Xiao Man squatted to the side, watching Zhou Jiang welcome her husband and daughter into the house.
She observed their eager conversation as they cleared up misunderstandings, feeling a sense of calm.
Zhou Jiang’s daughter hadn’t woken up yet, and since it was already late at night, the couple didn’t talk much.
While Tang Youning went to freshen up, Zhou Jiang crouched in front of Xiao Man and said,
“We’ll head to bed first. You should rest early too. Tomorrow, we’ll go out together. I’ve already messaged Han Shuangshuang, and she’s willing to join us!”
Xiao Man nodded.
After the living room lights were turned off, she closed her eyes in her dog bed.
The next morning, Han Shuangshuang arrived early, and Xiao Man’s leash was back in her hands.
Zhou Jiang’s daughter, nicknamed Peanut, was a lively little girl.
When she woke up and saw her mother, she quickly forgot about her mother’s sudden departure and kept chattering nonstop to Zhou Jiang.
After being introduced to Xiao Man, Peanut started circling around her, talking incessantly.
Fortunately, she only talked and didn’t try to touch her.
When Han Shuangshuang arrived, Peanut started circling around her too, calling her “Auntie” in an adorable way.
Han Shuangshuang was initially a bit flustered but soon began to enjoy being surrounded by the little cutie.
She and Xiao Man helped look after the child.
Since there was a child and a pet, the group decided to rent a car.
Zhou Jiang had already booked an SUV equipped with a child safety seat the night before.
The car fit three adults, one child, and a dog perfectly.
The trunk was filled with food they had bought early in the morning from the supermarket.
Following the itinerary Zhou Jiang had prepared the night before, they set off for a mountain town dozens of kilometers away.
The place had beautiful scenery, wasn’t too crowded, and allowed them to return the same day.
Tang Youning drove while Zhou Jiang flipped through the itinerary to check for any missed details.
She turned to Han Shuangshuang and said,
“Shuangshuang, aren’t you a media blogger? You can film as much as you want today. We’ll pass on appearing on camera, but Peanut can be in it.”
She then looked at Peanut, who was sitting in the safety seat, and her voice unconsciously softened.
“Peanut, do you want to film with Auntie and Xiao Man today?”
Peanut clapped her hands happily.
“Yes! I want to film a lot!”
Zhou Jiang said,
“When Auntie posts it online, you can show it to your friends. You’ll be a little star!”
Peanut didn’t quite understand what a star was, but seeing her mother’s enthusiasm, she gave a big smile.
“Okay, I want to film a lot!”
Han Shuangshuang also smiled. “Great, we’ll film a lot together!”
She had been a bit hesitant to bring it up herself.
Having been a media blogger for a month, she had started to develop a habit of recording things on video.
Now that Zhou Jiang had brought it up, it was perfect.
She planned to think carefully about what to film.
Short videos didn’t always capture interesting moments spontaneously; many were staged.
Her mentor, Yao Yao, had told her she didn’t need to be an exception.
After all, her dog Xiao Man was genuinely smart and didn’t need to fake anything.
Xiao Man curled up in the space in front of the seat, occasionally teasing Peanut, eliciting giggles from the little girl.
Most of the time, she lay lazily.
Han Shuangshuang could decide what to film; Xiao Man just needed to cooperate.
The young girl’s filming was already quite professional and sufficient.
The group arrived at their destination, where there were quite a few tourists, but it wasn’t as crowded as the major hotspots where you couldn’t even walk.
Finding a parking spot was challenging, so they had to park a bit farther away and take a shuttle to the town center.
The town retained some ancient buildings, surrounded by modern structures designed to mimic ancient architecture, clearly aimed at creating a tourist-friendly ancient town.
However, the town’s appeal wasn’t limited to this.
There were several natural scenic spots in the mountains and the former residences of famous figures, enough to keep them occupied for the entire day.
They arrived at nine in the morning.
Zhou Jiang led the way, buying combo tickets to visit the mountain attractions.
She excitedly said, “There’s a highly-rated noodle shop near Qianlong Pond. We can have lunch there!”
According to Zhou Jiang’s plan, they would arrive near Qianlong Pond by noon.
Zhou Jiang’s planning skills were excellent, and there were no hiccups along the way.
At 11:55, they were seated in the noodle shop.
Xiao Man had to stay outside under a tree, eating the dog food Han Shuangshuang had brought.
A piece of A4 paper was stuck above her head, reading: “Not a stray dog! Owner is eating inside!”
Xiao Man felt a bit speechless when she saw Han Shuangshuang write those words.
Han Shuangshuang was really worried she’d be mistaken for a stray and taken away!
She turned to look inside the noodle shop.
Zhou Jiang and Tang Youning were sharing noodles.
Zhou Jiang couldn’t finish hers, so she gave some to Tang Youning and a bit to Peanut, who couldn’t eat much.
The family of three looked loving, while Han Shuangshuang was busy eating her noodles.
Xiao Man thought, “Haha, you’re still eating dog food like me.”
By mid-afternoon, the group descended the mountain and returned to the town, planning to stroll around for about an hour before heading home.
Xiao Man usually wore a muzzle when out to avoid scaring people.
Even so, she could sense the inner fear some people had of dogs and would actively avoid them.
Peanut had spent the day getting familiar with Xiao Man and even wanted to walk while hugging her dog head.
Xiao Man felt a bit resigned but let Peanut hold her.
After all, she was just a child; there was no need to take it seriously.
This scene was captured by Han Shuangshuang’s phone.
As they walked, they came across a street lined with unique guesthouses.
Some yards were fenced with hedges, while others were open for visitors to explore.
The street was bustling with tourists and small vendors.
Peanut got tired and started fussing about wanting to ride the dog.
Xiao Man thought, “……”
I’m not even as heavy as you!
Zhou Jiang picked up Peanut and handed her to Tang Youning.
“Your child, you spoil her.”
Tang Youning smiled good-naturedly, adjusting his hold to make Peanut more comfortable.
Peanut, having been disciplined by her mother, quickly forgot about wanting to ride the dog and started chatting with her father.
At that moment, a girl with an anxious expression walked out of a guesthouse.
Her eyes paused when she saw Xiao Man, and she ran over excitedly, saying to Han Shuangshuang, who was holding the leash,
“Excuse me, is your dog very smart?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that the dog, with its sparse fur, looked like a Husky.
She immediately regretted her question.
Oh no, a Husky…
Han Shuangshuang politely asked, “Is there something you need?”
Having already spoken, the girl had no choice but to explain,
“We’re filming here, and there’s a scene involving a dog. The dog we originally hired got diarrhea from eating something, and we’re looking for a dog that can follow commands and isn’t afraid of cameras.”
Han Shuangshuang glanced at Xiao Man, who was no longer lying lazily but standing obediently by her feet, looking particularly well-behaved and understanding.
Han Shuangshuang thought, “……”
Xiao Man, you understood again, didn’t you?
Even filming?
She had been worried that Xiao Man might be tired today, but seeing her full of energy, she said,
“My Xiao Man is very smart. How long do you plan to film?”
The girl was taken aback, half-believing.
“Really?”
Han Shuangshuang said, “Xiao Man, circle around her three times.”
The girl was stunned as the dog, after the leash was released, gracefully circled around her three times, then returned to its original position and even picked up the leash with its front paw to hand it back to the owner.
The girl’s heart skipped a beat.
So obedient?
Wasn’t this her uncle’s dream dog?!
The dog they had originally hired was barely usable, and completing the shoot would have taken a lot of effort and time.
If this dog could perform like this during the shoot, it would make things so much easier, and the filming effect would be better!
The girl quickly said, “My name is Jin Cha, ‘Cha’ as in the flower. I’m the assistant director. If your dog can consistently perform like this, the filming won’t take more than two hours, and there are no dangerous stunts. We’ll pay this much.”
She held up three fingers, presumably meaning three thousand.
Han Shuangshuang said, “I’m a pet blogger with a company. I need to discuss this with my company.”
The girl’s eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, “What’s your account name?”
Han Shuangshuang told her, and the girl searched online.
Wow, this was a dog that had saved people multiple times!
Now she was even more eager to keep the dog.
Although they were making a low-budget web movie with limited marketing funds, having this internet-famous dog in the film might bring more exposure.
Of course, the payment wouldn’t be just three thousand; they’d have to add more.
After all, they were a low-budget web movie without a famous director or actors, and big productions had more leverage.
But it didn’t matter; her uncle would definitely agree.
They were in urgent need of a dog, and this one was a minor internet celebrity.
It was a stroke of luck delivered to their doorstep.
Not seizing this opportunity wouldn’t be fitting for a part-time investor, producer, and screenwriter who was also the director!
Chen Yao and Han Shuangshuang hadn’t planned for the account to venture into film cameos yet, but with other media bloggers as references, they had some idea.
Soon, Chen Yao sent Han Shuangshuang a template for an electronic contract.
Han Shuangshuang was thrilled.
She hadn’t expected Xiao Man to be able to act in a film.
After agreeing with Jin Cha, she followed her to discuss the details.
Zhou Jiang and Tang Youning were also very curious and quietly followed along.
They had never seen a film set before, and since they were out for fun, they might as well join in the excitement!
The guesthouse’s yard was quite spacious, with many people gathered near the entrance.
On the other side was a beautiful swing set, where a young, attractive couple was rehearsing their lines.
Jin Cha hurried to find her uncle, Lian Heshu, the all-powerful director of the web movie, and explained the situation.
During the conversation, Lian Heshu glanced at Xiao Man several times.
Soon, Lian Heshu walked over, exchanged a few pleasantries with Han Shuangshuang, and then said to Xiao Man,
“Xiao Man, can you act a bit fierce?”
Xiao Man felt that her human-like understanding had its limits, so she turned to look at Han Shuangshuang, tilting her head innocently.
Witnessing this, Zhou Jiang thought, “Deliberately acting cute!”
Han Shuangshuang, however, found Xiao Man genuinely adorable and quickly said,
“Xiao Man, act fierce!”
In the next second, Xiao Man arched her back, crouched low, and bared her teeth at Lian Heshu, emitting a low, threatening growl.
Her eyes were fierce, and even with the muzzle on, she exuded danger.
Lian Heshu was caught off guard and instinctively took a step back, pulling his precious niece with him.
Han Shuangshuang said, “That’s enough!”
Xiao Man immediately dropped the fierce act, returning to her gentle and harmless demeanor.
Lian Heshu patted his rapidly beating chest and gave a thumbs up.
“Impressive control, well done!”
He said, “Can we start filming right away? Jin Cha will discuss the contract with your company.”
Han Shuangshuang had no problem with that, as she needed to help the director give commands to Xiao Man.
She would have to trouble Chen Yao with the contract.
However, yesterday Xiao Man seemed to be listening to Zhou Jiang.
She had never seen her not understand others before.
Why was she like this today?
She didn’t dwell on it.
Xiao Man needed her to “translate,” and she was happy about it.
It meant Xiao Man was still close to her!
She followed Lian Heshu over, and he briefly explained the plot involving Xiao Man.
The web movie he was directing was a low-budget fantasy romance about a veterinarian who could understand animal language and a sickly, scheming rich heir.
Xiao Man’s role was to initially appear fierce and threaten the heir, only to be calmed down by the veterinarian.
After communicating with the veterinarian, Xiao Man would become gentle and help find the heir’s lost pet cat.
The entire scene was just a few minutes long and served as the meeting point for the male and female leads.
Listening in, Xiao Man thought,
“What a coincidence! The movie’s protagonist can understand animal language, while in reality, I, a dog, can understand human language.”
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