Xiao!” (Little Little)

Ming Can nodded. “Not bad.”

Still a bit casual, but way better than Xiao San.

“Xiao Xiao~ Xiao Xiao~” Miaomiao carefully ran his fingers through the puppy’s fur. “Why won’t you talk? I really want to hear you talk… I have a superpower, you know…”

Being able to understand dogs and truly be friends with them was Miaomiao’s biggest wish. Now that he finally had his own dog in this world, his wish was about to come true. He was so excited that he let the words slip out without thinking.

Realizing his mistake, Miaomiao quickly slapped his hands over his mouth and nervously glanced at his parents.

His dad was driving in the front, his gentle gaze meeting Miaomiao’s through the rearview mirror.

His mom didn’t seem to react either, simply reaching over with interest to play with the puppy.

Miaomiao let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Adults are so weird. They’re not even a little bit curious about superpowers.

Half an hour later, the SUV pulled into the underground parking garage of their complex. Chi Xiao carried everything from the trunk upstairs. Besides welcoming Xiao Xiao to its new home, he was also officially moving in—no longer just a temporary guest who came and went at will.

After a thorough deep cleaning, the entire house felt brand new.

Miaomiao wandered around with Xiao Xiao in tow. With such a big home and such a tiny dog, there was more than enough space for it to roam even without going outside. Meanwhile, Chi Xiao carried his suitcase into his old room, leaving the door slightly ajar as he began unpacking.

Ming Can went to the master bathroom to wash her hands. As she lathered up, she stared into the mirror, her mind running nonstop—

From now on, she and Chi Xiao would be living under the same roof for a long time. And now that they were officially dating, it would feel weird to tell him to keep his distance.

Sigh… As long as he doesn’t dress too inappropriately in shared spaces, it should be fine. After all, there’s a child at home.

Not that she needed to say it—any normal person would understand that, right?

After scrubbing her hands two or three times, she suddenly remembered that Chi Xiao’s room had very little furniture. He might need a few things. So she left the master bedroom and walked over to his door, pushing it open.

“You—”

One glance inside, and her throat immediately tightened. Standing by the wardrobe was a man, shirtless, his upper body completely bare. Ming Can’s face burned instantly, her voice shooting up an octave. “Why aren’t you wearing clothes?!”

Chi Xiao casually tossed the sweater he had just taken off to the side. His fair, well-built chest was faintly marked with small red scratches.

He turned his head, looking at her with a puzzled expression. “This is my room.”

Ming Can froze for a second, then stubbornly argued, “But you didn’t close the door properly. If anyone can just walk in, then it counts as a public space.”

Chi Xiao: ?

He was silent for a moment, as if reluctantly accepting her logic, then slowly nodded.

Then, he took a few unhurried steps toward Ming Can, grabbed her arm without giving her a chance to resist, and pulled her inside. With a deep thud, the door shut firmly behind her. Lowering his gaze to meet hers, he said calmly, “It’s not a public space now, is it?”