After Being Hopeless at Singing and Dancing, I Exploded in Popularity Due to My Appetite - Chapter 35

The next day, as Huang Li was about to leave the hotel and return to the program recording building, she found her furry companion persistently nipping at her heel, refusing to let her go.

Huang Li cuddled and coaxed Maomao for a while, but Maomao still wouldn’t let go, insisting on going out with Huang Li.

Huang Li doted on her furry companion. Moreover, Maomao had recently suffered from a skin disease, and Huang Li was very afraid something might happen to him, so she brought Maomao to the hotel for the recording.

Now, seeing Maomao clinging to her, she simply brought Maomao into the car, intending to have her assistant take Maomao for a walk outside.

However, once they arrived at their destination, Maomao still clung to Huang Li, insisting on going with her.

There were many things to do today. Although she was very afraid of Tao Nian, Tao Nian was currently filming the show, and she was the guest performer. Every minute she was late meant less time for the team to rehearse, reducing Tao Nian’s team’s chances of winning.

Huang Li had no choice but to put a leash on Maomao, intending to bring him along and have him stay in a corner.

Maomao was a fierce-looking black-backed dog, standing as tall as Huang Li when on his hind legs.

As Huang Li leashed him, she explained to the camera: “Maomao is actually very obedient, but today, for some reason, he’s just been clinging to me…”

After securing the leash, the assistant handed her an iron muzzle to prevent the dog from biting. Huang Li took it, intending to put it on Maomao.

It was at this moment that someone knocked twice on Huang Li’s minivan window.

Yesterday, after being nagged for a long time by Lin Qianman, then being told about Huang Li’s tragic encounter by Lin Qianman, and being repeatedly lectured by Lin Qianman to promise Huang Li today that she wouldn’t bite and to apologize to Huang Li… and so on, Tao Nian had been waiting for Huang Li to arrive since early this morning.

To show her sincerity, she even waited at the building entrance.

She saw a car parked at the entrance, but no one got out for a long time. The cameraman following her, of course, knew who she was waiting for. Seeing her confused, he pointed at the car and told her: “That’s Sister Huang Li’s car.”

Tao Nian had been looking at the car for a long time; she didn’t know why Huang Li wasn’t getting out.

Lin Qianman said yesterday that I bit Huang Li when I was little, and Huang Li is very afraid of me. Is she refusing to get out of the car now because she’s scared?

Tao Nian was puzzled and could only walk over, intending to call Huang Li out, apologize to her, and explain that she would never bite her again.

She had smelled it yesterday; Huang Li had no scent!

No fragrant scent like Lin Qianman! Definitely not as tasty as Lin Qianman!

She doesn’t even bite Lin Qianman now, so she definitely won’t bite her!

Tao Nian was very serious.

But inside the car, Huang Li looked through the privacy-tinted window and saw Tao Nian, expressionless, staring at her.

Why is she blocking the entrance directly today?!

Huang Li…

…was visibly a little panicked.

The assistant opened the door and greeted Tao Nian.

Huang Li also reached out and waved at Tao Nian, wanting to explain why she was late today.

It was at the very moment she waved, accidentally loosening Maomao’s leash, that Maomao shot out through the crack in the door the assistant had pushed open, lunging directly at Tao Nian.

Then, with lightning speed, he opened his mouth wide and bit Tao Nian’s knocking arm.

Huang Li and her assistant in the car, the accompanying photographer, and the fan site photographers and photographers squatting outside the building entrance all gasped in unison.

As for Tao Nian, she only felt another cold, sharp object touch her arm. The next moment, a stinging pain followed.

Along with the stinging pain came Huang Li’s scream: “Maomao, come back!”

Because she had dance practice today, Huang Li was wearing training clothes and sneakers. She practically tumbled out of the car, lunged forward, grabbed Maomao, and pried open his mouth.

Tao Nian stared blankly at her arm, seeing four bloody holes.

She seemed dazed, looking at her arm, then at the dog that Huang Li was desperately pulling and muzzling. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a film of tears welled up in her eyes.

Hearing that Huang Li was back to record Idol 101, some proxy photographers who had been squatting since early morning hadn’t even captured a few good photos of Huang Li when they filmed the video of Huang Li’s dog biting someone.

Such a large black-backed dog, lunging and standing taller than a person, just bit a contestant!

This incident quickly became a trending topic.

Although the third public performance episode hadn’t even aired yet, the audience already knew that the next episode would feature guest performers, that Tao Nian’s guest performer was Huang Li, and that Huang Li’s dog had bitten Tao Nian.

“Why bring a pet to a recording? Such a large dog is really unsafe!”

“A black-backed dog can be a military dog; a bite like that must be a serious wound!”

“It looks so painful… Always leash your dog properly when you take it out!”

Huang Li was clearly in the wrong for this incident, and many comments were criticizing her for being unethical and an unqualified pet owner.

But the people involved didn’t have time to deal with these matters.

Only the little Taotie had ever opened her mouth wide to bite this or gnaw on that. This was the first time the Taotie had been bitten by an unpredictable furry creature! And it even drew blood!

Because there was no precedent for a Taotie being bitten, Tao Nian hadn’t expected to be bitten. Seeing the wound on her arm, she was a bit stunned at first, and when she reacted, she couldn’t help but cry from the pain.

Wuwuwu, it really hurts.

And if that wasn’t enough, after she cried out twice, her assistant and the cameraman reacted. They immediately called for help, pulled Tao Nian to the bathroom, and turned on the faucet to rinse her wound.

When bitten or scratched by a dog, one should immediately wash the wound with soap and water, then rinse it with running water for about half an hour.

Tao Nian was bleeding from the bite. The staff even pinched her arm to squeeze the blood out of the wound. The wound already hurt, and then being squeezed so hard made Tao Nian yelp. Just when the wound finally went numb and stopped bleeding, soap was applied, making Tao Nian’s tears flow uncontrollably.

Huang Li stood at the very back, so anxious she was almost in tears herself.

It’s all my fault. Why did I say so many bad things about Tao Nian in front of Maomao? All furry companions protect their owners, and Maomao was just getting revenge for me; that’s why he kept clinging to me today, wanting to bite Tao Nian.

Huang Li was now filled with regret and worry.

Although she was very afraid of Tao Nian, Tao Nian was human now and hadn’t harmed her. Her own furry companion biting her like that must hurt a lot.

Huang Li thought anxiously, then stood on tiptoes to peek at Tao Nian’s arm, which was still being rinsed in the middle of the crowd.

The wound didn’t look very serious, but the way Maomao lunged didn’t seem like a joke, so the wound might be deep. She wondered how long it would take to heal.

At this moment, on Qingnan Mountain, without the little Taotie who used to run around wildly regardless of spring, summer, or autumn, the small beasts on the mountain dared to come out and bask in the sun. There were also bright red fruits on the tree branches, and even the patch of vines that Tao Nian used to roll around in most fiercely every day now sprouted new shoots, trembling as they peeked out in the wind.

Behind the mountain was a wooden house surrounded by sycamore trees. Outside, a woman in a rocking chair under a sycamore tree, who had been dozing, listening to the wind rustle through the leaves, suddenly felt something. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing a puzzled expression.

And the tearful Tao Nian did not notice that the jade pendant, which she had haphazardly glued back together, had now shattered again.

Tao Nian had already called the director right after she was bitten. Now that she had rinsed the wound, the production team immediately drove Tao Nian to the vaccination clinic.

Tao Nian whined pitifully: “Do I have to go to the hospital again?”

Huang Li sat beside her, restless.

Huang Li’s assistant, sitting in front, now turned back apologetically to explain: “Sister Huang Li’s dog has been vaccinated on schedule, but for safety, you should still get a vaccine shot.”

Tao Nian remembered the anesthetic shot she got last time when she had her teeth filled, and her eyes filled with despair.

Lin Qianman only learned that Tao Nian had been bitten today when Fang Wen told her during lunch.

She truly hadn’t expected the Taotie to be bitten by a dog and was momentarily stunned.

Fang Wen also felt very distressed: “A black-backed dog bite must hurt a lot, sigh.”

Lin Qianman took a bite of her wonton and asked Fang Wen: “Did she get vaccinated?”

“Yes,”

Fang Wen said: “We’ve been busy with the vaccination all morning. She was even photographed by fans at the vaccination clinic, so now everyone online knows Tao Nian was bitten by Huang Li’s dog.”

“Then what do we do?”

Lin Qianman wasn’t entirely clear about the impact of public opinion. Hearing this, she simply asked a somewhat helpless rhetorical question. Then she took another bite of her wonton, a little worried: “Has Tao Nian returned yet? Why haven’t I seen her? Did something happen? Did she get a fever from fright?”

Fang Wen: “…”

Truly… meticulous.

As the two were talking, Tao Nian pattered over, followed by Huang Li and Huang Li’s assistant, both looking embarrassed, trailing behind Tao Nian like devoted subordinates.

Tao Nian sat down in the chair opposite Lin Qianman. She didn’t speak.

Lin Qianman stirred the wontons in her bowl with a spoon and glanced at Tao Nian’s arm.

Four wounds. The weather was getting warmer now, so it was better to treat such wounds openly rather than bandage them. Since they weren’t bandaged, they looked quite serious.

As she pulled her gaze back, Lin Qianman keenly noticed that her jade pendant had several new cracks.

…Feng Jun gave Tao Nian the jade pendant to prevent her from losing her temper and harming others if she got agitated down the mountain. But now, Tao Nian ate well, drank well, was happy, and had a good conscience—except for being a bit conscienceless towards herself, but mostly she was good and completely non-aggressive towards ordinary people.

The last time the jade shattered, it was completely broken when she bumped into Wu Xuan.

Now it was shattering, not to prevent Tao Nian from biting, but to prevent Tao Nian from being bitten…

What a pitiful Taotie.

Lin Qianman knew that Tao Nian wouldn’t be seriously injured, so she put aside her worries and couldn’t help but purse her lips and smile.

Truly, how miserable.

Tao Nian had received a vaccine shot. Now, her bitten forearm was aching, and her vaccinated upper arm was also starting to ache.

She sat opposite Lin Qianman for a while without speaking, just looking at Lin Qianman with longing eyes.

Lin Qianman suppressed a laugh and asked her: “What’s wrong? Is your arm okay now? Can you still eat?”

Tao Nian grumbled and looked around, then shyly said to Lin Qianman: “That,”

Lin Qianman didn’t respond, quietly watching Tao Nian, waiting for her next words.

Tao Nian pouted, her eyes blinking rapidly, welling up with tears: “Being bitten really hurts so much. I’ll never bite you again, wuwuwu.”

Author’s Note:

Tao Nian before being bitten (arrogant): “Empathy? Come on! You try me! I want to bite you, I’ll let you bite me! You let me take a bite too!”

Tao Nian after being bitten (pitiable little thing): “Wuwuwu, it hurts so much, I’ll never bite you again, wuwuwu.”

Lin Qianman: “…”