Chapter 83: Letting Go
Chen Bai explained the situation about Yi Wan from start to finish. When he got to the part about finding someone to adopt the dog, Auntie Jiang was taken aback, wanting to say something but holding back as she listened.
Raising his eyes slightly, Chen Bai said, “But I don’t think I can give him up after all.”
Being someone who, once he had made up his mind, was very direct, the agent on the side gave him a thumbs up.
Auntie Jiang took care of the rest, “Then let him stay at our place. I’ll make sure he’s well-fed and happy.”
It didn’t seem like an illusion—Auntie Jiang’s voice sounded particularly cheerful, more than a couple of notches higher than usual. In the background, they could even hear her calling Mr. Xu to come to the phone.
The voice call turned into a video call. Chen Bai showed Auntie Jiang and Mr. Xu the lively Yi Wan, still practicing its lion dance.
The fluffy white dog twitched its ears at the voices coming through the phone but couldn’t see where they were coming from, looking around in confusion.
By the end of the call, Yi Wan had officially been renamed “Chen Yi Wan” and, after getting its next vaccine shot in a few days, would be picked up by its newly appointed grandparents.
Auntie Jiang, now an eager “grandmother,” who loved dressing up her “grandkids,” was already busy browsing for dog clothes when they hung up the phone.
As the screen went dark, reflecting the agent’s smiling face beside him, she said, “See? Just one call and it’s all sorted out.”
Chen Bai smiled too, gave a nod, and continued to rub the little dog’s head.
The agent glanced at the lucky Chen Yi Wan and said, “Now that you’re staying with your aunt, you’re truly living a life of luxury. Every day, Boss Wan wakes up in his 800-square-meter bed, and his daily task is to run wild on the big lawn, with people chasing after him to feed him.”
Who would have thought that this little dog was a dying stray by the roadside not long ago?
She poked Boss Wan’s head and said, “You’re quite good at picking the right people to mooch off.”
Yi Wan had the same temperament as his dad. Even when poked on the head, he didn’t resist. After dodging, he continued his lion dance performance.
That night, a tired Chen Yi Wan was brought back to his cage and fell asleep hugging a toy shark, while his dad, Chen Bai, left the hospital under the inexplicably eager gazes of the staff.
A few days later, the official handover ceremony for Chen Yi Wan was held.
The ordinary little furry dog, before even being discharged, already had a custom-made seat in the car waiting to take him home. He rode in a luxury car, transforming from “Little Wan” to “Young Master Wan.”
Before officially bringing him home, his grandparents had visited a few times, and Yi Wan had already gotten familiar with them. So, when he was put in the car, he didn’t resist at all, sniffing around to familiarize himself with the scents. The handover was completed smoothly.
After the handover, it was the end of the month, and Chen Bai went off to film a movie to earn money for Yi Wan’s dog food.
This time, it was just a cameo, so his role wasn’t large. He finished filming in two months, while the other main actors were still struggling on set. His wrap party was held that evening, a small gathering where everyone took the opportunity to eat and drink their fill.
It was late at night when they were done eating, and most people assumed Yi Bai would stay, but he put on his hat, said goodbye, and left.
He had someone picking him up that night.
A group of tipsy people, using the excuse of seeing him off, stood with him by the roadside, sobering up. They swayed unsteadily, looking like a horde of zombies attacking Dave’s lawn in Plants vs. Zombies. Amidst the zombies, Chen Yi Bai, wearing a light yellow hoodie, looked like a sunny mushroom lost among the undead.
Not long after, a car arrived, and the only sunny mushroom was plucked out by someone.
The man who “plucked” the mushroom didn’t wear a hat or mask, but even in the dim light, his facial features stood out, with his eyes half-hidden in shadow, still highly recognizable.
“…”
The crowd of “zombies” watched as the sleepy sunny mushroom leaned back onto the man’s body and politely waved goodbye to them.
The agent, used to scenes like this, wasn’t fazed at all. While the others were still reacting, he waved his hand, signaling for them to leave.
The sunny mushroom was “transplanted” to the passenger seat, strapped in with a seatbelt, and driven away. The zombies watched as the car left.
Once the street was empty, the autumn breeze blew by, and someone shivered, weakly saying, “It’s a bit cold…and a bit lonely.”
A person next to them patted their shoulder and said, “We still have work tomorrow.”
This single sentence made their colleague shed tears in the chilly autumn night.
Meanwhile, back in the neighbor’s car, the sunny mushroom wasn’t cold or lonely, even though the seatbelt restricted his movements, preventing him from going through his usual after-work routine of punching and kicking. He could still stretch, and after doing so, he slumped comfortably into the seat.
His good neighbor told him, “Yi Wan is already asleep. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to play with him.”
Yi Wan’s schedule followed his grandparents’—early to bed and early to rise, never staying up late. Chen Bai nodded, understanding, and pulled out his phone to look at the latest pictures of the little dog sent by Auntie Jiang, saving them with practiced ease. He then remembered something and said, “I’m taking Yi Wan to play at a newly built park tomorrow with a friend.”
His good neighbor remembered immediately and asked, “The friend you met at the dog café?”
The social butterfly nodded, so Xu Sixian didn’t say much, just reminded him to stay safe.
Thinking this was about Yi Wan’s safety, Yi Bai confidently nodded and said, “I’ll make sure Yi Wan doesn’t run off.”
The neighbor driving glanced at him briefly.
They arrived home around midnight. Most of the people in the house were already asleep when the car pulled into the yard.
Without calling anyone else to help, Xu Sixian parked the car, got out, and walked around to the passenger side to wake the person who had dozed off. He bent down to unbuckle the seatbelt.
Fortunately, the nap had been light, so the usually hard-to-wake Chen Bai stirred on his own. The moment he woke, he immediately tried to leap out of the car.
His attempt to jump failed, and he ended up being caught mid-air by his good neighbor, who steadied him and helped him land smoothly.
No one was waiting at the door for them this time, so they let themselves in.
Knowing they’d be back late, the lights in the house had been left on, making it feel warm and welcoming. Only the living room was dark. “Yi Wan is sleeping in the living room,” the good neighbor said.
Chen Bai went to take a look.
According to the others in the house, when Yi Wan first arrived, he stayed within five meters of the cage he was brought in, sleeping beside his toy shark every night. Over time, especially with the grandparents’ doting, Yi Wan had evolved into a little explorer, sleeping in a different place every night, but always with his toy.
This time, the living room sofa was the lucky spot. A white furry bundle lay there, with a blanket covering its belly, along with the little shark toy.
Yi Bai only intended to glance from a distance, but the furball’s nose twitched, and suddenly its doggy eyes popped open, instantly awake.
Without any time to react, he was tackled, falling back onto the sofa. His hat, still on his head, fell to the floor as he was buried under a weight he shouldn’t have to bear.
The dog, now five months old, was growing heavier, more than what a normal person could handle.
Yi Wan wagged his tail so fast it was a blur. Not knowing how to bark properly, he let out a series of soft “whimpering” sounds that rose and fell melodically.
His good neighbor came over, patiently picked up the fallen hat, and was the only one able to calm Yi Wan, lifting the dog off and holding him.
Finally relieved of the weight, Chen Bai, lying on the sofa, had his messy hair tousled further, and his shirt had ridden up, revealing a pale strip of skin in the dim light. As he propped himself up, his shirt slipped back down, covering everything again.
After being forcibly separated, Yi Wan turned around, picked up his shark toy and blanket, and instead of charging at him like a cannonball again, circled around Chen Bai’s feet.
The message was clear—he wanted to sleep together.
Chen Bai was used to sleeping alone. But with Yi Wan circling him, offering the little shark toy, and freshly bathed that afternoon, he agreed. The man and the dog reached a mutual understanding in this strange moment, silently gearing up for bed.
Then, they were stopped.
With one hand on Chen Bai’s wrist and the other on Yi Wan’s collar, the good neighbor frowned and said, “Don’t run up the stairs.”
Chen Bai looked down at Yi Wan and, putting on a fatherly tone, said, “Did you hear that, Yi Wan?”
Xu Sinian “…”
Both the man and the dog were then carried upstairs.
Once upstairs, Chen Bai took a shower while Yi Wan, with his toy and blanket, climbed onto the bed. He was so sleepy that his eyes were squinting, but he refused to sleep until Chen Bai finished showering.
By the time Chen Bai emerged from the bathroom, Yi Wan was already swaying from side to side, nearly asleep. They finally lay down together, the man and the dog side by side.
The good neighbor, who had been quietly waiting on the sofa, got up and left the room, turning off the light on his way out.
Just before the lights went out, Chen Bai, already snuggled deep into the soft, scented fur, peeked out, looked at the empty half of the bed, and patted it. “Comrade Xu, how about joining us?”
The person at the door looked over. After carefully eyeing the other’s physique, Chen Bai lay back down and hugged the dog, saying, “You’re too big to fit. You’d better sleep on your own. Goodnight.”
Chen Bai “…”
Comrade Xu, who lost his chance to sleep together due to his large frame, turned off the light and left. As he walked away, he thought he saw Yi Wan, nestled in Chen Bai’s arms, grinning.
—
The next morning, Chen Bai and Yi Wan came downstairs together, just in time to meet Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Xu at breakfast.
Mrs. Jiang, already dressed like a successful businesswoman, glanced at the man and the dog, her eyes widening in surprise. The cup in her hand hovered mid-air for a moment before she slowly placed it down on the table. After swallowing her sip of water, she asked, “Did you sleep with Yi Wan last night?”
Chen Bai said yes, then asked, “How did you know?”
Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Xu’s gazes fell on his messy hair and Yi Wan’s equally disheveled white fur, looking like they had just crawled out of the same bed. It was hard not to tell.
Yi Wan, who was always polite, greeted his grandparents with boundless energy and received a new blue-and-white knitted bib from Grandma Jiang, complete with a white bone pattern that perfectly suited him.
The housekeeper went to make some soy milk for Yi Wan’s dad, Chen Bai, to drink.
As Chen Bai was sipping his soy milk, his good neighbor, who had gone out early, returned. Dressed in a simple black shirt, he casually wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel.
One was a disciplined “father” of Yi Wan, while the other, his “dad,” was a bit of a mess.
—When deciding on titles, it was clear that the neighbor should be called “uncle,” but it felt strange, and “brother” felt even stranger. So, they settled on “Yi Wan’s dad,” with each of them using different terms that didn’t interfere with each other.
Later in the morning, since the park they were heading to was on the way, Mrs. Jiang gave Chen Bai and Yi Wan a ride.
In the past two months, Yi Wan had often gone out with his grandparents, so as soon as he jumped in the car, he knew they were going out to play, unable to sit still in his seat from excitement.
When they arrived, Chen Bai put a light blue leash on Yi Wan, which matched his bib perfectly.
Seeing the park out the window, Chen Bai, who wasn’t fond of public attention, put on his hat and mask. Once the car pulled up by the curb, he and Yi Wan hopped out and waved at the people inside through the window.
As the car drove away, Chen Bai, holding his pet bag and leash, pulled out his phone to send a message to his friend—the one he now exclusively used to arrange dog meetups.
Unexpectedly, they were early, with some time to spare before their scheduled meetup. Chen Bai thought he’d need to kill some time, but it turned out his friend had already arrived.
So, plans changed, and he headed straight to meet up with him.
Although the park had just opened, the plants had been growing for quite some time. In late autumn, the ginkgo trees lining the path had already turned yellow, their golden leaves carpeting the ground. As Yi Wan ran, his paws stirred up small gusts of wind, briefly lifting the leaves before they settled back down.
Yang Shu was sitting by the lake in the park’s center. He had arrived early, and a few ginkgo leaves had already fallen onto his wheelchair. With a gust of wind, the leaves fluttered to the ground.
Receiving no further messages, he put his phone away.
The lake sparkled in the sunlight, and in the distance, he heard the sound of a dog running and the scurrying of footsteps. Turning his head, he saw someone running towards him, holding the leash of a large white dog.
The person couldn’t stop in time, their shirt and hat flaring up with the movement, the brim of the hat almost flying off before being caught and pressed firmly back down.
As they drew closer, the person pressed down on their hat and managed to stop just two meters away, bringing the little dog to a safe halt too. A breeze, carrying the crisp scent of autumn, blew past them.
After stopping, Chen Bai, still holding the leash, smiled and waved, greeting, “Good morning, my friend!”
No matter when it was, he always seemed so full of life.
Yang Shu objectively thought it was already past morning, but he responded with a “Good morning” as well.
After the greeting, Chen Bai crouched down slightly and proudly showed off Chen Yi Wan in all his glory.
Due to a previous experience of being abandoned, Chen Yi Wan was initially not affectionate towards people. But after repeated feeding and head pats from the grandparents in the house, along with help from the housekeepers, the kitchen staff, and others, Yi Wan had become a sociable and affectionate dog. He now approached the wheelchair and started sniffing around.
Yang Shu bent down to pat the little dog on the head, feeling the soft, fluffy texture under his hand. After removing his hand, he reached behind the wheelchair and brought out a paper bag.
Inside the paper bag was a small dog toy—a miniature Bernese Mountain Dog. He handed it to Chen Yi Wan, saying, “A gift for our first meeting.”
Yi Wan, who equally loved all toys, showed plenty of enthusiasm. He grabbed the little toy and, making a small sound, flopped onto the ground to play with it.
Recalling that Yi Wan had just had a bath yesterday, Chen Bai decided that the dog’s happiness was more important, so he forcibly ignored the fact that Yi Wan was now lying on the ground, pretending not to see it.
Nearby, there was a bench. Still holding the leash in his hand, Chen Bai sat down on it.
Yang Shu glanced at the fluffy little furball and asked, “Didn’t you say before that you weren’t considering getting a dog?”
Chen Bai smiled, “For various reasons, I ended up keeping him. He’s staying at a friend’s house now.”
The park had just opened and, coincidentally, it was the weekend, so many people were passing by. Initially, they were just out for a stroll, but after seeing Yi Wan holding the little Bernese toy, they stopped to watch. After receiving permission, people started petting him. While petting, someone asked, “What’s the dog’s name?”
“Chen Yi Wan,” Chen Bai thought for a moment, then added, “Yi Wan, as in ‘ten thousand yuan.'”
With people scratching his head and cheeks, Yi Wan squinted his eyes in comfort. Upon hearing his name, he turned his head slightly as if in acknowledgment.
It was an unusual name, and the people petting him chuckled. One of them paused, thinking the name sounded familiar, though the mask muffled the voice slightly, making it harder to place.
Their thoughts were interrupted when someone asked to take a photo with the dog. Holding the leash, Chen Bai nodded and agreed.
At five months old, Yi Wan was supposed to be in an awkward growing phase, but his genes were exceptionally good. He still had a round, chubby face, and looked like the perfect little puppy, with people taking turns to take pictures with him.
After the photos were taken, the crowd, now satisfied, said their goodbyes to both the dog and Chen Bai as they left.
After everyone was done, Chen Bai snapped a couple of pictures himself and, as usual, sent them to his friend, White Moonlight.
White Moonlight, sitting in his wheelchair, moved his hands slightly when he saw the photos. After considering his words, he said, “There’s an artistic vibe to them.”
Chen Bai put his phone away and replied, “Then I’ll post them on Weibo when I get back.”
His agent had previously told him not to neglect his social media account, so today seemed like a good day to make a post.
Seeing that Chen Bai wasn’t joking, Yang Shu quickly chimed in, “Maybe you should use a different photo.”
But Chen Bai, quite fond of these “artistic” pictures, thought they were perfect. Yang Shu glanced at Yi Wan, who was still innocently playing with his toy, and chose not to say anything further.
The area was peaceful until the wind blew, making the leaves in the trees rustle and fall. The moment passed in an instant. As the leaves fell, Yi Wan, who had been playing with his toy, lifted his head, watching the leaves drift down. Then, without warning, he charged forward with all his might.
Along with him, the person sitting on the bench flew forward as well.
Just below was a grassy slope. The man and the dog moved so quickly that there was no time to react. Yang Shu, startled, quickly stood up, and the driver-slash-bodyguard, who had been nearby, hurried over.
“…”
Midway down the slope, Chen Bai managed to pull Yi Wan to a stop. Although Yi Wan was still just a few months old, Chen Bai wasn’t too worried about controlling him, though it wasn’t as easy as when his good neighbor did it.
Holding the leash firmly, Chen Bai scolded Yi Wan on the spot. When he turned his head, he saw the now-empty wheelchair where Yang Shu had been, a man in sunglasses halfway down the slope whom he didn’t recognize, and White Moonlight standing not far away.
… Standing?
Still holding the leash, Chen Bai’s eyes widened as he lifted the brim of his hat, blinking in disbelief. “Wait, bro, you can stand?!”
A medical miracle had just happened on this otherwise ordinary day.
His heart was pounding, and the cold air filled his lungs, bringing with it a slight burning sensation. Yang Shu took a deep breath and said, “I can’t do strenuous activities. I can’t stand for long or run, but I’m not completely disabled.”
The sound of his heartbeat mixed with the wind. It had been a long time since his limbs had moved this fast, and the air carried the scent of the green and yellow grass. Exhaling, he said, “The wheelchair is just for convenience.”
Chen Bai continued staring at him, and the awe in his eyes, the reverence for what he thought was a miracle, finally began to fade.
It had been a long time since Yang Shu had breathed so heavily, the cold air stinging his nose, but he laughed.
His legs, unused to such movement, were sore, so he sat down on the grass, looked up, and said, “You don’t like Huo Chuan?”
The sudden shift in the conversation caught Chen Bai off guard. Still thinking about the medical miracle, Chen Bai took a moment to respond before saying yes.
Yang Shu asked, “If he confessed to you, would you agree?”
Chen Bai, now sitting down as well, hugged the fluffy Yi Wan for warmth, his brow furrowing deeply. “Buddy, it’s autumn—let’s not joke around like that.”
As everyone knows, the only thing standing between autumn and winter is one cold joke.
“I came out today to tell you that I’ve let him go,” Yang Shu said. “I’m planning to let him go and also let myself go.”
There was nothing more he needed to do, not even waiting for Huo Chuan to come back. Huo Chuan would pay for his own arrogance.
Although Chen Bai wasn’t quite sure how Yang Shu had come to this realization in just two months, he knew it was a good thing.
Giving him a thumbs-up, Chen Bai praised his newfound clarity and then asked, “What made you think to tell me this?”
Yang Shu said, “I thought it had something to do with you, so I felt it necessary to tell you.”
Chen Bai, an ordinary citizen just observing the drama, waved his hand and smiled. “What’s that got to do with me?”
