LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 71.2 - Childhood Sweetheart Defeated by the Dog CEO (End)
The lease for the neighboring house wouldn’t expire until next year, so He Dongchen decided to first renovate the house he would be living in. After all, the furniture and style needed to be adjusted to his preferences.
When Wen Hanxiao learned about it, she hesitated and asked, “Where will you stay during the renovation?”
He Dongchen originally intended to say he would stay with his parents or, at worst, use the hospital’s dormitory. With his qualifications and achievements, he could easily secure a single apartment. However, seeing Wen Hanxiao blushing and holding Fatty, he hesitated slightly and spread his hands, saying, “I don’t have anywhere to go. Would you consider finding a cat nanny for Fatty?”
“A cat nanny???” Wen Hanxiao blinked and then smiled, “Sure.”
“Meow~” Fatty, the cat, resisted with a displeased expression.
Perhaps because their first meeting hadn’t gone well, Fatty was very finicky and kept turning his back to He Dongchen, displaying an aloof attitude.
He Dongchen gently tapped the little cat’s head with his hand, smiling warmly, “I’ll definitely take good care of it.”
Thus, Fatty got a cat nanny and visibly gained weight. Wen Hanxiao had been very busy recently, so Fatty went to work with He Dongchen. The staff at the pet hospital soon knew that Dr. He’s significant other had a ginger cat.
***
Jiang Shiguang, sitting elegantly in the pet room, shook his head in disdain. Today was his discharge day. To mark the occasion, he had deliberately reduced Tao Tao’s workload, ensuring she got off work on time. The time had come.
Sure enough, before long, Tao Tao’s tall figure appeared, though she looked a bit haggard.
“Xiao Ha, you’re discharged.” Tao Tao led Jiang Shiguang to handle the paperwork. As the attending physician, He Dongchen gave Jiang Shiguang a meaningful look and advised Tao Tao, “Hold on tight, don’t let him run away.”
Seeing He Dongchen’s rare concern for her, Tao Tao’s eyes brightened. But then, a yellow figure ran over and climbed up He Dongchen’s white coat.
“Fatty, stop it.” He Dongchen grabbed the ginger cat and placed it on the nearby table.
Tao Tao was taken aback. Realizing something, she pointed at the ginger cat in disbelief and asked, “Isn’t that the cat from that girl the other day?”
He Dongchen nodded, “That’s right. She’s very busy with work, so the cat is with me.”
Tao Tao wavered, and in the end, she somehow managed to lead Xiao Ha out of the hospital. Distracted and lost in thought, she stood by the roadside waiting for the traffic lights, not reacting even as they changed several times.
Jiang Shiguang was somewhat concerned but valued his freedom and family jewels even more. So, while Tao Tao was distracted, he suddenly bit through the dog leash and sprinted toward the nearby neighborhood where the house had been bought.
Today, he had specifically instructed the dog nanny to wait at the neighborhood entrance to take away any Husky with a leash.
The dog nanny was puzzled but agreed, as the pay was too tempting.
Distraught over He Dongchen’s new romantic interest, Tao Tao only felt a sharp pain in her hand. Her dog was gone. She looked up in shock, seeing Xiao Ha running away without hesitation. The tears she had been holding back finally broke free.
Why?
Even a dog had abandoned me.
“Hey, your dog ran away! Hurry up and chase it!”
“Yeah, stop daydreaming!”
Passersby saw the dog running away and the owner standing there dumbfounded. Unable to hold back their impatience, they urged, “What’s the use of crying now that the dog is gone!”
Tao Tao, feeling increasingly distressed, broke down completely. “That wasn’t even my dog! I found it! Found it! If it wants to run away, how can I keep it?”
Just like with He Dongchen leaving, she couldn’t turn things around.
***
At the pet hospital, He Dongchen was on duty. After finishing work at 10, he was preparing to go home with the drowsy Fatty in his arms.
“Dr. He! Xiao Ha is back again!” A nurse rushed in, her hands covered in blood.
He Dongchen frowned at the sight, settled Fatty, put on his work coat, and followed her to the examination room. Inside, the Husky lay weakly on the operating table. Its abdomen was covered in coagulated blood, and it had a stitched-up eye. When it saw him, it seemed to relax, slowly closing its eyes.
He Dongchen’s face grew serious as he began to examine the wound with gentle movements.
“The person who brought it in said it seemed to have been hit by a car and had been lying on the ground for an unknown amount of time. Blood was everywhere, and it wouldn’t close its eyes. He couldn’t stand it and brought it to us.”
“By the way, I’ve already called Miss Tao. She should be here soon.”
As the words fell, the operating room fell silent. The cold instruments flickered occasionally, and the atmosphere was tense.
[Hey? The CEO isn’t inside anymore?] the system exclaimed. Now, the dog’s body only had a weak soul left.
He Dongchen continued his work, carefully cleaning the wound. When no one was looking, he slipped a pill purchased from the store into the dog’s mouth.
In the original plot, after Jiang Shiguang returned, Xiao Ha had died.
At some point, Tao Tao, with a worried expression, appeared outside the operating room, her eyes glued to the thick glass.
“How is it?” As soon as the door opened, Tao Tao rushed in, her eyes red and swollen. After Xiao Ha ran away, she had a complete emotional breakdown, crying on the street for a long time. She thought maybe it was just fate, but she hadn’t expected Xiao Ha to show up at the hospital again in such a tragic state.
Tao Tao now felt immense regret and self-blame. She wondered why she hadn’t chased after him. If she had, this wouldn’t have happened.
He Dongchen said, “The surgery went smoothly, but it will need to be observed for a while.”
Tao Tao sighed with relief, leaning against the wall to steady her trembling legs, her expression grim. “I checked the surveillance footage of the accident. Xiao Ha got into the accident while trying to save a child. The adult was arguing with the driver while holding the child, and Xiao Ha was left lying alone on the ground, blood everywhere. Passersby kept their distance.”
“I heard from the kind person who brought it here that Xiao Ha kept its eyes open the whole time. Despite the pain, he knew he shouldn’t close his eyes…”
He Dongchen remained silent and comforted her, “It’s okay, he’ll get better.”
“What about us? Will we be okay?” Tao Tao, with tears in her eyes, stared stubbornly at He Dongchen.
When she saw him shake his head, the tiny glimmer of hope in her eyes disappeared completely. Wiping her tears, she choked out, “I understand now. I’ll go check on Xiao Ha.”
She walked away step by step, her fists tightly clenched, never looking back. Xiao Ha’s situation had hit her hard. If she continued to dwell on the past, she would only lose more and regret even more.
***
The next day, Tao Tao called the company to ask for leave. Her colleague teased, “What a coincidence, President Jiang also took a leave. Could it be that you two have something going on?”
Tao Tao replied helplessly, “What are you talking about? My dog got hit by a car yesterday. I’m staying at the hospital.”
Her colleague was speechless. “The dog you found at the company gate? How many times has it been to the hospital? It’s such a tough fate. Maybe you should stop keeping it; you two just don’t get along.”
One brings misfortune, the other brings financial strain. Tao Tao had already spent thousands on Xiao Ha.
Tao Tao was deep in thought after hearing this.
The next day at work, President Jiang awkwardly asked about Xiao Ha, “I heard your dog was in the hospital again. Is it okay?”
Jiang Shiguang had been hit at the entrance of the neighborhood. When he saw a child about to be hit by a car, he instinctively rushed over and got thrown away. Lying on the ground, as his body grew colder, he desperately kept his eyes open, staring at the distant neighborhood gate, unwilling to give up, fearing that if he died, it would be the end.
Fortunately, fate was kind to him, and he came back.
Tao Tao answered honestly, “Xiao Ha is fine and is now in the recovery phase.”
Jiang Shiguang nodded. In reality, after returning, he had disguised himself and visited the hospital. After all, it was a dog that had stayed in for a while.
“Alright, if it’s fine, you can leave now.” Jiang Shiguang waved his hand and signed the document to let Tao Tao go.
Tao Tao didn’t move. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “President Jiang, didn’t you want to adopt Xiao Ha before? Do you still want to?”
Jiang Shiguang was surprised, “Why the sudden change of heart?”
Tao Tao smiled bitterly, “Xiao Ha and I are not meant to be. There’s no future for us. Also, isn’t the company planning to send someone south to explore new markets? I want to give it a try.”
With He Dongchen in a relationship, marriage was likely to follow soon. The He family would be lively, and living across the hall would only bring unnecessary trouble.
It’s better to move to another city and work hard for a few years. Love may be gone, but career matters.
“You’re not trying to keep Dr. He?” Jiang Shiguang blurted out before quickly covering his mouth, realizing his mistake. The pet hospital’s gossip had slipped out unintentionally.
“How did President Jiang know…?” Tao Tao was taken aback.
Jiang Shiguang could only be vague, “I have a friend working at the pet hospital.”
Then he quickly changed the subject, “So you’re going south, right? I’ll approved it. Do a good job.”
To be honest, Tao Tao’s work ability was quite good; otherwise, Jiang Shiguang wouldn’t have kept an eye on her. If she were the kind of person who was unambitious and lazy, he wouldn’t have bothered.
***
In the end, Xiao Ha ended up in Jiang Shiguang’s care. He visited the hospital to check on the dog, his expression solemn.
“It seems Mr. Jiang really likes Xiao Ha?” He Dongchen, smiling, stood aside and watched the male lead and the husky gaze at each other affectionately.
Jiang Shiguang snapped out of it, giving He Dongchen a complex look. It was this man who wanted to take his precious family jewels.
He coldly said, “I want to transfer Xiao Ha to another hospital.”
He no longer wanted to see this man!
He Dongchen smiled, “No problem.”
Without the domineering presence of its previous owner, the husky turned into a very purebred dog, spending its days demolishing the house. Jiang Shiguang’s furniture had been replaced repeatedly. The assistant responsible for the furniture replacement was pained by the cost and repeatedly suggested neutering Xiao Ha, which would make it quieter.
Every time Jiang Shiguang heard that, his face grew sour. Neutering was out of the question! Not in this lifetime!
While Jiang Shiguang could tolerate the destruction, there was another incident that really pushed him to the edge.
One day, Jiang Shiguang took Xiao Ha out to the countryside and saw it sticking its tongue out at a pile of poop.
“Xiao Ha, stop!!!”
Jiang Shiguang felt dizzy and nearly had a heart attack on the spot.
***
Winter passed and spring arrived.
When Fatty had grown into a round little ball, He Dongchen and Wen Hanxiao got married. He Dongchen’s parents were overjoyed that their son, now older, had finally gotten married.
The Tao family sent a gift but didn’t attend the wedding.
Tao Tao was far in the south, overwhelmed with work and completely indifferent to romance.
After the wedding, He Dongchen continued to bring Fatty to work. Wen Hanxiao’s serialized comic had concluded, and she planned to take a break, occasionally posting snippets on Weibo.
‘Those years of the pet doctor and the orange cat outwitting each other.’
The plot was simple, featuring a cute and aloof orange cat and a cold, sharp-tongued doctor. In the background, there was always a blooming pink rose.
That was her favorite flower.
Later, the Tao family moved. It was said that Tao Tao was thriving in the south, having bought a house and brought her parents over. It was also rumored that Tao Tao had started dating a younger man and was preparing to marry.
Wen Hanxiao initially paid attention to He Dongchen’s attitude towards Tao Tao, as Tao Tao’s words during their first meeting had been particularly striking.
But as the years passed, they hadn’t been in touch. Wen Hanxiao gradually let go of her worries, feeling that she had been overthinking. She felt guilty and made extra efforts to be kind to He Dongchen in her daily interactions.
For instance, she added a new flavor to the small cookies; rose-flavored.
In this lifetime, He Dongchen continued to live a long life. Though he didn’t achieve any great career milestones, his life was warm and fulfilling. After Wen Hanxiao passed away, he finally left his small world behind.