[edited

A shadow hurried over, bubbling with excitement, and blurted out, “Niu Niu, my Niu Niu.”

Jiang Ning glanced up and spotted a girl in a gray jacket and red scarf dashing towards them.

Though bundled up, the girl seemed around Jiang Ning’s age from her movements. Behind her trailed seven or eight men, along with three or four tightly bundled girls.

Jiang Ning tensed; these people were after Coke.

As the girl rushed to hug the dog, Zheng Weili shoved her away, demanding, “What are you doing?”

The girl stumbled back, pushed to the ground by Zheng Weili.

Several men stepped forward angrily, “Why are you hitting her?”

“Hitting?” Zheng Weili squared up, “If you dare touch our dog, I won’t hold back.”

“Stop arguing with me.” The girl struggled to get up and explained to Zheng Weili, “This is my dog.”

Zhang Chao nearly chuckled, “Does it have a name tag?” “How can you prove it?”

Kneeling down, he coaxed Coke, “Niu Niu, it’s mom.”

Coke growled and retreated from Jiang Ning.

“Niu Niu, don’t you remember your mom?” The girl’s voice trembled, “I took care of you when you were little. How can you reject me?”

“Back off,” Zheng Weili snapped, “Our dog is Coke, not Niu Niu. Stop playing games, or we’ll have a problem.”

This wasn’t the first time someone tried to claim a dog.

“This is truly my dog. It vanished after I took care of it. I even put up posters to find it.”

The girl argued, “If you doubt me, watch, I’ll call its name, and it’ll respond.”

Zheng Weili wasn’t blind; she noticed Coke’s strange reaction. But regardless of its past, since Jiang Ning adopted it, Coke belonged to her and was a crucial part of their lives.

Both sides claimed the dog was theirs, and tensions quickly escalated.

When someone tried to snatch the dog, Doudou rushed in, clutching Coke. She adamantly proclaimed, “Coke is ours!”

Jiang Ning stayed quiet, observing the group closely.

Reading Coke’s behavior, she realized the girl was Coke’s former caretaker.

Coke held grudges, but it hadn’t rushed to attack her like it did to Yang Weicong. Most likely, it still remembered her kindness.

After all, emotions linger.

Coke remembered kindness, but was she really unable to forget about Coke?

If circumstances don’t allow it, why not give it to a friend instead of selling it to a dog meat restaurant?

If the dog hadn’t cleverly escaped, it might have ended up as a dish on someone’s dinner table.

Ha! Now you have the guts to ask for a dog?

Jiang Ning wasn’t blind; she noticed the greed and eagerness in the eyes of those behind the girl – they were hungry for meat!

Even the girl in front of her, shouting “Niu Niu” – how much emotion was truly in her eyes?

If Coke went with her, it would end up in a boiling pot of dog meat.

“You claim it’s yours, so it must be yours?” Jiang Ning sneered, “Well, I could also say you’re a beast. Are you any better than a dog or a pig?”

“Why are you cursing at me?” The girl suddenly flared up, turning to Jiang Ning with anger, “I haven’t called you a dog thief who stole my dog, have I?”

Seeing the poop scooper being harassed, Coke spun around, baring his teeth at the girl, a low growl escaping his throat.

“Why are you being so mean to Mommy, Niuniu?” The girl paused, her voice breaking, “Since you disappeared, Mommy’s been here every day, searching for you. All because of Mommy’s love for you.”

Coke scowled; disgust was evident in his eyes as his fangs protruded.

Zhang Chao intervened angrily, brandishing a stick, “Clearly, this isn’t your dog. Leave, or we’ll make you.”

The other group, taking advantage of their numbers, insisted the dog was theirs, determined to take it back today.

Tensions escalated, nearing violence, until a police car pulled up nearby, prompting the other group to back off.

As two officers stepped out, one of them, Chief Ling, who recognized the dog beside Jiang Ning and was impressed by its stature and appearance.

“This Mastiff is remarkable,” Chief Ling remarked, noting its size and trained demeanor.

Observing the situation, Chief Ling turned to the girl, “What’s the issue here?”

She recounted her claim, insisting Coke was her lost dog, citing online records and witnesses.

Chief Ling then turned to Jiang Ning, “Do you have any evidence?”

Instead of answering, Jiang Ning questioned the girl, “Are you certain it was lost and not sold to a dog meat restaurant?”

“I bought it for 1,200 yuan. Only a heartless person would sell it for meat.”

At the mention of a dog meat restaurant, Coke tensed, nearly lunging if not for Jiang Ning restraining him.

The girl, startled by Coke’s reaction, stepped back.

Chief Ling remained silent, observing.

“Fine, you claim it’s yours. But do you know how many scars it has?” Jiang Ning challenged.

The girl faltered, “I cherished it; it had no scars when it disappeared.”

She didn’t know, but Jiang Ning did.

There were over twenty scars on its body from beatings and fights with other strays, especially after the flooding incident, leaving a scar on its eyebrow.

At the mention of these scars, the girl fell silent, choked with emotion.