Nicholas

In the afternoon, Ding Xuefei was resting in her room when she suddenly heard a noise downstairs.

The loudest voices came from Ke Ran and Xu Yimeng, who were chatting and laughing, along with the voices of other people.

Curious about what was happening, he opened the door and peered down, but couldn't see anything. Just as he was about to close the door, he suddenly heard a dog bark.

It seems somewhat familiar? But the barking of dogs is pretty much the same, so Ding Xuefei didn't pay any attention and went downstairs with the intention of watching the excitement.

He loves small animals and is loved by them, but unfortunately he didn't have the chance to keep one when he was in school. Later, as an artist, he traveled all over the country for work, and he felt that handing it over to someone else would mean losing the joy of keeping a pet, so he hasn't kept one since.

The closest he ever came to owning a pet was when he and Yu Songlin found Nico, an adorable little white dog. In those six months, Nico brought them many happy memories.

"So cute! Such a well-behaved puppy!"

"How long have you kept it? How come it's so well cared for!"

The little white dog struggled in Ke Ran's arms, barking a few times in dissatisfaction at being petted and rubbed. After being put down, it quickly ran back to Yu Songlin's feet and shyly hid behind him.

Yu Songlin reached out and stroked the little white dog's smooth fur, making it wag its tail and let out a "woof".

For a moment, Ding Xuefei felt like she was seeing things; the scene she had imagined was actually happening right before her eyes.

How nostalgic! Back when we were together, whenever Yu Songlin went out to film, Ding Xuefei would walk the dog. Ding Xuefei once suspected that it was Yu Songlin's way of urging him to go out and exercise.

But the little white dog is really cute and smart. When we get home, it will run to the door on its own initiative. When we're having a cold war, it will rub against this dog and that dog.

I wonder if Nico has missed him or still remembers him since they broke up.

Ding Xuefei's eyes felt slightly warm.

When Ding Xuefei's eyes met Yu Songlin's, she suddenly calmed down.

That Yu Songlin, what a cunning fellow! After all these years, he still only knows this one trick: using a puppy to coax people.

But this trick always works.

Yu Songlin patted Nico on the shoulder and said gently, "Nico, look who's here."

Nico's little head, which had been looking around, finally spotted Ding Xuefei. Nico ran a few steps, then suddenly stopped in the middle of the room, staring at her with her big, round eyes, tilting her head back as if she were thinking about something.

Ding Xuefei's eyes welled up with tears, but she remained standing still.

The little white dog's ears twitched, it barked twice, turned towards Ding Xuefei, stared at her with its big black eyes for a while, and then suddenly took off running over there.

It first circled around Ding Xuefei, sniffing his scent, then barked and stood up as if it wanted to jump on Ding Xuefei.

Ding Xuefei was a little flustered at first, not knowing how to react, and let the puppy treat him as its closest person, rubbing against his trouser leg and playing.

He finally couldn't resist, squatted down and hugged the little white dog in his arms, stroking its soft back and snuggling against it—it was a truly nostalgic feeling.

Ke Ran also went over to pet the dog and said in surprise, "Wow, Nico, why don't you want me to hold you, but you want Xuefei to hold you!"

“Yeah, he wasn’t really playing with us just now,” Ning Yusheng added. “Looks like Xuefei and the puppy are really meant for each other~”

No, that's not it. When they first met, Nico looked down on him. The reason she's so close to him now is because he raised little Nico for about half a year back then.

Ding Xuefei held the dog in his arms, reluctant to put it down. He said, "Maybe I'm more popular with small animals."

Fearing the other guests might notice something amiss, he deliberately asked in a mocking tone, "Where did this little guy come from?"

Ke Ran said, "It's Lin Ge's dog."

Ding Xuefei turned to Yu Songlin somewhat awkwardly, and Yu Songlin explained, "No one walks the puppy at home, so I'm taking it to stay with me for a few days."

"Okay, okay." Ding Xuefei nodded. "Then I'll go out later to buy some food and toys for the puppy."

Xu Yimeng quickly nodded in agreement: "Great! Great! Our Heartbeat House has a new member! This is a big deal!"

Ding Xuefei put Nico down, and the puppy circled around Ding Xuefei's feet, wagging its tail happily.

Ding Xuefei and Xu Yimeng squatted together, teasing the dog and discussing what to buy.

Remembering that Yu Songlin was still there, he glanced at Yu Songlin. Yu Songlin had no objections. He said, "Buy it if you want, but Nico is a bit picky. She doesn't really like some toys. Don't waste it."

"Then tell me in detail." Ding Xuefei, holding the puppy, had already put her grudge against Yu Songlin out of her mind and didn't remember that she had thought she would never speak to Yu Songlin again yesterday.

Yu Songlin picked up Nico and spoke to Nico, but then smiled at Ding Xuefei: "Nico, quickly thank your older brother and sister."

The little white dog seemed to understand but not quite, rubbing against Yu Songlin and then against Ding Xuefei, happily spinning around.

*

The plan to buy a gift for the puppy has been put on hold for now; the priority is to take the dog for a walk.

Ding Xuefei put a leash on Nico, and the puppy cooperated well. After being put on the ground, it didn't run around but just circled around Ding Xuefei's feet.

"Nico, you're going to entangle me."

He took Nico out of the villa. There weren't many people in the neighborhood, which was perfect for walking the dog.

After going outside, Nico got excited and pulled Ding Xuefei to run ahead. Ding Xuefei thought this was a sign of the puppy's affection for him, so he ran a few steps after it and was also very happy.

Nico suddenly stopped running, turned around, and barked.

Ding Xuefei turned around at the sound and saw Yu Songlin standing not far away, making a "shh" gesture to Nico, which obviously had no effect, because Nico barked twice more, as if mocking its owner.

Now that he had been discovered, Yu Songlin could no longer hide and reluctantly moved closer.

He explained his purpose quite naturally: "I was worried that Nico wouldn't adapt, so I've been following behind her. I can handle any emergencies that might arise."

Ding Xuefei knew, of course, that there wouldn't be any emergency; Yu Songlin was just making an excuse. He said, "Since we're already here, let's go together."

Hearing him say that, both the man and the dog seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Yu Songlin silently followed beside him, while Nico continued to run happily forward.

The villa area was quiet, a gentle breeze dispelled the early summer heat, and the setting sun cast long shadows of the inhabitants.

Are you still angry with me?

Ding Xuefei snorted. Actually, his anger had subsided quite a bit. Now Yu Songlin was using Nico as his trump card. He was really too cunning!

Yu Songlin knew that Ding Xuefei was still willing to take a walk with him, even though she wasn't that angry. He couldn't help but chuckle and say, "You're still so easily swayed."

"How dare you say that!" Ding Xuefei said angrily. "It's all your fault!"

"I know it was my fault, and I know it's hard to make up for it, but I will try my best."

Ding Xuefei knew Yu Songlin was serious, but the more serious the situation, the less he wanted to face it: "Forget it, I don't want to hear you say this."

“Okay,” Yu Songlin changed the subject decisively, “Then let me tell you about Nico.”

"Actually, it hasn't been this lively in a long time. It's not a friendly dog. Even my assistant had to play with it for two weeks before it got used to me... Sometimes when I come back from working away from home for a long time, it will throw a tantrum at me. It might just have forgotten about me. Heartless little Nico."

Nico, whether from hearing its own name or from its master speaking ill of it, barked twice at Yu Songlin, which made Ding Xuefei laugh.

Are you very busy with work?

Yu Songlin was taken aback when he heard the question. He didn't expect Ding Xuefei to care about him more than the puppy. He quickly said, "I did care a little when I was filming a lot, but when I wasn't filming, I would spend time with Nico."

“I will take good care of it, but if you are worried... you can help take care of it too.”

This was practically a confession of love. Ding Xuefei wasn't used to hearing such cheesy words, so he interrupted Yu Songlin: "Let's not talk about this for now, I'll think about it some more."

The two people and the dog walked along in the sunset for a while. Although no one spoke, except for Nico occasionally barking or panting when he got tired, the atmosphere was not awkward.

Ding Xuefei and Yu Songlin maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Yu Songlin was about half a step away from him. He could even feel that when he slowed down, Yu Songlin would also slow down. It was quite strange.

Ding Xuefei's phone rang, and he picked it up to take a look.

Yu Songlin asked him what was wrong, and Ding Xuefei said, "Brother Jinyu asked us when we were going back, and I said soon."

Yu Songlin nodded, remained silent for a while, and finally couldn't help but ask, "That Fang Jinyu, I remember you used to like her quite a bit, right?"

"yes."

Ding Xuefei loved listening to Fang Jinyu's songs when she was in college, and Yu Songlin knew this back then, so there was nothing to deny.

"What if he pursues you..."

"Why would he pursue me? You're overthinking it." Ding Xuefei didn't think Yu Songlin's claim was likely to come true.

Seeing Ding Xuefei's clueless expression, Yu Songlin recalled his past relationship with Ding Xuefei, when she was the one who liked him first—it seemed that as long as Ding Xuefei didn't fall for anyone else, no one else would have a chance.

But will Ding Xuefei really never fall for someone else? What about the future? Does Ding Xuefei like him?

Yu Songlin hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

“Oh, right,” Ding Xuefei said, pulling Nico around as they walked back, “could we keep our past relationship a secret from others for now?”

Ding Xuefei looked up at Yu Songlin and noticed a hint of disappointment in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant. Yu Songlin said, "If you don't want to, you won't."

"Hey, you brought Nico here today, I wonder if anyone else has noticed."

To be honest, even if she might be discovered, Ding Xuefei would still choose to hug Nico.

Yu Songlin watched Ding Xuefei squat down to pet the puppy, imagining that perhaps one day, Ding Xuefei would have enough security, and they could walk the dog together openly and receive everyone's blessings.

That day will come.