Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Shang Xi had no idea what had happened to her friend.
She was tired today and went back to her room to freshen up early.
Gu Wen fed his son, Lengquan, ahead of time, and when the night completely enveloped them, he called the five werewolves to leave.
Shang Xi silently watched their departing figures from the balcony of her room.
The one leading them was Gu Wen, followed by five werewolves.
She knew what they were going to do.
They were going to capture those fallen bad wolves.
Just like humans, there are good and bad ones among them.
Among the five werewolves was Black Tail. He noticed Shang Xi's gaze and waved his hand with a smile, saying, "Hey, Shang Xi, enjoying the cool breeze there?"
Shang Xi chuckled in response, "Yeah, take care and stay safe."
The other werewolves turned back and waved at her, saying, "No problem, we'll be back soon."
Only Gu Wen, without even glancing back, got into the car, seemingly uninterested in their conversation.
Green Tail waved his hand and said, "We're off, Shang Xi. You should get some rest. Goodnight."
Shang Xi waved back with a smile. Except for Gu Wen, she really liked these werewolves. Each one of them was sincere and adorable, treating her and her son very well.
She cherished this experience.
Tomorrow, she wouldn't be working, and as parents, she and Gu Wen would take Shang Bao out to play.
She also thought about cooking a big meal for them tomorrow.
Little did she know that something unexpected would happen...
When the entire city fell into slumber.
A young man who stayed up late turned off his phone and prepared to go to the bathroom before going to sleep. He yawned and, as he passed by the window, saw a dark shadow leap across.
The young man froze, still in the yawning position.
Was it just an illusion?
He lived on the top floor, the ninth floor, which wasn't too high.
What was a dark shadow flashing by in the middle of the night on the ninth floor?
He trembled in fear, thinking that there were no ghosts in this world!!
On the rooftop, there were three werewolves standing.
One of them had an unusually tall figure. He stood upright in human form, revealing huge ears and a tail. Just by standing there, he exuded a daunting pressure that made people instinctively want to submit to him.
His narrow, slanted eyes emitted a fierce, eerie green glow.
"Pack leader, there is still one left."
"Pack leader, that one has completely fallen. It carries the scent of having fed on its kind."
The black and gray werewolf who spoke blinked his eyes, seemingly full of disbelief and sorrow. "It seems... it smells like... Gray Tail."
Then, in that instant, the pack leader's imposing green eyes widened. He fell silent for a while, unable to utter a word.
Black Tail's eyes turned red, growling lowly, "Pack leader, I'll go bite that scum to death! To hell with the regulations! Why should I hand him over to the Administration Bureau? He... he ate Gray Tail, I'm going to kill him!!"
Referred to as the pack leader... that is, Gu Wen. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "When Gray Tail came to Nanfeng Courtyard... he was about fifteen years old?"
As he said this, several werewolves let out a howl, transforming into their full wolf forms. They scratched the ground vigorously with their claws, nuzzled against Gu Wen's legs, their tails and ears drooping, and mournfully howled, one after another...
That was the mournful cry of the werewolves.
Gu Wen's voice carried a hint of tension: "Act according to the law, catch and hand over to the Administration Bureau."
The werewolves nudged his legs forcefully.
As the administrator, Gu Wen remained steadfast: "If it can't be done, this mission is over. Return to Nanfeng Courtyard."
In the end, with red eyes, not a single werewolf flinched.
They leaped within the tall buildings constructed by humans, moving effortlessly as if on level ground. The moonlight shone upon them, and each werewolf carried a mournful and resentful hatred.
Black Tail suddenly shouted, "I see it..." Before he could finish, a tall figure had already leaped and pursued, landing on the ground from the tenth floor in an instant. Within a few seconds, the agonizing howl of pain could be heard after being bitten.
Caught.
The pack leader was caught.
All the werewolves rushed forward.
That fallen werewolf, emanating a foul stench, was now like a pile of rotting flesh. Its appearance was drenched in blood, with flesh and blood blurred. Only its agonizing cries indicated that it was still alive.
Amidst the strong smell of blood, a familiar taste came from its mouth.
It was the taste of Gray Tail's flesh.
Gu Wen forcefully closed his eyes, thinking of the gray-black werewolf that always followed behind him.
He inherited a business empire in the human world thanks to his grandmother's efforts. He thrived in the human world where pure humans' money could buy the tenderest meat. He had plenty of money, and he accepted werewolves who sought refuge with him, unintentionally saving some of them.
The gray-black young werewolf, saved by him, seemed to hold an immense gratitude and admiration for him.
Gu Wen felt that he had merely done what was expected.
Many werewolves followed him, and there were many places that required his attention. He had little time to spare, so he didn't pay much attention to the gray-black young werewolf. As long as they stayed safe in the house and didn't cause trouble, living a peaceful life was enough.
Whether they chose to stay or go was up to them.
That night, the extremist young werewolf attacked in the middle of the night... um, no, it frightened the mother of the cubs.
He said those words: "She probably doesn't want to see you anymore."
At that time, he was indeed somewhat angry.
When he saw the blood on the mother cub's forehead, he didn't want to hear his explanation.
He didn't want to hear him defend himself, saying things like, "It wasn't an attack, I just wanted to scare her."
Black Tail and Green Tail went mad and bit the werewolf as if possessed.
They watched as it took its last breath.
"Enough, take him to the Administration Bureau," Gu Wen spoke up.
"Master, please, let us avenge Gray Tail!"
"Master! Don't you want to avenge Gray Tail? He used to... admire you the most, loyal to you," Green Tail's voice choked with sobs.
Gu Wen's face showed no expression, only a deep voice: "I said, take him away and hand him over to the Administration Bureau."
The werewolf with brown ears remained silent all along, then suddenly spoke, "If... Shang Xi hadn't come to Nanfeng Courtyard, it would be better."
Black Tail snarled, "Brown Tail! What nonsense are you talking about!"
Brown Tail's eyes reddened with tears. "Isn't it true? Wasn't it her? Wouldn't Gray Tail scare her for the sake of the pack leader? He just wanted to frighten her! The pack leader had no choice but to drive him away, so he ended up..." Brown Tail couldn't continue speaking.
"Although I don't want to believe it, I also think... it's true," said Green Tail.
"We can't blame her either," added Black Tail.
Meanwhile, Green Tail lowered his head and remained silent.
"You're all in the wrong!" exclaimed Black Tail.
Brown Tail suddenly sneered, "Black Tail, are you alright? Why do you keep defending her?" He glanced at Gu Wen and continued with a mix of sorrow and anger, "Could it be that you have feelings for Shang Xi?"
"You!" Black Tail grew furious. "Are you insane? I treat her well because she's the mother of our pups!"
"I am insane! Gray Tail is dead! Don't you understand? He was eaten!" Brown Tail shouted, tears streaming down his face. "Aren't you all saddened? Gray Tail... he's dead!! He was so pitiful, without wolf parents, abused by humans..."
For a moment, no one spoke among the werewolves.
The heavy atmosphere of grief was suffocating.
After an unknown period of time, Gu Wen left without uttering a word, carrying the last breath of the "rotten meat."
The other werewolves were stunned for a moment, wiped their eyes, howled in anguish, and followed him.
They forgot how they had carried that damned culprit to the Administration Bureau.
And they forgot how they silently returned to Nanfeng Courtyard with their pack leader. As long as they followed the pack leader, they could control their bodies, know what they needed to do, and find their purpose.
3 a.m.
Cang Ling sat on the sofa in the ground-floor living room, eyes closed, pretending to doze off. Tonight, he was the werewolf on duty.
He opened his eyes when he heard movement.
He saw Gu Wen at the forefront and walked over to him.
"Pack leader, is it a difficult matter that made you return so late this time?"
Then he saw the werewolves behind Gu Wen, with drooping ears and tails, emanating an aura of sorrow and grief.
Cang Ling froze, his scarred face that had always been indifferent, became stiff.
...
That night, the werewolves couldn't sleep. Some climbed to the rooftop, some went to the lawn, and some went to Gray Tail's favorite spot, howling in their werewolf sorrow.
"Awuu—"
"Awuu—"
Shang Xi was fast asleep, exhausted from her daytime work, and didn't hear a thing.
But beside her, her little wolf pup, curious, opened its eyes wide and quietly snuck out, meeting its father at the doorway.
The father stared at him with pitch-black eyes and said, "Go back to your room and sleep. I'll play with you tomorrow."
"Oh." Baby Shang put aside its curiosity and silently returned to its room.
At 6:30 a.m., Shang Xi woke up.
She hadn't slept well, burdened with several dreams that left her more tired than before.
She got up quietly, got dressed, freshened up, and went to the kitchen to prepare food for the werewolves.
As she was about to enter the staircase, she encountered Green Tail.
Smiling, she greeted him, "Good morning, Green Tail! Why are you up so early?"
She remembered well that Green Tail had gone out with Gu Wen last night, but she didn't know what time they came back.
Green Tail tugged at her lips awkwardly and didn't say anything, quickly retreating to her room.
Shang Xi thought Green Tail's behavior was strange, but she didn't dwell on it. She watched his back and called out, "Come down for breakfast later. I'm not going to work today, so I'll cook."
She also wanted to ask if he was injured.
Oh well, she would ask later.
The two aunties were unaware of what happened last night and smiled when they saw her.
"Aunties, I want to make something."
"What do you want to make? Shall we help you wash?"
Shang Xi smiled and said, "Thank you, but I'll manage."
The three of them busied themselves in the kitchen.
Strangely, Shang Xi had finished cooking, and it was already eight o'clock, but there was still no sign of the werewolves in the living room.
"With Gu Wen added, there were six of them last night, right? They must still be asleep. What about the others?" Shang Xi wondered.
She was closer to Red Tail, so she sent a message after thinking for a while: "I've made something delicious. Are you awake? Come down and eat."
After a while, Red Tail replied, "I'm not hungry, so I won't eat."
Shang Xi typed with concern, "Are you not feeling well?"
As she was typing, she saw Gu Wen coming down the stairs wearing casual black clothes.
His fair face didn't reveal anything, as if nothing had happened. He sat at the main table.
Shang Xi glanced at him, hesitated for a second, and thought it would be polite to ask, "...Would you like to eat? I made it."
Gu Wen's gaze moved over the several dishes in front of him.
"Thank you, but I won't eat."
"Oh... You're welcome."
Shang Xi kept looking up at the staircase, hoping to see one of the werewolves come downstairs.
But there was still no sign.
She had no choice but to look at Gu Wen and say, "By the way, did everything go smoothly last night?"
"I remember Black Tail, Green Tail, and Brown Tail went. Oh, and Yellow Tail and Blue Tail too. I hope no one got hurt," she thought for a moment.
She remembered the name of each werewolf.
Could it be that someone got injured, and that's why they haven't come down?
Otherwise, with their keen sense of smell, she thought they would have rushed down with their howling, based on what she knew about them.
Gu Wen stared at her intently and replied with two words, "No one."
Shang Xi breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, I was worried someone might be hurt."
Hearing her obviously concerned voice, Gu Wen paused.
However, Shang Xi noticed a red bloodstain seeping through Gu Wen's sleeve and was taken aback, "Are you injured?"
As she said that, he noticed Gu Wen's pale lips.
Upon closer inspection, she saw that the blood continued from his arm to his back. It seemed that the bandaging wasn't done properly, and blood was seeping out.
It looked like a serious wound.
"You... Shouldn't you go to the hospital? Are you still going to Moshan Grassland today?"
Gu Wen nodded, "Yes."
Seeing his current condition, Shang Xi spoke up, "Considering your condition, let's cancel it..."
"I promised the cubs, and I intend to keep my word."
Shang Xi understood this reasoning. Her son was looking forward to the trip to Moshan Grassland today. She always tried her best to fulfill her promises to him.
But Gu Wen... he was in this state.
She pursed her lips, "Explain it to him properly; he will understand."
Gu Wen remained silent.
Shang Xi stopped trying to persuade him.
She went upstairs and returned to her own room.
Her son had already woken up and dressed himself.
The mother and son went downstairs, and the dinner table finally had an additional presence, a werewolf.
Cang Ling.
"Hey, Big Brother Cang Ling, good morning," Shang Xi finally saw the werewolf and felt somewhat happy.
"Are they all still asleep? Try the meat I cooked; last time you said it was delicious."
Cang Ling's face looked a little haggard, but he still nodded gently at her as usual, "Today, I have the good fortune."
Shang Xi smiled and pulled her son to sit opposite them.
Gu Wen was eating beef, and when he saw his son, he actually stood up and reached out his hand, "Want to be held?"
Baby Shang hesitated for a moment, glanced at his mother, received an encouraging look, then opened his arms and was lifted into his father's lap.
Usually, his father rarely did this. What happened today?
He didn't understand, but being held by his father, his lips curved up slightly.
Gu Wen didn't speak; he didn't eat much himself and started to feed the cub.
He was quieter than before.
Later, another werewolf arrived.
It was Black Tail.
"Shang Xi, you made breakfast, huh?" His complexion was pale, and his eyes were swollen.
"Come and eat; I thought you were still asleep."
Black Tail responded with a grunt, "Then I'll start eating."
His words were scarce today as well.
Shang Xi looked at his red-rimmed eyes and finally noticed that something was wrong.
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Two updates merged. Goodnight.