Chapter 5: Bad Memories

Chapter 5: Bad Memories

After parting ways with Jia Zheyu, Jiang Yi and Ke Lin headed back.

A man and a wolf, walking one behind the other.

The man was lost in thought; the wolf couldn't speak, and the atmosphere was very quiet.

Ke Lin sensed his owner's quietness and stole a few glances at Jiang Yi.

Little Wolf was a terrible spy, and Jiang Yi noticed it easily. He slowed his pace until they were walking side by side. "What's wrong?"

Ke Lin hesitated for a moment, then reached out to touch Jiang Yi's fingers. "Congratulations, Master. Is something troubling you?"

Ke Lin wasn't a chatty wolf; his congratulations and inquiry were both concise.

Jiang Yi's lips curved into a smile. The little wolf actually knew how to care for his owner.

It wasn't exactly a worry, just him thinking about what came next. Although Starry Vault Academy was tuition-free, room and board weren't cheap.

Currently, his only source of income was the bar. Even though Pei Xiucheng had agreed to raise his salary, he probably couldn't work at the bar every day after starting school, which would inevitably lead to a significant drop in income.

Now that he had Ke Lin, living in a dormitory wasn't convenient. He needed to rent a new place near the school. Moreover, Ke Lin's body was frail; he couldn't let him continue eating synthetic meals. Improving his diet was also necessary.

All this cost money.

There was still a month before school started. He had to find a new source of income before the term began.

But he didn't need to tell Ke Lin any of this.

"I was thinking about why you can't speak."

Ke Lin froze. He hadn't expected his master to be pondering this.

He touched Jiang Yi's fingers and replied with his thoughts, "Werewolves get beaten for speaking."

"Who beats you?"

"Other people."

Jiang Yi frowned. There was no law saying that werewolves couldn't speak. Due to their nature, werewolves indeed weren't big on talking, but they were capable of speech. At the management center, he had seen werewolves communicating with their guarantors.

"I won't beat you, and no one will ever beat you again. You are free to speak."

Hearing this, Ke Lin opened his mouth slightly but still didn't make a sound.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Yi felt it necessary to take Ke Lin for a comprehensive physical check-up. If his vocal cords were fine, then it might be a psychological issue.

Perhaps because Jiang Yi's expression turned somewhat serious, Ke Lin touched his hand again. Jiang Yi heard Ke Lin's apology in his ear, "I'm sorry."

Ke Lin hung his head, his fluffy tail drooping on the ground.

"It's not your fault. No need to apologize."

"If Master wants me to speak, I will try my best. Master, please don't abandon me." The werewolf's thoughts sounded in Jiang Yi's ear again—the most words Jiang Yi had ever sensed from him at once.

It was actually a plea not to be abandoned.

Jiang Yi felt a pang of sadness. It was like raising a kitten or a puppy. Ke Lin was the pet he'd taken in; he would care for him for life. "Unless you choose to leave on your own, I will never abandon you."

Hearing this, Ke Lin's tense expression finally relaxed, and the corners of his mouth even quirked up in a faint smile.

It was a gentle, reassuring smile, as if his master's presence alone guaranteed his safety.

After returning home, Jiang Yi headed to his job at the bar.

Today, Jiang Yi was wearing a white shirt and casual pants, looking like a college student, yet his gaze held a composure and maturity rare among his peers.

"Jiang, every time I see you, I can't help but marvel at Pei's luck. Your meeting was straight out of a fairy tale," said a regular at the bar, also a friend of Pei Xiucheng—a brown-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian artist.

"Thank you, though I was in a rather sorry state back then," Jiang Yi laughed. "The usual? Whiskey special?"

"Yes, I'm looking forward to tonight's creation."

The crowd tonight was much bigger than usual, and Jiang Yi's hands barely stopped mixing drinks.

Nearing closing time, Pei Xiucheng still hadn't shown up. In fact, as the owner, he rarely came to the bar.

As the bar's business stabilized, Pei Xiucheng sent Jiang Yi a text, deciding to double his salary.

With his wallet a little fuller, Jiang Yi started shopping at the fresh food market.

Although fresh ingredients were expensive—twenty for an egg, three hundred for a pound of beef—people couldn't eat bland, monotonous artificial food every day; you'd get depressed.

Jiang Yi decided to have at least one proper meal a day. Since arriving in this world, he had almost forgotten the taste of proper food.

A wolfman obviously wouldn't know how to cook; Ke Lin had never even stepped into a kitchen.

Fortunately, Jiang Yi's cooking skills were decent.

At noon, Jiang Yi got up to prepare brunch.

Fried eggs, beef patties, lettuce, cheese, and a few slices of bread were enough to make two sandwiches.

After cutting and boiling the ribs, frying them over low heat, and stir-frying them with sweet and sour sauce, a simple version of sweet and sour ribs was ready.

Sitting at the dining table, the wolfman's eyes lit up the first time he tasted these foods. He had never eaten proper meals before; at the mine, he ate "wolfman-specific feed," similar to artificial food but even cheaper.

Ke Lin looked at Jiang Yi with almost worshipful eyes, unable to imagine how someone as aloof as his master could conjure up such delicious food.

Watching the wolfman's reaction, Jiang Yi chuckled softly. His cooking skills were actually just average, but Ke Lin ate as if it were a gourmet feast. What kind of hardship had he endured before? Poor little thing.

The bar's business kept getting better, and Jiang Yi returned home later and later.

One day, Jiang Yi didn't get home until four in the morning, his hands trembling from mixing drinks all night.

His loyal little wolf hadn't slept either, crouched on the rug waiting for him. Seeing this warmed Jiang Yi's heart. He patted the wolf's head and bid Ke Lin goodnight before going to sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already noon the next day. Jiang Yi heard noises outside and walked out of the bedroom to find Ke Lin in the kitchen.

Seeing Jiang Yi awake, Ke Lin looked flustered. His hand trembled, and the egg he was holding fell to the floor with a "crack," golden yolk and clear egg white spilling out.

Was Ke Lin cooking?

Jiang Yi was surprised.

Because he'd slept so late, Jiang Yi now had a headache. He pressed his temples, frowning and lowering his head as he walked over. When he wasn't smiling, his expression was cold and distant.

As Ke Lin watched Jiang Yi approach, a terrifying face surfaced from the depths of his memory.

The man with the whip approached him, his gaze cold and sinister.

"Little Wolf's being naughty."

"You make a mistake, you get punished."

"Kneel down."

...

Ke Lin was consumed by the belief he'd done wrong, his heart nearly seizing up with fear. The memory of punishment surged through his body, making his whole body shake with terror.

When Jiang Yi stopped in front of him, Ke Lin's body jerked, and he dropped straight to his knees.

"I... I was wrong..."

Ke Lin's voice was a faint, almost inaudible whisper, but the surroundings were quiet enough for Jiang Yi to clearly hear the mute werewolf making a sound.

He was admitting his mistake.

All over a broken egg.

"Say it again." Jiang Yi's gaze burned into Ke Lin on the floor, hoping to hear more from him.

Ke Lin's Adam's apple trembled, his lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Jiang Yi's mind.

Sensing his master's growing displeasure, Ke Lin trembled and shrank back. In his golden eyes, the black pupils contracted into frightened slits.

Forget making him talk—his state was the real concern now.

Jiang Yi's brow smoothed as he crouched down to look Ke Lin in the eye.

The fear in Ke Lin's heart had already affected his body, causing the entire wolf to tremble slightly.

Jiang Yi had no idea what was wrong, but he needed to calm him down first.

"Don't be afraid. It's just an egg. I won't blame you," Jiang Yi said, his voice low and soothing.

Ke Lin gave no sign of hearing, still wearing an expression of terror and shaking his head repeatedly.

Jiang Yi studied Ke Lin. Perhaps the earlier scene had reminded him of some terrible memory. He needed to pull him out of this situation first.

"Listen to me. Get up first." Jiang Yi held Ke Lin's arm and helped him stand up.

The moment they made physical contact, Jiang Yi sensed the werewolf's inner thoughts: "Master, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken things without permission. I was wrong..."

Jiang Yi glanced at the kitchen counter, where sliced cucumbers and bacon were laid out. "You didn't do anything wrong. My Little Wolf wanted to make breakfast for me, right? You just accidentally broke an egg. Master won't blame you."

Jiang Yi led Ke Lin out of the kitchen, gently pressed him onto the sofa, stroked his hair, and spoke in a steady, firm voice: "Don't be afraid."

Ke Lin had always loved it when his master stroked his hair.

"There's nothing to worry about. I won't blame you."

"Don't be afraid."

"Have some water first, okay?"

Under Jiang Yi's calming voice, Ke Lin's gaze gradually cleared, the unpleasant memories in his mind fading away.

Once again, Ke Lin clearly realized that his new master was not as unpredictable as his first master, nor as volatile and violent as his second.

He truly was a very, very good master.

With an apologetic look in his eyes, Ke Lin glanced at Jiang Yi, reached out and touched the back of Jiang Yi's hand, and projected his thoughts, "Master, I'm sorry, I..."

"Stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong. Why were you so scared just now? Did it remind you of your previous master?"

Ke Lin nodded.

Jiang Yi only knew that Ke Lin's previous master was a mine owner, and his job had been to guard the mine. He found it hard to imagine what that mine owner had done to inflict such severe psychological trauma on Ke Lin.

Perhaps he needed to go to the second-hand market to find the seller and ask.

"Why did you make a sound just now? Was it because of fear?" Jiang Yi continued to ask, still hung up on Ke Lin's inability to speak.

Ke Lin was silent for a moment. In truth, it was only after being sold to the mine that he stopped speaking. He couldn't remember how long it had been—two years, or perhaps three. By the time he wanted to speak again, his throat could no longer produce sound.

"Possibly. I don't know," Ke Lin thought back.

Although he now knew Ke Lin could make sounds under extreme panic, Jiang Yi couldn't possibly use such a method to stimulate him to speak. All he could say was, "We'll go to the hospital tomorrow morning. I've made an appointment for you to get a physical."

A physical? Ke Lin's expression turned resistant.

"Don't be afraid. It's at City First Hospital, a perfectly legitimate place. They have a dedicated minority race examination center. I'll be with you the whole time."

Hearing this, Ke Lin nodded, indicating he would follow his master's arrangements.

Once Ke Lin had calmed down, Jiang Yi said, "Now I need to cook. Wait here obediently for me, okay?"

Ke Lin looked at his master, sat up straight, and nodded seriously.

Jiang Yi ruffled his hair and walked into the kitchen.

He cleaned up the spilled egg mixture on the floor, washed his hands, took out eggs and flour, added water to mix a large bowl of egg batter. After heating the frying pan, he poured the batter in, lifted and swirled the pan, and a perfectly round egg pancake took shape.

Jiang Yi picked up one pancake, placed the sliced cucumber strips on it, spooned on some store-bought spicy beef sauce, and rolled it into an egg roll in his hand.

"Here, try it. See how it tastes. The beef sauce might be a bit spicy."

Ke Lin had been looking toward the kitchen full of guilt. The breakfast he had struggled with for so long, his master had completed so effortlessly and even personally handed it to him to eat.

What werewolf ever received such treatment?

Ke Lin moved closer to Jiang Yi, obediently took the egg roll, and brought it to his mouth. The first taste was the warmth and softness of the pancake, followed by the refreshing cucumber and the rich, spicy beef sauce.

It was a bit spicy.

Ke Lin couldn't help but open his mouth and let out a very soft "hiss."

"Here, drink some water," Jiang Yi handed Ke Lin's water cup over. "If it's too spicy, do you want me to make some with bacon instead?"

Jiang Yi smiled. "Alright, no bacon then. We'll both eat the spicy ones."

The werewolf had a great appetite, eating eight egg rolls in a row without showing any sign of being full.

Jiang Yi, worried he might overeat, held up two fingers and said to him, "Only two more, or you'll feel uncomfortable if you eat too much."

The werewolf also felt he had eaten quite a bit and had originally intended to stop. But since his master said so, he silently extended his paw and took two more egg rolls onto his plate.

Author's Note:

Ke Lin had two previous masters. Jiang Yi currently only knows about the second one.