If You Could Hear My Heart

Xu Chaomu sneakily returned to the Shen Family on Sunday.

She missed Dabai so much, even though that naughty dog didn’t favor her.

Yet when she thought back to how it obediently lay at her feet while she poured out her heart to it, she forgave all the unpleasantness.

As soon as she walked through the Shen Family’s gate, Butler Ling saw her.

Butler Ling was very surprised and, wiping her hands on her apron, hurried over.

“Miss Xu, you finally came back for a visit. I’ve been looking forward to it as if waiting for the stars and the moon,” Butler Ling said with joy, but also sighed.

“Butler, the midterm exams are coming, so I haven’t been back. I missed you, too,” Xu Chaomu said with a smile.

“Let me have a look at you,” Butler Ling said, pulling Xu Chaomu closer by the shoulders.

After scrutinizing her for a while, Butler Ling smiled and said, “You’ve grown taller but a bit thinner. Aren’t you eating well at school? Are you getting enough pocket money?”

Xu Chaomu nodded: “It’s enough.”

Ever since the previous quarrel with Shen Chi, he had been depositing money into her bank account every week, and the amount was quite substantial. She had decided not to use his money, but… without it, she would starve.

She shook her head in self-disgust.

She couldn’t even forgive herself.

The debt she owed him was mounting; with what could she possibly repay him…

“That’s good then. I often remind the young master to send you more money. Remember to eat well and don’t be frugal. Your Brother Shen has plenty of money,” Butler Ling said.

Butler Ling was an elder, so Xu Chaomu couldn’t bring herself to say “don’t mention him” and simply nodded silently.

“Butler, I still have a lot of money. Please tell him not to transfer anymore next time. I’m just a student and can’t spend that much; developing such extravagant habits isn’t good,” Xu Chaomu said.

Butler Ling thought Xu Chaomu made sense and laughed: “Just don’t wrong yourself.”

Xu Chaomu nodded. In truth, she was just afraid of owing him more and more.

That way, she increasingly felt as if she were being kept by someone.

Because, she and he had already notarized their separation; she was no longer his sister in name.

Still accepting his money—wasn’t that being kept?

“Butler, is there no one else at home?”

“Madam Liu is here.”

“Oh, what about Sister-in-law Bai?”

“Miss Bai has gone to the set. She hasn’t been to the Shen Family for several days now.”

Xu Chaomu originally wanted to ask about Sister-in-law Bai’s health; she was pregnant and needed special care.

But then she remembered Bai Man had forbade her from talking about it, so she swallowed her words.

“Butler, why don’t you call Sister-in-law Bai ‘Mrs. Shen’? Their engagement ceremony is in just over ten days.”

Butler Ling lowered her voice: “The young master prohibited it.”

“Huh? Miss Bai isn’t upset?”

“Miss Bai doesn’t know.”

“Oh, he’s just pretending to be proper, as usual,” Xu Chaomu curled her lips.

What’s the point in pretending? They’re about to get engaged, they already have a child, yet he doesn’t allow the household staff to call her ‘Mrs. Shen’.

This man, he always presents one thing on the surface, another behind the scenes; he’s inconsistent and especially good at putting on a show for others.

In private, who knows how many times he secretly does those kinds of things with Bai Man in a single night.

Heh, such a pretender.

“Miss Xu, ever since you started boarding at school, the young master also rarely returns to the Shen Family,” the butler remarked.

“Butler, I want to see Dabai. Is he in the little house?” Xu Chaomu interrupted Butler Ling, not wanting to hear more.

She didn’t want to hear anything about him. What did his matters have to do with her?

In the past, his every frown and smile, every action, tugged at her heart. From now on, that would never happen again.

His surname was Shen, and hers was Xu. From the day the adoption was annulled, they had no more ties.

He personally went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to notarize the separation, cutting off all her hopes by his own hand.

“He is. He’s probably basking in the sun; Dabai has been especially lazy lately.”

“I’ll go take a look,” Xu Chaomu said.

With that, Xu Chaomu walked toward Dabai’s kennel. Dabai’s kennel was exceptionally refined; he ate better than humans did.

She met Dabai on her first day at the Shen Family, and Dabai had accompanied her for a full eight years.

True to form, Dabai was sprawled on the ground, lazily soaking up the sun.

That naughty dog was especially lazy, doing nothing but fattening himself up day after day.

He lay with his eyes closed, ears drooping, finding a comfortable position and sleeping soundly.

Xu Chaomu walked over, squatted down, and stroked his fur gently with her hand.

“Dabai, it’s Chaomu. It’s been many days. Did you miss me?”

Dabai continued to lie there without moving.

“Talking to you and you don’t respond, who knows if you’re really asleep or just pretending. You always ignore me; I don’t like you anymore.”

Only then did Dabai lazily lift his eyelids, giving Xu Chaomu a disdainful look, before closing his eyes again.

“What’s with that look? Why are you so unlikable? Dabai, maybe… this is the last time I’ll see you. Please live well, alright? Live to a ripe old age. In the future… No matter what they feed you, make sure you eat your fill. Behave well for me, let me pet you, this is the last time…”

Perhaps Dabai understood her words as he opened his eyes and quietly gazed at Xu Chaomu without closing them again to sleep.

He obediently allowed Xu Chaomu to pet him, motionless.

Only then did Xu Chaomu smile, revealing her pearl-like teeth: “Good boy, Dabai. I’ve never seen you this well-behaved in eight years.”

“Woof woof…” Dabai barked twice, showing some emotion in his eyes, as if reluctant to part.

Xu Chaomu hugged his neck and leaned against his head: “Do you also hate to see me go? Actually… I really hate to leave you… Hate to leave…”

“But, Dabai, do you know, he has ended all relations with me. Sometimes I think, his heart is really tougher than anyone else’s… It’s also my fault, I guess. I kept telling him, ‘Go and get it notarized so that we have nothing to do with each other’. Now, I truly have nothing to do with him anymore…”

Having said that, Xu Chaomu stole the moment to wipe away two tears first.

“No relation, then no relation. Dabai, after the midterms, after attending his engagement ceremony, I’ll leave here forever… forever…”

“Dabai, do you know, he’s going to have a baby, and I bet his baby will be adorable. When his baby is born, you can’t bark or yell at them, okay? Don’t scare the baby.”

“Dabai, you’re being so good today. Why were you so unpleasant before…”

She stroked Dabai’s fur, over and over again.

“Dabai, after listening to my troubles for so many years, are you tired of it? This really is the last time. From now on, you must behave, don’t be picky with food, keep yourself healthy and strong…”

“Dabai, come on, give me a kiss. You won’t get a chance again,” Xu Chaomu said, moving her little face closer to him.

In the past, Dabai would ignore her completely; every time she got close, he’d turn his face away, leaving Xu Chaomu furious.

But this time, as if Dabai understood all her words, he made a “woof woof” sound and then nuzzled her cheek.