Chapter 2

Ignoring her, Lu Xiaoqiao went downstairs to change out of her slightly damp house clothes into her outerwear. Thankfully, her suitcase was already packed, and she had moved some of her thicker winter clothes a few days ago.

She went to the balcony, picked up the cage containing Tuanzi, and said, “Tuanzi, we’re moving early.”

Earlier, she had thought the cage was too small and worried that Tuanzi would be uncomfortable in it. Now, she was thankful that the cage wasn’t big, otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to carry it with the current situation.

She walked into the living room, her eyes scanning the room. Ignoring Zheng Yan, who was still howling upstairs, she opened the door and left without any hesitation?

While waiting for a taxi outside the community, she sent a WeChat message to her roommate, Zhao Jia.

Lu Xiaoqiao: [Sister, I’m moving today.]

She must have been busy and didn’t see it, as there was no reply for a long time.

Seeing an empty car ahead, Lu Xiaoqiao quickly reached out to hail it. But when the driver saw the cage at her feet, he frowned slightly and said with difficulty, “Sorry, little girl, I’m not allowed to carry pets in my car.”

Lu Xiaoqiao had been so impulsive that she forgot about the rule regarding carrying pets. But now that she was already outside, she couldn’t go back. It would be a complete loss of face.

“Uncle! Please make an exception. He’s very well-behaved, he’s small, and he’s in a cage.” She lifted the cage to show the driver.

“Little girl, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but our company has a rule, we’re not allowed to carry pets. Even if I let you put him in the trunk, the air wouldn’t circulate. Would your little dog be able to handle the whole journey in the back?”

Since the driver had said so, Lu Xiaoqiao could only reluctantly give up.

After the driver drove away, Lu Xiaoqiao tried to hail two more cars, but the results were the same, all of them refused.

She had been standing outside for a while, and now she was sweating profusely. She couldn’t get a taxi, and it was unrealistic to walk. After hesitating for a moment, she finally called Lin Lin, the only person in Hangzhou who had a car.

The phone rang for five or six times before it was answered. “Hello! Xiao Qiao, why are you calling me at this time? Did something happen?”

They worked next to each other in the company, and usually, even if there was something small, they would just talk about it on WeChat. Suddenly calling at this time, Lin Lin was a little worried.

“I’m moving today, but I’m carrying Tuanzi and I hailed a few taxis, but they wouldn’t let me bring pets.”

Lin Lin knew she was moving: “Don’t worry, I’ll come pick you up. Didn’t you say you were moving tomorrow? Why did you move early?”

“I fought with Zheng Yan.” Lu Xiaoqiao told the truth.

“Ah? You fought? Like a physical fight? What happened?”

Lin Lin couldn’t imagine Lu Xiaoqiao fighting with someone. She was always the type to talk things out instead of fighting. After all, she had never lost an argument.

Lu Xiaoqiao recounted what happened that night. After listening, Lin Lin was also extremely angry: “She’s so awful! Xiao Qiao, you were right to hit her. How could there be such a bad woman? Did you get hurt?”

Lu Xiaoqiao moved a few steps towards a place with streetlights. She lowered her head, her gaze falling on her forearm and the back of her hand. There were scratches of varying depths, and some places had faint traces of blood, as if they were about to bleed at any moment.

“I’m fine. My hand is just a little scratched. She should be worse than me. Wasn’t she going to get hair implants? Perfect, let’s plant hair follicles together.”

Lin Lin was relieved to hear that Lu Xiaoqiao was fine and even had the mood to joke: “Where are you now? Send me your location… Oops! I forgot, I’m not at home, I’m at a resort for someone’s birthday party.”

Lu Xiaoqiao thought Lin Lin couldn’t come to pick her up, but then she heard Lin Lin continue: “Xiao Qiao, don’t worry, I’ll arrange it. I’ll definitely arrange someone to pick you up.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll send you my location.” She didn’t bother her anymore. Besides Lin Lin, she couldn’t think of anyone else who could help her.

They hung up the phone, and Lu Xiaoqiao sent her location.

About five minutes later, she received a WeChat message from Lin Lin.

Lin Lin: [Xiaoqiao, everything is arranged. My brother happens to be eating near you, and he’ll be there in ten minutes. He’s driving his Cayenne today, so there’s definitely no problem with putting Tuanzi in the car.]

Lu Xiaoqiao: [Then tell your brother to come after he finishes eating. I’m not in a hurry.]

She knew her best friend was from a wealthy family, and their house was full of luxury cars.  Now, not only did they not mind taking her pet, but they had even specially arranged a car that could accommodate Tuanzi.  At this moment, Lu Xiaoqiao felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.

Lin Lin: [Don’t worry! He just finished eating. I sent the location to my brother, and he’ll be here soon.]

Lu Xiaoqiao: [Okay, thank you, sister.  I’ll make you some shrimp when I have time.]

Lin Lin: [Don’t be so polite with me.  As you say, what’s the relationship between us? /cute/]

They were college classmates and became colleagues after graduation.

From kindergarten to high school, Lin Lin, due to her family background, had only made friends who were fawning and flattering her because of her family.

When she entered college, she didn’t listen to her family’s arrangements and chose a major she relatively liked in the city. This time, she concealed her identity and lived in the dormitory with other students.

However, because she couldn’t wash clothes or tidy her bed, she was ostracized. They said she wanted to be a young lady and shouldn’t pretend to be here.  She was bullied in the dorm every day.

When Lu Xiaoqiao, her deskmate, found out, she rushed to the classroom that day, stood in front of Lin Lin, and argued with three people by herself. She also warned them not to bully Lin Lin after she left, and if she found out, she would beat them until their own mothers wouldn’t recognize them.

In Lin Lin’s eyes and heart, at that moment, Lu Xiaoqiao was like a shining little sun, dazzling and warm, illuminating the darkness in front of her and warming her heart.

From then on, their relationship became even better.  Whenever Lu Xiaoqiao had time, she would run to her dorm to cheer her up and teach her various life skills.

…

After about ten minutes, Lu Xiaoqiao saw a black Cayenne approaching from a distance. The car slowly stopped in front of her. Before Lu Xiaoqiao could approach, the driver’s door opened, and a tall, handsome young man stepped out of the car.

“Brother Ziyang, I’m sorry to trouble you to come pick me up.” Lin Lin’s older brother was three years older than her, and Lu Xiaoqiao called him “brother” just like Lin Lin.

Lin Ziyang looked at the suitcase and pet cage at Lu Xiaoqiao’s feet and pointed at them with his finger, “Is that all your luggage? Lin Lin said you were moving, I thought you had a lot of stuff.”

Lin Ziyang felt that this moving luggage was less than his sister’s luggage when she went on a trip.

Lu Xiaoqiao patted the suitcase, “It’s not a lot. I took the thick winter clothes a few days ago. These are summer clothes, they’re very thin and don’t take up much space.”

“Alright, then we can put all this in the trunk together.”

They gently placed the suitcase and the cage containing Tuanzi in the trunk, then carefully checked to make sure it wouldn’t press on Tuanzi before closing the trunk and returning to the side of the car.

Lu Xiaoqiao was hesitating whether to sit in the front or back when she heard Lin Ziyang say softly, “Xiaoqiao, there’s someone in the passenger seat, you sit in the back.” Then he reached out to open the back door for her.

“Okay.” Lu Xiaoqiao was about to get into the car when her eyes fell on the person sitting in the back.  She couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.

The man was wearing a black shirt paired with black tailored trousers. Even sitting down, one could see his tall and upright figure.  His appearance was also outstanding.  His thick black hair was combed back, revealing a full forehead.  His features were sharp, his eyes were deep, and he exuded an aura of nobility and composure.