Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Ian, reeking of a distinct sheep smell: "..."

Within just half a day, he had endured countless terrifying mental assaults, including but not limited to, suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar place, inexplicably becoming embroiled in a scandal, struggling to survive in a zombie horde... And now, his face was smothered by a soft, terrifying, fluffy creature of unknown origin.

Ian's mind went blank as he pulled the thing off his face, and upon seeing it clearly, he erupted into terrified screams: "Aaah! A dandelion!"

What he didn't know was that, as he screamed, the dandelion in his hands was screaming too—Aaah, who are you?!

"What are you screaming about, Ian..." Jie Linyuan pulled Wuyin up from the ground, dusting off his clothes, "Wasn't the dandelion something you picked yourself to please Marshall?"

When did that happen? How do I not know about it? Ian, shocked, pointed at himself, voice lost in fright.

Frida, understanding something from Jie Linyuan's words and Ian's reaction, widened her eyes in surprise, covered her mouth with her hands, then hurriedly ran to her real brother, touching his messy wool, "Ian, Ian, are you hurt?"

"Sister!" Ian's face was anxious, unsure how to explain to the person he trusted most, but Frida immediately interrupted his plea, her eyes brimming with tears, nodding, "Yes, damn rascal, the dandelion was indeed picked by you, now stop pretending."

"What?!" Ian's eyes widened, completely lost in confusion.

"Damn it... If you dare do this again, I'll kill you..."

...Since sister said so, could it really have been me who did it?

From questioning reality, to understanding it, and then transcending it, it took Ian merely five seconds, after which he suddenly realized something, his eyes lighting up with surprise, like Detective Conan solving all case mysteries after just a nap.

He immediately looked towards Marshall not far away: "Marshall! Since I picked the mutant dandelion as agreed, does that mean—"

"Horse your head!"

Before Marshal could respond, Frida, fueled by rage, rolled up her sleeves and punched her brother Ian so hard that his rectangular eyes turned round. Clutching Ian's horns tightly, she exploded, "Marshal, Marshal, that's all you damn care about, Marshal. Raising you was worse than raising a piece of roast pork."

……

The handsome young man, mistaken for a sheep, drifted through the air, meekly circled around Ian, then reached out with his little white fluff, tentatively touching his shoulder before gently settling down—little sheep?

With his left index finger and thumb, Ian pinched a tuft of its fluff, lifting it to his eyes and shaking it: "Long time no see, handsome."

Handsome—is it really you? What the...? Why? Reincarnation? Possession? Resurrection?

As a dandelion mutated by soaking in various novels, his angle of questioning was unique, but Ian had no intention of satisfying his curiosity, adopting a dismissive attitude worthy of a textbook jerk: "Don't ask what you shouldn't."

This response infuriated the handsome young man to the point of puffing up.

Ian moved aside the white sea urchin blocking his view to see the subway entrance, where two guards watched him warily, clearly unwelcoming to humans. Then, he noticed the hostile gaze of Lion Brother Vic, with Edmund, who had awakened, whispering something in Vic's ear behind him—clearly, nothing good.

Marshal, squatting beside Vic, was stirring the pot, and soon Vic stood up, stormed towards Ian and Jie LinYuan.

"Hairless cat," Vic began aggressively, relaying Edmund's claim of deep hostility from Ian, who allegedly shot him with a tranquilizer dart unprovoked. "I want to know why! And you owe him an apology."

Jie LinYuan was irritably adjusting his collar to avoid contact with anything but air on his sensitive left side, exasperated that the cause of his discomfort showed no concern and was instead happily petting dogs and playing with grass.

"Why did this naturally flawed individual have to awaken? Damn handsome guy..." Displeased, Jie LinYuan dropped any pretense of civility, responding coldly, "You're asking me why? You should be asking your brother; he knows exactly why."

Protective brother Vic became enraged, his muscular arms bulging, "Don't deflect and muddy the waters. Explain yourself now!"

Jie LinYuan smirked mockingly, playing coy: "Don't you know what your brother is like?"

Vic couldn't help but scrutinize Wu Yin subtly, observing him from head to toe...

Indeed, he was an exceptionally beautiful person. Vic thought to himself, Marshall was considered a rare beauty in the Beast Kingdom, but he paled in comparison to Wu Yin. Especially those clear, emerald eyes; Vic was momentarily stunned, knowing his brother's indiscriminate taste in both men and women, it was impossible for him to overlook such a person.

However, Vic always sided with family over fairness when it came to Edmund's matters. Since his brother liked him, he would secure the person for him, disregarding any other considerations.

"Hairless cat, what's your relationship with this gentleman?" Vic inquired.

"What's it to you?"

"It matters because if you're just friends, then my brother's actions are merely his way of pursuing this man normally. What right do you have to attack him?"

Jie Linyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and at that moment, he suddenly felt something cool and soft pressing into his palm. Looking down, he saw a cold, pale hand holding his, with Wu Yin leaning against his shoulder, smiling ambiguously at Vic, "How could we possibly just be friends?"

Vic's voice deepened, "Sir, as far as I know, the hairless cat here has been quite close to Ian recently, that is, the goat behind you. They've been seen together frequently, their relationship ambiguous, leading everyone to believe they were a couple."

"That's okay." Wu Yin rested his chin on Jie Linyuan's shoulder, his smile full of mirth, "He's just my stand-in, to relieve his loneliness when I'm not around. See, the moment I, his true love, return, he immediately comes back to my side, doesn’t he?"

Vic: "..."

Jie Linyuan: "..."

Ian, Frida, Edmund, Marshall, and others: "..."

Hearing this perilous statement, their ears nearly malfunctioned. Even the handsome young man accustomed to dramatic twists was scared out of his wits.

After a long pause, Vic finally found his voice, feebly articulating twisted logic: "Fine, even if he accidentally offended his lover verbally, it's not your place to reprimand him. And about that incident with the dandelions and Edmund, I haven't settled that score with you yet. Hairless Cat, if you wish to continue staying in the Beast Kingdom, go apologize to Edmund immediately."

At this moment, Xie Linyuan could hardly afford to be angry; he found the parasite rambling on his shoulder, having read too many romance novels, both infuriating and endearingly cute, making him wish he could immediately use the glycerin he'd prepared in his backpack.

At that moment, a brash voice suddenly cut in between Jie Linyuan and Vick, "Apologize?" A man with a scar across his nose, leading a pack of werewolves, appeared at the subway station entrance. "Vick, who should really be apologizing to whom?"

The alpha wolf placed himself and his pack between Jie Linyuan and the rest, "It's clear who is in the wrong here. Don't rely on your petty tricks and confuse right with wrong. Others might fear you, but we wolves don't. If you're wise, take your immature brother and scram. Stop bothering those under our protection."

As the alpha wolf and Vick faced off, two werewolves casually approached Jie Linyuan, striking up a conversation, showing concern for any injuries he might have, and asking who Wu Yin was.

Unbeknownst to Wu Yin, Jie Linyuan had indeed become quite well acquainted with the wolves.

This caused a slight irritation in him, an emotion that could have been easily overlooked, but it rapidly grew into a full-blown annoyance when Jie Linyuan took out a box of anti-inflammatory and cold medicine from his pocket to give to the wolves, ostensibly for Sim.

"Sim?" He frowned. "Is there really someone named Sim?"

The werewolf before him had dark skin, strikingly white teeth, and was exceptionally tall, nearly two meters, making Wu Yin and Jie Linyuan look up to him, a typical North American gray wolf genetic modifier. He was overjoyed to receive the medicine box, "Yeah, Sim is the prettiest girl in our pack, right, Brother Jie?"

Jie Linyuan dared not utter a word until Wu Yin asked, "Really?"

"…Not as pretty as you."

"Hahaha, of course. You're really handsome, my friend. I've never seen a man as stunning as you," the gray wolf laughed heartily. "But Sim is also beautiful, with a beauty that comes from strength, confidence, and openness. We all enjoy her company, even Brother Jie has said he admires her a lot."

"Is that so…"

"No," Jie Linyuan flatly denied. "I never said that."

The gray wolf puzzled, "But you clearly—"

"I never said anything."

"…" The gray wolf paused, then quickly caught on, stuttering, "Yes, indeed, you never mentioned that."

A month ago, Wu Yin might have missed the subtext, puzzled by their actions and let them bamboozle him. But now, with a clear mind and sharp thinking, he immediately caught the gist, mastering sarcasm effortlessly, "You admire her that much? How about you pair up with Sim and head to the zoo together? I'll step back, the prince and the car are mine, and you leave with nothing."

Jie Linyuan: "..."

Wu Yin's comment was initially meant to disgust Jie Linyuan, but at the moment of utterance, he suddenly realized something, lifting his right hand to gaze at the letter inscribed on the inside of his wrist.

'Come find me at that place,' 'Z'...

"What? Sim wants to go to the zoo as well?" the gray wolf asked in surprise. "How come I didn't know?"

Jie Linyuan covered his face, "Only you want to go."

"Then why..."

"Shut up."

“……”

Under the alpha wolf's forceful negotiations, Vick couldn't gain any advantage, expressing his anger and reluctantly leaving with Edmund, vowing this wasn't the end.

Jie Linyuan had to momentarily set aside the contemplative Wu Yin to discuss the hospital's plight with the alpha wolf, inquiring if they were willing to take on the hospital's commission. This was undeniably a great deal, as medicines are priceless in the post-apocalyptic world, and Jie Linyuan was leveraging their good relationship to approach them.

"Mutants, huh?" The alpha wolf looked around at his pack, assessing their strength, then decisively said, "We'll take it."

Jie Linyuan nodded, also mentioning the hospital's staffing shortage, suggesting the disheartened wolf pack could leave the crowded subway station for a more spacious settlement at the hospital. The alpha wolf shook his head but didn't outright reject the proposal, indicating they might consider it in the future, leveraging this cooperation with the hospital.

After discussing business, Jie Linyuan finally had a moment to talk about personal matters with Wu Yin.

He had thought Wu Yin would continue to harp on Sim, whether out of genuine jealousy or just to 'torture' him, but unexpectedly, Wu Yin, avoiding others' gazes, whispered, "Take me somewhere secluded... I suspect there might be other letters carved on me."

“……”

"There are some places I can't see, you'll have to check them for me later."

“……”