My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 190

Chapter 190: Returning the Favor

Sister Cheng quickly set up an area for Xia Yun, the golden retriever, arranging the food and water bowls, and the fluffy bed. She also brought a heating pad and a humidifier.

The bathroom near Xia Yun’s room had a squat toilet with a foot pedal. Sister Cheng had originally planned to teach Xia Yun how to use it, but to her surprise, the intelligent dog not only used it correctly but even pressed the pedal to flush afterwards.

“This dog is practically a genius!” Sister Cheng couldn’t help but exclaim.

But for her, a smart dog was a good thing, saving her the trouble of cleaning up. Besides, with a time-traveling human and a soul living in the house, a smart dog wasn’t that surprising anymore.

So Xia Yun settled into the small room, and Cheng Shizhu, whose room was closest, took on the responsibility of turning on the heating pad and humidifier at night.

“It goes to bed so early,” Jiang Xue said after seeing Xia Yun close the door to its room a little after 8:00 PM. “Sleeping so early, will it also wake up early tomorrow? The shelter staff didn’t seem to know if it needed to be walked regularly.”

“Then let’s go to bed early tonight and check on it tomorrow morning,” Xiao Luohan said. She was already tired.

Today, they had visited the morning market, packed their luggage, taken the food they bought to the airport, taken a flight that was delayed for almost an hour, gone straight to the animal shelter after landing, then to the veterinary clinic, finally returning home, unpacking, helping the dog get used to its new environment, and then having New Year’s Eve dinner…

Each task was small, but they had still drained her energy.

Jiang Xue agreed, said goodnight to her older sister, asking her to wake them up before midnight, returned to the bedroom, and prepared to take a shower and then go to bed with Xiao Luo.

She thought there wouldn’t be any more activities tonight, but then she heard Xiao Luohan ask, “Where are the rose bath salts? Where did you put them?”

“Here!” Jiang Xue immediately found them, then, after some thought, asked, “Do you still want to take a bath tonight?”

Xiao Luohan yawned and nodded, a little apologetically. “I don’t think I have the energy.”

“Then you soak, and I’ll help you,” Jiang Xue said, rolling up her sleeves. “But since we’re using bath salts today, I won’t be joining you in the tub.”

“Okay, it’s up to you,” Xiao Luohan said, going behind the screen, undressing down to her thermal underwear, taking the jar of bath salts, and entering the bathroom.

When Jiang Xue entered, the bathroom was already filled with steam, and a faint rose fragrance filled the air.

Xiao Luohan was soaking in the warm water, her eyes closed, leaning against a folded towel.

Even with the recommended amount of bath salts, the water’s color hadn’t changed much, only the floral fragrance intensified.

“Is the scent okay? Are you feeling any discomfort?” Jiang Xue asked, sitting in front of her.

“It smells very good, but it makes me feel a little… extravagant,” Xiao Luohan opened her eyes and smiled at her.

“Then I’ll buy one with a milky fragrance next time, that should be even more extravagant,” Jiang Xue joked, then, sitting beside her, said with emotion, “Biotechnology is truly amazing!”

“A milky fragrance needs fresh rose petals to complement it,” Xiao Luohan said seriously.

“I’ll ask Dr. Qi if she has any fresh ones next time, and we can try it,” Jiang Xue said, her hands already on Xiao Luohan’s body.

She had learned basic massage from Dr. Qi and could give a decent back and shoulder massage, perfect for helping Xiao Luo relax.

“I originally planned to show you the small bicycle as soon as we got back, but it’s in our basement, it’s not going anywhere, we can see it anytime,” Jiang Xue said. “By the way, do you want Xia Yun to stay here with me, or at home with you?”

Xiao Luohan would be taking the advanced guqin exam in a month, and after that, it would be time to collect past papers and review.

If she could pass the assessment of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Masters” at the designated exam center, she would be directly admitted to the relevant program at N University.

“Let it stay with you, there’s Xixi at home,” Xiao Luohan replied.

After Xie Xitong’s winter break ended, she would have to leave the white cat with them again, and even though Xia Yun had a good temperament, animals still had a sense of territory, and it was best to avoid conflicts.

“Okay, then I can also take it for walks,” Jiang Xue readily agreed. “It’s a pity it’s too big, otherwise, I could put it in my backpack and take it to class…”

Seeing Xiao Luohan’s surprised look, she explained, gesturing, “There’s actually someone in my major who does that! She has a chihuahua, very small… about a third of the length of my arm. She was afraid it would bark if left alone in the dorm, so she takes it to class, and she even sits in the last row.”

“Once, during a class with a very strict teacher, no one dared to talk or sleep—except for her dog, which not only slept but also snored. Our teacher searched for two whole class periods, unable to find who was snoring during her lecture!”

They both laughed, and Jiang Xue splashed some rose-scented water on Xiao Luohan, continuing the massage, letting her skin absorb the essence of the roses.

The bath made them both sleepy. After draining the water, they rinsed themselves and went to bed.

Around 11:00 PM, Jiang Xue, half-asleep, felt a stinging sensation on her neck. Just as she reached out to turn on the nightlight to see what was going on, the stinging sensation moved to her lips, then her mouth was covered.

The scent of mint and roses mingled in the air.

“I remember this time last year, we were so embarrassed about being seen by our families, wearing turtlenecks and scarves, even applying makeup to cover the marks,” Jiang Xue said, getting dressed, and pointed at the still-itchy spot on her neck. “This year, we practically want everyone to know!”

Xiao Luohan chuckled and handed her a folded scarf, thoughtfully wrapping it around her neck. “It’s better to wear this upstairs, the wind is cold.”

Before leaving, Jiang Xue leaned in and whispered, “Are you feeling better? More energetic? Should we go back to sleep, or… do something?”

“We’ll see,” Xiao Luohan replied in a low voice, her breath tickling Jiang Xue’s ear.

Passing by Xia Yun’s room, Xiao Luohan lightened her steps and quietly opened the door to check.

A soft whimper came from inside. Xia Yun was already awake, squeezing through the slightly open door and looking up at its two owners, wagging its tail.

“You’re awake. I was worried about the electronic firecrackers startling you,” Xiao Luohan said, bending down and petting its head. “Come upstairs with us for the countdown.”

As it turned out, Xia Yun was truly different from other dogs. After midnight, when Ms. Jiang started setting off the electronic firecrackers, it excitedly jumped around behind her, barking.

“It’s actually quite lively!” Jiang Xue said, scratching Xia Yun’s chin when it came to her. “I understand now, you only like ‘designated excitement’!”

The golden retriever wagged its tail excitedly and licked her palm, making Jiang Xue yelp, her shriek almost drowned out by the fireworks.

Tonight’s “Xiao Luo as the little spoon” plan was thus ruined. Even if she immediately went to the bathroom to wash her hands, she couldn’t possibly touch Xiao Luo with a hand that had dog saliva on it!

Xiao Luohan, on the other hand, smiled even brighter, then sent a message to Xie Xitong about the incident, managing to compose herself before returning to the bedroom and facing Jiang Xue.

“It’s okay, I’ll take care of it,” she said, opening the drawer and preparing. “You gave me a massage, so I should return the favor.”

Half an hour later, she skillfully “held the peach,” placing the light orange object where it belonged, then opened her arms and gently embraced Jiang Xue, who snuggled into her arms.

She found that she was starting to like winter more and more. Winter had brought many wonderful encounters, and she could cuddle with her beloved in their warm nest. And every winter, she could create new and beautiful memories with Jiang Xue.

The next morning, at 8:00 AM, Xiao Luohan was woken up by a soft knock on the door.

It was a “pat” rather than a “knock,” and she could tell that the object hitting the door was soft, and the action gentle, as if the person wanted to wake them up but was also afraid of disturbing their sleep.

She got out of bed and opened the door, seeing Xia Yun standing outside. As soon as it saw her, it sat down obediently, its tail wagging slightly.

“Do you also want to go for a walk?” Xiao Luohan asked, petting its head. “Wait for me at the main gate downstairs, I’ll be ready soon.”

Before taking the dog for a walk, she checked on Jiang Xue.

She was sleeping soundly. It seemed she had been a little too much last night, and although Jiang Xue seemed to have enjoyed it, it had also taken a toll on her energy. She needed to rest in the morning.

So Xiao Luohan went out alone with the dog.

She could now manage short jogs, but most of the time, she could only walk briskly. Even so, she still took Xia Yun for a walk around the community.

She didn’t know if it was because it liked the new environment, or simply wanted to please its new owners, or perhaps it was its nature, but Xiao Luohan found that Xia Yun was much more energetic and playful than the staff had described.

Fortunately, it was well-behaved. If she felt it was walking too fast, she just needed to gently tug on the leash, and Xia Yun would immediately slow down, not pulling on the leash and running wildly.

“I was wondering last night, are you naturally ‘gentle,’ or are you suppressing your true nature to please us?”

Xiao Luohan said to Xia Yun during a break. “Although we’ve only adopted you for now, we’ve never had a dog before, so we need some time to adapt, to see if we’re qualified to be your owners for life.”

“If you’re truly suppressing your nature, I hope you can gradually let go. Since you’re going to be a member of our family, we want to see the real you.” Considering that this dog was quite perceptive, Xiao Luohan couldn’t help but add a few more words.

She knew she was essentially talking to herself, after all, neither cats nor dogs could speak human language. After finishing, she continued her rest, and feeling that her energy had recovered, she took the dog and started walking back.

Before returning home, she hesitated for a moment, then went to the basement.

The small bicycle Jiang Xue had mentioned was lying quietly in a corner, covered in rust, even the chain was rusty. Even if it could still move, it couldn’t be ridden like it was ten years ago.

Its mission had already ended.

As she silently gazed at it, lost in thought, she suddenly heard a noise from nearby.

She looked over in surprise and saw Xia Yun, having somehow found a dusty cardboard box covered in cobwebs, carrying it in its mouth and wagging its tail excitedly.

Xiao Luohan: …

“I’ll buy you a new, clean box for your bed.”