After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 21.1

After taking the photo, Lin Li inexplicably returned to her usual gloominess. Wen Jingzhi couldn’t figure out the reason and sighed softly in resignation.

The crowd gradually dispersed some headed home, while others concerned about their children approached the homeroom teacher.

Sun Xiaoxiao, holding several plush toys, waved cheerfully at Lin Li and called out, “See you tomorrow!” She received only a squinting smile in return but didn’t mind, turning instead to catch up with the two mothers ahead.

Not long after, Lin Li’s teacher came over, intending to take the puppy away.

Lin Li’s forced smile vanished, her little face visibly falling. Wen Jingzhi didn’t speak up to keep the puppy; she wanted Lin Li to voice her own wishes.

A child shouldn’t be so withdrawn.

But she didn’t let the teacher take the puppy either, saying instead, “I’ll hand it over to the security guard.”

The teacher paused, then nodded. “That works too. The guard will know what to do. Thank you, Third Miss.”

Wen Jingzhi gave a slight nod. As the teacher was about to leave, she remembered something and took out her phone. “I’ll send the photos to the parent group later. Would you like to join the group?”

“I recall only Mr. Wen is in the parent group for Lin Li.”

After a moment’s thought, Wen Jingzhi agreed and joined the group using her phone.

Once the teacher left, Wen Jingzhi glanced at the silent child beside her and spoke calmly, “Let’s go. We’ll take it to the security guard first.”

Lin Li pressed her lips tightly together, forcing out a smile so strained it made one frown, and replied weakly, “Okay, Sister.”

The path from the playground to the gate wasn’t particularly short, and with Lin Li walking slowly, the journey felt even longer. Wen Jingzhi didn’t rush her, staying half a step behind as she watched the child caress the puppy’s head and fondle its ears, clearly reluctant to part with it.

Even like this, she still didn’t speak up.

They reached the security booth, where a middle-aged guard stood. Wen Jingzhi’s face was highly recognizable and well-known; even if he didn’t follow celebrities, he could identify her. He immediately stepped out and asked, “What can I do for you, Miss Wen?”

Wen Jingzhi’s gaze remained fixed on Lin Li as she replied calmly, “This puppy wandered into the school. My little one found it and brought it here.”

“It probably slipped in through a gap in the fence,” the guard said, stepping closer to Lin Li. “Good thing it didn’t bite anyone. Thank you for bringing it over, Miss Wen.” He reached out to take the puppy from Lin Li’s arms.

He tugged lightly at the towel wrapped around it but couldn’t pull it free.

Wen Jingzhi’s eyes flickered with a faint hint of anticipation.

Will she speak up?

The guard smiled awkwardly and tugged again, this time successfully taking the puppy.

The moment it was in the guard’s arms, the puppy began to whimper, pitifully crying out to Lin Li.

Lin Li stared at the puppy, her small hands clenched into fists at her sides, her face pale. Her gaze dropped, avoiding the puppy’s pleading eyes.

“Thank you again. I’ll take it farther away later to make sure it doesn’t sneak back into the school,” the guard said, holding the puppy and turning to leave.

Wen Jingzhi looked at the child, whose eyes were reddening yet still silent, and sighed softly in resignation.

“Give it to me.”

The guard paused, turning to her in confusion. “Were you speaking to me?”

“Yes.” Wen Jingzhi extended her hand toward the guard. “I quite like this puppy. Give it to me.”

“I’ll adopt it.”

Lin Li, who had been hanging her head in silence, suddenly looked up at Wen Jingzhi, her eyes wide with shock.

Sister?

Why?

The guard was surprised but didn’t ask further questions. A stray dog like this held little value, so without hesitation, he handed the towel-wrapped puppy to Wen Jingzhi.

Once the puppy was handed over, the guard returned to his post. Wen Jingzhi, holding the puppy, turned to face Lin Li, bent down, and offered it to her.

The puppy, which had stopped whimpering the moment it was in Wen Jingzhi’s hands, stared at Lin Li with bright black eyes. Lin Li blinked dazedly and asked, “For me?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to raise it?”

Wasn’t it obvious who wanted to keep it?

Wen Jingzhi let out a soft laugh and expressionlessly tucked the puppy into Lin Li’s arms. “I’m the one who wants to raise it. Are you unwilling to help your sister take care of it?”

As long as her sister was the one raising it, even if she… the puppy wouldn’t end up homeless.

Lin Li breathed a sigh of relief and finally smiled. “Yes! I’ll help my sister take care of it!” She held the puppy by its belly and brought it closer to Wen Jingzhi, whispering to the dog, “This is your owner. Remember that.”

Only by staying with your sister can you have a home. Remember that, little dog.

The puppy, though clueless, barked obligingly.

Wen Jingzhi raised an eyebrow but didn’t refute the statement. She turned and walked out of the school gate. “Bring ‘my’ puppy. Let’s go home.”

“Okay!” Lin Li hugged the puppy, unable to hide her joy, and even broke into a rare, light jog to catch up with Wen Jingzhi.

Wen Xihe had taken the car, so Wen Jingzhi had messaged the family driver earlier to pick them up after the event ended.

As they stepped out of the school, the car was already waiting in the parking area. Wen Jingzhi led Lin Li into the back seat and instructed, “Take us to the nearest pet hospital first.”

The driver acknowledged, and the car pulled away.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a pet hospital. Wen Jingzhi took the sunglasses and mask handed to her by the driver, put them on, and stepped out of the car. She helped Lin Li out and glanced at the towel wrapped around the puppy, now almost entirely black. The first priority, she decided, was to give the grimy little dog a bath.

Inside the clinic, Wen Jingzhi took the puppy from Lin Li and briefly explained the situation to the veterinarian. As the doctor carried the puppy away for examination, she took Lin Li by the hand to pick out food and supplies for the dog.

This time, Wen Jingzhi didn’t tease the child or ask for her opinion. Instead, she quickly scanned through a guide she’d pulled up on her phone and selected the necessary items.

After paying, the driver came in to load the purchases into the trunk.

The examination results came back soon after.

The puppy was about six weeks old, with no serious health issues aside from mild malnutrition.

At Wen Jingzhi’s request, the veterinarian took the puppy for a bath first, followed by vaccinations and deworming.

The procedures would take some time, and Wen Jingzhi, feeling tired, let Lin Li wander around on her own while she sat down to rest.

Lin Li seemed to perk up a bit, showing curiosity about the items in the store. She slowly browsed the shelves, but many of the words on the packaging were unfamiliar to her, and the pictures didn’t always make it clear what the products were.

She had never seen such things back in the village.

Noticing Lin Li frowning at the foreign language on a bag of dog food, Wen Jingzhi waited for the child to ask her about it. But even after the puppy was dried and brought out, Lin Li hadn’t uttered a single question.

What a little quiet one.

The freshly bathed puppy’s fur was no longer pure black, but had taken on a grayish-white hue. The fur on its back was darker, gradually lightening as it went down, until it turned nearly white around its paws and limbs.

Its eyes were as dark and glossy as black grapes, bright and full of life.

It was a rather good-looking mixed-breed dog.

After completing the vaccination, deworming, and other procedures, the veterinarian handed the puppy to Wen Jingzhi. Not wanting to get dog hair on her clothes, she tilted her chin toward Lin Li, signaling her to take the puppy. Lin Li understood and reached out to take the little dog from the vet’s arms. The puppy wagged its tail happily in her embrace and licked her fingers.

It tickled a little.

Support