Those who had been secretly opposing Si Ang were furious. They relentlessly tried to ruin Si Ang’s reputation both online and offline, using every means to force a direct confrontation between Si Ang and Si Peicheng.
Unexpectedly, Si Ang, known for his fiery temper, suddenly changed his tune. Instead of confronting them, he went online to clear his name.
This was absolutely not Si Ang’s style!
The Si Ang they knew was young and impetuous with a strong sense of right and wrong, a stubborn man who couldn’t tolerate injustice and would relentlessly attack them once he discovered their weaknesses.
Through this relentless harassment, Si Ang was eventually brought down.
But then, Si Ang suddenly changed his ways.
Who was changing this posthumous child of a deceased father and a remarried mother?
This can only be described as a perfect storm of circumstances, and impossible to replicate.
The steamed bun challenge continued to gain traction online. As more and more people participated, some public figures sensed the business opportunity and launched similar campaigns but the response was far less successful than Si Ang’s.
The bodyguard was utterly bewildered: “Lin Chen, why isn’t the popularity of these big stars as high as our Mr. Si’s?”
Lin Chen smiled mysteriously and analyzed, “First, Mr. Si isn’t a public figure; he doesn’t rely on popularity for a living, so his identity isn’t sensitive, making him easier for the public to accept.”
“Second, we had a pre-event promotion before launching the campaign, so it felt natural and not at all abrupt.”
Those who suddenly joined in, on the other hand, seemed like they were just trying to exploit people; the public isn’t blind.
Celebrities don’t have their own production lines; they can only collaborate with businesses. Which business can match the financial strength of the Si family?
“Third, Mr. Si is handsome; who can resist his advances?” Looks are paramount regardless of the era or planet.
Lin Chen touched his own face; he was quite good-looking himself.
He felt his good looks played a significant role in successfully getting the interview opportunity and being brought to Si Ang by Man Di.
The bodyguard was instantly convinced: “Understood.”
He looked at Lin Chen and said, “You truly deserve to be a top student from Tyron University, haha, the boss needs someone like you by his side.”
Lin Chen: “You flatter me, I’m really not that great.”
It was just pure luck.
Si Ang, who was looking at the data report sent by Man Di, said upon hearing this, “If you’re interested in joining Si’s after graduation, I’d be very welcome.”
Lin Chen: “…”
The others immediately cheered, “Join us, join us, Lin Chen, let’s continue being colleagues!”
Since there were still two years until graduation, Lin Chen happily replied, “Thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Si, I will seriously consider it.”
Then he hugged Parker’s lion head and stroked its mane: “Mainly because I can pet our little Parker anytime.”
Parker: “Roar?”
It looked at Lin Chen with eyes that seemed to say: Let’s go for a one-on-one fight!
“Let’s go!” A one-on-one fight it is!
Although Lin Chen couldn’t beat Parker, he was never a coward.
The man and the lion rolled around on the grass outside again, the bodyguards grinning and cheering them on. Of course, they were cheering for Lin Chen; Parker, the Great Demon King, didn’t need them.
The result was obvious.
This time, Lin Chen was once again pinned down and unable to move. Parker with a victor’s pride evident on his face occasionally sniffed his ‘prey,’ quite satisfied.
“Mr. Si, help…” Lin Chen gasped weakly.
Si Ang, who had been watching from the window, lazily said, “Parker, get up.”
“Roar…” Parker refused. It loved cuddling Lin Chen’s body; he smelled so good and felt so comfortable, like a cat cuddling a mint ball, rubbing and licking endlessly.
But it had overlooked its own weight of several hundred pounds, it was no match for a cat.
“Parker,” Si Ang emphasized.
Parker howled twice more before finally getting up and releasing Lin Chen.
“Thank you for rescuing me, Mr. Si…” Lin Chen lay sprawled on the ground, resting for a moment before getting up to wash and change.
Parker lingered at Si Ang’s feet for a while, then eagerly followed Lin Chen, inviting him to play. Lin Chen had no choice but to take off his old clothes and give them to Parker, throwing them far away before finally gaining his freedom.
A glimpse of the young man’s fair upper body flashed by. Si Ang watched their interaction, momentarily speechless.
There are about 3000 commonly used fonts on Blue Star. Lin Chen quickly finished writing them down, leaving him with the remaining time to play with Parker.
He wanted to go somewhere far with Parker. After breakfast, he said, “I want to go on a picnic with Parker. We won’t be back for lunch.”
The bodyguard immediately said, “It’s not safe. We’ll go with you.”
Lin Chen thought, “No way. Climbing mountains is tiring; I don’t want to add to my colleagues’ workload.”
Wouldn’t that be a waste?
“I’ll think about it some more.”
Just as Lin Chen was about to cancel the plan, Si Ang suddenly said, “I’ll go with you.”
Lin Chen inwardly groaned; this was really going to make his colleague work overtime. But his colleague happily replied, “Great! You guys go ahead, we’ll stay at base camp.”
Lin Chen was dumbfounded. If Si Ang was going, shouldn’t all the bodyguards go with him?
The bodyguard noticed his confusion and patted him on the shoulder, saying, “With Mr. Si and Parker cooperating, don’t worry, you’ll be safe.”
Lin Chen wasn’t a native of Earth, and wasn’t very sensitive to the difference in mental strength. He could only tell that Si Ang’s combat skills were formidable.
“Mr. Si, going out will be tiring,” Lin Chen said tactfully. “Actually, I don’t really want to go.”
“Really? But Parker wants to go. I’m Parker’s owner, and it’s my duty to take him out to play.”
“If you don’t want to go, that’s fine. Parker and I will go,” Si Ang said.
“Go, go, go.” Lin Chen had nothing more to say and immediately went to prepare the things for going out.
Before, Parker always went out to play by himself. Now, with two of its favorite people accompanying it, Parker’s eyes lit up instantly. It ran ahead excitedly, almost in disbelief.
“Roar.” Parker ran for a while and then returned to Si Ang’s side. Before Si Ang could even pet it, it went to Lin Chen again.
Lin Chen and Si Ang, each carrying a backpack, were both amused and exasperated. Lin Chen asked, “Was it always this lively?”
Si Ang looked at his companion beast and replied, “No, Parker was already an adult when he came to me. He was injured competing with other male lions and was driven out of the pride.”
“If I didn’t choose him, he would die.”
With Si Ang’s mental strength, he had many choices, but without hesitation, he chose the lion that had come to him even while bleeding.
From then on, Parker had a home, but having experienced the cruelty of the forest, he was no longer as lively.
“Meeting you is truly a blessing,” Lin Chen said, feeling sorry for Parker, while also wondering, “Parker is so majestic and strong, how could he be defeated by other male lions?”
“It was two against one. Parker was challenged by a pair of male lion brothers, and even so, they only narrowly defeated him,” Si Ang explained.
“I knew it,” Lin Chen said, having great confidence in Parker.
“And you?”
“Hmm?”
Si Ang suddenly asked Lin Chen, “You like animals so much, don’t you want a companion beast?”
That’s a good question.
Lin Chen loves animals so much, of course he wants one. In his past life, he planned to take one home as a graduation gift and then raise it working 996 (9am-9pm, 6 days a week)!
Unexpectedly, after transmigrating, he’s even poorer than in his previous life.
Lin Chen honestly said, “I do want one, but I’m poor. I’ll get one when I’m rich.”
Si Ang was silent. He had never befriended someone from such an impoverished background. He sincerely said, “You’ll be rich someday.”
Lin Chen smiled, “Since you said that, it must be true.”
“When I have a companion beast, I’ll take it to play with Parker, okay?”
Si Ang really wanted to agree but, “Your companion beast probably won’t dare play with Parker.”
Lin Chen didn’t care. What if his companion beast was a honey badger?
So what if it’s a lion? He’ll take it on!
“I’m actually quite looking forward to it.”
Hiking in winter warms you up, and Lin Chen, panting slightly, felt quite comfortable.
He felt like Parker; staying in the city for too long wasn’t good enough. He needed to return to nature, to have his feet on the ground, and his hands touching the plants—it made him feel incredibly at ease.
Of course, he hadn’t forgotten that his boss had come out of consideration for him. Every now and then, he turned back to ask, “Mr. Si, are you tired? Do you want to rest?”
Si Ang was a little speechless. He asked, “Do you think I get tired that easily?”
Lin Chen was taken aback and quickly said, “No, I didn’t mean that. I was just afraid you’d get impatient, since I insisted on coming.”
“Hold on, I’m happy to be here too.” Si Ang glanced in Parker’s direction and strode past Lin Chen.
He was only following behind to cover for Lin Chen, so that if anything happened, this younger brother wouldn’t be caught off guard.
Since the other party didn’t appreciate it, he wouldn’t pretend to be lagging behind.
Lin Chen scratched his head, thinking his young boss was great in every way, except for being a bit arrogant and awkward, and never directly expressing his kindness.
Lin Chen caught up with his boss, who was walking briskly, and suddenly regretted it; the other’s stamina was clearly far superior.
This was blatant revenge!
“Mr. Si, slow down, wait for me!”
Si Ang, who was ahead, finally stopped, standing above Lin Chen. He looked down at him with a disdainful smile.
“Don’t you ever exercise, just attend classes?”
Lin Chen knew how to make someone feel guilty: “I have to work.”
Si Ang: “…”
Si Ang took two steps down and reached out to pull him up.
It was a bit steep here, so Lin Chen didn’t stand on ceremony. He smiled and said, “Thank you, Mr. Si.”
Si Ang then slowed down to accommodate Lin Chen.
By afternoon, they had climbed to a higher position, and the view below was breathtaking.
“Wow, that lake was huge!”
“It makes our RV look so small.”
Si Ang said, “It’s already the largest RV; only five were ever made worldwide.”
Lin Chen was once again stunned by this overwhelming wealth. No wonder even strangers recognized the vehicle.
After marveling at it, he took out his backpack, sat down, and ate his homemade bento with Si Ang.
“What’s Parker doing?” Lin Chen asked, as Parker was no longer around.
“It’s hunting,” Si Ang sensed.
“Which direction?” Lin Chen paused, put down his bento, and rummaged through his backpack for binoculars.
Si Ang looked at his complete equipment and silently pointed in a direction.
Lin Chen forgot about eating and focused on watching Parker hunt. Even though Parker was kept in the city and only allowed to roam freely every few days, its animalistic instincts hadn’t diminished; it remained as swift and powerful as ever.
Killing is not cruelty. Parker hunts because he’s hungry; the leftover carcasses are devoured by other predators in the forest.
Lin Chen, after reading this, sat down to continue eating.
“After seeing the bloody scene, can you still eat?” Si Ang had finished eating.
Lin Chen replied, “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I could have eaten.”
Si Ang smiled slightly, slowly took a sip of water, and enjoyed a moment of peace.
Parker, having finished eating, walked back from a distance and stopped nearby. He observed them through the gaps in the trees.
Viewing Parker from this angle evoked a sense of unfamiliarity.
Its light brown fur blended perfectly with nature; after all, it was born to be here.
Having sacrificed its freedom to stay by its master’s side forever, Lin Chen wondered if it ever regretted it.
“Parker, come here, I’ve found you,” Lin Chen said with a smile.
Hearing Lin Chen’s gentle call, the somber expression on Parker’s face instantly crumbled, and it grinned and trotted back.
It was truly a handsome lion. Seeing it, Lin Chen couldn’t resist going over to hug and pet it.
“Great job, Parker is amazing!”
“Roar.”
Si Ang stood to the side, quietly watching their embrace. When Parker came to his side, it was already an adult, and a majestic lion king. Si Ang had never praised it like this before.
Of course, Si Ang wasn’t reflecting on his own actions; he was just wondering, with all the hugs, kisses, and flattery, wouldn’t Parker get sick of it?
He’d only ever seen this kind of scene in kindergarten.
There were many wild animals in the mountains at night, so they stopped at 4:00 PM, not daring to go any further, wanting to return before dark.
But Parker seemed to know this opportunity was rare, and who knew when they’d be able to go out together again. He hadn’t had enough fun yet, and his pace back was anything but enthusiastic.
Lin Chen decisively pulled out his megaphone and started playing it on repeat.
“Parker, Parker, let’s go home, let’s go home!”
“Parker, Parker, let’s go home, let’s go home!”
Even the most majestic lion couldn’t withstand Xianglin’s lament.
Si Ang, who was about to give the order: “…”
Great, the megaphone could take his place.
After returning home, Lin Chen felt sore all over. After taking a shower, he lay down on the bed to rest. Even lifting his legs made him grimace and gasp for breath.
Seeing this, Si Ang called out, “Lin Chen, you can’t do this. It’ll hurt even more tomorrow.”
He leaned closer. “Let me stretch you.”
Lin Chen, who had taken private lessons before, almost wanted to run away at the mention of this: “No…”
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Si Ang was merely informing him, and not asking for his opinion. Si Ang had already grabbed his ankle.
Soon, Lin Chen’s colleagues heard a pig-like scream coming from the bedroom.
“Mr. Si, no—”
“Ouch, ouch, ouch—”
“Ooh—”
Parker was the first to rush in. It was shocked to see its master ‘bullying’ its best friend.
Its beastly eyes revealed a visible struggle: Both the palm and the back of its paw were flesh—how to choose?