Free Web NovelChapter 18: Chapter 18: Who Says There’s No True Empathy
The netizens were going wild.
[AHHHH, GET YOUR BUTT OFF HIM!!!]
[Haha, I give the Wolf King a perfect score for this move! Acting all cute and snuggling up on the surface, but secretly crushing his love rival with his butt. He’s a scheming wolf, for sure!]
[Wolf King: A Class II protected animal, you say? Let me sit on it and see.]
[Gu Zhao, turn around!!! There’s a lynx behind you about to be squashed into a rug! Hey!]
Gu Zhao was floored. ’Is this wolf trying to get me thrown in jail?!’
Oh, right. ’It’s not like I’d be the one going to jail.’
She suddenly felt much more at ease.
Gu Xulin was panicking!
"Gu Zhao, save the cat!!"
Man, harming a Class II protected animal could land them in prison for years!!
She had to indulge her own brother, and besides, the little lynx had called her "Mommy."
"Get up!" Gu Zhao tried to push him, but he just grinned, his butt not budging an inch.
Gu Zhao took a deep breath and looked at him. "If you don’t get up, I’m going to tell everyone how you fought a porcupine, lost, and got your butt full of quills!"
The Wolf King: !!!!
"AWOO! That’s a low blow! You like it more, you don’t like your wolf! How is a wolf any worse than that thing!" The Wolf King’s eyes were filled with indignation! But he got up anyway.
Her threat was too vicious!
A wolf had to save face in front of everyone!
The Wolf King shot another vicious glare at the little lynx.
’It’s all this shameless cat’s fault! Seducing the two-legger cub while I was away!!’
Gu Zhao said, "How could I not like you! I do like you! But you know, liking a wolf is exhausting, so I just started liking a cat too, to share the burden!"
The Wolf King’s tail drooped, but its tip curled up slightly and began to sway back and forth unconsciously. Its ears relaxed, pointing backward.
His body was being very honest, but he still tried to sound serious. "Really? You’re not lying to your wolf?"
"Am I the kind of person who would lie to a wolf in your heart! If you don’t believe me, that’s a sign you don’t love me!" Gu Zhao’s eyes instantly turned red.
The Wolf King panicked, rubbing his head against Gu Zhao and pleading, "I’m sorry, human. Your wolf was wrong. Your wolf brought you lots of wild rabbits to eat."
Gu Zhao feigned composure. "Fine, I’ll forgive you just this once."
"You’re the best, human!" The Wolf King was overjoyed, but he still secretly decided to find a chance to get rid of that shameless little lynx!
[Wolf King: (Butt lifts up) I’m very angry! (Tail curls) Okay, I’m a little happy... (Hears ’if you don’t believe me, you don’t love me’)!! I was wrong, human!]
[Ahhh, I don’t know what the Wolf King is saying! But he seems so doting!! I want a relationship like that!]
[!!! Who taught Gu Zhao to talk like that?! That’s straight out of a heartbreaker’s textbook! And the key thing is, she’s only five!! Brother Lin, get your kid under control!]
The poor, helpless little lynx lifted its head and let out a tiny, milky cry.
"Mommy."
The Wolf King bristled. "Don’t just call anyone that! Didn’t your mom just get captured by that group of two-leggers this morning?! Stop claiming random moms!"
Gu Zhao: ???
’Capturing a Class II protected animal? Talk about a felony!’
"Explain. What happened to its mother?" Gu Zhao grew serious.
The Wolf King thought for a moment. "Besides you guys, a large group of people came into the forest. Last night, they captured a lot of animals. Its mother was caught, and some of my wolf companions were caught too..."
"Your wolf came to ask you for another favor... Can you save my companions? Your wolf will reward you."
The Wolf King’s pleading gaze fell upon Gu Zhao.
Gu Zhao agreed without a second thought.
"Okay, leave it to me. You just keep on worrying!"
The Wolf King lapped it up. "You’re the best, human."
The little lynx hesitated before walking over to Gu Zhao. It lifted its head and apologized in its tiny voice, "I’m sorry, human... I heard humans don’t like to meddle in other people’s business... That’s why I called you Mommy... So it wouldn’t be meddling..."
"Human, can you please save my mommy? My mommy will repay you."
Gu Zhao crouched down and stroked its furry little head.
[Why do I feel like things suddenly got serious??]
[What did the Wolf King ask Gu Zhao to do? It feels like something big. Is the little lynx begging Gu Zhao for something too?]
[Is there anyone who understands animal language?! Translate for me! How is this any different from going to bed with a beauty but having no... tools! What a cliffhanger!]
Gu Xulin also sensed the serious mood. "Gu Xiao Zhao, fess up. What’s wrong?"
Everyone else was also looking at her.
Gu Zhao thought about how to phrase it, then announced solemnly, "My subjects need me!"
Gu Xulin’s eye twitched. "What subjects could you possibly have?"
"I know!" Song Yi raised his hand and answered quickly. "The Monkey Soldiers!"
Zhong Mingrui glared resentfully at Song Yi. He’d stolen his line again!
’That should have been my moment!’
"Spit it out, quickly." Gu Xulin could feel the wolf’s eyes fixed on him, and his legs started trembling again.
"His subjects were captured. I have to go save them," Gu Zhao said seriously, then pointed at the little lynx. "Its mom was captured too."
Gu Xulin frowned. He figured it was probably just the animal food chain at work. "That has nothing to do with you. They’re not your subjects."
The Wolf King immediately lay down, showing his submission.
Gu Zhao: "They are now."
The little lynx copied the Wolf King and adopted a submissive posture, terrified that Gu Zhao wouldn’t help its mother.
Gu Xulin: ...
’Do you wolves have no backbone at all?! As for the little lynx...’
He didn’t even want to talk about it!
Gu Zhao sensed her fourth brother was a little angry. "It was poachers."
The air was silent for a few seconds. The other guests grew serious. Gu Xulin immediately picked Gu Zhao up and held her in his arms.
"Gu Xiao Zhao, poachers have guns. What are you going to do? Do you think this is the same as dealing with human traffickers?! The animals can’t even protect themselves."
Gu Xulin took a deep breath. "Leave professional matters to the professionals." He looked at the small livestream device. "Please call the police, thank you. If the information is wrong, I will personally bear all costs for the emergency response."
He couldn’t explain it, but he had immense faith in Gu Zhao.
Zhong Siqi said, "Brother Lin, that’s not right. We’ll share the responsibility. We’ve all benefited so much from Zhaozhao. Without her, we’d probably be starving five times a day."
"Yeah, yeah! My brother would starve me to death!" Zhong Mingrui immediately declared, then shot a smug look at Song Yi.
He got to say it this time!
Zhong Siqi: ...
’Great. My own flesh and blood. Can’t hit him right now.’
Not to be outdone, Song Yi shouted, "Big King! Send my brother to go undercover!! Let them have some bad luck too!"
Song Zhe: ...
Zhong Siqi and Song Zhe’s eyes met. The two of them shared a deep sense of camaraderie.
Who said true empathy doesn’t exist?!
[The police have been called! This is no joking matter!]
[Gu Xulin did the right thing. Leave professional matters to the professionals. Protecting himself and the child is the top priority.]
[It’s admirable that the guests are willing to share the responsibility. I hope the information is accurate so it doesn’t waste police resources.]
[This might be inappropriate, but I can’t help it. This group really has a pair of brother-trolling menaces.]
...
Ye Zuiyi’s small hand held onto Ye Zexi’s. They had been searching for a long time and finally found a camera on a tree.
They had barely been happy about finding the camera for a moment before they heard a wolf’s howl from the direction of the cave.
Ye Zuiyi was ecstatic.
’That’s more like it! The villain should be despised by all, suffer every hardship, and ultimately be a stepping stone for the heroine’s rise to the top!’
’I’m the real heroine. Gu Zhao is only fit to be my stepping stone!’
’It was that way in my past life, and it should be that way in this life too!’
Ye Zexi heard it too. Beside them, Tong Jianfeng’s eyes darkened.
The three of them seemed to have a tacit understanding, as none of them mentioned the wolf’s howl. Tang Yuexuan, lost in her own thoughts, didn’t hear it at all.
"Let’s find one more camera before we go back. Teacher Tong’s group is the only one left without one," Ye Zexi said, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.
"We’re really troubling you," Tong Jianfeng said politely as the group silently turned in the opposite direction.
Tong Yunxin’s little face was scrunched up like a bitter melon. Cradling her teddy bear, she carefully tugged on Tong Jianfeng’s sleeve. "Daddy... I heard..."
"Be good. I know you’re tired, but your Brother Ye, Sister Zuiyi, and Sister Yue Xuan are helping us find the camera. We can’t just leave first. Just bear with it a little longer," Tong Jianfeng soothed Tong Yunxin, his voice full of concern.
Every time she tried to bring it up, they would deliberately interrupt her.
Tong Yunxin’s face turned pale, and her hands clutched the teddy bear tighter and tighter.
