Chapter 24: Reported for Animal Abuse?

Tan Ping and the others did not notice that, just as they were driving the large black dog away, a man was silently filming the entire scene with his mobile phone.

This man was the dog’s owner, a person surnamed Tang. He had originally come to look for his dog, but upon seeing it biting people with traffic police on the scene, he was so frightened that he dared not step forward.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Tang paced back and forth in a panic. He had raised the dog since it was a puppy and had deep feelings for it. Yet, he lacked the courage to stand up and confront the police.

Just then, his wife called. "Old Tang, are you walking the dog at the clubhouse? It’s almost noon, why aren’t you back yet?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"Honey, our son is in trouble!" Tang stammered, hearing his wife’s questioning.

"In trouble? What kind of trouble did our son get into?" his wife asked.

"It... it bit someone!" Tang said.

"Bit someone? I thought it was something serious. Just tell them to go get a vaccination! We can pay for the medical bills later!" To Tang’s wife, such an incident was no big deal.

"It’s not just about vaccines and medical bills now; it... it seems to have bitten a police officer too!" Tang said anxiously.

"What? How could our son bite a police officer? Is there some misunderstanding? He’s usually so gentle! Old Tang, this is all your fault! You can’t even walk a dog properly!" his wife complained full of resentment. In the past, she was the one who walked the dog, and she never used a leash. When neighbors advised her to use one, she would scold them for meddling in her business.

"Honey, now is not the time to blame me. Think of a way to save our son!" Tang said desperately.

"Tell me what happened first!" his wife demanded.

Tang quickly recounted the events.

"You mean you didn't see our son biting anyone, but rather it was struggling with the police?" his wife asked.

"Right! And I filmed it!" Tang nodded.

"Good! Send me the video! And don't come back yet—find our son and hide him!" his wife ordered.

"Alright!" Tang agreed.

Tang’s wife opened the video he sent. "Huh?" Soon, she spotted a "highlight." She immediately called her husband back: "Old Tang, remember this: our son did not bite anyone without a reason!"

"Didn't bite anyone without a reason? How do you know?" Tang was stunned.

"It doesn't need a reason! Have you forgotten what I do for a living?" she asked with a smile. "If reporters ask, just say that our son is usually very gentle, gets along well with the children in the neighborhood, and even helps neighbors watch their kids!"

"Got it!" Tang nodded. He remembered that his wife was a pet influencer with a massive following. In fact, their garden villa was purchased with money earned from live-streaming with the black dog. The dog was not just their "dog-son"; it was their cash cow.

The large black dog, with its majestic and noble appearance, was extremely popular, boasting over three million followers. On Douyin, fans affectionately dubbed it "The Black Emperor."

Tang’s wife opened her computer and began editing the video. Soon, she had clipped it and posted it with a caption: "My dear followers, please judge for yourselves! Our Black Emperor was walking peacefully in the neighborhood when a little girl suddenly walked up and tried to play with him. We thought, since our son loves playing with kids, we didn't pay much mind, but she heartlessly pulled at Black Emperor's fur! As you can see later, the girl's parents claimed their daughter was scared and even called the police to forcefully take our Black Emperor away!"

This caption was a complete distortion of the truth. However, the fans, unaware of the actual situation, believed it and began to protest on the dog's behalf.

"How could they do this?"
"Are the police going to take Black Emperor away without even knowing the truth?"
"Someone save Black Emperor!"

Tang's wife then urged her followers to share and spread the post, hoping to escalate the situation. Sure enough, the matter spread rapidly. Some people even posted the video to pet-lover forums and chat groups.

"This is too much!"
"Black Emperor is so human-like; how can they beat him to death?"
"This is so cruel!"
"Utterly inhumane!"

Fans even flooded the official accounts of the authorities, demanding they spare the dog.

Meanwhile, Tan Ping and the little girl Yaoyao’s mother had been taken to the hospital. The wounds were first disinfected. Because bite wounds are difficult to stitch, the injuries on Tan Ping’s arms and legs looked quite gruesome. They burned with pain, but he felt a sense of immense relief. The countdown of Yaoyao’s life above her head had finally returned to normal. Knowing the lovely girl was safe from danger, Tan Ping felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was from the cool-headed policewoman, Hua Hua.

"Hello? Hua Hua, is there an emergency?" Tan Ping answered.

"Tan Ping, how are your injuries?" Hua Hua asked in her cold, crisp voice.

"I'm fine! Just superficial wounds, nothing serious," Tan Ping said with a smile. As an adult with high physical attributes, these injuries were nothing to him.

"The thing is, our program has been reported!" Hua Hua said, sounding relieved but then getting to the point.

"Reported? For what?" Tan Ping asked, stunned. He didn't feel they had done anything wrong during the broadcast. Could it be because they were live-streaming while in uniform off-duty?

"I received the reason from my superiors: our production team is being accused of animal abuse," Hua Hua said, sounding indignant.

"That's bullshit! When did we ever abuse a dog?" A colleague nearby shouted, unable to hold back his frustration.

"Could it be that someone cut the beginning and end of our rescue of the little girl and posted it online?" Tan Ping realized instantly.

"Yes, that's possible! I'm currently tracing the source of the report," Hua Hua replied. She had just received notice from her superiors to be mindful of the traffic police's image.

"Understood! Let's verify the facts first, then we'll use our official account to release a statement about what really happened," Tan Ping said calmly.