Chapter 20

The dispute between the two families ultimately fizzled out with no clear resolution. From start to finish, Wu Zijie refused to admit that he had touched the dog. Whenever he was pressed for an answer, he would simply pull a cold face and fix the person questioning him with a strange, dark, and eerie gaze.

Even the property management staff felt a chill run down their spines under his stare; the boy was truly unsettling.

"Alright, alright, you’re all neighbors—harmony is the most important thing."

Wu’s mother continued to grumble and curse, claiming they had been falsely accused and even demanding that the Li family pay for their emotional distress. Li Li’s mother was shaking with rage.

Other property staff held her back and began dispersing the onlookers. "Stop crowding the entrance; cars can't get through. Move along, move along. It’s noon—go home and cook lunch; don't let the kids go hungry."

As the crowd dispersed, Wu’s mother marched forward, barging ahead with her son in tow. Wu Zijie walked by her side, pulling a bag of snacks from somewhere and munching on them, his eyes scanning the people around him like a wolf.

Most people had moved away, but some, moving slower, remained in their path. Among them was a neighbor who lived on the same floor in their building—a woman eight months pregnant.

Wu’s mother shot a glance at the woman’s protruding belly and let out a huff. Wu Zijie was more direct; as he passed behind the pregnant woman, he didn't try to avoid her, but instead walked straight into her with a heavy shove.

The impact was brutal. Tang Qianran, who was in front, felt as if her back had been crushed by a truck; the pain was so intense she nearly fainted. Had it not been for the person beside her catching her, she would have collapsed to the ground.

Tang Qianran’s cousin, who was supporting her, immediately shouted in fury, "How do you walk, you brat? Are you blind? Can’t you see she’s pregnant?!"

Wu Zijie continued walking as if nothing had happened. His mother slanted a look at them and scoffed, "Who told you not to move out of the way? It’s your own bad luck if you got bumped."

Tang Qianran’s cousin was livid. They hadn't been part of the crowd watching the scene at the entrance; they had just happened to arrive as the commotion was ending, only to suffer this unprovoked disaster.

Tang Qianran remained standing in place, unable to straighten her back from the pain, her brow furrowed for a long time.

"Sister, are you okay? Where are you hurt? If it’s bad, let’s go to the hospital!"

"I'm fine, just give me a moment to recover."

Perhaps sensing their mother’s distress, the child in her womb began to stir restlessly. As the baby shifted, Tang Qianran broke out in a cold sweat.

Just as she was feeling overwhelmed, her shadow flickered and strangely seemed to gain an extra patch. The shadow then detached itself and flew rapidly toward Wu Zijie.

Watching from afar, Lang Xiao and Hu Yuanfei looked up simultaneously. A small, grey shadow, its face twisted in malice, pounced onto Wu’s mother, wisps of yin energy and resentment bleeding from it.

Hu Yuanfei raised an eyebrow. "There’s a little ghost here. Too bad its strength is weak; it won't have much of an effect on humans."

Lang Xiao said coldly, "It can hurt people once it becomes a wicked spirit."

Hu Yuanfei turned his head in surprise. "I didn't expect you to say something like that."

Lang Xiao glanced at him. "I am a demon."

"Haha, I thought you’d become more human-like after all that legal education." It seemed Lang Xiao had said the same thing to him not long ago.

"That’s what you thought."

The two demons bickered back and forth. The Li family didn't intend to go home immediately, nor did they want to see their neighbors' faces again, so they took their family to a small convenience store.

Although they were furious, they had no other options and could only provide the clues to the police without much hope.

Li Li’s mother was still sobbing. The mere thought of having to pass by the Wus' door to get home, and perhaps hearing their cursing from inside, filled her with despair.

"I don't want to go back! I don't want to live here for another minute. Why did we ever buy a house here? Anywhere else would have been better than this."

Li Li felt the same regret. Suppressing his inner anger, he comforted his mother, "We’ll move. I’ll find a place to move to later today. We’re leaving immediately."

Li’s mother nodded, but the thought of their dog, still missing, brought fresh tears to her eyes.

The crowd of onlookers hadn't fully dispersed yet. Everyone sympathized with their plight, having clearly heard about the surveillance footage from Mr. Tian, and they were all condemning the Wu family.

The Golden Retriever watched its owners from afar and began to bark loudly, trying to attract their attention. Unfortunately, whatever was going on with the barrier, no matter how loud it barked, no one noticed it.

The dog grew even more dejected, lying down on the ground, its fur soaked. Seeing it in such a pitiful state, Lang Xiao couldn't help but shake his head.

Hu Yuanfei said, "Forget it, let it go now."

Lang Xiao waved his hand, dispelling the barrier, and said to the Golden Retriever, "Alright, stop crying. Go find your owners."

The sobbing dog’s ears perked up instantly. It reached out a paw, and finding the air wall gone, it launched itself forward and dashed straight into its owner's arms.

Li’s mother, who had been wiping away tears, felt something land on her legs. As her hand touched the familiar fur, she looked down to see her long-lost Golden Retriever standing before her.

"Am I... am I dreaming?"

The Golden Retriever stood on its hind legs, leaning into its owner's arms, affectionately licking the tears from her face and rubbing its head against her cheek and neck.

"Woof! Woof!"

Li Li touched the dog’s head in disbelief. "Yuanbao? Is it really you, Yuanbao? How did you get back?"

Everyone in the store was stunned and rushed over to pet the dog. Li Li looked outside and saw Lang Xiao and Hu Yuanfei holding the baby. He looked at the dog, then at the two of them, and understood immediately.

He hurried outside. "Did you find Yuanbao? Thank you, thank you so much!"

He had been on pins and needles since yesterday, terrified that the dog was suffering outside or would be eaten.

"Where did you find it?"

Hu Yuanfei replied, "At a dog trafficker’s. It was just about to be taken to a dog meat factory."

Li Li felt a shock of fear, then paused. "Dog traffickers? So it has nothing to do with Wu Zijie?"

Hu Yuanfei shook his head. "Not exactly."

When they had tracked the dog's scent that morning, they had smelled another human's scent—the scent of Wu Zijie. He was the one who had untied the dog’s leash.

As for those two dog traffickers, if their instincts were correct, there was likely a familial connection between the traffickers and the Wu family.

Li Li sighed. "It's enough that we got the dog back. I couldn't make up my mind to move because we just bought the house, but now that we have the dog back, we’ll be moving in the next couple of days. I never want to come back here again."

The past year had truly been a living hell; having such a malicious neighbor made them feel restless and anxious, driving them to the brink of a breakdown. Even his mother, who had such a gentle temper, had been pushed to the point of cursing and fighting.

"Right, let me give you your payment."

Li Li took the initiative and transferred three thousand to them, the extra thousand as a gratuity for their hard work.

Hu Yuanfei’s mouth stretched into a grin that reached his ears, and his attitude became much more enthusiastic than before.

"Feel free to add us on WeChat and join our group. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can always come to us. Whether it's finding lost cats, dogs, or people, we guarantee one hundred percent success. By the way, we also offer rat-catching services—if your relatives or friends need help, please keep us in mind."

Li Li agreed with a smile, "I definitely will."

With this, the business was concluded. Despite a small hiccup, the matter had been resolved perfectly. The two demons decided to treat the baby to an extra bottle of milk in celebration.

"We’ll be going now."

"Take care, stay safe," Li Li said, waving goodbye.

Lang Xiao had walked two steps away before remembering something. He turned back to Li Li. "Oh, by the way, we reported the dog trafficking to the police. They were caught on the spot. You can ask the police how your dog was captured; you should be able to get some information. The dog suffered on the road and is a bit weak, so it would be best to take it to the hospital."

Li Li thanked them again before returning to hold his Yuanbao.

By now, Lang Xiao and Hu Yuanfei had brought a drowsy Qingyao to the park.

By noon, Qingyao was starving and drank an entire bottle of formula. Lang Xiao pulled out a jar of small snacks, and the sleepy Qingyao immediately perked up, grabbing the treats and eating them with delight.

Lang Xiao crouched beside her, using a wet wipe to carefully clean the milk stains and crumbs from her mouth, then wiped her hands.

Human infants had no fur and were so delicate. At first, Lang Xiao had found caring for her quite troublesome; if she used even the slightest bit too much force, the baby’s skin would end up bruised or red.

She was seven or eight months old and still couldn't walk properly—animal cubs were often entering their mating cycle by that age.

Yet, it was these weak humans who had become the masters of the world.

Lang Xiao was lost in thought when she felt something cool against her lips. Looking down, she saw the baby holding out a snack to her, one hand gripping the edge of the slide while the other extended to offer the treat.

"Mama."

The baby pushed the snack forward again, her large, round eyes filled with a sparkling light.

Lang Xiao opened her mouth and ate the treat. It had a milky fragrance and tasted delicious—the best thing she had eaten in months.

Seeing that the snack was eaten, Qingyao’s eyes curved into crescents, and she beamed, revealing her tiny, rice-grain teeth.

She then pulled out another snack and offered it to Hu Yuanfei, who was standing nearby.

Hu Yuanfei, who had been feeling a bit jealous and was about to make a snide comment, was touched that the baby was thinking of him.

He immediately leaned in, kissing Qingyao’s face over and over again until she had to shake her head and rub her cheek, at which point he finally ate the snack from her hand.

"So delicious. Our Qingyao is so cute—how could there be such a cute baby?"

After coaxing the two adults into a state of pure joy, Qingyao began to play in the park—plucking grass, grabbing leaves, trying to play in the water, and finally refusing to leave the slide, riding it over a hundred times until her bottom felt like it was going to spark.

The sun gradually began to set, and the temperature dropped. Qingyao blinked her eyes sleepily and eventually collapsed on the slide, falling fast asleep.

Lang Xiao gathered her into her arms, and the two demons strolled leisurely toward home.

Hu Yuanfei, clutching the payment, felt his heart heat up.

"It's been a long time since we had a proper meal. Should we buy some chicken tonight?" Seeing that Lang Xiao didn't respond, Hu Yuanfei added immediately, "And maybe some beef. Beef is so tender and tasty."

Just a few days ago, he had sworn that as soon as they earned money, they would save it instead of spending it on food, yet here he was, wanting to feast again.

But Lang Xiao didn't say anything to dampen his spirits; she nodded slightly.

"It's too late; the beef won't be very fresh at this hour."