Mo Lin had a long day, and arrived home at 10:30 PM. When she saw a little Border Collie and Jiang Yuanmu at her place, her first reaction was:
She must have been so busy that she had started hallucinating.
“I’ve put everything away,” the “hallucination” Jiang Yuanmu said, snapping Mo Lin back to reality.
“Dog?” she pointed at the Border Collie but kept her eyes fixed on Jiang Yuanmu.
It felt like she was calling him a dog…
Jiang Yuanmu looked away, “Well, I was planning to discuss this with you. The company… is planning a new business venture, and they want to bring in some pet influencers.”
Mo Lin still didn’t quite understand. “Is this your influencer?”
“No,” Jiang Yuanmu said seriously. “I’ve never had a pet, so I need to experience it to understand the business better.”
Are you lying to me?
Mo Lin wanted to ask, but the words didn’t come out.
Jiang Yuanmu had no reason to lie to her about a dog. What could he possibly gain from it?
“Does it need to stay at home?”
“Yes.” Jiang Yuanmu calmly recited his rehearsed lines. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep its bed in the living room. It’s been dewormed and vaccinated, so you don’t have to worry about hygiene issues. Since this is my personal request, I’ll increase my monthly rent by two thousand yuan. When I’m not home or on business trips, please take care of it, and I’ll pay you three thousand yuan per month for pet sitting. That’s a total of five thousand yuan per month, which I’ll transfer to your personal account in advance.”
Jiang Yuanmu’s offers were always enticing, but never outrageously high.
Mo Lin looked at the little Border Collie in silence—it had already come up to her and was sniffing around her feet.
“How long will it stay?”
“Three months.”
“And afterward, will the dog leave with you?”
Jiang Yuanmu nodded, “Of course, when I leave, it goes with me.”
He feared the dog might leave, but he would stay behind.
The thought of such an outcome made Jiang Yuanmu smirk slightly.
“Can’t you… keep it at the company?”
Just when Jiang Yuanmu thought the matter was settled, Mo Lin suddenly asked. Jiang Yuanmu was taken aback, having never considered that the dog would be leaving so soon.
After all, Mo Lin had always supported his work-related matters—there was a contract.
“Do you dislike dogs?” Jiang Yuanmu asked. “You’ve never mentioned it before.”
“I don’t dislike them.”
“I can put its bed in the bedroom.”
“No, I just don’t want to take care of it.”
Jiang Yuanmu raised an eyebrow, “Why so adamant?”
Like she was adamant about having a child…
Mo Lin stared at the dog in silence for a long time, then squatted down and gently tapped the little Border Collie’s head with her finger. Looking up at Jiang Yuanmu, her eyes shone under the light:
It felt like a delicate nerve had been touched by Mo Lin’s gaze, and Jiang Yuanmu momentarily lost focus.
He sensed the emotions beneath Mo Lin’s calm demeanor—she liked the little Border Collie and already felt the sadness of an inevitable separation. She was afraid of saying goodbye.
“You’re afraid of getting attached?”
Mo Lin admitted, “I am.”
She couldn’t bear to part with the dog, but she was determined to divorce him. She found it easier to part with a person she’d been with for five years than a dog she would have for three months.
Jiang Yuanmu remained silent for a while before finally suggesting, “Didn’t you want to have a child before? I’ve heard that taking care of a pet is similar to raising a child. Maybe you can try it out first.”
Mo Lin’s hand, which was petting the Border Collie’s head, gradually stopped. She looked up at Jiang Yuanmu, and at that moment, she clearly saw the words “true intentions revealed” written all over his face.
So, he had an ulterior motive.
Mo Lin stood up, “Are you using the dog to make me change my mind about having a child?”
Being seen through was expected, as Mo Lin wasn’t foolish. Jiang Yuanmu simply acknowledged, “Try it. You won’t lose anything.”
Mo Lin shook her head, “Regardless, I will have a child.”
“I understand, but that’s just your perspective, right? You must know that before experiencing something—especially something you’ve longed for—people often imagine it to be simple and wonderful. But reality is objective. Without trying it, how can you be sure if you truly want it?”
It made sense.
Mo Lin was somewhat persuaded.
“Give it a try, see if you can adapt to this different lifestyle. It’s more responsible for yourself and the future. If you truly like this Border Collie, I can leave it with you later.”
Mo Lin looked at the little Border Collie, seemingly contemplating and also seeking its opinion. The dog turned around, placed its warm body on her foot, and looked up at her with big, shiny black eyes, as if to say, “Pet me, I’m very cuddly.”
Mo Lin’s heart softened.
She did like dogs, but growing up, she didn’t have the chance to keep one due to family circumstances. As an adult, she had forgotten about it. After all, just taking care of herself was a full-time effort; how could she have the confidence to care for a dog?
A dog needed walks, companionship, patience for training—it all took time.
But, as Jiang Yuanmu said, raising a child was no different.
She could give it a try…
“Alright, let’s do it.”
As soon as Mo Lin finished speaking, she felt a warm sensation on her foot—the little Border Collie had peed on her.
Mo Lin’s expression froze. She gasped and immediately hopped on one leg to the bathroom.
The little Border Collie followed her, but Jiang Yuanmu quickly grabbed it to prevent it from tripping Mo Lin.
While Mo Lin took off her shoe and washed it in the bathroom, Jiang Yuanmu knelt on the floor, petting the little Border Collie’s head.
Who said this wasn’t the smartest dog? It seemed to have truly understood human speech today, achieving an impressive feat on its first night.
As Jiang Yuanmu cleaned up the little Border Collie’s “achievement,” he smiled with satisfaction and then put it back in its own bed.
Half an hour later, Mo Lin, having finished washing her shoe and tidying herself up, walked out of the bathroom. She glanced at the Border Collie, already asleep in its bed, and then at Jiang Yuanmu, who was seated at the dining table, working.
“So…” Mo Lin asked, “Your company is really going to focus on pet influencers?”
Jiang Yuanmu nodded, “Yes. When it comes to work, I have no reason to lie to you.”
Mo Lin thought he surely wouldn’t waste time making up such a story, so she chose to believe him.
Jiang Yuanmu, on the other hand, planned to have a company meeting the next day to discuss signing on a pet influencer.
The next day, Mo Lin arrived at her studio feeling a bit headache-ridden.
The reason was simple—the little dog was new to the home and felt uneasy, whimpering intermittently during the night and disturbing her sleep. Fortunately, the “culprit,” Jiang Yuanmu, didn’t have a peaceful night either.
Both left home with dark circles under their eyes.
Mo Lin, rubbing her throbbing temples, sat at her desk, opened her computer, and planned to continue perfecting her design drafts. However, she was so sleep-deprived that, seeing no one in the store, she decided to take a nap on the sofa.
Maybe raising a dog wasn’t for her… Raising a child might be more challenging than she thought…
This thought flashed through Mo Lin’s mind.
She suddenly woke up.
It had only been one night…
Mo Lin continued to rub her temples, reaffirming her decision—she still wanted to have a child.
Definitely!
Since her grandmother’s death, Mo Lin had felt an indescribable loneliness, as if she had lost her connection to the world, and the barrier between herself and death had disappeared. In the corridor leading to death, cold winds blew over her day and night.
Mo Lin would often wake up at night without knowing what she was afraid of. During that period, the thought “this is so boring” would suddenly flash through her mind while doing anything.
Food no longer enticed her, work lost its meaning, and everything she saw and heard seemed bland.
Continuing to live or ending it didn’t seem to make a difference.
This thought made Mo Lin feel something was wrong. Her life had always been peaceful, almost mechanical, but not so negative. She used to enjoy some fun, good food, traveling, and seeing new sights.
She didn’t want to continue being so negative.
So, what had changed?
Maybe she had really lost her “connection” to the world.
This was how Mo Lin understood her changes. Her grandmother had passed away, her father had died early, and while she had a biological “mother,” that “mother” had long exited her world, having her own family and new children. She was not Mo Lin’s connection to the world.
She and Cheng Lulu were classmates, friends, and business partners, but Cheng Lulu had her own complete world, and Mo Lin was just a part of it. This could be considered a connection, but it wasn’t enough.
As for her marriage to Jiang Yuanmu, it was destined to end. Their connection was bound by a perfect contract.
There were others too—clients she met through her store, diverse as they were, none of them could become her “connection.”
“I need a child.”
Mo Lin had come to this realization at that time.
She needed a true “connection,” someone with a unique blood relationship with her, to keep her anchored in this world.
“I can’t give up.” Mo Lin propped herself up and sat up. “Raising a child will definitely be more exhausting…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the studio’s glass door burst open, and Cheng Lulu rushed in, flopping onto the sofa beside Mo Lin. “I’m so exhausted! More than someone taking care of a child!”
Mo Lin looked at Cheng Lulu, who had disappeared for the entire day. She was still wearing the same clothes from the night they went to the bar. “Where were you yesterday?”, she asked puzzled.
“I have no words for it!” Cheng Lulu punched the sofa. “I’ve been hounded these past two days, all because of that He Ye! I’m so fed up with him!”
Mo Lin blinked, not understanding how someone like Cheng Lulu could be hounded in a modern, law-abiding society.
Then she got her answer.
“That night when I said I’d talk to He Ye, he started with some clichéd nonsense about how he never forgot me all these years. I just wanted him to stop interfering in my life. He kept grabbing at me, so I shoved him. Can you believe it? He fell right onto the non-motorized lane and got hit by an electric scooter!”
Mo Lin: “…”
“And now he has latched onto me. I can’t believe it. A guy nearly six feet tall, and he flew off like a delicate flower.”
Mo Lin sighed, “How’s he doing?”
“His leg is broken…” Cheng Lulu admitted guiltily. “So, I’ve been taking care of him for the past two days. He doesn’t have any family or friends here…”
Mo Lin looked at Cheng Lulu, noticing a hint of concern behind her irritation.
“He just got a cast and is already worried about starting his livestream again because he didn’t notify his followers. How can anyone live like this? Anyway, I need to bring him lunch later. I don’t even dare go home; my dad would kill me if he found out… Let me just change clothes here and lie down for a bit.”
“We don’t have any appointments this morning, so go ahead.”
Mo Lin made room on the sofa and returned to her workstation.
Cheng Lulu was truly exhausted and soon fell asleep on the sofa.
Watching her, Mo Lin had a hunch that soon enough, Cheng Lulu might find another “connection” in this world.
After all, Mo Lin remembered that during their university days, she had a good relationship with this ex-boyfriend. After they broke up, she was genuinely heartbroken for a long time.
A bit envious, Mo Lin thought that some people find it easier to open up and accept others. Consequently, they form connections with others and the world more easily. It seemed like they inherently belonged to this world.
Unlike others, who always felt a bit out of place.
Awww, poor Mo Lin 😭
