1 Are you afraid of dogs?

So cold.

Winter had arrived a while ago, and Guan Pipi was sure that today was the coldest it had been in the past few years. Last night it had snowed heavily, and everyone from the last generation was saying that it was the heaviest they'd seen in the past fifty years. Most of the time in C City, snow wouldn't fall to the extent that it would cover the city walls. On the rare occasion that it did, it would be just a thin layer, and on the next day it would already be melting away. In spite of that, many households had specifically asked for time off, planning to accompany their children in building snowmen, having snowball fights, and getting generally excited over the white landscape. On this day, the snow was about 30cm thick, glittering with a blue light. Every step left a hole in the snow and sent out a crunching noise, just like they were walking through foam. Compared to the North, it couldn't be considered too cold, but the people of Cheng city were caught unprepared, searching their wardrobes for scarves, gloves, and warm hats. Guan Pipi had already found everything, but when she'd left she'd forgotten to take her gloves. From her house to the subway station it was only a ten minute walk, and she'd gone less than five minutes when she started to feel like she was on the brink of freezing to death. She had no choice but to enter a nearby cafe and have a nice warm cup of soy milk, which she clasped in her hands and drank in large mouthfuls, feeling the warmth in her belly giving her the ability to continue onward.

It was a busy Monday. Seeming to bathe in the blue sky, the sun glittered dazzlingly. The snow on the branches of the roadside trees stirred ever so slightly at the rustling of the passerby's feet. Guan Pipi glanced at her watch, which showed that it had just gone 7:30. At exactly 8 o'clock, there would be a meeting, and president Qin Lin had put it down in writing that they absolutely could not be late. Guan Pipi ran down the road in the direction of the high street. It was rush hour and the road was full of vehicles and crowded with people. At last, at the crucial crossing, she could only stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the crowd, everyone crammed in like a flock of penguins. Passing by the general store and turning the corner into a residential district, the crowd thinned and the subway station sign came into sight, much to Guan Pipi's relief. There were only four stops until she'd reach the newspaper office, and she wouldn't even need to cross the street.

Right at that moment, someone directly walked over and suddenly stood in front of her, seeming to want to ask for directions. Immediately, Guan Pipi smelt a bizarre fragrance that made her think of being deep in the mountains, surrounded by nature.

"Excuse me, miss."

Guan Pipi downed the last mouthful of her soy milk, but when she saw this man unaffected by the cold, she almost choked.

The man had a youthful voice, and he wore a very thin windbreaker. His shirt collar stood stiffly, and his grey scarf covered more than half of his face, while his eyes were covered by deep black sunglasses.

"Could you help me?" From the scarf came a very low voice, and it seemed to filter all noises through it, making it clear and melodious. It was like the static of an evening program.

"What do you want?" She stopped.

"I need to get a taxi straight away, but I can't see the road. Could you help me flag down and rent a taxi?"

A blind person?

Guan Pipi couldn't help taking another look at him. He didn't look blind. He was taller than her, his figure was lean, and there was no cane in his hand. Maybe, like her Grandmother, he had serious glaucoma. She felt too embarrassed to ask.

"No problem," she smiled. "Come with me. The road is slippery, so be careful."

She give him his hand and led him. He was wearing a pair of very thin gloves, and they almost seemed like silk. Pipi felt that something was a bit off. It was such a cold winter, and there was no way that this kind of glove would protect him against the frost. Furthermore, the man perceived that she was leading him by her cold, red hands, and he hurriedly removed his gloves, his hands reddening also. Grasping his ice-cold hands, she couldn't suppress a shiver, but she didn't care as she took him to the other side of the road and held up her hand to hail a cab. After waiting for two minutes without seeing an empty cab, the man was still calm, only tightening his grip a little nervously. Guan Pipi was obliged to say, "It's rush hour right now, it won't be very easy to find a car."

"Ah," came the man's voice. Suddenly, he asked a very odd question. "Are you afraid of dogs?"

She shook her head, "Nope."

"I am." A few seconds passed before he uneasily turned his body, seeming to be listening attentively for something. He spoke again: "If a dog chases me, will you protect me?"

Guan Pipi turned her face to look at him. She wanted to laugh, but was afraid he'd hear. She couldn't see his expression what with his face wrapped within his scarf, but there had been a tone of expectation in his voice.

"Of course," she said.

There was an empty car opposite them, waiting for a green light. She lifted her wrist to check her watch, when suddenly she heard a bark. Glancing back, she saw a gray shadow flash in the distance and a huge dog, half the size of a human, rushed over. A rotund man was chasing the dog from a dozen steps behind, panting and holding an empty leash in his hand.

"Joy! Joy! Stop!" he shouted.

Due to the proximity of the park, there were many people walking their dogs. Pipi had once worked in a pet shop and she could see that the breeding of this grey dog was superb. It was tenacious, self-confident, and not easily excited. On the contrary, most of the time this breed was relatively indifferent. The dog rushed over at an unexpected speed. It looked alarmingly like a hungry wolf that had found its prey. Guan Pipi felt that the man's arms had gone tight and he had completely stiffened. She had never been afraid of dogs, and she knew that this kind of dog was very obedient. They did not bark or attack at will. There were so many people all around... there was no way that the dog was targeting her and her companion. However, as the dog rushed closer to their exact position, she decided to get going and her eye was drawn to the driver of a nearby taxi. As it came closer, Guan Pipi rushed to its side and pushed the blind man into the car. Just as she was about to close the door, the dog reached them and slammed into the back seat, its front leg on Guan Pipi's shoulder.

"Drive! As quickly as you can!" She screamed at the driver, her voice even louder than the dog's barking.

"How did a dog get in the car?!" The driver yelled back at her, clearly in some distress.

As previously mentioned, the dog was half the size of a person. Guan Pipi had to lift her backpack over the dog, not letting it climb over her in case it hurt the blind man. However, as she looked back, she couldn't contain her annoyance. This hundred-pound dog was crushing her and a man who was standing right next to the car wasn't even coming to help. She was sitting in danger, and he was looking around idly, as though he had all the time in the world.

"Uh, you think you could help me?"

The man didn't even look up. As if he hadn't heard her, he looked down at his fingers solemnly and did nothing.

Fortunately, the owner of the dog had caught up. Pulling his canine roughly, the dog couldn't help but fall back, allowing Guan Pipi to quickly shut the door. The driver stepped on the gas, and they left the panting owner and his wild dog in the dust.

Pipi felt relief... until she noticed the dog's smell on her body and looked down to see several paw prints on her white feather jacket.

"Are you hurt?" The man asked, having regained his calmness.

"No," she replied, panting.

"Where are you going? I'll get the driver to drop you off."

"Youth Road 107, Cheng City Evening News." She looked at her watch. She would definitely be late.

The man turned his head and she could see the snow reflected in his sunglasses.

"Thank you for your help just now."

"You're welcome."

"Might I ask the lady's name?"

"Anonymous."

The man's face was still hidden by the scarf, but he seemed to smile as he pulled a wallet from his jacket.

"This is my business card. If you ever need help, please contact me."

She took it from him and couldn't help but smile. There was only one phone number on it, surrounded by lines of convex dots. Braille. She wondered if it was his name and address.

"Oh, uhuh," she snorted.

The car stopped and she got out. The man simply stared ahead of himself blankly, unseeing. He then said solemnly, "Goodbye, and thank you again for saving me."

Guan Pipi smiled at the word 'saving'. Wasn't it too serious? She had originally been resentful about this person interrupting her and reluctant to help, but in the end he'd given her a chance to be a hero and she didn't feel annoyed anymore.

"It was nothing. Maybe you should take something to protect yourself with next time."

"Sure," the man smiled. "You're not uncomfortable, are you?"

She shook her head.

"No."

Entering the door to her office building, Guan Pipi realized she was still holding the paper cup that had held her soy milk. She wanted to throw it away. Passing a trash can, she threw the cup, along with the man's business card, into the trash. Then, without even removing her jacket, she rushed to the third floor conference room at top speed. Zhang was standing at the door, her face cold.

"Pipi. You're late."