Chapter 29: Conflict

Xiao Man had never seen Han Shuangshuang call her family, and she had long known that Han Shuangshuang came from a family that favored sons over daughters, so her relationship with her family was strained.

When Han Shuangshuang had the opportunity to start making videos and becoming a self-media creator, Xiao Man had been a bit worried. 

When someone suddenly becomes famous, trouble often follows.

Unexpectedly, the trouble only arrived now.

At this moment, as a dog, Xiao Man could do nothing but watch from the side.

Han Shuangshuang was clearly caught off guard. 

Only after her father and brother approached and called her did she snap out of her daze.

Her first instinct was to try to break free from her mother’s grip, which was so tight it almost felt like she was being pinched.

Seeing that Han Shuangshuang was struggling to handle the situation, Xiao Man grew anxious and barked a few times.

It was just after work hours, and many employees of Shutu Media were leaving for the day. 

Even if they weren’t from the same department, everyone in the company knew Han Shuangshuang, who had transitioned into self-media. 

Hearing Xiao Man’s barks, several people noticed Han Shuangshuang being harassed and quickly walked over.

“Han Shuangshuang, do you need help?” a male colleague from a neighboring department asked.

Before Han Shuangshuang could answer, the woman holding her shouted, 

“What are you doing? I’m Shuangshuang’s mother! We’re here to reunite with our daughter-it’s none of your business!”

The stubbornness of a person can often be seen in their face. 

The male colleague paused and looked at Han Shuangshuang for guidance.

Finally, Han Shuangshuang managed to say, “Let go of me!”

But to Xiao Man, her tone didn’t sound firm enough.

Perhaps accustomed to bossing Han Shuangshuang around, her mother became furious and snapped, 

“You ungrateful brat! Have you grown wings? How dare you talk to your mother like that!”

The woman who had initially choked up, saying she missed her daughter, now seemed unable to keep up the act. 

She glanced warily at the colleagues still gathered around and said to Han Shuangshuang, “Come with us!”

“No, I’m not going!” Han Shuangshuang cried out in panic.

At this point, Xiao Man also moved. 

She squeezed between Han Shuangshuang and her mother, letting out a threatening growl.

A dog suddenly pushing its way in, even with a muzzle on, would startle anyone unfamiliar with it. 

The middle-aged woman looked momentarily frightened and instinctively kicked out, at the same time releasing Han Shuangshuang.

That kick was like poking a hornet’s nest. 

Xiao Man followed Han Shuangshuang to work every day, and when not filming, she would wander around. 

As a well-behaved and intelligent internet-famous dog, she was incredibly popular among Shutu Media’s employees.

So, when the employees saw Xiao Man being kicked, those who had initially hesitated to get involved in a family matter immediately shouted, 

“What are you doing! Who told you to kick Xiao Man!”

Meanwhile, Xiao Man, who had been kicked despite being prepared, yelped in pain as she lay on the ground.

Seeing Xiao Man like this, Han Shuangshuang’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. 

The fear she had felt upon seeing her family was instantly replaced by anger. 

She pushed her mother away and knelt down to check on Xiao Man’s injury.

Xiao Man glanced at her.

Han Shuangshuang’s tears stopped in their tracks.

Xiao Man continued to whimper.

Han Shuangshuang was stunned. 

She knew Xiao Man was a good actor-even Director Lian Heshu had praised her during the filming of their web series, saying she was well-trained. 

But in reality, Xiao Man was just naturally good at acting.

But now, Xiao Man was pretending to be injured? 

This wasn’t just good acting-it was almost supernatural!

Many dogs can fake injuries, as it’s part of their instinctive mimicry. 

There are plenty of videos online of dogs imitating their owners’ limping after an injury.

But at this moment, Xiao Man wasn’t just mimicking. 

It seemed she had sensed Han Shuangshuang’s predicament and was giving her a way out. 

Han Shuangshuang hugged Xiao Man, tears streaming down her face.

Indeed, only Xiao Man truly cared about how she was doing.

Because Han Shuangshuang had pushed her mother away, her father and brother, who had initially stayed out of it, now stepped in. 

Her father, Han Shan, scolded her, “You ungrateful brat! How dare you hit your mother!”

Her brother, Han Bao, also chimed in, “Sis, you’ve really changed since you’ve been out here. You weren’t like this before.”

Lu Cui, who had been pushed but not fallen, was enraged by Han Shuangshuang’s actions. 

After regaining her composure, she lunged forward, ready to strike.

“You little brat! How dare you lay a hand on me! Have you forgotten who your mother is!”

The Shutu Media employees who had been standing nearby naturally couldn’t let this happen and did their best to intervene.

Seeing this, Han Shan and Han Bao also couldn’t stand by and joined the fray.

The scene quickly descended into chaos.

Han Shuangshuang, caught in the middle of the storm, tried to leave with Xiao Man in her arms, but the crowd was too chaotic and packed. 

She was pulled back by someone and couldn’t get away.

Xiao Man, squeezed in the middle:

Pain.

Help!

Who’s pulling my tail!

Wait, I don’t even have much fur yet-what are you pulling at!

Who’s hitting my head!

Xiao Man’s vision went black, and when she opened her eyes again, everything was quiet.

Xiao Man: “Huh?”

Wait, was it that easy to return to her own body? 

This time, she didn’t feel much pain—just a light tap on the head.

As for Han Shuangshuang, she was just in a fight, and with so many people around, someone was bound to call the police.

A few seconds after opening her eyes, she saw a handsome face in her field of vision.

Xu Yan looked at Xiao Man, who had opened her eyes but wasn’t moving, and hesitantly asked, 

“Xiao Man, are you awake?”

Xiao Man: “……”

Since she didn’t need to call for help, she didn’t have much to say to Xu Yan… 

Wait, actually, she did have something to say.

She said, “Can you play me some short stories with endings next time? I want revenge stories-no horror or tragic ones, thanks.”

Xu Yan: “?”

He seemed to think of something and quickly opened his phone’s camera to record. “Say that again.”

Xiao Man: “?”

Can’t you remember such a simple sentence?

Xu Yan said, “Also, how do you know things you shouldn’t know?”

Xiao Man: “……”

She: “Huh?”

With that, she closed her eyes.

When she closed her eyes, Xiao Man just wanted to play dead to avoid Xu Yan’s questions, but within seconds, the familiar dizziness returned.

Since she was lying in bed, the dizziness wasn’t too intense, but she knew her body well-this wasn’t a true return.

Xu Yan pressed the bedside bell as soon as Xiao Man closed her eyes. 

A nurse’s voice came through: “Is Xiao Man awake again?”

Xu Yan: “She woke up, then passed out again. I have video proof.”

There were no cameras in the room, only in the hallway. 

Last time, only Xu Yan had seen Xiao Man wake up, and there was no video evidence. 

While the doctors didn’t outright accuse him of lying, the lack of any abnormalities in the tests made some suspect that Xu Yan might have been too eager for her to wake up and imagined it.

After all, Han Shuangshuang, Xiao Man’s medical decision-maker, didn’t visit as often as Xu Yan did.

So this time, Xu Yan recorded the video. 

He refused to be doubted, even in private.

In the video, Xiao Man opened her eyes and only said “Huh,” but it was enough to prove she had woken up.

But it seemed, like last time, she wouldn’t wake again.

Xu Yan had thought she would call for help like last time, but this time, she only made that one request.

As the doctors and nurses arrived to conduct further tests, Xu Yan left the room and checked his phone’s playback history.

So she knew, huh?

A cold smile crept onto Xu Yan’s lips.

Next time, he’d play her horror stories and tragic tales and leave them unfinished.

Unaware of what was coming, Xiao Man regained consciousness again, this time in Han Shuangshuang’s arms. 

The group was now sitting on either side of a room, and from the looks of it, they were at the police station.

Seeing Xiao Man open her eyes, Han Shuangshuang hugged her tightly. “Xiao Man, you’re awake!”

A colleague nearby said, “Who knows if there’s any brain damage? You should take her to the vet later and make them pay!”

Xiao Man perked up. 

Compensation? 

Yes, please!

The next second, she gagged.

The colleague immediately said sympathetically, 

“See, Xiao Man’s really suffering!”

Xiao Man gagged a few more times before stopping, afraid she might actually throw up. 

Then she lay limply in Han Shuangshuang’s arms, whimpering softly, looking utterly pitiful.

The colleagues around Han Shuangshuang were all heartbroken, and their demands for compensation grew louder.

Han Shuangshuang’s parents and brother naturally refused, denying they had hit the dog. 

Han Bao even said, “It’s just a stupid dog-don’t try to scam us.”

The mediation room was noisy, but Han Shuangshuang herself remained relatively quiet.

She stroked Xiao Man’s back, as if drawing strength from her warmth.

The police had reviewed the surveillance footage from the building’s entrance, and combined with everyone’s statements, this was a minor incident with no injuries. 

Naturally, they aimed to mediate.

Although Lu Cui had struck first, there had been physical contact during the intervention. 

If they didn’t accept mediation, it would be considered mutual assault, and both sides would be detained for a couple of days.

No one wanted to be detained, so both sides agreed to mediation, apologized to each other, and no money changed hands.

During the mediation, Lu Cui had hoped Han Shuangshuang’s side would cover some medical expenses, but the Shutu Media employees countered that they should also pay for Xiao Man’s vet bills, which shut her down.

The “brawl” was resolved, but Lu Cui and her family clearly weren’t ready to let Han Shuangshuang off the hook.

Lu Cui began crying in front of the police, 

“I raised her all these years, and she just ran off without a word! We spent so much money on her growing up, and now that she’s making money, she doesn’t even think of us!”

“ I just came to see her. I didn’t even ask for money and she doesn’t acknowledge us, even lets people hit us! What kind of daughter is she? It’s like her conscience has been eaten by a dog!”

The only dog present, Xiao Man: “?”