33: Chapter 33 Lin Chen's Feigned Indifference

This road was desolate, with no village in front or shop behind; it was almost impossible to hail a taxi.

The streetlights were dim, but fortunately, the starlight and the reflection from the distant highway provided plenty of light.

The night wind swept across the wasteland, carrying the scent of wild grass and dust, sending a chill through one's body.

Lin Chen looked down at the still-sleeping Songsong Dog in his arms, then at the still-energetic Flame Claw Beast beside him, and sighed helplessly.

"It looks like we have no choice but to walk a bit further."

We'll hail a taxi once we reach the main road.

He stepped forward, with the Flame Claw Beast following closely behind.

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of footsteps and the wind.

After walking for quite a while, Lin Chen waved his hand towards the Flame Claw Beast and teased with a smile, "Er Huo."

"Gagu?"

The Flame Claw Beast looked up at the sound, its deep green eyes shimmering in the darkness.

Lin Chen said earnestly, "You must work hard and become very, very strong."

The Flame Claw Beast waved its claws and nodded vigorously, "Gagu!"

Of course! It had to work hard to become stronger and then wash away the humiliation of the broken engagement!

"No, that's not what I meant."

Lin Chen stopped, turned to face the Flame Claw Beast, and gently patted its shoulder, his tone serious. "Once you become strong, we will be able to earn a lot, lot of money."

"By then, we can hire a private driver and go wherever we want."

He paused, looked up at the desolate road, and sighed. "That way, we won't have to be stuck here in the middle of the night."

"Gagu..."

The Flame Claw Beast nodded thoughtfully, then quickly stared at Lin Chen with burning eyes, its expression excited.

It understood. Becoming stronger didn't just mean washing away the humiliation; it also meant being able to buy skewers and even hire a private driver.

The night wind was gentle, and the stars filled the sky.

About half an hour later, Lin Chen finally reached the main road and hailed a taxi.

The inside of the car was warm and bright.

Lin Chen placed the sleeping Songsong Dog to the side and then dialed Zhang Zhi's number.

The call was answered quickly, and Zhang Zhi's sleepy voice came through. "Hello? A-Chen? Did you find it?"

"I found it. Thank you so much for this time." Lin Chen thanked him sincerely.

"Why are you being so polite with me? It's good that you found it."

Zhang Zhi let out a sigh of relief, his voice suddenly dropping, laced with a bit of teasing amusement. "Hey, I'm telling you, A-Chen, you aren't playing the 'playing hard to get' game, are you?"

"Huh?" Lin Chen was stunned.

"Stop pretending!" Zhang Zhi's laughter became more pronounced. "First, you were meticulous, gentle, and considerate to that little guy, letting it get used to your kindness and develop a dependency."

"Then you suddenly pulled away, saying you weren't coming, making it feel anxious and empty inside."

"Once it got anxious and panicked, didn't it chase after you? And then it followed you voluntarily."

"A-Chen, you really have a way of taming pet beasts."

Lin Chen blinked. Huh? Is that what he thought?

It was late at night when he arrived home, and the living room lights were still on.

Lin Jianjun and Liu Hui were both sitting on the sofa.

Lin Jianjun held an open magazine in his hand, but his eyes were unfocused.

Liu Hui kept looking towards the door, her face showing obvious worry.

Hearing the door open, the two looked over almost simultaneously.

Seeing Lin Chen arrive home, Lin Jianjun put down the magazine, his gaze quickly sweeping over Lin Chen, his serious expression softening, and he said calmly, "I have a shift tomorrow, I'm going to sleep."

After saying that, he returned to the bedroom.

Liu Hui immediately came up to meet him, first carefully looking Lin Chen up and down, and only after confirming he was fine did she let out a sigh of relief, then noticed the Songsong Dog. "This is..."

Lin Chen briefly explained the origin of the Songsong Dog.

Looking at the Songsong Dog sleeping soundly in Lin Chen's arms, Liu Hui pursed her lips, her eyes full of heartache. "This poor little thing."

For a while, Lin Chen and Liu Hui surrounded the Songsong Dog, and Liu Hui, as a breeder assistant, spoke softly about the precautions for taking care of a malnourished pet beast.

"Gagu..."

The Flame Claw Beast was squeezed to the side. It stared blankly at the two people surrounding the Songsong Dog, tightened its claws, and felt an increasingly heavy sense of urgency.

Should it do something?

The night grew deeper. Already exhausted, Lin Chen placed the Songsong Dog in the bedroom, washed up simply, and fell into a deep sleep.

The morning sunlight woke up the room before the alarm clock did.

Golden beams of light penetrated the gaps in the curtains, landing exactly on the center of the bed, on that small mound wrapped in a soft towel.

The mound moved.

First, the tips of its ears poked out from the edge of the towel, twitching sensitively, capturing the strange sounds and scents in the air.

Then, its whole little head poked out, filled with the daze of just waking up.

The Songsong Dog opened its eyes.

Its vision was initially bleary from sleep.

But the next second, when the strange ceiling, window, desk, and computer came into view, those obsidian-like eyes widened instantly, the lingering sleepiness replaced by vigilance, its pupils slightly constricting.

Where is this?

It wasn't the white room full of the smell of medicine at the treatment center, nor was it the shed next to the farmhouse.

The strange environment made it tense its body instinctively.

It bared its teeth slightly, a barely audible low whine coming from its throat, its gaze scanning every corner of the room and every unfamiliar object sharply.

Until an orange figure swaggered up in front of it, blocking some of the sunlight.

The Flame Claw Beast looked down at the little thing on the bed, which was full of vigilance.

"Gagu?"

It raised a paw and waved it gently at the Songsong Dog, which was clearly still dazed on the bed.

The Songsong Dog seemed not to have recovered from the confusion of being in a strange environment and ignored the Flame Claw Beast.

Seeing it didn't react, the Flame Claw Beast's eyes moved. It carefully extended its paw forward, using the softest part of the back of its paw to touch the Songsong Dog's head.

The Songsong Dog shivered all over, its body instinctively shrinking back.

But it soon remembered something, remembered everything that had happened last night, and remembered why the Flame Claw Beast was in front of it.

"Gagu~"

Seeing the Songsong Dog gradually waking up, the Flame Claw Beast tossed its head towards the door, then turned and walked towards the entrance.

After walking two steps, it stopped again and looked back at the bed.

The Songsong Dog looked forward and saw the brighter light of the living room, smelling the faint aroma of food drifting over.

Rumble~

Before it could even get up, its stomach protested first.

So the Songsong Dog got up, followed behind the Flame Claw Beast, and walked out of the bedroom.

In the living room, the room was filled with sunlight.

Lin Chen happened to walk out of the kitchen, carrying two small bowls in his hands.

He placed the two bowls on the clean floor of the living room, then crouched down and clapped his hands.

To the Songsong Dog, his voice was as gentle as the morning light outside the window. "Awake? Perfect, come on, have breakfast."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Flame Claw Beast had already walked familiarly to the food bowl filled with energy liquid and lowered its head to eat heartily, but its ears were quietly pricked up, paying attention to the movement beside it.

Looking at the Songsong Dog, Lin Chen pointed to the remaining bowl. "This is nutrient solution; my mom specially prepared it for you. Eat up, and your body will become strong."

The Songsong Dog stood not far away, looking at the two steaming, aromatic bowls on the floor, and then at Lin Chen, who had a bright smile and a gentle voice.

The morning light fell on him, plating him with a thin layer of gold.

At this moment, it didn't know what it remembered, only feeling its head getting hotter and hotter, as if its whole body was steaming.

So it lowered its head.

Lin Chen was confused by the Songsong Dog's reaction. He subconsciously reached out to touch the latter's head, instantly feeling a scorching heat. "You little guy, are you having a fever?"

After Lin Chen's large hand touched the Songsong Dog, the temperature on the latter's forehead became higher and higher, and its body became hotter and hotter.

It felt its body getting softer and softer, just like it had eaten a poisonous mushroom that could make a pet beast dizzy, tingly and numb, and it was about to lie down the next second.

"Ying wu!"

The Songsong Dog used its last bit of strength to shake its head, forcibly breaking free from Lin Chen's large hand, retreating several steps, and panting heavily.

Finally, the temperature returned to normal.

It didn't dare to look at Lin Chen's eyes, quickly ran to the food bowl, and began to devour the food.

One bite, two bites... the speed gradually increased.

It didn't look up, just eating the food in the bowl in small mouthfuls, its small tail tip swaying gently behind it.

Once, and then again.

Lin Chen crouched beside it, watching quietly, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. "Are you not having a fever?"

"Is there any part of your body that feels uncomfortable?"

"Do you want to go back to the hospital to check?"

The Songsong Dog did not respond, only eating faster and faster, its head buried deep in the food bowl.

After a while, Lin Chen finally realized the Songsong Dog was fine, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

It's great; he could now be considered a Beast Tamer who owns two pet beasts.

Wait, wouldn't the money he has to spend every day double?

His smile froze.