Pet Romance

Today, finishing work early, Li Meili suddenly wanted to buy some jewelry. As the companion for eating, playing, and chatting, Shen Qian had to tag along. Neither was very familiar with the city, so they usually shopped at the commercial street, naturally heading to the department store. Although Shen Qian was complaining about hunger and wanted to eat first, she couldn’t resist Li Meili’s insistence, and they headed straight to the second floor.
The second floor was dedicated to jewelry stores, and Li Meili wandered around for a while, her eyes dazzled by the array of dazzling jewelry. She stopped in front of a counter that caught her fancy with a platinum necklace. She nudged Shen Qian’s arm, “What do you think of that necklace?” Shen Qian glanced at it and said woodenly, “It’s okay, nothing special.” Li Meili’s mouth twitched; having known Shen Qian for so many years, every time she asked for an opinion on purchases, Shen Qian’s response was always “It’s okay, nothing special.” Asking was just a waste of breath. Li Meili decided to follow her own judgment. She called the salesperson to bring the item out. The salesperson gave a professional smile, “I’m sorry, this necklace was custom-made for someone else. You might want to look at other styles.” Li Meili was momentarily stunned, her expression quickly showing traces of disappointment, her mood changing like the quality of the air, losing all interest. She casually glanced at the earring section and offhandedly asked Shen Qian, who seemed even less interested, “Do you want to buy some earrings?” “You know I don’t like wearing jewelry.” “Then why do you have so many piercings in your ears? You have seven piercings in your left ear!” Shen Qian instinctively touched the seven piercings in her left ear, puzzled herself about her past decisions. Was it really necessary to have seven piercings in one ear? What a crazy idea that must have been! The salesperson chimed in, “I guess your sweetheart was born on the seventh of July.” Li Meili frowned in confusion, looking at the salesperson, while Shen Qian also looked at her, puzzled. The salesperson continued with her professional smile, “Actually, it’s just an old superstition that was popular among young girls back then. It seems like it was about seven years ago, I remember it was a leap year, and if a boy born on the seventh of July was a Tiger, there would be a calamity star that year. The only way to avert it was for someone close to him to have seven piercings in the left ear. No one would normally believe this, but that year, a very popular idol star died unexpectedly while filming, and coincidentally, that star was a Tiger born on July seventh. I was a huge fan of that star, so I remember this incident clearly.” “That’s too bizarre, isn’t it?” Li Meili was evidently skeptical, and Shen Qian didn’t believe it either. With her personality, would she fall in love early? Would she get seven piercings for such a bizarre superstition? It was harmful to health, considering there are many acupoints on the ear. “It’s really just a playful thing, not very likely.” The salesperson then professionally introduced some earrings to Shen Qian, “I think these comma-shaped earrings are quite unique, elegant and youthful.” Shen Qian glanced at them but still wasn’t interested. Just then, the salesperson’s attention seemed to shift to someone behind them, politely saying, “Good day, General Manager. Your necklace is ready.” A steady voice came from behind, familiar to both of them. Li Meili turned around immediately to see Qin Hao in a suit, alongside his fiancée, Yu Cheng. Qin Hao was momentarily surprised, then smiled lightly, “What a coincidence.” Li Meili put on a forced big smile and nudged Shen Qian, who was staring blankly, “What a coincidence indeed.” Yu Cheng, standing next to Qin Hao, felt different from their first meeting; she was shorter than Shen Qian, giving off a delicate vibe, her curly hair now pinned up, adding a touch of maturity. She was somewhat surprised and turned to ask Qin Hao, “Do you know Miss Shen?” “Hmm? You know Qianqian too?” Qin Hao was evidently surprised as well. They exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts, Yu Cheng seeming uneasy, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “The black dog had an upset stomach, so…” She didn’t continue, just looked up at Qin Hao, as if afraid of being caught in the act. Qin Hao didn’t pry further, responding with a smile to gloss over the situation. “Qianqian is my savior and has taken care of me a lot.” This time it was Qin Hao explaining to Yu Cheng. Li Meili scoffed at this relationship, which seemed light and dismissive yet made Shen Qian feel awkward. Li Meili expected Shen Qian to look hurt, but when she turned to look, Shen Qian was holding her stomach, head down, her expression unreadable, only the faint sound of gurgling could be heard. Had she been so heartbroken that she was sobbing? Fearing Shen Qian might be too upset, Li Meili shouted, “You guys go ahead, we have other things to do.” With that, she dragged Shen Qian away. Qin Hao suddenly called out, “Qianqian, remember the luxury cruise.” Li Meili answered with an “Oh” on behalf of Shen Qian and pulled her downstairs. Confused, Shen Qian innocently asked, “Aren’t you buying jewelry?” “Buy your head, I know you too well. When you’re upset, you get stomachaches. I was afraid you couldn’t control yourself and start crying, which would embarrass me.” Li Meili rolled her eyes at Shen Qian, shoved her into the car, got in herself, and drove off. Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Qian said, “I was actually hungry, didn’t you hear my stomach growling?” “What? That was your stomach? I thought…” Li Meili was completely taken aback, rolling her eyes to the sky, “You really are heartless, this is good, you can let go easily. Have you stopped liking Qin Hao?” “I still like him.” Li Meili turned to look at Shen Qian, puzzled, “Then why aren’t you upset that he’s engaged?” “Well, I never had him, so there’s no need to be upset. Being upset won’t make him mine.” Shen Qian’s tone was so calm that it made Li Meili feel overly sentimental. Li Meili could only shake her head in a mix of laughter and tears, “You’re right.” Initially planning to take Shen Qian home, Li Meili received a call from her husband asking her to come to the hospital because he had food poisoning and was being dramatic. Li Meili was both helpless and frustrated. Since the call was on speaker, Shen Qian heard it and kindly offered, “You go, just drop me off near the market.” Li Meili nodded apologetically. After Shen Qian got out of the car, her first thought was to eat, craving the yellow croaker noodles at the west entrance of the market. Currently, she was on the east side, needing to pass through a small alley next to the market to reach the west side. Shen Qian didn’t realize that a girl walking alone at night in such a secluded place might encounter some small accidents.