My Youth Began With Him

“No, why do you ask? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, nothing’s wrong. I’m just worried for Mom and Dad’s safety. During my morning run, I overheard the security guard say that a lot of people in our complex lost their pets.” Bella was worried that Zhixin may get suspicious, so she changed the subject to puppies and kittens.

“Oh, isn’t that normal? Everyone here has purebred pets, and each animal costs thousands. I’m not surprised to hear that thieves are interested as well.”

“But who would steal so many animals all at once? Plus, it’s weird, none of the cameras caught anything.” Bella felt like something was off, so she wanted to analyze the situation with Zhixin.

Zhixin, however, wasn’t fazed at all. “Thieves are all super skilled, so of course they paid attention to the surveillance cameras. Maybe the security guard stole all those animals. I’m so glad we don’t own a pet.”

Zhixin’s remarks gave Bella an idea. She quickly walked into her office, made a Google search, and dialed the number of a pet store. “I want your smartest dog. Yeah, send it to my office.”

That day after work, Bella and Zhixin drove home with a Golden Retriever puppy. As soon as they got home, the puppy began barking madly at Jing De. It howled at Jing De like he was the devil; the puppy’s barks scared Yang Meirong so much that she went into her room to hide.

“Guys, why did you bring a dog home?”

“Mom, I bought the dog. Isn’t he cute? I named him Hachi.” Bella bent down and rubbed the puppy’s head.

Zhixin smiled lovingly at his wife. “Mom, Bella’s always wanted a dog. We recently watched a movie called ‘Hachi, A Dog’s Tale’, and the main character is a Shiba Inu. In the movie, the dog was so loyal to its owner that Bella’s been talking about getting a dog for a while now. Now, our home will always be filled with laughter.”

“I’m okay with us getting a dog, but once you give birth, you’ll have to move out and I’ll take care of the dog, so the baby’s safe.”

“Mom, we’re not moving out anymore. We’re going to mooch off you guys forever.” Zhixin put his arms around his mom.

Jing De, who was sitting off to the side, looked at the dog with a dark expression on his face.

Zhixin laughed as he pointed at the puppy. “Dad, isn’t he handsome? Golden Retrievers are super smart animals.”

Jing De took a few guilty steps back. “It’s handsome. I’m glad you guys like him.”

Bella immediately noticed how different Jing De acted.

Hachi, who was unfamiliar with his surroundings, kept barking, especially when Jing De was near him. Jing De seemed to have noticed this, so he kept his distance.

“Dad doesn’t like dogs?” Bella asked her mother-in-law quietly when she saw Jing De retreat to the study.

Yang Meirong, who was knitting a sweater, laughed. “He used to like dogs. Back then, someone gave him a giant dog and he treated him like a piece of treasure. The dog was later stolen, and he was depressed for a long time afterwards. Since then, he’s never owned a dog. He’s an introvert, but he’s a great man who is good to everyone.”

“He is.” Bella smiled half-heartedly. She really wanted to tell Yang Meirong that the man living here was not the man she was married to.

After dinner, Bella went on a stroll outside. She overheard some alarming news when she passed by some neighbors.

She walked up to them. “What’s going on, guys?”

“They found the missing pets,” a woman answered.

“Where did they find them?” Bella asked, feeling startled.