On the other side.
Qin Beiting followed the address Qiao Qiao had sent to the pet hospital.
As soon as he entered, he heard pig-like screams. Qiao Qiao, the veterinarian, and the nurse were crouched around a table, trying to coax a small pot-bellied pig hiding underneath out.
The small pot-bellied pig was temperamental, its cries were heart-wrenching, and it refused to come out, even biting the veterinarian's outstretched hand.
"Brother Ting!" Qiao Qiao saw Qin Beiting arrive and rushed forward, as if seeing a savior.
Qin Beiting noticed her change in address and cast a faint glance at her.
Qiao Qiao's heart skipped a beat under his gaze. Not seeing Yu He behind him, the initial joy in her heart turned into a smug delight. However, she maintained a dejected expression and said anxiously,
"Tiramisu is hiding under the table and refuses to be examined. Both the vet and I have been kicked and bitten by it."
As she spoke, she held up her hand, which had been kicked red by the small pot-bellied pig, for him to see.
Qin Beiting didn't even look, bypassed her, and walked to the table where the small pot-bellied pig was hiding.
The small pot-bellied pig underneath, as if sensing the familiar scent of its owner, finally stopped its pathetic squealing.
The veterinarian, a man in his thirties with over a decade of experience in the field, had never encountered such a difficult pet. Seeing this, he respectfully said to Qin Beiting, "Please be gentle and coax it out for an examination."
Qin Beiting nodded, and the veterinarian and nurse immediately moved aside.
The veterinarian, seeing Qin Beiting's extraordinary demeanor, thought that someone who would keep a small pot-bellied pig as a pet must be outwardly cold but inwardly warm, a patient and gentle owner.
Unlike cats or dogs, small pot-bellied pigs were not easily affectionate with their owners. They were ill-tempered, disliked being held, and would squeal, bite, or even kick when picked up.
He felt he should learn from Qin Beiting how to coax the small pot-bellied pig, to avoid such awkward situations in the future.
Qiao Qiao looked at Qin Beiting with adoration, wanting to learn how he calmed the small pot-bellied pig.
However, she saw Qin Beiting standing in front of the table, his thin lips parting to utter six words: "Tiramisu, come out."
His voice was cold, like an order, without even the basic gesture of squatting down to coax it!
"..."
The veterinarian couldn't help but remind him, "Sir, you'll scare it like this, and it will be even less willing to come out. Pets are like children; you need to be gentler..."
Before he could finish speaking, the small pot-bellied pig, which they had spent an hour trying to coax out, emerged with whimpers after hearing Qin Beiting's words!
It rubbed against Qin Beiting's feet, looking up with its watery eyes, as if asking, why hasn't my little owner come?
Qin Beiting's heart softened slightly at its pathetic appearance.
"Be good and get your check-up, and I'll take you to see her later." He bent down, picked it up with one hand, his tone of voice considerably gentler.
The small pot-bellied pig seemed to understand, responding with two "oinks" and obediently allowing Qin Beiting to carry it to the examination table.
The veterinarian and nurse stared, dumbfounded. Was this really the same breed of pet pig they knew?
What about its ill temper and refusal to be held?
"Still dazed?" Qin Beiting glanced at the veterinarian.
The veterinarian snapped back to attention and quickly began examining the small pot-bellied pig.
"Brother Ting, it's a good thing you came in time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do. I was so worried Tiramisu would have an excessive stress reaction. I checked online, and it said that severe stress reactions in small pot-bellied pigs can lead to myocarditis and sudden death."
Qiao Qiao walked to Qin Beiting's side, seeing that he hadn't minded her calling him "Brother Ting" earlier, she had implicitly accepted it.
Qin Beiting didn't speak, his gaze fixed on the small pot-bellied pig.
Seeing this, Qiao Qiao blamed herself, "It's all my fault for not taking good care of it. Yu He will surely be heartbroken when she sees it like this."
Qin Beiting was tolerating her closeness only because of Yu He.
If it were any other woman, standing within a meter of him, she would have been told to get lost long ago.
However, her insincere demeanor was unbearable for Qin Beiting, and he said coldly, "If you have nothing else, you can leave."
"..."
Qiao Qiao timidly looked at his perfect profile, thinking: why would such handsome features house such a cold heart?
It was rare that Yu He wasn't here today, and she could have some alone time with Qin Beiting. She didn't want to leave so soon, so she said,
"It's my fault that Tiramisu got sick. Please let me stay here and accompany it during treatment; otherwise, I won't be at ease going back."
Qin Beiting ignored her. Just then, the veterinarian's examination results came out.
Diarrhea and stress reaction, requiring an IV drip.
The small pot-bellied pig was unwilling to stay in the pet cage for the IV drip. Qin Beiting gently held it, sat on the long bench, stroked its nape to calm it, and then let the veterinarian administer the saline.
After the IV was set up, he opened WeChat, recorded a short video of the pathetic small pot-bellied pig lying on his lap receiving an IV drip, and sent it to Yu He, hoping for praise.
However, Yu He was busy and did not reply.
Qiao Qiao stood by, watching how much gentler the man was with a pig than with her, and a trace of envy arose in her heart.
"Tiramisu, are you feeling a little better now?" She squatted down and asked the small pot-bellied pig, which was listlessly lying on Qin Beiting's lap, in a soft, concerned tone.
The small pot-bellied pig lazily glanced at her, then turned its head and changed its position, no longer looking at her.
Qiao Qiao felt a bit awkward and deliberately found a topic, saying, "I didn't expect Yu He to keep a small pot-bellied pig as a pet. She used to hate pigs."
Mentioning Yu He, Qin Beiting glanced at her, "What do you mean?"
Qiao Qiao felt a little excited that he had responded to her.
"Because when we were in the mountains before, one time we went to pick herbs, Yu He was charged by a wild boar and got scared and cried. After that, she really disliked pigs and even often discussed with my brother how to kill that wild boar for revenge."
As Qiao Qiao spoke, she stood up and pretended to casually sit next to Qin Beiting.
Qin Beiting didn't pay much attention to her little schemes, thinking about how Yu He, crying with a runny nose after being scared, must have been particularly adorable and evoked a strong desire to protect.
But the thought that he wasn't by her side at the time, but rather Qiao Wei, that foolish kid, made him a little jealous.
"And then what?" he asked.
They had been together for some time, but Yu He rarely talked about her past. He wanted to know more about her.
Qiao Qiao felt a little smug that he wasn't rejecting her and continued,
"Then she really thought of a way. She set a trap on the mountain, put bait in it, lured the wild boar out, and then, together with my brother, they drove the wild boar into the trap.
"The wild boar really fell for it! After falling into the trap, Yu He killed it with her own hands, successfully taking her revenge. In the end, she and my brother dragged the whole pig back to the village and distributed it to the villagers. I remember it was around the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it was an extra feast.
"Yu He is really brave and capable. I wouldn't dare. I'm scared just seeing a wild boar. She actually killed it with her own hands.
"Moreover, for a while later, when the family was in financial difficulty and couldn't afford meat, Yu He and my brother would go up the mountain to hunt wild boars for extra food."