WTCM 9. The Virtuous Loyal Dog

The alarm clock went off twice, and he sighed, thinking to himself, “Stop being foolish. Maybe that idiot finally figured it out, what future do two zeros have together? So, he probably ran off before dawn.”

He sluggishly sat up, but as his gaze swept over the bedside table, he immediately perked up. Maybe he left in such a rush that Qi Haiyang’s ID and student card were still neatly placed there. Though he’d left, those things couldn’t just be abandoned. He’d definitely come back to pick them up.

“How about I just drop them off?” He thought. “His obsession with me isn’t fake. If I just give him a little sweetness, he’ll pounce right back. Yeah, I should be more proactive. He wants me to take the lead, but I can turn him into a good top!”

With this decision made, Chen Tianxiang hummed a little tune, washing up while planning when to drop off the items. Should he go directly to his school? With so many people coming and going, sigh, if only I’d gotten his phone number last night. Hmph, if I call him, he wouldn’t dare not answer.

As he was thinking, the intercom suddenly rang. He picked it up and, to his surprise, it was Qi Haiyang, who had disappeared early in the morning.

“Xiang-ge, open the door!”

Qi Haiyang was back with breakfast. Chen Tianxiang stared, confused, as Qi Haiyang made himself at home and quickly set the breakfast on the table.

So, he wasn’t missing this morning after all? He’d just gone out early to buy breakfast?

“Xiang-ge, eat first. Don’t be late for work. I’m going to shower first, I ran this morning and worked up a sweat.”

Chen Tianxiang watched as he rushed into the bathroom, then thought better of it and knocked on the door. This kid was too strange, he’d been up fighting till midnight and then went for a run first thing in the morning. Do college students have this much energy now?

When Qi Haiyang saw him standing at the door, he wiped the water off his face and smiled like a blooming flower. “Xiang-ge, we’re short on time in the morning, we can pick up where we left off tonight.”

“Who said anything about that?” Chen Tianxiang scowled. “Let’s get back to the point. You went for a morning run?”

“Mm-hmm, I’ve been playing basketball since I was young, running in the mornings has become a habit,” Qi Haiyang said, his eyes lighting up as he shook off some water droplets and ran over to Chen Tianxiang. “I’m the main player at our school. During the recent league, I even made it on TV! Have you seen it?”

“No,” Chen Tianxiang hummed, stepping back two paces and turning to eat breakfast. He was skilled in martial arts and combat, but a natural idiot when it came to ball games. Whether it was big balls, small balls, or any kind of ball, he was the laughingstock since childhood. So, of course, he hadn’t seen it.

“Xiang-ge, you’re tall, you must be good at basketball too, right?” Qi Haiyang came out dressed and saw Chen Tianxiang quietly drinking hot and spicy soup. Not knowing when to stop, he added, “How about we have a match sometime? Don’t think just because you always beat me in fights, you’ll beat me at basketball.”

Mentioning basketball made Chen Tianxiang uneasy. But if he said something, it would make him seem petty. Thinking about how Qi Haiyang hadn’t secretly run off but instead thoughtfully came back with breakfast, he felt both frustrated and pleased. He didn’t want to seem awkward and pretentious, so he huffed, “I’m not interested in basketball. Hmph, come eat, you’re going to be late for school.”

“It’s fine, it’s only four stops to school by bus. I bought breakfast just for you. I’ll eat more at the school cafeteria,” Qi Haiyang grabbed a fried dough stick, took a bite, and headed for the door. “Xiang-ge, I’ll come back tonight!”

“Hey! Drink your soup…” Chen Tianxiang quickly stood up, but seeing him already dash out the door, he helplessly sat back down. This kid was so lively and straightforward; he envied his personality. Hmm, maybe continuing to spend time with him wouldn’t be bad…

Chen Tianxiang’s thoughts were stirred. After a few days of getting to know him, only his good points were left in his mind. He had already passed the appearance test early on, and his cheerful and never petty attitude, always caring for others, was even more appealing. Even his previous brainless moments and childish behavior had now turned into a carefree, humorous, and likeable charm.

Just like now, he was standing guard on the street, and the kid, acting like a devoted wife, was holding a water bottle and a cup, grinning at him. If this had happened a week ago, he would have found it too eye-catching and driven him away, but now he found it considerate. Having someone stand by your side and bring you water on a hot day was a level of care you don’t often get. Even newlyweds wouldn’t have it this good.

The sun was blistering around 2 p.m. Chen Tianxiang wiped the sweat from his brow and was about to go to the roadside to have a drink and reward his loyal dog for the sweat he’d helped shed. Suddenly, there was the screech of tires at the intersection, and a small van nearly drove past the stop line.

Chen Tianxiang frowned and immediately walked over. The car was driving erratically, almost running a red light. Even though the penalties for drunk driving were severe now, at this time of day, you could still encounter hopeful drunks taking chances.

“Please show your driver’s license and registration,” Chen Tianxiang said as part of the routine and gave a salute. The driver inside the lowered window also gave a salute, shrinking his head, the smell of alcohol hit him immediately.

There was no need for a test. Chen Tianxiang could tell the man was drunk. He leaned on the car window, watching as the driver clumsily searched for his documents. He planned to wait for the red light to change before guiding the car to the roadside. But after a few moments of rummaging, the driver suddenly shifted into gear and stepped on the gas, attempting to flee while still drunk.

“Stop the car! Otherwise, I’ll arrest you immediately!” Chen Tianxiang shouted, slamming his hand hard against the car door. If he didn’t scare the driver into stopping now, it would definitely result in an accident.

The driver, truly intoxicated, didn’t just run the red light. He also scraped the car against the median in the middle of the road, trying to shake off the person hanging on the door. Just as it seemed like he would succeed in knocking the person off, unexpectedly, someone suddenly appeared in front of the car. There was a loud crash, and the windshield cracked open from what seemed like something striking it.

The startled driver slammed on the brakes. Chen Tianxiang quickly leaned in and yanked the car keys out. Turning around, he saw Qi Haiyang standing perfectly unharmed in front of the car and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Xiang-ge! Are you okay?” Qi Haiyang, his face flushed with panic, hurried over to the gap between the car and the median barrier, trying to pull him out.

Chen Tianxiang waved his hand, carefully backing out, and although Qi Haiyang’s hand didn’t catch him, he gently patted it. He then adopted a scolding tone, glaring at the reckless fool in front of him.

“Are you trying to die? How dare you run in front of the car! What would have happened if he hadn’t braked and kept accelerating?”

“You were about to fall off the car! What if the rear wheels ran over you?” Qi Haiyang, for the first time, retorted, gritting his teeth, his body trembling as though he was badly scared.

Chen Tianxiang’s heart softened immediately. He stepped forward and patted his shoulder. “Forget it, just don’t act so rashly next time. I have experience in handling situations like this. I wouldn’t get hurt.”

“Mm…” Qi Haiyang replied vaguely, a sweet feeling rising in his chest. Xiang-ge must be worried about me getting hurt, which is why he scolded me. Looks like he likes me now… Hmm, he just likes to act all serious and proper. Maybe we’ve already developed feelings for each other.

After all, Qi Haiyang was bold and carefree. In no time, the brief moment of fear was forgotten. The only thing on his mind was demanding the driver pay for his water bottle. That tap on the window had cracked the glass and ruined the bottle, warping its shape.

Chen Tianxiang had no time for him and was busy calling over nearby colleagues. To his surprise, the person who showed up was Zhou Jing. Since the previous incident, Chen Tianxiang had been avoiding Zhou Jing, so seeing him now made him awkwardly blush.