What Separates Me and You

Chapter 165 Brother

It was when a university student had helped her up when she fell last time. The smile on that face was

the same as Quintin’s smile. His smile was bright and kind, and it was filled with the same youthful

exuberance.

Josephine was still in a daze when Quintin lowered his head and fished a band-aid from his pocket. He

tore open the band-aid and delicately placed it on Josephine’s forehead. He said, Sorry, I caused you

to get hurt earlier.”

Josephine snapped out of her reverie and leaned back with an awkward expression. She gestured, “It’s

okay.”

Π

Quintin stared at her for some time before he chuckled, “Are you free later? I’ll show you the furry kids I

took in.”

Josephine was taken aback. She suddenly remembered what Lewis said before and hesitated.

Before she could answer, Jack said, “Quintin, we’re here.”

Josephine abruptly raised her head and realized they were in an outskirt area. Barren grass and small

slopes could be seen on both sides, and a large metal gate was in front of them.

Quintin ended the conversation and jumped off the van. He quickly opened the gate and hopped on

again. Jack drove the van inside. Many containers were built in the area, and dogs were barking

intermittently as soon as they entered the premises.

Josephine leaned against the window and looked up. She realized that those were not houses but

tents. Below the tents were rows of shelves and cages. Those cages contained cats and dogs. The

dogs were placed on the shelves on the left, while the cats were placed on the right. The animals made

a lot of noise when they saw the van. They probably caught Quintin’s scent and got excited.

The car pulled over at the courtyard, and Quintin told Josephine, “Sit here for a while. I’ll go place these

dogs inside.”

After speaking, Quintin jumped off the van again. He worked with Jack to get the cages off the van and

placed them on the ground inside a fenced area. They opened the cage doors and released the dogs.

Quintin busily retrieved a bag of dog food. As he poured it into a bowl, the dogs charged toward the

bowl to fight for food.

Josephine could not wait any longer, so she left the van and came to the middle of the fence, staring at

those newly rescued dogs. Quintin reached out and patted a golden retriever’s head before he turned

to look at Josephine. He said, “These dogs were house pets, so they are docile. Do you want to pet

them?”

Josephine’s eyes flickered as she looked at the dogs. She was keen to try, so she reached out her

hand. However, she retreated halfway.

“Don’t worry. It won’t bite. Look, it won’t bite even when I touch it like this,” Quintin said.

Josephine pressed her lips tightly together. She finally gathered her courage and stretched out, her

hand landing on the golden retriever’s head. The feeling was different from what she imagined. It was

furry and soft. The golden retriever was very docile and did not resist, engrossed in eating its meal.

“I was right,” Quintin said.

Josephine turned to glance at Quintin, giving him a slightly awkward smile as she nodded. She

crouched down, gently petting the dog’s head.

A wide variety of breeds could be found among the many dogs present. Aside from the golden

retrievers, there were huskies, Alaskans, and Samoyeds. Although Josephine had not reared a pet

before, she could differentiate all the dogs’ breeds.

Suddenly, a mischievous Husky approached Josephine from the front. It raised its front paws and

pounced on her. Josephine was caught off guard and fell onto the ground. The Husky pressed its paws

on her shoulders as it licked her face. Josephine did not dodge in time, and a ticklish sensation was

felt. Josephine grabbed the Husky by its neck and tried to pull it away.

Quintin laughed as he stood beside her. Then, he said, “It seemed like this dog likes you a lot. It means

that there’s a bond between the two of you.”

Josephine dodged the Husky and managed to push it away. Then a pale hand appeared in Josephine’s

sight, and she was taken aback. She looked up at Quintin, and he said, “Come on. Get up. The ground

is dirty.”

Josephine stayed silent for a few seconds. Seeing that the Husky wanted to pounce on her again, she

immediately grabbed the youngster’s hand and stood up. However, the Husky remained persistent and

repeatedly jumped onto Josephine, staining her pants with mud from its paws.

Quintin said, “It likes you. I’ll put up a lost and found notice later. If its owner did not come and claim it,

I’ll give it to you.”

Josephine was taken aback and quickly waved her hands.

Quintin smiled and said, “You don’t need to be shy. I have a lot of dogs here. There used to be more,

but some other people adopted them. A few original owners also came to look for their dogs, so I had

them returned to their owners.”

Josephine felt a little tempted after hearing his words. But she remembered Lewis and gave up on this

idea. She pointed at the golden retriever, indicating that she liked a gentler dog.

Quintin said, “Josephine, the bond is important when rearing a pet. If you like it, but it doesn’t like

you back, it will be tiring to take care of it. Don’t be tricked by its gentle looks now. If you two don’t

resonate with each other, it might destroy your house and infuriate you if you took it home.”

Josephine’s expression froze when she heard Quintin’s explanation. The one she liked might not like

her back. What Quintin said was true. It was the same case with Lewis. No wonder she felt so tired. It

was because there was no bond between them.

Seeing Josephine’s downcast face, Quintin quickly added, “Don’t misunderstand. I did not mean it that

way. If you like this golden retriever, you can take it home and try to care for it. But if its owner came for

it, you need to return it to them.”

Josephine withdrew her gaze. She smiled and gestured, “What you said had a lot of truth in it. I’ll wait

for the Husky. If no one comes to claim it, you can give it to me.”

“Sure,” Quintin replied with a smile.

He pondered for a while and continued, “You can head out first. After they finish eating, I will put them

back in their cages. Then I’ll send you home.”

Josephine walked out and stood next to the fence, watching him skillfully herd the dogs back into their

cages. After that, he placed those cages under the tent area. She observed Quintin’s and Jack’s busy

figures. Her gaze appeared distant and unfocused, as if lost in deep thoughts. What they did was not

financially rewarding, yet their joy and fulfillment were palpable. Pursuing one’s passions could truly

enrich and add vibrant colors to one’s existence.

After they finished their work, Jack stayed behind to care for the pets. Meanwhile, Quintin took the keys

and walked toward Josephine. He said, “Let’s go. I’ll send you home.”

Josephine nodded. She followed Quintin and hopped onto the bread van. Quintin drove away from the

premises and headed toward the city center. Josephine turned her head slightly and gazed a the side

of Quintin’s focused looks. A hint of jealousy could be seen in her Quintin lived so freely, and he could

do whatever he liked. It was admirable.

eyes.

Quintin noticed her expression and took a glance at her. He asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling

unwell? Do you want to go get checked at the hospital?”

Josephine quickly shook her head, indicating that she was alright.

Quintin asked, “Oh right, how is Lewis related to you? Is he your brother?”

Quintin’s family had deep roots in the entertainment industry, yet he himself had little interest in that

particular field. Nevertheless, being part of the industry’s circle, he would occasionally come across

news and updates. Aware of Lewis being Sierra’s boyfriend, Quintin had never considered the

possibility that Josephine could be Lewis’ wife. However, judging from their interactions and the

dynamics at play, Quintin could only speculate that Josephine might be Lewis’ sister–perhaps his

cousin or stepsister.

Josephine smiled bitterly when she heard the word “sister.” In the past twenty years of her life, Lewis

always introduced her to others as his sister. But after they got married, he no longer called her his

sister. She did not know what her current relationship with Lewis was anymore.