Chapter 660: A Gentleman’s Reputation Matters More Than His Heart
That yellow dog looked rather old.
Similarly, it didn’t seem too healthy, curled up in its doghouse, whining softly.
There was a dark red wound on its leg, half scabbed over, with a glimpse of pus beneath the scab.
Little Lonely gently ran over to the yellow dog and crouched down, petting its head. The yellow dog didn’t resist, weakly allowing the touch.
“Such a good boy.”
Little Lonely turned to his father, “Dad, I want this one.”
Young Master Sang walked over and gently placed his hand on the yellow dog.
…the wound on the dog’s leg was caused by a stone.
It wasn’t a big wound; if someone had deliberately hurt it, they wouldn’t have been very strong.
It was probably caused by a child.
As he raised his gaze, the powers of the Original Immortal and the Wheel of Time activated simultaneously. As the wound on the yellow dog slowly healed, scenes from the previous night at the resort flashed in front of Young Master Sang’s eyes:
A group of children was throwing stones at the yellow dog, laughing merrily as they played.
Little Lonely happened to pass by and went to stop them, causing the group of kids to flee in defeat.
However, when Little Lonely went to check on the yellow dog’s injury, a little girl came chasing after, and upon seeing the wounded dog, immediately began to cry in anger.
“You! You children of the rich, why do you keep hitting Ah Huang? Do you enjoy bullying others for fun?”
“I—I didn’t… it was that group just now…”
“You’re lying! All you rich kids stick together! You’ve bullied Ah Huang several times already!”
In this matter, Little Lonely inherited Young Master Sang’s character.
He didn’t argue, didn’t try to prove his innocence; he just wanted to heal the dog’s leg first.
But the little girl wouldn’t let him take the dog away and instead cradled it in her arms, taking it home.
Worried, Little Lonely followed her all the way to her house, only to discover that she had a sick grandfather in bed.
After she spotted him, she kicked him out again. Dejected, Little Lonely could only return to his room full of thoughts.
……
After a brief moment with his eyes closed, when he opened them again, the yellow dog’s leg was completely healed.
Young Master Sang affectionately stroked the enthusiastic little yellow dog’s wagging tail and turned to look at the dazed He Lian Lian behind him.
“Little girl, the puppy is all healthy now.”
“But if someone hurts it again next time, can you protect it?”
He Lian Lian bit her lip, feeling wronged, and said nothing.
“…Let’s go.”
Little Lonely glanced back at He Lian Lian, allowing Young Master Sang to carry the little yellow dog as they walked outside together.
He Lian Lian hesitated, wanting to follow them, but suddenly, a harsh coughing sound came from her grandfather behind her.
“Grandfather!”
“Lian Lian… don’t go.”
The old man looked at the two walking out with a complex expression in his aging eyes: “These two young men are not bad people.”
——
——
As soon as they stepped out of He Lian Lian’s house, Little Lonely couldn’t keep his hands off the little yellow dog.
However, growing progressively silent, he finally reached the edge of the woods, where he set the dog down to walk behind him.
“Let me guess.”
Young Master Sang suddenly stopped, speaking softly: “In two or three days, probably before we get home, this little dog will mysteriously run away because of your ‘carelessness,’ right?”
Little Lonely timidly glanced at Young Master Sang.
“Sorry, Dad… I just…”
“No need to apologize.” Young Master Sang shook his head, crouching down to gently rub the little yellow dog’s head, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Although the method may not have been optimal, your intentions and kindness were right. As a father, I shouldn’t dismiss your efforts.”
Little Lonely lowered his head, seeming unable to express his frustration and disappointment.
“I—I don’t know what to do.”
“I don’t know why she hates me so much, to the point she won’t even listen to my explanation. I just thought the puppy looked so pitiful being bullied, I wanted to help…”
Sitting down on the ground, hugged his knees in distress, he muttered: “I really didn’t throw the stone…”
The little yellow dog seemed to sense his emotions, helplessly nudging against his cheek.
“Not your fault.”
Young Master Sang spoke softly: “After her father died, the girl’s mother ran off with the family’s relocation funds to marry a rich businessman in Linzhou.”
“So the little girl has harbored resentment towards wealthy people, believing they took away her former home and her mother.”
Little Lonely slowly raised his head.
“But her grandfather is already quite old, and even if he recovers from his illness, he may only last a few more years.”
In a few years, the little girl would still face a painful growth.
This thought made Little Lonely even sadder. He quietly hugged his knees and eventually asked softly:
“Dad, are you mad at me?”
“Of course not.”
Young Master Sang smiled, tousling his hair: “In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Your actions make me proud of you.”
“Even if I deceived you?” Little Lonely blinked his eyes.
“Life is always filled with lies.”
Young Master Sang lowered his gaze, speaking softly: “…even I, your father, have done so.”
“In the past, I built my career on deception, using tricks and scams to achieve my goals.”
“Sometimes it was out of kindness, other times out of necessity.”
“If possible, I hope my child’s lies are rooted in kindness.”
“A gentleman discusses actions, not hearts; perfect people are rare in the world. As long as what you do is a good deed, you shouldn’t care about others’ opinions.”
“Well, to put it bluntly.”
He gently lifted Little Lonely: “You’ve already given her and her grandfather ten more years of future, haven’t you?”
Upon hearing this, Little Lonely’s eyes finally began to shine.
“I… did a good thing, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not the bad guy she talked about, right?”
“Yes.”
“I… I can get her forgiveness in the future, right?”
“Maybe forgiveness comes sooner than later.” Young Master Sang blinked.
He didn’t tell Little Lonely that before coming, he had already notified He Lian Lian’s mother far away in Linzhou.
Young Master Sang hadn’t demanded she return to look after her daughter; he simply gave her some money to bring her back to visit the girl’s grandfather for treatment.
When the girl’s grandfather gets better, the money would be hers.
“However, Dad still has to teach you a thing or two.”
Young Master Sang said leisurely: “Even though your intentions were good, there could’ve been a better way to resolve this.”
Little Lonely blinked.
“And that’s to honestly tell me and your mother the whole story!” Young Master Sang gently flicked his forehead, “Adult matters should be left to adults to handle; otherwise, it makes us look useless!”
“…You’re still mad, aren’t you?” Little Lonely pouted, covering his head in grievance.
“What did you say, kid?”
“…N-Nothing.”
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