Chapter 31: This Guy’s Worth Befriending

A short video released by the Anyang Traffic Police suddenly went viral online.

In the video, there was only a majestic and dependable-looking German Shepherd and a pair of large hands. The hands’ owner was demonstrating how to teach your dog to sit, with the German Shepherd as the cooperative student. The dog kept its eyes locked on the hands, responding to each gesture with precise movements—standing, sitting, lying down—all done crisply without hesitation. Yet, its occasionally wagging tail, twitching ears, and slightly tilted head gave it an endearing charm beneath its serious demeanor. This contrast of cuteness and discipline melted viewers’ hearts, prompting a flood of comments expressing their love for the dog.

Naturally, the pair of hands also drew attention. With defined joints, long fingers, and sun-kissed skin radiating strength, they sparked curiosity about their owner’s appearance and prowess. In this age of information overload, a hint of mystery only fuels the imagination. As a result, the comment section welcomed a wave of screen-lickers¹, making readers chuckle.

The training techniques were displayed in text at the top of the video, accompanied by a light and cheerful tune, making the clip stand out amid a sea of similar content.

The Anyang Traffic Police’s Video Channel pinned a comment tagging the official video channel of the Anyang Police Dog Training Base, writing, “Welcome to our brother unit for this exchange—and thanks for bringing along a very special little guest.” Beneath that, they added a brief introduction about Aofeng’s background and past achievements, helping viewers connect him to two earlier news stories.

This was a common traffic-driving tactic, but it proved highly effective—after all, the account giving them exposure had over a million followers. Even if only a small fraction of viewers followed the training base’s channel, its modest follower count of just over three thousand quickly climbed to five thousand. And as views continued to rise, so did the attention.

Sun Xiaobin held the phone assigned to him for managing the video channel, his expression full of amazement. “Whoa, this is blowing up fast! Bro, if we got a big influencer to promote us, wouldn’t hitting a hundred thousand followers be a piece of cake?”

Xu Ming smiled slightly, just about to speak when Li Qing beat him to it with a dose of reality. “We can’t afford a big influencer. One ad from them costs a fortune. Besides, the internet moves fast. If that influencer ends up in a scandal, it’ll backfire on us.”

Sun Xiaobin nodded quickly. “You’re right, girl. Chasing quick wins isn’t the way. But working with you guys is safe—we’re all clean and by the book, nothing to fear.”

Aofeng shot him a disdainful glance. Addicted to freeloading, are we? Sure, they were both part of the same system, but under different departments. It was already generous of his mentor to bring them in—what, did he expect to be spoon-fed too?

Of course, Sun Xiaobin was only joking. He was still eager to learn. Otherwise, even with the new followers, they wouldn’t be able to keep them.

Next, Sun Xiaobin followed Xu Ming to learn video editing, while the idle Aofeng wandered over to Song Changfeng and scratched at his leg.

Song Changfeng, who was listening to Li Qing explain how to make content more engaging, looked down in confusion and saw Aofeng watching him. When their eyes met, Aofeng gave a slight shake of his head, signaling that he wanted to go out for a walk.

Song Changfeng hesitated. He still had duties to attend to, and someone might need him at any moment. Sensing this, Aofeng gave a short bark and turned toward the door, lifting a paw to press against Song Changfeng’s leg.

“You’re saying… you can go out on your own?” Song Changfeng guessed.

“Woof!” Aofeng nodded.

Glancing at the open field and the tightly spaced railings, Song Changfeng decided to unclip Aofeng’s leash. As he did, he warned, “You’re only allowed in this area. No wandering off. Otherwise, there won’t be a next time.”

Aofeng barked impatiently. Did he look like someone who didn’t know his limits? The moment the leash came off, he darted outside.

Seeing Song Changfeng watching Aofeng’s retreating figure with a hint of worry, Li Qing reassured him, “Don’t worry, he can’t get out of here.” The area was sealed off by an iron gate, which they had already closed when they came in.

Song Changfeng nodded and resumed listening, jotting down notes on paper as she spoke.

Once outside, Aofeng ran several laps around the small field, finally getting his body moving again. They say it takes twenty-one days to form a habit—he’d been training far longer than that, and his body had long adapted to high-intensity routines.

After spending hours in a car and then filming for so long, his joints were itching for action. He was dying to sprint a good eight hundred meters.

After his run, he strolled leisurely around the field a few more times before stopping near the iron gate, eyes fixed on the traffic police motorcycles outside, his gaze full of longing.

“So pitiful!” a voice suddenly rang out beside him.

Aofeng froze. The voice wasn’t human—it was in dog-speak. The tone was full of sympathy and lament, making Aofeng feel a bit uncomfortable. Him, pitiful?

He turned toward the source of the voice and saw a yellow-and-white Chinese Rural Dog² sitting by the roadside, watching him.

“Were you talking to me?” Aofeng asked. He usually only communicated with the other dogs at the base—lively, innocent, and dedicated. This one looked like he’d seen a lot of life.

The Chinese Rural Dog glanced around and said with exaggerated flair, “Who else would I be talking to?”

Aofeng’s interest was piqued. “Why do you say I’m pitiful?” He considered himself well-groomed and strong—what was so pitiful about that? The dog in front of him, on the other hand, though sturdy, had messy fur and a bald patch under his belly. Who was the real pitiful one here?

“You’re not pitiful? Locked behind that tall iron gate by humans, staring longingly at the outside world but unable to leave—how is that not pitiful?” The Rural Dog shook his head, looking at Aofeng like he was a poor soul trapped without freedom.

“And what about you? Wandering the streets, maybe free but never knowing where your next meal is coming from—isn’t that pitiful too?” Aofeng shot back. He had to admit, this dog had the air of a philosopher.

The mutt burst out laughing. “Hunting for whatever food I want, isn’t that the real joy of being a dog? I eat what I like, and it’s way tastier than that dry, boring kibble you guys choke down.”

Aofeng thought, maybe kibble really is dry and boring. But fortunately, he didn’t eat kibble.

“What’s your name?” Aofeng asked.

The mutt looked a little dazed. After a long pause, he said, “Da Huang… He used to call me Da Huang.”

“He? Was he your owner?” Aofeng asked.

Da Huang lifted his head proudly. “Hmph, owner? I don’t need an owner! What about you? What’s your name? You don’t look like a local dog.”

“I’m Aofeng, a German Shepherd. You’re right, I’m not from around here,” Aofeng replied.

Da Huang looked pleased with himself. “I knew it. Could tell right away. Hey, you seem pretty sharp. Want to come out and join my gang?”

Hearing the word “gang,” Aofeng couldn’t help but wonder, Is this some kind of canine underworld?

“You have a gang?”

“Of course. Once you’re in, you can be my second-in-command,” Da Huang said.

Second-in-command, my tail! Aofeng cursed silently.

“Would the other dogs accept that?”

“…Well, besides you, there aren’t any other dogs yet,” Da Huang said, avoiding eye contact.

Aofeng snorted with laughter. So the entire gang was just one dog?

“What are you laughing at? Sooner or later, a bunch of dogs will join my gang, and then we’ll take over the territory next door!” Da Huang said indignantly.

Aofeng was a little intrigued by this “next door,” so Da Huang launched into a dramatic tale about his bitter rivalry with the stray dog boss from the neighboring area. From the story, Aofeng learned that the stray dog boss had over a dozen underlings and was, in fact, called Lao Da.

Just as the story was getting good, Song Changfeng’s voice suddenly called out from behind. Da Huang’s ears perked up, and he turned to leave. Before going, he tossed back, “I’ll come find you again. This whole area is under my protection. If any dog messes with you, just let me know.”

Aofeng thought, This guy’s actually pretty cool. Loyal to the bone!

Translator’s Notes