14. Puppy

The incident happened suddenly, and the security personnel on board were all focused on the children and were on the other side of the ship. Only the cameraman filming her was closest to her.

"careful!"

The cameraman cried out in alarm and tried to help, but he was carrying the camera and couldn't even stand steadily on the swaying ship.

If they fall and something bad happens, their show will be over!

He was about to shout for help when suddenly a figure darted out from the side, grabbed Ye Zhenzhen, and pulled her back. The tall, strong body covered her completely, making her stand steadily on the swaying deck.

The cameraman breathed a sigh of relief and continued filming, only to find that his back was soaked with cold sweat and his arm holding the equipment was trembling slightly.

Gu Tingshen was with Gu Sinan when he turned around and saw Ye Zhenzhen finally catch a fish. He was about to go over to help when something unexpected happened.

His heart tightened, and before he knew it, he had pulled her into his arms.

He held her tightly, making sure she was safe and sound in his arms, before speaking with lingering fear, wanting to take the fishing rod from her hand to check if she was injured.

"Release your grip slowly. How's your hand? Is it injured?"

Ye Zhenzhen leaned against his chest, slowly regaining her senses, only to find that her legs were a little weak. She thanked him softly, feeling a bit scared.

The fish had already escaped, and the empty fishing rod was placed on the table next to it.

She stared blankly as the man held her hand in his palm. His large, tanned hands made her hand look small and delicate, and the red marks left on her fair palm looked somewhat jarring.

"Does it hurt?" The man lowered his head and gently blew on it.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt, it'll be fine in a bit." The air current brushed against her fingers, tickling them, and she curled her hand up uncomfortably, whispering.

The man's arms held her tightly, dispelling the fear of weightlessness she had just felt. Leaning against his strong, warm chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat, she felt her own heartbeat gradually calm down, and for a moment she forgot to let go.

Jiang Wei had just gone to the captain's cabin to discuss the itinerary when he heard the news. He rushed over with the director, sweating profusely as he apologized.

Ye Zhenzhen felt very embarrassed and repeatedly assured the production team that she was fine, persuading them to return home.

The production team increased security, with people standing around to protect not only the children but also the other guests.

"Director, thankfully Miss Ye has a good temper and didn't hold us accountable for our inadequate security measures." Back in the monitoring room, the director wiped the sweat from his brow, looking relieved.

"Yes, thank goodness President Gu reacted quickly, otherwise we would all be finished!" Even though Jiang Wei has seen many big scenes, he was still quite frightened just now.

Filming a program at sea is all about safety; he couldn't afford the consequences if anything happened to any of the guests. Let alone this important little princess; if anything were to happen to her, the wrath of the Ye and Gu families would reduce him to ashes.

"Hey, you know what, that scene of the hero saving the damsel in distress just now was filmed like something out of an idol drama! It was amazing!" The director sat in front of the monitor watching the playback, and the more he watched, the more exciting it became. It was practically a classic scene from an idol drama.

Jiang Wei glanced at it and nodded in agreement. These two had a magical chemistry whenever they were together. They weren't the most interactive couple on the show, after all, they were newlyweds and couldn't compare to other long-married couples. But their good looks and charisma were undeniable, and their chemistry was strong. He predicted that this couple would definitely become a hit after the show aired!

For the rest of the time, Ye Zhenzhen didn't touch the fishing rod again. She just sat next to Gu Tingshen and watched him fish. The man was obviously an expert. His movements were effortless, and he caught several fish in no time. Grouper, banana fish, and squid kept taking the bait.

The squid kept squirting ink before being pulled up, its colors constantly changing, making it look like an alien creature. There was also a bright red grouper, so vivid and eye-catching that the children gasped in amazement.

It kept bouncing after leaving the water, showing great vitality. The spikes on its dorsal fin popped up. Ye Zhenzhen didn't dare to catch it. She waited until it was put into the incubator before taking pictures and watching it with several other children.

Gu Tingshen turned around and saw her stretch out her slender white fingers, trying to touch the fish, but she was startled by the flicking red fish tail and quickly withdrew her hand. A smile appeared on his lips, which was captured by the cameraman next to him.

Lunch was served on the boat. The freshly caught sea fish were prepared, either fried or steamed. There were also some unidentified sea fish that the boat's chef sliced ​​into thin pieces, squeezed with lemon juice, and tasted sweet, tender, and bouncy. After the fishing rods were put away at the stern, a grill was set up for them to barbecue themselves.

Ye Zhenzhen doesn't like raw fish, but after trying a pan-fried grouper, she was immediately captivated by the tender and juicy fish, and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

"Nannan, try this! It's the grouper Daddy caught, it's delicious!" She put a piece on Gu Sinan's plate and Gu Tingshen's plate, then began to sample the other dishes.

"It's so good to be young, you can eat whatever you want without worrying about gaining weight." Wang Liqing stopped eating after a few bites of sashimi and looked at Ye Zhenzhen with a sigh.

“Yes, when I was in my twenties, my stomach was like a bottomless pit, and I was always hungry. Unlike now, if I eat a little more, I look bloated on camera,” Zhang Siqing said, expressing her deep feelings.

Lanno nodded in agreement, saying that female celebrities would go to great lengths to diet in order to look good on camera.

"I just have a sweet tooth and love to eat," Ye Zhenzhen said, picking up a shrimp and putting it down a little embarrassedly. Seeing that her sisters were already so thin and were still dieting, she couldn't help but advise them, "You are already very thin. Eating less and exercising more is not good for your health. Actually, if you have a balanced diet, eat more protein and less carbohydrates, you won't gain weight."

“These days, healthy people look fat on camera. You have to be as thin as Sister Lan Nuo to look good on camera.” As an action star, Zhang Siqing has a very low body fat percentage for a woman, but she still has to strictly diet to avoid looking 10 pounds heavier on camera.

"If you want to look good on camera, you have to be hungry. You also have to exercise to maintain your figure while you're hungry. You'll get used to it." Lano chimed in with a smile, saying that no one's good figure comes from overeating.

"Luckily, I won't be on camera anymore, so I can eat whatever I want. For us ordinary people, happiness and health are the most important things!" Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but feel glad that she had decided to stay away from the film and television industry long ago.

The group exchanged glances, all somewhat puzzled. Ye Zhenzhen had been very popular since entering the entertainment industry. Although her acting skills were controversial, they hadn't heard of her wanting to retire from the industry.

"You're not planning to act anymore?" Wang Liqing asked proactively.

"Well, after filming a few times, I realized that I'm just not cut out for acting. I won't make things difficult for the director or the audience with my acting skills." Ye Zhenzhen said self-deprecatingly. After speaking, she lowered her head to peel shrimp, only to find that there were several peeled shrimp in the plate. She looked to the side and saw that Gu Tingshen's spittoon was piled with red shrimp shells.

"Wow, being a few years older makes you so caring. Look how considerate President Gu is," Wang Liqing teased, having also noticed the situation.

Ye Zhenzhen's face flushed, and she lowered her head to avoid the teasing gazes of the crowd, eating the shrimp on her plate, unaware that her bright red ears had already betrayed her emotions.

In the afternoon, everyone returned to the village and rested.

After taking a nap, it was almost evening. The production team didn't have any plans, and fearing she wouldn't be able to sleep that night, Ye Zhenzhen decided to ride her little motorcycle out for a spin and buy some fruit.

The tropical sun is too intense; the best time to go out is in the late afternoon when the sun sets. Ye Zhenzhen sat on the back of the motorcycle, feeling the breeze ruffling her long hair, which eased some of the summer heat.

"Dad, stop, stop!"

Gu Tingshen wasn't riding fast. He braked as soon as he heard Gu Sinan's voice, and asked him what was wrong after stopping.

“Dad, look,” Gu Sinan pointed to the bushes by the roadside, “there looks like a little dog moving there.”

The three got out of the car, and the cameramen following behind also came with their cameras.

There really was a small black dog in the grass. It was very small and quite friendly. When it saw them, it trembled and came closer. It walked unsteadily.

Gu Tingshen looked at the puppy walking towards them, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Childhood memories flashed through his mind; he and his sister had once picked up a puppy by the roadside. Unlike the pure black puppy before him, it was a yellow one, but just as affectionate.

He and his sister returned home excitedly, only to be met with a cold rebuke and the order to "throw the dog out."

Ye Zhenzhen's voice pulled him back to reality.

"So cute! It's so small, how come it's all alone here?" Ye Zhenzhen said, stroking the fur on its back. She was instantly captivated by its soft, fluffy texture, and her eyes crinkled into crescents. She carefully lifted it by the scruff of its neck and picked it up.

Gu Tingshen watched intently as she picked up the puppy, completely unconcerned that her clothes were getting dirty from the puppy's paws. Looking into her smiling eyes, he unconsciously relaxed his expression.

Fortunately, with Ye Zhenzhen around, Gu Sinan's childhood memories are much happier than her own.

If my sister could see Nan Nan's expression right now, she would be happy too, right?

"Mom, is it lost?" Gu Sinan also squatted down and looked at the puppy.

"Yes, it's probably lost and can't find its way home." Ye Zhenzhen's heart melted as she watched the little guy obediently staying still.

"Nannan, do you want a hug? It's tiny and won't bite."

Gu Sinan watched eagerly from the side, carefully reaching out to catch it as if she were holding some rare treasure, her arms stiff with nervousness.

"There aren't any houses around here, and we don't know where the little guy came from. His belly is also sunken. Shall we find a vet to take him to see a doctor?"

Ye Zhenzhen asked Gu Tingshen for his opinion. She had never raised such a small dog before and was worried that it might have been abandoned here because of some disease. She thought it would be better to have it checked out to put her mind at ease.

"Okay, get on, we're going to town." Gu Tingshen started the motorcycle, listening to Ye Zhenzhen and Gu Sinan's laughter, feeling the summer night breeze blowing away some of the gloom in his heart.

They searched for the nearest pet clinic on their phones, found one in town, and rode their motorcycles to the clinic.

The puppy lay on Gu Sinan's lap, occasionally nudging his hand with its little nose, obediently staying still.

"The little guy isn't even a month old yet, but he's perfectly healthy, with no parasites or infectious diseases." The clinic's vet was a young man wearing glasses; his name tag indicated his surname was Xu. He took the puppy out after the examination, placed it on the table, and informed them of the results.

Seeing the adorable little child in front of her, Dr. Xu breathed a sigh of relief and stroked its little head with eyes full of affection. Her tone was tinged with pity, "Where did you buy this dog? This puppy has a problem with its front legs; it wasn't properly developed from birth."

"We found it on the road, can it be treated?" Ye Zhenzhen and Gu Sinan looked up immediately and asked anxiously.

“It’s a congenital disability, there’s no cure. I guess it was abandoned because of its disability.” Dr. Xu shook his head, then comforted it, “When it grows up, it can walk on three legs. It’s a pity, a pure black German Shepherd is quite rare, and it’s quite strong. Look at its paws, so thick. It also has a good temperament, bold and affectionate.”

This is a tourist area, and he could tell that the three of them didn't look like locals. They were being followed by a cameraman, so they were obviously tourists from out of town. He figured they probably wouldn't take a dog with a congenital disability back with them.

"You're here for tourism, right? If you're not going to take this dog with you, you can leave it with me. No one will adopt it like this. At least it'll have something to eat if you leave it with me."

Gu Sinan looked at the puppy in his arms; it was nuzzling against his chest affectionately, completely unaware that it had been abandoned by its former owner. He looked up at his parents, his big eyes blinking, his arms tightly clutching the puppy.

Ye Zhenzhen glanced at the expectant little boy, then turned to Gu Tingshen.

She knew how obsessive-compulsive this person was about cleanliness; he didn't seem like the type to keep pets. She secretly resolved that if Gu Tingshen really wouldn't let them keep a pet, she would just keep it at the company and take Gu Sinan to see it from time to time.

Facing two pairs of expectant eyes, Gu Tingshen squatted down and looked Gu Sinan in the eye: "Nannan, do you want to keep it?"

Gu Sinan nodded emphatically, "Dad, I want to keep it!"

"It's still very young and needs care. If you decide to keep it, you have to take responsibility for its food, water, and toilet needs, and you can't give up halfway. Can you do that?"

“I can do it, Dad. I will take responsibility for it.”

"Then ask the doctor how to take care of it and what you need to prepare. You also need to give it a name."

Watching Gu Sinan go to consult Dr. Xu, Ye Zhenzhen said with a smile, "I thought you didn't like small animals."

"Do I look that cold and unapproachable?" Gu Tingshen rarely made a joke.

Ye Zhenzhen nodded in a mocking manner, but couldn't help but laugh herself. "No, you were being so kind and considerate just now. You were a textbook example of a good father when you were talking to Nannan."

It was already late outside, and the sunset was as brilliant as a burning fire. The glow of the sunset reflected an amber luster in her eyes, bright and warm, and Gu Tingshen couldn't take his eyes off her.

"I'd like to name it Black Panther, is that okay?" Gu Sinan asked suddenly as she left the clinic, holding the puppy.

"Of course! Welcome Black Panther to our family!" Ye Zhenzhen clapped enthusiastically.

Gu Tingshen followed behind them, nodding with a smile.

They finally returned home with all the bags and packages the puppy needed. Dr. Xu kindly gave them many instructions and even gave Black Panther a plush toy as a gift.

Before leaving, Gu Tingshen even went to a fruit shop to buy the fruit Ye Zhenzhen wanted to eat. There were so many things that the filming crew also helped carry some in their car, and then the group returned to the village under the cover of night.

When we arrived at the village entrance, we happened to run into a few other families who were returning from the beach.

Yan Xu ran over carrying a small bucket, excitedly shouting from afar, "Nannan, look, we found hermit crabs on the beach!"

As he ran closer, his eyes widened in surprise, "Where did this puppy come from?"

[Author's Note]

Hero saves the damsel in distress, and adorable pets are on the scene!