Silver ate the little snack Shen Zhengning offered it as tribute, establishing a preliminary friendship with this human who stopped to pet it for five minutes every morning. It even proactively extended a paw to shake his hand, the meaning of which was, 'another piece, please, if you would'.

Shen Zhengning seized the opportunity to rub its head, ruffling its two soft, bouncy ears until they flopped down and then perked back up, and praised it sincerely, "Silver, you are the cutest little dog in the world."

Zhuang Mingqi, wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a light gray trench coat, looked like a thousand-year-old vampire just dug up from the ground. He was completely out of place with the harmonious atmosphere, and coolly turned his head to yawn, saying chillingly, "A 20-kilogram 'little' dog."

Shen Zhengning covered the Samoyed's ears, shielding it from the caustic human's sarcasm. "Were you out playing thief last night? How are you so sleepy?"

Zhuang Mingqi said nonchalantly, "I didn't sleep well."

Shen Zhengning raised an eyebrow. "But you seem this sleepy every morning."

Zhuang Mingqi: "Then why did you ask?"

Being unreasonable was just the nature of his breed; Shen Zhengning always consoled himself with this thought. Besides, he wasn't out here to hang out with Zhuang Mingqi anyway. The late autumn weather was cool and clear, the sunlight dazzlingly bright, casting a golden sheen on the little white-furred dog. Every passing tourist was irresistibly captivated by it for a moment. Occasionally, someone would approach and ask if they could pet it. Zhuang Mingqi stood to the side, his mind wandering, aloof and noble, completely ignoring everyone. Shen Zhengning had no choice but to assume the owner's duties, gently holding the dog's muzzle while tactfully handling the praise and compliments coming from all directions.

Last time, he had said to bring the Samoyed out for him to play with sometime. He'd assumed Zhuang Mingqi would just let him get his fill during a weekend morning dog walk, but unexpectedly, the man had specifically sent him a message asking him to go to Xinliu Park on the weekend.

Such a slightly formal invitation seemed a bit premature for their current level of familiarity, but relationships are built through interaction. After Shen Zhengning took on most of the social burden for him, Zhuang Mingqi finally eased out of his sleep-deprived, low-blood-pressure state. He stood in the shade of a tree a few steps away, watching the man and dog crouched before a little girl—the girl with braided hair smiled like an angel, the snowball-like Samoyed docilely allowed her to stroke it, and the handsome man, maintaining a half-kneeling pose, was as calm and steady as a guardian knight. Ginkgo leaves rustled down around them, creating a scene of ineffable, heart-softening tenderness.

Zhuang Mingqi reached into his trench coat pocket and pulled out a palm-sized sketchbook. Without looking up at his subjects again, his pen moved without the slightest hesitation, finishing the drawing in one fluid motion, almost without thought. He then walked toward the trio in the sunlight, tore the page from the binder, and offered the sketch to the little girl.

The little girl hesitated, looking up at the strange man who seemed as tall as a tree to her and whose face was almost entirely obscured. Not only did she not dare to reach out, she even took a frightened step back. Seeing this, Shen Zhengning chuckled softly. He turned, giving Zhuang Mingqi a questioning glance, then carefully took the paper, avoiding his fingers. He showed the picture to the little girl. "This uncle wants to give you a drawing to thank you for liking his dog."

"Wow!" the little girl exclaimed, her big eyes as dark and bright as the Samoyed's. "Is that me?"

Zhuang Mingqi grunted a monosyllabic "Mm."

"Taotao!"

A distant call was carried past her ear on the west wind. The little girl named Taotao turned smartly and waved to a woman hurrying toward them from the other end of the path. "Mommy! Mommy, come look at the doggy! And the drawing the uncle gave me!"

"Pfft." For some reason, that sentence struck Shen Zhengning's funny bone. He ruffled the Samoyed's head and whispered pointedly, "Silver really is the cutest little dog in the world."

Zhuang Mingqi: "..."

"I take my eyes off you for a second and you disappear!" The woman hurried over, a steaming sausage still in her hand, and chided her daughter in a restrained, low voice. "Didn't we agree you would wait obediently for Mommy? Why did you run off by yourself?"

"Mommy, look!" Taotao rushed forward to show off her treasure. "It's a drawing of me and the doggy!"

The aggressive aroma of the sausage wafted over. Silver pushed up with its legs from a crouch to a stand, its nose twitching in anticipation. Shen Zhengning, with quick reflexes, tightened his grip on the leash. The woman opposite them was likely startled; she instinctively pulled Taotao behind her and thanked Shen Zhengning politely but warily. "Children can be so reckless. I'm sorry to have bothered you, and thank you for playing with her."

The moment she walked over and stopped, Zhuang Mingqi had subtly ducked behind Shen Zhengning. Shen Zhengning caught the movement in his peripheral vision. He didn't know why Zhuang Mingqi was suddenly having an introverted episode, but he couldn't exactly drag him out and force him to say hello like an East Asia parent. He had no choice but to step forward and manage the situation for this unreliable master-and-pet duo. "Not at all. Your daughter is very cute, and the dog likes her a lot, too."

Shen Zhengning, with his naturally calming presence, was clearly more approachable than Zhuang Mingqi. Under his gentle gaze, Taotao's mother slowly lowered her guard, giving him a slight smile. "Thank you." She then bent down and softly prompted her daughter, "Taotao, say goodbye to the big brother."

Taotao said loudly, "Goodbye, big brother! Goodbye, uncle! Bye-bye, doggy!"

Shen Zhengning suppressed a laugh and bent down to wave at her. "Goodbye."

Once the mother and daughter were a good distance away, he finally let go, collapsing onto the Samoyed in laughter under Zhuang Mingqi's baleful glare. "Pfft, I'm sorry, hahaha..."

The Samoyed tilted its head innocently, flashing its master a baffled but brilliant smile.

Zhuang Mingqi: "..."

"That's enough." Each word seemed to be spoken through gritted teeth. He said coldly, "Or I'm confiscating your dog."

"The woman is about our age, so it's right for her daughter to call you uncle. Her mother was probably just being polite out of professional habit."

Because of Zhuang Mingqi's unnatural avoidance, Shen Zhengning had paid particular attention to the woman: between 25 and 30 years old, slender, with slightly curly, chestnut-colored hair, wearing jeans, a casual jacket, and flat shoes, and carrying a bulging canvas bag... Possibly a single mother working in the beauty industry.

"Wait a minute," Zhuang Mingqi stopped him. "Did I miss a part? How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

By now, the two had parted ways with the mother and daughter and were strolling with the Samoyed on the riverside path. Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting flecks of gold on their shoulders. The Samoyed trotted ahead, wagging its tail. The atmosphere was peaceful and quiet, and they almost looked like a pair of real best friends.

When it came to less important matters, Shen Zhengning had the top student's habit of skipping steps. He narrowed his eyes lazily, enjoying the breeze on his cheeks. "The process isn't important, it's too long-winded. The conclusion is enough."

Zhuang Mingqi glanced at him over the edge of his sunglasses and recited in a flat tone, "Please be so merciful as to enlighten us mortals, Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

Shen Zhengning: "...Don't call me that. It's embarrassing."

"It's just a guess. I can't guarantee its accuracy," he said, habitually putting up a disclaimer before explaining. "She pays close attention to her appearance—her hair is permed and colored, and she's used to wearing makeup, but she has faint marks from a mask on her cheeks, which suggests her work environment has standards for both appearance and hygiene. She has a manicure, but her nails are trimmed very short and neatly, which points to manual work where long nails aren't practical. The nail polish is an uncommon dark blue, suggesting a relatively flexible profession. The canvas bag she was carrying had the logo of the 'Olivia Beauty' training institute in the corner, so I assume she works in the beauty industry. From that, I further inferred that it's her professional habit to address clients in a way that makes them feel younger."

Hiding behind his sunglasses, Zhuang Mingqi did not bother to conceal the inexplicable awe in his eyes. "Then how could you tell she was single?"

"Are you interested?" Shen Zhengning asked.

Zhuang Mingqi immediately turned his head. "No."

Shen Zhengning gave him a suspicious look and couldn't help muttering to himself, "It's so tacky to gossip about someone behind their back."

Though Zhuang Mingqi often ignored people, he was quite sensitive to certain probing glances. He immediately declared with self-righteousness, "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't mean anything by it, I'm just curious."

Shen Zhengning huffed out a laugh, teasing him in a lazy tone, "You know her, but you don't dare to acknowledge it. You give her daughter a drawing, and you're this curious about her relationship status... It's hard not to get the wrong idea, isn't it?"

Zhuang Mingqi: "You are really something else..."

"Terrifying?"

"If you mean how perceptive you are," Zhuang Mingqi said. "I'm starting to wonder what kind of person could possibly hide anything from you."

"A person is just a collection of information. The only difference lies in how much of it you can read," Shen Zhengning said. "Take the ring on her hand, for instance. You must have seen it. What do you think it signifies?"

Zhuang Mingqi considered it for a moment. "Claudie amore collection, 18K gold ring, single diamond. It's hard to tell if it's genuine."

The corners of Shen Zhengning's lips curved into an unreadable smile. He said abruptly, "Your own occupational hazard is quite obvious."

Zhuang Mingqi was taken aback. "I don't believe I've mentioned my job?"

"A person is a collection of information," Shen Zhengning said. "And a collection of massive amounts of information is the internet."

Zhuang Mingqi: "...I miscalculated."

"Tavernier's outstanding young jewelry designer. Your photo is on their official website; it's not hard to find."

Before Zhuang Mingqi could get defensive, Shen Zhengning changed the subject, gently dropping the matter. "Getting back to the topic, the ring is a plain gold band. It has noticeable scratches on the inside, which means she's worn it for a long time. Since she's in the habit of wearing a ring, and has clearly been married and has a child, yet the ring wasn't on her ring finger, it's highly likely she's single."

His train of thought successfully derailed, Zhuang Mingqi mused, "Maybe the ring is just too big? Or perhaps she just doesn't like wearing rings on her ring finger?"

"The ring is real gold, and as you said, it's from a designer brand. She wouldn't have picked the wrong size," Shen Zhengning said. "Besides, she's very wary of strange men. She protected her child first, while her other hand immediately went for her pocket. The object in there was cylindrical. I'd rather not find out exactly how powerful it is."

Clap. Clap.

Zhuang Mingqi raised his hands and gave him two expressionless claps.

"So," Shen Zhengning prompted patiently, "it's understandable why she'd be wary of you. Why are you afraid of her?"

Zhuang Mingqi fell silent. When he tried to evade something, the aura of refusal written all over him was actually very easy to spot. Shen Zhengning could practically see the gears in his brain turning frantically in search of an excuse. Finally, he answered dryly, "Because I have social anxiety."

Shen Zhengning: ?

Zhuang Mingqi: "Can't I?"

Shen Zhengning: "You do realize that if I wanted to make you uncomfortable, I wouldn't even need to hit you? I'd just have to touch you a couple of times."

Zhuang Mingqi: "..."