Three.

Nana and I found the most delectable creature during one of our market tours; she’d always find a way to sneak me out as I wasn’t allowed to go out of the house, let alone with a maid.

It had been following us for a while; I was slightly terrified but also curious at the same time. Nana sensed my discomfort.

“He’s harmless, young miss.”

She then took out one of the steamed buns we had purchased earlier, tore out a tiny bit and held it in front of the pup. I was almost certain he’d bite off Nana’s fingers. I had my eyes closed when a heard a tiny, little bark. The pup was wagging his tail and eating the piece of bun.

“Come here, little child,” Nana pulled me gently from behind her back, where I had been hiding.

“See if he wags his tail, it means he likes you.”

I hesitantly brought my palm forward to caress his head, just like Nana was, only to pull it back immediately. The pup whimpered slightly and looked towards me, he didn’t seem that terrifying.

I decided to try again. He wagged his tail vigorously when I caressed his soft fur; it almost made my skin tickle.

I giggled, he wasn’t bad after all.

“See, he likes you, young miss.”

“Could we take him home, Nana?”

I could see Nana was slightly reluctant. She looked at me before sighing.

“Fine, but you should ask your parents first.”

I was screaming in delight and hopping through the rest of the way. Now, all I had to do was to wait until my parents came back.

When they eventually came back, Nana, who had the pup cradled in her arms, and I went downstairs. Nana seemed nervous.

My mother shrieked when she saw what Nana was holding. My sister had started shrieking too, although the pup was nowhere near her.

“Why is that filthy pest inside my house?”

“It isn’t a pest mother, it’s a dog,” I replied.

She glared at me in response; I knew what was coming next. I was used to it. Nana flinched slightly when she slapped me; I had probably grown immune to them.

“What’s with the commotion?”

My father walked in, I knew he would react the same way.

“This rotten child has brought that flee-ridden creature she found from the roads.”

“And what do you wish to do with it, Michelle?” my father asked.

I looked down; I could never look at him in the eye.

“I wish to keep it, father.”

“Fine, as long as it stays in the backyard.”

You could tell everyone was shocked, they probably hadn’t imagined that he’d indeed let me keep my pet.

“Thank you, father.” 

“But father…I’m terrified of them,” my sister, Peiyun protested.

My mother knew it would be of no use, once my father made up his mind, there was no changing it.

My sister also happened to be everybody’s favorite.

“If the dog does anything to even try to harm her, it would be gone.

Do you understand, Michelle?”

“Yes father.”

The pup was growing at an alarming rate; he almost reached up to my shoulders. Nana and I decided to name him Bao; he seemed incredibly happy with his name and seemed to jump every time I called him that.

And I was happy to find another companion.

He would wait for me to get back from school; once I did he would slobber all over my face, it. Nana told me it was his way of showing affection.

It was a fateful day when my dear sister thought it’d be fun to tease the poor animal. She had been throwing stones at Bao, as if trying to provoke him. He whimpered every time a stone hit him, I could tell it hurt him. But he remained rooted to where he was, not making any attempts to defend himself.

“Peiyun, please stop it, you are hurting him.” I cried, rushing over to his side to protect him. Right then, a huge rock hit my forehead causing me to stumble onto the ground due to the impact.

Bao lunged forward and tackled my sister to the ground. Her screams filled the entire house, my parents rushed outside. And all they could see was the dirty wound on my sister’s hand where Bao bit her and the animal growling beside her.

Before I could do anything, my father had brought out his rifle and shot Bao.

Shanghai, May 1981.

Luhan woke up to the sound of soft snores coming from the girl snuggled up in his arms. He smiled slightly and brushed a few strands of hair off her face. She looked so innocent when she was asleep, he thought.

Michelle had passed out on his bed while they were talking last night. Liling insisted that he let Michelle sleep there, despite the protests from the secretary.  Once they left he jumped into bed with Michelle, there was no awkwardness between them. Every time something happened at home, Michelle would knock on his doorstep. He would comfort her until she fell asleep.

He knew what she had gone through. After forcing her a lot, he had finally managed to get her to speak. He regretted it immediately, the pained look on Michelle’s face when she narrated those appalling incidents from her childhood wasn’t anything he had wanted to witness. She had asked him to promise her that he wouldn’t let out these secrets to any other soul, not even Li