In her second month of unemployment, Meng Zhijin unexpectedly received a bizarre job offer:
Become the wife of the internet's most popular pet blogger. Benefits included full insurance and housing fund, meals and accommodation, and a six-figure monthly salary.
The only requirements: play along with his act and help look after a few fluffy dogs.
At first, when she heard what the job entailed, Meng Zhijin refused. She even wondered if he'd lost his mind.
With a cold expression, she replied without hesitation, "Not interested."
She couldn't stand him. She'd spent plenty of time mocking him online, and there was enough material from her insults to make a ten-minute compilation.
But he seemed not to notice her reluctance at all. Still smiling, he propped his chin on one hand and tapped the contract with a fingertip. "How about you take another look?"
...Fine. She really couldn't resist those dogs wagging their tails at the camera.
It definitely wasn't because he was offering so much money.
At first, Meng Zhijin followed the work rule: "Clock in, then clock out and stop caring."
They flirted in front of the camera, then let go of each other the moment it was off.
He smiled brightly and played with the dogs during livestreams while she sat out of frame, expressionless, scrolling on her phone. He stayed up late humming as he edited videos, while she put on her headphones, criticized him with a cold face, and secretly liked comments saying his acting was "over the top."
The whole internet was obsessed with their couple pairing. Only Meng Zhijin remembered her original goal: "It's all work, all for the pay (the dogs)."
But at some point, the balance began to crumble...
Whenever she stayed up late writing scripts, a cup of warm milk would reliably appear on her desk, with a sticky note underneath showing a goofy-cute dog face.
When she was pale and collapsed on the sofa during her period, he would quietly go into the kitchen and bring her a bowl of brown sugar ginger tea.
When she patted a dog's head and praised it for being good, he'd suddenly poke his head in beside her, eyes shining as he asked, "Just the dog? What about me?"
Meng Zhijin: "..."
*
As a pet blogger, Xiao Yuxuan was warmhearted, bright, and sunny. It was as if he'd been born without the ability to sense negative emotions. In front of the camera, he was always grinning from ear to ear.
Until one night, he casually opened his private messages and skimmed the occasional sharp-tongued remarks from viewers who always picked faults. Every time, he'd cheerfully reply, "Okay, thanks," treating them as a different kind of feedback.
Then his gaze suddenly stopped.
The account that had been criticizing him all along had the exact same profile picture and ID as his wife.
He clicked into her profile. Her latest post had gone up just ten minutes earlier and was about the video he'd uploaded that day:
"The script is way too obvious. (But the dog's outfit is cute.)"
"The dialogue sounds stiff. (But the golden retriever in the background looks adorable.)"
"The camera work is shaky. (The corgi's steps have a nice rhythm.)"
"The topic is boring. (The Samoyed looks so soft.)"
Xiao Yuxuan stared at the screen, then couldn't help smiling.
She insulted him, but praised his dogs.
By that logic, wasn't she basically praising him?
Bonus scenes:
①
At a bar lit by hazy lights, a friend swirled their glass and looked amazed. "You're out this late, and your husband doesn't mind?"
Meng Zhijin downed half a margarita. Her voice was colder than ice. "I'm on leave."
"He let you take leave?" Her friend raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like the doting husband everyone sees online."
"Let me correct you." Meng Zhijin put down her glass, her voice perfectly calm. "He's my boss. I'm on leave, so he can't tell me what to do."
"Your boss?" Her friend's voice shot up. "Then where did those marriage certificates you posted come from?"
Meng Zhijin: "Custom-made on Taobao, with express delivery."
"And those sickeningly sweet videos of you two being all lovey-dovey..."
Meng Zhijin: "Acting."
"What about the jewelry he bought you?"
Meng Zhijin: "Rented."
"...Then what was real?"
"The dogs."
②
Meng Zhijin had always thought her marriage to Xiao Yuxuan was a sham. When their contract expired, they could end it. Until one day, on a whim, she asked Xiao Yuxuan, "By the way, when are we going to file for divorce?"
Xiao Yuxuan slowly put down the brush he was using to groom the dog and looked up at her.
His dark eyes, usually brimming with laughter, were now utterly still. After silently watching her for a few seconds, he suddenly smiled.
"How about we renew the contract for a while?" His voice was gentle, with a hint of probing that was hard to detect. "We can negotiate the price."
When she froze, he leaned toward her, his voice gentle but pressing her step by step:
"Or... you can name your terms?"
I've had enough, I'm done holding back x happy, sunny golden retriever
Cover art courtesy of @Ba Ning Ba Duo
Premise: Work is the primary productive force
