Chapter 33: Truly Famous

Aofeng fiercely denounced the incident with that guy named Lei for nearly five minutes, only stopping when Song Changfeng repeatedly apologized and tried to calm him down. Afterward, Lei muttered, “That mutt’s got quite the temper,” which nearly made Aofeng bare his snow-white teeth again in warning.

As soon as they stepped out of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Aofeng’s mood instantly mellowed. He turned to stare at Song Changfeng with a questioning look, clearly wanting to know what that man had just said.

Although that guy trying to poach his trainer had rubbed him the wrong way, he did make a good point. Someone like Song Changfeng, a star student at the police academy with top marks in every discipline, should’ve been hotly pursued by every department after graduation, right? The Police Dog Training Base was arguably the most marginal unit among them. So how did they manage to land someone like Song Changfeng? And why hadn’t he reached out to his classmates? What was going on?

Sensing Aofeng’s gaze, Song Changfeng turned his head and saw the dog staring at him thoughtfully, his expression practically shouting, “Spill your story.”

Song Changfeng chuckled softly and asked, “What, you want to know why I ended up at the Police Dog Training Base too?”

“Woof!” Aofeng let out a low whine from his throat, urging him to hurry up and explain.

“It’s actually pretty simple,” Song Changfeng sighed. “My father died in the line of duty just before I graduated. My mom was devastated. She was afraid I’d follow in his footsteps, so she wanted me to drop out and go abroad to study something else. Because my dad was a police officer, I’d always dreamed of becoming one too. If I quit, all those years of hard work would’ve been for nothing. I refused, and eventually, my mom gave in. She said I could stay in the field, but only in a desk job. No missions. I agreed. I know how much pain she’s been through, and I couldn’t let her worry about me anymore.”

Aofeng let out a wistful sigh. He hadn’t expected Song Changfeng’s story to be so sad.

Seeing the dog’s tail droop and his mood sink, Song Changfeng gently patted his head to comfort him.

“At first, I was really upset. I pushed myself hard in training every day. But over time, I came to terms with it. As long as I’m still in the system, it doesn’t matter what role I play. I’m still serving the people, just in a different way. After graduation, I looked into a lot of departments and eventually chose the Police Dog Training Base. There, I realized that what I couldn’t achieve myself, these dogs could help me accomplish.”

“Aofeng, from now on, I’m counting on you to make that dream come true.” Song Changfeng looked at Aofeng with a gentle smile, so tender it made Aofeng’s nose sting a little. But really, who could say what was right or wrong in this? It was just fate not going their way. No wonder Song Changfeng hadn’t reached out to his old classmates. He seemed like someone with a lot of pride, probably didn’t want to reopen old wounds or be pitied.

Since the conversation had turned somber, they didn’t talk much on the way back. The Municipal Public Security Bureau wasn’t far from the Shen Family home, and they arrived after walking for about half an hour.

As soon as Aofeng saw the familiar iron gate and caught the scent of flowers from inside, he perked up, his ears twitching with excitement. He barked a few times toward the house to let Grandma and Doudou know to open the door.

At that moment, Shen Doudou was drawing in the living room, with Wang Xiuyun sitting beside him watching. When he heard the barking, Doudou immediately shouted with joy, “Grandma, Aofeng’s back!”

Wang Xiuyun laughed. “Silly boy, Aofeng’s still in training. Why don’t we find time to visit him this week?”

“Okay!” Shen Doudou nodded eagerly, then went back to his drawing. Judging by the lines, he was sketching a dog.

Aofeng barked a few more times, but no one came to open the door. Confused, he raised a paw and tapped at it, then barked again.

“Grandma, it really is Aofeng!” Shen Doudou couldn’t sit still anymore. He dropped his pencil and ran outside. Standing on tiptoe, he opened the big iron gate and called out happily, “Aofeng!” before throwing himself at the dog.

Aofeng lifted his head to nuzzle Shen Doudou’s chin. Of everyone in the house, he got along best with Doudou. After all, Shen Yuanhui and Wang Xiuyun were elders, and it wouldn’t be proper to act too wild around them.

“Oh my, it really is Aofeng! What are you doing back now? You must be hungry, right?” Wang Xiuyun had followed them out and, seeing Aofeng hugging her grandson, couldn’t help but exclaim.

Standing behind Aofeng was a tall, sturdy young man with good looks. Wang Xiuyun remembered him. He was Aofeng’s new trainer, Song Changfeng.

“Xiao Song, thank you for bringing Aofeng back. Come in, Auntie will cook something for you two!” Wang Xiuyun greeted him warmly.

Song Changfeng looked a bit stiff, clearly not used to this kind of hospitality. He felt a little annoyed with himself for being so lost in thought earlier that he’d forgotten to bring a gift. Showing up empty-handed was really impolite. He didn’t have much experience visiting people’s homes, but he still knew the basics of good manners.

“Thank you, Auntie.”

After they went inside, Wang Xiuyun pulled out her phone and quietly called Shen Yuanhui. Lowering her voice, she said, “Lao Shen, when you come back later, remember to buy a roast duck and a few raw chicken legs.”

Song Changfeng had sharp ears and overheard her. That made him even more uncomfortable. He stood up and headed for the door. Seeing her confused expression, he said, “Auntie, I’m going out to buy some cigarettes.”

Wang Xiuyun nodded, then asked, “Do you know the way? Should I go with you?”

“No, no need.” Song Changfeng’s ears turned red as he fled the scene.

Aofeng, still cuddling with Shen Doudou, glanced at the retreating figure and couldn’t help but find it funny. That guy didn’t even smoke.

Not long after, Song Changfeng returned carrying bags full of stuff, which made Wang Xiuyun scold him playfully. But Song Changfeng felt relieved. At least he hadn’t completely lost face.

Meanwhile, Aofeng and Shen Doudou had gone to the backyard. When Song Changfeng went to find them, he saw Aofeng digging in a patch of soil. Each time he dug a small hole, Shen Doudou would drop a seed into it with his chubby little hands. Once the seed was in, Aofeng would cover it up and gently pat it down with his paw. Shen Doudou mimicked him, patting the soil too, not caring that his clean little hands were getting all dirty.

Song Changfeng didn’t disturb their peaceful moment. He just stood quietly in a hidden spot, watching them from afar.

“You’re Xiao Song, right?” A voice came from behind after an indeterminate amount of time. Song Changfeng turned around and saw that it was Shen Yuanhui speaking.

“Hello, Bureau Chief Shen.” Song Changfeng immediately stood up straight, his posture stiff with nervousness.

Shen Yuanhui smiled and patted his shoulder. “No need to be so tense. We’re not at the office, just relax. I heard something when I got back – apparently a trainer and a police dog caught a thief on a bus. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Song Changfeng nodded. “Yeah, that was us. Actually, it was mainly Aofeng who spotted him. He acted decisively and charged in, but didn’t hurt anyone.”

Unless dealing with a violent criminal or in an emergency, trainers rarely command police dogs to attack directly.

“Aofeng is incredibly intuitive. I always feel like he understands more than people think,” Shen Yuanhui said with a touch of emotion.

On this point, Song Changfeng clearly agreed. “I think so too. Aofeng is really smart, almost like he has a mind of his own. Sometimes when I look into his eyes, it’s like I’m looking at a person.”

Shen Yuanhui patted Song Changfeng’s shoulder again. “That’s why you need to train him well. Teach him more skills. That way he’ll be less likely to get hurt and be an even greater help to us in the future.”

“Got it!” Song Changfeng nodded firmly.

“Dinner time!” Wang Xiuyun came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of food and shouted toward the backyard.

Hearing her, Shen Doudou immediately tried to run inside, but Aofeng stopped him just in time. Otherwise, there would’ve been muddy footprints everywhere.

Aofeng led Shen Doudou to the faucet in the corner and gave it a push with his paw. Clear water gushed out.

Shen Doudou rubbed his little hands under the stream, and soon they were squeaky clean. He held them out in front of Aofeng for inspection. Only after Aofeng gave an approving nod did he go to the side and wait for Aofeng to rinse off his own paws. Then the two of them headed inside together.

When Aofeng saw Shen Yuanhui sitting at the table, he immediately acted affectionate. That was his big backer, and he had to hold on tight.

After a bit of cuddling, Aofeng decided it was time to move on. He walked over to Wang Xiuyun and rubbed against her leg affectionately. He had already spotted the bowl of chicken legs on the stool. Each one was plump and juicy, prepared only with a few ingredients to remove any gaminess and nothing else.

Wang Xiuyun patted his head. “Good boy, go ahead and eat.”

Aofeng rubbed against her again, then walked over to the dish, picked up a chicken leg, and began devouring it with gusto. He really was hungry. At lunch, he’d only had a few cans of food at the Traffic Police Detachment, and it hadn’t been nearly enough.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they sat around chatting. Meanwhile, Shen Doudou pulled Aofeng away to play with building blocks. His grand ambition was to use all his blocks to build a cozy little home for Aofeng. Aofeng let him fuss around without resistance. What else could he do? The kid was tiny and adorable – all he could do was indulge him.

Before they knew it, it was nine o’clock – Shen Doudou’s bedtime. Aofeng watched as the boy was led away, then finally let out a long sigh and flopped down in his own little bed.

“Exhausted from babysitting, huh?” Song Changfeng chuckled. Animals were funny that way – they respected their elders, adored the young, but had no patience for anyone in between. Just like now, when Aofeng heard his question, he merely lifted an eyelid and gave him a sideways glance, as if to say, “Do you really need to ask?”

Song Changfeng didn’t bother him further and headed to the guest room Wang Xiuyun had prepared.

…

While they slept soundly, a video was going viral online, getting shared and commented on at lightning speed.

The footage was a bit blurry and shaky, clearly taken on a moving bus. It seemed like a casual recording at first, but suddenly, a German Shepherd burst into the frame from the corner and pounced on a man.

At that moment, viewers felt a jolt of concern and were ready to scold whoever had secretly brought a pet on the bus. But in the next instant, the story flipped.

It turned out the German Shepherd was a police dog. The reason it attacked the man was because he was in the middle of stealing something. When the evidence was pulled from his pockets, viewers were furious. These parasites on public buses were despicable – perfectly capable, yet choosing to commit crimes! Thankfully, the police dog caught him. Who knows how many more victims there would’ve been otherwise?

Then someone noticed that the dog in the video looked exactly like the one featured on the Anyang Traffic Police’s video channel. That led viewers to the Training Base’s video channel, where they flooded the comments section.

Soon after, two more video links surfaced, both clips from Anyang City’s morning news. The first showed a German Shepherd puppy bravely confronting a criminal at a kindergarten. The second was about the police expressing gratitude to Aofeng for helping solve a case.

After watching those, people realized this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. They recalled a recent post shared by a major media outlet, and their admiration for this heroic German Shepherd was reignited. As a result, the already surging views and shares exploded once again, accompanied by the caption: “Silent Hero!”

With attention mounting by the minute, Aofeng was now truly famous!