Whoever Falls in Love First is the Dog - Chapter 37
Chapter 37
“If it weren’t for those students posting photos online, Young Master Jiang might’ve turned Yun City upside down looking for you today.”
Shen Mengke sat alone in the back of the bus, her eyes closed.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she had taken public transport. Listening to the bus announcements, her mind suddenly drifted to the image of that girl crying.
What was her name again?
“Shen Lingze.”
A voice suddenly sounded in her ear. Shen Mengke’s eyes flew open as she stared at the half-open door in front of her.
She remembered how Shen Lingze had suddenly appeared at their home. That afternoon, when she returned from school, she saw her long-absent mother, holding a tiny baby in her arms.
Her mother had called out to her. She put down her schoolbag and walked over, frowning at the wrinkly little infant.
She was so small, like a kitten — and ugly.
Her mother said the baby’s name was Shen Lingze. She was Shen Mengke’s younger sister.
Shen Lingze…
What a spirited name — too bad she wasn’t blessed enough to live up to it.
Her sister was born premature and sick. Shen Mengke couldn’t even remember what the illness was. Just that every two days, they had to rush her to the hospital. Sometimes in the middle of the night. The commotion would always wake her.
So, she’d peer through the crack in the door, watching them under the living room light. Usually, her mother would be holding the crying baby while her father helped her put on shoes, grabbed her bag, and left two yuan on the table — Shen Mengke’s breakfast money for the next day.
Later, her mother had to take Shen Lingze to get treatment, so she left Shen Mengke with her grandmother in the countryside.
From then on, the memories of her family became increasingly vague.
Until the year she got into the county’s top high school and returned to Yun City, to her birth parents’ home. But the room that used to be hers had become her sister’s.
The family had always been tight on money, and there were only two usable bedrooms. One for the parents, one for the younger sister.
The sister was delicate and didn’t want to share a room with a “country bumpkin” sister she’d never met. The parents, still worried about her health, didn’t dare say no to her.
In truth, they were just biased.
But they couldn’t kick Shen Mengke out either, so she had to sleep on the living room sofa.
Every morning she had to fold her blanket and temporarily put it in her sister’s room, then bring it back out at night.
This was her so-called home, but if no one was there, she couldn’t even get in.
She didn’t have a house key. One day, she came back from school and found the door locked.
She borrowed a neighbor’s phone to call her parents, but they didn’t pick up. In fact, they had never answered any of her calls.
That night, she had dinner at the neighbor’s place. But even late into the evening, her parents hadn’t returned. She was too embarrassed to stay, so she lied and said she had found the key.
Then she sat at the doorstep, waiting until midnight.
She fell asleep — cold and hungry — and was eventually woken by a surprised cry.
Her eyes were still blurry when she opened them, but she could see clearly enough: her sister wearing a beautiful dress, her father holding an unfinished birthday cake.
So that day… was her sister’s birthday. And they really had forgotten about her.
Even though bl00d connected them, they’d long grown used to life without Shen Mengke. Only Shen Mengke had foolishly believed things were still the same.
That night, her mother apologized awkwardly and invited her to have cake, but Shen Mengke merely walked in, picked up her blanket, and curled up on the narrow sofa.
She never told anyone that the blanket her mother prepared was too small — she couldn’t stretch out, or her feet would poke out. Or that the sofa was so narrow she would fall off if she moved even slightly.
But the truth was, she hadn’t come home alone. She had brought a dog — a Bichon Frisé named Dot (Diandian), a birthday gift from her grandmother.
She brought Dot back to her parents’ home, but one day after school, Dot was gone.
Her mother had given the dog away because her sister was allergic to dog hair.
That was the first time Shen Mengke fought with her parents after returning. She cried and begged her mother to get Dot back — she was willing to take Dot back to the countryside.
Her mother softened, but still couldn’t bring herself to yield. She bought a stuffed dog toy as compensation.
Shen Mengke refused it. She didn’t speak to them for an entire week. That weekend, she packed up and returned to the village — back to her grandmother’s house.
The quilts at grandma’s house were always big and warm. The bed always had a spot for her.
She never said why she came back, but her grandmother guessed. She scolded her mother over the phone, and her mother said she’d come get her. But that day, her sister got sick again, and her mother rushed her to the hospital.
Once more, Shen Mengke’s hope was crushed.
From that day on, she never returned to that so-called home. She never took another cent from her parents.
It was hard commuting from the village to the county, so she lived at school. She applied for poverty aid and worked part-time at shops near the school to earn her living.
Thanks to her grandmother’s help, she didn’t struggle too badly.
Later, she went to Jiangcheng for university. After that, she never heard from that family again.
Each year when she returned, she went straight to the village to visit her grandmother. After her grandmother passed, she never came back again.
Shen Lingze… her name was Shen Lingze.
That girl’s face flashed in her mind — now all skin and bones, devoid of any vitality. How could someone like that be named Shen Lingze?
Her eyes welled with tears as she heard the broadcast:
Yun City No. 1 High School. Passengers alighting, please exit from the rear door. Stay safe.
She looked up through the mist in her eyes and saw the view outside.
It was right after school. Students in blue-and-white uniforms walked in small groups. The bus quickly filled with kids, and all the seats were taken. Backpacks filled the aisle, but no one looked upset. They laughed, their hair fluttering in the wind from outside.
Of course — what student would be sad after school?
Soon, someone sat beside her. As they moved, Shen Mengke caught a whiff of clean laundry detergent.
She looked over — a bespectacled girl had sat down, book in hand, scribbling as soon as she sat.
Shen Mengke glanced down at the book — a physics problem set. The girl was working on a conveyor belt problem.
She frowned, earbuds half-falling out, eraser furiously rubbing, pencil tapping in frustration.
“You got the force analysis wrong. The block is moving to the right with uniform deceleration.”
Startled, the girl looked up at her.
Shen Mengke didn’t look up, her eyes still on the book. “Acceleration is f/m, or μg. You…”
Then she noticed the sudden silence around her. She looked up — many passengers were staring at her.
“Shen Mengke?”
The girl beside her was the first to react, whispering excitedly.
Only then did Shen Mengke realize what she’d done. A celebrity, alone on a crowded rush-hour bus, with no disguise.
She scanned the curious faces, then smiled and held a finger to her lips. “Shhh—”
High schoolers were the most obedient group. When Shen Mengke asked for silence, they actually hushed. One by one, they passed notebooks and textbooks to her.
Shen Mengke was charmed by their cuteness. Her frustration melted away. Borrowing the girl’s pen, she signed autographs for everyone.
As the bus made its stops, people came and went. By the time it reached the final stop, only a few remained.
To her surprise, the girl beside her had ridden all the way. “Do you live around here?” Shen Mengke asked.
The girl blushed and nodded.
“That’s a long way — must be tough going to school.”
“It’s okay. I live on campus. Today’s Friday.”
Only then did Shen Mengke realize it was Friday.
She no longer kept track of days — only whether she had work.
“Actually, I’m your fan…”
The girl spoke shyly, her voice barely audible. But Shen Mengke heard her.
The streetlights lit her face one by one. She smiled. “Want me to sign something for you?”
The girl nodded quickly and pulled out a pink notebook from her bag. On the blank first page, a tiny name was written in the corner: Hao Shi.
“Your name’s Hao Shi?” Shen Mengke asked while signing.
The girl nodded.
“Nice name. Are you a senior?”
“Yes. I’m taking the college entrance exam next year. I want to apply to the film academy too.”
Shen Mengke’s pen paused. She looked up, meeting the girl’s bright eyes.
Final stop. Please exit through the rear door.
Hearing the announcement, the girl stood up quickly. She took back the notebook and said to Shen Mengke:
“Senior, I want to walk the same path you did.”
Then she bowed slightly and fled the bus, blushing.
Shen Mengke sat there, still holding the girl’s pen, staring after her — unsure how to feel.
Truthfully, her path hadn’t been easy.
The driver was switching shifts. She was the only one left on the bus.
“Hey, miss, aren’t you getting off?”
Startled, she nodded and finally got off.
She had never been to this part of town before. Staring at unfamiliar streets and shops, she felt lost.
People passed by — cars, pedestrians — and she felt like everyone was staring at her.
She didn’t stand there awkwardly for long. Slowly, she began walking along the roadside. The sky darkened. Her phone was dead, more useless than a brick.
Beep—
A sharp honk.
A car stopped beside her. She instinctively looked up as the window rolled down.
A familiar face appeared — Ruan Lihua. In the driver’s seat was Jiang Zhixing.
A strange city. A lonely heart. Seeing a familiar face was like finding an oasis in the desert.
Suddenly, her tears wouldn’t stop. Big drops rolled down her cheeks.
She quickly turned around, not wanting them to see her like this.
She heard a car door open and close, then felt an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a warm embrace. A soft tissue gently wiped the tears from her eyes.
“If those students hadn’t posted pictures online, Young Master Jiang might’ve torn Yun City apart today.”
Ruan Lihua said.
Shen Mengke gave a small laugh. Her lips moved, but no sound came out — only more tears falling uncontrollably.
She couldn’t help it.
She just really, really wanted to cry. Hard enough to go blind.