Outside the veterinary hospital.

"Da Huang! I can’t live without you, Da Huang!"

Xue Rui, his face a mask of anxiety, was shoving a veterinarian in a white coat.

The two were fighting over Da Huang.

Da Huang seemed to realize what was happening. In its little head, it only knew that Xue Rui’s scent was familiar; everyone else was trying to hurt it.

So, Da Huang struggled with all its might toward Xue Rui, whimpering and yelping nonstop.

Xue Rui’s expression was just as exaggerated as he fought desperately to get Da Huang back.

They looked like a pair of lovers about to be torn apart by life and death.

In the end, the vet’s side had more people—three of them in total. Xue Rui was outnumbered, and Da Huang was snatched away.

Watching Da Huang being carried away, Xue Rui dropped the act and returned to his normal demeanor.

"Done!" Xue Rui clapped his hands together.

Da Huang was clearly smarter than the average dog.

If he had brought Da Huang to the hospital himself and had it neutered, the dog would inevitably resent him.

But what if Da Huang was "kidnapped"? And what if he, Xue Rui, was the hero who "rescued" Da Huang from the bad guys?

Although Da Huang’s fate would be the same, with just a small change to the process, the dog would subconsciously trust him even more.

’Yup, I’m a genius.’ Xue Rui chuckled. He didn’t go inside, just paid at the entrance.

"Young man, I’ve been in this business for over a decade, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen an owner like you," the vet said, his eye twitching.

This kid was just too dramatic. He’d made them act out a whole "dog-napping" drama before the surgery. Still, since he’d paid a few hundred extra, the vet was happy to play along.

"Life’s a stage," Xue Rui said, departing with a flourish. "Take care of the dog for a week."

"What a weirdo. Making a whole scene just to get a mongrel neutered," the young lady at the front desk couldn’t help but laugh.

"Who cares? He paid," the vet said with a wave of his hand.

...

On the way back, Xue Rui’s mind drifted, filled with images of Lin Ruoxi wearing Balenciaga.

The mature look of black stockings and an innocent face on the same person... what a sight that would be.

He licked his lips. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of people walking out of a net cafe, their hair colors a bit gaudy.

"So hungry. Let’s go get some breakfast," a young man with dyed-yellow hair said with a yawn, rubbing his neck in pain.

Xue Rui could tell at a glance that he’d pulled a muscle in his neck from sleeping in a chair after pulling an all-nighter at the net cafe.

In the latter half of the night at a net cafe, everyone is tired, cold, and hungry, with nowhere else to go.

The feeling was pure misery, especially when you walked out in the morning and the first ray of sunlight hit your eyes. That’s when the exhaustion would peak.

Every time, you’d regret it. ’Why did I pull an all-nighter?’

But you’d always go back the next time.

"Humans... they’re creatures that just never learn," Xue Rui mused.

Suddenly, he noticed the group staring straight at him.

Xue Rui stopped and met their gazes.

’They look familiar. I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before.’

But a moment later, he shook his head.

’Yellow hair, tight-fitting joggers, driving loafers...’

’Don’t all these guys look the fucking same? No wonder they look familiar.’

The yellow-haired young man recognized Xue Rui instantly as the kid they’d almost gotten into a fight with the other night.

He had originally planned to mind his own business, but Xue Rui’s expression was just too infuriating!

First, he’d met his gaze, then he’d clicked his tongue a few times before shaking his head with a look of disgust.

He was even muttering something about "never learn" and "creatures."

Even though it was quiet, he’d heard it clearly.

That attitude... it was like he was looking down on him from on high, as if he were looking at a dog.

The yellow-haired young man’s head was still fuzzy, and he felt a surge of indignation. He cursed, "What’re you lookin’ at?!"

Xue Rui was surprised. ’Is this guy trying to pick a fight with me?’

"I’m lookin’ at you, so what?" Xue Rui retorted instinctively.

’Wait, something’s not right.’

’Isn’t this the prelude to a fight?’

They had five or six guys, while he was all alone. He was bound to be at a disadvantage.

However, it was morning rush hour. With so many pedestrians coming and going, these guys wouldn’t dare do anything.

Xue Rui gave a cold smirk and raised a finger at the young man—the "international gesture of friendship."

"You!" The yellow-haired young man’s face instantly turned red. He had just wanted to run his mouth a bit to look tough in front of his buddies.

Usually, when he said that to someone, they would just lower their head and walk away or ignore him, afraid of trouble.

But not only was Xue Rui unafraid, his attitude was so arrogant that it put him in an awkward position.

He gritted his teeth. "I let you go last time, and you still dare to show your face around me."

"Eagle, who’s this kid? You got a problem with him? The boys can take him into an alley for a ’talk’," one of the young men said, clapping Huang Mao on the shoulder.

"You dare come with me?" Eagle said coldly.

Xue Rui laughed. ’Go with you? I’m not an idiot.’

Xue Rui shot back, "No, do *you* dare come with *me*?"

He was actually worried they wouldn’t agree, because he planned on taking them for a little chat with the police.

"Who’s afraid of you? I’ll even give you time to call for backup."

Eagle looked disdainful. The guys with him this time were different from the last. He had a big shot who’d been around the block for years with him. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The group came down the stairs, staring daggers at Xue Rui.

"Alright, call for backup, you say." Xue Rui’s mouth twitched as he took out his phone and quietly dialed 110.

Before he could even hit dial, several uniformed police officers emerged from a nearby alley.

One of them wore a slightly different uniform; it was the traffic police captain Xue Rui had met yesterday, Officer Chen.

"Officer Chen." Xue Rui thought it was too much of a coincidence. He waved at Officer Chen, thinking, ’Let the police teach these guys a lesson. They’re a disgrace to the city.’

Officer Chen’s expression was grim. He seemed like a completely different person from the friendly officer of yesterday. For a moment, Xue Rui was dazed, wondering if he’d mistaken him for someone else.

But when Officer Chen gave him a slight nod, he knew he hadn’t.

"Crap, he has connections!" Eagle instinctively turned to flee, but more police officers appeared down the road, heading straight for them.

Suddenly, the tall, crew-cut young man next to him greeted the police with a fawning expression, "Hello, officers."

This was the "big shot" who’d been "around the block" for years! And here he was, acting so meek in front of the cops.

So, he followed suit, saying obsequiously, "Hello, sirs."

"You’re the one who was harassing Chen Tingting?" Officer Chen stepped forward and asked coldly, his gaze piercing and unstoppable.

It was a gaze honed by years of training, a look that had seen countless life-and-death struggles. There was a bloodlust in his eyes that was on a completely different level from the posturing of these little punks.

"Captain Chen, if you hadn’t been injured back then, you never would have ended up in a place like the traffic division," the officer beside him sighed.

After so many years, it was the first time he had seen his friend wear that resolute expression again.

"You’re suspected of harassing a woman. Why don’t you come back to the station with us for a chat?" a young officer said with a smile, not the least bit tense.

These yellow-haired punks, pure street trash, were just paper tigers. There was no sense of urgency in arresting them; it was almost enough to make you sleepy.

"Xue Rui, thank you for the other day. Come with me to give a statement. I’ll treat you to a meal afterward," Officer Chen said to Xue Rui, his gaze softening.

"Of course. I’m an eyewitness, after all," Xue Rui said, looking the very picture of civic duty.