Chapter 6: 006 Fishing

Xie Gewen: “…”

Discovering the gray wolf had returned, Ming Ruan was pleasantly surprised and hurried to open the door.

Who knew the gray wolf would turn its head and run. In the deepening twilight, Ming Ruan could distinctly make out a hint of frantic escape in that silver-white figure.

Ming Ruan: ?

The scene Xie Gewen witnessed happened because of what started when he ran out to hunt.

After the gray wolf left, Ming Ruan sorted through his thoughts.

He connected the dots: the wolf always seemed to glance at the surveillance camera near him before doing anything.

It wasn’t hard to guess. The gray wolf’s owner must have set some rules for it, like maintaining its wild nature, hunting for itself, and not accepting handouts…

But the gray wolf was clearly very averse to hunting animals.

Ming Ruan pondered for a long time.

Ultimately, he decided to secretly give the gray wolf some special treats on the side.

But if he was going to do that.

Ming Ruan’s round, bright eyes looked at the camera.

Then this thing had to be avoided.

Ming Ruan darted around the house, testing how to shake off the camera, to no avail.

In a flash of inspiration, he suddenly remembered that this little camera seemed to automatically shut off whenever he dressed or undressed.

Ming Ruan looked thoughtful.

Inside the live stream room, the audience watched in confusion as Ming Ruan bounced around the room, doing a few sit-ups one moment, then a few half-hearted push-ups the next.

[Ming Ruan has a daily exercise routine?]

[LOL, back when he was scraping by in the entertainment industry, jumping twice on a variety show left him panting like crazy. And now he’s exercising?]

[? Are you guys incapable of anything else, discussing this now? No one finds him incredibly tempting right now?]

[He looks so soft, my phantom limb is standing up]

[Sorry, sorry for my morals, I’m going to bow down to Ming Ruan’s beauty for now]

[Ming Ruan is the type perfectly suited to be tied up at home by some righteous big shot. The moment he does something wrong, he’d be flipped over and disciplined harshly, not stopping until he admits his mistake.]

The crowd watched as Ming Ruan exercised diligently for a while. Then, like a vigilant little animal, he glanced at the camera, tentatively lifted the hem of his shirt, and wiped the sweat from his face.

As the hem lifted, the pair of exquisite back dimples were half-hidden, half-revealed, appearing and disappearing. His skin fair, waist soft, it bewitched people, making them want to press a hand against it to confirm the feel.

[!!!]

The live stream room was instantly flooded with a full screen of exclamation marks.

Ming Ruan didn’t like sports, even before transmigrating. But he’d seen those classmates who loved playing ball wipe sweat this way. Surely the boss wouldn’t notice he was deliberately trying to turn off the camera.

Besides, this move was pretty cool!

Ming Ruan felt quite good about himself.

But the camera feed hadn’t disappeared yet.

It seemed he could only…

“It’s so hot.” Ming Ruan wiped his forehead, muttering loudly as if afraid no one could hear. Then, as he walked towards the bedroom, he crossed his arms, grabbed his shirt, and pulled it upwards—

Amidst the squeals of the live stream audience, the last frame of the broadcast froze on the fabric dangling from Ming Ruan’s fingertips, and, through the gaps in the fabric, the faintly visible head of a gray wolf peeking through the window.

[So delicate!!!]

[Case closed, family!! Case closed!!! You think Ming Ruan is trying to seduce you? No!! His ultimate target is Xie Gewen!!!!]

[Holy crap, holy crap, I’m genuinely shocked. If Ming Ruan had skills like this, why bother messing with the real young master? Why didn’t he start teaching classes sooner!!]

[I don’t get it. How come no rumors came out before about people wanting to hook up with Ming Ruan? Has everyone lost their worldly desires?]

[He’s really good at fishing. Every move feels meticulously designed.]

[I’m starting to think the Council Speaker really might be moved, family! Not just because of that last incident. I posted an analysis thread, everyone can go check it out! Suddenly, it feels so thrilling!!]

The camera finally disappeared.

Yes! Experiment successful! So just this level was enough.

That was totally fine. Back in the dorm during summer, who didn’t go shirtless?

Ming Ruan set off a little firework of encouragement in his heart.

And then, the timeline reached the present moment of Xie Gewen’s frantic escape.

Ming Ruan hurriedly threw on some clothes and chased out, calling twice without getting him back, feeling a bit baffled.

But he quickly reasoned it out.

Animals, well, they’re all like that.

Just think about cow cats.

But with the live stream just cutting off and this unexpected situation happening, he should probably report it to the boss.

Ming Ruan, a bit tired, nestled into the sofa, pulling his legs up so his chin rested right on his knees.

He opened the boss’s contact.

But a message popped onto the screen.

[Do you need to turn off the body camera?]

…Ah, he totally got caught.

Ming Ruan’s heart thumped faster, his face slowly flushing completely red.

He looked up, just in time to make eye contact with the restarted camera.

Ming Ruan: …

Blushing, Ming Ruan slowly averted his gaze.

His face was so hot.

Never mind, never mind, he’d go outside and catch some air later.

What to do about getting caught red-handed by the boss?

His actions weren’t really proper anyway. Since he was caught, he should just communicate properly.

Ming Ruan barely managed to calm himself down.

Head bowed, he typed furiously. Before he could send his essay of self-confession, another message popped up in the dialogue box.

[If you have special circumstances requiring the camera to be turned off, you can send me a letter.]

Ming Ruan quickly deleted the confession essay from the dialogue box, typed and retyped for a long time, revising the phrasing and punctuation several times, and finally sent one line:

[Okay okay, thank you, Boss!]

…Ah.

Ming Ruan silently flipped himself around, facing the inside of the sofa, and nestled in again.

Like a little mushroom.

He suddenly thought of something and hurriedly typed away.

[Boss! I wanted to ask, is the gray wolf allowed to accept meal plans and feeding from me?]

Before Ming Ruan could elaborate further, the reply came quickly from the other side.

[Off-camera]

Ming Ruan pondered this. It should mean it’s allowed.

Yay!

[Thank you, Boss!!]

[Too formal. There’s a matter I’ll need your help with later.]

[Boss is the one being too polite!!]

The unskilled flattery exchange ended. The other side didn’t reply further.

Actually, Ming Ruan had accumulated many new questions today. For instance, what exactly was the nature of this Sanatorium, and what did an Executor actually do? Were the animals here truly just boarded, as he initially thought? Or… were they sick in some way, hence needing ‘recuperation’?

These things weren’t detailed that finely in the contract, but it seemed like everyone else knew and assumed he knew too.

Ming Ruan didn’t dare ask casually or look it up easily, fearing someone might discover he wasn’t the original Ming Ruan and cause bigger trouble.

But no matter what, his goal was to take good care of every fluffy creature he met, letting them live comfortably, happily, and without worries.

If there were any problems, then he’d root them out! Solve them! And that would be that!

Just like how, from now on, the gray wolf could also receive special treats and eat food he preferred.

Everything would get better!

Thinking this, Ming Ruan lifted his face and offered a huge smile to the camera. “Thank you!”

Was the boss the Adjudicator who held that meeting for them?

Maybe he had some misunderstandings and biases against the boss before.

In any case, thank you very much for your understanding this time, Boss!

The young man’s energetic, radiant smile, combined with the sweet ‘thank you’, was truly infectious.

The shameless audience in the live stream room all responded:

[You’re welcome, baby, mommy kiss kiss]

[You’re welcome, my delicate wife!]

[… The ones in front are too shallow. Did you become fans just like that?]

[Why is Ming Ruan saying thanks to the live stream room! Who is he thanking! Anxious anxious anxious]

[Anyway, it can’t be thanking us for cursing him before]

And the person actually being thanked… was currently leaping down from a tree, storing the tattered clothing nearby into a Space Button.

A pair of golden eyes stared at the young man in the live stream feed.

Still devoid of emotion or warmth.

That night, each dreamed their own dreams.

Xie Gewen returned to the Executor’s Residence stepping on morning dew.

He had experienced a Rampage just two days prior. Since his mental state was relatively stable while staying at the Residence, neither he nor the Research Institute likely wanted him to rashly change living environments in the short term.

But.

Xie Gewen crouched solemnly at the door.

Yesterday, he had finally figured something out.

Previously, the young man had exhibited some strange behaviors. At the time, he only vaguely found them familiar, but hadn’t completely understood.

Until yesterday, when he saw the young man take off his shirt and look back at him, he suddenly grasped it.

He was the Council Speaker.

Naturally, he had experienced many such scenes.

First, his beast form was practically public knowledge throughout the interstellar community. As long as Ming Ruan grew up in the Alpha Galaxy, he would definitely know.

Second, knowing full well he was Xie Gewen, Ming Ruan called him ‘Baby’, attempted to pet him, cooked for him, and even carved little rabbits.

Ming Ruan’s intentions were glaringly obvious.

He wanted to close the distance between them.

Not just to salvage his reputation.

But for the person himself.

Xie Gewen was not inclined to such arrogant speculation, but beyond this, there was practically no other explanation.

The door before him suddenly opened.

The young man was as energetic as ever: “Hi! You’re back! Don’t run off so suddenly next time you go out to play, okay!”

Sigh.

Xie Gewen brushed past Ming Ruan’s side, walking into the house. His tail swished twice behind him, lightly brushing Ming Ruan’s ankle.

Come inside, it’s cold out.

…

The problem of the gray wolf’s meals, after many twists and turns, was finally resolved.

Whenever Ming Ruan brought food to the gray wolf, he would specifically show him: The camera is off now!

At first, the gray wolf would stare silently at him and the food for a long time, its ice-blue eyes seeming to darken, less like a cold, pure snowy mountain and more like an icy ocean full of undercurrents.

But later, the wolf ate with ease and happiness.

Because of this, Ming Ruan inevitably had to bother the Boss every day, and his communication with the Boss increased significantly.

He secretly resolved to properly handle matters for the Boss later as compensation.

The only party truly harmed in this affair was the StarNet audience, whose live stream was inexplicably cut off three times a day.

But this wasn’t an entertainment broadcast after all. The right of explanation belonged entirely to the head of the Sanatorium Zone—the Adjudicator.

And after Ming Ruan realized that the animals in the Sanatorium Zone might indeed have some problems in certain aspects, he constantly observed the gray wolf.

In their daily interactions over time, he actually spotted an issue.

“Baby.” One day, Ming Ruan sat solemnly on the sofa and called out.

“…” The gray wolf was intently studying the tree outside the window, its leaves all gone.

“Baby——” Ming Ruan raised his voice.

The gray wolf didn’t move a muscle.

Who’s a baby? It certainly wasn’t him.

“Mr. Gray Wolf!” Ming Ruan made as if to stand up from the sofa.

Xie Gewen crossed to the front of the sofa in two or three strides, looking at Ming Ruan helplessly.

What was it today?