051 The First Step to Becoming a Queen

Jiang Yue had no idea that An'an could actually communicate with dogs without any barriers, simply assuming the child was naturally spirited and loved chatting with flowers, plants, and small animals.

"When the people who come to adopt you take you home, you won't be able to run around freely anymore. You won't be able to go outside unless your owner takes you out. Your entire world will consist of just your owner. Knowing this, do you still want to be raised by humans?"

Hearing this, several of the dogs fell silent. After a good while, the older dog gave its reply: "Although stray dogs might seem free, we aren't truly free at all. Following a human owner might mean being restricted to that one little patch of land, but it spares us from being beaten by rain and blown by the wind, saves us from being chased by humans or attacked by other wild animals, and keeps us from starving and freezing. In you humans' words, you can't have your cake and eat it too."

An'an understood only vaguely, but she listened very attentively.

Jiang Yue couldn't help squatting down to ask her, "An'an, that thought you just had—did you come up with it all by yourself?"

An'an gave Jiang Yue a cute, bright smile. "Of course not! Last time Dad took me out to eat, I was sitting nearby and heard an auntie chatting with her friend. That auntie seemed very troubled, trying to decide whether she should send her dog back to her hometown in the countryside. She said if she sent it to the rural hometown, the dog could be free and have doggy friends. Her dog was rescued from the street; the little puppy kept following her, and because she couldn't bear to leave it behind, she brought it home.

"The auntie said her apartment isn't big, just a standard unit in a residential compound, and she's very busy with work, only having time to walk it early in the morning and late at night. Even when she's at home, she has so many things to do. She always felt like she was failing her little dog, which is why she was torn about whether to send it back to the countryside. She even said that perhaps the puppy would be happier as a stray than staying with her."

Jiang Yue asked out of curiosity, "Then did you say anything to her at the time?"

"I originally wanted to have a chat with that auntie and tell her not to worry, because for a puppy, a good owner trumps everything else, and that auntie was a good owner. But she left in such a hurry that we didn't get to talk. I only had time to call out to her, 'Aunty, don't worry, your little Hua is very happy following you!'"

To this day, An'an still remembered the auntie's surprised expression, which also seemed somewhat relieved.

She hoped that auntie would eventually make peace with herself.

"An'an, you really are a little angel."

An'an chuckled. "Sister Yue, is that really true? Actually, I'm not that great. Whenever I encounter certain things, if it's something within my power to do, I just want to do it and give it a try."

By the time the dogs were cleaned up, it was already very late.

Shen Zhihan had specially prepared a villa for the dogs to live in and hired professional caretakers to look after them until suitable owners could be found for each one.

Jiang Yue opened a social media account titled "A Day in the Life of an Unremarkable Tutor" and updated it with today's post: *The Little Queen and Her Loyal Hounds.*

She deliberately selected a photo of the dogs being washed and groomed, omitting the shop's name and location.

*[Today I took care of the little princess—oh, wait, the little queen, because the young mistress said she only wants to be her own queen, not anyone's princess. Another happy and healing day. Her Little Ladyship rescued a dozen stray dogs; well, once they're scrubbed clean, they're quite presentable, and some of them are actually very good-looking. The dogs have already been sent to a dedicated villa with professional caretakers until suitable owners can be found.]*

After posting the update, Jiang Yue logged off.

An'an had experienced an thrilling day and was already exhausted. As soon as she got home, she washed up and fell fast asleep instantly.

Shen Zhihan was suffering from allergic itching, and the red bumps on his skin wouldn't fade until at least tomorrow.

He gently pushed open the door to An'an's bedroom, walked over to her bedside, and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her sleeping so soundly.

Word had it that later on, Yi Tiancheng was tortured to the brink of insanity in prison.

He later faked madness in an attempt to break out of prison, only to be exposed.

Yi Tiancheng endured a living hell every single day. With over a decade of imprisonment and day-after-day torment, even if he ever managed to walk out of there, it would be nearly impossible for him to function as a normal human being again.

*

A stray ray of morning light spilled into Ming'an Villa. An'an trotted over to Shen Zhihan's doorway on her tiptoes and knocked on the wood. "Dad, time to wake up!"

Shen Zhihan had just changed into quick-drying running gear.

He was tall with long limbs, possessing sleek, well-defined muscle lines on his arms and legs that looked exceptionally striking.

As soon as the door opened, An'an let out an "Ooh!" and exclaimed, "Dad, you look so handsome!"

Shen Zhihan couldn't help smiling, then looked over at An'an and Jiang Yue standing behind her.

An'an's hair was styled into a high ponytail, with wispy, slightly curled bangs and side locks framing her face, giving her a fluffy, delicate look like an exquisite porcelain doll.

Both she and Jiang Yue were dressed in running attire.

Shen Zhihan raised an eyebrow. "An'an, why are you up so early today? What are you planning to do?"

An'an performed a few high knees on the spot, but nearly lost her balance and took a clumsy tumble onto her bottom.

Jiang Yue reacted instantly, darting forward to catch her from behind.

"Mr. Shen, Her Little Ladyship said that when she ran over to the front gate to greet the Paw Patrol yesterday, she ran a bit too slowly. She wants to start running with you from now on to build up her speed."

An'an reached her hands out toward Shen Zhihan. "Dad, up."

Shen Zhihan picked her up. "An'an, you want to go running?"

"Mm-hmm! Dad, I want to run super fast, like a streak of lightning, so that no one will ever be able to catch me!"

Shen Zhihan pondered for a few seconds. "Alright, then you'll start by running two kilometers every day, and we'll increase the distance later."

He then looked at Jiang Yue. "How is your running?"

Jiang Yue replied, "From middle school through university, I was always the champion in the 200-meter and 400-meter sprints, and the 5,000-meter long-distance champion at every annual school sports meet."

Jiang Yue's resume only stated that she possessed well-developed athletic abilities, noting that she was proficient in basketball, badminton, table tennis, and tennis.

Running went without saying; she had exceptional endurance.

Back in university, she used to reject the romantic pursuits of various male students, prompting her roommates to joke that it was simply because she ran too fast for the boys to catch her.

Recalling her middle school days, Jiang Yue remembered how she used to run an extra two kilometers just to save a single yuan on the bus fare. She had been forced by circumstances to make herself fast, whereas An'an, at such a tender age, was proactively choosing to make herself fast.

True to form, An'an's declaration of becoming a queen wasn't just empty talk.

The very first step to becoming a queen was to strengthen one's body—*heya!*

"Being able to run oneself doesn't automatically mean one knows how to teach others."

"Don't worry, Mr. Shen. I've previously studied under professional coaches in a systematic way and have also trained over a hundred students, with every single one of them showing significant improvement. I'll use scientific methods to guide Her Little Ladyship into running, ensuring she does it more safely, quickly, and effectively. Once her level surpasses what I can teach, I will be the first to recommend finding a professional coach."

Jiang Yue had even prepared professional data and a training plan, but unexpectedly, Shen Zhihan agreed right away. "Alright. You'll introduce her to the basics first. I'll find a professional coach to take over later."

An'an listened with a blank expression, feeling like it all sounded very impressive. She didn't understand it, but that didn't matter—cheering them on was enough.

"Wow, Sister Yue, you're amazing! Dad, you're amazing too."

Shen Zhihan could tell she was just trying to appease both sides. "Then tell me, how are we amazing?"

An'an struggled for a long time, her little face turning red from the effort, before finally delivering a perfectly balanced diplomatic answer: "Anyway, you're both just super amazing! In An'an's heart, both Dad and Sister Yue are the greatest."