My Little Pink Crocodile - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: I’m Looking for Her

In the city, high-rise buildings stand like a forest. Pedestrians hurry along, and vehicles speed past, none stopping for the trivialities around them. Life moves in cycles; it feels as if time is constantly slipping away, yet also as if everyone is repeatedly stuck in the same place.

The moment the streetlights flickered on, the waiting crowd stepped across the zebra crossing. Friends whispered to one another, their conversations drowned out by the sound of footsteps, their gazes constantly drifting toward the person beside them.

It was a young girl with a delicate face and fair skin. Long, pale-pink hair cascaded down her back. She wore a voluminous dress in shades of pink and white, adorned with ribbons and bows. She looked like a princess who had escaped from a fairy tale—as exquisite as a porcelain doll.

In her hand, she held a thick hemp rope, which looked utterly out of place against her slender, pampered fingers. Following the rope down, one could see a Golden Retriever half her height, the rope wound carelessly around its body in a makeshift harness.

Deep within her silver-grey eyes flashed curiosity about her surroundings, but she remained remarkably restrained, only casting a few glances here and there.

Reaching the other side of the road, she crouched down and pulled out a light purple silk scarf. She held it near the dog’s nose, keeping a two-finger distance as if terrified the dog might soil it.

“Goudan, it’s up to you. Find her, quick,” the girl said, patting the dog’s head with a deadpan expression.

Once she was sure the Golden Retriever had caught the scent on the scarf, she carefully tucked it away. She thought to herself: This belongs to the pretty sister; I mustn’t let it get dirty.

The dog wagged its tail, lowered its head to sniff the pavement, and began leading the girl in a specific direction.

The thought of seeing that person again made the smile on the girl’s face grow even brighter. Her stunning looks were enough to make the sun pale in comparison, drawing frequent stares from passersby. However, having been the center of attention since childhood, she didn’t care for the gazes of these mortals.

“Little sister, where are you going?”

A greasy middle-aged man who had been following her blocked her path, eyeing her with an unpleasant grin. “Are you lost? Uncle can help you find your way home.”

The girl looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, but in reality, she was a century-old adult.

Jiang Yu glanced at him, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. Her smile vanished instantly, and she glared at him with undisguised disgust, speaking coldly and bluntly.

“Move.”

She gave the rope a tug. Understanding the signal, the previously docile Golden Retriever immediately turned fierce, baring its teeth and growling at the man to force him away. The dog was massive, and the man was momentarily frozen in fear.

Jiang Yu led the dog forward to leave, but the man quickly recovered and reached out to grab her wrist. “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave…”

To his surprise, before he could touch her, his hand was swatted away. There was a sickening crack of bone. The man let out a wail as his hand twisted at a grotesque angle; it was clearly broken. The intense pain sent him collapsing to the ground.

On the crowded street, his cries drew a crowd, yet not a single person called an ambulance for him.

“Quick, grab her! She broke my hand!” he screamed in agony, pointing at Jiang Yu’s retreating back.

But the passersby weren’t buying it. Jiang Yu had already drawn their attention earlier, and they had seen the man intentionally harassing her. An elderly woman carrying groceries spat toward him. “How can you slander a little girl? She looks so fragile; you’re clearly trying to scam her with a ‘touch-and-break’ scheme!”

Immediately, the crowd began pointing and whispering about his shameful behavior.

Jiang Yu followed the dog through the city, but unfamiliar with the urban layout, she had no idea where she was. Her initial excitement had been halved by the encounter with that man.

After walking for a long time under the scorching sun, the soles of her feet were aching. Jiang Yu, who had never suffered such hardship, knit her brows and pouted. “I’m tired,” she complained.

She scanned her surroundings and saw a beggar sitting by the road with a battered bowl containing a few scattered bills and coins. She walked to the roadside near the beggar and squatted down, looking aggrieved like a child who had run away from home in a fit of pique. The Golden Retriever sat beside her, tongue lolling out, looking quite silly as it stood guard against anyone with ill intentions.

Jiang Yu rested her chin in her hand, watching the flow of people. She sighed, feeling discouraged, and stroked the large dog. “You’re so silly, how are you supposed to help me find her?”

The dog was one Jiang Yu had taken with her when she left Mount Bumian. Because she could only sense Qi Yan’s approximate location, she had teleported herself into this city, planning to rely on a dog’s sense of smell to finish the search.

The dog barked a few times, its tail wagging even more happily, though its expression only looked sillier.

“Little girl, are you looking for someone?” The old beggar beside her, dressed in rags, leaned over. A sharp glint flashed in his cloudy eyes.

Jiang Yu glanced at him and noticed a cloth banner hanging from a stick behind him with the words “Fortune Telling.” She didn’t quite understand the term, so she gave a listless “Mhm.”

The man struck a mysterious pose, stroking a non-existent beard. “It’s someone very important. You like him, don’t you?”

Hearing this, Jiang Yu’s eyes lit up with disbelief. “How do you know? Can you read minds?” Then, she shook her head and muttered to herself, “Impossible. How could a human know magic?”

She spoke very softly. The old man, who looked like a beggar but was acting like a Taoist priest, didn’t hear her. However, Jiang Yu’s reaction confirmed his suspicion: she was a naive, well-raised girl. Judging by her current state, she was likely a runaway chasing after love.

The old Taoist gave a mysterious chuckle, his eyes surreptitiously taking in her expensive clothing. “You and that person share a destiny. Go straight north, and you’ll find them.”

Joy flashed in Jiang Yu’s eyes. She stood up. “Really?” She had formed a soul-bond with that person; that must be the “destiny” he mentioned. Her confidence renewed, she tugged the rope. “Goudan, let’s go.”

But as she moved to leave, the old Taoist stopped her. “Wait. You haven’t paid. Eighty yuan.” He flipped over a sign that read: Honest Business, 80 yuan per reading.

“Huh?” Jiang Yu frowned. “What money?”

The old Taoist shook his head with an air of profound mystery, though he peeked through a slit in his eye, terrified she might actually walk away. “Little girl, this isn’t right. Fortune telling requires sincerity to be effective. If your heart is insincere, you won’t find the person you seek.”

Jiang Yu’s eyes widened in panic. She gripped her skirt nervously. “But I really don’t know…”

Just then, the Golden Retriever trotted over, carrying something in its mouth. The old Taoist’s sharp eyes spotted it immediately. He pointed at the dog’s mouth. “That’s it! Why is the little girl’s money being carried by the dog?”

Jiang Yu looked at the red object in the dog’s mouth. She took it out and criticized the dog earnestly. “Goudan, how many times have I told you? Don’t pick up things from the side of the road.”

The dog’s wagging tail drooped at the scolding, and it let out a soft whimper as if trying to defend itself.

“Little girl, since you have the money, give it to me,” the Taoist said, calculation shining in his eyes.

Jiang Yu looked at the red piece of paper with a portrait of a man on it. After a moment of thought, she corrected him. “This isn’t money. This is someone’s portrait.” She nodded, satisfied with her logic.

The Taoist: “…” Whose stupid kid is this?

His eyes rolled as he changed his tactic. Smiling, he said, “Then give the portrait to me. I will find the owner of the picture.”

It was just a scrap of paper the dog had found in some corner. Jiang Yu felt there was no need to keep it, so she moved to hand it over. But before she could reach out, the hand holding the dog’s rope was suddenly jerked away by a massive force.

“Hey! Goudan, wrong way! It’s north!”

The dog ignored her and dragged her along. Jiang Yu, remembering the stunned old Taoist behind her, turned back and waved with a bright smile. “Thank you for telling me where she is!”

Left behind, the old Taoist cursed in exasperation as he watched the girl being towed away by the dog.

Led by the Golden Retriever, Jiang Yu stopped in front of a pet hospital. From inside came the piercing howl of a dog. The Golden Retriever froze, collapsed onto the pavement, and covered its head with its front paws, shivering violently.

Jiang Yu panted, her face flushed red, making her exquisite features look even more endearing. Seeing the dog refusing to budge after dragging her in the wrong direction for so long, she grew annoyed. She pinched the dog’s ear. “I told you not to run around! Now I’ll never find her.”

But a second later, she caught a familiar scent—the fragrance of white orchids. It was fresh, elegant, and pleasant, exactly like the scent on the silk scarf.

Jiang Yu’s eyes brightened. She scanned the area and focused on the pet hospital. A woman was just coming out, carrying a small Toy Poodle and whispering comforts to it.

Jiang Yu hesitated. She could feel that the person was inside. She stepped toward the entrance, but the dog was stubborn, lying on the ground and refusing to move. Jiang Yu grabbed the rope and, with shocking ease, physically dragged the massive dog inside.

As soon as she entered, a pleasant-looking young woman approached her with a smile. “Hello! Are you here for a check-up or a neutering?”

The half-dead dog on the floor seemed to understand the word “neutering.” It buried its head even deeper between its paws.

The orchid scent in the air was faint, but Jiang Yu was certain. She shook her head. “No, I’m looking for someone.”

“Who are you looking for?” the receptionist asked.

Jiang Yu hesitated. She realized with a start that she didn’t know the woman’s name. She felt a wave of frustration.

At that moment, a tall woman walked out from the back. She peeled off her gloves and removed her surgical mask, revealing a face as elegant and noble as a white orchid. Her black eyes were like deep pools—gentle, yet seemingly unshakeable.

The moment Jiang Yu saw her, joy flashed in her eyes. She pointed at the woman.

“I’m looking for her.”