Chapter 39

Wen Ci held the dog, while Zhou Wu carried the trash bag that Wen Ci, with a flushed face, had just tied in a tight knot. The two of them, along with the dog, got into the elevator.

As soon as they descended one floor, the elevator door opened, and a resident from downstairs walked in. It was an elderly lady accompanied by a middle-aged woman, who seemed to be her daughter.

Out of habit, Coconuts (the dog) moved to the corner of the elevator when someone entered. The dog obediently sat at Wen Ci’s feet, closing its mouth and even refraining from sticking out its tongue.

The elderly lady yawned twice. The woman beside her, showing concern, asked, “Mom, you’ve been low on energy all morning. Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

“That’s right,” the elderly lady sighed, “I was woken up several times.”

“What noise kept you awake?”

“Didn’t you hear it? Around eleven or twelve last night, it was quite loud, and they didn’t lower their voices at all. It was unbearable.”

Feeling a tug on the leash, Coconuts looked up, puzzled, at Wen Ci, who had a guilty expression and avoided eye contact.

Thinking about her own noises last night… Wen Ci unconsciously tightened her grip on the leash, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles.

“I didn’t hear anything,” the middle-aged woman said, confused.

“How could you not? It was so noisy…” The elderly lady turned her head to look at the young couple, “You two just moved in upstairs, right? Did you hear any noise last night?”

The elderly lady’s frowning expression, questioning the young couple, made the guilty Wen Ci feel like she was being interrogated.

Zhou Wu looked relaxed and was about to speak, but Wen Ci had already bowed to the elderly lady.

“Sorry,” Wen Ci’s ears turned red as she sincerely apologized, “We will be more careful in the future and won’t disturb you again.”

The elderly lady looked puzzled, “?”

Zhou Wu was speechless, “…”

The elderly lady was silent for a moment before stepping back and asking, surprised and unsure, “Was that police car outside last night there because of you?”

Wen Ci was stunned, “What?”

“The police car, it was driving back and forth outside last night, with its siren blaring several times. I didn’t close my window, so I was woken up multiple times.”

Wen Ci was at a loss for words, “…”

Wen Ci was speechless, so Zhou Wu replied, “It wasn’t us.”

The elderly lady, still confused, asked, “Then why did you apologize just now?”

Wen Ci was silent again, “…”

Wen Ci didn’t say another word in the elevator.

After exiting the elevator and parting ways with the mother and daughter, Zhou Wu finally couldn’t hold back and looked down at Wen Ci’s face, “What did you think they heard?”

Wen Ci, feeling embarrassed, stared straight ahead, avoiding eye contact, “Nothing.”

Zhou Wu laughed for a while before stopping, speaking in a teasing tone, “Don’t worry, Teacher Wen, the house has good soundproofing. Besides me, no one could hear you last night.”

Coconuts barked, “Woof!”

Zhou Wu responded, “You don’t count.”

“………” Wen Ci’s face turned red as a tomato. She quickened her pace, pulling the leash, “Coconuts, let’s walk faster…”

Zhou Wu continued to tease her, and for the next ten minutes, Wen Ci walked ahead, holding the dog, without looking back at him once.

Easily teased, yet not good at handling it.

When they passed a convenience store with a sausage machine, the Samoyed sat down at the store entrance, refusing to move.

The dog was quite fat, and Wen Ci couldn’t pull it. She also didn’t dare to use too much force. Finally, she turned around, looking at the dog’s owner for help.

Zhou Wu, hands in pockets, walked forward with a smirk, nudging the dog with his knee, “Stop pretending, get up.”

Coconuts remained still, even trying to lie down and act spoiled.

Zhou Wu took out his phone, pretending to make a call, speaking lazily, “Qin Yun, didn’t you always want my dog? When should I bring it to you?”

Coconuts, resigned, stood up, walking heavily away from the store.

“Does it know Qin Yun?” Wen Ci asked.

Zhou Wu nodded, “It doesn’t like him. Qin Yun accidentally stepped on its tail.”

Wen Ci nodded, watching the dog’s back for a moment before quietly saying, “It seems very disappointed.”

“Just pretending,” Zhou Wu replied quietly, “trying to trick you into buying it something.”

Wen Ci let out an “Oh.”

After a few steps, the Samoyed still had its tail down, not making any sounds, and Wen Ci’s heart softened, “Can it really not have one?”

The Samoyed had used this pitiful act many times, and Zhou Wu never fell for it.

He glanced at Wen Ci’s expression and, after a while, said lazily, “One is fine.”

—-

Under the tree, Wen Ci sat on a wooden bench, her dress as white as the Samoyed’s fur. She bent slightly, holding a half-eaten sausage, laughing at the dog’s eating manner, “Eat slowly, Coconuts.”

Zhou Wu leaned back on the bench, sitting casually, watching for a while, “You really like dogs.”

“Yes,” Wen Ci smiled, “I once took in a stray dog in high school.”

“What kind of dog?” Zhou Wu asked, “Do you still have it?”

Wen Ci shook her head, “It was injured and dirty. My family didn’t allow me to keep it. I secretly brought it home, but they threw it out while I was asleep.”

Wen Ci thought Zhou Wu might say something about how her parents did it for her good or give her some comforting words.

“That was quite heartless of them,” Zhou Wu said slowly. “Why didn’t you confront them?”

Wen Ci was stunned and honestly replied, “I didn’t dare.”

After a moment, she couldn’t help but look back, her lips curling up slightly with a hint of pride she didn’t even notice herself. “But later, I found it and got a family to adopt it. I often went to see it secretly after school, and my parents never found out.”

Zhou Wu lowered his eyes to look at her, a faint smile on his lips, and he cooperatively praised, “Impressive.”

During the outing, the Samoyed received a sausage, a chicken leg, and a box of yogurt.

Zhou Wu walked slowly behind the person and the dog, his expression gradually becoming serious from initial indulgence.

He needed to think of a solution; otherwise, how much weight would it gain in the future?

After staying out all night, Wen Ci returned to her own home after walking the dog.

In the evening, the three of them sat at the dining table for dinner.

The family had a habit of eating in silence. Near the end of the meal, Wen’s mother finally spoke, “What were you doing at Yiqing’s house last night?”

Perhaps it was because of walking the dog, receiving gifts, or knowing that Zhou Wu didn’t give clothes to Duan Wei, but Wen Ci had been in a particularly good mood all day.

Her smile froze for a moment, but she quickly replied, “Yiqing signed up for an online course, and I was just listening in with her.”

Wen’s father commented without much emotion, “These non-interactive classes are ineffective.”

“Isn’t Yiqing planning to quit her job and stop being a teacher? Why is she taking that course?” Wen’s mother gave her a piece of meat. “I heard from her mother that Yiqing wants to become some sort of content creator, traveling around and making videos.”

Zou Yiqing had never mentioned this to her.

However, Wen Ci recalled that when they went to Bincheng, Zou Yiqing indeed took many photos and videos, and they were all very good.

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“If you ask me, Yiqing is just wild and playful, not wanting to work, so she says she wants to change jobs,” Wen’s mother criticized. “That girl is quite crazy; don’t let her influence you.”

Wen Ci chewed more slowly and denied, “Yiqing is always serious about what she does.”

“But it’s not serious business. What’s the use of being serious about playing? What did I say wrong?” Wen’s mother said softly. “Anyway, keep some distance from her. It’s fine to have a meal together occasionally, but no more overnight stays at her house.”

Wen Ci remained silent, lowering her head to drink her soup.

Wen’s mother smiled. “Spend more time with other friends. I think those teachers in your office are good, especially Yun Fei from your group. You two are in the same school and will be working together for a long time. If you maintain a good relationship, you can be lifelong friends…”

Wen Ci put down her bowl, not heavily, but it made a crisp sound.

“Mom, I don’t need you to teach me how to make friends,” she said gently. “I know what I’m doing.”

Wen’s mother was stunned, looking at her in disbelief.

Wen Ci threw out a “I’m full” and went into the kitchen to put the bowl in the dishwasher. When she came out, she turned to her mother as if she remembered something:

“And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Yiqing. She’s my friend, and I hope I won’t hear you badmouthing her again.”

Wen’s mother blurted out, “What’s with your attitude? And I’m saying this for your own good; it’s not like I’ll go and say this to Yiqing’s face—”

“No, you’re just using the excuse of caring for me to control me. Stop it, Mom.” Wen Ci’s voice was calm from start to finish. “I’m going upstairs.”

Wen’s mother was in shock until Wen Ci’s figure disappeared up the stairs.

She turned to her husband in disbelief. “Did you hear what she said? It breaks my heart. Did we raise her just to hear her say such things? Why didn’t you say anything?”

—-

Wen Ci closed the door, shutting out her mother’s voice completely.

Her phone lit up with several voice messages from Zou Yiqing.

In the voice messages, Zou Yiqing sounded energetic: “Wen Ci, my online class is over! Are you home yet?”

“By the way, do you know what happened yesterday? My mom gave my WeChat to someone without my permission. The blind date added me, and I immediately sent him a picture of an ultrasound I found online, asking if he wanted to be the child’s father, hahaha!”

“Then my mom called me, and we had another fight. I had her stumped; it felt—never mind, you wouldn’t understand, I can’t describe it to you.”

Wen Ci listened to each message and then pressed the voice reply button.

“I think I understand a little, Yiqing.”

Leaning against the door, her heart beat a bit faster. The calm she had feigned earlier had vanished, replaced by a rare, slightly rebellious smile. Her voice trembled with nerves, “It felt really good.”