Still, Wait For Me

Chapter 252: Dongdong’s kidnapping incident

No matter what, so that Dongdong would not go crazy and bite the entire living room to shreds, Xu Tingsheng was forced to bring it out with him when circumstances so allowed. This included bringing it to school once in a while as he allowed it to happily roam about the Student’s Square or the field as it liked.

Soon, many people in the university knew about this utterly shameless Golden Retriever...it liked to follow the girls.

Therefore, Xu Tingsheng began worrying that Dongdong might accidentally wander off sometime, getting lost and being taken for a stray before being beaten to death by the university’s security guards.

Xu Tingsheng thought of a method to resolve this. He purposely looked for Vice-Principal Niu to discuss the Anyang Mausoleum, getting him to help walk the dog on its leash in the meantime as the two of them and the dog hence walked a couple of rounds around the entire campus.

Therefore, the security guards thought that the dog might belong to Vice-Principal Niu.

Dogs actually couldn’t really be kept in the university. Still, that was the hot-tempered Vice-Principal Niu! Who could afford to provoke him, would be able to obstruct him?

……

In the remaining time, even when he was out driving, Xu Tingsheng would try to leave Dongdong on the backseat.

This was because it was more convenient to look after it this way. Most of the time, it just accompanied Xu Tingsheng as he travelled around as he did not allow it to get off his car.

One Saturday afternoon, Xu Tingsheng made a trip to Yanzhou’s city district. On his way back, he parked near a newsstand at the entrance of a park, intending to get off and buy cigarettes as well as a few local newspapers.

Dongdong who had still been relatively well-behaved before this suddenly started barking wildly and slamming against the door on the backseat.

Thinking that it might have to go to the toilet, with the park just being nearby anyway, Xu Tingsheng went around to the car’s back door and opened it, intending to hold the leash.

Dongdong slammed straight into him, knocking him aside before leaping off the car and dragging its leash along as it rapidly sped into the nearby park.

“Has that slutty dog gone mad? Dongdong, come back! I’ll kill you if you run any more…” Xu Tingsheng yelled as he ran.

Dongdong seemed not to have heard him at all as it rapidly sped along...looking in the direction it was running in, Xu Tingsheng spied the back of a slender figure. He stopped in his tracks...not knowing where he could hide.

Dongdong ran over beside that person, first barking two times before lowering its head, carefully nudging the side of her leg.

It appeared extremely pitiful as it did so.

Little Xiang Ning heard it, turned and saw it as well.

“Dongdong.”

“Yelp, yelp.”

Little Xiang Ning bent down and looked carefully at Dongdong before stroking its head and hugging it.

“Dongdong, it’s been almost two months since I last saw you,” Xiang Ning said, “Hey, how have you become so fat? What did that guy give you to eat? If you become any fatter, you’ll be super ugly, you know?”

As she said this, Little Xiang Ning reached out and pinched Dongdong’s flesh for good measure.

Dongdong who would usually bare its teeth in resistance against Xu Tingsheng as it showed a stance of going at him was incomparably obedient before Xiang Ning, just wagging its tail and yelping as it allowed Xiang Ning to pinch it, not moving at all.

“Oh, right. How did you get here, Dongdong?” Little Xiang Ning asked.

Then, she realised. Since Dongdong was here, that would mean that…

She had not seen Dongdong for a long time, and the same applied for someone else as well.

Little Xiang Ning raised her head and scanned the area, seeing the helpless-looking Xu Tingsheng who was standing not far away.

Rather unnaturally, Xu Tingsheng waved.

Little Xiang Ning stood up. Looking at Xu Tingsheng, she waved as well.

She usually never asked Li Linlin about Xu Tingsheng, having been earnest and diligent as she smiled and appeared very happy every day. She had even kept from calling him, apart from that one time, when she had said, “I just really miss you.”

Inhaling deeply, Little Xiang Ning said to that person several dozen metres away from her, “I’ve grown another centimetre. I’m 1.62 now.”

Xu Tingsheng nodded earnestly. He knew that Little Xiang Ning was actually telling him, “I’m growing up, growing up very quickly.”

“I still heard someone saying that they wanted to kill Dongdong just now,” Little Xiang Ning switched her tone and expression as she rebuked.

A wronged Xu Tingsheng explained, “That’s because it saw you in the car just now and started barking like crazy. Then, it got off the car and sped off like it had gone bonkers. I really thought that something had happened to it, so I scolded it a little just to scare it. I’m scared of it usually, so how would I possibly hurt it? Also, look, it’s so fat now. I really have been treating it properly.”

“Even a dog’s better than you,” Little Xiang Ning muttered softly to herself.

In truth, she still could not understand even now why Uncle Liar had suddenly become like this. Was this necessary? Regarding this, whether it was Xu Tingsheng himself or her parents, there was only one explanation that had been provided her. Apparently, Xu Tingsheng was very busy.

“What did you say?” Not having quite caught it, Xu Tingsheng asked.

“Nothing. I said, why’ve you made it so fat then?” Little Xiang Ning said.

“If I don’t give it food, it bares its fangs at me,” Xu Tingsheng smiled bitterly.

“That’s impossible. Dongdong’s clearly very obedient.”

Dongdong sat down by Xiang Ning’s feet, feigning obedience.

“It’s pretending in front of you. It’s actually got quite a few bad habits.”

“Oh? What other bad habits does it have?”

“It…” Xu Tingsheng was utterly lost for words. Could he tell Xiang Ning that her Dongdong now shamelessly followed every girl it saw? If that were the case, would Little Xiang Ning think that someone had been a bad influence on Dongdong? As for who that particular someone was…

Mr and Mrs Xiang exited the interior of the park, seeing Xiang Ning, Dongdong and also Xu Tingsheng.

“Little Ning!” Mrs Xiang froze for a moment before yelling, walking over to Xiang Ning’s side.

Mr Xiang walked past Xiang Ning, walking towards Xu Tingsheng.

“We just met by coincidence. Dongdong saw her and ran over. That’s why…” A nervous Xu Tingsheng immediately explained.

However he was outside, in front of Mr and Mrs Xiang...perhaps because he had designs on their fifteen-year-old daughter, and still intended for such in the future...he easily felt nervous, flustered.

“It’s fine,” Mr Xiang smiled, “How’ve you been lately, Tingsheng?”

“Not bad. Thanks for the concern, Uncle,” Xu Tingsheng replied.

A short distance away, Mrs Xiang raised her voice, “Little Ning, let’s go. Little Ning’s father, come on. We’re going home.”

Mr Xiang looked rather awkward as he hesitated for a moment before saying, “Relax, Little Ning’s very hardworking now. Well, let’s talk again next time.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

Mr Xiang turned and walked back.

Xu Tingsheng bent down and gesticulated, yelling, “Come on, Dongdong! We’re leaving!”

Dongdong remained unmoved. Despite Xu Tingsheng yelling at it a few more times, it still continued sitting by Xiang Ning’s feet, not budging an inch.

Xu Tingsheng helplessly directed a plea at Xiang Ning with his eyes.

Looking at Xu Tingsheng, Little Xiang Ning said to Dongdong, “Dongdong, you go on over.”

Dongdong yelped twice, still not budging.

Little Xiang Ning picked up the leash and dragged Dongdong over towards Xu Tingsheng.

“I will come to see Dongdong. You’ve got to take good care of him!”

Passing Xu Tingsheng the leash, with her back to her parents, Little Xiang Ning looked up at Xu Tingsheng, her eyes round and bright as she blinked, saying softly, “Also, I really am taller now.”

Xu Tingsheng dared not respond.

……

On his way back to Yanzhou University, Xu Tingsheng talked to Dongdong in the backseat as he drove.

“With how you looked just now, one might really think that you’re a good dog. You must change your bad habits in the future! Stop following the ladies. If you get lost someday and Xiang Ning can’t see you when she comes, how am I supposed to account for it to her?”

Slumped over the backseat, Dongdong buried his head, ignoring Xu Tingsheng.

That night, his thoughts somewhat in disarray, Xu Tingsheng sat on the steps of the field and smoked a cigarette. After smoking, he suddenly discovered that Dongdong who should have been playing happily on the field...was missing.

“The hell! Slutty dog, I just told you not to, and now you’re off following the ladies again?”

Walking around the greater part of the entire campus and still not seeing Dongdong, Xu Tingsheng could only ask around about it.

“You mean that Golden Retriever?” A male junior asked, one of many people from their university who had seen Dongdong before.

“Yeah, you seen it?” Xu Tingsheng asked urgently.

“Yup. I think it was following after some girls.”

“Which way did it go?”

“It went into the female dormitory.”

“What?” That slutty dog actually became even more out of hand, entering the female dormitory?

Xu Tingsheng exasperatedly continued asking, “Do you remember which building that was?”

“I think it was that one,” The male junior pointed at one of the female dormitory buildings.

With how it was almost lights out now, with things being this way, Xu Tingsheng definitely would not dare to go upstairs to search for Dongdong. In the heat of summer...the girls inside definitely were in some cooler attire. Moreover, the management auntie definitely would not let him inside.

A helpless Xu Tingsheng stood before the female dormitory, yelling, “Dongdong...Dongdong…”

Xishan Tower’s Xu Tingsheng was standing before the female dormitory yelling ‘Dongdong’.

“Who’s Dongdong?”

People crowded onto the balconies and corridors, countless curious gazes being directed over from a neighbouring dormitory. As for this building in front of Xu Tingsheng, those girls whose names contained a character which read ‘dong’...all of them became flustered and panicked.

Girls ran out from the various floors of the building, looking at Xu Tingsheng down below.

“Has any one of you seen a dog? Dongdong is a dog, a Golden Retriever. Someone saw it enter your building. Has anyone seen it?” Xu Tingsheng yelled.

“Huh...meh…”

Dissatisfied noises simultaneously resounded from the nearby buildings.

“I still thought there was some major news.”

“I thought a confession show was coming.”

“In the end, it was just a dog.”

“Dongdong…”

Only the girls in the dormitory before Xu Tingsheng were still in high spirits.

“I see it! It’s inside our room.”

“It’s in our room! Come up and collect him yourself, junior.”

“Nope, it’s clearly in our room over here!”

Hearing himself being addressed as junior, Xu Tingsheng looked up and discovered that this dormitory actually contained his female seniors from their fourth year...the fourth year female seniors were rumoured to be fearsome beyond compare-who would dare go up? Also, he had no way of determining which room Dongdong was in, or if it really was in this particular building.

There were at least twenty rooms who claimed that Dongdong was with them.

Then, they all requested without exception that Xu Tingsheng come upstairs to collect it in person.

Virtually all these female seniors knew who Yanzhou University’s Xu Tingsheng was.

“This method of picking up chicks seems kinda good. I should really try this later on.” A male junior told his roommate.

“Do you have a dog?” His roommate asked him.

“What do I need a dog for? Just yelling is fine...don't you see this? A dog isn't necessary in the first place,” The male junior said.

“Right, it mainly depends on who it is. So...if you go, you'd better be careful that footwashing water doesn't come splashing down,” His other roommate joked.

Over in front of the girl's dormitory, Xu Tingsheng still didn't know that he was currently being envied.

He looked helplessly at the female seniors on the corridors upstairs.

Finally, two female seniors appeared on the corridor with a leash. Then, Dongdong stood there arrogantly, refusing to even look at Xu Tingsheng...that slutty dog was actually really in the female dormitory.

“Dongdong, get down here! Come on…”

Despite Xu Tingsheng's yells, Dongdong didn't even budge an inch as it stood beside the female seniors. One of them was feeding it a sausage right now.

“Seniors, could I trouble you to send the dog down here?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

“Nope.”

“Come up and collect it yourself, junior.”

“...”

The female seniors cheerfully chimed.

“I can't go up!” Xu Tingsheng painfully replied.

“We won't return it then. It isn't willing to leave anyway…and we fourth years are also bored.”

“Right, how about junior comes up to collect it in the daytime tomorrow? Room 408, junior, don't forget!”

“See you tomorrow, junior!”

Satisfied with their teasing, the female seniors led the dog back to their room.

Xu Tingsheng stood helplessly in front of the dormitory building.

Could this be considered Dongdong having been kidnapped? And thinking about it, might there eventually be more and more female juniors and seniors attempting to kidnap it in the future?