Chapter 23: I testify, Jiang Yuan is indeed a liar

At the entrance of Blue Bay Park.

After parking her electric scooter, Jiang Yuan checked her watch; there were still fifteen minutes until four-thirty.

She walked leisurely with her hands tucked into her pockets.

Along the way, she saw many cats and dogs. Hearing them complaining to one another about their owners, the smile on Jiang Yuan's lips grew wider and wider.

Little Corgi: "My owner is such a weirdo, he mimics my speech every single day."

Little Bichon: "Can he be weirder than my owner? He picks up my poop to play with every day!"

Little Corgi: "Oh my god! My owner likes to play with my poop too!"

Jiang Yuan: "..."

She laughed so hard her waist bent, drawing strange looks from the people out for a stroll.

Jiang Yuan struggled to suppress her laughter, finally managing to compose herself by the time she met Lu Zhihai.

Lu Zhihai greeted her politely, "Hello, Miss Jiang. Thank you for making the trip."

"It's no trouble," Jiang Yuan said calmly. "Where is the dog?"

Lu Zhihai pointed toward the west. "In that pavilion over there."

"Oh my, isn't that that brat Jiang Yuan!" Cao Laoting had come to Blue Bay Park to dance. Her eyes were wandering everywhere, and she actually happened to spot someone she recognized.

"Why is the man next to that brat so old?" Cao Laoting muttered. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and her eyes lit up. "That brat is being kept by an old man!"

She immediately pulled out her phone to record.

The leisure area of Blue Bay Park featured several hexagonal pavilions with upturned eaves, designed in a classical style.

In one of the pavilions, Jiang Yuan saw an Alaskan Malamute staring blankly into space. There were a few people nearby, including an elderly man sitting in a wheelchair with his back turned.

The elderly man reached out and stroked the Alaskan's large head.

Lu Zhihai introduced, "That is Luca. The elderly man in the wheelchair is my father."

Jiang Yuan nodded. "Tell me about Luca's situation first."

Lu Zhihai said softly, "Luca's appetite has suddenly plummeted recently. He has lost interest in both eating and playing. He often lies on the ground looking depressed, his breathing is always heavy, and sometimes he even cries."

"Occasionally, he looks out the window; we thought he wanted to go out and play."

"The first few times we took him out, he was quite excited, but once outside, his mood would become very low."

"After that, he refused to go out at all."

"We gave Luca a comprehensive physical examination, and the report shows he is very healthy."

"Since there is nothing wrong with his body, it must be a mental health issue."

"We even hired a psychological counselor to treat Luca, but he simply refuses to cooperate."

As Lu Zhihai spoke, Jiang Yuan kept observing Luca.

The dog's ears were drooping, his eyes were lifeless, and his tail dragged on the ground, as if even the strength to wag it had been carried away by sorrow.

He looked utterly despondent, as if he had lost all will to live.

It was the first time Jiang Yuan had seen sadness take such a concrete form in a dog.

Lu Zhihai continued.

"Luca has always had a gentle temperament. Once, he actually scratched the psychological counselor and barked furiously at my father."

"My father watched Luca grow up. Seeing him like this hurts my father more than anyone. He can't eat or sleep, and he's growing thinner by the day. I'm truly afraid he'll fall ill."

Lu Zhihai's brow was furrowed, his tone pleading, "The day before yesterday, I happened to see that you could communicate with dogs, Miss Jiang, so I wanted to ask if you could look into Luca's situation."

Jiang Yuan said softly, "I'll try."

"Thank you for being willing to help," Lu Zhihai said gratefully.

As she walked into the pavilion, Jiang Yuan's eyebrows twitched slightly when she spotted two familiar figures.

"This is Miss Jiang, whom I specifically invited; she can communicate with dogs," Lu Zhihai introduced her to the group.

"Miss Jiang, I'm counting on you for Luca!" Old Mr. Lu looked at her with excitement from his wheelchair.

Jiang Yuan smiled faintly. "I will do my best."

She knelt in front of the Alaskan. "Hello, Luca. My name is Jiang Yuan."

Luca ignored her.

*Another annoying psychologist!*

"Uncle, are you sure she can understand dog language?" A shrill, delicate voice suddenly rang out. "I think you've run into a scammer!"

Jiang Yuan lazily turned her gaze to glare at the girl speaking, as well as the "gold-digger" standing beside her, Xie Yuchen.

Lu Zhihai frowned and scolded, "Zhao Yuxuan, don't be rude!"

"Uncle, you're really being tricked!" Zhao Yuxuan said indignantly. "A-Chen and I know Jiang Yuan; she can't understand dog language at all. She's a fraud!"

Jiang Yuan: "..."

Lu Zhihai's expression turned serious. "I have seen Miss Jiang's ability with my own eyes."

Xie Yuchen looked worried. "Uncle, that's probably just an act to trick you."

"Uncle, don't let her fool you." Zhao Yuxuan's tone was full of disgust. "She's resentful that A-Chen rejected her advances to be with me, so she's intentionally trying to scam your money!"

Jiang Yuan: "..."

The claims were becoming more and more absurd.

Hearing a man and a woman claim that Jiang Yuan was a scammer, Cao Laoting's eyes darted around. She rushed toward the pavilion and shouted, "I'll testify! Jiang Yuan really is a fraud!"

Jiang Yuan was speechless.

Why was this person joining in on the chaos too?

"I'm Jiang Yuan's neighbor. I can't even count on two hands the number of men she's scammed!" Cao Laoting said excitedly. "She's best at tricking old men. You all better be careful!"

"Uncle, did you hear that?" Zhao Yuxuan grabbed Lu Zhihai's sleeve. "She can't understand dog language at all!"

"What? Dog language?" Cao Laoting said in surprise. "That's hilarious. She doesn't even have a dog at home, how could she possibly understand dog language!"

The hope that had just begun to kindle in Old Mr. Lu vanished. His brow was etched with deep sorrow, and his voice was heavy. "A-Hai, let's go home."

"Dad." Lu Zhihai was not swayed by the others. He said helplessly, "Since we're already here, let's let Miss Jiang try."

"Uncle!" Zhao Yuxuan stamped her foot in anger. "I told you she's a scam—"

"Enough!" Lu Zhihai interrupted his niece in a low, stern voice. "Miss Jiang is my guest. If you question her, you are questioning me!"

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow.

This Lu Zhihai was actually quite sensible.

Zhao Yuxuan stared at Jiang Yuan's bright, beautiful face and said through gritted teeth, "Fine! If Jiang Yuan can cure Luca, I'll pay the consultation fee!"

"If she can understand dog language and cure Luca, I'll kneel down and call her Grandpa!" Xie Yuchen mocked.

Cao Laoting also sneered, "If Jiang Yuan can understand dogs, I'll kneel down and let her use me as a soccer ball!"

Since they were so eager to slap her face, Jiang Yuan saw no reason to refuse.

She said with a half-smile, "Alright then. My consultation fee isn't cheap."

"Miss Jiang, I'm very sorry..." Lu Zhihai looked apologetic.

Jiang Yuan had never said she was certain she could cure Luca; he had simply invited her with the hope of trying.

"It's fine." Jiang Yuan shook her head and reached out to rub Luca's head. "Luca, if you have something on your mind, you can tell me."

Luca suddenly bolted upright and backed away, staring at Jiang Yuan with loathing. "Go away! Annoying psychologist! You don't understand my pain at all! Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand!"

After saying that, he slumped back onto the ground.

Zhao Yuxuan mocked, "Uncle, you saw that! Luca's reaction is exactly the same as before!"

Jiang Yuan ignored her and spoke gently to Luca. "Speak your pain. Perhaps I can help you."

Luca suddenly stood up and stared at Jiang Yuan, his back arched like an arrow ready to be released.