xiao bai

"Do you really want to accept me? Do you really want to give me a home? No, at least I haven't seen it at all. So what if I had a fling with you? Worst-case scenario, I get sentenced to ten or twenty years. Do you still expect me to be your servant for the rest of my life? Let me tell you, I may not have your wealth or status, but I am still a person with dignity. Don't think that because you took me in and married me, I must be grateful to you and treat you like a deity. If you push me too far, I'll turn myself in right now. There are plenty of men in this world. You can find anyone to be your pretend husband. Others may indulge you, but I won't tolerate your princess temper!"

Xu Menglin stared at him blankly, intimidated by his demeanor, feeling a sourness in her heart, not knowing what to say. Her eyes were slightly moist.

"You...you..."

"What 'you'? From now on, stop trying to lecture me all the time, stop threatening me with death. I've seen more dead people than you've eaten pork." Ye Chong pointed with his hand. "I've said what needs to be said. Do you see the intersection ahead? I'll give you a choice now. If you want me to leave, just stop the car, and I'll turn myself in immediately, giving you a clear explanation. If you want me to stay, just keep driving."

After saying this, Ye Chong crossed his arms and quietly watched the intersection ahead.

Xu Menglin bit her lip, feeling turmoil inside. No one had ever dared to speak to her like this. With her personality, she would never allow anyone to be so arrogant towards her. Perhaps, in a fit of anger, she might deal with the person unexpectedly. But this time, she surprisingly endured it.

As the car approached the intersection, Xu Menglin's hands on the steering wheel turned white, her eyes tightly fixed on the road ahead.

Compared to her nervous appearance, Ye Chong seemed much more relaxed. He even lit a cigarette.

To stop or not to stop, that was the question.

Stopping would mean Ye Chong's harm to her would be compensated by the cold justice of the law. Not stopping would mean tying her fate firmly to this grassroots man.

For a woman, the most important thing is not how powerful she is, but choosing the right man. But is this seemingly unreliable guy really the right one?

This choice was more like a judgment of fate. No matter what choice she made, her future destiny would inevitably undergo a completely opposite change.

As the front wheels reached the zebra crossing, Xu Menglin bit her lip hard, and the car sped past like an arrow.

Ye Chong looked at her with some surprise, obviously not expecting her to do this. "So, does this mean you want me to stay?"

Whether it was reluctance, unwillingness, or fear, Xu Menglin didn't look at him, and said lightly, "I forgot to step on the brakes."

Ye Chong burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face.

Xu Menglin's face turned red, and she glared at him fiercely. "What are you laughing at?"

Ye Chong suddenly restrained his smile. "Do I need to tell you how beautiful you look right now?"

Xu Menglin turned silently, her waterfall-like long hair flowing like silk. Under the bright afternoon sun, even the beautiful Bao Shi Bay seemed to lose its color!

As dusk approached, Ye Chong, after a refreshing nap at the heart of the ocean, was lounging on the sofa, happily eating fruit and watching boxing matches. Outside, the sound of cars could be heard, and soon he saw Xu Menglin, dressed professionally, entering with a small white dog in her arms. Mrs. Wu greeted, "Miss, you're back."

Xu Menglin nodded, her gaze falling on Ye Chong, who looked lazy on the sofa, causing her to furrow her brows.

Ye Chong grinned and patted the sofa. "Come, sit down and watch the boxing match with me."

Xu Menglin ignored him and went straight upstairs.

After a while, with the sound of footsteps on the stairs, she came down wearing casual clothes, holding a small white dog in her arms, her eyes full of affection. Step by step, she descended the stairs.

It was a miniature pet dog, with fluffy white fur resembling snowflakes, and only its tail, the size of a flower bud, was chocolate-colored. At this moment, its ears drooped, half-closed eyes lazily nestled in the woman's soft embrace.

Sensing some unfamiliar aura, it suddenly became alert, raising its neck and staring at Ye Chong with a pair of big, black eyes, then immediately started barking.

"Xiao Bai, be quiet." The woman reached out her hand to gently stroke its head, and it immediately calmed down, still lazily snuggling in its owner's soft chest, but its eyes remained wide open, vigilantly staring at Ye Chong.

Seeing the mischievous smile on Ye Chong's face, Xu Menglin said, "What are you laughing at?"

"So you still like keeping dogs. Is this the Xiao Bai you mentioned last time?"

The woman gave him a glare, while caressing her beloved pet. "It's not a dog, it's a Bichon Frise."

Ye Chong chuckled even more. "What logic is this? A dog is a dog. Wolves roam the world to eat meat, dogs roam the world to eat... well, you know."

Unable to tolerate her beloved pet being insulted, Xu Menglin said sharply, "Ye Chong, you're going too far!"

Seemingly influenced by the owner's emotions, Xiao Bai immediately showed a fierce appearance, baring its teeth and barking fiercely at him.

"A dog's reliance on its master's power."

"What did you say?"

"I said your dog."

The woman clenched her lips tightly, her face showing a trace of icy coldness, looking extremely angry. Xiao Bai seemed to sense that its owner was being bullied and showed an even fiercer expression, immediately breaking free from its owner's embrace and jumping in front of Ye Chong, growling and barking.

Xu Menglin was startled, never expecting her usually gentle Xiao Bai to become so aggressive.

Ye Chong, looking at Xiao Bai constantly threatening him, suddenly showed a hint of ferocity, smiling ominously. "Keep barking, I'll skin you alive and eat you!"

Xiao Bai immediately stopped barking. Its two soft ears suddenly stood up like electric wires, and it opened its eyes wide, looking at Ye Chong. With a thud, it fell on all fours and lay flat on the ground, motionless.

Xu Menglin's complexion changed, calling Xiao Bai several times, but it didn't respond.

Ye Chong calmly said, "Darling, can't you see that little beast is playing dead?"

Just as the words fell, Xiao Bai sprang up like a carp, its tail tucked between its legs, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. It couldn't be stopped no matter how hard one tried.

Seeing this, Xu Menglin couldn't help but feel a bit amused and exasperated.

"I really don't understand you rich people. Are you so nervous over a dog?" Ye Chong remarked sarcastically.

Xu Menglin turned her head, "I'll say it again, Xiao Bai is not a dog, it's a Bichon Frise."

"Alright, whatever you say. But seeing how nervous you are, you must have spent quite a bit of money on it, right?"

"It's a stray dog I took in while studying in England."

"So you're still quite compassionate. But what can such a tiny little creature do? I'll show you what a real dog is later..." Seeing the other's unpleasant expression, he quickly changed his tone. "Not a dog, I mean, a Bichon Frise. Are you satisfied now?"

He picked up a slice of pear and took a bite, "Is your dog...a male or female Bichon Frise?"

"A male."

He almost choked on the piece he hadn't swallowed, "Hey, let's not beat around the bush with this."

Xu Menglin smiled faintly, seeming to finally gain a small sense of victory from him, "I never curse at people. Why do you have to take it personally?"

Ye Chong shrugged, "No wonder that little beast looks at you so lovingly. Turns out you're the one in charge."

Xu Menglin raised an eyebrow, "What are you implying?"

Ye Chong spread his hands, "Never mind, let's watch the boxing match."

The two of them, whether in terms of background or living environment, couldn't enjoy themselves sincerely. Xu Menglin took Xiao Bai and entered the dining room.

A wonderful aroma of food wafted over, and Ye Chong sniffed and headed straight there.

This time, it wasn't as grand as the French feast last time. It was just a simple home-cooked meal. But when he saw what was considered a "simple" meal, he surrendered. There were braised eggplants, stewed ribbon fish, braised chestnut chicken, seafood soup, rice porridge...just seeing this lineup made him give in.

Xu Menglin still sat in the seat of honor, placed Xiao Bai on a nearby chair, and then lowered her head to sip her porridge.

As soon as Xiao Bai saw Ye Chong, it bared its teeth and growled menacingly, its throat emitting a low sound.

Ye Chong couldn't help feeling a bit amused by this little guy's antics. It hadn't even grown to the size of a rat and yet it kept provoking him.

He picked up a piece of chicken and sniffed deeply, "Smells good. Want some? Too bad, it's not for you."

He stuffed the chicken into his mouth, picked up a chicken bone, and threw it over, "Go gnaw on the bone over there!"

This move worked like a charm. As soon as the bone was thrown, Xiao Bai immediately lost its temper and stared fixedly at the bone with its two black eyes.

Xu Menglin placed her bowl on the table, "What are you doing!"

"What's wrong?" Ye Chong hadn't come to his senses yet.

"What do you take Xiao Bai for?"

"What else can it be? Of course, it's a dog."

Xu Menglin furrowed her brows, "Why do you insult him like that? Even animals have dignity."

Ye Chong smiled knowingly, "Even if it has dignity, it's still just a dog. Dogs like to eat bones. Feeding it bones makes it very happy."

Xu Menglin finally couldn't hold back and stood up abruptly, "You..."

Just as she said one word, she saw Ye Chong grinning mischievously. When she looked down, she saw Xiao Bai happily gnawing on the bone.

"I'm not wrong, am I? Dogs, when they see a bone, are like men seeing a beautiful woman. They can't wait to pounce." He gloated.

Xu Menglin wanted to take away the bone, but Xiao Bai stubbornly refused to let go until she angrily commanded it to release, reluctantly letting go as it looked at its beloved object being thrown into the trash can by its owner.

Now, it directed all its anger towards Ye Chong, barking incessantly.

Ye Chong said harshly, "You dog, believe me, I'll turn you into dinner!"

Xiao Bai seemed to understand and immediately perked up its ears and tail, then lay flat in the woman's arms, pretending to be dead again.

Repeatedly provoked by the man, Xu Menglin stood up and left the dining room.

"Miss, you haven't eaten yet..." Mrs. Wu was anxious.

Xu Menglin ignored her and went upstairs with Xiao Bai in her arms.

At the huge dining table, only Ye Chong was left. Finally, he had ample opportunity to fully indulge himself. Mrs. Wu watched in shock. She had never seen anyone eat like a cow, not bothering to chew. In no time, the dishes on the table were almost gone.

He patted his stomach, burped, and got up, saying, "Ah, ate too much again. I'm going out for a walk."

Outside the Ocean Heart, he looked up at the starry sky, remarking that despite spending so long at Sea and Sky, he had never seen stars. Today, he finally found a little bit of the feeling of stargazing from his childhood.

He walked along the long pier, then hailed a taxi on the roadside. By now, he had become a completely different person, his voice low as he said, "Wangfu Street, Time Corridor."