About You
By the time Bai Qingzhou rushed home, the sky had already begun to darken.
Xia Xinghe was still standing outside the iron gate, while Bamboo was tightly biting onto Xiao Liu’s pant leg, refusing to let him go.
In just over an hour, Xiao Liu’s attitude had shifted from fear and panic to defiant insolence.
At one point, he even tried to bribe Xia Xinghe, chuckling and saying, “I know I was wrong. Here, take this—let’s just put this behind us, alright?”
He also tried pleading in a low voice: “Ge, I only hit it a couple times, I didn’t mean to hurt it. I’ve got parents and kids to take care of… just let me off this once, please.”
Later, seeing that Bai Qingzhou still hadn’t arrived, he switched to a more aggressive tone: “The dog’s owner doesn’t even care—why are you butting in? I just hit it a couple times, what’s the big deal? You want me thrown in jail for that?”
“That guy’s busy, you know. He’s a big doctor—he wouldn’t bother with something this minor.”
At that time, Bai Qingzhou hadn’t replied to Xia Xinghe’s message, nor had he accepted the friend request. But Xia Xinghe held his ground. Trusting his understanding of Bai Qingzhou, he bet that Bai cared about Bamboo and wouldn’t just let it slide.
Clearly, he had bet right.
Bai Qingzhou strode into the yard. Bamboo rushed to him with a whimper, tail tucked between its legs, ears drooping, and rubbed its head pitifully against Bai Qingzhou’s calf.
Seeing that Bai Qingzhou had really come back, Xiao Liu finally started to panic. He stammered, “Ge…” and then lowered his head, mumbling excuses about how he didn’t mean it.
Bai Qingzhou gave him a glance but said nothing. He crouched down, gently petting Bamboo’s neck and chest. Then he carefully tried to part the fur on Bamboo’s back leg to check for injuries. Bamboo jerked its leg back like it had been shocked, letting out a low, mournful whine.
Seeing this, Xiao Liu vaguely sensed how serious things had gotten. He quickly said, “How about this—just forget about my pay. I’ll even chip in to buy the dog some good food, yeah?”
Bai Qingzhou’s dark eyes remained downcast, still silent.
Xiao Liu had seen all kinds of people before and was good at reading the room. He knew Bai Qingzhou was not someone to mess with. So he pulled out the same apology he’d given Xia Xinghe: “Ge, it was just a moment of impulse. I know I was wrong now. Please give me a chance to make up for it.”
After thoroughly examining Bamboo’s injuries and taking photos, Bai Qingzhou finally stood up, as if he had just heard Xiao Liu’s words. He asked, “You know you were wrong?” His voice was calm and distant, emotionless.
Xiao Liu nodded rapidly: “Yes, I really do. Honestly.”
Xia Xinghe, standing to the side, couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
Just an hour ago, Xiao Liu had said the same thing to him. When Bai Qingzhou hadn’t arrived, he instantly switched to a “what can you do about it” attitude. Now, faced with Bai Qingzhou’s seriousness, he did another complete 180. To call it “changing faces” would be an insult to the art of face-changing opera.
While Xiao Liu was still smiling obsequiously, Bai Qingzhou smiled as well. The corners of his lips curved up slightly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Great,” he said. “Then let’s go.”
Xiao Liu blinked. “Go?”
“To the police station.”
Panic hit Xiao Liu like a brick. “Wait, Ge, why are we going to the police station out of nowhere?”
“You said you knew you were wrong,” Bai Qingzhou looked at him mildly. “It’s only right to turn yourself in.”
“I just hit a dog a couple times! Is that even illegal? Is there a law that says you can’t hit dogs?”
As Xiao Liu spoke, he tried to make a run for it. But Bai Qingzhou moved quickly, catching up in a few strides and pinning his arm behind his back. Just then, a police siren wailed in the distance.
Bai Qingzhou finally smiled—a real one this time. “They’re here.”
He said, “You’re right. There’s no law that says you can’t hit a dog. But this dog is mine. And damaging personal or public property is a crime. Ever heard of that?”
A uniformed officer stepped out of the car and strode toward them. Xia Xinghe couldn’t help smiling as well. While the others were talking, he quietly crouched beside Bamboo to soothe and comfort it.
Bai Qingzhou never did anything halfway. Xia Xinghe thought, Xiao Liu’s definitely messed with the wrong person this time.
…..
Bai Qingzhou had called the police on his way home. After they arrived, everyone first went to a nearby animal hospital to get Bamboo treated, then headed to the police station.
The officer on duty was the same one who’d taken Xia Xinghe’s statement last time—Officer Wang. Xia Xinghe greeted him with a smile, and Officer Wang immediately recognized him.
“Well, if it isn’t the young man who stood up for justice last time,” Officer Wang said. “Didn’t expect to see you again so soon. What happened this time?”
Xia Xinghe explained the situation briefly, then shrugged helplessly. “It’s not like I wanted to get involved, but I couldn’t just look the other way.”
Officer Wang clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. “Good job. That’s another act of bravery, right there.” Then he added, “There aren’t many young people like you nowadays. Keep it up.”
The flood of compliments left Xia Xinghe a little embarrassed. Then Officer Wang followed up slyly: “So, young man—do you have a girlfriend?”
Xia Xinghe was caught off guard and didn’t quite get what he meant. “Huh?”
Officer Wang chuckled. “Actually, I wanted to ask you last time. I’ve got a daughter about your age, just finished grad school, she’s teaching at a middle school now…”
Before he could finish, Bai Qingzhou politely interrupted.
“Officer,” he said with a polite smile, “may we begin the statement? My dog still needs a follow-up exam.”
Xia Xinghe finally realized Officer Wang’s true intention and quickly said, “Officer Wang, let’s take care of the business first. You must be busy too. I’ll come chat with you another time.”
The “another time” of adults usually implies a polite refusal. Officer Wang wasn’t oblivious; realizing that Xia Xinghe wasn’t interested, he smoothly shifted gears and went back into work mode: “Alright, let’s get started then.”
After completing the statement and processing everything, things went smoothly. There were security cameras in Bai Qingzhou’s yard, and Xia Xinghe served as a witness. With both human and material evidence present, there was no dispute about the facts. Xiao Liu was given five days of administrative detention, and the compensation amount would be determined based on Bamboo’s injuries.
By the time they left the police station, it was completely dark. Xia Xinghe was heading home by subway, and Bai Qingzhou needed to go to the pet hospital to check on Bamboo’s condition. The subway station and the pet hospital were in the same direction, so the two would be walking part of the way together.
On the way back, Xia Xinghe stole a few glances at Bai Qingzhou, wanting to ask if he had interrupted earlier because he realized Officer Wang was trying to set him up with someone. But seeing Bai Qingzhou’s calm and indifferent side profile, Xia Xinghe figured he was overthinking it and decided not to bring it up. Still, his obvious glances eventually caught Bai Qingzhou’s attention.
“What are you thinking about?” Bai Qingzhou asked.
Not wanting to reveal his real thoughts, Xia Xinghe casually brought up another topic: “The hourly worker just now.”
At the mention of Xiao Liu, Xia Xinghe still felt angry: “He didn’t treat the dog like a living being at all—just like some toy he could play with however he wanted.”
“There are many people like that,” Bai Qingzhou said. “Bamboo was beaten when he was a puppy too.”
That heartbreaking name made Xia Xinghe annoyed again, and he spoke in a sharper tone: “Then why would you still have someone else feeding him?”
“I’m busy. I travel for work sometimes,” Bai Qingzhou replied calmly.
His indifferent tone made Xia Xinghe angrier: “If you’re so busy, why keep a dog? Once you decide to adopt, you have to take responsibility—or just don’t adopt at all!”
Bai Qingzhou paused. After a moment, he quietly said, “Sorry, that’s my fault.” His tone was unexpectedly low and a little downcast.
In truth, Xia Xinghe regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He knew Bai Qingzhou cared about Bamboo—otherwise, he wouldn’t have hired someone to feed him or gone to such lengths to file a report and seek justice.
He was doing his best to give Bamboo a happy, safe life. He didn’t want to see this outcome any more than anyone else.
His words had moved faster than his brain, and Bai Qingzhou’s quiet voice made Xia Xinghe feel even worse. Awkwardly, he turned his head and lowered his voice too: “…Then just find him another caretaker. Someone better. Someone who likes him.”
Bai Qingzhou asked, “Do you like him?”
Xia Xinghe froze, not quite understanding what Bai Qingzhou meant.
Was he thinking of asking him for help? Or did he suspect Xia Xinghe had some other motive?
Of course Xia Xinghe liked Bamboo. Even before knowing he belonged to Bai Qingzhou, Xia Xinghe had seriously considered offering to help take care of him for a while.
Bamboo was obedient and smart. Just spending a day with him doing nothing was relaxing—it even sparked Xia Xinghe’s creativity. But once he learned that Bamboo was Bai Qingzhou’s dog, he abandoned that idea.
An ex is a complicated relationship. The memories remain—once close, now distant. It’s not as easy as dealing with a stranger. Especially when Bai Qingzhou clearly didn’t want to see him and had even named his dog the same as him.
Xia Xinghe stayed silent, and Bai Qingzhou didn’t say anything either. The two walked side by side until they reached the subway entrance.
That’s that, Xia Xinghe thought. This is the end of our story. There’s no point in dragging it on. He lifted his foot to enter the station—but then heard Bai Qingzhou call his name.
“Xia Xinghe,” Bai Qingzhou said. “I didn’t know your WeChat name was ‘Little Bamboo’ at the time.”
He paused. “The name Bamboo is related to you, but not for that reason.”
Xia Xinghe quickly looked up, meeting Bai Qingzhou’s gaze.
Around them was darkness. The subway entrance lights cast a dim glow on his face, blurring and softening his expression. It looked like he was veiled in layers of sand, not quite real. But those pale eyes of his remained unwaveringly focused—reflecting only Xia Xinghe, very clearly.
Xia Xinghe’s heartbeat skipped. He pressed his lips together, then blurted out without thinking: “Then what was the reason?”