Chapter 213: Chapter 213

After dinner, Pei Che and Shen Jianian went out for a walk.

The summer heat hadn’t abated much after sunset, the air carried a restless feeling, and the sound of cicadas lingered in their ears.

Shen Jianian wore a simple white T-shirt, light blue denim shorts, with the T-shirt tucked into her waistband, a pair of white canvas shoes with green laces on her feet, and her long hair tied into a low ponytail, resembling a college student.

Pei Che was no longer in the suit and tie he had worn when he just got home, having changed into loose and comfortable clothes.

The two walked out of the neighborhood, and Shen Jianian’s shoelace came undone, almost causing her to fall. Pei Che quickly supported her, glanced down, squatted to tie it for her.

Shen Jianian had just said, "I can do it myself," but Pei Che had already skillfully tied a bow, then straightened up, supporting his knee, and smiled at her: "Let’s go."

Passing a convenience store, Pei Che went in to buy a drink, bringing Shen Jianian a peach-flavored water.

Shen Jianian twisted open the cap and took a sip, then heard a noise from the flowers beside her. Curious, she bent down to look, and saw a stray dog curled up inside, gnawing on something, looking dirty.

She remembered there was a pet hospital not far away and told Pei Che about it, then went to buy a bag of dog food and a small packet of chicken breast jerky, and asked the staff for a disposable food box. Follow current novᴇls on novelꞁire.net

Shen Jianian tore open the dog food package, poured it onto the lid of the disposable food box, and placed it on the edge of the flowerbed, calling the little dog over to eat.

She often fed the stray cats and dogs nearby, and when she encountered a few with gentle dispositions, she would directly catch them and take them to the pet hospital for check-ups and vaccinations, then ask the staff to help find a home for them.

If it weren’t for Zhou Ruo’s allergy to cat and dog hair, their villa might have housed many stray animals.

The little dog hiding in the flowers dropped the dirty, black bone in its mouth, cautiously stuck its head out with its tail tucked between its legs, sniffed the dog food in the food box, and started gobbling it up.

It was a yellow mixed-breed with matted fur, seemingly suffering from a skin disease.

Moved with compassion, Shen Jianian wanted to take it to the hospital for treatment. Once the little dog had eaten enough, she tore open the packet of meat strips, took one out, and held it to the little dog’s mouth, coaxing it: "Eat the meat strip and come to the hospital with me, okay?"

Pei Che, squatting nearby, reminded her: "Be careful, don’t get too close. It’s not familiar with you yet, its vigilance is high, you can’t force it."

Just as he finished speaking, the little dog brushed against Shen Jianian’s outstretched hand.

Pei Che nervously grasped her wrist, took out his phone, and turned on the flashlight to illuminate the back of her hand. There was a small wound with a bit of blood oozing out.

"Oh no, do I have to get vaccinated?" Shen Jianian saw the bleeding wound and frowned.

When she looked at the little dog again, it had already run off with the meat strip.

Pei Che told her to stay put while he went back to get the car and documents to take her to the CDC.

The doctor examined Shen Jianian’s wound, then placed her ID card on the sensor, explaining to her: "It’s bleeding, which is a level three exposure. I’ve checked your records, you’ve had immunoglobulin shots before, but it’s been over three years, so you need to be re-vaccinated. Weigh yourself, I’ll write up the order, then you need to pay first, wash the wound in the second room across the hall, then go next door for the immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine shots. The next four shots should be administered according to the dates on the order, and after the vaccination, remember to avoid alcohol and spicy foods."

The doctor’s speech was slightly fast, leaving Shen Jianian a bit dazed. She only remembered one thing: "I got a rabies vaccine three years ago?"

In her memory, this was the first time.

Even though she had loved playing with cats and dogs since she was young, she had always been very careful, never bitten before.

The doctor pointed at the computer screen and said, "There’s a record showing right here..."

"Doctor, please write the order," Pei Che tightly held Shen Jianian’s uninjured hand and told her, "Let’s go disinfect the wound early, don’t delay."

The doctor wrote the order, printed it out, and dutifully pointed at the poster on the wall, saying: "After your initial vaccine, if you are exposed again within six months, no further vaccination is needed. If it’s within a year, you need two booster shots, if within three years, you need three boosters. If it has been over three years, the full course needs to be administered again. Your situation exceeds three years, so the previous immunoglobulin is no longer effective."

Pei Che thanked the doctor, went to the front hall window to pay, and took Shen Jianian to wash her wound.

Shen Jianian placed her hand in the basin, and after the doctor set up the apparatus and left, disinfectant water flowed from the hose over the wound. Because the injury wasn’t serious, it didn’t hurt much.

Shen Jianian was still hung up on the doctor’s words: "I had a vaccine before?"

Pei Che couldn’t answer because he didn’t know either.

It could be that she called while he was studying abroad, or maybe when she was with Fu Jichen. Pei Che leaned more towards the latter.

After a moment of silence, he feigned a relaxed demeanor and offered up the excuse: "I did call, you forgot."

Shen Jianian had heard the phrases "you forgot" and "you don’t remember" too many times; she didn’t even know how much she had actually forgotten.

On the way home from the CDC, Pei Che gripped the steering wheel, unusually silent, feeling as if things were increasingly slipping out of control.

At the time, he had concealed some things from Little Nian for the sake of her health, also due to his own selfish reasons. She had forgotten the past grudges and Fu Jichen, too. He wanted to pretend as if nothing had happened and start over with her.

But he overlooked one point: there is no perfect lie in the world. The birth of a lie requires countless others to make the initial one appear perfect, but that is merely "appearing perfect," in reality, it’s full of flaws.

Pei Che felt a bit lost; he didn’t know how long this seemingly perfect lie could last.

Almost reaching Jade Heaven, Pei Che gripped the steering wheel tighter, glanced at the person in the passenger seat, and abruptly suggested, "Little Nian, let’s get married."

The atmosphere in a certain bar in Beicheng was fiery.

A young, handsome male singer was performing a fast-paced foreign song on stage, with his black shirt unbuttoned down to his abdomen, sweat glistening on his fair skin. The man gripped the microphone stand with both hands, swaying his body passionately with the song.

The lighting below the stage was dim; the flashing blue, dark green, orange, and pink spotlights intermittently illuminated the faces of men and women, all intoxicated.

Fu Yuling had a heart condition; although she enjoyed attending parties, she didn’t like these noisy places as they made her heart uncomfortable.

She stuffed noise-canceling headphones into her ears, wearing a tight black slip dress, with a valuable diamond necklace on her alabaster neck, which could reflect dazzling light with just a bit of illumination. Even in an inconspicuous seat, she still drew the envious eyes of women and the glances of men.

Fu Yuling held a glass of fruit juice, taking sips now and then, a persistent irritability between her brows.

Lately, the old man suddenly went on a tangent, bringing up old matters and insisting that Fu Jichen and the Xu Family’s daughter get married as soon as possible, specifically the loud-mouthed second daughter, who was nowhere near as attractive, talented, or well-mannered as Xu Youxuan.

How could she possibly be worthy of the outstanding Fu Jichen in every way?

For three years, she had tried every means possible to get close to him, showing concern and care, yet couldn’t warm his heart to gain even a glance from him.

Fu Yuling crossed her smooth pale legs, leaning back against the leather booth seat, the cool sensation against her skin unable to dispel the stuffiness in her heart.

She drank the entire glass of juice in one go, her gaze sweeping across the faces of other people.

A man sat down across from her, his slender fingers clasping the stem of a wineglass: "Miss, are you all alone? You seem unhappy. Want me to join you for a drink?"

Fu Yuling still tilted her head, catching sight of a familiar face, a trace of malice crossing her eyes.

"Miss..." The man tried to speak again, but stopped short, realizing she had headphones in her ears, immediately stunned.

He’d never seen anyone at a bar with noise-canceling headphones; wasn’t the whole point to soak in the atmosphere?

Fu Yuling turned her head abruptly and noticed someone sitting opposite her. She took off an earbud impatiently and asked, "What do you want?"

The man noticed the full diamond watch worth millions on her raised wrist, squinted, and with a mature and alluring smile, repeated his earlier pitch: "It’s no fun drinking alone, miss. How about I keep you company?"

"You?" Fu Yuling didn’t hide the contempt in her eyes, scanning the man as if he were trash, not even matching a single toe of Fu Jichen, wondering where he got the confidence to flirt, "Before fishing for someone, why not look in the mirror and see if you’re worth it."

The man’s expression changed, rising in anger and embarrassment, wanting to teach this rude woman a lesson.

Fu Yuling wasn’t the least bit afraid; her slender arm draped over the back of the booth, looking up at the self-important man, her crossed leg swaying slightly, showcasing shoes with thin heels and toenails painted in cherry red.

The man, not devoid of discernment, recognized that her entire outfit screamed wealth and aristocracy, perhaps a young lady out for fun, not daring to provoke her, coldly huffed, and turned to leave.

Fu Yuling scoffed, "Coward."

She rose and headed to the bathroom, taking a deliberately long route, passing by a booth where she overheard a group of women flattering Xu Jingyi with sycophantic words.