Chapter Text
“Congratulations to Gao Lele for ranking first in class, and I wish you all a wonderful break, everyone.”
The entire classroom erupted into applause, and everyone began making vacation plans. After the teacher stepped out, some eyes turned toward me, and I averted my gaze; frankly, I didn’t want any congratulations.
I had disliked being the center of attention since I was a child. I didn’t want it now either. I slung my canvas bag over my shoulder, slid out of my desk, and made a move to leave the classroom.
“Hey, Gao Lele, we’re heading out. Do you want to join us?”
I paused at the sound of my classmate’s voice—I didn’t even know his name. “I will post my notes to the class group before the new year starts. You can grab them from there,” I said, and walked out of the room. They had no real intention of hanging out or chatting with me; they were just going to put on a few fake, sycophantic acts and say, ‘Lele, I overslept, could you help me out just this once?’ Then, they would make me buy coffee that cost as much as my father’s two-month salary. Lastly, they would share their drinks on social media to show people that they were ‘out traveling.’ I had always found these things utterly pointless. I had a much better idea than that.
Wasting no more time, I exited the school building and arrived at the playground, which wasn't too far from the school.
“Lulu, I'm here. Lulu!” Scanning the area, I looked around for the dog I had been nursing for the past month. He was nowhere in sight. I sank onto the bench and unzipped my bag. In a playful, teasing voice, I called out, “Oh, what a pity, Lulu isn't here... And I bought him the freshest food, too. So delicious, so irresistible.” Before long, he emerged from behind the slides, struggling to wobble his way toward me. Seeing him in that state, my heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened in pure shock. I rushed to his side in a panic. “Lulu! What on earth happened to you?”
He was letting out a whimpering sound, unable to put any weight on his leg. The moment he saw me, he wanted to crawl into my lap. Being extra careful, I lifted him up and sat back down on the bench. His legs were tied together with a piece of string—ugh, those mindless, reckless kids!
I carefully untied the tightly knotted string, making sure not to hurt him. His eyes never left mine as he kept licking my chin. “Ah, yes, yes. I missed you too.” Once the string was off, I checked his legs without moving him too much. “Lulu, are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the vet?” I kissed the top of his head and began gently stroking his back. He, on the other hand, had his eyes glued to the food dangling from my bag. “You’re hungry, aren't you?” I opened the food and poured some onto the ground. He immediately hopped off my lap and started devouring it. Even though nothing looked broken from the outside, I couldn't shake that initial sight of him out of my head; I was definitely taking him to the vet. But first, I had to let my dad know. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, found his name in my contacts, and called him. After a few rings, my dad's voice came through.
“Yes, Lele?”
“Dad, how are you?”
“I’m doing good, sweetie, how about you? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just going to be a bit late. I called to let you know.”
“Keep your phone on and don’t stay out too late, don't make me worry, alright honey?” Even though he couldn’t see me, I nodded.
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too. Take care of yourself.” By the time I hung up the phone, Lulu had finished his food.
“Alright Lulu, let’s go, we’re heading to the doctor.” Since he didn't understand a thing, he just let out a soft bark. Even that was enough to make me smile. I scooped him up into my arms and walked out of the park. Lulu was squirming in my lap, his eyes darting all around, absolutely dying to explore every single sight he hadn't seen before.
“You’re already heavy, Lulu, stop squirming so much.” When I arrived at the bus stop, the screen showed there were still seven minutes until the bus arrived. The waiting benches were completely full, so I sat down on the curb in front of the stop. I placed Lulu right next to me and stroked his head. “You need to be a little patient, Lulu, I’ll get you there very soon.” Pouting, I continued speaking, “I don't exactly have the budget to be doing this, but I still love you so much. Let's see, do you love me too?”
I held his face and gently turned it toward me. With his tongue sticking out, I was absolutely sure he wasn't even aware of how cute he looked staring back at me. “I’m taking that as an ‘I love you too’.”
As I kept talking to him, the bus pulled up to the stop. Gathering Lulu up in my arms, I scanned my transit card and moved inside.
After a forty-minute ride, we finally arrived at the vet. We got off the bus and stepped inside. The place was packed with all kinds of animals, and it was freezing cold due to the air conditioners; I rubbed my shoulders, trying to warm my shivering skin. A man, who I assumed was the receptionist, approached us. “Hello, how can I help you today?”
“Hi, I came to get my dog checked out. I’m not his actual owner, but I’ve been bringing him food and water for a month now. When I found him today, his legs were tightly tied up and he couldn't walk properly. I wanted to bring him in just to be safe.”
The man shifted his gaze down toward Lulu. He leaned down to his level and looked closely at his paws. “Hey there, little guy,” he said, petting him as he spoke. “Did someone bully you? That must have hurt so much, right?” Once he finished petting him, he turned his face back to me. “I don’t think it’s anything too serious, but let’s check him over anyway.” I offered a polite, faint smile. He took Lulu into his arms and began leading the way, and I followed right behind him.
The examination room was just as chilly as the waiting area, and it was as stark white as you’d expect any hospital room to be. “Would you like him to go through a general checkup as well?”
“Sir... I’m not entirely sure I can afford that.”
“Who said you had to afford it? You are not his owner, and you are doing this completely out of the kindness of your heart. Most of the time, animals aren't even treated as living beings; they are subjected to all kinds of cruelty, even violence. Besides, this clinic was opened by volunteers. In short, please set your mind at ease. You don't need to pay a single dime; we will treat him with absolute care.”
A shy, bashful smile crept onto my face at his words. “Thank you.”
“So, does this little guy have a name? It wouldn't be very nice to keep calling him ‘little guy’ all the time, would it?”
“His name is Lulu.”
He smiled and turned to Lulu. “Hello Lulu, I’m Sheng Shaoyou. I’d like to check you over. Will you let me?”
Lulu looked at me and barked, almost as if he was asking for my permission. I nodded in response, and Mr. Sheng put on his mask and gloves. He performed a few procedures that I couldn't quite understand, then turned back to me.
“Lulu is perfectly healthy. He might be wobbling because the string kept his joints and muscles immobile for a while. Once they loosen up, he’ll be completely fine.”
I let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank you, Mr. Sheng.”
“And I thank your family for raising you to be so compassionate and kind.”
I smiled. “Have a good evening. Let’s go, Lulu.”
After stepping out of the clinic, I didn't scoop him into my arms. His joints needed to loosen up, so he had to walk; I matched his pace, taking small steps alongside him. As we headed toward the bus stop, glaring headlights suddenly blinded my eyes. We had entered a one-way street, and a car was speeding from the wrong direction. He was completely at fault. “Lu—”
Before the shout could even leave my throat, the black car struck Lulu.
It struck Lulu. A car had just hit Lulu.
“Lulu!!”
I rushed toward Lulu, who was now covered in blood. “Lulu, you... oh no, no...” I had to make a decision immediately; I tried my absolute best to keep a cold, clear head. Just then, the driver stepped out of the car.
“Are you alright?” I couldn't waste time talking to him right now. Gathering Lulu back into my arms, I quickly memorized the license plate and sprinted back toward the vet without even looking the man in the face. Even though I could hear his shouts trailing behind me, I didn't stop.
I burst into the vet, my clothes completely drenched in Lulu’s blood. “Don’t worry, Lulu, you’re going to be okay.” I was saying this both to convince myself and because I desperately needed him to be fine. “Mr. Sheng! Mr. Sheng, please help me!”
At my screams, people gathered around me and gently took Lulu from my arms. “Mr. Sheng just left. We’ll handle this, just wait here, alright?”
As tears finally flooded my eyes, I nodded frantically. Even though I knew I shouldn't bother her, I grabbed the woman’s arm and asked, “Lulu is going to be okay, right?”
“I can never give false hope, but rest assured, we will do absolutely everything in our power to save him.”
I let go of her arm and sank onto the waiting chairs. The sheer rush of adrenaline made it impossible to stop my hands from shaking; the sobs became too heavy for my throat to hold, and I finally broke down crying.
“Please be okay, Lulu. Please don't leave me. You're my only friend.”
Before long, the automatic doors slid open again, and a boy around my age walked in. “Sister Feng, did you see a boy about my age who came in here with his dog?” I hadn't meant to eavesdrop on their conversation, but I was certain they were talking about me.
Sure enough, just as I suspected, he came over and sat next to me. “Hello...” I wiped away my tears and lifted my head to answer him. “What do you want?”
“What I’m about to say won't ease your pain, but I...” I looked at his clothes and his face; he practically screamed ‘I’m a wealthy kid.’
“I’m so sorry. My chauffeur hit your dog. He wanted to take a shortcut and didn't notice him.” I didn't reply, just kept listening to what he had to say.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting an explanation anyway; in the end, he was probably just going to offer money to cover the ‘damages.’ “Sir, please leave,” I said, doing everything I could to keep my voice from trembling. “I…”
“I don’t want to listen to anything right now...” He fell silent, but he didn't leave my side. We began waiting together. I didn't want to cry in front of someone else, especially a stranger, but Lulu meant everything to me, and my tears started flowing all over again.
Get a grip, Gao Lele. Lulu is going to be okay. He’s going to be fine.
After an hour-long wait, the woman who had taken Lulu from my arms finally appeared. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and she was breathing heavily from exhaustion. I jumped to my feet immediately and rushed over to her.
“Ma'am, how is Lulu... I mean, my dog..?”
When the boy next to me stood up with me, her eyes shifted toward him, but she quickly composed herself and maintained her professionalism. “Lulu is incredibly strong. He’s out of the woods. Right now, he’s sleeping; he just needs to rest. We’ll be keeping him here as our guest for a little while.”
A massive smile spread across my face. “B-But he’s okay, right?”
“Yes, he just needs to rest.”
“Thank you so much, ma'am. Thank you so much. Bless you!!”
As the woman walked away from us, I couldn't contain my excitement and threw my arms around the boy next to me. “Lulu is going to be okay!!” The boy went completely rigid.
Shit, what did I just do?! I hugged him!
Then, he hugged me back and held on for a moment. He actually hugged me back.
“I’m so glad,” he said. I pulled myself away. “I-I am so sorry. I couldn't control my excitement. I’m really sorry.”
Lulu’s blood had dried all over me, and the smell must have ruined his clothes, which probably cost more than my dad’s entire yearly salary. “Hey, I don't know what you're thinking right now, but you're not listening to me. I said it's fine.”
“Ah, uh, okay then, thank you. I should get going.”
It didn't seem likely that I'd be able to see Lulu today. So, I had no choice but to head home. However, I still had that license plate memorized, and they weren't going to get off this easily.