Free Web NovelChapter 17: Chapter 17: The Contest of Heirs, As It Has Always Been
"I know this sounds harsh, but if we let it stay, it will lose its wild instincts and have a hard time surviving later," Tong Jianfeng said disapprovingly.
Tang Yuexuan chimed in, "That’s right. And it’s a Class II protected animal. If anything happens to it, we can’t take responsibility."
When Tang Yueying saw her sister Tang Yuexuan speaking up, she gave up on her completely.
’Whatever. She’s a lost cause.’
She silently walked over to Gu Zhao’s side, making her stance clear.
Tang Yuexuan’s face paled when she saw this.
She didn’t understand why everyone was trying to suck up to Gu Zhao. Ye Zexi was the young master of the Ye Family, and siding with him was clearly more advantageous for them.
She had to beg and plead, even drinking herself into the hospital, to get the kind of resources he could give away with just a word.
Tang Yuexuan’s gaze hardened. ’My choice wasn’t wrong!’
"We have to think about the big picture! Brother Lin, you guys should try to talk some sense into Zhaozhao."
This time, Ye Zuiyi didn’t join in. She chose to watch from the sidelines.
"Don’t worry. Everything will *not* pass," Gu Xulin said comfortingly.
Tang Yuexuan: ...
Gu Zhao nodded in agreement. "You’re right. But in *Train to Busan*, they escaped zombies in six train cars, but couldn’t escape the human heart in one. What does that prove? It proves that one is stronger than six, king of kings, ham sausage, and for jelly, I want Xizhilang."
"Right, Xizhilang?" Gu Zhao said, looking at the lynx.
The little lynx nodded in cooperation and let out a soft mewl.
’Mommy gives me meat! Whatever she says is right!’
It then looked over at Tong Jianfeng and bared its teeth.
’Destroying my meal ticket! Bad guy!’
[AHHHHHH IT’S SO CUTE I’M DYING! Even though Teacher Tong is right, it’s so small. If it’s really left on its own, it probably won’t survive.]
[Isn’t the problem that it doesn’t want to leave on its own? It was clearly threatening Teacher Tong just now. I don’t even need Gu Zhao to translate anymore; I can understand what this cat is trying to say.]
[HOLY CRAP, IT ACTUALLY NODDED!! Has it become sentient? It even knows how to play along?]
[HELP, THIS INTERACTION IS TOO CUTE! Little Lynx: As long as there’s meat, whatever you say is right (nods frantically)]
[I keep replaying the part where it bared its teeth at Tong Jianfeng! That look is priceless. The logic of ’destroy my meal ticket = bad guy’ is crystal clear!]
Since Gu Zhao’s side wouldn’t cooperate, Tong Jianfeng and the others were helpless. They couldn’t just snatch the animal and toss it out.
They’d be flamed to death for that.
They wanted a good reputation, not an early grave.
And so, this incident passed.
During the meal, Ye Zuiyi’s hatred for Gu Zhao deepened once again.
While she chewed on bitter, hard-to-swallow wild vegetables, the rich aroma of roasted meat powerfully wafted over.
Especially when she saw Ye Zexi take two bites of the wild vegetables and then stop eating, his gaze drifting unconsciously toward Gu Zhao, who was surrounded by everyone.
Ye Zuiyi chewed the wild vegetables forcefully, as if she were tearing into Gu Zhao’s flesh and blood.
Tong Jianfeng ate quietly, but Tong Yunxin didn’t take a single bite.
"Eat something. Don’t always make me worry about you."
Tong Yunxin kept her eyes downcast and ignored him.
"You stubborn child..." Tong Jianfeng sighed.
Just then, Gu Zhao walked over with two bananas and handed them to Tong Yunxin. "These are for you. Eat them yourself."
"If you eat, I’ll let you pet Xizhilang."
Tong Yunxin’s eyes lit up with joy, but the next second, she heard a cough, and her gaze dimmed again.
Gu Zhao looked at Tong Jianfeng, who had coughed. "I’ve done many evil things in my life, but meeting you evens the score. Thank you. But could you just die for a second and be quiet?"
With that, she forcefully shoved the bananas into Tong Yunxin’s arms. "Eat! Or I’ll beat up your dad."
The others: ??
And Tong Yunxin actually listened and started eating.
Tong Jianfeng’s expression was grim.
"You don’t want her to eat, so you must want to harm her," Gu Zhao said, looking at him coldly.
She left before he could say anything.
Tong Jianfeng felt a breath catch in his throat, stuck between inhaling and exhaling.
[I smell some tea! Does Gu Zhao know something?! I heard that in the same circle, everyone knows a little something about everyone else.]
[You can’t just say things without proof! Tong Jianfeng is famous for being a doting father!]
[But sometimes his actions don’t make it seem like he cares that much about his daughter.]
Ye Zexi’s face alternated between pale and livid. He silently retracted the hand he had stretched out.
"Why did you reach out your hand?! You’re a grown-up! Stop trying to steal our food! I don’t have enough to eat!" The moment he reached out was spotted by a food-possessive Zhong Mingrui, who instantly became defensive.
"Like I’d want any!" Ye Zexi’s face darkened. He stopped eating the wild vegetables and walked straight out of the cave.
Zhong Siqi was nibbling on a piece of fruit given by Monkey Brother to cut through the richness of the meal. As for why he wasn’t eating mushrooms...
...you could only say his luck was very good.
Every mushroom he picked was poisonous enough to send him to his grave. Gu Zhao had dug a hole, buried them, and even stomped on the dirt twice for good measure.
The little lynx was also eating with happy grunts.
After it finished eating, it trotted over to Tong Yunxin and offered her its head.
"MEOW." ’Go ahead and pet me. This is for my mom’s debt.’
...
While everyone in the cave was chatting idly after eating and drinking their fill, a pack of wolves started running toward them.
Gu Xulin leisurely ruffled Gu Zhao’s hair. "We’ve already filmed two of our tasks: one monkey, one lynx. First place is probably in the bag for us."
"Then how are we supposed to get first place? We don’t have a task," Song Zhe said, completely bewildered.
"Maybe they forgot to give you your task," Zhong Siqi guessed.
Far away, outside the forest, the director sighed. They really had forgotten to give it to them.
"So are we unlucky or lucky?!" Song Yi exclaimed in surprise.
’Can my brother actually be lucky?!’
"Unlucky, probably. Just because they didn’t give it to you doesn’t mean there’s no task. You’ll have to guess blindly." Gu Xulin stroked his chin, pondering. "The director isn’t going to let you pass just because they failed to give you the mission clue."
"I knew it. My brother can’t be lucky twice in a row."
Without knowing the task, the cameras weren’t very useful.
So Gu Xulin gave the two remaining cameras to Zhong Siqi and Tang Yueying, one each.
Even though Tang Yuexuan had gone over to Ye Zuiyi’s group, Tang Yueying was still hanging out with them.
An hour later, everyone woke up from a light nap.
When Gu Zhao woke up, Ye Zuiyi’s group had all gone out.
Tong Jianfeng’s group had left with them, and Tang Yuexuan was also gone.
"AWOOOOOOO..."
A wolf’s howl instantly jolted awake those who remained in the cave.
"What the hell was that!" The inexperienced Song Zhe was so scared his face turned white.
Song Yi shouted, "Bro! Your bad luck magnet of a body attracted the wolves!!"
Song Zhe had a tear-stricken face. "Bro, even if we’re about to become a pile of wolf droppings, let’s be brothers again in the next life!"
"I don’t want to be that unlucky again!!" Song Yi protested.
"What are you two crying about?" Zhong Mingrui rubbed his eyes, looking at the two of them hugging each other in confusion.
"The little wolves are bringing food for Big King. Don’t act like you’ve never seen the world."
The wolf calls continued outside, but they didn’t enter the cave.
Song Yi and Song Zhe exchanged a look. Seeing that everyone else had gone out, they mustered their courage and followed.
The moment they stepped outside, they were stunned.
A dozen or so wolves were sitting obediently outside the cave. In front of the pack was a small mountain of wild rabbits.
They really did bring food!!
Song Yi had stars in his eyes! ’Big King, you are my one and only king!’
He was happy, but the Wolf King was not. It sniffed the air, then shot a sharp glare at the little lynx behind Gu Zhao.
The little lynx watched it warily in return.
The Wolf King averted its gaze and nonchalantly walked over to Gu Zhao, rubbing its head against her small frame.
Then, when no one was paying attention!
It plopped its butt right down on the little lynx.
"MEOW!"
The little lynx only had time to let out a short, startled yelp before it was squashed firmly beneath the Wolf King’s fluffy rear, with only the tip of its tail left sticking out, wagging frantically.
The corners of the Wolf King’s mouth curled up.
’Happy!’
Everyone: "AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Horrified!
