After the White Lotus Drops the Act

Tang You was lost in thought, feeling listless, when the sudden brake jolted her forward. The seatbelt yanked her back forcefully, making her instinctively clutch her chest. She looked at Xiao Zexing in confusion.

His face remained expressionless, calm as ever.

From the side, his eyelashes looked long, and his eyes were dark and still.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and briefly closed his eyes, avoiding her gaze.

Tang You had the vague feeling that he sighed—though she couldn’t be sure if it was just her imagination.

The traffic light ahead was red.

Two minutes remained.

A sense of unease crept into Tang You.

Wait… Did she say something wrong just now?

Xiao Zexing kept his eyes on the road, resting his hand on the steering wheel. His expression had already returned to normal. “Sorry,” he said.

Tang You wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for—the sudden brake?

After a brief pause, Xiao Zexing asked, “Which hospital are you going to?”

“First to Jianan Pet Hospital to pick up Huhu, then back to Emerald Lake Residence,” she answered. Then, realizing he might not know where that was, she added, “It’s in Dinghui—”

Before she could finish, he had already opened the navigation. “Got it.”

The car’s air conditioning was set low. Tang You was only wearing a thin camisole dress. The contrast between the outside heat and the cool interior sent a chill through her, making goosebumps rise on her skin. She hugged her arms for warmth, but before she could say anything, Xiao Zexing had already taken off his jacket and handed it to her. At the same time, he adjusted the temperature.

Tang You thanked him, draping the jacket over her lap to cover her fair skin.

Xiao Zexing asked, “How did you lose your phone and wallet?”

Tang You honestly recounted what had happened earlier—except she left out the part about the photoshoot. She only said she was there with a friend.

She had to keep her “Yuko” alias well hidden.

Xiao Zexing listened intently. When the light turned green, he finally gave his verdict:

“Stupid.”

Tang You felt like this conversation was officially over.

But right now, all Tang You could think about was Tang Huhu, and she didn’t have the energy to deal with “Xiao Weijing.”

She was already exhausted from arguing with Tang Nan and Jiang Tao earlier. At this moment, she had neither the mood nor the strength to keep up any pretense. The more she said, the more mistakes she might make—so she decided to just play the quiet little quail.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, they were already past the scheduled pickup time. Tang You, familiar with the place, went straight to Dr. Zhao’s office.

Dr. Zhao was on the phone when she walked in. Seeing her, he let out a relieved sigh and put his phone away. “Miss Tang, you finally made it.”

Tang You felt guilty. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t have my phone with me.”

“The surgery went smoothly, no issues,” Dr. Zhao reassured her. “After you take him home, remember: no water for four hours, no food for six hours. Keep a close eye on him for the next twelve hours, especially his urination. If anything seems wrong, contact me immediately.”

He continued, “Keep the Elizabethan collar on for at least ten days to prevent him from licking the wound and causing an infection.”

Tang You asked, “Does he need painkillers? And since Huhu is very active, should I still take him out for walks these next couple of days?”

“I’d recommend giving him painkillers after three days. Walks are fine, but don’t let him jump.”

“Got it, thank you.”

After thanking the doctor, Tang You walked over to the table in the corner where Tang Huhu was resting. She affectionately called out, “Huhu! Mommy’s here!”

Xiao Zexing stood to the side, calmly observing the large yellow-brown dog still dressed in protective gear.

As a purebred Chinese rural dog, Tang Huhu wasn’t even two years old yet, but he had already grown into a sturdy, strong dog. However, having just undergone surgery, he was lying listlessly on the table. His dark, grape-like eyes gazed at his owner, and he rested his muzzle on her arm, looking weak and unenergetic.

Tang You hugged him and gently coaxed, “Good boy, Huhu. Even though you lost your little balls, you’ll always be my precious son. It doesn’t hurt, okay? Let Mommy hold you…”

Xiao Zexing walked over and patted Tang Huhu’s head.

Huhu had a gentle temperament and was a well-behaved dog. He let Xiao Zexing pet him without resistance, his fluffy tail swaying lazily over the edge of the table.

Xiao Zexing ran his hand down Huhu’s body, smoothing its fur, and once again caught a faint scent of vanilla milk lingering in the air.

Tang You was crouched down beside the dog, her fluffy hair slightly messy. The coat Xiao Zexing had given her was left in the car, exposing her fair arms as she held the dog close. The skin at her elbows was tinged with a soft pink, looking impossibly delicate.

Xiao Zexing asked, “Which ‘Hu’ is it?”

Tang You was surprised that he pronounced it perfectly this time.

He had probably been back in the country long enough to adjust naturally.

She answered, “The ‘Hu’ from ‘rice porridge’ (米糊).”

Xiao Zexing straightened up, the dimples at his cheeks barely visible. “That’s pretty cute.”

The anesthesia hadn’t completely worn off yet, and Huhu’s legs were still weak, making him wobble unsteadily as he walked. Just as Tang You was about to bend down and pick him up, Xiao Zexing beat her to it and said calmly, “I got him.”

Tang Huhu was smart. He recognized that Xiao Zexing had come with his owner, so he obediently rested against his shoulder, only letting out a soft whimper from deep in his throat.

Though he had tragically lost his two little balls, Huhu clearly hadn’t realized what had happened yet. When he saw Tang You approaching, he instinctively wanted to lick her face. However, Xiao Zexing took a few casual steps forward, dodging it effortlessly.

Tang You had been worrying about how to carry Huhu home, but with Xiao Zexing helping, she let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Well, maybe “Xiao Weijing” was actually kind of useful.

Once they were in the car, Xiao Zexing didn’t start driving right away. Instead, he glanced at his watch casually before asking, “What’s your WeChat ID?”

His tone was light and natural, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

Tang You’s eyelids twitched.

This was seriously like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

She had tried adding Xiao Weijing’s social accounts before—unsuccessfully. She had also called him before, only to be blocked. After getting blacklisted twice, she had given up entirely. And now, “Xiao Weijing” was voluntarily asking for her contact information?

—Well, adding him on WeChat wouldn’t be bad.

She could bombard him with messages anytime, anywhere, just to annoy him.

If she couldn’t see him in person often, pestering him every day online would be the next best thing.

Just as she was about to say something, Xiao Zexing calmly handed his phone to her. “Add yourself.”

Tang You obediently took the phone and entered her WeChat ID. To make it easier for him to change her contact name later, she even typed “Xiao Weijing” neatly into the request message.

Then she handed the phone back.

Xiao Zexing took it, glanced at the screen, and under the sunlight, his deep-set eyes seemed to have a golden sheen to them.

He let out a soft chuckle and said in a tone full of intrigue, “You’re quite obedient.”

Tang You responded with a bright, innocent smile.

Yeah, right. If it weren’t for Old Master Xiao backing him up, she wouldn’t be here wasting her time chatting with him.

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