Chapter 13 Mad Dog Hotel
Early in the morning, a series of sharp barks came from Anxin Hospital.
As Lu Qi passed by the clinic, he saw Lü Shi'an being forced to the doorway, with her owner holding onto the rope tightly. Inside the clinic, a giant poodle was howling at Lü Shi'an.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Too fierce, the visor won't fit," Lu Shi'an explained casually.
"Coming, coming!" Two male assistants jogged over, one carrying anti-bite gloves and the other holding a sedative.
Lulu sat behind the computer at the front desk and glanced at it indifferently.
"Xiao Lu, aren't you going to help?" Tian Miaoying asked from beside him. "I think you're pretty good at dealing with unruly pets."
Lulu smiled at her. "I only serve women."
"Eek." Tian Miaoying stuck out her tongue. "No wonder Brother Lü said you're a playboy."
She shrugged nonchalantly and continued working on her exam. Lu Shi'an had three men on his side; they didn't need Lulu.
The three of them fastened their gloves, Lu Shi'an pushed away the sedative, and the two male assistants prepared to restrain the barking giant poodle.
As soon as they stepped fully armed into the house, the barking of the dogs immediately increased by two octaves.
A large dog, about half a person's height, barked wildly at the three people, raising its front paws, as if it would pounce on them immediately if its owner relaxed even slightly.
The two male assistants gasped, and the owner became increasingly nervous, worried that his dog might bite the doctor.
"Be careful," Lu Shi'an instructed his two assistants, preparing for the injection.
Their preparations alerted the giant poodle; its barks became sharp and piercing, and it thrashed about wildly. Its enormous size put considerable pressure on everyone present.
The new male assistant panicked and took two steps back.
"etc."
Lu Shi'an turned around and looked at Lu Qi.
Lulu stood up instantly.
He suddenly stood up, startling Tian Miaoying who was next to him.
She saw Lulu, who had been leisurely flipping through files just moments before, suddenly become like a police dog that had smelled gunpowder, completely focused on the commotion from the clinic.
“Let me try,” Lu Qi said.
"No," Lu Shi'an pulled her back, "She's very strong, we can't control her."
Lu Qi shook his head and stepped aside to pass by Lü Shi'an.
She crossed the threshold, and Jugui's attention immediately focused on her. He roared and struggled against the leash, trying to pounce on Luqi.
"Let the male doctor from the back come instead." The owner pulled hard on the dog leash, looking at Lu Qi's slender little body, even more flustered than she was.
Lu Shi'an hesitated for a moment.
He knew Lu Qi was good at dealing with dogs, especially large dogs, but this time it was still too dangerous.
This hesitation slowed his outstretched hand; before he could raise it, Lu Qi had already taken a step forward.
The dog barked louder and louder until she reached Ju Gui. The giant dog pounced on her without any politeness, placing its two paws on Lu Qi's shoulders.
Lu Qi braced herself with her back foot. After all, she was heavier than her opponent, and with her preparedness, Ju Gui's first lunge did not knock her down.
She observed the dog's movements, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes, before taking a step forward, bracing herself against the dog's paw.
The giant pounced not only failed, but it was also pushed back.
It turned around, jumped around restlessly, and kept screaming. It then pounced on Lu Qi again.
Lu Qi stared at it, meeting its gaze with a pair of beady eyes hidden in its fluffy curly fur, locking it in its eyes.
She showed it with her eyes that she wasn't afraid of it.
"Awoo." Under this calm gaze, the big dog lowered its front paws, fidgeting restlessly, and its voice dropped by half an octave.
The owner and the veterinarian's assistant watched in astonishment; no one had expected that such a ferocious dog would not bite anyone.
Lu Qi stared straight at Ju Gui, standing upright with one hand outstretched behind her back. "Give me the gag."
The male assistant seemed to wake up from a dream, hurriedly bent down and handed the gag to Lu Qi, then quickly retreated.
Upon seeing the muzzle, the giant poodle, which had calmed down slightly, became agitated again. It lunged at Lu Qi for the third time, its slightly yellowed teeth only half a foot away from Lu Qi's neck.
She remained still, calmly looking down at it, and whispered to its owner, "Give me the leash, you can go outside and wait a while."
From the moment Lu Qi entered, the master had envisioned the little girl being bitten and bleeding profusely, but until now, she was standing perfectly fine.
She was petite but calm, and he instinctively obeyed her command, handing over the dog leash and retreating outside with the other doctor's assistants.
Lu Qi wrapped the dog leash around his hand three times to secure it.
"Close the door."
The glass door closed, and the dog inside kept barking.
Tian Miaoying, who was doing practice problems, also looked up worriedly.
For a full five minutes, the hospital was filled with barking dogs.
The master was extremely anxious outside the door, repeatedly asking Lü Shi'an, "Is that little girl alright? If she's not okay, give her a sedative, just make sure she doesn't bite."
Lu Shi'an was also somewhat worried, but still reassured his master, "Don't worry, Dr. Lu is very experienced and won't act rashly."
"But it's been so long, this, this..."
"It's only been a few minutes, let's wait a little longer."
The barking of the dogs made time pass extremely slowly; it was only a few minutes, but it made people unbearably anxious.
Lu Qi was tackled seven or eight times, and her thighs and abdomen were probably bruised. She steadied herself and waited until the giant goat got tired of yelling before slowly extending the muzzle forward.
Holding the strap, she gently touched the side of Jugui's mouth with the muzzle.
The giant poodle stared warily at the prop near its mouth, its body stiff. When it realized what was happening, it opened its mouth as if to bite. Lu Qi immediately moved the muzzle slightly away and waited for it to calm down.
After a while, she brought the muzzle close again and gently ran it across the top of the giant's head and behind his ears.
This was repeated more than ten times. The giant poodle was stroked all over by the muzzle, and its expression was neither relaxed nor numb.
Lu Qi then bent down and carefully put on the gag.
She opened the door a crack and said to Lü Shi'an, "Let me do it."
Lu Shi'an looked at the large dog inside the door, which was wearing a muzzle and no longer barking, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay."
The owner was dumbfounded, unable to believe that this was still his giant poodle.
You should know that he usually doesn't dare to take it to crowded places, for fear that the dog might bite someone and be reported as dangerous.
Lulu's shoulders relaxed slightly.
He had witnessed Lu Qi treating other dogs countless times, so he didn't rush forward immediately.
In his mind, Lu Qi could handle most dogs.
Dogs are not as dangerous as men.
He glanced at the giant poodle sitting at Lu Qi's feet, while Tian Miaoying smugly said beside him, "Impressive, right? Before you came, she was the best dog trainer here. There are only two kinds of dogs that Sister Lu can't handle."
She held up her fingers, “One type is a red-level dangerous dog, beyond saving, a born scoundrel; the other type is a mad dog that needs psychiatric medication.”
Lulu said, "It's much more convenient to take a sedative."
There's no need to waste energy on those dogs; they've received her kindness but won't repay her in any way.
"That's what everyone says. But her philosophy is to use as little medication as possible, or even no medication at all," Tian Miaoying muttered. "If this continues, she'll soon have to switch careers and become a dog trainer. Well, that's fine, dog trainers earn a good income and don't have to work night shifts."
As she spoke, she saw Lu Qi waving at her from inside the door and immediately ran over.
The two had been partners for a long time, and without Lu Qi saying anything, Tian Miaoying took out Lu Qi's clothes and put them on.
She was covered in Lu Qi's scent, and when she got closer, Ju Gui's reaction was much less intense.
Lulu watched as Lu Qi began to stroke the giant poodle.
Her slender, soft fingers were swallowed by those snail-shaped, dirty curls.
Because of its bad temper, this dog is not bathed very often, and Lulu can smell the foul odor from across the hallway.
The giant dog wagged its tail, avoiding Tian Miaoying, and clung to Lu Qi's legs, constantly licking its mouth and nose, its ferocity masking a timid wariness.
Its beady eyes would occasionally glance at Lu Qi; it relied on her and awaited her commands, showing even more affection for her than for its own owner.
Click.
The left mouse button collapsed, the connection point crushed by the young man's pressure.
Lulu knew what that curly-haired, smelly dog was thinking—
Lu Qi believed it when its owner thought it was an incurable bad dog.
Its owner was timid and fragile, a weakling who would be nervous whenever it was around; while Lu Qi stood firm and withstood its roar.
She displayed unshakeable strength and composure. As a timid dog, the Giant Poodle needs a strong leader to feel safe.
Lu Qi became the role it needed.
She was one of the few people in its life who understood it, so it clung to her, followed her, and even clung to her legs!
"Sister Lu is amazing!"
After seeing their master off, the male assistant, who had been intimidated earlier, gave Lu Qi a thumbs up, saying, "You're too brave."
Lu Qi smiled and said, "It won't bite."
The male assistant asked in confusion, "How did you know?"
"Its cry is much sharper than a normal sound. Hunters don't scream; it's the vulnerable that screams."
Lu Qi said, "Moreover, I noticed that its calls are directly proportional to the distance between you and it. It gets agitated when you go over the door; it calms down a bit when you step back outside the door."
"That's it?" The male assistant was taken aback. "What if it has a naturally high-pitched voice, or it gets cornered and tries something stupid?"
"So only after it pounced on me did I feel confident enough to ask its owner for a rope," Lu Qi laughed. "It's so big, but it's quite timid."
He kept pushing her, trying to get her to leave. She was like a little girl driven to the brink of collapse, desperately clinging to her last sanctuary.
"You only realized you were bitten after you were pounced on?" The male assistant was even more shocked. "What if it had bitten you on the very first bite?"
"No, it shouldn't be like that."
"Why?"
“Its eyes are different; it doesn’t look like a red-rated dog,” she said. “Please call Judy’s owner and ask when he’s arriving.”
"Oh, okay." The male assistant turned around and met Lu Shi'an's ambiguous smile.
"Stunned?"
The male assistant smiled shyly and nodded, "My goodness, bro, you're so different."
Lu Shi'an raised an eyebrow. "What's different?"
"Sister Lu," he leaned closer to Lu Shi'an and whispered, "usually when male customers ask her a few loud questions, she just lowers her head and doesn't dare to speak. But with such a fierce dog, she attacks without hesitation, not even blinking when it pounces."
“‘Give me the dog leash,’ ‘Close the door’—that’s cool, now I understand why you were pursuing her.”
Lu Shi'an tapped him on the head with the scoreboard, "You don't understand anything, I'm going to call you!"
After dismissing the grinning boy, Lü Shi'an glanced at the time.
He waited until it was almost time to leave work before knocking on Lu Qi's clinic door.
"Xiao Lu, are you free this weekend?"
Lu Qi shifted his gaze slightly. "Is there something you need?"
Her imposing manner vanished completely after the consultation, and she reverted to being the quiet, introverted girl she always was.
"Thank you so much for helping me get someone from the hospital yesterday." Lu Shi'an played along, lowering her voice. "I saw that it's your birthday in a couple of days. How about we go out for a meal together?"
“No need,” Lu Qi shook his head. “It was Zhenyi and the others who helped you. I didn’t do anything.”
"Then let's just consider it a birthday celebration for you, okay?"
Lu Qi lowered his eyes.
After a long while, she looked at Lü Shi'an again, and gave a pale, forced smile. "I appreciate your kind words, but I don't like celebrating my birthday."
“Well…” Lu Shi’an wanted to say something more, but Lu Qi had already stood up. “It’s almost time to get off work. I’ll go check on the inpatient ward again.”
"Xiao Lu!" Lu Shi'an grabbed her wrist.
Grasped by rough, large, and hot hands, Lu Qi's pupils contracted sharply, and all the muscles and bones in his body instantly stiffened, rendering him unable to move.
Lu Shi'an pleaded earnestly, "Little Lu, there's something I want to say to you. Could you... could you give me a chance to say it?"
Lu Qi took a large step back and unexpectedly bumped into the door frame.
"Let go!" she suddenly screamed.
The sound was essentially the same as the cry of that giant poodle.
Anyone who hears this sound will immediately understand—this is not the sound of a hunter preparing to attack, but the scream of a vulnerable group in despair.
The moment the sound rang out, Lü Shi'an was grabbed by the shoulder and violently thrown out.
He smashed into the opposite wall, and a tall young man stood in front of Lu Qi, staring intently at Lü Shi'an with a sinister look.
The muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched, revealing one molar, and he emitted a series of low, guttural sounds, like boiling viscous liquid bubbling rapidly—this was the mark of an aggressive hunter.
“You…” Lu Shi’an clutched his shoulder, which had just slammed against the wall, and was about to speak when he saw Lu Qi with his head down, clutching the wrist that Lu Shi’an had just grabbed, trembling all over.
Many people turned to look when they heard the commotion.
Lulu didn't bother Lü Shi'an. He pulled Lu Qi into his arms, protecting her, and quickly left through the back door.
The moment the young man embraced Lu Qi, his muscles tensed for a split second.
But she didn't feel the warmth of a man's body, and at the same time, a familiar scent enveloped her. Strangely, her body didn't react to Lulu's touch.
This is very unusual.
It wasn't until Lulu dropped her off at the entrance of the residential complex that Lu Qi realized what had just happened.
She looked at Lulu with a complicated expression.
This is the second time.
"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes and the tip of her nose slightly red.
She didn't want to talk, nodded to Lulu, and fled into the house as if running away.
When the door opens, the first thing you see is always those two photos and the exposed edge of the urn containing ashes.
Lu Qi stood in the entryway, covered her eyes, and took a deep breath.
His eyes were red beneath his palms.
She stood there for a while, then finally squatted down inside the door, hugged her calves, and buried her face in her knees.
Lu Shi'an reminded her:
My birthday is in two days.
It's that day again...
This was the day Lu Qi hated most.
At the entrance of the building, the young man looked up at the familiar window.
He sat under the tree, hiding his body from her sight, and secretly peeked out with one eye, gazing worriedly at the unlit window.
He sat there from sunset until dawn.
Light snow fell during the night and accumulated on Lulu's head.
A gust of wind blew, and his soft blond hair froze into frost.
Ugh...
At one point, upon hearing Lu Qi's voice, Lulu lowered her head and began to sob sadly.
He reached into his pocket and found a small ball that someone had left behind at the hospital.
He regained his human body and was able to see Lu Qi again as he had wished, but at the same time, he could no longer make her happy with Qiuqiu.
At this moment, all Lulu could do was stand with her and weep together in this snowy night.
A note from the author:
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It's okay, there will be plenty of opportunities to play ball with a human body in the future.
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