Chapter 13: Thirteen Whales

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Orcas never change their teeth throughout their lives; even when they catch large prey, they at most eat the innards. Fortunately, Jing Chengyun had taken human form, and with a resilient digestive system, she could eat any kind of food. Judging by the sorry state of her teeth, she would probably have to watch her diet for a while.

Though she was willing to accept defeat—and losing to Du Yishui, an experienced boxer, was no shame—Jing Chengyun couldn't bring herself to surrender wholeheartedly. She had never formally learned combat techniques; in fact, no one in the Jing family had. Hunting skills were passed down through generations of orcas, and their physical strength in human form was an inherited trait. These alone had been enough to keep Jing Chengyun from falling behind in fights since her university days.

Baiyun City was known for its excellent public safety, and a strong orca lady had no pressing need to learn boxing. Yet, Jing Chengyun never needed many reasons to do things her way.

Enduring the pain, she murmured, “I’ll pay for your medical expenses if you teach me boxing. Deal?”

Du Yishui cast a sideways glance with her healthy left eye at her subordinate. “I’m very busy.”

Seeing the mix of disappointment and stubbornness on Jing Chengyun’s face, Du Yishui suddenly changed her tone. She tugged up the hem of her tank top to reveal a purple scar around her waist and boasted, “Tuesday and Thursday nights, I fight in the ring to earn money; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I teach human elementary school students in an interest class; weekends are off.”

Jing Chengyun grinned, letting a secret slip, “At worst, I’ll just sign up for your interest class and pretend to be a human elementary student.”

No matter how you looked at it, Jing Chengyun didn’t seem like someone who could pass for a human elementary student. But why leave money on the table? Du Yishui hooked her pinky finger and said, “Four hundred yuan per class. Just give me a heads-up before you come.”

Jing Chengyun nodded repeatedly with joy.

They arrived at the City General Hospital.

Medical technology on Blue Star was particularly advanced. If the hospital couldn’t cure certain monsters, some would resort to supernatural means within legal gray areas to heal themselves. Others would even use forbidden arts to resurrect the dead, ultimately facing judgment for violating ethics and laws.

Du Yishui’s injury was an eyeball contusion with conjunctival damage—a result of Jing Chengyun’s powerful punch. She had to stay in the hospital for conjunctival suturing surgery.

Jing Chengyun was different. She had to hurry to work at the funeral parlor. Since her broken front tooth was not life-threatening, she only allowed the doctor to perform routine checks, planning to return on the weekend for dental repair.

After the simple treatment, near the time to start work at the funeral parlor, Jing Chengyun said goodbye to Du Yishui and walked west from the City General Hospital.

The greenery around here was well maintained, with small parks and health trails—ideal spots for Baiyun City’s residents to exercise in the morning.

With a large forest comes all kinds of birds; with many people, you can meet all sorts of individuals.

“Wen Fan?”

A short-haired man in sportswear, who would spray on cologne before his morning run and immediately wipe off any mud on his white sneakers, bathing twice or even thrice daily with floral-scented shower gel—Jing Chengyun’s first love.

Back when they dated, Wen Fan often jogged near the small park in this area.

Dogs must be walked morning and evening.

Reuniting with an old acquaintance after a long separation, Jing Chengyun showed none of the disdain she had felt toward Wen Fan at their breakup. Instead, she was filled with surprise and joy, exclaiming, “What a coincidence!”

Unexpectedly meeting her here, Wen Fan’s mood was quite different. He hadn’t been “away from her for a long time” in the same way—he even knew every twist in her life since their breakup.

Still, the surprise and warmth in Wen Fan’s eyes were unmistakable. “Yunyun? What are you doing here?”

Having not seen her for three or four years, Jing Chengyun was equally surprised and opened her mouth to show Wen Fan, “Had a little accident. Broke a front tooth. Scheduled surgery for tomorrow.”

Wen Fan was instantly heartbroken, wishing it were he who had the broken tooth.

Half an hour earlier, he had messaged his cousin, who had told him Jing Chengyun was “quite reserved,” leaving Wen Fan puzzled but at least certain they had been in contact.

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So what had happened to cause Jing Chengyun to lose half her front tooth?

On the surface, Wen Fan was calm, but inside, waves surged.

He looked up at the nearby City General Hospital, frowning. His Yunyun deserved the best, most professional medical care.

“I have a friend who is the director of a dental hospital. Their dental department is even better than the City General Hospital’s. Yunyun, do you want me to introduce you? You can transfer there for treatment. It’s free.”

Lowering his eyes, he nervously looked up again, afraid of rejection. “...Is that okay?”

Why refuse free resources? Wen Fan didn’t mind owing a favor.

He still remembered vividly the scene of crying in the rain, “I don’t want anything from you; you just need to enjoy life.” Jing Chengyun’s words stuck in his memory.

Seeing Jing Chengyun nod, Wen Fan was overjoyed. He called his friend to arrange an appointment and offered to take Jing Chengyun to the new hospital.

“Yunyun, are you going to work now? Where do you work?”

That second question was rhetorical.

He was the shady figure lurking in the shadows, watching his ex-girlfriend’s life carefully, pretending ignorance about her recent affairs, deliberately asking where she worked, how she was doing, and if she had a new boyfriend.

Every moment he was cautious, his voice gentle, a sharp contrast to his decisive style on financial news.

Jing Chengyun didn’t follow financial news and was unaware of Wen Fan’s professional demeanor. She only knew that three years ago, Wen Fan had been her loyal dog. Had she not broken up with him, he might still be her dog.

The morning breeze brushed her face, carrying the scent of Wen Fan’s cologne.

Wen Fan was in the perfume industry with business all over Blue Star. The Jing family often repurchased his lemon sea salt-scented aromatherapy, a fragrance that made them feel at home by the ocean.

She agreed to Wen Fan’s offer to take her to work.

On the way to the park parking lot, Wen Fan carefully inquired about the cause of her injury. After confirming it had nothing to do with Su Zile, he relaxed.

The park was crowded, increasing the chances of running into acquaintances. Just after a turn, Wen Fan saw a young woman walking her dog, smiling and rushing over.

“Lucky! Mommy can’t keep up!”

The woman’s dog was a common breed, black and white. Yet because of Wen Fan’s race, this commonality carried a subtle tension.

“Jinxuan?” Wen Fan furrowed his brow and called out to his assistant.

At first, Jinxuan didn’t realize, still grinning foolishly. Her Lucky was so energetic, how could she not be proud of her pet?

So when she saw Wen Fan, it was like seeing a ghost. Recognizing Jing Chengyun as the beloved “white moonlight” her boss never stopped longing for, her expression flickered wildly. “W-Wen, President Wen?!”

What was going on? Had Wen Fan’s younger brother succeeded in breaking up Miss Jing and the little rabbit spirit?

Ignoring Jinxuan’s rapidly changing expression, Wen Fan blinked slowly and sneered, “Your pet is quite nice, very lively.”

Jinxuan had worked hard for her job. She had an impressive resume from her school days, fought fiercely against competitors, and finally secured this coveted position as president’s assistant—a well-paid job with a promising future.

She didn’t want to be targeted just because she owned the same breed of dog as her boss.

Jinxuan’s face soured, forcing a fake smile. “Her name is Lucky. I’ve had her for four or five years. Isn’t she adorable?”

Lucky was indeed a beautiful and well-groomed black-and-white border collie, clearly a pet carefully raised by its owner.

Wen Fan’s gaze fell on the dog’s collar, and his pupils suddenly contracted. An invisible weight settled around his neck, paling his complexion.

Collar, whip, leash...

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Memories flooded back from those late nights, suffocating Wen Fan, yet he was drawn to this choking feeling, craving even more pain.

He struggled to break free from the memories and focused on his assistant.

He thought: He was a border collie, and his assistant kept a border collie. Could it be that Jinxuan secretly resented him and kept a border collie just to annoy him? Maybe when she was upset with him, she took it out on Lucky.

The higher one stands, the more complex the thoughts. Wen Fan couldn’t be as silly as Jinxuan, who laughed foolishly even when walking the dog.

In truth, he had only just realized today that Jinxuan had a goofy side. One reason she was hired was her natural poise and intelligence.

Not wanting to lose his temper in front of Jing Chengyun, Wen Fan tightened his lips and glared coldly at Jinxuan, planning to invite her for tea later.

Amidst the tense atmosphere between boss and subordinate, some people acted as if nothing had happened.

“Puppy, suck suck suck!”

Seeing such a beautiful border collie, Jing Chengyun couldn’t help but bend down and smile, showing her teeth. “Such a cute dog! Her name is Lucky, right? Can I pet her?”

Here it came—the turning point!

Adaptability was essential in the workplace. Jinxuan quickly pulled out some pet treats she carried everywhere. “Of course! You can feed her treats or pet her as much as you want. Lucky is very friendly.”

If Miss Jing was happy, President Wen would be happy too, right?

Jinxuan anxiously lifted her eyelids and saw Wen Fan’s expression soften considerably. A huge weight lifted from her heart. She added, “You can also ask her to spin or shake hands. She’s very smart.”

The only pet Jing Chengyun had seriously cared for was Ruan Mianmian, who hadn’t yet taken human form and was rather slow-witted, not very interactive. Dogs were different—they were the most interactive pets on Blue Star.

She knew this well when she dated Wen Fan.

With the dog owner’s permission, Jing Chengyun petted Lucky to her heart’s content, paying no attention to the complex expression on her first love’s face.

She remembered Wen Fan’s head was nice to stroke too, but he was even better at pleasing her, always nudging her palm with his forehead.

Having petted the dog thoroughly, Jing Chengyun began issuing commands: “Lucky, spin!”

The obedient dog obeyed. On the other side, Wen Fan bit his lip and steadied himself against a camphor tree.

Obedient dogs get rewarded. Lucky happily wagged her tail as Jing Chengyun said, “Shake hands!”

Just as the words left her mouth, a warm weight landed in her palm—not a furry paw, but Wen Fan’s warm right hand.

Jing Chengyun, Jinxuan—and even Lucky’s eyes were filled with confusion. The woman, the demon, and the dog all looked toward Wen Fan, as if asking with their eyes:

What’s going on with you?

Wen Fan’s body stiffened, feeling awkward.

Damn it. After all these years of being Jing Chengyun’s dog, he couldn’t stop himself.

Hearing “spin,” he even wanted to comply. Hearing “shake hands,” his first instinct was to use his own hand to hold hers.

After all, since three years ago, he was destined to be Jing Chengyun’s dog for life.