Chapter 10
A Dog
During the lunch break, Xia Xin and her colleagues went to a newly opened buffet restaurant near the zoo for lunch.
Xia Xin ate relatively quickly, and her appetite was not large, so she finished her meal quickly. As she watched her colleagues still eating, Xia Xin played with her phone while waiting for them.
While boredly scrolling through videos, Xia Xin suddenly saw a video that featured herself. A blogger named “Happy Potato” posted a video taken at the zoo yesterday.
In the video, Pipi and Dodo were playfully interacting with Xia Xin. Xia Xin was caressing one panda with one hand, showcasing the harmony and affection between humans and animals.
The video had already received over 700,000 likes, and there were many comments. As one of the main characters in the video, Xia Xin naturally sparked a new round of discussions among netizens.
Once again, Xia Xin felt that she had truly become famous.
“If the Beast Language System calculated human affinity points by resetting them daily, would I receive a significant amount of affinity points today? If so, I might be able to purchase something relatively cheap from the shop in a dozen days, thanks to my sudden popularity.’ Xia Xin thought.
While Xia Xin was lost in thought, she suddenly heard someone impatiently shouting, “Damn dog, get lost! If you don’t leave, I’ll catch you and make you into a hotpot meat slice!”
Xia Xin looked over and saw a restaurant staff member shooing away a small dog outside the restaurant. The dog was dirty, with tangled fur, and could barely be recognized as a white dog. It was of medium size.
It was currently summer, and the outside temperature was high, while the restaurant had air conditioning. When customers entered or exited, some cool air would escape, making the entrance cooler. The dog was likely seeking relief from the heat by staying near the entrance.
However, the restaurant staff clearly did not welcome it. After all, a dirty dog lying by the entrance was not a pleasant sight and could affect the restaurant’s business.
Since Xia Xin had loved small animals since she was young, she felt sorry for the dog. At that moment, her colleagues had finished their meals, so Xia Xin walked to the entrance, getting closer to the dog.
After hesitating for a moment, Xia Xin used the Beast Language System to communicate with the dog, saying, “Do you want to come with me? The place where I work has air conditioning, it’s cool, and I can find some food for you.”
The dog stared at Xia Xin with round eyes, taking a long time to realize why a human could communicate with it. The dog was actually afraid of humans, but Xia Xin did not make it feel scared at all.
The dog opened its mouth, emitting a hoarse sound from its throat. Afraid that Xia Xin could not understand, it approached her and wagged its tail, indicating that it was willing to go with her.
Xia Xin was taken aback and thought, ‘It could not bark?’
Xia Xin felt something was off. She walked up to the dog, relying on the buff from the Beast Language System that attracted animal affinity, and daringly opened the dog’s mouth.
To her shock, Xia Xin discovered that the dog had no tongue. She was so angry that her body trembled.
‘Who did this? How could someone be so malicious in this world!’ Xia Xin thought angrily.
Looking at the dirty dog in front of her, Xia Xin felt her heartache and tears almost welled up in her eyes.
“What are you doing, Xin?” a male colleague asked in confusion as he saw Xia Xin squatting on the ground, holding a dirty dog.
Xia Xin looked at her colleague, Tang Hai, and said, “Mr. Tang, can I bring this dog into the zoo? I’ll take it home after work, so it won’t cause any trouble for the zoo.”
“Do you want to keep it?” Tang Hai was momentarily surprised but advised, “Xin, I know you’re kind-hearted, but there are so many stray cats and dogs in this world. You can’t help them all… Well, bring it along. I can get some food for it from the nearby enclosure.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tang.” Xia Xin gratefully replied, then turned to the dog, saying, “Let’s go! You’ll have something to eat soon!”
At the zoo, Tang Hai brought some food, and Xia Xin took out a stainless steel bowl and placed the food inside.
Since the dog had no tongue and had several teeth missing, it was extremely difficult for it to eat. Xia Xin watched the dog struggle and clumsily stuff the food into its mouth, then swallow it, feeling a mixture of sadness and anger in her heart.