Chapter 82: Chen Yiwan Logs In!

Chapter 82: Chen Yiwan Logs In!

Fortunately, both the watch and the violin were safe, and Chen Yibai had completed filming the promotional video unscathed, exiting the location in one piece.

His agent reclaimed her phone and gave him an extra glance before asking, "Have you considered getting a piano?"

She didn't mean anything by it; she just felt that it was a shame for him to possess such talent yet not use it regularly.

Chen Yibai had no such intention, replying, "I still have a mountain of debt on my head, I can't afford to think about that."

"Given your work intensity, it'll only be a matter of years until you're free of it."

The agent's curiosity was piqued as she asked, "With how many projects you take on each year, time will fly by. What do you plan to do once you've paid off your debts?"

Chen Yibai had never pondered this question before. After a moment's thought, he said, "Make money for retirement."

It was the expected answer—money was always the goal. Not having uncovered any new insights, the agent turned to look out at the familiar streets and the overcast sky, barely visible in the distance, saying, "We're almost there. Remember to bring an umbrella when you get out; it might rain again today."

Arriving at the entrance of the residential area, Chen Yibai got out of the car.

There was nothing he needed help carrying today. With the sky threatening rain, he needed to get home before it started pouring, so the others stayed in the vehicle, waving goodbye through the windows as he left.

As the car departed, he turned towards his apartment building, pulling out his phone while walking.

Once safely home, he sent a message to his good neighbor who lived far away, then reported his safety to Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu, who had been concerned about his situation.

Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu had originally wanted to invite him to their home, but during this period, although he had returned to City A, he had work that required him to go out frequently. It was more convenient for him to stay here, and it would have been troublesome for them if he kept coming and going. Thus, he decided not to visit, opting instead to send them a message when he arrived home safely.

After returning home, he washed his hair, took a shower, and changed into simple loungewear. By the time he emerged from the bathroom, the rain had already begun to fall outside.

It was now a little past seven in the evening, past his usual dinner time. Since he would be working and eating out all day tomorrow, buying ingredients that he wouldn't be able to finish carried the risk of being caught by Ms. Jiang for wasting food. After some brief consideration, Chen Moubai ultimately decided to grab his umbrella and head out.

If his memory served him right, there was a small noodle shop nearby. Although it was a bit far, the portions were generous and affordable. He still had some time today, and after eating, he could probably squeeze in some streaming time.

He set out, taking a less frequented route.

Today was Saturday, and with the rain, there were fewer people than usual on the streets, making them seem unusually empty.

The noodle shop was still open, with few customers since it was past the dinner rush. He opted to dine in.

"…"

"Swish—"

The sound of rain hitting the ground and trees outside the store was constant, growing louder whenever the glass door was pushed open by incoming customers, filling his ears.

Having quickly finished his dinner, as a new customer passed by, Chen Bai, who had been chatting with the owner while eating, happened to put down his chopsticks and reapply his hat and mask, appearing like any ordinary customer ready to rob the place.

Standing up and pushing open the glass door, he politely bid farewell to the owner as he held up his umbrella, "Goodbye, boss."

The owner waved back with a smile as he attended to the new customer.

The rain had intensified significantly by the time he stepped back out into it. Feeling the added weight of the downpour on his umbrella, Chen Moubai made his way back along the same path.

While walking, he struggled to hold his umbrella with one hand while reaching into his pocket with the other to switch to Chen Erbai's account, single-handedly crafting a notification for his upcoming stream.

Carefully selecting a photo of his dinner, his pupils reflecting the light from his phone, he typed out the last word just as he reached the roadside, where the green light turned red.

Encounting a red light every time he crossed the street—a typical occurrence for someone with rotten luck.

Watching the cars pass before his eyes, finding the headlights somewhat blinding, Chen BadLuck averted his gaze, maintaining a strong sense of safety by refraining from looking at his phone. His pupils shifted, catching sight of the verdant greenery on the side.

There seemed to be something there.

The light from the overhead streetlamp was blocked by the foliage, casting the base of the shrubs in shadow. Only vaguely could he make out what appeared to be a yellow-white mass.

Then he saw the yellow-white mass move slightly.

It was a very slight movement, followed by complete stillness, nearly imperceptible unless one looked closely. With the red light still counting down its final seconds, Chen Bai wasn't in a hurry, so he crouched down under the cover of his umbrella.

Vehicles passed by on the road, momentarily illuminating the base of the shrubbery. This time, he could see clearly—the yellow-white fur and trembling ears.

It was a puppy, its eyes closed, with red-tinged fur on its hind legs, indicating a wound.

There was no one around, only the sound of rain.

In a split second, Chen Moubai put his phone back in his pocket and leaned towards the base of the shrub, extending his hand.

Nearest pet hospital.

The heavy rain was shut out beyond the window, while in the waiting area, Chen Bai watched as the doctor emerged from the room. He stood up immediately to inquire about the puppy's condition.

As the doctor walked over, he explained, "The puppy is two to three months old and has contracted parvovirus. It's been some time since the infection began, and the chances of successful treatment are roughly fifty-fifty."

When the puppy was first brought in, its fur was entirely yellowed, making it difficult to identify the breed. It wasn't until they examined it under proper lighting that they realized it was a purebred dog. They speculated that it had likely contracted parvovirus, and its previous owner, unwilling to pay for treatment, had abandoned it. The injury to its hind leg probably occurred during this period. They had seen similar cases before and weren't surprised.

If treated early in the course of the disease, the chances of recovery were high. However, since the infection had persisted for some time, the odds were significantly reduced.

The doctor didn't deceive or mislead, stating his duty honestly after briefly explaining the situation, "Treatment here will take some time and won't come cheap. As I mentioned earlier, we can't guarantee a full recovery, but we will certainly do our best."

Never expecting that a simple dinner outing would lead to a significant financial drain, Chen Bai closed his eyes, then opened them again, nodding in agreement to proceed with the treatment.

Thus, the doctor led him to fill out the necessary paperwork.

As he filled out the forms, the doctor typed the puppy's medical history into the computer, saying, "Thank goodness you found it today. The puppy was showing signs of dehydration. If it hadn't been brought in, it probably wouldn't have survived the night."

Chen Bai wrote down his name, acknowledging the doctor's words.

After completing the basic information and consent form, he put down his pen, rotated the papers in his hands, and handed them back to the doctor.

The doctor glanced at him and chuckled, "You share a name with a big celebrity."

He didn't know the person, but several of his colleagues were fans. If they had been on duty tonight, they would have been quite pleased.

Touching the slightly damp brim of his cap, Chen Bai smiled in response. Still preoccupied with thoughts of the puppy and the money he had just spent, his smile was shallow, barely noticeable behind his mask.

A quick scan with his phone paid for the examination, and he slipped it back into his pocket before asking, "Can I see it?"

The doctor said yes.

And so, Chen Bai went to see it.

After its check-up, the puppy was moved to another room, lying on a small platform surrounded by barriers. A blanket beneath it kept its body warm, while it received fluids intravenously.

During treatment, it couldn't be bathed or dewormed, so the little furball remained a dirty clump, matted hair and all, with an unpleasant odor.

Another doctor nearby had just finished treating its hind leg wound, wrapping it in bandages.

Perhaps feeling some pain, the originally closed, moist eyes were now open, looking in their direction. Unable to move, but seemingly recognizing him, the puppy's nose twitched as it sniffed the air, either trying to identify his scent or memorize it.

Its eyes stayed open for only a moment. Once the wound was treated and its vital signs stabilized, the smelly little pup fell asleep again.

The doctors would handle the follow-up, and with the puppy asleep, there was no need to linger. Chen Moubai left.

It wasn't until he stepped out into the rain under his umbrella, walked to the familiar intersection, and faced the familiar red light that he remembered the broadcast notification he had drafted but not sent. Taking a step back, he adjusted the scheduled time and hit send.

Though later than planned, the live stream would still happen. A significant portion of his small savings had been spent on a puppy, and he needed to replenish his funds urgently.

For the next few days, he found himself leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. During the day, amidst a packed work schedule, he checked messages from the doctor he had exchanged contact information with, keeping tabs on the puppy's condition. In the evenings, he visited the hospital to check on it more frequently.

Thanks to the doctor's meticulous care and the considerable four-digit sum he had already spent (and would continue to spend), the puppy survived the most critical days. It finally stopped bleeding from its bowels, and its health began to gradually improve. The fifty-fifty chance of recovery tipped in favor of the positive outcome.

---

The agent had been feeling uneasy lately.

Over the past half month of working in City A, a certain actor surnamed Chen had been spending significantly more time on his phone than usual. He avoided lingering after work and, when being driven home, no longer got off at the entrance of his neighborhood but instead hopped out precisely at unfamiliar locations, disappearing quickly afterward.

After a period of hesitation and observation, during one of these drives home, the agent heard the request to stop at an unfamiliar location once again. Finally, she asked, "Chen Yibai, are you dating someone?"

Every day, he was sending messages and going elsewhere instead of heading home, always in a hurry. Though unlikely, this behavior perfectly matched the signs of being in a relationship.

"Mm," Chen Yibai responded absentmindedly, engrossed in reading the doctor's message. Realizing what the agent had asked, he looked up, "Mm?"

The agent was startled by his affirmative response, as was he by her question. Both of them suddenly looked up sharply.

Chen Yibai's eyes widened in disbelief. "Where would I find the time to date?"

The agent recounted her observations.

Listening to her, Chen Yibai's eyes flickered, and he assumed a posture for a heart-to-heart conversation. "It's a long story."

Agent: "Make it short."

"I picked up a dog."

In one succinct sentence, Chen Yibai summarized the events of the past half month. "It's still at the pet hospital. It just had a bath today. Sister Qian, do you want to come see it?"

"?"

Sister Qian accompanied him to see it.

Parking by the roadside, she followed him as he confidently entered the pet hospital.

The pet hospital operated on a 24-hour shift system, with staff available no matter how late. The hospital personnel seemed to recognize him well, or at least his hat-and-mask ensemble, kindly informing him of where 'Ten Thousand' was currently located.

Agent: "Ten Thousand?"

Chen Yibai explained that since the dog didn't have a name, it was inconvenient, so he had given it a temporary one. "I named it Ten Thousand because it has already cost me ten thousand."

He smiled, his tone even and unemotional, tinged with a faint sense of resignation.

The agent couldn't help but widen her eyes.

For someone so frugal to spend ten thousand on an unknown puppy, she now understood how much he loved dogs.

Having just had its bath, Ten Thousand wasn't in its usual spot, finally able to run around freely.

Capable of running, but not doing so, when they entered the designated play area, the attendant mentioned, "Ten Thousand isn't very active. It's playing with toys in the corner."

Chen Yibai went to see it.

In the spacious room, only a white puppy lay on the ground in the corner, playing with a small shark plushie.

The shark plushie seemed oddly familiar, but that wasn't important. What mattered was that he didn't see his scruffy Ten Thousand anywhere.

Just as he was about to ask someone where Ten Thousand was, the white puppy, apparently noticing the commotion, suddenly sprang up, mouth holding the shark plushie, and started sprinting towards them.

As it ran, its fur rippled, its ears flapping wildly. Its injured hind leg hadn't fully recovered, and its three legs moved independently, creating a chaotic dash in their direction.

It was a Samoyed, an affectionate and energetic breed. Recently recovered from illness, it was somewhat thin, but the force of its impact against him was still noticeable.

Observing the tail wagging so vigorously it created a blur, the agent remarked, "This is Ten Thousand?"

It didn't seem like the picture of "not very active" from any angle.

Unexpectedly receiving a dog that had barreled into his arms, Chen Yibai reflexively stroked its head, turning to look at her with wide eyes. "I don't know."

Agent: "?"

All the features matched, and the shark was identical to the toy that Chen Moubai had bought for Wanyi, and indeed, there were no other dogs around—it could very well be Wanyi.

After a bath, it became fluffy, and Wanyi underwent a transformation, changing from a scrawny stray dog into a handsome white-haired pup.

As Chen Yibai stroked the dog's head, feeling the large nose sniffing at his chest, he pulled out his phone and called his good neighbor who should have finished work by now, wanting to show him the transformed Wanyi.

It was their usual video call, which was quickly answered.

The person on the other end seemed to have just finished washing up, and one could feel the moisture through the screen as water droplets slid down his face and disappeared into the towel draped around his neck. Chen Yibai glanced over and promptly gave Old Comrade Xu a thumbs-up, praising him for being handsome.

Seeing the background and ceiling behind him, the dashing Old Comrade Xu asked, "Are you in the hospital?"

Chen Yibai confirmed it and flipped the camera around, saying, "Let me show you Wanyi."

The person wearing a hat and mask disappeared from the lens, replaced by a large white dog nestled in his arms, arching its body energetically. Because of its excessive enthusiasm, the phone camera couldn't keep up, only capturing blurry white shadows.

Not noticing that he was on a call, the staff member responsible for looking after this area came over to see the dog.

She was taken aback when she saw the white blur moving like a lion dance in place, needing to confirm twice before she dared to believe that it was Wanyi—the one who didn't get close to people and didn't like to move.

Squatting down beside them, she said, "Strange, Wanyi doesn't get close to us. I thought it didn't like people."

It turned out that it wasn't that it didn't like people, but rather an issue with the object of its affection.

This level of intimacy was clearly not something that could be easily built overnight. Thinking about how this person had been acting like an underground party member for the past half a month, the agent said, "You've been taking care of it for so long, why didn't you tell us?"

If they knew, they could have sent more toys, making the dog happier.

Stroking the dog's head in his hands, Chen Yibai said, "I plan to help find an adopter. Once it's adopted, I won't see it anymore, so I thought it would be better not to say anything."

Agent: "Huh?"

Staff Member: "Huh?"

"You weren't planning to keep it?" The agent looked at Wanyi, who was rubbing against him fiercely, and said, "You've spent nearly ten thousand on it already, and it's so close to you. Can you bear to part with it?"

Lowering his eyes to rub the puppy's ears, Chen Yibai said, "I'm entering production at the end of the month, and I spend most of the year outside. I can't take care of it."

He continued, "I have a friend who likes dogs, but he's not very mobile and probably can't keep one. That's why I need to find another adopter."

The puppy's ears were sensitive and wouldn't let ordinary people touch them, but he rubbed them smoothly, causing the white dog to squint its eyes in pleasure.

A very practical problem, the agent realized, thinking for a moment and agreeing.

"…"

Seemingly hearing the words 'entering production', the staff member felt like she couldn't keep up with the conversation.

Without delving into the details of his work, he finished rubbing one ear and moved on to the other, trying to teach Wanyi the method of finding a good adopter.

In short, it was about putting on an act for five minutes for a lifetime of luxury.

The puppy didn't understand luxury, it only pressed closer to him.

The agent looked at the fluffy ball and the hand that couldn't bear to leave the fluffy head, asking objectively, "Can you really bear to part with it?"

Chen Yibai scratched the puppy's chin.

"You can ask your Aunt Jiang and the others. They have a big family and a large yard."

Finally speaking up after listening quietly on the phone, the good neighbor said, "They would be very happy if you discussed it with them."

Meaning that while he was working, Wanyi could stay at their home estate, Chen Yibai didn't respond immediately.

It was fine to visit for a short period occasionally, but once a dog was kept, it was for a long time. He felt it wasn't appropriate, a bit too much trouble for others.

Flipping the camera back, Xu Sinian looked at Chen Yibai's slightly lowered eyes and didn't say much, simply stating, "They actually welcome small animals."

Chen Yibai pondered, unable to reply for the moment, so he turned the camera back to Wanyi, showing it off from all angles. Wanyi, not understanding but willing to cooperate, went along with it.

After the display, knowing that the busy actor had work the next day, the considerate Chen Yibai didn't prolong the call, waving goodbye and telling him to sleep early.

When the call ended, the space grew quiet, and the staff member beside him also fell silent, her face and ears flushed red as she quietly reached up to cover her mouth.

"Why don't you try calling your aunt?"

Watching him put away his phone, the agent squatted beside him and touched the white fluff ball, exhaling and saying, "I think if you actively seek out your aunt, she would be quite happy."

From the perspective of a certain friend surnamed Xu, some things were hard to say. With no one else here to speak up, she could help fill in what he couldn't say.

Meeting the gaze of the person beside her, she said, "Didn't your uncle and aunt always tell you to remember to call them if you have any problems? That's not just a polite phrase."

Ever since she found out about their existence, every time he received a call from them, the phrase she heard most often was that one. If it was just politeness, they wouldn't repeat it over and over again.

"Put yourself in their shoes. If something happened to your uncle and aunt, wouldn't you want them to tell you?"

As an observer, even though they didn't spend much time together, the agent could see that Ms. Jiang and her husband truly treated this person like their own son. She raised her hand to pat the brim of a certain cap, saying, "Besides your friend, you can also occasionally try to rely on others."

Perhaps from a long time ago, someone had been waiting for such a call.

Chen Bai fell into deep thought, with something constantly pressing against his side. Lowering his head, he saw Wanyi carrying the little shark to him, seemingly intending to give him the only toy it had, wagging its tail wildly.

"…"

Receiving the gift from Wanyi, his fingers twitched slightly, and finally, he lowered his head to pick up the phone placed aside.

Ms. Jiang's contact information was easy to find; she had called him not long ago and was on the first page of his chat list. He tapped a few times on the screen, dialing the number.

The phone rang only twice, as if waiting for something, before it was swiftly answered.

Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, Chen Bai stroked the dog's head. His light-colored eyes lowered, and he said, "Aunt Jiang, I have a matter I'd like to discuss with you."