Chapter 107: Single

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Single

Vivian’s hands paused mid-motion as she asked in confusion, "Neutering? Why?" She had never owned a pet before and was quite lacking in knowledge in this area.

Irene explained while helping clean the mud off Lucky’s paws.

"Loren told me before that neutering a male dog can reduce many health risks, like prostate diseases. It also prevents him from running off because of heat later on—it would be a nightmare if he got lost. Plus, he sometimes pees in the house now, and that should improve a lot after neutering."

Lucky seemed to sense the two were talking about him. He looked up at Irene, then lowered his head to lick the water in the basin with an innocent look, making both of them laugh.

"So that’s how it is. I thought neutering was just to stop pets from breeding," Vivian said, finally understanding, and reached out to scratch Lucky’s chin. "Have you made an appointment?"

"Not yet. It wasn’t easy to plan the time while I was in Venice. It just so happens I gave the crew ten days off, so I want to get the surgery done during these ten days so I can take good care of him."

"That sounds good. Do you need me to go with you?"

"If you don’t want to go back yet, it would be great to have you with me. I’ll give Loren a call later to schedule the surgery." Irene rinsed the suds off Lucky and wrapped him in a towel.

Vivian immediately agreed. "No problem."

Three days later, in the early morning, Los Angeles was graced with a rare lack of scorching sunlight, and a cool breeze wafted through the car window.

Irene sat in the driver’s seat, glancing in the rearview mirror from time to time. Vivian was holding Lucky, gently stroking his head. The little guy seemed to sense that something big might happen today, huddling obediently in Vivian’s arms with his small paws tightly gripping the edge of her clothes.

"Don’t be nervous, Lucky. It’s just a small check-up. It’ll be over soon," Vivian comforted him softly.

Irene couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s like he understands. He’s been listless all morning since he woke up."

"And you’re still laughing? You don’t care about him at all. Are you sure nothing will go wrong?" Vivian looked at Irene reproachfully.

Irene laughed even harder. "What’s there to worry about? Loren has probably neutered countless dogs. He explained the surgical process to me in detail. Nothing will go wrong."

When the car pulled up in front of the pet hospital, Loren was already waiting at the door, wearing a white coat and holding a pink pet leash.

"You’re here?" Loren greeted them with a smile, looking at Lucky in Vivian’s arms. "The little guy is being very good today, no tantrums."

"He seems to know something is up today, so he’s being extra good and obedient." Irene opened the car door and helped Vivian carry Lucky out.

Seeing Loren, Lucky gently rubbed against his hand and let out a small whimper from his throat, as if acting spoiled.

Walking into the hospital, Loren first gave Lucky a simple pre-operative check-up, taking his temperature and listening to his heartbeat with gentle, practiced movements.

"All indicators are normal. We can proceed with the surgery," Loren said to the two of them while filling out the check-up form. "The surgery will take about half an hour. You can rest in the waiting area, and I’ll call you when it’s over."

"All right, let us know if anything happens. We’ll be right outside." Irene handed the dog over to him with peace of mind.

"Nothing usually happens, don’t worry." Loren nodded with a smile and carried Lucky into the operating room.

In the waiting area, Vivian was restless, standing up to walk around one moment and leaning toward the operating room door to listen for sounds the next. "Do you think Lucky is scared? It must be so terrifying in the operating room."

Irene pulled her down to sit. "Don’t worry. You’re more concerned than I am, and I’m the owner."

Vivian kept watching the clock. When she saw that half an hour had passed and no one had come out, she was about to find someone to ask about the situation.

Just then, a nurse walked past them. Before reaching the end of the corridor, she turned back and asked uncertainly, "Irene?"

Hearing her name, Irene looked up. "Lily?"

The other woman immediately turned back and sat down next to Irene. "It really is you! It’s been a long time. I heard you’ve been filming a movie in Venice recently?"

"Haha, yes. I happened to run into Loren on the flight to Venice. He said Lucky was old enough to be neutered, so I came over as soon as I got back."

Lily was a nurse at Loren’s pet hospital. Irene used to chat with her and share gossip every time she visited. After learning that Irene was a director, Lily hadn’t publicized it. Instead, she had become one of her fans.

"Is this your friend? I thought you’d bring your boyfriend to accompany Lucky for his surgery." Lily raised her eyebrows, her face practically screaming ’gossip.’

"Huh? Where would I get a boyfriend?" Irene looked puzzled.

"I saw it in the newspaper before. It said you were living with your boyfriend and walking the dog together sweetly in the morning. I’m sure that dog was Lucky." Lily gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow. "Don’t be shy."

Irene was baffled. When had she ever been in the newspaper, especially with news like that? Wait—morning, walking the dog... could it be that time she ran into Mark?

"Wait, that was made up by the newspaper. I don’t have a boyfriend. That was just a neighbor of mine. That was the first time I met him."

Irene didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had indeed noticed paparazzi last time and had told Shelly about it. Had the other party not handled it?

"What else did the newspaper say?" Irene asked.

"Not much, just that you two were childhood sweethearts, your parents know each other, and they praised your stable relationship."

"As expected of Hollywood gossip rags. They can really spin a yarn. They can take a random photo on the street and turn it into a story like this," Irene said helplessly.

"I really don’t have a partner. That was just the paparazzi making things up."

"Oh! So you’ve been single all along, Irene!" Lily’s voice suddenly rose, as if she were intentionally letting others hear.

Sure enough, a second later, Irene saw Loren walking out of the operating room carrying Lucky.

Lily gave Loren a look, then turned back to Irene. "I have things to do. Let’s chat next time."

She slipped away before Irene could even reply.

For a moment, no one spoke. Vivian looked at Irene, then at Loren, a ’so that’s how it is’ expression appearing on her face.

Irene took the initiative to walk over to Loren. Lucky wasn’t fully awake yet. His eyes were half-open and half-closed, his little body was limp, and he still had that small dinosaur toy in his mouth.

Before she could ask, Loren handed the little guy to Irene.

"The surgery was very successful. Next, he needs to stay in the observation room for an hour. Once he’s fully awake and there are no issues, he can go home. Remember not to let him do any strenuous exercise after getting home. Feed him some easily digestible food first. If there’s any discomfort, call me anytime."