Unfathomable Perils Lie Within

For Su Cheng, assisting Ji Qingyi at this moment was the only thing he could do. It was also the sole contribution he could make for Ji Qingyi at present.

Su Cheng hoped to play an active role this time, becoming a bridge of communication between Ji Qingyi and Gu Ruoxue, helping them understand each other's perspectives and feelings, clearing up misunderstandings, and dissolving resentment.

Though this process hadn’t been authorized by either of them, making it seem somewhat presumptuous and self-righteous, he was determined to go through with it anyway.

After all, the things he could do for his girlfriend were already limited. If he wasn’t even willing to attempt this small, insignificant effort, then what value did he have as a boyfriend?

A responsible boyfriend should have both courage and a sense of duty.

Su Cheng kept convincing himself of this, even though he knew full well that Ji Qingyi had a tsundere personality, and this endeavor would likely end in failure. Still, he stepped into Huashan Park without hesitation—because this time, he genuinely wanted to fight for himself and this relationship.

Truthfully, Su Cheng had already foreseen the outcome in his heart.

But the outcome didn’t matter. What mattered was that he wanted to do everything in his power to strive for something, even if the final result might be devastating.

In any case, he sincerely hoped this attempt would succeed.

Deep down, he still clung to a sliver of hope—because he really didn’t want to fail again.

If he failed once more, he wasn’t sure he’d ever muster the courage to try like this again.

……

Inside Huashan Park.

With a screech of brakes, Su Cheng brought his bicycle to a stop at the park entrance. To avoid having the expensive bike stolen, he carefully wheeled it deeper into the park.

Along the way, he saw many elderly people strolling, exercising, playing cards, or chatting. Su Cheng kept his head down, searching for a particular figure.

Finally, on a stretch of lawn, he spotted that familiar yellow figure—the big yellow dog, lounging comfortably in the sunlight, looking utterly at ease.

Su Cheng quickened his pace and called out softly, "Big Yellow?"

Hearing his voice, the dog lifted its eyelids to glance at Su Cheng, then shook its head and stood up, rubbing its head against his pant leg and wagging its tail in greeting.

Seeing this reaction, Su Cheng let out a relieved sigh and smiled, reaching out to pat its head. "I was worried I wouldn’t find you."

Big Yellow tilted its head, giving Su Cheng a slightly puzzled look, as if asking what he wanted.

Faced with such an eerily human expression, Su Cheng couldn’t help but marvel, "You really are unbelievably smart."

At this praise, Big Yellow raised its head slightly and gave Su Cheng a sidelong glance, as if urging him to get to the point.

"Here’s the thing—are there any stray tabby cats around here?" Su Cheng asked cautiously, feeling a little nervous. He wasn’t sure if Big Yellow would even understand the question.

Since he’d used a cat as an excuse to invite Gu Ruoxue out, he naturally needed an actual tabby cat. Having one around would at least help break the ice and prevent awkward silences.

He knew there were friendly stray tabbies near the apartment complex, but he didn’t know their exact locations. So he’d come to ask the local park expert—Big Yellow—for some intel.

"Woof~" Big Yellow let out a low whine, then turned and trotted out of the park, clearly intending to lead the way.

Overjoyed, Su Cheng hurried after it, pushing his bike along. "Thanks, Big Yellow! I’ll buy you a big chicken leg later as a reward."

Big Yellow, however, showed no particular reaction, continuing at a leisurely pace. It wasn’t wandering aimlessly—it had a clear destination in mind. It even stopped at crosswalks for traffic lights, occasionally glancing back to make sure Su Cheng was keeping up.

As they walked, Su Cheng noticed people staring.

Maybe it was because he was wearing a prestigious school’s uniform while pushing an expensive bicycle—especially while following a dog—but quite a few passersby stopped to gawk.

Some bold girls even approached him, asking for his phone number. Su Cheng could only politely decline, insisting he was in a hurry, before continuing to follow Big Yellow.

Before long, they left the city and reached the outskirts. After pushing his bike for nearly an hour, Su Cheng couldn’t help but complain, "Hey, how much farther? I’m pretty sure there are stray tabbies near our neighborhood. Why’d you bring me all the way out here?"

At his grumbling, Big Yellow shot him a glance, licked its lips, and suddenly broke into a run.

"Hey, slow down!" Su Cheng yelped, quickly hopping on his bike to give chase.

Soon, the two arrived at the imposing gates of a residential compound. Guarded by armed sentries behind a cordon, the entrance was marked with a stern warning sign: "Military Zone—Keep Out."

Su Cheng’s eyes widened in disbelief as he pointed at the military housing area. "No way. The tabby cat you mentioned is in there? How am I supposed to get in? If they mistake me for a terrorist, I’m done for!"

Big Yellow nodded, then casually trotted toward the gate.

Su Cheng didn’t dare stop it, afraid the guards would peg him as a suspicious person.

To his surprise, Big Yellow strolled right in without any resistance.

Left standing outside, Su Cheng muttered, "Sometimes, humans really aren’t as good as dogs."

He waited outside for a full twenty minutes before Big Yellow reappeared.

And this time, perched on its back was a round, orange ball of fluff—a fat cat, snoozing lazily.

"A pig riding a dog?"

Su Cheng rubbed his eyes in disbelief, stepping closer to inspect the creature. After several double-takes, he confirmed: it was an orange tabby so obese it might as well have been a pig.

The cat was so fat that Big Yellow struggled under its weight, while the feline lounged on its back without a care in the world.

"I asked for a stray tabby, not a house-trained butterball!" Su Cheng was torn between laughter and frustration.

This wasn’t a tabby—it was a living, breathing pork roast! Its owner must have been raising pigs, or maybe the military canteen staff had been overfeeding it.

Seeing Su Cheng’s disgusted expression, Big Yellow plopped down at his feet, radiating an air of "Take it or leave it."

Su Cheng panicked. "This won’t work! Let’s take it back right now. If its owner comes looking, I’m toast."

If he got caught red-handed, he’d probably end up in legal trouble.

How was he supposed to explain to the police that a dog had told him the cat was a stray, so he’d taken it home?

They’d think he was insane.

However, the big yellow dog showed no intention of returning the orange cat. It looked up at Su Cheng as if saying, "Well, I’ve already helped you get it out."

Just as Su Cheng was caught in a dilemma, the plump orange cat slowly woke up, cracking open one eye lazily to glance at him. Unexpectedly, in the next second, the cat’s fur suddenly puffed up, and it sprang violently from the dog’s back, seemingly aiming to pounce straight at Su Cheng. But due to its excessive weight and the unstable leverage point on the dog’s back, it lost its balance mid-jump and landed flat on the ground.

Before Su Cheng could even process what had happened, the fat orange cat, as if holding some deep-seated grudge against him, swiftly scrambled up and delivered a rapid flurry of "meow-meow punches" to the back of his hand.

Su Cheng jerked his hand back, only to find several alarming scratch marks now etched into his skin, with faint traces of blood already seeping out.

This left Su Cheng utterly baffled.

Was this chubby orange cat completely oblivious to restraint?

And what was more—he had no beef with cats whatsoever! That single swipe could mean a hefty hospital bill, something he couldn’t afford to take lightly. After all, he usually hesitated even before spending on basic medication.

Meanwhile, the culprit behind this chaos acted as if nothing had happened. After smoothly executing its combo attack, it promptly ducked behind the big yellow dog, peeking out with gleaming, mischievous eyes, clearly ready to launch a second round at any moment.