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"Alright, then Tongtong will be Yu Qing baby's Xigua from now on!"

Watching the little white fluffball still clinging to Yu Qing, rubbing and nuzzling against her, unwilling to let go, Xiang Changge furrowed her brows: "It's getting late, Miss should go to sleep now."

Yu Qing still wanted to spend more time with the puppy, so she asked with some reluctance: "What about it? Where will Xigua sleep?"

Xiang Changge replied: "It has already been dewormed, bathed, and vaccinated. Just let it sleep in the small living room on the third floor. I've also bought the pee pads and its little bed and set them up outside."

In addition, at the insistent request of the dog in question, she had also bought several toys, all of which were neatly arranged in the corner of the small living room, just waiting for the dog to go to sleep and play.

Yu Qing nodded, her hand tracing the puppy's spine down to the tip of its tail. With her eyes lowered, she asked again: "Did you go out today just to bring it back?"

Actually, she wasn't really curious about what Xiang Changge had been doing; she was just asking casually.

Xiang Changge nodded, then thought of something: "I also did a good deed."

"A good deed?"

Yu Qing half-lifted her eyelids, stole a quick glance at Xiang Changge, and then quickly looked away, keeping up the appearance of being very focused on playing with the puppy: "What good deed?"

"Nothing much, just stepped in when I saw an injustice," Xiang Changge said lightly.

Seeing that she didn't want to elaborate, Yu Qing, despite her lingering curiosity, didn't press the matter further.

She changed the subject: "Can't the puppy sleep in my room?"

A puppy new to a home would lack a sense of security; if it had to sleep alone in the living room at night, it would be scared, right.

As soon as this question was asked, the system in Yu Qing's arms—which was no different from the puppy—suddenly went quiet and turned its head to look at Xiang Changge.

System: "Of course you can!"

"No need to ask! Tongtong—no, Xigua—I can, I can!"

Xiang Changge: "..."

She really couldn't bear to watch.

She truly didn't understand why the system could still make sounds in her mind when it already had a new carrier.

So noisy.

However, it might be good for the system to stay in Yu Qing's room; that way, after she returned to her own room, it could keep an eye on what Yu Qing was doing in real-time.

If she fell into a melancholic state again, the system could intervene.

"If that is what you wish, Miss."

Xiang Changge replied.

Yu Qing nodded: "Let it sleep in my room."

After saying this, she seemed to realize something and asked tentatively: "...Will it pee or poop everywhere?"

She liked the puppy, but the prerequisite was that it shouldn't relieve itself everywhere.

Sure enough, even liking something had its conditions.

Xiang Changge shook her head: "It shouldn't."

After all, Xigua wasn't a real dog.

Since Yu Qing wanted the puppy in her room for the night, Xiang Changge went back out to the small living room to bring in a dog bed that looked like a mushroom cap turned upside down, along with a tray containing a pee pad.

She placed the pee pad tray by the door and the mushroom dog bed by the floor-to-ceiling window, not too far from Yu Qing's bed.

The dog bed was cute and comfortable, and when the puppy was placed inside, it filled the space perfectly, looking like a giant marshmallow sprinkled with two golden osmanthus flowers.

With the puppy's movements, those two golden spots swayed back and forth on its head.

The large bow on the puppy's forehead had already been removed. Yu Qing squatted on the floor, holding a chubby little puppy paw in one hand and petting the puppy's head affectionately with the other.

"Be a good puppy, shall I have the auntie prepare some goat milk for you tomorrow?" Yu Qing whispered to the puppy.

"Woof!"

The puppy stuck out its little pink tongue and let out a milky bark as if in agreement, making Yu Qing's heart melt.

"Good, let little Xigua drink two bowls!"

"Woof woof!"

The person and the dog seemed to have absolutely no communication barriers.

Xiang Changge: "..."

Seeing that it was already past ten-thirty, Xiang Changge reminded Yu Qing again that it was time to sleep.

Yu Qing petted Xigua one last time before getting up to wash her hands.

After she lay down in bed, Xiang Changge turned on a reading lamp and lit some incense. Once she confirmed the atmosphere was perfect for sleeping, she turned to leave the room.

Yu Qing stared at her back for a moment, then asked subconsciously: "No bedtime service tonight?"

Xiang Changge paused, turned back to look at Yu Qing: "I want to go have a midnight snack."

Yu Qing: "?"

Was a midnight snack more important than her bedtime service?

Although she felt that her bedtime service was completely unnecessary, how could one do things half-heartedly and lack the discipline to see them through?

Yu Qing fell silent for a moment, then hesitated and asked, "You... haven't had dinner yet?"

What time was it already? Had she forgotten to eat just to go buy her a puppy?

"No."

Xiang Changge replied honestly.

Yu Qing tugged at her quilt, her voice sounding muffled, perhaps because she was a bit further away: "Why didn't you eat first?"

If it was just a puppy, buying it a little later would have been fine.

Xiang Changge: "I didn't have time."

Listening to this, Yu Qing felt a strange sensation in her chest. Her eyelashes trembled, and just as she was about to say something else, she heard Xiang Changge continue: "I only ate two and a half burgers, a piece of fried chicken, and a cup of cola."

Yu Qing pulled the quilt up, completely blocking her own view. Her voice was truly muffled now: "Get out, close the door."

Eat, just eat; she was too lazy to listen to her nagging anyway.

"..."

After the room quieted down and quite some time had passed, Yu Qing finally poked her small face out from under the quilt, the corners of her eyes even redder from the stuffiness.

She looked toward the floor-to-ceiling window from afar.

After her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room, she could roughly make out the objects inside.

By the window, the puppy was lying in its bed with its chin resting on the edge, facing her direction, sleeping obediently with its two tan ears slightly drooping to the sides.

This puppy was just too well-behaved.

It didn't bark, wasn't afraid of people, and didn't run around or chew on things. She didn't know where Xiang Changge had found it, but it was so cute.

Yu Qing lay on her side, hugging the quilt and watching Big Mushroom in the distance. Her heart felt as if it were being filled with something, leaving her feeling a mix of sourness and fullness.

A puppy, her puppy, the puppy Xiang Changge had given her.

For the first time in a long while, Yu Qing felt a strange sensation spreading from her heart to her limbs.

It was like a warm, gentle current.

-

Xiang Changge went downstairs for a late-night snack. Since Yu Qing was going to sleep, the system very consciously closed its eyes to sleep as well, acting like a good puppy that would never disturb its owner.

--Though, inside Xiang Changge's mind, it was emitting "la-la-la" radio waves.

"What a pity, I thought I would make a cool entrance in an incredibly explosive way."

The system muttered to itself with some regret.

However, Xiang Changge had said that a puppy couldn't be sealed in a gift box, and if it were carried in a cage, Yu Qing would have seen it at a glance, ruining the surprise.

So, after much deliberation, it made its entrance in a way that was both mysterious and very suitable for a puppy.

It was still raining outside, so a plastic bag was the best choice.

After the system's protests were ignored, it could only manage to keep a ribbon that represented a gift.

Xiang Changge: "It's good enough that you could make an entrance at all."

That was 400 points. She had only earned 10 points after working hard for so many days, and after the system deducted them, she now owed the system 390 points.

She was busy doing tasks, but when she looked back, her points were still negative.

However, Xiang Changge didn't care. She hadn't had any points to begin with, so being in debt didn't matter; those with nothing to lose had nothing to fear.

And if the system could actually be useful, then these points were well spent. If she rounded it up, it was practically a free benefit.

Xiang Changge thought about it very clearly.

After finishing her late-night snack in the kitchen, Xiang Changge didn't take the sightseeing cart. She just held a cup of freshly squeezed Xigua juice, drinking it while holding an umbrella as she walked toward her villa.

The downpour had turned into a moderate rain. There were occasional puddles on the ground, and as Xiang Changge stepped lightly, the water rippled outward.

Raindrops hit the umbrella with a dull thud.

Thinking of Shangguan Min, whom she had beaten up, Xiang Changge felt for the first time that the rain in City A wasn't actually that annoying.

-

The next day was another overcast, rainy day, and the forecast showed rain for the next three days.

When Xiang Changge woke up, she uncharacteristically lingered in bed for two extra minutes.

After sorting through the things she needed to do in her mind, she got up, washed up, and exercised.

A person's body needs to be honed; like a machine, it wears down if used for too long, but becomes dull if left unused.

Although she had arrived in a place with very stable order, Xiang Changge had no intention of truly turning into an ordinary person.