Chapter 108: Rainy Day, Sisters, and a Dog

From appearance alone, it was impossible to determine this person's exact age; they looked remarkably youthful. Their figure and features were no less striking than Zhu Qingyan’s.

With a pair of long legs, if some older connoisseurs saw them, they might well dribble with envy.

Yet, contradicting their fresh appearance, the high-heeled shoes they wore were splattered with mud, and their face bore a heavy frown, as if weighed down by some troubling thoughts.

Song Jiawei was the one who greeted her.

Upon seeing Song Jiawei, she immediately asked, “Is dog trainer Zhang Congwen here?”

“Zhang Congwen? There’s a stunning beauty outside here asking for you,” Song Jiawei replied.

After confirming her identity, Song Jiawei led her to the door of Zhang Congwen’s training room and pushed it open.

As time passed with the Great Sage, Zhu Qingyan and Song Jiawei grew less cautious than before. In their leisure moments, they would often crowd into the same room to watch Zhang Congwen train the Great Sage.

“How beautiful are we talking?” Zhu Qingyan leaned in, curious.

“Well…” Song Jiawei hesitated. He had wanted to say she was as beautiful as Zhu Qingyan, but recalled how, when he once mentioned a girl as beautiful as Xie Zhuli to her during their date, Xie Zhuli’s murderous glare had left a deep impression on him.

Swallowing nervously, he rephrased, “Really beautiful, probably even more stunning than any actress on TV.”

“Is she one of your old flames coming to see you?” Zhu Qingyan asked Zhang Congwen suspiciously upon hearing such high praise.

“Don’t joke around,” Zhang Congwen replied. “I don’t know any beautiful girls.”

Noticing Zhu Qingyan’s unfriendly gaze, Zhang Congwen quickly added, “Except for you.”

“Who is she? Here to get us to train her dog?” Zhang Congwen inquired of Song Jiawei.

“She said Aunt Liu recommended her. She didn’t say she wanted you to train her dog—just to take a look and help with her dog,” Song Jiawei explained.

With a puzzled mind, Zhang Congwen stepped out of the room.

Her words were strange. Coming to the training base not to train the dog but to ‘help’ it—how odd.

Upon further introduction, it was revealed that the woman’s name was Zhou Xingxing, indeed introduced by Aunt Liu.

She had said she wanted Zhang Congwen to help with her dog because she believed her dog was ill.

Zhou Xingxing had been orphaned at a young age and grew up with her sister, Zhou Yinyin.

Yinyin was about ten years older and had always taken care of Xingxing.

Perhaps due to the hardships of life, Zhou Yinyin developed depression.

Following the doctor’s advice, Zhou Xingxing bought a Samoyed as a companion dog for her sister. With the arrival of the Samoyed, named Peipei, Yinyin’s condition improved significantly, and she regarded the dog as her emotional pillar.

Soon after, Peipei gave birth to a puppy named Banban.

With Banban in the household, Yinyin’s depression nearly ceased to flare up.

But one day, without warning, both Peipei and Banban disappeared. The sisters searched tirelessly but found no trace.

Not long after, Yinyin’s condition relapsed and worsened.

Four months later, Banban suddenly returned alone.

Yet Banban was in terrible shape—covered in filth and mud, its fur matted and dirty, with faint traces of blood visible beneath.

Originally, Banban’s return was meant to comfort Yinyin and Xingxing, but Banban began exhibiting fear of human hands and refused to be touched.

At the time, Xingxing was busy caring for her sister and had little energy to care for Banban.

A few days later, Peipei also returned, dragging a body battered and injured, but soon after came the final journey to the stars.

The relentless blows crushed Yinyin’s spirit beyond endurance.

Months passed, and Yinyin ultimately succumbed to depression, leaving this world by her own hand.

The family that once consisted of two sisters and two dogs was now reduced to Zhou Xingxing and a frightened little dog.

Xingxing tried many methods to help Banban accept her again, but no matter what she did, Banban’s condition showed no sign of improvement.

Even when they were several meters apart, the moment she raised a hand, Banban would shudder uncontrollably, its entire body convulsing as if seized by spasms, sometimes collapsing to the ground.

If she tried to get closer, Banban would tuck its tail and attempt to flee. If cornered, it would emit a bloodcurdling howl like a slaughtered pig.

Banban had been home for a year or two, but in its current state, Xingxing couldn’t even bring herself to groom it, bathe it, or take it to the vet.

Its fur was now a tangled mess, unrecognizable as a Samoyed.

What puzzled Xingxing most was that Banban had once been very close to its mother Peipei; the two dogs were inseparable.

Yet since Banban’s return, it showed no interest whatsoever in Peipei’s belongings, refusing even to approach them.

The dog training base fell silent after hearing Zhou Xingxing’s story.

To her, Banban was no longer merely a pet but a symbol of something far deeper.

Yet no one could guess the cause of Banban’s strange behavior; all eyes turned to Zhang Congwen.

Lowering his head, Zhang Congwen imagined the extent of the dog’s suffering from Xingxing’s account.

He took a deep breath and said to her, “Leave me your address. We’ll come by tomorrow to take a look.”

“Can it be today?” Zhou Xingxing asked softly.

Despite all this time, she hadn’t grown accustomed; instead, she grew more anxious.

She had noticed Banban’s seizures worsening and its mental state deteriorating.

But she didn’t know what else to do until Aunt Liu introduced Zhang Congwen, which gave her a glimmer of hope.

Seeing her urgency, Zhang Congwen replied earnestly, “I need to make some preparations.”

Realizing this, Zhou Xingxing nodded silently and turned to leave.

“It’s still early. Why not go see it now?” Zhu Qingyan asked after she left.

Zhang Congwen explained, “I need to get in touch with someone. The dog’s condition is quite serious. We can’t rule out physical illness, so I need to bring a reliable veterinarian with me to examine it.”

With that, Zhang Congwen grabbed his phone and called Qian Kouhe.

Though he didn’t have a dependable vet in his current network, Qian Kouhe, who had long been involved in rescuing stray dogs, would know someone trustworthy. Zhang Congwen thought of him immediately.

On the other end, after hearing Zhang Congwen’s description, Qian Kouhe promptly replied, “No problem. Tomorrow morning, I’ll send our best veterinarian to meet you there and help assess the dog’s condition.”