Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Celebrity Dog

Since she was a child, Bai Chenxi had never been favored by animals. The more timid ones would keep their distance, while the bolder would chase and bite her—yet she adored them all the same. She had always wanted a pet when she was little, but her parents, seeing her predicament, refused no matter how she pleaded. Now that she lived on her own, her work schedule left her in no position to care for one.

Caesar was the only animal in her entire life willing to show her any affection. When Chu Muyun asked her to help take care of him, she agreed without hesitation.

Reality, however, delivered her a harsh slap, reminding her: she was still Bai Chenxi, the girl animals just didn’t like.

Early one morning, her bedroom door was pounded with a series of loud bangs. Bai Chenxi rolled over in bed, unwilling to get up.

[Has it started? Has it started?]
[Here to watch and check in]
[Seems like everyone’s here by reputation]

In the past few days, Bai Chenxi had demonstrated for the entire internet what it truly meant to be “ignored by dogs.” When Chu Muyun was around, Caesar was gentle, docile, and endearing towards her. But the moment Chu Muyun left, Caesar reverted to his cold and aloof nature—just like his owner.

Every day, Bai Chenxi tried to play with Caesar, offering him treats, but he wouldn’t spare her so much as a glance. If only he were just aloof—it wouldn’t be so bad. But he was restless as well, bounding around the apartment and destroying things with the energy of a husky. Taking him for a walk felt more like she was the one being dragged along.

Their interactions drew crowds to Bai Chenxi’s livestream; people tuned in for Caesar, who was now more famous than she was.

That morning, Caesar had been ramming her door relentlessly. Bai Chenxi dragged herself out of bed, opened the door, and before she could say a word, Caesar gave her a languid look, then walked away without a second glance, leaving her standing in the hallway, utterly bewildered.

[Hahahahaha]
[No wonder he’s the idol’s dog—such personality]
[Bai Chenxi: Who am I? Where am I?]

Resigned, Bai Chenxi followed after him. As expected, Caesar sat motionless beside his food bowl. Only at such times would he acknowledge her. With a sigh, Bai Chenxi said, “Master, your humble servant will now serve your breakfast.”

She was just pouring Caesar’s food when Chu Muyun called her for a video chat. Seeing him felt like seeing family.

Bai Chenxi couldn’t help but sound aggrieved: “Brother Chu~”

Chu Muyun, unable to hold back a laugh at her expression, said, “I saw the news—you’ve really had it rough.”

He’d always thought Caesar was gentle by nature. If he hadn’t seen the videos, he never could have imagined Caesar behaving this way.

“You have no idea, every day Caesar—” Before she could finish, Caesar, who’d been eating, heard Chu Muyun’s voice and immediately ran over.

Bai Chenxi stood up at once, addressing Caesar: “You want to see your dad, huh? Well, I’m not going to let you.”

Caesar barked at her several times: “Woof! Woof! Woof!”

For once, Bai Chenxi felt triumphant, holding her phone up with a proud air: “Barking won’t help. I’m not letting you see him.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“Keep barking all you want, you still can’t see him. No, you can’t!”

“Woof.”

“No!”

[What am I seeing?]
[Is this a person arguing with a dog?]
[This could be the most absurd and magical scene of the year]
[First time seeing a person and a dog argue so harmoniously]
[Any husky owner knows: either the owner is crazy, or the dog is]
[Shocking! Bai Chenxi driven mad by a golden retriever]

Chu Muyun listened to Bai Chenxi and Caesar bickering, and couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose. What kind of ridiculous scene was this?

“All right, Bai Chenxi, give the phone to Caesar—er, point the phone at him, I’ll speak to him.” Chu Muyun corrected himself midway. Was he catching their lack of common sense?

Bai Chenxi, grumbling, pointed the phone at Caesar, muttering, “Don’t think you’ve won. I’m only doing this for your dad’s sake.”

As soon as Caesar saw Chu Muyun, he became the picture of obedience, lying down with a pitiful whimper, looking as wronged as could be.

“You’re the one who feels wronged? I’m the one with grievances,” Chu Muyun said. Watching these two, he felt as if he were raising not a dog, but two children.

In a stern voice, Chu Muyun said, “Caesar, you need to be good from now on, do you hear me?”

Caesar barked at the screen. If his barks at Bai Chenxi had been fierce and wild, now they were gentle, as if a spring breeze.

“Good boy,” Chu Muyun soothed. “When you’re home, you need to listen to… Bai Chenxi, understood?”

“Go on, give her a handshake.”

Hearing this, Bai Chenxi unconsciously held out her hand, only to realize Chu Muyun had been speaking to Caesar.

Even Chu Muyun paused in surprise, and just as Bai Chenxi was about to pull her hand back, Caesar placed his paw gently in her palm.

Bai Chenxi was moved to tears. “As long as you behave, we’ll always be friends.”

“All right, that’s enough. Thank you for looking after him all this time. I never thought he’d be this much trouble.” Seeing the two finally settle down, Chu Muyun sighed in relief.

Having just been favored by Caesar, Bai Chenxi said generously, “Actually, I’ve never been liked by animals since I was a kid, so it’s not really Caesar’s fault.”

“That’s good to hear.” Even Xiao Wen, who’d shown him the videos, felt exhausted on her behalf.

Chu Muyun hesitated, then said, “You’ve worked hard—eat more walnuts when you can.”

“Chu Muyun!” Bai Chenxi shouted at her phone, but the call had already been cut off.

With the video gone, Caesar leisurely returned to his food, not sparing Bai Chenxi a glance.

Bai Chenxi could only laugh in exasperation. “Who knew you had two faces? Like father, like son!”

[Friends, I think Bai Chenxi’s about to lose her mind]
[No need to think, I’m sure she already has]
[My poor girl, pat pat]

After that day, Bai Chenxi found a new tactic. Whenever Caesar ignored her, she’d call out Chu Muyun’s name, and Caesar would immediately start looking around for him.

When he didn’t see Chu Muyun, he’d bark at Bai Chenxi to show his displeasure. After a while, she’d call again, and Caesar would search the room once more.

And so the two of them carried on, endlessly entertained—though it was mostly Bai Chenxi’s doing.

[Why do I feel like neither of them is very bright?]
[Chu Muyun was right]
[My dear Blue Lady can’t really be this…]
[At most, three years old]
[Honestly, I think Caesar is smarter than her]
[At this rate, I think her IQ is being assimilated by the dog]

The atmosphere in her livestream was still pleasant, but things were far less peaceful on Weibo.

Someone deliberately clipped videos of her acting cute with Chu Muyun and arguing with the dog, using them out of context.

They claimed she put on one face for Chu Muyun and another behind his back, inciting the anger of some of his fans. They’d never liked Bai Chenxi to begin with, and now, spurred on, they began to attack her online.

Even though the videos were clearly edited with malicious intent, few casual viewers cared to verify. As a result, this severely affected Bai Chenxi’s public image among the general audience.

With the help of paid trolls, Bai Chenxi’s reputation quickly devolved into that of a starlet who depended on rumors and scandals to stay in the spotlight.