Chapter 5.4
Temporarily succeeding in breaking away from the crisis, Sui Yuan can only shed hot tears for his fellow dog's fate. After the final exams ended, Adrienne was brought to the vet clinic by its owner and underwent the castration operation. The poor husky seemed to wither, its spirit at the lowest point possible after its return. While sighing with sorrow on the husky's behalf, he ensures to be more cordial and obedient in front of Wang Yican. Of course, he also dare not to 'offend' the very person whom Wang Yican always listens to and obey, Liu Mingzhou. Even if the man pats and plays with him as though he is a large plushie, Sui Yuan doesn't hesitate to conform to that guy's wishes. He is afraid that should Liu Mingzhou be displeased, he will raise the issue of castration again…
Wang Yican's scores for her exams were not bad, hence, the sense of worship she has for Liu Mingzhou has increased another notch. And through their regular revisions during the period before the finals, the relationship between these two have eased into friendship, changing them from student and teacher to friends. It is not surprising that Liu Mingzhou remains a frequent visitor to Wang Yican's house even after the finals are over.
As her parents are both working away from home, Wang Yican has long gotten used to living alone, so she is naturally a good cook. Being single, Liu Mingzhou will occasionally accept her welcoming invitation to stay for a meal during one of his visits to her house. As for Sun Jie, he comes over whenever he can. Only, since both his parents are in the country, he has to return for dinner every day, and can't help feeling jealous that Liu Mingzhou has the opportunity to taste her homemade cooking while he doesn't.
In order to seize the attention of the girl he likes, Sun Jie will always call Wang Yican out to play during the school holidays, whether it be theme parks, cinemas, gaming arcades… As long as it is a place where teens can be entertained for an entire day, they would have gone there at least once, giving anyone who sees them the feeling that they are an established couple.
Although he has never harboured hope for Liu Mingzhou and Wang Yican's relationship to cross the friend zone as according to the plot, Sui Yuan still worries a lot over the development happening between Wang Yican and Sun Jie. But of course, whatever Liu Mingzhou wants to do is up to him. All Sui Yuan needs to do is ensure his affairs are well taken care of. For example, he has to fall ill when it's time for him to do so.
In the script, Wang Yican forgot to close the windows in the house before she went out, leaving her dog in the house alone. Being not fully-matured yet, the Samoyed dog couldn't quite withstand the chilly air and caught a cold, falling sick that very night. However, Wang Yican is inexperienced and didn't know how to nurse the dog back to health, causing its sickness to worsen.
That night, it was already pretty late, so the pet clinic near her house is already closed. At a loss for what to do, Wang Yican was on the verge of frustrated, anxious tears. With no other alternative, she can only call the one adult she is familiar with, Liu MIngzhou, for assistance. A compassionate man who has done a bit of research on pets, Liu Mingzhou immediately rushes over to tend to her dog, eventually stabilising its illness and making their relationship grow even closer.
Despite being an independent girl, Wan Yican is still a young girl under the age of eighteen, who thirsts for an adult to show care and concern. Liu Mingzhou's appearance fills this gap in her heart, causing her to gradually depend on him, growing closer emotionally. As time passes, this intimacy borne from friendship develops into love.
Suffice to say, the crucial point for their growth in affection all hinges on a dog. This pet is the catalyst for the start of their romance.
"……So cold. Are you sure this will only result in me falling ill and wouldn't cause my death?" Sui Yuan stand straight on all fours before the wide open window, allowing the chilly breeze sweeping through the house to ruffle his fur. Unable to endure any longer, he sneezes heavily, breaking the noble image his sleek looking appearance induces.
While he is no stranger to mutilating oneself for the sake of the storyline's progression, this is the first time he doesn't have everything grasped properly in his hands. There are unknown factors at work now, and he is certain not everything is under control. He is still unfamiliar with the inner workings of a dog's body, after all. On top of that, reading the descriptive passage about the worsening illness the original Samoyed has to go through makes Sui Yuan worry that he might accidentally overstep his current capabilities and consequently lose his little life.
"…There probably shouldn't be too big of a problem?" 5237 hovers by Sui Yuan's side, trying to comfort him. "Relax, I still have the bottle of Jade Pearl pills that you did not finish in the last world. In case anything happens and you can't pull through, I will feed one of them to you. Although this body is that of an ordinary dog and will therefore not increase your strength or power, it is still guaranteed to cure all illness!"
Recalling said pill was able to rescue a mortally wounded Shao Peiyuan from certain death in the last world, Sui Yuan's heart finally settles down.
When Wang Yican bids Sun Jie farewell and returns home with a bright smile across her face, Sui Yuan has already achieved his wish after being blown by the cold wind for the entire day, laying listlessly on his stomach and looking like he is dying.
Not seeing the Samoyed dog who habitually waits behind the door for her return every day, the grin on Wang Yican's face instantly freezes, changing into a troubled concern. "Little Snow? Little Snow!"
Sui Yuan lets out a miserable whimper. Following that pathetic sound, Wang Yican finds her beloved pet dog struggling to crawl down from the cushion to welcome her. Despite the dog's efforts, its body is entirely robbed of all strength, tail waving weakly behind. This image causes an itch in her heart, pity rising involuntarily.
"Little Snow?!" Traces of fear surfaces in Wang Yican's heart as she dashes over, cautiously drawing Sui Yuan to her bosom. Seeing that pair of hazy, dark eyes, she can't help sniffing, voice trembling as she fought the urge to cry. "What happened? How did you fall ill?"
Stroking Sui Yuan's fur, she kisses the top of his head a few times to soothe his discomfort before turning around to take in the entity of her house in an attempt to find what caused her beloved pet to fall sick. It doesn't take her long to spot that wide-open window.
She remembers opening the window early in the morning in order to let fresh air circulate through the house. However, because of Sun Jie's urging, she hurriedly rushes out the door and forgot to close the window. Overwhelmed by guilt and self-blame, Wang Yican goes to find a down-filled jacket and wraps it around him, then carry him up, tearing out the door.
She sprints all the way to the vet clinic in the vicinity, only to discover it is already closed. Gasping for breath, Wang Yican hugs Sui Yuan tightly, not knowing what she should do next as they shiver in the cold. Who knows how long later, she eventually takes her phone out dazedly and rings Liu Mingzhou's number.
Although Wang Yican's call is unexpected, once Liu Mingzhou hears that her pet dog is ill and the vet clinic has already closed, worry immediately seeps into his voice. After asking for Wang Yican's exact location, he tells her to find somewhere able to block the chilly wind and wait for him there. He will come over as soon as possible.
At this time, Sui Yuan's consciousness is already muddled. His body burns hot one moment and cold in the next, and is already finding it difficult to continue updating his system on his body's condition. 5237 revolves around Wang Yican anxiously, for in case its partner dies from heavy illness in this world, it will surely be penalised too.
Just as one human and one dog are praying for a miracle, Liu Mingzhou arrives in his car.
Seeing him, Wang Yican rushes over, the tears she so valiantly tried to hold back finally bursting forth.
Fretfulness written all over his face, Liu Mingzhou doesn't say anything further, reaching out to take the warmly-wrapped dog from Wang Yican's arms. He doesn't even have the mood to reassure his student, merely signalling for her to quickly get into the car.
Not daring to dally, she promptly slides into the passenger seat, then turns her head just in time to see Liu Mingzhou retrieving a white bottle from somewhere. A small pill is taken out of the bottle and placed into the dog's mouth. Being particularly trusting of Liu Mingzhou, Wang Yican doesn't possess the slightest trace of doubt at his actions, simply staring at Sui Yuan and nervously anticipating his reaction.
The fragrance of a Jade Pearl pill is not unknown to Sui Yuan. Even though he doesn't have the strength to swallow it, the pill dissolves into a stream of warm energy as soon as it is placed in his mouth, flowing down his throat and into his body, removing aches and agony as it goes along. As his strength returns, Sui Yuan shakes his fur slightly and wants to stand up, but his movements are halted by Liu Mingzhou pressing down on his body.
Raising his head, Sui Yuan looks at the man with puzzled eyes, only to see the unsightly expression on Liu Mingzhou's face. There's no gratification to be seen, only a trace of hidden threat.
At once, Sui Yuan feels the fur on his body bristle as he tries to throw Liu Mingzhou's grip off. However, no matter how hard he struggles, it is all in vain. Ultimately, he can only settle in the man's arms obediently even if he is unclear on what the other guy wants to do.
"Little Snow…how is he?" Wang Yican notices Sui Yuan's condition has improved a little and inwardly heaves a sigh of relief. Glancing towards the teacher she wholeheartedly trusts, she hopes to receive some good news from his mouth.
The man doesn't return Sui Yuan to his owner, instead starting the engine of the car and places the dog on his lap, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the pet's body. "I gave him some medicine so he should be a little better now. But one can't be too careful. Dogs are weak before their reach adulthood. Owners ought to take better care of them to prevent evitable incidents from happening."
Wang Yican nods her head repeatedly, shedding tears of gratitude, "Really, thank you so much, Teacher Liu. Fortunately, you arrived on time or else I really wouldn't know what to do. Perhaps Little Snow…Little Snow would be…"
"He was fine when I saw him yesterday. How did he fall so gravely ill today?" Because he is only driving with one hand, Liu Mingzhou ensures his speed is not too fast, that the ride is as smooth and steady as possible.
Hearing the displeased tone, Wang Yican feels even more remorseful. Fresh tears well in her eyes as she quietly recounts the fact that she forgot to close the window before heading out, leaving her dog in the cold house all alone for an entire day. Liu Mingzhou's expression becomes more solemn, ending in a dark look that she has never seen before. Ducking her head, she hunches her shoulders, not even daring to breathe too loudly, looking like a kid who made a mistake and was reprimanded by her parents.
With strict reproach substituting the gentle placation and soft appeasement described in the original text, the young sprout of affection growing in the crevices of the female lead's heart is swiftly strangled. Thus, this one moment causes the relationship between Liu Mingzhou and Wang Yican to become much less complicated. Observing their interactions quietly, Sui Yuan can't help praising Liu Mingzhou's ingenious grasping of an opportunity to separate himself from the plot.
According to the author, Liu Mingzhou is someone who loves animals, having extra affection for house pets like cats and dogs. Therefore, the type of people he can't stand the most is someone who neglects their pets or doesn't dedicate themselves to the animals' well-being. In actual fact, Liu Mingzhou's first impression of the female lead is rather favourable because her shy, obedient nature truly resembles a small animal one can't help but dote on, and she also cherishes her pet dog very much.
Due to her momentary carelessness, Wang Yican's dog contracts a serious cold. Logically speaking, Liu Mingzhou shouldn't be so annoyed. It's just that in the original text, Liu Mingzhou placed more importance on Wang Yican than her Samoyed, which is why any resentment he feels over this incident vanishes as soon as he looks at her pitiful, guilty eyes. Here, he chose to soothe her sadness instead of blaming her.
Such a shame that this man's soul has already been swapped out for another who harbours zero intentions on ever starting a romance with the female lead. This time, he places the dog's well-being over his student's, so it's reasonable to say that the storyline will deviate from here on.
Driving all the way to the street Wang Yican's residence is located, Liu Mingzhou helps the girl open the car door, but doesn't show the slightest intention of handing the dog over, instead asking in a no-nonsense tone, "Do you know how to take care of an ill dog?"
"N - no, I don't…" Heart leaping in fear, Wang Yican shakes her head, staring at her teacher helplessly.
Sighing lightly, Liu Mingzhou shifts Sui Yuan so he sits comfortably in the crook of one arm, then lifts his other hand to rub the area between his eyebrows. "How about this? I'll bring him back home to nurse him back to health, then return him to you once he has fully recuperated. Would it be a problem?"
As expected, Liu Mingzhou suggests a solution to this situation that is totally different from the story.
"No problem! Thank you, Teacher!" Under his sharp, mildly imposing gaze, Wang Yican doesn't dare object. Besides, at present, she is not very confident she will be able to do as good a job as Liu Mingzhou, so she is slightly relieved to leave this task to her teacher.
Satisfied, Liu Mingzhou nods, expression easing back to his usual friendly look as he spots Wang Yican's reluctance to part with her beloved pet fading to relief. Softly, he tells her to quickly return home to rest, warning her to take a hot shower and drink hot water in order to avoid catching a cold.
Touched by his show of concern, Wang Yican replies with an affirmative, watching until her teacher gets into his car with the dog, before turning around to sprint back home.
As soon as she disappears, the hand pressing firmly against Sui Yuan's back lifts. With a smile, he removes the down-filled jacket from around Sui Yuan's body, then kisses his forehead.
"I finally got my hands on you. Pity that it's only temporary." Liu Mingzhou chuckles, lifting Sui Yuan with both hands so man and dog are at eye-level. "Next, I have to think of a way to make her agree to place you in my care forever."
Sui Yuan: "……"
"You surely understand what I'm saying, right?" Liu Mingzhou narrows his eyes.
Sui Yuan, who is trying his best to act dumb: "……Woof."
"It's all right, your foolish mannerism right now is also pretty adorable." Drawing closer so both foreheads are touching, Liu Mingzhou smiles so sweetly it appears positively evil. "If you are capable, then continue acting like this to the end."
Sui Yuan: "……Arrwwooo… QAQ"