Chapter 1 – Late Night Talks by the Fireplace

Originally posted on swayingleavestl

Author: Four Feet (四隻腳)

Translated by: mint

Although I couldn't believe that the story kun had told was a real story, my interest was piqued. And so for the second night, after dinner, I pulled kun over to sit by the fireplace.

"Can we talk about another story today?"

I pointed at the journal on the tea table in high spirits.

kun couldn't help but laugh, saying, "You really like those bizarre little stories that much?"

"Yup, I feel that they're pretty interesting. If we revise it a little, it could even be written into a novel."

As I said this, I reached out to take that journal, but was unexpectedly stopped by kun.

"Xiao Mo, it would be better if you don't touch this thing."

"Why, is there something written in it that can't be seen by anyone?"

I blinked, glancing at kun teasingly.

He smiled back calmly, "This journal isn't an ordinary journal. It contains a spirit, and binds many things that cannot be let out in it. I'm afraid if you touch it, it might accidentally break the barrier."

"Ah? Things that cannot be let out?"

I looked at him in astonishment, saying blankly, "I don't understand."

kun smiled, "I'll explain it slowly to you later."

"Uh, alright, then can we talk about another story tonight?"

"Of course."

kun opened up the book in his hands methodically, flipping through each page, and then, his gaze locked onto one page.

"Xiao Mo, I remember you saying that you keep a pet at home, is that right?" He asked.

"Yes." I nodded, "We have a dog named Toot. We've had him for six years now, my parents treat him like a second son."

"Oh…" kun was silent for a moment, leaning against the sofa. He crossed his legs, saying, "Then, how about a story regarding a dog?"

"Oh? A story of a dog? Alright, please let me hear it!"

I gazed at him expectantly.

kun glanced at me. His look seemed to hold a deeper meaning, and his mouth quirked up soundlessly.

The main character of this story, was a young woman named Shui Lan.

Shui Lan was an orphan. When she was five, her parents had died in a car accident, leaving her behind and bitterly sent to her relatives' house. Her relatives did not treat her well, and when Shui Lan grew up and earned her first salary, she left their home and rented a small flat near her workplace.

One night, she worked overtime till evening, and walked out of the company to find the sky pattering rain, cold wind blowing everywhere.

The road back home was not far, but she needed to pa.s.s through an obscure and small alley.

The alley was quiet, with not a single streetlight around, and was dark and deep.

Clack clack clack, clack clack clack.

Her soaked leather shoes made a lonely sound on the road.

She walked quickly through the long alley, but as she walked and walked, the sound of footsteps came from the back. Pad pad pad, as if something was stepping on a swamp, closely following behind her.

As she quickened her pace, the sound quickened; as she slowed, that sound slowed too; when she stopped, that sound vanished along.

What was it, could it be a thief?

Or… Had she chanced upon something unsavoury?

Shui Lan was absolutely horrified, and gripping her bag tightly, ran out of the alley.

At the same time, that sound followed her along.

Clack clack clack.

Pad pad pad.

Clack clack clack.

Pad pad pad.

That noise chased after her closely, and she was so terrified she almost cried.

What to do, what to do, she couldn't run! The exit out the alley was still so far away, what could she do?

Shui Lan halted abruptly, breathed in deeply, and turned around.

"Who is following me?"

She gathered the courage to yell out, deliberately displaying an aggressive stance. But, there was absolutely nothing behind her, not a single thing.

At this moment, she felt something b.u.mping against her pants.

She got a shock, and when she lowered her head, she saw a dog.

So the one that had been following her all along, was this dog?

Shui Lan laughed at this embarra.s.sing situation and released a sigh of relief. She then inspected this small dog that had suddenly appeared.

It was a mixed breed, the muddy yellow fur on its body soaked wet. A pair of roundish pitch-black eyes stared up at Shui Lan pitifully.

Evidently, this was a stray dog, or an abandoned one. In short, it had no home to go back to.

Shui Lan sighed, and couldn't help but squat down, gently combing a hand through its head.

"Be a good boy and don't follow me, I'm not your owner."

With that, she turned, but as she moved forward a few steps, that stray dog continued to follow closely from behind.

This continued until she reached her house, and the little dog still stuck by her side.

Shui Lan was helpless, and looking at the stray dog's pitiful appearance, sympathy couldn't help but emerge in her heart.

As someone who had also been reduced to impoverishment, who bitterly had no one to rely on, if she uncaringly dumped it away just like that, that would be too pitiful.

After considering it for a few seconds, Shui Lan decided to bring the dog back home.

She gave the dog a name, Ah w.a.n.g.

After giving it a shower and drying its fur, Ah w.a.n.g was actually quite cute. A fluffy body, roundish head, roundish nose and roundish eyes, it would always tilt its head whenever looking at someone, sticking out its red little tongue, mouth shaping into a smile. It was adorable.

The longer Shui Lan kept Ah w.a.n.g, the more she liked it.

She had never experienced keeping a dog before, but Ah w.a.n.g was very obedient. It never barked much, would never break stuff, and always stuck by Shui Lan. Wherever Shui Lan went, Ah w.a.n.g would be there, even when she slept, and there was even a place for it by the pillow.

Gradually, in Shui Lan's eyes, Ah w.a.n.g was not just a pet, but family. Ah w.a.n.g was her only family, the only kin she could rely on.

She bought the best dog food for it, the most beautiful clothes for it to wear, the latest toys for it to play, and unwittingly, the amount that she spent on Ah w.a.n.g became more than half of her own salary. But she enjoyed and never tired of it, even feeling content in doing it. All because Ah w.a.n.g was her 'child'.

Just like this, five years pa.s.sed.

In these five years, Shui Lan and Ah w.a.n.g lived interdependently with each other, living very happily.

Until one day, Shui Lan met a man, her destined soulmate.

They met, got to know each other, loved each other, and at last entered the hall for their wedding.

The first night of their marriage.

Shui Lan leaned against the bedrest, looking helplessly at Ah w.a.n.g beside the bed.

Ah w.a.n.g sat upright and still on the covers of the bed, glaring at them like a tiger watching his prey.

Shui Lan intended to chase it out, but it stubbornly laid in the room refusing to leave.

"Sigh, can't you bring it to the living room? This is really spoiling the mood!"

The man couldn't help but speak out, looking at that dog in disgust.

To be honest, he hated dogs, didn't like them one bit. He thought that dogs were a dirty and disgusting breed that would defecate everywhere, and even felt that dogs shouldn't even be allowed into this city.

Let alone Ah w.a.n.g, who was a mixed breed.

Every time he tried to become intimate with Shui Lan, this stupid animal would always glare with widened eyes, that expression almost as if… As if he was violating its woman!

In short, he hated Ah w.a.n.g. But he had no choice, Shui Lan loved it, and had already considered it a son. He could only accept it, unless he didn't want to marry Shui Lan.

"Sigh, please chase it out, I really don't want to see it."

The man frowned, his disgust exhibited in his words.

Shui Lan bit her lip, saying awkwardly, "B-but Ah w.a.n.g doesn't want to go to the living room. Just pretend that it isn't there."

"How can I!" The man yelled, "I can't do it under its watch! Don't you think its expression is a little weird?"

"Weird? How is it weird? Ah w.a.n.g is super adorable!"

"Please, it looks vicious, as if it wants to eat me…"

"Hahahaha! You're thinking too much!"

Shui Lan couldn't help but burst into laughter, hooking a hand around the man's neck, tumbling along with him onto the bed.

"Alright, don't think about Ah w.a.n.g now, let's continue…" Shui Lan's face reddened.

The man looked down at her, and seized the opportunity to kiss her.

The two entered a heat of pa.s.sion, and momentarily forgetting their surroundings, they became unable to free themselves from their sensual desire.

At this time, the man heard a "Grr— grr—" coming from his back.

It was a sort of deep, threatening growl of warning coming from a beastly throat.

At lightning speed, before he could realize what was happening, he felt his neck cooling.

Chi!

His throat was bitten by a b.l.o.o.d.y mouth.

Plop, plop, plop.

Huge, dense droplets of blood splattered onto Shui Lan's face.

Shui Lan froze, then let out an ear-piercing scream.

Aaaaahhhhh—

On their wedding night, Shui Lan's spouse died.

His throat was bitten off by Ah w.a.n.g, and died on the scene.

Shui Lan was completely struck dumb, reduced into the walls, unmoving as she looked at Ah w.a.n.g chewing incessantly the food in its b.l.o.o.d.y mouth, chewing on the man's flesh.

The reason why Ah w.a.n.g had attacked the man, was because it thought the man was bullying Shui Lan, bullying its owner. It wanted to protect Shui Lan. Shui Lan knew.

On some degree, this was a complete accident.

But, how were they supposed to deal with the aftermath?

The man was already dead, and if this incident was known by others, Ah w.a.n.g was sure to be ruined by the humans.

Ah w.a.n.g had done something unforgivable, but the affection nurtured through all those years was still there. Besides, she had already lost a husband, she couldn't lose Ah w.a.n.g too.

Just like a child that had killed its father, as the mother, she had to s.h.i.+eld her child.

Shui Lan chose to keep her silence.

She gritted her teeth, tears flowing, and secretly buried the man's corpse on a mountain away from the suburbs.

This incident pa.s.sed just like that without anyone's notice.

But after that, Shui Lan did not continue to treat Ah w.a.n.g like before. She fed it, gave it a place to stay, but did not have the courage to hug it, touch it. No matter what, Ah w.a.n.g had killed her husband.

Ah w.a.n.g seemed dispirited, looking at Shui Lan with sorrowful eyes.

It possibly did not know what it had done wrong, and it just, just wanted to be with Shui Lan. In addition, it did not want to share Shui Lan's love with anyone else.

Three months later, Shui Lan realized that she was pregnant.

As a single mother that had lost her husband, she spoiled her child to death, and Ah w.a.n.g became even more desolate.

The Shui Lan right now only had eyes for her own child, playing with her son, rocking him to sleep feeding him milk, every day.

But every single thing she did, Ah w.a.n.g sat in the corner watching her.

Always, always, always watching her.

At times Shui Lan would get fed up with it, chasing it away from her child's bedroom.

Shui Lan did not allow Ah w.a.n.g to approach her son. Because she was scared, scared that her son would be bitten to death, just like her husband.

In the daytime, Shui Lan would go to work, so she hired a nanny to look after her baby.

But one day, when she got off work and returned home, she saw thick smoke rising from the windows of her house, and then the vibrant red of fire, as well as the sound of the windows exploding.

Her house was on fire!

The firemen were spraying water, her entrance surrounded by neighbours who were in deep discussion.

And that nanny who was supposed to be tending to the house, sat there weeping loudly.

"I don't know what happened… I left for a moment… I went to the nearby store to buy nappies… When I came back… It was already on fire…"

The nanny sobbed, explaining to everyone.

Shui Lan rushed forwards like a madwoman, but was halted by the firemen.

"Let me in! My son is in there! Let me in!"

Shui Lan cried, trying to break free.

And at this time, she saw Ah w.a.n.g. That muddy yellow and fluffy dog handily jumped through every obstacle, rus.h.i.+ng into the sea of flames without a care for itself.

"Ah w.a.n.g!"

Shui Lan yelled out, but Ah w.a.n.g did not heed her calls, rus.h.i.+ng into the house.

Five minutes later, on the smoke-filled scene, the sound of a baby's crying rang out. The firemen rushed in, and came out hugging a child.

"My son! My son!"

The baby bawled loudly, hands and feet flying everywhere, looking relatively unharmed. But the strangest thing was, on the baby's neck was a black necklace.

The necklace belonged Ah w.a.n.g, so why was it on the baby's neck?

No one knew the answer to that.

Ah w.a.n.g had rushed into the building, and never came out again.

Ah w.a.n.g had surely perished inside, and the baby had surely been rescued by Ah w.a.n.g, Shui Lan thought sorrowfully, Ah w.a.n.g had saved her son.

Her husband was dead, Ah w.a.n.g was also dead.

From then onwards, Shui Lan and her son lived interdependently with each other.

But as her son gradually grew up, Shui Lan realized, her child could not speak, only having a pair of roundish eyes, and whenever he looked at her he would tilt his head, sticking out a red, red little tongue.

That was almost… almost like the mannerisms of a dog.

The end.

I looked at kun, stunned.

"Do you feel like drinking some wine tonight?"

kun asked with a serene smile.

I nodded my head, saying, "Alright, let's get some alcohol. I need it to calm my nerves, I don't wish for my future wife to be bitten to death by Toot."

kun gave a subtle smirk, replying, "Don't worry, that won't happen."

And that night, the two of us sat around the fireplace, chatting together as we drank a bottle of red wine.

We must have drunk so much my head spun, and when I woke up the next day, it was already noon.

I rubbed my eyes, climbing out of my bed, customarily turning on my laptop to check my mailbox.

"Thank G.o.d!" I was so excited I almost jumped up and down.

On the top of the mailbox, was a notification email from a large company!

I had finally found a ray of hope!

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Next chapter: Devouring Shadow