Chapter 3 : Embarrassed Little Dog (2/2) 

“A bear-sized Alaskan Malamute, huh? That thing is so massive, even a leash wouldn’t help. Who could hold it back? Big dogs like that shouldn’t be kept in city apartments—it’s bad for both the people and the dog.”

Office gossip always jumped from one topic to another. 

Han Shuangshuang was the newest employee on-site, so she couldn’t get a word in when her seniors were chatting. 

She just listened quietly until someone casually asked her, “Xiao Han, didn’t you just graduate? Why did you suddenly decide to get a dog?”

Han Shuangshuang quickly started recounting how she met Xiao Bai, talking much more than she usually would despite her usual shyness.

Some colleagues believed her, while others were skeptical. 

A few who were naturally friendly went straight for the dog’s head, petting it.

Xiao Man shook her head, dodging left and right, struggling to escape their hands.

She didn’t dare bare her teeth in displeasure—it wouldn’t be a big deal to scare a coworker, but what if they got so scared they demanded that Han Shuangshuang take her out of the office?

Her colleagues gathered around and burst out laughing at the sight of the nearly hairless dog.

One of them, half-believing Han Shuangshuang’s story about the stray dog bravely saving a white-collar worker, looked at Xiao Bai and said, “Xiao Bai, Xiao Han says you’re really smart. If you really understand me, bark three times.”

The others watched curiously.

Xiao Man didn’t want to be treated like a performing monkey, so she pretended not to understand. 

She just widened her big, innocent eyes and stared blankly at them.

The colleague clicked his tongue. 

“See, Xiao Han? It doesn’t understand.”

Han Shuangshuang didn’t know how to explain. 

But Xiao Bai could go to the bathroom by herself! 

She understood so many of her words!

Could she understand only some things? 

Or was she just being selective about who she listened to?

After several more failed attempts, everyone lost interest and scattered.

Only Su Mingxuan and Chen Yao from their team stayed behind, saying they wanted to visit Man-jie (Sister Man) after work.

Han Shuangshuang immediately agreed.

Lying in the backpack, Xiao Man glanced up at the two. 

She couldn’t tell if they were being considerate or if they were truly concerned about her.

Han Shuangshuang set her backpack on the floor, letting Xiao Bai use it as a temporary dog bed. 

She didn’t have any dog food with her, but since pet influencers sometimes visited their company, they had several brands of pet food stocked in the storage room. 

One or two meals wouldn’t be a problem for Xiao Bai.

The rest of Han Shuangshuang’s day was a whirlwind of work. 

With Xiao Man gone, a lot of tasks that only Han Shuangshuang, as Xiao Man’s assistant, was familiar with, fell onto her shoulders.

In her rush, she lost track of time—until she suddenly realized something.

Xiao Bai hadn’t made a single sound all day. 

It was as if she didn’t exist.

She quickly looked down at her feet. 

The backpack was still there, but Xiao Bai was gone!

Panic surged through her as she jumped to her feet, scanning the area frantically.

At the next desk over, Chen Yao said, “Are you looking for the dog? I think it went to the restroom.”

Then, with a mysterious smile, she added, “A few other people followed it, too.”

Although Xiao Bai had shown no signs of human-like intelligence earlier, watching her stroll past their desks with a blanket draped over her was enough to pique the curiosity of the less busy employees.

And, being media professionals, of course, they instinctively pulled out their phones to capture the moment. 

If they could, they’d probably install cameras on their foreheads.

Han Shuangshuang hurried to the restroom.

Even before she got there, she spotted two male colleagues standing outside the women’s restroom, unable to enter due to gender restrictions.

Stepping past them, she saw two female coworkers standing in front of a tightly shut stall door, holding their phones. 

One even reached out to push on the door, exclaiming, “This dog can really lock the door! I can’t get it open!”

Han Shuangshuang immediately thought back to that morning. 

Right—if she hadn’t found the key, she would have had to break into her own bathroom!

She squeezed past the two male colleagues and waited for Xiao Bai to come out.

Inside the stall, Xiao Man was contemplating life.

Did she really turn into a dog just to experience the horror of being publicly watched while using the bathroom?

Through the gap at the bottom of the stall, she could see shadows moving outside. 

While she had managed to lock the door in time, she couldn’t stop them from gathering outside to spectate!

She couldn’t even blame them—if she weren’t in this situation herself, she’d probably take out her phone and start filming, too.

At that moment, a phone suddenly slid under the stall, camera pointed directly at her.

Xiao Man: “…..”

She was going to lose her mind!

With a swift motion, she raised a paw and smacked the phone away.

A scream erupted from outside, followed by chaos.

Taking advantage of the moment, she hurriedly finished her business and flushed.

The stall door had a latch lock. 

After a few attempts, she managed to unlock it and step out.

The gathered employees, who had already heard the flushing sound, all turned to stare at her.

The small blanket was still draped over Xiao Man’s body. 

When she had fur, it wasn’t a big deal. 

But now, without it, walking around uncovered made her feel like she was streaking.

Seeing Xiao Bai walk out looking grumpy, Han Shuangshuang immediately picked her up. 

She quickly apologized to the colleague whose phone had been knocked away and rushed out with Xiao Bai in her arms.

This morning, Xiao Bai had locked the bathroom door just to stop her from filming. 

Of course, this time was no different—she needed to respect Xiao Bai’s feelings!

At noon, their supervisor, Han Director, sent a message in the group chat. 

He informed them that the finance department had approved the advance payment for Xiao Man’s medical expenses. 

He transferred the money to Han Shuangshuang and instructed her to pay the hospital.

Looking at the extra 10,000 yuan in her account, Han Shuangshuang sighed in relief. 

Their company still had some humanity, after all.

By the afternoon, the day’s work had eased up. 

Since their previous project had just ended, there was no need for overtime.

So, as planned, Han Shuangshuang took Chen Yao and Su Mingxuan to the hospital.

Just as they arrived at the neurosurgery department, they heard a commotion.

As they got closer, Han Shuangshuang realized that the noise was coming from Xiao Man’s hospital room.

The moment they stepped in, they heard a rough male voice from inside.

“I’m her brother. I’m her only family. Of course, I get the final say! She’s already a vegetable—what’s the point of continuing treatment? Just pull the plug!”

Han Shuangshuang’s face changed instantly. 

She sped up, rushing forward.

Chen Yao and Su Mingxuan, who had thought Xiao Man’s condition wasn’t too serious, exchanged looks of bewilderment and shock.

—Wait, what?! 

A vegetable? 

Pulling the plug?!