After Dating the President O, I Turned Into a Puppy-Like Lover - Chapter 13

In the early evening, Dan Sirou returned home.

With a soft click, she turned on the light.

The apartment, pitch-dark until that moment, finally gained a trace of brightness because of her return.

She changed into her house slippers. The bedroom door stood ajar, and the dim light from the living room spilled inside, enough to reveal the scene within.

Her mother sat on the sofa, completely still, staring blankly out the darkened window.

The endless night outside was stifling to look at. Dan Sirou stood there for a moment, then just as she always did, quietly began tending to the trivial matters of daily life.

On weekends, she usually cooked at home. But today, since she had accompanied Xia Lin, she’d brought dinner back from outside.

She had bought a large portion of congee. Taking bowls and spoons from the kitchen, she divided it into two servings.

She handed one bowl to her mother and watched as she ate, spoonful by spoonful.

Unconsciously, Dan Sirou’s thoughts drifted back to the past.

Back then, her mother had been both talented and gentle, graceful in the way she treated people and handled life. Everyone used to say that Dan Sirou resembled her mother especially her eyes and brows.

After her father passed away, her mother became like this.

She could still take care of herself at a basic level, but she grew withdrawn, rarely speaking to others.

She would still tell Dan Sirou she’d worked hard. On her clearer days, she would even do some housework. But more often than not, she remained immersed in her own world—one no outsider could enter, and one no one could pull her out of.

Dan Sirou had asked the doctor about it. The doctor said the emotional blow had been too severe and that time was needed for her to process it.

Pulling herself back from her memories, Dan Sirou went to wash the dishes and mop the floor.

She’d never really done these things before. But after the sudden upheaval, it felt as though she’d grown up overnight.

If she didn’t take care of these chores, they would only pile up. Life was her own, and sooner or later she would have to face it.

She had been relying on that single breath of resolve all this time. No matter what setbacks she encountered, she couldn’t stop—either she pushed forward until she gained the strength to change her circumstances, or she would collapse completely, like a dam bursting. Once she stopped, she feared she would never find the courage to move forward again.

That was why she had long since planned out her future. As long as she followed each step methodically, nothing would go wrong.

When she finished, the apartment was clean and orderly again. Only then did she finally sit down on the sofa to rest for a while.

The housework hadn’t taken long. The apartment had already been fairly tidy, after just a week without cleaning, there was only some dust to deal with.

She turned on her phone and glanced at the screen to see if there were any messages.

This week, thankfully, there was no new school tasks. But before she could even wipe the screen clean, several WeChat notifications popped up.

Most of them were casual messages, polite openers asking if she was around, what she was doing. The bolder ones jumped straight to asking whether she was free over the weekend, if she wanted to hang out.

People she was close to usually didn’t message like this. These were mostly contacts added through Student Council work. With them, Dan Sirou sometimes declined politely, and other times simply let the conversation fade.

Today happened to be a day when she didn’t want to respond at all.

As if messages weren’t enough, an unfamiliar phone call came through.

The caller ID showed the capital.

Dan Sirou stared at the screen in surprise. A call from the capital combined with what Xia Lin had said earlier, it suddenly clicked.

She answered.

“Hello, is this Dan Sirou?” A young man’s voice came through the line—clean and warm.

It sounded unfamiliar, yet faintly familiar.

It was the matured voice of someone who had passed through puberty.

It was Zhou Tingchen.

“Yes, it’s me,” Dan Sirou replied, caught off guard by the sudden call. Her voice carried an unconscious sense of distance.

She and Zhou Tingchen hadn’t seen each other in years. They’d been close as children, but even that couldn’t withstand years without contact.

On the other end, Zhou Tingchen immediately grew excited.

He’d checked the number he got from Xia Lin over and over before dialing, there was no way he’d gotten it wrong. That question had merely been an opening line.

He asked if Dan Sirou still remembered who he was. When she called him by name, he felt inexplicably fulfilled, happy that even after all these years, she still remembered him.

He briefly talked about his life over the past two years, speaking animatedly. From his confident tone, it was clear that things had been going smoothly for him.

“Sounds like you’ve been doing pretty well,” Dan Sirou said after a bit of conversation, sounding more relaxed than before as she offered a polite tease.

“More or less,” Zhou Tingchen laughed. His voice paused, then deepened, carrying a trace of melancholy.

“Do you know what the least satisfactory thing in my life has been these past few years?”

Dan Sirou smiled casually. “What is it?”

“I heard about what happened in your family,” he said. “What makes me sad is knowing that you haven’t been living well.”

Dan Sirou’s smile froze.

The sudden concern left her at a loss for words. She remained silent.

After a moment, she finally said, “It’s already in the past.”

There was another brief silence on the line before Zhou Tingchen spoke again.

“Let’s meet sometime. How about next Tuesday?”

“We have classes on Tuesdays. It’s a boarding school,” Dan Sirou replied.

“I forgot,” Zhou Tingchen laughed awkwardly. “Then, how about the weekend?”

Without hesitation, Dan Sirou said, “I’m not sure if I’ll be free this weekend.” She added that the school might have activities scheduled, and she might not be able to leave campus.

From Zhou Tingchen’s perspective, her words sounded perfectly reasonable.

They were both an honest reflection of reality and a gentle refusal.

Dan Sirou wasn’t ready to meet him. Reuniting with someone who used to be familiar but had long since drifted away was always the most difficult. Catching up as friends would be one thing but when it came to attention from the opposite sex, Omegas seemed to possess an instinctive sensitivity. She knew this meeting wouldn’t be simple.

And she hadn’t yet figured out what kind of attitude she should take toward Zhou Tingchen. So, it was better not to meet at all.

Zhou Tingchen could only concede.

“Alright. Whenever you’re free, let me know. I’m always available.”

School days passed in a blur. In the blink of an eye, it was Friday again.

Not long after the bell rang for the eighth period dismissal, Zhou Yi was stuffing books into her backpack while chattering nonstop at Jiang He.

“Boss, Sister Yu asked us out for karaoke tomorrow. Are you going?”

“Hm.” Jiang He thought for a moment, then said, “Sure.”

It wasn’t like she had anything else planned anyway.

It had been a while since she’d hung out with Yu Hui and the others. With exam week finally over, it would be nice to unwind and let off some pent-up stress.

They were among the last few students to leave the classroom. Just then, the acting class monitor walked in carrying a thick stack of papers. Seeing that there was hardly anyone left, she hurriedly called out to Jiang He.

“Jiang, could you help me with something?”

Jiang He: “?”

“Could you take these to the Student Council office for me?”

The moment Zhou Yi heard the words Student Council, she immediately scurried over.

“I’ll go!”

Jiang He glanced at her overly enthusiastic expression, eyes practically glowing and instantly understood what was going on in her head.

“Are you sure you want to go?” she asked again. If Zhou Yi said yes, she’d gladly hand the task over. Of course, she also knew she’d probably feel a little regret afterward.

“Of course.” Zhou Yi nodded vigorously, then suddenly remembered something and shook her head just as fast. “N-no, no, never mind! I just remembered, I was caught playing on my phone at the stairwell yesterday, and Director Yu chased me down an entire floor. He definitely remembers my face. The Student Council office is way too close to his office. I don’t dare.”

So, naturally, the task fell to Jiang He.

Before Jiang He left, Zhou Yi grabbed her arm and whispered urgently, “You have to say hi to the president for me! And also ask if the Student Council is recruiting, I want to help her share the workload, hey, I’m not done yet!”

Jiang He had already walked off.

With her long strides, she reached the Student Council office in no time. The door was closed, but light spilled faintly through the window, indicating someone was still inside.

She steadied her breathing and knocked on the door in a calm, rhythmic pattern.

“Come in.”

The warm, gentle voice was like a breeze brushing against the heart, leaving behind a faint itch. Jiang He’s dark, ink-like eyes rippled like a stone tossed into still water, and her already unsteady heartbeat grew even more chaotic.

She opened the door and immediately saw Dan Sirou reading through some documents.

Dan Sirou looked up and saw her.

After a brief flicker of confusion, Jiang He raised the papers in her hand. “Our class forms.”

“Just put them there.”

Dan Sirou lowered her gaze again, returning to what she had been doing.

Jiang He placed the papers gently on the desk, but didn’t leave right away.

Her eyes lingered on the top of Dan Sirou’s head. Her long black hair fell smoothly down her back, glossy like ink. From this angle, her features looked even more delicate—arched brows, refined eyes, and thin crimson lips pressed lightly together.

At last, Dan Sirou noticed the lingering gaze. She lifted her head and asked, “Do you need something else?”

Jiang He seized the chance to make small talk. “How’s your mom? Has she been discharged from the hospital?”

“Mm.” Dan Sirou didn’t elaborate.

“And the money,” Jiang He asked again. “Is it enough?”

Dan Sirou finally couldn’t hold back anymore. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m just asking,” Jiang He replied hesitantly, sensing her displeasure. “It’s nothing. I’ll go now.”

Dan Sirou nodded, watching her leave.

Just as Jiang He reached for the door handle, a sudden ringtone broke the silence of the office. For a moment, Jiang He forgot to open the door.

Dan Sirou picked up her phone. The caller ID clearly read Zhou Tingchen. She had added the contact after his last call.

She slid her finger to answer.

“Rourou, do you have any plans this weekend?” A bright, cheerful male voice came through.

It had only been one phone call, and just a few days without contact, yet he’d already reverted to the old, familiar form of address.

After all, they shared childhood memories of playing together. Dan Sirou couldn’t bring herself to treat him like a complete stranger. Over the past few days, she’d gradually come to terms with Zhou Tingchen returning to Dongcheng.

They would meet sooner or later anyway.

“Then tomorrow,” Dan Sirou said.

“Great!” Zhou Tingchen was clearly delighted. “I’ll send you the address an hour in advance.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the call ended. Almost simultaneously, a crisp click sounded as the office door closed.

The slender figure of the girl vanished from Dan Sirou’s line of sight.

Jiang He had just left.

Dan Sirou stared at the door for a moment, then didn’t think much of it.

It was about time for her to pack up and head home as well.