Chapter 1: A Dog's Misfortune

July, early morning

In the evening, Mother Xia brought in dinner and informed her that she had booked a flight to Wuhan, suggesting that she stay at her grandmother's house in Fangxian for the entire summer vacation. During this time, if the soft candy could be delivered, she could return; if not, she would have to endure going directly to school at the start of the term.

It is uncertain whether it was due to not consulting the old calendar before going out, but she was once again stopped during the security check. Two security personnel, with serious expressions, carefully examined the watercolor paints in her bag, only allowing her to pass after confirming that the paints were indeed paints and not any prohibited items. This delay lasted for a quarter of an hour, and the plane was about to take off!

Um. Afraid that the milk would spill on the floor, Charlotte did not dare to speak, only managing to squeeze out two monosyllables from her throat

She wiped away the sweat that had suddenly appeared and let out a sigh of relief

Charlotte took a deep breath, lazily rolled her eyes a couple of times, and caught sight of a pair of straight, long legs standing beside the chair. She guessed that this person was a young master from the upper class, known for their consistently pleasant voices. Thus, she mechanically displayed a smile and said, "Thank you for your trouble"

The doubts in her heart flashed by in an instant; the next moment, she found the answer, but felt utterly embarrassed.

In the first three days, the gummy bear suffered from hunger and illness, and the situation was still manageable. However, it caused Charlotte to empty half of the piggy bank, and after several trips under the scorching sun, she took the heavy creature to the veterinary hospital for treatment and injections, ultimately snatching its life back from the clutches of death

The person with the gentle voice said to her very softly, "Then, could you please let me through? My seat is inside"

With disheveled hair and drenched in sweat, Charlotte rushed through the waiting area with a large backpack, resembling a madwoman. Passersby avoided her as if she were a piece of sticky candy. Finally, she managed to board the plane just three minutes before the cabin door closed

You speak. Charlotte lowered her head and rummaged through her bag for tissues to blow her nose

In the mere blink of an eye, Charlotte seemed to hear a muffled "thud," and then the elevator began to descend

On that day, Charlotte locked herself in her room and cried bitterly, refusing to open the door no matter who came to persuade her. To her surprise, Candy not only showed no remorse but instead began to bark joyfully in accompaniment to her cries. The louder Charlotte cried in her room, the more cheerfully Candy barked in the living room; the more sorrowful she felt, the more excited Candy became, with their cries and barks echoing back and forth, continuing for a long time.

May I ask if there is any way I can assist you? A gentle voice spoke again, Do you need help placing your luggage on the overhead rack

Halfway through her words, Mama Xia was interrupted by a frenzied barking from behind the door. The image of Tangtang, baring its teeth and glaring fiercely as if about to pounce, involuntarily flashed through Xia Luo's mind, causing him to shiver in fear as he pressed the elevator button with all his might

Is there still any sense of justice in this world

In theory, overly polite phrasing can make the speaker seem rigid and conventional, with the courtesy concealing a sense of detachment. However, for some reason, this voice is as refreshing as sweet wine, with its appropriate words and a deep, gentle tone hiding an abundance of ambiguous intimacy

On the morning when the true tragedy occurred, she tiptoed into the living room and found the soft candy lying on the dog mat, merely lifting its eyelids to glance at her, unusually quiet and well-behaved. Charlotte felt puzzled but did not think much of it, as she routinely walked to the flower room on the balcony to water her beloved plants. To her surprise, as soon as she pushed open the sliding door, a scene of devastation greeted her; the plants placed lower down had all been uprooted from their pots, scattered all over the ground. At that moment, she finally experienced firsthand what it meant to invite a dog into the den! What it meant to have a wolf's heart and a dog's lungs!

A gentle voice, like the wind, brushed past Charlotte's ear

After paying for the ride, Charlotte walked for half a day with a heavy backpack before realizing she had been deceived. Is this what they call not far? She walked for a full twenty minutes before finally catching sight of the airport building in the distance. Checking the time, she saw that there were only thirty minutes left until the flight took off. Without time to complain or feel angry, she began to sprint under the rising sun.

"The vicious dog fears the wicked man," who exactly is the scoundrel that said this? Charlotte made a fierce entrance, yet ended up fleeing in disgrace as usual. The baseball bat left behind in the living room was mistaken by the candy for a teething toy, and within half a day, it was chewed into a projectile from the Paleolithic era.

It has been proven that there is no one better than a mother in this world

Finding the seat by matching the number on the boarding pass, Charlotte unloaded her bag, casually tossed it onto the aisle, and slumped into the chair, remaining motionless.

Charlotte was brought back to reality by his call, glanced out the window, and sniffled as she answered the question that had not been asked: "How far is it to the airport?"

You are welcome. A hint of laughter accompanied the gentle voice

After pondering for half a day, Charlotte felt that having lived for nineteen years, she should stand her ground and not let a dog make a fool of her. Thus, she wiped away her tears, with swollen eyelids, picked up the baseball bat from the corner of the wall, fiercely opened the door, and went to the living room to eat.

"Oh, little sister, why are you crying?" The taxi driver was taken aback.

Humans are indeed supposed to be smarter than dogs, so why not just avoid provoking it? In the days that followed, Charlotte began to deliberately avoid the fierce dog. If she happened to encounter it in the corridor, she would immediately step aside to give it room. Being so low-key in life could be considered unparalleled, right? Little did she know that the dog, Sugar, did not understand the principle of knowing when to back off; instead, it became even more aggressive. It would not allow her to move around in her room, and as soon as it heard her footsteps, it would rush over, pretending to bite, which frightened her into hiding in her own room. Before coming out, she had to repeatedly confirm that the dog leash was securely fastened.

May I ask if there is anything else you need assistance with

The nightmare begins from here

It was likely during working hours, as there were particularly many people taking the elevator, and the orange floor indicator light flickered very slowly. Behind me, the barking of dogs grew increasingly intense, mixed with the scolding voice of Mama Xia, turning what should have been a very peaceful morning into a cacophony.

Xia Luo held a bag of milk in his mouth, clutched some change in his hand, and carried a large backpack on his back, hurriedly "escaping" from home. Mama Xia poked her head out from inside the door, offering her usual motherly advice: "Be careful on the road, and call home when you arrive"

"We're almost there, just ahead." The taxi driver paused for a moment and said, "Can we make a deal?"

What a close call

Well, if it is just like this, Charlotte feels that she can still endure it

I need to pay for parking when entering the airport. Is it alright if I drop you off up ahead? It's not far; just a couple of steps and you'll reach the *picture* book!

She heard it, but at that moment, she was in a state of exhaustion and confusion, too tired to even move her eyes. All she could think was how beautiful that voice was, completely unaware that the person was speaking to her

Xia Luo began to doubt whether she was her parents' biological child. However, the birth certificate was still in the drawer, and it did not appear to be forged in any way. She had no choice but to temporarily dismiss her doubts.

"No need, thank you." Charlotte suddenly felt that the service of this airline was exceptionally attentive, so she took out her boarding pass from her jeans pocket, carefully examined the airline's abbreviation code on it, and decided to purchase a ticket from this airline for her return trip. However, speaking of which, why was this flight attendant still standing next to her and not leaving?

Charlotte nodded slightly, listening to the faint sounds of luggage being stowed in the overhead compartment, while inwardly hoping that the beverages served on board would arrive soon, as she was so thirsty that she could easily down an entire 2500ml bottle of cola in one go

Alright. Xia Luo is naturally directionally challenged and does not recognize the way. This is her first time coming to the airport alone, but she thinks that since the driver is accustomed to driving a taxi and is familiar with the route, he would not deceive her. Therefore, she nodded without any hesitation.

That night, she lay in bed, tears streaming down her face. She cried not because of heartbreak, but because she felt ashamed! She had been indirectly driven out of her home by a dog she had brought back herself!

It is not that I have never considered giving the gummy bear away, but all those who came to adopt it were frightened away by its dreadful appearance. Although Charlotte despises it, she still adheres to a certain canine humanitarianism and cannot bring herself to throw it back onto the streets to continue its wandering. Thus, she has allowed it to stay at home day after day, occupying the nest like a magpie.

From then on, anyone from the Xia family could approach it, pet it, and feed it, except for Xia Luo! As soon as Xia Luo got a little too close, it would start to puff up, barking furiously at her, saliva flying everywhere. It would take at least half an hour of commotion before one could expect it to calm down.

She was so angry that she hid behind the door and cursed loudly. Summer's father, who loved dogs, actually spoke up for the dog: "How old are you? How old is it? Is it worth your time to argue with it? Isn't that embarrassing?"

Ensure that your three meals outside are regular and do not eat indiscriminately

Heaven knows how long she had waited, when the elevator door finally opened with a "ding." Charlotte quickly rushed in, first pressing the close door button, and then the number button. As the elevator door slowly closed, she caught a glimpse through the gap of a dark figure swiftly darting out from her home, rushing towards the elevator, causing her heart to leap into her throat

A thoughtful arrangement; Charlotte has wanted to visit Shennongjia for a long time. She immediately packed a large bag, stuffing in her drawing board, brushes, watercolor paints, as well as her sketchbook and plant specimen folder.

In this day and age, truly good people receive no rewards! Last month, she encountered a gummy bear by the trash can. At that time, it was so sick that it was on the verge of death. Whether it was its pitiful appearance, gasping for breath, or its lifeless eyes that moved her, she, who usually feared dogs like tigers, unexpectedly acted on impulse and brought it home.

Charlotte never expected Gummy to repay her, but she still did not anticipate that this clean and relatively pleasant-looking dog, after recovering from its illness and being well-fed, would regard her as an enemy! For this, she puzzled over it for several days before finally realizing the reason: Gummy probably viewed the pet hospital as a cruel chamber of horrors for dogs, and Charlotte was seen as the executioner who brought it there for punishment