At 11 PM, the tow truck company returned Lin Chen’s car, which he had left on the roadside. They were quite efficient.
“It just broke down, nothing serious.”
“Thank you.”
Does that mean that once he learns how to fix a breakdown, he can save on towing fees next time?
The staff asked Lin Chen to inventory the contents of his pickup truck, but he said it wasn’t necessary; it was all worthless stuff, and nobody would want it anyway.
The middle of the night is a good time to plant flowers. Lin Chen took the delicate seedlings out, casually stuffed them into potting soil, and watered them.
He moved them to the second-floor terrace and left them there; as long as they survived, that was fine.
Lin Chen finished tending to all thirty potted plants in just half an hour. He spent the remaining half hour showering, washing clothes, and going to bed.
Lin Chen usually slept very well, but tonight, he felt a tightness in his chest as if something was pressing down on him.
What was it?
When he woke up in the morning, the words “sleep paralysis” popped into his head in terror.
Wait, are there ghosts on Earth?
Lin Chen scratched his head. Luckily, he was quite brave and not particularly scared. After washing up, he went to chop the filling and make dumplings.
Freshly rolled and wrapped, the filling was Si Ang’s favorite mustard greens and pork. He didn’t even bother to eat any himself, and packed it all up to take with him.
Si Ang stayed overnight at the main house last night. This morning, the servants at the main house prepared breakfast, but he didn’t eat it. It wasn’t that he insisted on going to the company to eat Lin Chen’s dumplings, he just didn’t have an appetite around people he didn’t like.
Like his second and third uncles’ families.
Si Peicheng, who had been flattered by his eldest grandson last night, asked with concern, “If you don’t want to eat at home, that’s fine. You must eat at the company.”
“Does Parker have food over there?”
“Yes,” Si Ang replied. Lin Chen would feed him, and Parker would eat half a bowl more.
Aside from acknowledging his grandfather, Si Ang left without saying goodbye to anyone else.
The other members of the Si family, feeling slighted, dared not speak out. Recently, Si Ang seemed like a different person; he not only ignored their overt and covert provocations but also became more diplomatic in his dealings with others. Last night, he even humbled himself to cook for his grandfather to cheer him up.
Only towards the second and third branches of the family did he still treat them with disdain.
The office.
“Good morning, Little Parker!” Lin Chen, as usual, entered and petted Parker first.
But Parker was acting strangely today. After they got close, Parker’s eyes narrowed as it sniffed Lin Chen’s arms as if he were covered in something dirty. It whimpered and howled at Lin Chen in dissatisfaction.
Lin Chen’s expression also turned serious. Could it be… that he really was dirty?
Si Ang looked over: “What’s wrong?”
Lin Chen shook his head, pointing to the unusually large lion: “I don’t know either.”
The master always knows his companion beast best. Si Ang observed for a moment and then asked: “Whose companion beast have you been in contact with?”
For Parker to be so wary, especially of such a ferocious beast, could Lin Chen have taken on another job?
“Are you short of money?”
“No.” Wait, Lin Chen remembered, and said uncertainly: “It’s like this, I hitched a ride home yesterday, and it might be the scent left by that driver’s companion beast.”
Si Ang asked, puzzled: “Why did you hitch a ride?” He remembered that Lin Chen had already bought a car.
“Well,” Lin Chen said, unusually embarrassed, “my car broke down halfway.”
“…”
Lin Chen liked to feed Parker meat, but he knew what was important. He arranged for Si Ang’s dumplings first, then went to prepare Parker’s breakfast, only eating last.
Today, he didn’t want to stay cooped up in the office. Taking advantage of Si Ang’s seemingly good mood, he asked, “Brother Ang, can I take Parker out for a walk?”
“Just to the nearby square, not far.”
Si Ang nodded: “Go ahead, be careful.”
“Thanks, Brother Ang,” Lin Chen said.
He beckoned to Parker, and the bored lion immediately came to his side.
Before leaving, Lin Chen carefully put on a mask and hat. Luckily, the clothes he was wearing were all provided by Man Di, and their style matched Si Ang’s usual attire.
He led Parker out, and the people they encountered along the way genuinely thought he was Si Ang.
Lin Chen kept his word. He led Parker around the area, eating snacks, drinking beverages, feeding pigeons, and visiting the arcade—they got a lot of stares.
Lions are rarely seen on the streets, and even seeing one with its owner, people still felt a mixture of love and fear.
Having fun was secondary; Lin Chen was primarily guiding Parker’s socialization: “Relax, Parker, they’re looking at you because you’re good-looking, and not to provoke you.”
“We’re playing around now, so you don’t need to be so wary. Most people pose no threat to us.”
“Your senses are very sharp. Trust your judgment. We’re safe. Relax.”
With Lin Chen’s reassuring words and actions, Parker began to adapt to being in crowds for extended periods, and no longer viewed approaching strangers as potential enemies.
From time to time, people politely approached to ask, “Is that your companion beast? It looks so majestic!”
“Excuse me, could we take a picture together?”
Lin Chen strolled around and discovered that Parker actually quite enjoyed being with people. While outwardly composed, his eyes betrayed his curiosity and liveliness.
He’d never been like this before, as Si Ang never ventured into such bustling areas.
Lin Chen thought for a moment and agreed, “Sure.”
Once is enough; others nearby followed suit.
“Can I upload this?!”
It’s understandable that everyone wanted to share a photo of themselves with the lion after finally getting it.
Lin Chen considered that Si Ang was trying to cultivate a friendly image anyway, and since Parker was so free, it would be reasonable to give him a job.
Lin Chen messaged Si Ang to ask, and since the other party didn’t object, he took Parker to the park. The people there, young and old, were immediately captivated by the handsome and majestic lion.
Lin Chen spent an hour collecting a large number of photos with elderly people and children, then sent them to Si Ang, asking him to post them on social media in three days.
Looking at the photos, Si Ang casually asked, “Three days later?”
Lin Chen: “Yeah, everyone’s bound to post them first. If the initial response isn’t great, we won’t post them. If they get popular, we’ll ride the wave.”
Si Ang looked at him, then patted Parker: “You’ve worked hard.”
Lin Chen ate the roasted chestnuts he bought downstairs and said, “Parker shouldn’t be working hard, right? Actually, he really likes crowds.”
It felt like there was a child living inside Parker, who hadn’t had time to grow up before the pressure of survival stifled him.
Lin Chen’s arrival slowly unleashed Parker’s childlike side.
“I mean, you’ve worked hard.” Si Ang took the chestnut Lin Chen had just peeled, popped it into his mouth, and found it soft and chewy. So this is what roasted chestnuts taste like—not bad.
Lin Chen: “…”
He’d worked so hard so shouldn’t he be rewarded with a peeled chestnut?
What kind of reverse psychology is this, stealing his peeled chestnut?
In the afternoon, Lin Chen drove back to the section of road where he’d broken down last night, and couldn’t help but think of that friendly yet mysterious minivan.
Could it be that the other person’s home is also accessible via this road?
Lin Chen also came home alone today because Parker was incredibly dirty and needed to shower and pamper himself.
Si Ang said he didn’t mind showering tomorrow, but Lin Chen did. His sheets and blankets were freshly changed, and he didn’t want to share them with the filthy Parker.
He got home early today, and Lin Chen took some animal food and a wireless camera to the garden to figure out how many animals came to eat each day so he could adjust the food allowance accordingly.
That night, afraid of experiencing sleep paralysis again, Lin Chen deliberately slept with the lights on.
However, the light was too glaring; he had to wear an eye mask. He thought, even humans dislike such bright light so ghosts must be even more afraid.
Yet, Lin Chen still experienced sleep paralysis that night. He was in a dream, unable to wake up.
The morally depraved ghost not only pressed against his chest but also licked his chin and cheek. In his hazy state, he remembered the touch being very rough.
Finally, the ghost buried its head in his neck, and its hot breath coming in bursts, sometimes rapid, sometimes slow.
Wait, is ghost breath hot?
In his dazed state, Lin Chen still retained some common sense but not much.
When he woke up in the morning, he realized it was all a dream, and nothing remained.
Oh no, not nothing remained.
Lin Chen suddenly noticed, as if discovering a new continent, several faint claw marks scattered on his newly changed light-colored bedsheet.
He squinted and leaned closer for a better look. His extensive experience immediately told him it was the paw print of a large feline.
So, he hadn’t experienced sleep paralysis at all; he’d actually been pinned down by a large cat.
Lin Chen was incredulous. Such a good thing?
But it wasn’t surprising. He had a special attraction; maybe this large cat lived nearby, and wanted to “catch” him like Parker, but was too shy to do so.
Lin Chen: You should have told me sooner, I would have left the door open for you.
Lin Chen remembered that his bedroom doors and windows were always closed. He didn’t know how this large cat had gotten in—was it wild or someone else’s companion animal?
None of that mattered. He’d leave the door open that night to find out.
After discovering that it was a large cat that had pinned him down, Lin Chen understood Parker’s displeasure.
The scent of another predator on him made Parker feel like his territory had been invaded; predators are very sensitive to that.
So before meeting Parker today, Lin Chen made a point of grooming himself, leaving no trace of his former self.
The photos of them together started circulating online with a very positive response. Everyone was praising the lion for its gentlemanly demeanor, remaining calm and composed even surrounded by so many children.
Lin Chen looked at the comments with satisfaction. Actually, the lion was initially uncomfortable; it hadn’t been guided by Si Ang to interact with others before and couldn’t find the right way, otherwise it wouldn’t have roared at the little girl.
Lions, being social animals themselves, are actually quite emotional.
As long as Parker didn’t object, and they maintained a safe distance, Lin Chen wouldn’t mind occasionally taking it out to experience a different lifestyle.
Tonight, waiting for the big cat, Lin Chen had already begun to hesitate about whether to take Parker home.
At this moment, Si Ang’s words ended his dilemma.
“Lin Chen, I’ll take you night hunting tonight.”
What is night hunting?
Lin Chen looked it up. It’s like this: near the capital, there’s a peninsula where wild goats have overrun the area, severely disrupting the ecological balance and disturbing the residents.
The government’s call for increased hunting of wild goats had limited success as wild goat meat was too gamey and unpalatable no matter how it was cooked.
Hunting wild goats was utterly pointless.
Later, wild goat hunting became a charitable activity with upper-class nobles organizing it regularly.
This served two purposes: to cultivate goodwill and to relieve pressure on their companion beasts.
However, most people participated during the day. Busy individuals like Si Ang, who juggled numerous affairs during the day with charitable work at night, were rare.
Lin Chen: “Okay, I really like this activity.”
As darkness approached, Si Ang, wearing double leather gloves, took a hunting rifle from the trunk and began fiddling with it, leaving Lin Chen stunned. He had mistaken the hunter for Parker.
“Did you get a hunter’s license?” Si Ang asked softly.
Lin Chen was stunned again: “Huh?”
“That means you didn’t take the test.” Si Ang took back the gun he had handed him, and pinched Lin Chen’s cheek. “I’ll teach you later. You need a hunter’s license to legally own a gun.”
So tonight’s hunters were Si Ang and Parker, while Lin Chen could only be a cheerleader.
“Okay.”
“Hmm, keep this on you.” Si Ang handed Lin Chen a medicine packet with a faint herbal scent good for repelling snakes, insects, and rodents.
He also gave Lin Chen a finely crafted dagger. Normally, there was no danger on the island, but who knew?
They split up, each hunting their own prey.
Lin Chen considered for a moment, then chose to follow behind Parker. Compared to Si Ang, he was more worried about Parker.
The lion entered the forest excitedly, initially accommodating Lin Chen’s speed, but later it was blinded by the wild goats and disappeared at lightning speed.
Lin Chen carried his solar-powered lamp and slowly walked through the dark forest. He wasn’t particularly afraid; after all, there were no large carnivores on the peninsula otherwise wild goats wouldn’t be so abundant.
Rustle.
The silent forest was suddenly broken by a sound or two, like animal feet treading on fallen leaves.
Lin Chen looked over with his lamp and whispered, “Is that you, Parker?”
Or perhaps a wild goat.
There was no response. Lin Chen immediately ruled out Parker; that guy was excitedly chasing after goats and wouldn’t be playing tricks on him at this crucial moment.
Lin Chen was standing under the tree investigating when something brushed against his hair. He looked up…
He was unexpectedly met with a pair of pale golden eyes.