Chapter 34: The Dog Is Missing

Not long after they finished eating the noodles, both of them went back to their rooms to sleep.

Lin Hexi had a bit of trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places, so he woke up early the next day. When he came out of his room, You Chong was already up, sitting on the sofa in the living room, ordering breakfast delivery. On the table, there were new toothbrushes and towels.

Not sure when the two people downstairs would wake up, Lin Hexi decided against going back to wash up later. He picked up the toiletries from the table and went into the bathroom.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he returned to the living room to play with the Alaskan Malamute.

The dog was already completely comfortable with him, with its two front paws boldly resting on his thighs. Lin Hexi grabbed one of its paws and lifted it, gently shaking it in the air. The big dog reluctantly pulled back, but Lin Hexi persistently grabbed its other paw and started to play with it again.

The Alaskan Malamute let out a low grunt from its nose and, seizing the moment when Lin Hexi wasn’t paying attention, lifted its front paws and pressed them against his chest, leaning in with its mouth wide open as if to lick his face.

Lin Hexi quickly turned his head to dodge and, with a big smile, wrapped his arms around the dog’s head, playfully rubbing it.

Suddenly, the sound of knocking came from the door.

Hearing it, You Chong looked up and instructed, “Go open the door; it should be the person delivering breakfast.”

Lin Hexi pushed the big dog away and got up, then walked to the entrance. He was just about to turn the doorknob when he heard faint voices outside. He paused, took a step back, and instead turned on the screen on the wall next to the door. On the screen, he saw Zhou Xuan and Yang Juan.

Lin Hexi was well aware of how much Zhou Xuan disliked him. In Zhou Xuan’s eyes, he was always on the opposite side of their group, and he certainly shouldn’t be at You Chong’s place right now.

Lin Hexi decided not to open the door and instead returned to the living room, giving You Chong a light shrug. “It’s not the delivery; it’s Zhou Xuan and Yang Juan.” After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do you need me to hide?”

Recalling Zhou Xuan’s attitude towards Lin Hexi, and thinking it best to avoid unnecessary trouble, You Chong told him, “Go to the bathroom.”

Lin Hexi turned and started walking towards the bathroom, but then stopped after a couple of steps.

If those two needed to use the restroom, he’d be discovered. After realizing this, he thought that You Chong’s bedroom would actually be a safer hiding spot. After all, two guys wouldn’t have any reason to go into You Chong’s bedroom without a good reason.

Hearing the door open behind him, Lin Hexi quickly changed his plan and slipped into the bedroom on his left, then closed the door behind him.

Meanwhile, You Chong stood by the entrance as they changed their shoes and asked, “Is there something you need?”

Zhou Xuan said, “Yesterday, you agreed with Yang Juan that he could come over today to pick up the formal suit? He couldn’t find the place, so I came with him.”

You Chong nodded and looked at Yang Juan. “My clothes will definitely be too big for you.”

Yang Juan adjusted his glasses and replied, “It’s okay; I just need something temporarily.”

The three of them closed the door and moved into the living room. You Chong was about to head to the bedroom to get the clothes when Zhou Xuan said, “I drank too much water this morning; I’m going to use the bathroom.”

You Chong glanced briefly in the direction of the bathroom, and responded in a casual tone, “Fantuan spilled laundry detergent in the bathroom, and I haven’t had the chance to clean it up yet.”

As expected, the meticulous Zhou Xuan immediately gave up on using the bathroom and instead reached out to pet the big dog lying on the sofa.

You Chong stayed in the living room, continuing his conversation with Zhou Xuan, and then called out to Yang Juan, telling him to go to the bedroom wardrobe and find the clothes himself.

Yang Juan responded affirmatively and headed towards the closed door of the master bedroom.

Lin Hexi, hiding in the bedroom, couldn’t hear the specifics of their conversation, but based on the direction of the footsteps, he deduced that someone was coming toward the bedroom. He quickly scanned the room and, without hesitation, opened the wardrobe door, hiding inside You Chong’s closet.

The bedroom door was opened from the outside, and the person walked in. At the same time, the conversation in the living room became clearer. Lin Hexi, hiding in the closet, recognized the voices of You Chong and Zhou Xuan, and he guessed that the approaching footsteps belonged to Yang Juan.

He patiently listened for a while, only to realize that the footsteps were heading directly toward the wardrobe. Lin Hexi couldn’t help but smile wryly in the darkness.

The next moment, the wardrobe door was opened, and the bright light from the room suddenly flooded in. Yang Juan was startled, his body stiffening slightly as he instinctively opened his mouth in shock upon discovering someone hiding in the closet.

Lin Hexi stepped one leg out of the wardrobe and quickly reached out to cover Yang Juan’s mouth, giving him a meaningful wink and gesturing with a single hand for him to stay quiet.

Yang Juan’s face gradually turned red, whether from being stifled or from embarrassment.

Lin Hexi lowered his voice and smiled at him, saying, “If you agree, blink your eyes.”

After a brief hesitation, Yang Juan obediently blinked his eyes.

Only then did Lin Hexi release him and step aside to let him access the wardrobe.

Yang Juan quietly took out the clothes hanging inside the wardrobe, then turned to leave, not forgetting to close the bedroom door behind him as he left.

Zhou Xuan looked puzzled and said, “Why did you close the door in broad daylight? There’s no one hiding in there, is there?”

You Chong glanced at Yang Juan as he came out of the room and had a pretty good idea of what had happened, but he maintained his usual calm demeanor.

After getting the clothes, the two of them left quickly. As they were leaving, they bumped into the delivery person bringing breakfast. In their haste, Zhou Xuan’s gaze briefly landed on the receipt attached to the bag, noticing that the breakfast was for two. He felt slightly puzzled but didn’t dwell on it, and quickly brushed off the details.

You Chong closed the door, brought the breakfast inside, and placed it on the table. Then, he walked over to the bedroom door and knocked.

When Lin Hexi opened the door and stepped out, You Chong stood there with his arms crossed, asking, “Why were you hiding in my bedroom?”

Lin Hexi looked a bit sheepish, “How was I supposed to know they were just coming to pick up clothes?”

You Chong let out a short laugh, not commenting further.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Hexi received a thank-you message from Fang Qingning, in which he learned that she and her companion had already left. With that, Lin Hexi didn’t stay much longer and went downstairs to return to his own place.

The National Day holiday was seven days long, starting on a Tuesday. The night before the holiday, Lin Hexi went to You Chong’s place to pick up the dog and its supplies.

Before leaving, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, they exchanged phone numbers.

The Alaskan Malamute adapted perfectly, staying with Lin Hexi for five days without any issues. Lin Hexi would occasionally take it for walks around the university town, bring it along to feed stray cats in the alleys of the bar street, or simply let it run around the neighborhood.

On the fourth day of the holiday, Lin Hexi received a text message inviting him to dinner and karaoke.

The person who sent the message was also an illegitimate child with a hidden status, someone who spent his days lingering around Ning Nan, and always siding with him. Given what happened in the restaurant bathroom last time, Lin Hexi doubted that Ning Nan would forgive and forget so quickly, inviting him out for dinner without holding a grudge.

Sensing something fishy about the dinner invitation, Lin Hexi decided not to respond to the message. He even deleted it, acting as if he had never received it.

However, on the afternoon of the sixth day of the holiday, something unexpected happened.

As usual, Lin Hexi put a leash and a dog tag on the Alaskan Malamute and took it for a walk on Lovers’ Slope in the university town.

Although the autumn equinox had passed, the entire city still felt like it was enveloped in the sweltering heat of summer. Elderly folks were sitting leisurely in the shade, playing chess to cool off, parents were playing ball games with their children at the base of the slope, and a few middle school students in uniforms were playing badminton.

After walking the Alaskan Malamute around in circles, Lin Hexi noticed that the students had already put away their rackets and were gathered under a tree, quietly discussing something. He sat down on a nearby bench and lifted the Alaskan Malamute onto the seat beside him, and gently rubbed the fur on its back.

Just then, one of the students ran over to ask him for help.

The shuttlecock had gotten stuck in a tree, and the middle school students were too short to reach it, even with their rackets held up high.

Lin Hexi squinted up at the tree for a couple of seconds before standing up to help them retrieve the shuttlecock. Before doing so, he tied the Alaskan Malamute’s leash to the armrest of the bench, securing it with a tight knot.

He took the racket from the students and used it to try and knock the shuttlecock loose from the tree. The shuttlecock was stuck a bit higher than expected, so Lin Hexi had to stand on tiptoe to reach it.

Even so, the whole process of retrieving the shuttlecock took no more than two minutes.

As the racket’s force shook the branch, the gaps between the leaves widened, and the shuttlecock tumbled down from the tree. The students picked it up and thanked him, and Lin Hexi handed the racket back to them, then turned and took a few steps back towards the bench.

In the next second, as his gaze swept over the bench by the tree, his eyes widened slightly.

The elderly men were still sitting in the shade playing chess, and the parents and children were still playing ball. But the bench was now empty, and the leash that had been tied to the armrest was nowhere to be seen.

The Alaskan Malamute that had been obediently sitting on the bench just two minutes ago was now nowhere in sight.

Lin Hexi’s steps faltered, and a heavy feeling sank into his chest.