“Hey! Sister Xiaoyuan, Grandpa brought home such a big puppy, you should come down and see! It’s really so cute~”
Inside the girl’s room, Tang Yayun was excited, using her hands to roughly show the size of the puppy.
Lin Xinyuan’s clear, delicate face looked tired, her forehead slightly damp with a few strands of hair stuck to it, sickly and clearly tormented by her period.
Fortunately, two days had passed, and she was feeling much better than the first day; she was able to muster some energy.
“18…”
Lin Xinyuan wasn’t actually interested in dogs.
On the contrary, she had been chased by a big black dog when she was a child, which made her somewhat fearful of these animals.
But she couldn’t resist Tang Yayun’s pleading, and after hearing it was a puppy, not a big dog, she gradually softened.
She knew her cousin meant well, wanting her to go out and get some fresh air.
Lying in bed without moving wasn’t good for her.
After all, it was just a puppy…
Thinking this, Lin Xinyuan got up to tidy her appearance.
But when she glanced at Tang Yayun still chattering away in the room, she hesitated.
It wasn’t that she disliked her lively cousin, but she simply didn’t want anyone around while she changed clothes.
Although she was a girl now, she still couldn’t accept being completely open in front of other girls.
That made Lin Xinyuan feel awkward, as if they could see through her past as a boy…
Of course, that was impossible, just a psychological resistance.
“Can you go out for a bit? I want to change my clothes first…”
“Oh, hurry up, okay!”
Tang Yayun didn’t think much of it, just assuming her cousin was too shy.
But the more Lin Xinyuan acted this way, the cuter Tang Yayun found her.
Lin Xinyuan saw Tang Yayun leave, and gratefully she closed the door behind her.
After spending these days together, Lin Xinyuan knew that Tang Yayun was a warm-hearted girl but also mindful of boundaries.
It was a bit noisy to be around her, but never annoying.
Girls like her must be popular at school, right?
For some reason, Lin Xinyuan thought of the Deputy Monitor she had a crush on in high school, feeling their personalities were somewhat similar.
Young love, adolescence, having a crush on a good-looking person of the opposite sex was normal—even someone like her, who used to focus only on studying.
She had always done well academically, and the Deputy Monitor was also a top student in the class.
Their seats were close, so they often helped each other with questions.
Of course, with Lin Xinyuan’s introverted personality back then, she never took the initiative to ask; it was always the other person who came to her.
Her grades were balanced across all subjects, often ranking in the top few in class.
Being seated nearby naturally made her the person the Deputy Monitor would ask for help in math.
Over time, they became good classmates.
Gradually, she developed feelings for this beautiful, outgoing, and generous girl…
But back then, as a boy, she was realistic—she knew the girl didn’t think about her that way, and she didn’t think she was worthy of her either.
Plus, her gloomy personality made her afraid to express her feelings.
She feared it might ruin their friendship.
After all, liking someone was one thing, but feelings aside, studying was far more important to her then.
Even now, Lin Xinyuan still kept the “green bubble” of that Deputy Monitor, but after university, they rarely chatted, and their relationship faded.
At most, they’d exchange a few words on social media or during holidays—nothing more.
In the end, they were just ordinary friends…
As for her true first love, Li Xue…
That was influenced by Xiong Wei and his gang.
When she was still a boy, her personality was a bit less gloomy, or else she wouldn’t have dared to confess.
And the result…
Heh, it was obvious.
Although Qin Nanfeng seemed well-intentioned now, Lin Xinyuan always felt this guy was on purpose—otherwise, how could he have teased her so many times? And Li Xue was even poaching her!
He said he was protecting her from a scumbag woman?
Lin Xinyuan just didn’t buy it.
But she had no solid proof, and there was no need to dwell on it now.
It all felt like ages ago…
Lin Xinyuan slowly finished tidying up and walked out.
Outside, Tang Yayun wasn’t in a hurry.
She was reading a Douyin Novel while waiting, and the moment the door opened, she looked up and her eyes lit up.
It wasn’t that Lin Xinyuan’s clothes were especially different, but today the girl had a new hairstyle—wearing a single side braid, full of youthful charm.
With her bare face and that unique delicate aura, she looked incredibly captivating.
“Wow! Sister Xiaoyuan, you look great today! This hairstyle suits you!”
Tang Yayun immediately put away her phone and came closer, her eyes sparkling as she linked arms with Lin Xinyuan’s slender one.
The girl’s soft body pressing against Lin Xinyuan’s arm made her uncomfortable and a little stiff, but she didn’t resist—after all, she had been through this before.
Like two good sisters, they went downstairs together.
But as soon as they stepped into the yard, a few clearly young barks sounded from afar.
Lin Xinyuan looked toward the sound, but before she could react, a swift yellow blur pounced at her.
The sudden figure moved so fast that Lin Xinyuan was startled, shivering and clutching Tang Yayun tightly.
She lowered her head, trembling.
She wanted to run, but her weak body made her slow.
Knowing she couldn’t react in time, this was her instinctive response.
“Woof woof woof woof! Woof woof~”
After a moment, the imagined scratching didn’t come.
Instead, a few playful barks came from in front of them.
“Xiao Huang! Come here!”
At that moment, Tang Chengmin hurried over, panting a bit, scolding the yellow-white native Tu Song dog.
But Xiao Huang seemed not to hear Tang Chengmin’s words, dodging even further away, suddenly sprinting to hide behind Lin Xinyuan’s slightly trembling calf.
The dog’s paws scratched lightly, gently rubbing against Lin Xinyuan’s leg without tearing the jeans, its wagging tail full of joy.
“Cousin Xiaoyuan? Are you okay? Did it scare you?” Tang Chengmin noticed Lin Xinyuan’s trembling, clearly afraid. “It’s all Xiao Huang’s fault. I’ll catch it and punish it properly!”
Saying that, Tang Chengmin moved forward with a fierce look, like a tiger descending the mountain, determined to catch the little guy.
Seeing this, Tang Yayun immediately stopped her “big brother,” rolling her eyes.
“Don’t you see Xiao Huang is being really friendly with Sister Xiaoyuan? Stop butting in.”
Tang Chengmin glanced at the Tu Song dog hiding behind his cousin and saw it poke its head out, its plump body gently swaying, its bright Ka Zilan eyes blinking occasionally, as if mocking him.
Tang Chengmin was a bit annoyed, feeling this little guy had no respect for him.
After all, he was the first to hold it when Grandpa brought it home.
But strangely, Xiao Huang preferred Tang Yayun and now was so close to his cousin, always acting aloof toward him.
He really wanted to teach the little dog a lesson—maybe then it’d behave.
But looking at how affectionate Xiao Huang was with the girl, he decided to give up.
Who would have thought that a big handsome guy like him would one day be looked down on by a dog?
Tch, such a clueless dog!
Could it be a male…