No, no, Baroque, no…
Baroque, with its dazed, innocent eyes, looked up at Jian You, showing no intention of letting go or stopping its playful biting.
Seeing this, Normanis felt a pang of anger. Had the dog gone wild just because he returned?
So, he unceremoniously gripped Baroque’s jaw. Baroque immediately lost some of its grip, but then it applied a bit more force and held on. Yes, it was holding on; it was afraid of hurting its young master.
Normanis had been holding back earlier, so Baroque hadn’t felt any pain. Now, seeing the troublesome puppy, he couldn't control himself any longer and tightened his grip slightly.
Just then, a warm, small hand covered his, and a gentler voice said, “It’s okay, it’s just playing. It didn’t bite me.”
Normanis cast a confused glance at her, confirming again.
“Yes, let it go.”
With Jian You’s affirmation, Normanis finally released his grip, and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
This contest ended with Baroque biting Jian You and winning. It wagged its tail, becoming much more cheerful. But then…
Jian You gave a gentle tug and freed her arm from Baroque’s mouth. She had sensed earlier that the dog had no intention of hurting her, and later it was just acting, not daring to touch her at all.
The dog’s behavior was strange, and so was hers. She had had the opportunity to resist, but she didn’t. Was it because this dog was more likable?
Looking down, she saw Baroque still lying on her, looking at her with wronged eyes. Those watery little eyes were impossible to resist, and Jian You was deeply touched. She casually reached out her hand.
“Bite me.”
Since it wouldn’t hurt her anyway, Jian You didn’t know where this trust came from. She had never trusted anyone; perhaps it was related to her aloofness.
Seeing the small hand in front of it, Baroque’s face lit up, and it opened its mouth wide.
“Bang~”
“Clack~”
Its head received another rap on the forehead, accompanied by the sound of teeth clashing…
Baroque fiercely turned its head and glared at the person behind it.
“What, still want to bite me?” Normanis asked with a stern face, his imposing aura immediately pressing down.
Cannot…
But Master, please don’t stop me from getting close to the young master. I’m so anxious…
Baroque spun in place, of course, circling Jian You…
“Stop! You’re making me dizzy from spinning.” Jian You had initially let it act spoiled and playful, but she couldn’t stand its enthusiasm…
As soon as Jian You spoke, Baroque stopped almost immediately. However…
Jian You looked helplessly at the black dog hugging her leg. She really didn’t know where it got so much energy. Did it never get tired of moving?
Normanis looked at the strange scene before him, and a thought flashed through his mind.
The Baroque’s welcome party finally ended. The old lady immediately called out to people, “Let’s go, we should have our meal too. You’ve been noisy for quite a while.”
But… Baroque wasn’t cooperating again…
“Woof woof woof!”
This time, its barks were even fiercer.
Normanis turned around and roared, “Shut up! If you don’t listen, I’ll lock you up!”
It seems I’m getting old; all my organs have cognitive impairments.
Baroque remained persistent: “Woof woof woof!”
Finally, it realized its master was on the verge of anger. It immediately climbed down from Jian You, then hugged Normanis’s leg, and then its doggy paw pointed towards Jian You.
“What does Baroque mean by this?”
No one else understood Baroque’s actions today. Normanis was also about to ignore it, as it was delaying everyone.
“Let’s go, if you act up again, I really won’t be polite!”
However, Baroque still showed no sign of letting go, still pointing at Jian You, this time with a hint of urgency in its expression.
Master, Master, look quickly, this is the young master! This is Little Master Duoduo!!
Baroque was so anxious it was almost speaking human language. Its mind raced through eighteen twists and turns, and then it leaped from Normanis and hugged Jian You again.
“What’s with Baroque today…”
Yao Qianya asked worriedly. But before she could finish speaking, Baroque finally stopped pointing at Jian You and instead…
A portrait!
It was a family photo. Duoduo was very young then, just out of the hospital, held in her father’s arms. They had taken a family photo together, which was later hung in the most prominent spot in the living room.
Later, when Duoduo disappeared, they had wanted to put it away, but she refused. She wanted to look at her daughter every day, so she would have hope of her being alive.
Years passed, frames were changed one after another, but Duoduo never returned…
Emerging from her melancholy, Yao Qianya looked at Baroque confusedly. What did it mean now?
What did it mean? Baroque had expressed it very clearly. If Normanis still didn’t understand its meaning, then he was stupid!
It was trying to say… Jian You is Duoduo?!
Even after understanding Baroque’s intention, Normanis still couldn’t believe it. Or rather, he couldn’t believe such good fortune would descend so suddenly. This dreamlike event left him, a grown man, flustered…
He turned his head dazedly to look at the others, wanting to confirm if this was a dream, or if he had misunderstood.
But to his regret, they only looked perplexed, completely clueless.
Normanis’s mood instantly became heavy, and he lowered his head. He didn’t know how to make a judgment. He had always been decisive…
Months ago, when Qianya told him she saw their daughter, he hadn’t believed it at all. It was because he had searched countless times without Qianya’s knowledge. Every time he saw someone who resembled her, he would go personally, but… over time, he had become numb…
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe, but that he had lost the ability to believe. Who could understand that feeling of hope plummeting to the bottom? And it had been like this all along; he had been tormented into something neither human nor ghost.
After a long while, Normanis finally looked up again. This time, however, he was looking at…
Baroque!
Baroque, having seen his master’s reaction, had stopped barking and was obediently waiting for his response. But when he came to his senses and just looked at it without speaking, it became anxious again…
“Don’t rush. I need you to tell me if this is a hundred percent correct…”
Normanis finally spoke, his words exceptionally slow, even a little trembling, as he enunciated each word, fearing that Baroque might not have heard him clearly or might have missed a word, like… a hundred percent…
The next moment, he saw Baroque nod vigorously without any hesitation, its golden chain hitting its face…
Normanis slowly lowered his head, but… he smiled, an exceptionally bitter smile…
He had waited so many years…