When Lin Chen returned, the bodyguard and driver couldn’t wait to start eating. The moment they put the food in their mouths, the novel taste made their eyes light up.
“Is it good?”
“Delicious!”
Different countries have different food cultures. Even within the same world, different countries have such vast differences, let alone different planets.
Perhaps they had never eaten dishes like hot and sour shredded potatoes and scrambled eggs with tomatoes before, and they kept praising how delicious it was.
Seeing their enjoyment, Lin Chen said, “Then I’ll take care of the cooking from now on.”
It wasn’t that Lin Chen was bored and wanted to take on the work.
Mainly, he didn’t want to force himself to cook. Cooking for one person was the same as cooking for four, so he might as well do his colleagues a favor.
The other three were delighted but also worried: “Won’t this interfere with you taking care of Parker?”
They hadn’t forgotten that Lin Chen’s main responsibility was taking care of Parker. If their boss knew they were letting Lin Chen take over the cooking, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate.
“It’s alright, how long does it take to cook?” Lin Chen said casually.
“Then we’ll leave it to you.” Everyone nodded happily, their goodwill towards Lin Chen rising sharply.
Lin Chen took on the cooking task, thinking he should buy some seasonings and ingredients for Chinese cuisine, in case it was inconvenient to buy them in the remote mountains.
But actually, he was overthinking it. Parker was Si Ang’s precious child; whenever he went out for a stroll, he always had supplies.
Even if Parker didn’t go hunting, he wouldn’t starve.
“Can I go to the market myself? Won’t bringing Parker cause panic?” Lin Chen felt unsure if the market had what he needed, and it was difficult to tell his colleagues what to buy.
The bodyguard said, “It’s fine.”
Everyone was used to companion beasts; Parker was just a slightly different species.
At most, they’d be stared at.
Lin Chen was afraid of being watched. He belatedly realized that his ability to lead someone else’s companion beast was terrifying, and it wasn’t wise for too many people to know.
He didn’t want to do anything wrong, but someone tried to coerce him into doing it.
Lin Chen put on a hat and mask, and specifically asked his bodyguard, “Do you know how tall Mr. Si is?”
The bodyguard was taken aback by the question, and honestly replied, “Around 187cm?”
That’s good. Lin Chen is 185cm tall, and with the hat, he looks even taller; he could totally cosplay Si Ang.
The four of them led the lion to the market, and sure enough, they encountered a large crowd, with some even secretly taking pictures and recordings.
Lin Chen was a little worried: “Is it okay if they take pictures?”
The bodyguard told him matter-of-factly, “It’s fine. Mr. Si’s team sends out lawyer’s letters regularly and in fixed quantities; ordinary people don’t send things randomly.”
Lin Chen clicked his tongue. Is this the world of the rich?
The market was even more crowded, mostly with ordinary travelers, exuding the aura of backpackers. Among them were many travel bloggers and social media influencers.
Lin Chen felt a surge of attention, and the overly direct stares made Parker a little irritated. Lin Chen quickly patted Parker’s head: “It’s okay, relax.”
Outside, without Si Ang watching over them, Parker unceremoniously licked Lin Chen’s fingers. He absorbed Lin Chen’s pheromones, and then slowly relaxed.
Clearly, Lin Chen’s scent not only made Parker feel comfortable and relaxed, but also gave it a sense of security.
Lin Chen praised, “Thanks, Parker, it’s great to travel with you.”
The praised lion rubbed its head against him. Anyone witnessing this interaction would undoubtedly think that the masked young man was the lion’s owner.
Lin Chen walked to the condiment section and found that besides the most basic seasonings, many didn’t meet his needs. Dietary differences were indeed significant.
Fortunately, the basics were enough. Adding ginger, scallions, garlic, and chili peppers, he could make a delicious dish.
Although Lin Chen was from the south, he loved noodles and knew how to cook them in various ways. Fortunately, the shelves also had the ingredients needed for making noodles.
After selecting these, he picked out some fresh fruits and vegetables. He calmed down and slowly enjoyed life.
Parker followed him like a big dog, occasionally nibbling at his pants and clothes, as if asking, “Have you finished shopping? When are you taking me to the countryside?”
Lin Chen had no choice but to speed up his shopping. The group carried a pile of things back to the RV.
Back at the RV, a woman who introduced herself as the little girl’s mother brought over the plates Lin Chen had delivered that afternoon, along with a homemade fruit salad and fried chicken nuggets.
The woman, seemingly having guessed their identities, appeared slightly excited but politely and restrainedly greeted Lin Chen, saying, “Hello…”
“I thought the dishes you made this afternoon were especially delicious; my whole family loved them.”
“May I ask you how to make them?”
Lin Chen paused for a moment, then nodded, “No problem. These two dishes are actually very simple. Can I tell you and you write them down?”
“Okay, thank you.” The little girl’s mother was particularly excited and quickly prepared to write them down.
Lin Chen explained the cooking process in great detail, specifying exactly how many minutes to stir-fry for the desired texture.
After receiving the recipe, the woman bowed deeply in gratitude. Only then did Lin Chen realize that she probably mistook him for Si Ang.
This matter could be considered a big deal or a small one.
Lin Chen felt he needed to inform his boss, so he sent a message: “Mr. Si, would you mind if passersby mistook me for you? If you would, I’ll explain next time.”
Si Ang quickly replied: “It’s alright, as long as you didn’t intentionally lead them astray.”
These are turbulent times, and it’s not advisable to reveal that Lin Chen is taking care of Parker for him, lest it be exploited by those with ulterior motives.
Lin Chen: “Okay, I know my limits.”
Parker eats two meals a day. It eats one meal in the morning before going out for a walk, and Lin Chen feeds it another meal before taking it out of the camp to relieve itself.
Parker is clearly happier in the wild than in the market. It quickly takes off and disappears from sight, leaving Lin Chen and his bodyguards unable to catch it, only able to follow its general direction.
In the dead of winter, with the cold wind howling outside, Lin Chen couldn’t help but hunch his shoulders and sigh, “No job is easy.”
“Is Parker this wild when he’s out with Mr. Si?” he inquired.
“No, it’s very obedient. It comes back as soon as you call it, sir.”
Lin Chen smiled wryly, not surprised at all. “Then I’ll try calling it later.”
The lion was indeed wild; it hadn’t returned for almost thirty minutes. Lin Chen and his bodyguards were shivering with cold. At this point, Lin Chen had no choice but to shout at the top of his lungs:
“Parker—come back quickly—”
But he wasn’t Parker’s owner, and he wasn’t sure if the lion would come back if it hadn’t had enough fun in the forest.
Lin Chen’s voice echoed through the winter night forest. He even considered asking Si Ang for help if necessary, so he could give Parker a remote command.
A few minutes later, a noise came from nearby. Lin Chen quickly chased after it, asking as he ran, “Parker, is that you?”
“Come on, let’s go back!”
The forest was too dark. Lin Chen walked slowly with his flashlight. Just as he was about to stop and look around more carefully, a shadow suddenly jumped out and startled him: “Roar!”
Lin Chen was startled, his heart almost stopping. He reacted and roared, “Parker!”
The lion swished its tail, lazily watching him, seemingly unaware that it had done anything wrong.
Lin Chen slapped Parker’s bottom, the impact making his own hand numb: “You wait, I’ll definitely tell your master.”
Parker: “…”
The temperature was too low; one couldn’t stay outdoors for long. After an hour, Lin Chen and the others led the reluctant Parker back.
The lion’s paws were a bit dirty, so Lin Chen brought a basin of warm water and sat at the RV door to wash its face and paws.
Lin Chen wrung out a towel and began wiping the lion’s face. The lion wasn’t very cooperative, so he lectured, “Good boys wash their faces and feet before bed, you know? You can’t be sloppy, or you won’t be handsome, and I won’t play with you anymore.”
“Isn’t Parker a good boy?”
Parker and everyone else who heard this fell silent: “…”
“Our Parker is so good, handsome young man, King of the Forest, come give me a kiss.” Lin Chen cupped the lion’s face and kissed him, then rubbed his feet. After rubbing one, he held it under his nose and smelled it, saying worriedly, “Parker, did you scratch poop with those paws?”
Parker, of course, didn’t understand Lin Chen’s insult; he just felt very comfortable having his feet rubbed. After rubbing both his front and back paws, he even shoved the clean feet back into the lion’s mouth.
“…” Lin Chen thought it was both dog-like and cute, and sighed as he scrubbed it again. “Alright, go back to sleep.”
He poured out Grandpa Parker’s foot bath water. It was still early, so he went back to the RV, took out the flour he had just bought, kneaded the dough, and put it in the freezer to ferment to make large meat buns for his colleagues the next morning.
Similar dishes existed in this world, but the taste was definitely different. Lin Chen was confident in his skills; the thin-skinned, generously filled meat buns would surely win his colleagues’ approval.
With nothing else to do, Lin Chen chopped the filling. After finishing, he saw Parker lying at his feet with that bundle of clothes beside him—the meaning was obvious.
“Aren’t you tired yet?”
Lin Chen found it amusing. He was actually a little tired after a day, but he still played the fetch game with Parker.
Seeing Lin Chen so busy, the bodyguards felt really guilty, but there was nothing they could do; Parker didn’t want to play with them.
The only way they could think of to help Lin Chen was to say a few good words about him when reporting on their work.
Anyway, it was all true, so it wasn’t exactly lying.
After a tiring but pleasant day, Lin Chen took a shower and, while he was at it, took apart his filthy clothes and washed them.
The next morning, he got up early to make steamed buns and also cooked a pot of cod and mushroom porridge.
Since Parker had scared the little girl next door yesterday, Lin Chen still felt bad. After steaming the buns, he took a few and then wrote down the steps for making them.
While writing, Lin Chen was quite conflicted. Should he write normally or write in a pretentious style? That was the question.
What if his handwriting was too ugly, and word got out that Si Ang had ugly handwriting, and the boss docked his pay? That wouldn’t be good.
Lin Chen decided to write in a pretentious style, using the “thin gold” script. Luckily, the characters in this world were also square-shaped, which would suit him better.
After trying it out and finding it feasible, Lin Chen wrote a long, flowing note. Then he asked the bodyguard to deliver the food for him as he was too lazy to wear a mask and hat.
The bodyguard swiftly delivered it. He didn’t even bother to ask for the plates back, and immediately started eating the steamed buns and porridge Lin Chen had made.
The large meat buns were indeed a hit, and were all gone in less than half an hour.
The family next door hadn’t gotten up yet. The little girl’s mother thought she’d wash up first and then go over to deliver the plates properly, but half an hour later, the RV next door drove away.
Looking at the plates with the Si family crest and the beautifully written note, she was thrilled. She felt that as a proper travel blogger, she couldn’t leave without sharing this experience.
Soon after, a blog post titled “Meeting Mr. Si Ang and his Lion Parker on the Road, It Was So Nice!” appeared.
The author described in detail the entire encounter with “Si Ang,” using a plethora of beautiful words to praise this gentle and gentlemanly man.
Whether it was the delicious food he cooked, the recipes he generously shared, or the note with handwriting that looked like art, everything was nice.
“I really didn’t mean to take this plate. By the time I changed into something more presentable and went to return it, they were already gone.”
“What a pity, I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye or thank you.”
This blog post was beautifully written, and portrayed the encounters between people on a journey in a romantic way. Even if that person wasn’t Si Ang, it would still be something worth sharing.
The author was warmed by these small details, and the netizens reading this blog post were also warmed, suddenly feeling a strong urge to travel.
Si Ang was already a high-profile figure with a naturally high online reputation, so the sudden appearance of a blog post praising him quickly attracted a lot of attention.
It eventually topped the charts on various platforms.
Si Ang already knew about it, but since it was positive news, he didn’t pay attention. He didn’t expect the news to go viral.
Suddenly, many voices emerged.
“Are you sure you’re talking about Si Ang? You haven’t mistaken him for someone else?”
“Just because he has a plate with a family crest doesn’t mean he can make this up. That’s not how you ride the wave of popularity. He might have been paid off.”
“It’s too fake. I don’t believe the heir to the richest man can cook!”
Si Ang’s team stated, “Who bought this marketing without authorization?!”
Frankly, this kind of obviously fake stuff wouldn’t even get reimbursed by finance.
Their boss isn’t some gentle, gentlemanly figure. He was just busy stabbing his enemies in the back; he doesn’t have time to share his steamed bun-making skills with travel bloggers.
Public relations, they absolutely have to do public relations.
However, photos of the “chance encounter” started appearing online, proving it was real.
“I also think Mr. Si Ang is very nice for carefully selecting fruits and vegetables (I didn’t take a picture of his face, please don’t send a lawyer’s letter, okay?)”
“Didn’t dare to take a picture of his face +1, but look at the big lion, so handsome.”
“Let me show you his hands. They’re so white when he’s holding a green apple… you can imagine!”
…
Perhaps the power of the lawyer’s letter was too great so no one actually took a picture of Lin Chen’s face but Parker appeared in the picture. He is indeed Si Ang’s companion beast; according to the rules of the underworld, seeing the beast is like seeing the person.
Now no one questioned the authenticity of the blog post anymore.
Due to the high level of attention, Man Di began to worry about a backlash, so he asked Si Ang for his opinion.
Si Ang hadn’t figured out how to respond when his grandfather called him.
“Did you take Parker out?”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
Si Ang’s grandfather, Si Peicheng, is the current head of the Si family. A while ago, because Si Ang’s methods of handling family conflicts were too ruthless, the grandfather and grandson had a dispute, and then began a cold war. Half a month passed in a flash, and there had been no contact.
Until today, Si Peicheng saw news about Si Ang and Parker online. After reading it for a while, he understood and finally softened his tone: “Forget it, I wasn’t blaming you before. Grandpa just hopes you won’t forget your original intentions and won’t go to extremes.”
Si Ang readily agreed: “Yes, I’ve always remembered your teachings. I know what I’m doing.”
Si Peicheng asked enthusiastically: “When did you start thinking about food?”
“Those steamed buns look good. Make some for me to try later.”
“…”
“Your handwriting is also quite good. Is this some new font?”
“…”
“Si Ang?”
Si Ang secretly made a note for Lin Chen: “Okay, I’ll tell you more later.”
To divert his grandfather’s attention, Si Ang sent him a video of Parker acting as a retriever.
Si Peicheng laughed: “Seeing it so energetic makes me feel relieved. You should spend time with it.”
“Okay.”
“Are you still angry?”
“No, just a little tired.” Si Ang rubbed his forehead. “You weren’t really angry with me, and I’m not that petty.”
Si Peicheng snorted. “Good that you know.”
“Then you should stay with Parker and get some rest. As for other things… I’ll keep an eye on things.”
Si Ang said softly, “Thank you, Grandpa.”
The grandfather and grandson exchanged a few more words before finally hanging up.
Only then did Si Ang reply to Man Di, “Don’t worry about it. The previous public opinion plan is off the table. Grandpa won’t pursue that matter any further.”
Man Di asked with suspicion, “You mean… you and the old man have made up?”
“Yes.”
They had made up, but Si Ang knew that his grandfather had actually been furious this time. Even if he hadn’t given up on him, he had begun to question him.
Unexpectedly, a blog post praising him appeared, which must have been a shot in the arm for his grandfather.
The old man found his balance and finally believed that his eldest grandson wasn’t a heartless person.
Old people are easily softened, not only towards him but also towards those relatives who were eyeing him covetously.