SBAB Chapter 43

“Stop fighting already!” It took Cheng Shiyin a long time to recover before she managed to climb out of bed and separate the absurd pair—one human and one dog—locked in combat. If she let them continue, the first casualty wouldn’t be anyone else present but likely herself. First, she’d laugh so hard she’d collapse, then fall to the floor and struggle to move due to pain, ultimately laughing herself to death—perhaps even with excessive blood loss as a contributing factor.

But the pair was completely engrossed, fighting with such fervor that they couldn’t hear Cheng Shiyin’s gentle attempts to mediate. After waiting for a bit longer, she sighed and took a deep breath before shouting with authority, “Both of you, sit down!”

Lin Xin, unlike the dog, had been speaking human language for nearly two decades. The moment he detected the anger in Cheng Shiyin’s tone, he immediately pushed Beibei off of him. Lin Xin obediently knelt on the floor, putting on a clever, ingratiating smile as he gazed sincerely at Cheng Shiyin. It was an expression he had learned from Beibei just the day before, and it worked wonders on Cheng Shiyin. However, if Lin Xin had taken the time to deal with the dog hair stuck in his mouth, the effect might have been even better.

What Lin Xin didn’t expect was that as he completed this series of actions and prepared to throw a mocking glance at the clueless dog, he found that the dog had outpaced him. Could Beibei understand human speech too?

Whether Beibei could understand human language didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was that when it came to the art of looking cute, the dog—with its naturally larger pupils—had a clear advantage. Lin Xin had lost this round, but their war was far from over.

Every single day, the spot beside Cheng Shiyin that should have belonged to Lin Xin was overtaken by Beibei. Lin Xin could only shrink pitifully into the far corner of the sofa, completely blocked from view by Beibei, who acted like a canine screen. Lin Xin felt that if Beibei ever retired from being a pet, it could make a living pretending to be a room divider. To exaggerate slightly, Lin Xin felt that apart from mealtimes, he hadn’t seen Cheng Shiyin even once this past week, despite living under the same roof.

After enduring seven days of this, Lin Xin finally saw hope in the form of a phone call from Cheng Shiyin’s cousin.

Even though Beibei’s paws were still twitching as if kicking Lin Xin on purpose, its head was nestled on Cheng Shiyin’s lap, clearly indicating it was fast asleep. Upon seeing the caller ID, Cheng Shiyin carefully lifted Beibei’s head off her lap and tiptoed to the bathroom to answer the call.

“Hello, cousin? What’s up?” Cheng Shiyin asked softly.

Her cousin replied, “I’ve wrapped up my work and will come to your place today to pick up Beibei. Thanks for taking care of him these past few days. He’s been good, right?”

Thinking about Beibei’s antics over the past few days—his endless scuffles with Lin Xin—Cheng Shiyin let out a small laugh and replied with a guilty conscience, “He’s been amazing, really well-behaved. It’s clear you’ve trained him well.” Her cousin felt like explaining that she’d been too busy to train the dog but decided to let it slide. The two then chatted about family matters for another half hour.

After confirming the pickup arrangements, Cheng Shiyin hung up the phone and quietly emerged from the bathroom. She tiptoed back to the living room, unsure if Beibei was still asleep.

By the time she returned, the day’s episodes of the domineering CEO drama had already concluded, and the TV was now showing an interview-style infomercial. This time, instead of a story about reconciling with a wife whose personality changed due to vitiligo, it was about a father who lost his job due to psoriasis—a slightly different but equally dull sleep aid.

Lin Xin, at some point, had also fallen asleep, and for some inexplicable reason, Beibei was now nestled in his arms, snoozing contentedly.

Together, Lin Xin and Beibei occupied 0.618 of the sofa, creating a harmonious and heartwarming scene with an artistic touch. There was no trace of the hostility they had shown each other while awake. As Cheng Shiyin admired the scene, she made sure to capture the moment with modern technology, preserving it forever.

A smile tugged at her lips as she stood there, mesmerized by the oddly magical sight before her. She wasn’t sure how long she had been standing still, staring, but when she finally snapped out of it, she found herself in the bedroom, placing a blanket over Lin Xin. She didn’t want him to catch a cold while sleeping.

After covering them with the blanket, Cheng Shiyin stood there for a moment longer, unsure whether she was gazing at Beibei nestled in Lin Xin’s arms or at Lin Xin’s peaceful, sleeping face. Her mind was filled with descriptions of these two details. She realized how defined Lin Xin’s jawline was and even found the slight hint of a false Adam’s apple, caused by his slim frame, strangely captivating in a way she couldn’t quite articulate.

Perhaps Lin Xin subconsciously felt the warmth of Cheng Shiyin’s gaze because his body shifted slightly in response. Startled, Cheng Shiyin quickly pushed those thoughts aside, retreating to her corner of the sofa and pretending to focus on the television. Little did she know, her behavior mirrored exactly how she had acted the first time Lin Xin came over and they watched an infomercial about vitiligo together.

Luckily, Lin Xin only moved briefly and showed no signs of waking up.

The psoriasis ad’s miraculous sleep-inducing properties worked perfectly as always. Cheng Shiyin’s eyelids grew heavier until they finally closed completely.

In their dreams—hers, his, and even the dog’s—each wore a contented smile.

This was the essence of winter: everything falling into a quiet slumber, free from worries. It felt perfect.

Sometime later, Lin Xin woke up, his legs numb from Beibei’s weight. As he stretched, he noticed the blanket draped over him. He immediately knew who had placed it there, and his heart swelled with warmth. But before he could fully relish the moment, he spotted Cheng Shiyin curled up in a corner of the sofa. Without Beibei’s warmth, she had started to shiver in her sleep.

Lin Xin didn’t even have the luxury to savor the chance to admire her sleeping face. Instead, he quickly decided to move the blanket to cover her.

What if she catches a cold like this?

However, as soon as the blanket was removed, Beibei stirred restlessly, disturbing the stillness. The noise woke Cheng Shiyin, who hadn’t yet been covered.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Lin Xin attempting to tuck the blanket over her. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but before she could utter a word, a sudden fit of coughing overtook her.

Her vision blurred, and the next moment, everything went black as she fainted.