Chapter 28
Yan He didn’t let Pan Ze off the hook either. He rubbed his hands together and said to him, “Transfer fifty thousand to your boss first to show your sincerity.”
Pan Ze gritted his teeth and immediately reached into his pocket. “When I transformed earlier, my clothes fell in the F4 lounge area, and my phone is in there. I’ll transfer it to you as soon as I get it, Boss!”
Yan He was speechless. He’s really going to pay?
Suddenly, Yan He looked Pan Ze up and down with suspicion. “Shen Shao didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
Otherwise, why the sudden, desperate need to jump ship? And it was a downgrade comparable to quitting a big corporation to work at a roadside stall.
Pan Ze stiffened slightly and stammered loudly, “Don’t, don’t talk nonsense!”
Yan He grew bolder and snapped fiercely, “Is that how you talk to your future boss? Keep whining, and you can go back to hanging out with Shen Xianqing.”
Pan Ze instantly behaved.
Seeing him like that, Yan He sighed deeply in his heart. No wonder Shen Shao was called a venomous snake; he really was unique. Even an African spotted hyena like Pan Ze could be a target. He was almost starting to ship this insidious couple.
That night, after Pan Ze, his new lackey, drove him back to the specially-enrolled student apartment, Yan He received a WeChat transfer of fifty thousand yuan from Pan Ze within ten minutes.
The transfer note read: This month’s salary for being a lackey.
Pan Ze was serious.
Yan He: “…”
Well, it’s a big world full of wonders.
Fine, only an idiot turns down money.
And so, starting tonight, Yan He inexplicably acquired a lackey who paid him.
F4 Common Lounge Area
Yan He followed Yun Xiao inside. Yun Xiao immediately put a finger under his nose and frowned. “Why is the smell of blood so strong?”
Yun Xiao turned his head. “Right? You smell it too, don’t you, Yan He?”
Yan He was confused for a moment, then immediately nodded. “Yes, I smelled a faint scent of blood at the main entrance just now, and it’s even stronger inside.”
Yun Xiao praised him internally. As expected of the lackey he chose. Although he was just a dog, he possessed a super dog nose comparable to a beast’s, smelling it right at the door.
The smell of blood easily triggered bestial instincts and led to transformation. Yun Xiao had only just recovered from full transformation a few days ago and couldn’t stand the smell of blood.
He Ting glanced at Yan He indifferently. “It’s Old Shen’s.”
Hearing this, Yan He and Yun Xiao saw the bloody snake scales on the table. Yun Xiao was startled and hurriedly asked, “Did Old Shen ask you to beat him up again, Old He? Is he planning to escape the academy like that again?”
Last time, leaving the academy on the grounds of seeking medical treatment outside was purely due to favorable timing, location, and people. The school hospital doctors had been transferred away for study, and Yan He’s batch of specially-enrolled students happened to arrive. Coupled with the academy’s lack of preparation, Old Shen had managed to live a carefree life outside for a while.
How could he pull the same trick every time?
Yan He felt Yun Xiao was wrong. The students all said Shen Shao was the top strategist of the entire F4. How could he not know that the same method wouldn’t work a second time?
So…
Yan He stared at the cold snake scales and guessed, “Is Shen Shao self-harming?”
Shen Xianqing stood at the corner of the stairs looking at Yan He, a flash of appreciation in his eyes.
This is a reasonably smart and pretty husky.
Pan Ze had betrayed his master and fled, so Shen Xianqing had to try pulling out scales himself. After pulling out quite a few, he found it useless.
Was it because of different species characteristics? Shen Xianqing didn’t have a consistent answer yet.
Shen Xianqing walked down the stairs and stood in front of the French window. Outside, it was starting to drizzle. A light mist rose in the mountains, resembling the rainy Jiangnan region under an umbrella.
According to the weather patterns of previous years, it would gradually get colder in the mountains after this rain, and it would snow in two months.
Shen Xianqing gazed at the rising mist on the distant mountains, sounding melancholic. “My hometown used to be like this too. Autumn rain mistily falling on Dongting Lake, vast and hazy…”
Shen Xianqing’s voice grew lower and lower as he spoke, until Yan He, an ordinary person, couldn’t hear him anymore. Yan He only knew it expressed Shen Shao’s deep nostalgia.
So there were two homesick people in the F4? Yun Xiao was openly homesick, and Shen Xianqing was secretly homesick. Or strictly speaking, Shen Shao loved freedom more.
Shen Xianqing turned his head melancholically, his gaze falling on the surprised Yan He—the only new specially-enrolled student present who hadn’t been at the academy long and didn’t know the stakes.
Shen Xianqing said indifferently, like someone who had been through it, “You’ll know later.”
Yan He could only bite the bullet and say awkwardly, “Shen Shao, um, you seem to be looking North…”
Shen Xianqing was a Southern snake. Looking North while missing the South—wasn’t he crying at the wrong grave?
Shen Xianqing: “…”
Is… is that so?
Well, Shen Xianqing’s sense of direction isn’t very good.
A top strategist character always needed a bit of contrast. As a common authorial technique, Yan He understood.
Shen Xianqing sat on the sofa with that handsome, insidious face, looking at Xu Xingchuan, who was already used to it. “What was the result of your sketching trip?”
Hearing this, Yan He immediately spoke up, “You four young masters chat first; I’ll go make a pot of tea.”
Yan He honestly maintained his duty as a follower—don’t listen to what shouldn’t be heard.
Yun Xiao, however, disagreed and pulled Yan He to sit beside him. “Listen, listen all you want.”
Diagonally opposite, He Ting tossed the newspaper in his hand onto the table.
Clearly, I pay a higher salary.
Yan He could only sit obediently and not speak carelessly. Sketching trip? Does it refer to sketching for painting?
He heard students say Xu Shao was multi-talented and excellent at painting.
Xu Xingchuan took the flower tea brewed by the servant and said gently, “The scenery of the Thirteen Peaks is extremely beautiful. During this time, I even encountered wild boars and bears in the mountain streams of the wild training area, suitable for painting.”
Xu Xingchuan blew lightly on his tea. “The academy has surveillance connecting all peaks, except… the southeast corner is a blind spot.”
Yan He was startled and subconsciously looked at Shen Xianqing. Sure enough, sketching and painting were fake!
He had just entered the academy and couldn’t yet feel the extreme desire for freedom.
Here, they were high and mighty and could have everything—except freedom.
And some people were born to love freedom.
Yan He saw the meaningful smile in Shen Xianqing’s eyes, and his mind was filled with only one thought—The Shawshank Redemption.
Shen Xianqing took out his phone and looked coldly at the text message page.
Just a few hours ago, the despicable illegitimate son had texted to provoke him, bluntly stating that he was a pitiful worm trapped in the academy and unable to get out. What right did he have to continue being the heir of the Shen family? Except for a nominal title.
Shen Xianqing had always paid attention to outside news. He saw that his father was already taking that lowly illegitimate son to attend industry events and introducing him to big shots in the circle, as if paving the way for him.
He had to take measures quickly.
Even at the risk of being caught back, he had to first snatch back the inheritance his mother left him, which they wanted to embezzle, and hold it firmly in his own hands.
Normally, Shen Xianqing would arrange for his lackey Pan Ze to keep watch and identify directions for him, but Pan Ze had defected to someone unknown and was avoiding Shen Xianqing, not even replying to WeChat messages.
The proud F4 would not bow to a former lackey; after all, there was no need. Shen Xianqing set off late at night.
The beast form of the Protobothrops mangshanensis seemed to have natural camouflage, making it difficult to distinguish in the jungle. Shen Xianqing maneuvered his snake body with sparse scales through the leaves soaked by mountain rain.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave way. In his astonishment, Shen Xianqing fell along with the wet leaves, plummeting directly into a deep pit. His body ached from the fall.
Beside him, a dying little wild boar was looking at him in horror.
Shen Xianqing raised his snake head and looked up at the sky: “……”
It’s over. A heavy snake can’t climb out of this smooth, vertical trap.
As soon as Shen Xianqing left, Xu Xingchuan sent new news.
Xu Xingchuan was the Student Council President and was well-informed.
In the F4 group chat:
[Beast God Diehard: @Poetry and Distance, Qingqing, I got news that our academy will implement an exchange student program with foreign academies. Be good, endure it for now and don’t escape privately.]
[Beast God Diehard: @Poetry and Distance, ?]
Half an hour later:
[Big Eagle King: @Poetry and Distance @Beast God Diehard @He Ting, why isn’t Old Shen talking?]
[Beast God Diehard: @Poetry and Distance ……]
For several days in a row, Yan He didn’t see Shen Xianqing.
The driving school instructor said he learned well and planned to let him prepare for the Subject Two exam.
Since the Subject Two exam was during the day, and Yan He had been practicing at night, he planned to spend some money to rent the venue during the day for practice.
“Yan He, come with me.” Not far away, Yun Xiao sat in a car with a tense face, beckoning to Yan He.
At night, Yan He’s vision wasn’t as good as a beast’s. When he got in the car, he realized that besides Yun Xiao, He Ting was also there, but the driver was a bodyguard from the Yun family.
Noticing Yan He looking at the driver, Yun Xiao frowned and said, “A few days ago, when Old Shen was still here, he told me that dog Pan Ze suddenly quit, making it hard for me to order him around as a driver.”
Yun Xiao said irritably, “I don’t know who he’s following, daring to oppose the F4? Could it be that Bai Yuzhou again? I can issue him another red card!”
Yan He remained silent, letting the protagonist shou take the blame for him again. Yan He swallowed and changed the subject, “Do the two young masters need me for something?”
Yun Xiao also knew he was being weird. Ever since he let Yan He brush his fur every now and then, he wanted to take Yan He with him for everything.
Whether good or bad.
Good things could be shared with Yan He, and bad things… Yun Xiao always felt that with Yan He around, he could turn bad luck into good.
Yun Xiao leaned close to Yan He’s ear and whispered, “Find Old Shen.”
He Ting said indifferently, “He’s a husky; his hearing isn’t bad.”
Yan He touched his ear and didn’t think much about it, pondering the phrase “Find Old Shen.” Sure enough, not seeing Shen Xianqing these past few days wasn’t an illusion; Shen Shao really was missing!
This guy really was a man of action; he did what he thought of.
Yan He was curious: “Where’s Xu Shao?”
He Ting spoke before Yun Xiao: “Let him deal with the surveillance.”
Yan He blurted out, “Didn’t you say the southeast direction is a surveillance blind spot… Wait, did Shen Shao take the wrong path?”
Yun Xiao and He Ting both fell silent.
Shen Xianqing was good at everything, except his sense of direction wasn’t very good.
Getting out of the car, it was pitch black all around, and strange beast calls could be heard from the woods. They went in with flashlights.
Yan He felt a little nervous. If an emergency occurred in these woods, He Ting and Yun Xiao could both transform to protect themselves. They were fierce beasts, and no one in the woods could do anything to them. Only he was a solid human!
Yan He remembered the official warnings from his past life: do not go into undeveloped mountain forests.
At night in the mountains, the temperature could drop low enough to require a down jacket; people could really die from hypothermia. They had to respect nature.
The more Yan He thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and he wanted to retreat. It had rained these past few days, and the ground was muddy. He slipped suddenly.
A hand shot out violently, tightly gripping Yan He and pulling him up. At the same time, He Ting’s calm and soothing voice came from above: “Follow me closely.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
Yan He’s palm felt burning hot. No wonder they say tigers have a pure yang body, let alone a Siberian tiger.
He Ting’s hand was really warm, continuously transmitting scorching body heat, relieving the unease in his heart.
But Yan He still wanted to say that as a husky, he shouldn’t follow and cause trouble, dragging them down. He Ting stopped and stared into the distance with a complicated expression.
Yan He was confused: “What’s wrong?”
He Ting had already smelled familiar and semi-familiar scents. Yun Xiao only smelled Shen Xianqing’s scent and couldn’t distinguish the others.
The familiar scent came from Shen Xianqing, and the semi-familiar scent came from the staff arranged by the scenic area down the mountain a few days ago.
Those people were animal protection workers. All F4 members, including Shen Xianqing, became national first-class protected wild animals after transformation.
These faint scents intertwined, and He Ting probably guessed what happened.
He Ting tightly held Yan He’s cold hand and rubbed his brow with the other hand. “No need to look. Old Shen got a government job.”
Yan He: “……”
Yun Xiao was shocked: “Huh? He got a government job before me? Was he taken to the zoo down the mountain?”
Life was indeed full of drama.
After a long while, a drop of rain fell on Yan He’s cheek, waking him up. Yan He finally, truly, couldn’t help but ask sincerely:
“They say Shen Shao is the top strategist of the F4. Is ‘strategist’ used in a derogatory sense here?”
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Last ch 27 part 1
Next ch 28
What happened to ch 27 part 2? Theres like a chunk of context that would have made ch 28 make sense
I checked and realized there’s a missing part 2. I edited it and added it in.