Bai Tao was crouching outside Pei Shi’s villa, checking her “tools for the mission.” Her best friend, Yu Guo, was still trying to persuade her with earnest words, “Bai Tao, have you really thought this through? Maybe you shouldn’t go through with it. I think the risk is too high…”

“The greater the risk, the greater the reward,” Bai Tao rolled her eyes at Yu Guo. “Have you heard the famous saying, ‘Since we have the desire for success, we must dare to take risks. Only in this way can we achieve great goals in the end’?”

Yu Guo thought carefully and then asked, eager to learn, “Which famous person said this? Why don’t I have any impression of it?”

“Lu Xun said it!”

“Oh, I see. Since Lu Xun said it, it must be reliable… But just in case, should we rehearse one more time?”

Bai Tao waved her hand dismissively. “No need. It’s just a confession. Do we really need to rehearse? Don’t worry, I’m a steady and reliable person. I’ve already anticipated more than a dozen feasible plans and prepared corresponding contingency plans. No matter what happens later, I can handle it with ease.”

Yu Guo still wanted to say more, but Bai Tao extended a finger to her lips. “Woman, be quiet. Don’t doubt my abilities anymore, or I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

Yu Guo: “…”

After finishing her domineering act, Bai Tao grabbed the strap of the loudspeaker and put it around her head, tied her shoelaces tightly, gave Yu Guo a cool V-sign, and deftly climbed over into Pei Shi’s garden.

Today was May 16, 2015, a Saturday, and the location was Pei Shi’s villa.

On this thrilling day, Bai Tao decided to execute her grand plan—

After landing, she took out the loudspeaker, turned it on, took a couple of deep breaths, and then, with full confidence, directed her voice towards Pei Shi’s bedroom on the second floor—

“Pei Shi…”

Unfortunately, before she could finish saying “I like you,” a black French Bulldog came out of nowhere in the garden, barking wildly at Bai Tao without a leash.

Damn, who the hell told her why there was a dog in Pei Shi’s yard?! Since when did Pei Shi have a dog???

Bai Tao was fearless of everything except dogs. Seeing a dog made her unable to breathe…

In an instant, Bai Tao completely forgot her plan to confess to Pei Shi. She grabbed the loudspeaker and started screaming in fright—

“You damn dog! Get away from me! Don’t come near me! I, Bai Tao, order you to get lost! Disappear from my sight!”

…

Today was Pei Shi’s birthday. He originally didn’t want to make a big deal out of it since his parents and sister weren’t around. This month, Pei Fei was holding her first small piano recital in Los Angeles, and their parents had gone with her. But the more it was like this, the more guilty his parents felt about not being able to be with Pei Shi. So, they hired a professional planning team and secretly invited almost all his classmates and friends to prepare a surprise party at his home.

Originally, everything was going smoothly, and Pei Shi was in a rare good mood. But when it came time to light the candles and make a wish, he suddenly heard a voice through a megaphone coming from the villa garden—

“Pei Shi…”

It was a girl’s voice.

Pei Shi initially thought it was another surprise arranged by his parents, but then he heard the voice continue—

“You damn dog! Get away from me! Don’t come near me! I, Bai Tao, order you to get lost! Disappear from my sight!”

…

The atmosphere at the scene became extremely awkward. A few classmates glanced at each other, and someone opened a window to look outside—

“It really is Bai Tao? I’ve only heard of her, never seen her. She’s really pretty in person.”

“But how does she know Pei Shi? And why is she in Pei Shi’s garden, yelling at him?”

“Shh, Pei Shi looks angry…”

“But he doesn’t have any expression?”

“No, really, I’ve known Pei Shi for years. When he looks like this, it means he’s really, really angry…”

…

Pei Shi’s face didn’t show any special expression. His emotions were always calm and unfathomable. He didn’t say a word in response to the chatter inside, instead, he walked downstairs.

When Bai Tao saw several heads poking out of Pei Shi’s bedroom window, her regret peaked. But at this moment, she had no time to think about that, because the French bulldog was still chasing her. She could only run wildly through Pei Shi’s villa until Pei Shi’s handsome yet indifferent face appeared at the door, calling back his dog.

Since it had come to this point, Bai Tao decided she couldn’t let all her efforts go to waste. She gritted her teeth and decided to go all out. She raised the megaphone, panting and passionately began to speak: “Pei Shi! I like you! I heard you don’t have a girlfriend, so from today, you do! I am willing!”

“I’m not.”

Pei Shi gave her a cold look and then frowned, “I’m not deaf. You don’t need to use a megaphone to speak when you’re this close.”

Bai Tao obediently turned off the megaphone and casually tossed it into the nearby bushes. Then she shyly looked at Pei Shi, “It’s okay if you don’t want to. If you think there’s something wrong with me, I can change.”

“No need to change.”

Bai Tao’s eyes lit up. Her bright and beautiful face, flushed from running, looked even more stunning, her eyes sparkling like stars. She stared at Pei Shi with this gaze, “Do you mean that I already meet all your standards?”

“No.” Pei Shi lowered his gaze, “You don’t meet any of them, so there’s no need to change.”

“…” Without the fear of the dog, Bai Tao’s courage returned. She looked at Pei Shi, “Then what kind of person do you like?”

This time, Pei Shi lifted his head and gave Bai Tao a light smile, “I like someone who likes dogs.”

He glanced at Bai Tao, “And my first criterion for choosing a partner is that my dog has to like them before I even consider liking them.”

What? I think you’re the real dog here.

*****