Chapter 35 Let's go see other dogs in the world...
Shen Feifei didn't wear her favorite T-shirt and jeans today; instead, she took a porcelain jumpsuit from her closet. Her long hair, which she wasn't good at styling, was simply tied back with a hair tie.
Seeing Zhou Shilin standing by the car, she walked over somewhat guiltily.
"Mr. Zhou." She called out to Zhou Shilin, standing still for a long time. Zhou Shilin opened the passenger door for her and invited her to get in: "I'm driving today, sit in the front."
Shen Feifei looked up at him and said, "I am Shen Feifei."
"I know."
Shen Feifei unconsciously pursed her lips, unsure of what to say: "Didn't you make an appointment with Chen Ci?"
Zhou Shilin looked down at her: "To me, you are all the same."
Shen Feifei knew that he had learned about her condition from Dr. Zhang. In essence, she and Shen Ci were indeed the same person, but it was difficult for anyone to consider them as one person: "I don't know what happened today. Shen Ci was putting on makeup, and as she was doing it, this happened."
This had never happened before; she had even tried to get Chen Ci out, but had failed.
So, in her heart, was this how she wanted to meet Zhou Shilin today?
Before she could fully analyze her own thoughts, Zhou Shilin, who was standing next to her, said, "There's nothing wrong with that."
Shen Feifei was taken aback. Zhou Shilin's voice sounded much softer than when they first met, and it even seemed somewhat gentle.
"Get in the car first."
“Okay.” Shen Feifei didn’t say anything more, bent down and got into the car. Zhou Shilin helped her close the door, went around to the other side, opened the car door and got in as well.
Seeing him drive by himself for the first time, Shen Feifei couldn't help but feel a little curious. As if noticing her gaze, Zhou Shilin said, "Don't worry, I have a driver's license."
“…Oh.” That does sound reassuring. She silently turned away without saying anything more. Zhou Shilin stopped at a traffic light ahead and asked her, “Have you decided where you want to go?”
“…No.” Only then did she remember that she still had a gift for Zhou Shilin. “Oh right, this is a birthday present for you, a private gift from Chen Ci.”
She took out a specially packaged perfume from her large shoulder bag, with a greeting card tucked under the ribbon-tied butterfly.
Zhou Shilin looked at the gift box in her hand, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Shen Feifei coughed a little awkwardly after seeing him accept the gift. "It's nothing particularly valuable, though. I hope you don't mind."
Zhou Shilin said, "No, I've received too many expensive gifts. This one is actually a bit different."
Shen Feifei: "..."
Hopefully, this is a kind remark.
Because he was driving, Zhou Shilin didn't open the gift and instead put it aside for the time being. After the light turned green, he slowly drove off: "Since you haven't decided where to go, I'll decide for you."
"Okay." Today is Zhou Shilin's birthday, so of course he can go wherever he wants.
She didn't ask Zhou Shilin about their destination, and finally the car stopped in front of a large dog cafe. Shen Feifei got out of the car, looked at the dog cafe in front of her, and was stunned for a moment: "A dog cafe?"
"Hmm." Zhou Shilin locked the car door and walked to her side. "Last time when you were drunk, you cried and said that your grandfather's dog didn't like you and never let you touch it, so I brought you here today to touch it to your heart's content."
Shen Feifei: "..."
She knew how out of control she had been that day when she was drunk. She had been holding onto Zhou Shilin and talking to him for a long time, but she never expected that Zhou Shilin would remember such a small thing.
...So wouldn't he remember other things even more clearly?!
While she was still experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, Zhou Shilin strode inside, saying, "Let's go see the other dogs in the world."
"..." Shen Feifei hesitated for a moment, then followed his retreating figure. "But are you sure the dogs here will like me?"
Zhou Shilin turned his head and glanced at her: "Have you ever thought that the dog's dislike for you might be due to its own problem?"
Shen Feifei's eyes flickered, and she lowered her head: "But it likes everyone, except me."
Zhou Shilin said, "That dog belongs to your maternal grandfather. It probably knows that your grandfather doesn't like you, so it's just imitating him. Dogs are very good at reading their owners' expressions."
"Maybe." My grandfather's dog passed away a few years ago, so the answer to that question is now lost to history.
"Woof woof woof!" As soon as the two stepped onto the lawn outside, several Corgis came running towards them. Despite their short legs, they were quite fast. The dogs rushed to their feet and started barking around them. Shen Feifei stood there, startled by their enthusiasm, unsure of where to step.
A staff member came over, picked up a dog, and led them across the lawn to the indoor area. This dog cafe is quite large; the outdoor lawn is an area for interacting with the dogs, while the indoor area is for enjoying afternoon tea. Because it was the weekend, there were quite a few people here, but fortunately, the cafe had enough dogs to ensure that no customer felt neglected.
"You can leave your bag here." Zhou Shilin helped Chen Ci put her shoulder bag into the locker and handed her a few bags of dog treats. "Now you can pet the dogs to your heart's content."
Chen Ci took the snacks from his hand and glanced at the dogs working on the lawn: "But they all seem very busy."
Zhou Shilin's gaze swept across the lawn: "A few of them are slacking off."
Shen Feifei: "..."
Does Mr. Zhou usually catch employees who are slacking off in the same way?
"Let's go." Zhou Shilin called to her, and they walked together towards the large lawn. There were playground equipment and a place for group photos on the lawn. Zhou Shilin led Shen Feifei and found a husky that was lazily sleeping.
Shen Feifei looked at the husky lying there and hesitated before asking, "Should we wake it up?"
That seems very inhumane... like a dog's behavior.
"No need." Zhou Shilin opened a bag of dog treats in his hand and squatted down next to the husky. After a while, the husky opened its eyes and jumped up from the ground.
Shen Feifei: "..."
What a medical miracle!
Zhou Shilin stroked the husky's head and fed it a treat: "Want to try some?"
“…Okay.” It’s really hard to refuse such a big dog. Shen Feifei squatted down and reached out to pat the husky’s head.
Although this husky was slacking off, it was still quite good-natured, letting them move its head around.
Shen Feifei imitated Zhou Shilin and fed it a treat. The husky's tongue swept across Shen Feifei's hand, and Shen Feifei exclaimed, "Ah!" "It licked me!"
Zhou Shilin chuckled softly beside her. Just then, a Samoyed appeared out of nowhere and began to rub against Shen Feifei.
The Samoyed, known as the "smiling angel," truly has an infectious smile. Looking at it, Shen Feifei's mood brightened up as well: "What an adorable Samoyed!"
She fed the Samoyed treats as a reward for how cute it was.
The bag of snacks was quickly finished, and when the husky saw that the snack bag they had opened was empty, it lay down on the spot again.
Shen Feifei poked it with her finger, but it didn't move.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a husky so calm and collected." Although Shen Feifei hasn't seen many dogs, huskies are all energetic and spirited.
Zhou Shilin said, "It's obvious that no one wants to go to work."
Shen Feifei couldn't help but laugh: "No way, I think you quite enjoy going to work."
Zhou Shilin smiled slightly and said to Shen Feifei, who was petting the Samoyed, "Look, even without snacks, the Samoyed still likes you quite a bit."
Shen Feifei nodded: "What a kind and good dog."
Zhou Shilin looked at her for a while and said to her, "When you were little, your world was also very small, so when your mother, grandfather and classmates didn't like you, you felt like the whole world didn't like you. But as you grow up, you will discover a much wider world, where there will be many people who love you, as well as dogs."
Shen Feifei paused in her petting of the dog, and her nose suddenly felt a little sore.
If only Zhou Shilin had said that to her when she was little.
“You’re not as bad as you think.” Zhou Shilin’s voice was like ink spreading, seeping into Shen Feifei’s heart little by little. “People are always more sensitive to the malice of others. Just like Zhou Mingye, if there’s one bad comment among a thousand comments praising him, he’ll get furious about that one bad comment.”
Shen Feifei sniffed and looked up at Zhou Shilin: "You didn't give that negative comment, did you?"
"..." Well, it's not entirely true.
The two finished off all the dog treats on the lawn and took photos with all the big dogs before finally deciding to have afternoon tea indoors.
The store has a special area for disinfection and lint removal. Zhou Shilin and Shen Feifei cleaned up and found a seat by the window.
"The matcha cake here is pretty good, you should try it," Zhou Shilin recommended to Shen Feifei, who was looking through the menu. Shen Feifei looked up at him: "Do you come here often?"
She really didn't think Zhou Shilin was the kind of person who would come to a dog cafe to pet dogs for no reason, but he seemed very familiar with the place.
Zhou Shilin said, "This shop is owned by a friend of mine. He invited us here to play before."
"Oh, I see." Since it was Zhou Shilin's recommendation, Shen Feifei ordered a matcha cake, and Zhou Shilin ordered two drinks before returning the menu to the waiter.
"I need to use the restroom," Shen Feifei said, standing up. Zhou Shilin nodded and told her, "The restroom is on the second floor."
"Okay." Shen Feifei replied and headed upstairs. Zhou Shilin sat down to wait for Shen Feifei to return. After the staff brought over their drinks and cakes, Shen Feifei appeared at the top of the stairs.
Zhou Shilin watched her walk over, his eyebrows twitching slightly: "Chen Ci?"
"...Ah, it's me." Shen Ci was also a little confused. She was halfway through doing her makeup when she suddenly switched to Shen Feifei. She went to the bathroom and then switched back.
Even more surprisingly, she did not suffer from amnesia this time.
She remembers that afternoon at the dog cafe.
Is it because she didn't physically assault anyone this time that she hasn't forgotten?
"What's wrong?" Zhou Shilin noticed her brows were furrowed and frowned as well. "Is something bothering you?"
"No, not at all." Chen Ci sat down in her seat and subconsciously lowered her voice. "You might not believe it, but I remember everything that just happened."
Zhou Shilin paused for a moment before saying, "This should be a good sign. You can schedule another time with Dr. Zhang later to tell him about the changes in your condition."
"Mmm." Chen Ci nodded, noticing the photos on the table. "Are these photos we just took?"
"Yes, the shop can print, so I asked them to print it for me."
Chen Ci picked up a photo, her eyes sparkling: "It's a great photo! Every dog is so good at managing their expressions."
"Indeed, they are professionals after all."
"Hahahaha." Chen Ci laughed a few times, her gaze falling on "Shen Feifei".
She stands in the center of the photo, surrounded by a circle of large dogs, some lying at her feet, some standing beside her, and some clinging to her.
Chen Ci still remembers the details of taking the photo, but seeing the photo now, she finally sees the smile on her face.
She was stunned for a moment.
When she was little, she disliked having her picture taken because photographers always made her smile at the camera.
But she doesn't.
She didn't understand why she couldn't do things that others could do naturally. Every time she tried to smile, the expression in the photos always looked terrible.
Then she became even less inclined to smile.
Before she was thirteen, you could hardly find a single smiling face in her photos.
But today she realized that she used to be able to smile so beautifully.
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