Chapter 22
The other end of the line went dead silent. That sudden quiet was the most terrifying kind.
“Hahaha… great! My son really is outstanding. The weather’s nice today, make sure to stay warm, haha, beep—beep—beep—”
Yan He silently glanced at the blazing hot sky outside. The call had been hung up, just like that.
His cheap dad was probably scrambling to figure out how to appease the Yun family. His “good big son” hadn’t even been gone half a month, and now his kid was about to get “zoo tenure.”
Yan He couldn’t help but wonder—Yun Xiao was already emotionally unstable and had an explosive temper. His sudden, complete transformation couldn’t have anything to do with him, right? He had been doing a perfectly good job as a bootlicking lackey.
Shen Xianqing took the file from one of his men. A shrewd light flashed in his snake-like eyes. “I looked at the reports. Yun Xiao’s recent emotional swings have all been because of one person.”
“The fight over the seat in the Third Auditorium, the rage during the basketball game followed by sending Pan Ze to the chemistry lab, and even… the incident in the Colosseum all involved the same person!”
He Ting looked up, his expression unreadable as he stared at Shen Xianqing. Shen Xianqing had been gone for a week, yet he could still grasp all the hidden details? Devising strategies from afar?
Shen Xianqing looked toward Yan He by the French window. Yan He returned his gaze.
Shen Xianqing and Yan He said in unison: “Bai Yuzhou!”
Yan He strode over, looking excitedly at Shen Xianqing’s sinisterly handsome face. “Shen Shao, great minds think alike!”
Now that he had backing from one of the F4, Yan He was instantly relieved. See? He knew it had absolutely nothing to do with him, the little study companion!
He Ting: “…”
He Ting often felt that Shen Xianqing was incredibly sharp, just not sharp about the right things.
Yan He was a husky, so that train of thought wasn’t surprising. But Shen Xianqing was a venomous snake… He Ting couldn’t understand his logic at all.
He Ting watched Yan He go back to petting the golden eagle, which was standing obediently on the rug. He rubbed his temples and cut in, asking Shen Xianqing, “How did your business go?”
Shen Xianqing sneered. “While I was gone, the illegitimate son tried to usurp my position. I went back to handle it.”
“All handled?” He Ting asked casually, his eyes still on the golden eagle, watching for any reaction.
Of course, the golden eagle had none.
Shen Xianqing just sneered again. “Not handled.”
The academy restricted him. Perhaps he, even more than Yun Xiao, wanted to be a free snake.
Just as he said that, Yan He noticed He Ting and Shen Xianqing look toward the door. He quickly looked over too.
Pan Ze came in carrying a medical box. As expected of a beast, his hearing was superb.
“He Shao, Shen Shao, I got the anti-transformation nutrient shot,” Pan Ze said. He hesitated for a few seconds, then added, “But I registered it under Yun Shao’s name at the hospital.”
Once registered, it would definitely be entered into the academy’s system.
He Ting ordered, “Give Yun Xiao the shot first.”
Yan He watched as Pan Ze took a vial from the box and drew the liquid into a syringe. The needle was so thick, you could tell at a glance it was meant for animals.
“Grab his wings.” He Ting signaled for Shen Xianqing to help, leaving Yan He to stand to the side.
Yan He had a feeling the anti-transformation shot wouldn’t be that effective on someone who had fully transformed, otherwise the F4 wouldn’t be treating this like such a major crisis. Still, it was better than nothing.
He Ting and Shen Xianqing each pinned one wing. Yan He stepped forward to part the thick, weatherproof down on the eagle’s neck, allowing Pan Ze to administer the shot.
After the shot was done, they all just stared at the big bird squatting on the floor. Yun Xiao’s head was bowed, and his emotions seemed to have stabilized a little.
Yan He couldn’t help but be the first to speak: “Doesn’t seem to be working.”
He Ting said, “You try coaxing him.”
Yan He: ? It’s not like he was moonlighting as Big Bird Bro’s godfather. Now he had to coax a baby, too? He had no experience. This would cost extra.
But Yan He couldn’t just ignore Boss Number Two’s order. He plopped down on the dark red Persian rug and patted his hands. “Xiao Xiao, come on, let me hold you.”
Pan Ze’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The golden eagle stared at Yan He, then waddled over like an obedient flightless chicken and let Yan He pull it into a full hug.
The golden eagle shivered with excitement, its stiff outer feathers feeling a bit scratchy against Yan He’s face.
Yan He gently patted the eagle’s body, humming an unknown, soft tune.
Pan Ze couldn’t resist. He sat down cross-legged, right behind the golden eagle and in front of Yan He.
As long as Yan He wasn’t channeling his inner husky, he was actually very gentle. It always made Pan Ze feel that Yan He was different from the other stinky animals at the academy. He smelled… nice.
After finishing his tune, Yan He leaned close to the eagle’s ear and shouted, “Balala energy! Great Golden Eagle! Transform your whole body! Turn human!”
The golden eagle blinked: “?” Then it nuzzled its head against Yan He’s chest again.
He Ting was silent. He used to think transformation only brought endless crisis, but now he suddenly realized that wasn’t true. And being overly emotionally stable wasn’t always a good thing, either.
He Ting had always suspected Yan He had some ability to help prevent transformation, but maybe because Yun Xiao was already on the brink, simple petting didn’t seem to be having a major effect.
He Ting observed for a moment and said, “Pluck his feathers.”
Pan Ze’s eyes lit up, and he immediately rubbed his hands together. “He Shao, I’m strong! I’ll pluck Yun Shao’s feathers!”
If word got out that he, Pan Shao, had plucked feathers from one of the F4, his name would be legendary at Bestia.
He Ting sat down on the nearest sofa and said concisely, “Yan He will do it.”
Yan He pointed at himself, a bit dazed. “Huh? Me?”
Yan He met He Ting’s certain gaze. As a corporate drone, he could only obey. Besides, Boss Number Two had his back.
It was just that Yan He had zero experience plucking feathers from a protected species like a golden eagle. He couldn’t help but ask, “Should we boil a pot of hot water first to… you know… scald it? Oh, no, I mean, wash it?”
He used to help his parents kill chickens, and scalding them first made the feathers way easier to pluck.
He Ting: “…Just pluck them directly.”
Yan He was terrified the intense pain would make Big Bird Bro peck his eyes out.
Yan He couldn’t win against He Ting, so he had to move behind the golden eagle and place his hands on its body, stroking it.
The light, gentle touch roamed over its feathers, sending a shiver of pleasure straight to the bird’s nervous system. The golden eagle let out several excited chirps.
Yan He suddenly grabbed a long, tough flight feather at the tip of its wing and yanked hard.
The golden eagle let out a piercing shriek, shivering violently from the pain. A gentle touch, followed by a deadly blow!
Yan He held the beautiful, slender feather. It would make a fine quill pen. He looked up at He Ting. “Am I… harming a Level 1 Nationally Protected Species right now?”
He Ting reassured him, “It doesn’t count. After all, you’re a husky.”
We’re all animals here.
Yan He silently said nothing.
Yan He went back to plucking. He was very particular about which feathers he chose. The eagle’s head and neck feathers were golden-yellow, while the others were a deep brown.
If he plucked a few more, he could make a golden eagle feather fan. That would be super illegal.
Yan He could only comfort himself: don’t think of him as a protected golden eagle, just pretend you’re… plucking your boss’s leg hair.
Although, plucking a boss’s leg hair was also really weird.
The squatting golden eagle suddenly shuddered violently, flicking its tail feathers to narrowly avoid Yan He’s hand.
Yan He was knocked back and secretly shook his sore hand. What kind of bizarre job was this? Taking a perfectly good eagle and trying to pluck it into a bald chicken.
“Is his sanity back?” Pan Ze, who had been watching intently, suddenly guessed.
All eyes snapped to the golden eagle. Its eyes were sharp, staring at the feathers scattered on the ground with an unreadable expression.
Human consciousness and reason slowly trickled back into its empty head, gradually taking over.
My god, why did that hurt so much but also feel so good? There was even a strange sense of spiritual satisfaction. Yun Xiao had never experienced anything like it.
He’d lost control plenty of times before, and nothing had ever worked. So, plucking feathers really was the answer!
Shen Xianqing’s eyes were wide with shock. “Plucking them really works?”
He Ting’s gaze shifted back and forth between Yan He and the golden eagle, his eyes flickering. He didn’t answer Shen Xianqing.
Yan He remained skeptical. “Plucking feathers restores sanity? Then how much of a kickback was that ten-thousand-yuan anti-transformation shot?”
Yan He squatted in front of the golden eagle, testing his boss’s basic knowledge: “Xiao Xiao, what’s 1+1?”
Yun Xiao bulged his bird-eyes and flapped his wings in annoyance. But when he met Yan He’s encouraging gaze—like a kindergarten teacher with a toddler—the golden eagle opened its beak and chirped twice.
Wow, his sanity is really back?
Just in case it was a fluke, Yan He asked again, “Okay, what’s 2+3?”
Yun Xiao’s mind was a mess. Agitated, he half-flew, half-jumped to kick Pan Ze twice, then lifted his head and chirped five times.
The man and the eagle happily started doing first-grade math problems.
The excellent Big Bird Bro didn’t get a single one wrong, which made him incredibly proud.
He was sane now! No math problem could possibly stump him, Yun Xiao!
Yan He: “What’s 99+1?”
The golden eagle: “…”
Yan He watched the eagle squat on the floor, its small bird-eyes glaring at him. Yan He burst out laughing. “Right, right, the plucking definitely worked. A dumb bird might have chirped a hundred times, but a normal person wouldn’t.”
Shen Xianqing’s gaze lingered meaningfully on Yan He. He looked at He Ting. “Old He, I made an interesting discovery today.”
He Ting didn’t say anything. Shen Xianqing wasn’t as simple-minded as Yun Xiao. From the way he was looking at him, he had probably already guessed that Yan He had a very strange effect.
Shen Xianqing chuckled. He’d discovered that plucking really worked. Snake scales could be plucked, too.
Pan Ze scrambled up from the floor. “So… should we keep plucking?” Maybe if they plucked him into a bald eagle, he’d turn back human?
Yan He mentally cursed Pan Ze for screwing him over. He Ting had made him do all the plucking, so of course Pan Ze could just stand there and run his mouth. Pluck what? His hand was already tired and sore.
Yan He couldn’t help but make a serious suggestion: “Uh, how about we get one of those laser hair removal devices?”
Just treat it like leg hair. Hair removal is hair removal. Feathers are just hair.
The golden eagle stared intently at Yan He, then suddenly flew up and clawed at Pan Ze’s pants pocket. A phone tumbled out.
Its sharp talons easily ripped Pan Ze’s pants, revealing a flash of bright red underwear. Pan Ze, face crimson with shame, howled, and the scene instantly dissolved into chaos and embarrassment.
He Ting closed his eyes briefly. “Regarding hair removal, Yun Xiao might have something to say. Bring a tablet.”
A staff member quickly brought a tablet into the lounge, already open to the notes app.
The golden eagle immediately flew over, retracted its sharp talons, and began to painstakingly tap out words on the tablet with its foot pads.
Yan He couldn’t help but sigh. If his beast form were a parrot, it would be perfect. He could still run his mouth even when transformed.
Yan He leaned over to see what Yun Xiao was writing. He looked down and saw a string of crooked words on the screen:
“Keep plucking! Yan He, you wouldn’t want your father to lose his job, would you?”
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