No Substitutes for the Bigshots' Dream Girl Anymore!-Chapter 1828: The Golden Lotus Side Story (5)

Sometimes, curious glances would be cast their way.

It was indeed a peculiar sight: one big dog and one small dog, each with a massive leaf perched on their heads, almost completely covering their eyes, as if they believed such camouflage would make them invisible to the world.

But people only spared them a look before driving on. No one stopped their car.

Goldie walked in the front. When it raised its head, the leaf on its head would tilt slightly backward, just enough for it to see the road ahead.

Roly followed closely behind, panting heavily, both hot and tired.

"Almost there, almost there,"

Goldie trotted ahead with a jaunty little stride, brimming with joy.

The midday sun had risen to its zenith, glaring fiercely and baking the earth. The bare asphalt road shimmered with heat, distorting the scenery like a bizarre mirage.

There were hardly any cars on the road, and not even a hint of a breeze.

The spots of shade under the trees were pathetically small, enough to barely cover a paw or two.

Not even half an hour had passed before Roly lay sprawled on the ground, refusing to take even one more step forward.

Goldie sat in front of it, trying to coax it along. "We’re so close! Just hang in there a bit longer."

Roly turned its head the other way, pointedly avoiding eye contact.

"If you don’t get up, I’m going to leave you here!" Goldie threatened with exaggerated menace.

Roly remained unmoved.

"I’m *really* leaving now," Goldie added.

It took one small step forward.

Roly didn’t even bother batting an eyelid. It was, after all, a dog with a stubborn streak.

"You cowardly dog!" Goldie huffed in frustration. "Just wait till I turn into a human—then I won’t play with you anymore!"

With a gruff mumble, Roly slowly stood up, the leaf still perched on its head.

Goldie started leaping in delight, dramatically waving its paw forward like a leader on a mission. "Let’s go conquer the world together!"

Roly let out a cooperative "Woof!"

Another half an hour went by.

This time, it was Goldie’s turn to collapse onto the ground. It had severely underestimated its own weight and overestimated its stamina.

Hayes Edwards was driving down the road in his outrageously attention-grabbing red sports car. Convertible, of course. The wind whooshed past as he wore sunglasses, bobbing his head to the beat of the music while singing at the top of his lungs.

He was entirely absorbed in his own world, cruising along at a tractor’s leisurely speed in his flashy ride.

Luckily, the road at this hour was empty and serenely quiet.

As one song ended, he reached out to replay the previous track. Just as he was about to resume bobbing along, his gaze inadvertently landed on two... blobs sprawled across the ground ahead?

"What the heck?" He slid a finger down to lower his sunglasses.

After staring for one second, his foot instinctively slammed the brake. Pulling out his phone, he made a quick call, his expression halfway between stunned and bewildered. "Hannah, I think your dogs just ran away from home."

From the other end of the line came Hannah’s confused voice: "???]

Roly had a good temperament—friendly and not shy around people.

It recognized Hayes Edwards instantly.

Goldie, meanwhile, was on the verge of passing out, seeing stars and multiple overlapping silhouettes. It was grinning foolishly, drooling while chuckling to itself.

Hayes extended a hand to pat its head. "Are you still alive? Hang in there! Do you need to go to the vet? Heatstroke? Can dogs drink herbal cooling medicine?"

He’d never owned a dog before. As a kid, he raised a hamster for a few months, but it didn’t live long. He remembered attempting to cremate it, only to discover that the longer it roasted, the better it smelled...

In short, Hayes was in a bit of a panic.

Roly, however, was fine. It wagged its tail excitedly, as if meeting an old friend.

Hayes gave its head a couple of pats, turned on the car’s air conditioning, and alternated between looking at the dogs and his car. After letting out a long, resigned sigh, he muttered, "I just had this car washed!"