Chapter 9: Let Me Hang Up for a Moment, Thank You

Being caught red-handed by Shang Hejing at the bar completely spoiled Xu Tanxi’s mood for drinking.

Meng Qianyi lived nearby and had planned to go straight to her place to sleep after drinking since she couldn’t drive anyway.

Now, that was impossible. Calling for a designated driver showed an excessively long wait time, so she had no choice but to return to Tangyuan with Shang Hejing.

The man had been swirling the glass of whiskey in his hand for a long time without actually taking a sip. Xu Tanxi suspected he was performing some kind of performance art.

Meng Qianyi saw them into the car, and before leaving, she leaned against the window and whispered to Xu Tanxi, “Remember, if anything happens, call me. Just park your car here for now.”

She gave Shang Hejing a wary glance—her expression anything but friendly.

Xu Tanxi nodded. “Don’t worry.”

The Pagani Huayra merged into the majestic night traffic. The man rolled up the window, shutting out all noise, leaving the interior silent.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xu Tanxi crossed her arms and gazed out at the night.

The car ascended onto an overpass.

“I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but your friend seems to have an issue with me.”

Without hesitation, Xu Tanxi replied, “It’s not your imagination.”

“Why does she have a problem with me?”

Xu Tanxi turned to look at him. “With your personality, you probably have a lot of people who don’t like you. One more or less isn’t surprising, right?”

Shang Hejing smirked, “Is that so? And you? Do you have a problem with me?”

Xu Tanxi fell silent.

He didn’t seem to actually expect an answer and didn’t press further.

After a brief silence, Xu Tanxi suddenly said, “Shang Hejing, when we get home, we need to talk.”

“Alright.”

It was her first time at Tangyuan, and the surroundings were undoubtedly unfamiliar to Xu Tanxi.

Entering the front door, she fumbled along the wall for a long time, unable to find the light switch, almost tripping.

“Click.”

Suddenly, the room brightened—Shang Hejing had turned on the light.

He bent down, took out a pair of beige women’s slippers from the shoe cabinet, and tossed them at her feet, then began changing his own shoes casually and leisurely.

Xu Tanxi was slightly taken aback and glanced at him. After putting on the slippers, she found they fit perfectly.

“Who prepared these shoes?”

Shang Hejing didn’t look at her, his tone teasing, “They bought themselves at the mall, took a cab here, and jumped into the shoe cabinet on their own.”

Xu Tanxi was speechless.

Brother, you’re so slick. How can you be both amusing and annoying at once?

Judging by how familiar he was with the place, it hardly seemed like his first time here.

“You’ve been to Tangyuan before?”

No sooner had she spoken than a dark shadow flickered in her peripheral vision. When she looked over, her heart skipped a beat, and she retreated in terror.

“Ah!”

It was a Poseidon Shepherd.

The man behind her had just finished changing his shoes and hadn’t yet steadied himself when Xu Tanxi swayed toward him.

Shang Hejing instinctively wrapped his hands around her arms to steady her.

The Poseidon Shepherd saw the person behind Xu Tanxi and immediately jumped up, bounding toward them. Xu Tanxi’s mind went blank with fright.

When people are overwhelmed by fear, they instinctively cling to anything nearby.

At this moment, Shang Hejing was clearly that ‘anything’ for Xu Tanxi.

By the time she realized what she was doing, her legs had hooked around his waist, and her arms encircled his neck, effectively turning herself into a large ornament.

Shang Hejing was speechless.

Looking at his expression filled with helplessness, Xu Tanxi stammered, “I, I... I’m scared! I’m really scared right now! I’m not trying to be inappropriate—just let me cling to you for a while, thanks!”

He glanced at her coolly. “You’re quite polite.”

Xu Tanxi wasn’t actually afraid of dogs—she had even raised one before—but she was scared of large dogs.

During the winter break of her sophomore year, on New Year’s Eve, she had a fierce argument with her foster parents and ran out.

Aimlessly wandering the streets, she eventually found herself in an abandoned park, still vividly remembering the damp scent of moss and greenery there.

Just as she slipped on the moss and fell, a large wild dog lunged at her from the darkness.

Though heavily clothed for the harsh winter, she distinctly felt sharp pain in her calf as the dog’s teeth tore through her pants.

On that snowy New Year’s Eve, as every household stayed indoors watching the Spring Festival Gala and eating reunion dinners, the streets were deserted. Xu Tanxi’s desperate cries for help vanished into the cold night, unheard.

Fear clotted in her throat, tears streaming down her face. Yet, the thought flashing through her mind was not about dying but about how a leg injury would mean she could no longer dance.

Cold sweat soaked her back; she felt as if her blood had frozen with terror.

Just when she thought she might truly die that day, another shadow suddenly dashed toward her from the side.

It was a dog slightly smaller than the one attacking her, with a black coat marked by reddish-brown patches—an unfamiliar breed to her.

She didn’t know why, in such a state of panic, she could still recall the dog’s fur colors—perhaps a self-protective mechanism of the brain.

Having thought she might die moments ago, the arrival of the second dog gave her a glimmer of hope.

The worst didn’t happen. Though smaller, the second dog fought fiercely against the wild dog, displaying overwhelming strength.

The wild dog lost and finally released Xu Tanxi. She crawled away, clutching her wound, and noticed a pair of feet nearby.

She tried to look up for help, but before her gaze reached the person’s face, she fainted.

That incident left her with a minor calf injury, which healed with treatment, leaving only a faint scar hardly noticeable unless closely examined.

As for what happened after she fainted, she knew nothing—only that the second dog had saved her.

Her family said a passerby had called an ambulance.

“I know you’re scared, but don’t be. It won’t hurt you,” Shang Hejing suddenly spoke, breaking Xu Tanxi’s thoughts.

Though her back faced the Poseidon Shepherd, she sensed it had stopped mid-approach and hadn’t come closer.

Xu Tanxi was a bit annoyed. “What you’re saying reminds me of those people who walk their dogs without leashes outside. I was bitten by a dog before and have a psychological barrier.”

Then she sincerely added, “But I don’t hate dogs—I’m just physiologically scared.”

Seeing her gentle and soft tone, Shang Hejing couldn’t help but tease.

“So, you’re asking me for help now?”

Xu Tanxi replied petulantly, “It’s your dog! If I’m not asking you, who else am I asking?”

“Then who told you to cling onto people when asking for help?”