Chapter 51: Lin Shu, I Like You
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Lin Shu brought the dog home.
Xie Buchen was staying with his tattooed cousin, who was a nice person but allergic—dog hair, cat hair, pollen, willow fluff... anything with fur was off-limits.
That was why Xie Buchen hadn’t taken the dog earlier.
A person, before becoming completely independent, cannot truly gain freedom.
Lin Shu took the dog home and scheduled a checkup at the veterinary hospital.
The vet said the dog was malnourished, had a skin disease near its rear likely caused by living in damp conditions, needed to shave the fur and apply medicine, had inflamed eyes, and a large foreign object in its intestines—probably swallowed garbage—that required surgery.
The vet asked where she found it.
Lin Shu replied, “I stole it.”
The vet was taken aback, sympathetic to the dog but not approving of Lin Shu’s words.
Lin Shu grinned and said, “Just kidding. I found it near Chunhe Road. It kept following me around, whining. Someone must have raised it before; I just couldn’t resist bringing it home.”
The vet asked, “Does your family know?”
Lin Shu pursed her lips.
The vet sighed. “The costs are quite high. Stray animals get some discounts, but it’ll still cost a few thousand. You need to discuss it with your family.”
Gold prices were low now but expected to double in the future.
Lin Shu couldn’t resist; she had spent all her New Year's money buying gold. She could have bought stocks in an electric vehicle company, but opening an account as a minor was complicated—she’d wait until she was an adult.
She was reluctant to part with her gold, so she took a photo of the dog and sent it to her brother asking for money.
Lin Zhou didn’t reply.
Probably still asleep.
Seriously, letting her down at a crucial moment.
If she sent it to her parents, she wasn’t sure if it would go smoothly.
Her mother might be okay with it, but her father always wanted a Doberman or a Bulldog. Seeing such a small and old creature, he’d probably be disappointed.
Lin Shu hesitated.
She just couldn’t bear to give up her gold!
Xie Buchen came in and quickly paid the fees.
Lin Shu asked, “Where did you get the money?”
“New Year's money,” Xie Buchen said.
Lin Shu didn’t believe him. She went out for a walk and didn’t see Xie Buchen’s mountain bike. Instantly, her eyes reddened.
She didn’t approve of her “delinquent” brother doing dangerous stunts.
But seeing him quietly sell the bike made her feel indescribably sad.
In her mind, images of him riding his bike, teasing and flirting around her, played like a broken record. Tears welled up uncontrollably.
Lin Shu took out a tissue, unfolded it, covered her face, wiped hard, then went in as if nothing had happened.
She said, “Where’s your bike?”
Xie Buchen said, “I’m not riding it.”
Lin Shu asked, “You sold it?”
The boy smiled faintly. “Yeah, sold it.”
...
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The dog was undergoing surgery.
Lin Shu sat silently on a bench; Xie Buchen stood, then sat down beside her.
In the narrow corridor, small animals occasionally darted past. The director of the hospital, a one-eyed ragdoll cat, jumped onto Lin Shu’s lap and rubbed against her. She silently stroked the cat.
Xie Buchen leaned over and petted the cat a few times.
Their proximity was a little too close.
Lin Shu slightly shifted her body. Xie Buchen lowered his head, continuing to scratch the cat’s chin. The cat purred contentedly, and he smiled like a goofy dog.
Lin Shu steadied his shoulder and said, “Too close, move over a bit.”
“You don’t like me anyway. What are you afraid of?” Xie Buchen said nonchalantly.
Lin Shu was furious. Unable to retort with a witty comeback, she tried another tactic...
She reached out to touch his firm thigh, raising an eyebrow, her lips curling into an inexplicably oily smile.
Xie Buchen didn’t pull away.
As if he was numb.
Lin Shu wasn’t convinced and lightly stroked back and forth on his jeans, silently playing the theme song of “Country Love”: Who↑ is↓ my groom~
Xie Buchen remained like a vegetable.
She persisted.
A competitive streak ignited.
But going further... well... maybe better not!
Lin Shu pinched the flesh of Xie Buchen’s thigh. The oily smile vanished; her mouth tightened, eyes slightly widened, and with a palm-sized adorable face, she gave him a “don’t mess with me” look.
Xie Buchen patted her hand.
Lin Shu said, “Still wanna mess with me?”
“Pain,” he replied with a single word.
Lin Shu withdrew her hand, puffing up like a pufferfish, but her cheeks flushed noticeably.
Damn delinquent brother.
Was that how a man was supposed to talk?
Not even a kitten could pinch that hard.
Xie Buchen thanked Lin Shu for taking in the dog.
Lin Shu waved her hand, saying her family didn’t have so many taboos; it was just a little dog, no big deal.
Xie Buchen nodded slightly.
Lin Zhou’s message arrived, directly asking Lin Shu how much money was needed and if the dog was badly hurt.
Lin Shu glanced at Xie Buchen, smugly saying, “See? Usually it’s just me and my brother at home. As long as he doesn’t object, I could raise a tiger.”
Her fingers flew over the keyboard, typing that the dog wasn’t injured but needed surgery to remove a foreign object.
Xie Buchen said, “Don’t ask your brother for money.”
Lin Shu thought for a moment and asked, “Don’t you want your bike back?”
Xie Buchen looked into her eyes, speaking deliberately, “The bike is important, but Snowy’s health is more important. I know you want to help me, and you already have.”
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“Lin Shu, I have my pride too.”
Two lines of tears suddenly appeared on Lin Shu’s face.
This time she didn’t have time to wipe them away before Xie Buchen caught her.
He gently touched her face, his gaze dropping, then lifting firmly, filled with a light that made hearts tremble.
Had his eyes always been this bright?
Lin Shu frowned and lowered her head.
Xie Buchen pressed his lips tightly.
Lin Shu took a deep breath, composed herself, and forced a smile. “Hey, let go. This is too ambiguous.”
“Lin Shu, I think I’m losing control and falling for you,” Xie Buchen said, eyes lowered, still caressing her face.
He seemed nervous.
But Lin Shu was even more nervous.
The girl froze.
For a long time.
The world spun.
The world danced...
So the feelings she had before weren’t illusions—her heart was truly caught by a hand.
Xie Buchen said, “Breathe.”
Only then did Lin Shu realize she was about to run out of air.
She suddenly leaned back.
The one-eyed ragdoll cat, startled, meowed and jumped down from Lin Shu’s lap.
Xie Buchen silently withdrew his hand.
Lin Shu snapped back to reality, looked into the boy’s eyes with solemnity, and said, “Xie Buchen, you’re still young and can’t distinguish between liking and admiration. I’m good to you not because I want to pursue you—really, I admire you from the bottom of my heart and am grateful to you.”
Xie Buchen said, “I can tell the difference.”
Lin Shu replied, “You just said you ‘seem’ to like me. ‘Seem’ means uncertain. How is that knowing the difference?”
Xie Buchen nodded.
Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief.
The boy tilted his head and smiled brightly.
“Lin Shu, ‘seem’ can mean uncertainty, or it can be a word I use to spare you the burden. Since your language skills are so good, let me correct it.”
He looked at her evasive eyes with the same solemnity.
Each word was clear, leaving no room for ambiguity, as if declaring it to the whole world.
“Lin Shu, I like you.”