Chapter 11: Catch it 

On the dimly lit community road under the insufficient streetlights after nine at night, a menacing man suddenly appeared wielding a stick. 

Anyone would be frightened, and Han Shuangshuang was so startled she nearly screamed.

When she finally processed his words, she found them utterly absurd.

She remembered the bitten girl’s boyfriend wasn’t this tall, and he was well aware of which dog had bitten his girlfriend. 

The “baby” this man was referring to wasn’t the bitten girl but the dog that had attacked her!

What was wrong with this person? 

Not only did he feel no remorse for his dog injuring someone, but he even tried to forcibly buy the heroic little dog! 

What was he thinking?

Han Shuangshuang thought the man must be out of his mind. 

With no one around, she was even more terrified but dared not provoke him. 

She cautiously looked around, hoping to find someone to help.

The man had no patience. 

Seeing Han Shuangshuang silent, he strode forward and swung his stick at the dog.

His own dog was a treasure, but someone else’s dog was just property. 

A dog was worth a few bucks; if it died, he’d just pay for it!

Even if his “baby” had bitten someone, it was definitely the victim’s fault. 

His baby couldn’t possibly be at fault!

Han Shuangshuang gasped, about to intervene, when she saw Xiao Bai break free from the leash and dart away.

The man, clearly targeting the dog, ignored Han Shuangshuang and chased after it with his stick.

Xiao Man ran while rolling her eyes.

What a lunatic! 

How could someone be so delusional? 

His dog bites someone, and instead of apologizing, he blames the dog that stopped his dog from causing further harm!

Xiao Man had acted quickly to save the girl, and she hadn’t held back. 

The dog probably had significant injuries on its face, but it had bitten first-its wounds were self-inflicted. 

The girl’s leg was a gruesome sight, with a chunk of flesh missing. 

Just looking at it made Xiao Man wince.

As a new dog already accustomed to her four limbs, Xiao Man ran fast and wasn’t afraid of being caught. 

But she kept glancing back, fearing the man might hurl the stick at her.

Sure enough, after chasing for a while and failing to catch her, the man hurled the stick.

Xiao Man, glancing back just in time, dodged with a swift swerve. 

She grabbed the dragging leash with her paw, slung it over her back, and darted into a nearby bush.

In the dim light, her small frame was perfectly concealed in the shrubbery.

The man picked up the stick and charged at the bush, wildly swinging, hoping to hit the dog by chance.

Xiao Man had already run far away, hiding in the bushes and watching the crazed man from a distance.

Han Shuangshuang had also caught up. 

Seeing the man hadn’t caught Xiao Bai, she stayed back, watching from afar.

Before chasing after them, she had called the police. 

This lunatic needed to be taught a lesson by the authorities!

She briefly scanned the area for Xiao Bai but couldn’t spot it. 

Still, she wasn’t too worried. 

Xiao Bai was smart and would come out when it was safe. 

The commotion soon drew attention. 

A man with a golden retriever approached, and both Han Shuangshuang and Xiao Man recognized him—it was the golden retriever and its owner they’d interacted with before.

The golden retriever’s owner, seeing Han Shuangshuang, asked, 

“What’s going on?”

Han Shuangshuang pointed at the man still shouting, “Come out, you bastard!” and whispered, 

“His dog bit someone yesterday. My Xiao Bai helped save the girl. Today, he offered to buy Xiao Bai and even attacked it with a stick!”

The golden retriever’s owner hissed, “So it’s him.”

Seeing Han Shuangshuang’s confusion, he explained, 

“You don’t know? I heard today the dog’s owner went to the police station, demanding to take his dog back and even tried to confront the victim. Luckily, the police stopped him.”

Han Shuangshuang was incredulous. 

“…So he came after me and Xiao Bai?”

She didn’t regret helping with Xiao Bai, but she hadn’t expected to witness such human diversity afterward.

The golden retriever’s owner asked, 

“Did you call the police?”

Han Shuangshuang nodded. “Yes.”

“Good. Let’s wait here and not provoke him. I think he might have some mental issues. By the way, I’m Lin Ci. And you?” “Han Shuangshuang.”

Lin Ci said, 

“I saw you on the local Douyin today.”

He paused sympathetically. 

“What a misfortune. These media outlets really go all out with their slander, don’t they?”

Han Shuangshuang nodded but didn’t mention her plans. 

“I’ve already found witnesses. I’m not afraid of them.”

Lin Ci nodded. “That’s good.”

The golden retriever, Huanhuan, suddenly got excited and started jumping. 

Lin Ci remembered Han Shuangshuang’s dog and asked, 

“Where’s Xiao Bai?”

Han Shuangshuang replied, 

“I’m not sure where it’s hiding. But it’s smart. It’ll stay hidden for now.”

The two chatted intermittently while the dog’s owner continued destroying the bushes, trying to force Xiao Bai out.

Han Shuangshuang watched and began to believe Lin Ci’s assessment that the man might have mental issues.

This made her feel uneasy. 

Many people avoided punishment due to mental illness, but why should the victims suffer real harm?

The police arrived quickly, first subduing the crazed man before questioning Han Shuangshuang, who had called them.

Xiao Man had been hiding well, not daring to confront the lunatic directly. 

Her frail little body couldn’t withstand a blow from the stick. 

Seeing the police, she dragged the leash back to Han Shuangshuang.

Han Shuangshuang, ignoring the police’s questions, immediately crouched to check Xiao Bai for injuries. 

Relieved to find none, she sighed.

As one of the parties involved, Han Shuangshuang had to return to the police station for a statement. 

She bid Lin Ci farewell, cradled Xiao Bai, and got into the police car.

It was Han Shuangshuang’s first time in a police car. 

She looked around curiously, while Xiao Man remained calm.

Back when she’d argued with her brother over money, she’d been in a police car several times.

Han Shuangshuang sat in the passenger seat, while the dog’s owner, handcuffed and restrained by an officer in the back, glared at the dog as if he might lunge at it if not for the police.

After finishing her statement at the police station, Han Shuangshuang sat in the lobby, waiting. 

Suddenly, she exclaimed, 

“I forgot to record a video!”

She hadn’t fully adjusted her mindset. 

She was building an online presence now. 

What was a misfortune for others was content for her!

She took out her phone and snapped a photo of the police station entrance. 

Better than nothing…

The police would surely review the surveillance footage. 

She wondered if she could get a copy, given she was a party involved.

As Han Shuangshuang waited for the outcome, two people burst into the station-an old woman and a middle-aged woman. 

The old woman immediately sat on the floor, wailing, 

“You heartless people! Why did you arrest my son? First, you took my baby, and now my son!”

The middle-aged woman cried alongside, as if providing a soundtrack to the old woman’s lament.

Han Shuangshuang immediately started recording.

Whether she’d post it later or not, she’d capture it first!

The police couldn’t let them continue like this. 

A female officer led them to a meeting room. 

Han Shuangshuang couldn’t see what happened next and regretfully stopped recording.

Soon, however, the commotion resumed. 

Han Shuangshuang instinctively perked her ears. 

Seeing no officers paying attention, she even inched closer to hear better.

The old woman shouted, 

“Why won’t you let my son go home? Today, I’m taking my son and my baby back! So what if it bit some girl? Why are you keeping my baby here!”

The middle-aged woman sobbed in support, 

“You can’t keep my husband locked up. Let him go!”

The officers alternated between persuasion and warnings, creating a chaotic scene.

Han Shuangshuang, initially angry and still shaken, now found the whole farce oddly amusing. 

She couldn’t resist sharing the incident in their four-person group chat, along with the footage she’d secretly recorded.

It was past ten, but none of the young group members were asleep yet. 

Chen Yao was the first to respond: 

“Keep recording! Whether you use it or not, just get it on film!”

Su Mingxuan: “Xiao Han, do you need us to come help?”

Han Shuangshuang: “No, I’m fine. They’re harassing the police now, not me.”

Chen Yao: “Unbelievable. This family really is a match made in hell.”

Su Mingxuan: “It’s good they’re stuck together. At least they won’t bother normal people.”

Chen Yao: “I hope they just hurt each other. Otherwise, they’ll keep harming others like this!”

Han Shuangshuang: “I just hope that man doesn’t have a mental illness. Otherwise, he’ll get  off scot-free!”

Chen Yao: “What? He might have a mental illness? That’d be such a cop-out.”

Su Mingxuan: “Lots of people use mental illness as a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s always the normal people who suffer.”

The group chatted on, momentarily forgetting their boss was also in the chat.

In an apartment, Xu Yan, who had planned an early night for beauty sleep, stared at his phone, watching the group chat. 

They hadn’t stopped talking. 

At first, it was work-related, but soon they were just chatting casually.

Wait, did they forget he, their boss, was in this group?

Xu Yan’s phone was never on silent. 

As a boss, he often had to make quick decisions. 

This time, he muted the group and closed his eyes to sleep.

Half an hour later, he suddenly opened his eyes.

So, did that man have a mental illness? 

Would he just walk free?

Meanwhile, Han Shuangshuang had returned home with Xiao Bai.

The police had asserted their authority. 

Han Shuangshuang refused to mediate, and the dog’s owner was detained. 

Considering her young age, the police shielded Han Shuangshuang from the dog owner’s family to avoid further conflict.

The next day, Han Shuangshuang took Xiao Bai to work as usual. 

The trio held a brief meeting.

The slanderous media outlets remained silent, ignoring the barrage of criticism in their comments. 

This was expected there were no real consequences, and the online vitriol only fueled their popularity.

Chen Yao said, 

“Let’s focus on growing our followers for now. If you’re still upset later, our company has legal resources. We can sue them into oblivion!”

For ordinary people, lawsuits were time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. 

The lengthy process wouldn’t help the current situation. It was better to focus on their immediate goals.

The company’s legal team could handle it, but such media companies often had their own questionable practices. 

The higher-ups might not want to deploy legal measures, perhaps thinking the situation was already resolved.

Even if the new boss was willing to sue, the old boss might not support it upon his return. 

Still, Chen Yao’s words boosted Han Shuangshuang’s morale.

Han Shuangshuang nodded. 

She agreed that growing their follower base was crucial.

The dog’s owner was detained now, but he’d eventually be released. 

She was afraid. 

If she could earn the bonus quickly and move away, that’d be

ideal.

The trio reviewed Han Shuangshuang’s follower growth curve and decided to release videos of the victim clarifying the situation and of the wronged Xiao Bai.

They were confident Xiao Bai’s pitiful expression would win over the internet!