"Let’s go, or else your owner might worry if they can’t find you." Watching the golden retriever clinging to her and not wanting to leave, Mi Jing, though feeling reluctant, thoughtfully considered the dog’s owner. She gently grabbed the legs of the golden retriever that were resting on her knees, placed them on the sandy ground, and then gestured with her left hand for the dog to return.
"Woof."
The golden retriever gave a short bark, then turned around and quickly ran back in the direction it came from.
It was a beautiful encounter.
Watching the golden retriever’s departing figure, Mi Jing’s heart overflowed with joy. She then turned towards the blue sea to look for Shen Lingxing.
He was a skilled swimmer and accustomed to swimming regularly. At this moment, he was like a nimble fish, freely swimming in the ocean. Even when bold women attempted to approach him, he easily left them far behind.
After watching for a while, Mi Jing turned back to the chair under the sun umbrella. Sitting down, she picked up her sketchbook and quickly focused on drawing.
She wanted to record the details of her trip, not with words, but with the art she excelled at.
When drawing, Mi Jing was always fully immersed. At this moment, she became so engrossed in her own world that she didn’t notice the golden retriever she had just sent away was now approaching her with a man.
Shush!
About two meters away from Mi Jing, the man suddenly stopped and placed his index finger on his lips, signaling the golden retriever to be quiet.
Seeing this, the golden retriever immediately halted, looked up at the man, seemingly waiting for the next instruction.
Give the flower.
The man spoke almost in a whisper, being very cautious not to make too much noise and attract Mi Jing’s attention.
As he finished speaking, the man bent down and brought a red rose to the golden retriever’s mouth.
As a well-trained dog, the golden retriever gently bit the stem of the red rose as soon as it touched its mouth. Then, following the man’s instructions, it walked gracefully and calmly towards Mi Jing.
"..."
With a rose in its mouth, the golden retriever couldn’t make a sound. After standing by Mi Jing’s side for a while without being noticed, it stepped forward and gently rubbed its head against her calf.
Feeling the touch on her leg, Mi Jing paused her drawing. She put aside her sketchbook and glanced downward, her eyes immediately drawn to the red rose in the dog’s mouth.
It came back to give her a flower?
Mi Jing was very surprised and bent down to pet the golden retriever, smiling as she asked, "Why did you come back?"
"..."
Unable to speak, the golden retriever rubbed its head against Mi Jing’s hand again, reminding her to take the rose from its mouth.
"Thank you."
Mi Jing took the rose with one hand and gently stroked the dog’s head with the other. Her bright and pure smile made her look exceptionally beautiful.
"What does it mean when you give me a rose, Golden Retriever?" Mi Jing asked, not noticing that a man was watching her from a few steps away.
"It really likes you." The man’s handsome lips moved slightly as he calmly spoke.
Hearing this, Mi Jing was momentarily stunned. She lifted her head, and her joyful expression was replaced by a look of astonishment.
Living with Shen Lingxing for so long, she thought she would stay composed upon seeing other handsome men, but at that moment, Mi Jing was completely mesmerized, not calm at all.
"Did I scare you?" Seeing Mi Jing’s dumbfounded expression, the man took two steps forward and asked with slight apologetic concern.
"No... not at all." Mi Jing responded slowly, hesitated, and then gave a dry laugh.
"I am Pudding’s owner." The man introduced himself with a smile, polite and courteous, "My name is Mu Shaolei."
"Oh, so Golden Retriever’s name is Pudding." The man’s smile was very friendly and handsome, but Mi Jing didn’t continue to swoon and naturally shifted her attention to the dog.
"Woof woof."
Perhaps hearing its name, the golden retriever barked twice and wagged its tail happily.
"Pudding, can we shake hands?" Mi Jing extended her hand and smiled at the golden retriever.
"..."
Unable to speak, the golden retriever didn’t understand Mi Jing’s words but quickly perceived her intentions through her actions. It blinked and gracefully lifted a front paw, gently touching Mi Jing’s hand.
"Haha, so smart." Mi Jing laughed heartily, praising the dog from the bottom of her heart while holding its paw.
"Pudding has been trained; shaking hands is basic. It learned it when it was two months old." Mu Shaolei watched silently for a while, feeling happy to see Mi Jing getting along so well with Pudding.
"What else can it do?" Mi Jing asked curiously.
"Open doors, fetch items, turn the TV on and off, among other things."
"That’s amazing! Even better than Kabi!" Mi Jing exclaimed in awe.
"Not too bad." Mu Shaolei smiled modestly. His tone and demeanor exuded gentleness, making him seem very pleasant.
Due to her fondness for Pudding, Mi Jing and Mu Shaolei, although meeting for the first time, found common ground and began chatting easily.
"Are you a local?" Mi Jing asked.
"No. My home is in Jin City."
"You’re from Jin City too!" Finding a fellow native while away from home felt like a fortunate coincidence to Mi Jing and surprised her a bit.
"So we’re fellow natives." Mu Shaolei smiled.
"Yes." Mi Jing agreed.
"Since we’re from the same place, I should thank you properly." Mu Shaolei said straightforwardly, "Leave a phone number, and I’ll treat you to dinner tonight."
"No need, I didn’t do much." Mi Jing suddenly felt a bit shy. She turned her face away and gazed at the sea, noticing that Shen Lingxing had finished swimming and was now expressionlessly approaching them.
"Don’t be modest. You helped, so treating you to dinner is the least I can do." Mu Shaolei, facing away from the sea, couldn’t see Shen Lingxing and insisted on inviting Mi Jing for dinner.
"I..."
Mi Jing didn’t want to casually accept an invitation from a man she didn’t know well, but Mu Shaolei’s sincere and earnest attitude left her unsure how to decline gently.