Seeing Hua Lian’s reluctance, Yang Yiyi grew aggrieved. “We’ve been friends for so long, and you’ve never let me stay here. Now you won’t even let me take a shower?”
Hua Lian fell even more silent. It wasn’t that she was wavering, but rather that this place felt like her last line of defense.
“No, I’ll have someone take you to a guest room to shower.”
“How stingy! Hmph, why can Luo Xizhi do it, but I can’t?” Yang Yiyi grew angrier, inexplicably bringing up Luo Xizhi.
Hua Lian didn’t understand why Luo Xizhi was being dragged into this. Trying to think from the original host’s perspective, she frowned. “Why bring her up?”
Yang Yiyi grew even more displeased, gritting her teeth as she repeated Hua Lian’s earlier words. “You said it yourself that you two eat and live together, and even shower together.”
Hua Lian, who had been trying to defend her last line of defense, felt her head spin. After all her efforts, she realized the one who had dug this pit for her was the original host. If the original host hadn’t said such things, the person before her would never have dared to trample on Hua Lian’s boundaries.
“Tell me, do you like me or her?”
Seeing Hua Lian remain silent, Yang Yiyi pressed for more answers. She leaned in closer, her oppressive presence making Hua Lian’s head spin and her nausea intensify. If nothing else, this wasn’t a social anxiety attack but rather a lingering consciousness from the original host. As the other person grew increasingly obsessive, it triggered a physical reaction of disgust.
The original host’s father was like this, and now her so-called friend clearly was too.
“I…”
“Hmm? Did I just hear my name?”
Just then, a third voice chimed in. Luo Xizhi’s somewhat cold tone sounded, yet Hua Lian found her appearance at this moment incredibly soothing.
The two turned around and indeed saw Luo Xizhi standing at the door.
“How did you get in? I locked the door.”
“Maybe I have access.”
Luo Xizhi pointed at the smart lock, explaining how she could enter the room. Hua Lian had already given up resisting. She lowered her head, silently pulling out her phone, intending to remove everyone who had access to the room.
But before she could do so, Luo Xizhi continued, “You two can pause your discussion for now. Uncle Hua doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Hearing Hua Batian’s name, Yang Yiyi shuddered unnaturally. Her earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by a gentle demeanor.
“Xiao Lian, I’m really sorry. I just care about you so much and worry that you’ll be taken away.” As they walked, Yang Yiyi apologized. But Hua Lian already had a clear understanding of this “good friend.” She merely nodded politely and created some distance. However, Hua Lian didn’t seek out Luo Xizhi, the female lead. Just as the original host had disliked Yang Yiyi, Luo Xizhi had also disliked the original host. Putting herself in that mindset, Hua Lian found herself enjoying solitude even more.
At the same time, Hua Lian remembered the deal she had made with the system yesterday to return indoors. She didn’t really mind spending the night outside, but she had to admit she wanted to see the system appear again, disguised as a black cat plushie. It was perhaps the only comfort she could cling to at this moment.
“Hmm, are you all planning to go to the flower and bird market today?” The original host’s father seemed to have taken quite a liking to Yang Yiyi, speaking in a gentle tone, embodying the image of a kind father. However, after learning Hua Batian’s true nature, Hua Lian no longer held any affection for him.
Yang Yiyi appeared completely unaware, expressing her desire for a dog.
“Dogs are great, so loyal. Xiao Lian, since you’re going to the flower and bird market anyway, why not see if there’s a pet you’d like?” Hua Batian turned his gaze to Hua Lian, who felt he was up to something but couldn’t figure out what. She could only nod in agreement.
Seeing Hua Lian agree, Hua Batian then shifted his attention to the female lead, Luo Xizhi, continuing in that same tone, “Since we’re all going together, Xiao Luo should come along too.”
Luo Xizhi paused while eating her breakfast. Just as Hua Lian thought she would refuse, Luo Xizhi continued, “Thank you, Uncle Hua.” Hua Lian expected a refusal to follow, but surprisingly, Luo Xizhi agreed.
Hua Lian found this utterly unbelievable, yet she couldn’t shake an inexplicable sense of foreboding. If nothing unexpected happened, whatever pet Luo Xizhi brought back would be brutally tortured to death by Hua Zhengtai. Therefore, no matter what animal Luo Xizhi took a liking to, Hua Lian was determined to stop her.
With this clear first thought in mind, Hua Lian continued eating her breakfast with her head down, completely unaware that Luo Xizhi had glanced at her just moments before. However, Yang Yiyi noticed that glance and gritted her teeth in frustration, unable to understand why the one day she could have Hua Lian all to herself was being ruined by Luo Xizhi.
But Yang Yiyi couldn’t show her displeasure in front of Hua Batian, so she began scheming in her mind about various ways to torment Luo Xizhi later.
The flower and bird market, as the name suggests, is a comprehensive leisure shopping venue primarily selling home decor, flowers and bonsai, ornamental fish and insects, and related supplies. However, Tian Tang City was different from other places, making the offerings in such markets more diverse. The animals here weren’t just the typical small pets; various birds of prey and fierce beasts were also sold.
Before arriving, Hua Lian had naively thought the same, but upon actually entering the flower and bird market, she realized it was more like a small zoo. Lions, tigers, pythons, crocodiles it seemed there was nothing this market wouldn’t sell. Genuine cats and dogs were squeezed in between, looking out of place and even frightened into stress reactions. Yang Yiyi was happily wandering around, while Luo Xizhi seemed rather uninterested in the place, which relieved Hua Lian. After all, no matter what Luo Xizhi bought, it would meet a tragic end.
“Wow, Xiao Lian, look at this puppy it’s so cute!”
Yang Yiyi’s voice rang out at that moment. Hua Lian instinctively turned, expecting to see a real puppy, only to find a half-grown wolf cub. Because Yang Yiyi had picked up the cub, the nearby adult gray wolf began barking furiously, immediately confirming to Hua Lian that this was a wolf, not a dog.
The handler tugged at the gray wolf, but the rope looked flimsy. The barking unsettled the surrounding animals, and for a moment, a cacophony of sounds erupted. However, when another burly handler appeared and cracked his whip a few times, the gray wolf whimpered, its eyes tearfully fixed on the distant cub.
“Look how fierce that she-wolf is. This pup will grow up just as vicious.” Faced with this series of events, Yang Yiyi’s excitement only grew. The little wolf cub struggled, seeming to feel extremely uncomfortable and uneasy. It tried to bite Yang Yiyi, but she skillfully dodged, as if she were quite accustomed to dealing with such wild beasts.
In any case, this scene gave Hua Lian a very uncomfortable feeling. She pondered how to make Yang Yiyi give up on tormenting the little wolf cub. But seeing Hua Lian staring intently, Yang Yiyi obviously thought Hua Lian liked it and handed the little wolf cub to her.
Human and wolf locked eyes, but what was truly remarkable was that the little wolf cub, which had been so fierce toward Yang Yiyi moments ago, suddenly quieted down. Its eyes radiated goodwill, as if conveying the message, “I’m very well-behaved, come pet me.” It was a strange sensation, making Hua Lian involuntarily feel the reality that she had indeed transmigrated into a book. After all, only in such an unrealistic book world could she be completely adored by both humans and animals.
“Look, it likes you.”
When Hua Lian held the little wolf cub in her arms, she felt its submission, even a hint of fawning. The burly caretaker seemed somewhat surprised as well, exclaiming in amazement, “Miss, it seems you are quite favored by the animal spirits.”
Hua Lian grew even more puzzled. Even though she had learned from textbooks that this Heavenly Kingdom had only a king, no democracy, and that the so-called Four Great Families were ancient clans with a history spanning millennia, and that the people of this Heavenly Kingdom worshipped deities knowing all this and hearing it firsthand still felt quite surreal.
“Putting it so nicely, you just want Xiao Lian to buy it,” Yang Yiyi pouted, feeling a bit sour inside. She had been scratched several times by the little wolf cub, yet Hua Lian remained completely unharmed. The thought that Hua Lian might be deceived by the cub’s false appearance only made Yang Yiyi feel her standing in Hua Lian’s heart would sink even lower.
‘Xiao Lian only needs me as her pet.’
Having settled on this thought, Yang Yiyi began to belittle the wolf. The caretaker, displeased upon hearing this, informed her that this gray wolf was considered the war god among canines, kept by many ancient nobles and generals, and was said to have saved the lives of numerous emperors.
Hua Lian glanced at the little wolf cub still trying to fawn over her, then at the large gray wolf not far away, staring intently. It seemed to sense her attention, wagging its tail as if also hoping Hua Lian would take its child away. Perhaps it, too, had sensed the malice in Yang Yiyi and thus chose the relatively safer Hua Lian.
Hua Lian hesitated. Ignoring the caretaker’s exaggerated claims, she pointed at the large gray wolf and asked softly, “May I get a little closer to that big gray wolf?”
The caretaker, his heart stirred by her fragrance, couldn’t fathom how someone could be so beautiful. He instinctively swallowed and nodded, “Don’t worry, I’m holding it tight. Nothing will happen.”
Though puzzled by Hua Lian’s intentions, the caretaker gave his assurance. Hua Lian relaxed a little and cautiously approached. The large gray wolf merely lay prone on the ground, staring intently at Hua Lian. It didn’t growl, acting as friendly as if meeting an old friend.
The wolf pup struggled at this moment, breaking free from Hua Lian’s arms and moving over to nuzzle the big gray wolf. They seemed to be bidding each other a reluctant farewell, filled with both unwillingness and resignation.
“Miss, wolves are not suitable to be kept at home.”
At this moment, Luo Xizhi, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. As Luo Xizhi approached, the gray wolf, which should have been extremely fierce, timidly tucked its tail between its legs, displaying two completely different demeanors.
Hua Lian did not dare to look up at Luo Xizhi. Instead, she glanced at the two wolves a few more times and made her final decision.
“I want to buy them.”