Chapter 40: Dinosaurs
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
When Lin Su thought about it carefully, everything actually made sense. After all, Boss Jijiao was friends with the real estate tycoon, and he had a habit of picking up the tab—big brother was never short on cash and just wanted to get to know you. Lin Su now reasonably suspected that all the prizes inside those golden eggs came from the same sponsor.
The receptionist took his ID. “How many guests in total?”
“Three,” Lin Su answered, looking around until he spotted Xu You excitedly posing in various ways with the giant statue. Chiwen and Poseidon—they might have to stretch it a bit, but they were all living by the same sea. Since fate had brought them together here, snapping a few photos seemed only natural.
Shi Wenze put down his phone. “Are you planning to publish a photo album?”
Xu You gave a victorious “Yeah! My mom wants to post it in the family chat group, for future matchmaking.”
Hearing that the photos had such an important mission, Shi Wenze crouched down and tried his best to capture the golden Poseidon in all his glory.
Xu You wandered around, convinced this place was way more fun than a budget hotel. Especially with the convertible sports car shuttle—just seeing that grand welcome told him the rooms wouldn’t be ordinary.
Before stepping inside, he’d even looked up the Louvre’s interior design to mentally prepare himself so he wouldn’t be too shocked later. But as it turned out, Boss Jijiao’s ambitions were far beyond land—there was an infinity pool built right into the living room with direct access to the balcony.
Xu You muttered, “…” Suddenly, the 18,888-yuan price tag seemed perfectly reasonable.
The suite had three bedrooms. Xu You had two all to himself, enjoying a bathtub filled with roses before a 180-degree floor-to-ceiling glass window. The fridge was stocked with snacks and drinks, all free and unlimited. Even the slippers were embroidered with golden thread—the luxury level went UP, UP!
“Want to eat?” Shi Wenze knocked on the door.
“No!” Xu You refused to leave. He wanted to savor every single second of this business trip.
Shi Wenze and Lin Su didn’t push it. When they stepped outside to wait for their ride, Lin Su suddenly realized he’d forgotten his phone. He went back to the villa to get it—and opened the door to find Chiwen soaking in the pool, loudly singing some unknown English song, tail slapping the water, spinning happily in a full flying spiral!
Lin Su blinked. Chiwen blinked back. They stared at each other for a few seconds, the atmosphere slightly awkward. Lin Su calmly said, “I’m just grabbing my phone.”
“Okay,” Chiwen replied. Lin Su hurried upstairs, grabbed his phone, and rushed back down. Xu You watched him with a reverent gaze, thinking this was just a small travel hiccup he’d forget in five minutes. He planned to flick his tail in the water and snack on the fridge goodies—but then his phone rang. It was customer service, asking when the supreme private chef could come to the room.
Supreme private chef service. No foodie could resist those words. Xu You felt a little dizzy but still managed, “Is there a charge?”
“No,” came the reply. Free was good! Xu You was ecstatic. “Now, immediately, thanks!”
At the seaside restaurant, Shi Wenze asked, “Are you ordering a set meal for Xu You?”
Lin Su thought of the spinning fish dragon in the pool and felt a headache coming on. He didn’t want to say anything more. He just wanted to make up for the happiness that had been interrupted.
The private chef who showed up was a plump, cheerful man. This was probably his first customer who didn’t want photos for social media but just to keep as a personal memento—and really enjoy the meal. His expression turned serious as he shifted from “dutiful service” to “I must not disappoint this true foodie today.” Energetically, he tied on his apron and began his performance.
The planned eight-course meal somehow grew to eighteen courses thanks to Xu You’s earnest and persistent eating. If it weren’t for the afternoon mission, the count might have reached twenty-eight. The chef grew more and more proud, opening up about how hard it was to get a reservation. Aside from regular hotel work, his client list was booked well into next year.
Hearing this, Xu You felt the mushroom risotto in front of him suddenly shine with golden light, like something from Hogwarts. One bite and he could imagine flying on a broomstick—truly amazing. The magical chef was real.
When Shi Wenze and Lin Su returned, Xu You was standing at the door, shaking hands and warmly bidding farewell to the supreme private chef’s staff as if attending a leader’s reception. After everyone left, Xu You said, “He kept praising how professional and elegant my truffle shaving technique was, said I could perform at the department’s annual meeting.”
Shi Wenze tossed him his bag. “Or maybe he just wanted to encourage you to be more elegant so he can weigh the truffles by the gram.”
“No way, the meal was free.” Xu You rubbed his belly. “Hopefully, the afternoon mission won’t involve a fight. I might puke.”
“If the mission goes that smoothly, it’s worth puking. I’ll treat you to a meal after.” Shi Wenze packed up and turned to Lin Su. “We’re heading out first.”
The monster management committee office wasn’t in the CBD, but in a modest, aging residential building. Lin Su wasn’t a witness this time, so he couldn’t enter the monster area openly. Instead, he found a café across the street to wait for the two.
Chengdu’s guardian beast was an adult qilin, but Qiong City’s was a massive white tiger. Why did the white tiger guard Qiong City instead of its hometown? Well, no Northeast big brother could resist the lure of the coconut island sea breeze.
Shi Wenze handed over the files. “Hello.”
Doing many things in monster form was inconvenient. The white tiger guardian hesitated briefly. “…Ah.” The rising tone on the “Ah” sounded familiar. Shi Wenze’s brow twitched. Sure enough, moments later, the white tiger transformed into the Brazilian barbecue big brother who once appeared in the Mist Realm, passionately fought with a yak, and got electrocuted into an afro.
He was a little embarrassed since guardian beasts had to maintain a sacred dignity. But this one had publicly fought, tried a 360-degree flying kick, and ended up handcuffed by this younger guy. So the Chengdu colleagues must have done this on purpose, right? So many monsters, and they sent this one? But Zhou Yuansong didn’t. He just picked the two best employees, wholeheartedly cooperating.
Luckily, Shi Wenze seemed to have completely forgotten the bathhouse incident. He asked, “Who should I coordinate with?”
“Me. The head of the pursuit department resigned last month, so I’m temporarily in charge.” The white tiger, the real Big Brother of Bai Tianchi, gestured for them to sit. “We reviewed nearly a month’s surveillance. Yu Feizheng arrived in Qiong City on the 11th of this month, living in Building 11, Unit 1605 of Jinyu Community. He rarely leaves his home; food deliveries are left at the door. Cameras showed he only opens the door after the delivery person leaves—he hasn’t contacted anyone.”
Xu You asked, “If the clues are clear, why haven’t you arrested him sooner?”
“We suspect more than just Yu Feizheng lives in that apartment. We worry that a forced arrest could cause accidents.” Bai Tianchi explained. “There’s a hidden aura of a fierce beast. Normally, he’s only a silver ghost and shouldn’t have this. Also, his appetite is enormous—he can eat two large pots of stew and take out seven or eight boxes of rice. Apart from Taotie and a few monsters, who else can eat like that?”
The Big Eater Xu You: No Discrimination Against Appetite!
The qilin had the sharpest senses for detecting fierce beasts. To confirm whether Yu Feizheng was really living alone or just binge-eating wildly, Shi Wenze said, “Next time he orders takeout, I’ll deliver it myself.”
Xu You put his arm over Shi Wenze’s shoulder. “Use your qilin buff to make him crave hot pot tonight. Then we can both dress as noodle delivery guys and provide a two-on-one service—singing and dancing blessings for his health and safety.”
But Yu Feizheng wasn’t giving Shi Wenze and Xu You much face. Until 7 p.m., no takeout orders came through. Instead, a colleague reported that the kitchen light in apartment 1605 turned on, and the curtains were tightly closed—so he must be cooking for himself. Xu You was impressed. This guy was actually pretty domestic. They waited a while longer, and then all the lights in 1605 went out. Early to bed, early to rise—more regular than the nursing home next door.
Shi Wenze thought for a moment. “Posing as hot pot restaurant staff to get inside sounds like a good plan. Though he might still just ask to leave the food at the door, but it can’t hurt to try. Maybe it’ll work.”
The problem was, how to get Yu Feizheng to order hot pot voluntarily? Xu You suggested, “We rent a loudspeaker in the neighborhood, loop ‘A Bite of Chengdu’ to awaken the Sichuan monster’s nostalgia for beef tallow hot pot base. Then we set up a big pot right there to stir-fry the ingredients, filling the whole area with aroma—a bit of a sneaky magic attack.”
Bai Tianchi frowned. “Isn’t that a bit much? Plus, we’d have to coordinate with the property management. The more steps, the higher the chance of alerting the target.”
Shi Wenze thought this problem could be solved by Linghu Tangtang. Given Yu Feizheng’s creepy but earnest marriage proposal, there was no way he’d forget his girlfriend so soon.
He first asked Lin Su, “Can I ask Xiao Lu for help?”
“She’s an adult. You can talk to her yourself,” Lin Su yawned lazily, propping his head on one hand, watching the lights in the building opposite. “Don’t ask me.”
“Okay,” Shi Wenze said, “I might be back late. You get some rest.”
Lin Su gave a vague reply and didn’t mention he was just across the street. He didn’t want to go back either. He didn’t need to splash wildly in the pool—he just wanted to stay with Shi Wenze while he worked late.
Shi Wenze didn’t know this yet. He called Lin Lu to ask if she could get Linghu Tangtang out for a hot pot.
“Easy,” the tool girl said, cooperating but feeling sorry for her brother still working late. “When?”
“As soon as possible,” Shi Wenze said, “And she needs to post it on her Moments.”
“Moments, huh.” Lin Lu thought for a moment. “Okay, I’ll order a super pretty cake. Then wish Jia Jia… a happy weekend. Everyone will definitely take photos—hot pot will be in the shot.”
Shi Wenze was grateful for his clever sister and then made a third unreasonable request: could she have Linghu Tangtang hint that she hoped her boyfriend would join?
Lin Lu paused. Shi Wenze tempted, “I’ll reimburse all expenses and throw in Xia Jiayang’s limited edition merch.” Though they didn’t know where the merch was yet, the all-powerful Lan Weiwei could handle it.
“But she and her boyfriend broke up. The proposal was so embarrassing it went viral with ridicule,” Lin Lu hesitated. “That’s bad luck.”
Shi Wenze brainstormed, “You don’t have to say it outright. Make up a story and let her figure it out herself. Something about love, or wishes—for example, you have a cake, so blowing out candles and posting the wish to Moments will make it come true? Add a little idol blessing, that’ll double the effect.”
Lin Lu was speechless at the slick scheme. She sighed, realizing the scheming wasn’t just her brother’s talent—they were equally matched in their tug-of-war.
She promised to get it done quickly—if not tomorrow, then the day after. Although Linghu Tangtang had quit all WeChat groups, she hadn’t blocked her previous friends. Setting up a small hot pot gathering wouldn’t be hard.
Bai Tianchi thought the plan was worth a try. It was late, and to avoid suspicion, he arranged for Shi Wenze and Xu You to leave through a hidden back door. At 10 p.m., the two took a taxi back to the hotel. The villa was empty except for a bed-making attendant, who said Mr. Lin wasn’t back yet—maybe he’d gone to a garden.
Shi Wenze called him. “Are you at the hotel?”
“Done working?” Lin Su put down his coffee cup and stretched. “I’m at the café across from you.”
Shi Wenze was surprised. “Yelin Road?”
“Yeah,” Lin Su said. “It’s boring alone, so I came out. Where are you?”
Shi Wenze realized quickly. He started walking out, about to say, “I’ll come get you in fifteen minutes,” when Xu You leaned over the second-floor railing, shouting in shock, “OMG, they sprinkled gold flakes in my bathtub!”
Lin Su, “…”
Shi Wenze tried to cover the receiver, but it was too late.
Lin Su asked, “You’re already back?”
“Uh… we used the back door,” Shi Wenze said.
“Oh,” Lin Su replied.
“Stay put. I’m coming now!”
“No need.” Lin Su stepped outside. “There are plenty of taxis here. I’ll take one myself.”
“No way,” Shi Wenze insisted.
“What no way? I already hailed a cab. Twenty minutes away.”
“…” Shi Wenze was speechless.
Xu You didn’t understand what was going on but saw his pals looking tense. He ran down the stairs to ask, “Whose call was that? Any news from Yu Feizheng?”
“Nope,” Shi Wenze said. “Lin Su’s been waiting at Yelin Road for me.”
Xu You immediately said, “Uh-oh, you’re doomed.”
“Shut up.” Shi Wenze snapped.
“Fine, fine, whatever,” Shi Wenze snapped. But before leaving, Xu You straightened up and asked seriously, “So, do I still have to do my homework tonight? Please, don’t let your relationship drama hold back my studies.”
Shi Wenze raised an eyebrow. “How long is the technical surveillance approval valid from the date it’s signed?”
“Three months,” Xu You replied without missing a beat. Shi Wenze blinked. Damn, this guy actually studies hard. Since the kid’s education was important, Shi Wenze just waved him off, signaling for Xu You to head back to his room and enjoy his golden-flake bath. Whether to study or not wasn’t up to him—had to wait for someone to come back first.
Because it was too late to pick Lin Su up at the café, Shi Wenze still went to the hotel entrance to meet him. Lin Su wasn’t upset about the delay but noticed Shi Wenze looked unusually pliable, almost oddly downcast despite his tall and strong appearance. Lin Su played along, plastering a face that said, I’m fine, really. You don’t get me. This love has no chemistry.
Shi Wenze quietly took Lin Su’s hand in the nighttime garden. “I was wrong.”
Lin Su stared at the stars. “You weren’t.”
Shi Wenze said, “Okay, I wasn’t wrong.”
Lin Su choked a little. “Why don’t you just say it the normal way?”
He gave Shi Wenze a playful kick. Shi Wenze laughed and dodged, “You kicked me after I said I’m not wrong?”
Lin Su laughed despite himself. Having a boyfriend like this made life hard to be miserable. Every day was full of laughter and energy. And even if cheesy, the ‘happy planet’ vibe was way more addictive than gloomy artsy stuff.
Meanwhile, Xu You paced nervously in the villa, wondering if the two really had argued, would he need to step up as their love mediator? Shi Wenze had been gone for so long, Xu You even imagined a cheesy scene of Lin Su boarding a plane back to Chengdu alone. But since the capture mission wasn’t done, would that kind of drama be against protocol?
When Xu You’s mind pictured Shi Wenze quitting for love and wandering the world alone, leaving him to scrimp and save to pay off the mortgage, the two finally returned to the villa. Seeing their hands intertwined, Xu You sighed in relief—like a survivor of some disaster. Lin Su, puzzled by how gentle and kind Xu You suddenly seemed, still asked dutifully, “Do you have any classes to catch up on?”
“No, no,” Xu You said. “I can self-study tonight. If I don’t get something, I’ll ask tomorrow. You two get some rest.”
“Then nine a.m. sharp,” Lin Su said. “Good night.”
Xu You gave Shi Wenze a silent thumbs-up. Don’t waste this night I earned with studying!
Everyone around them was wildly imagining unbroadcastable scenarios. But who would believe that strictly speaking, these two were still just “ordinary friends”? Friends who even coordinated matching dinosaur pajamas. Who wouldn’t say, “Wow, that’s so normal!”
Because of this ‘normal,’ Shi Wenze had to take a pure bath next door—no extras in the bathroom allowed. After a while, Lin Su heard the hairdryer buzzing outside, so he turned off the shower, pulled out the worn-in dinosaur T-shirt his sister made for him. He forgot exactly what kind of dragon it was.
Remember, Xiao Lin, he thought, the key is to act casual! He rehearsed silently a few times, adjusted his expression in the mirror, then casually stepped out. Shi Wenze was sitting on the bed looking at his phone. He looked up and saw Lin Su wearing the dino T-shirt, genuinely surprised. “Why are you wearing that?”
“What’s wrong with it?” Lin Su replied, steady as ever. “Bought it last year, washed it a bunch. Perfect for pajamas.”
Shi Wenze hesitated, “But this shirt—”
Lin Su sensed trouble, “What about it? You don’t like that dino? Not all green dinosaurs are acceptable? Do you have a ‘preferred dino’ and a ‘rival dino’ or something?”
Shi Wenze denied quickly, “No, just that you rarely wear clothes this worn out.”
Lin Su relaxed. “Oh, I just think this dino looks alright, so I wore it a few extra times.”
Shi Wenze called him over. “Come here, I’ll dry your hair.”
Lin Su towel-dried himself a bit, sat on the bed, and started admiring the dinosaur on Shi Wenze’s shirt. Maybe it was love for all things related—love for the man, love for the dino—even the stubby little arms holding a beer bottle looked a little cute. Maybe one weekend they could rewatch Jurassic Park and play some prehistorically themed games.
What Lin Su didn’t know was that even dinosaur fandoms have seasonal trends—and thanks to courier Qing Ji’s effort, this T-shirt was a brand-new limited-edition sauropod release from last week. Even real dinosaur enthusiasts were still lining up for it.
Shi Wenze looked down at Lin Su’s turned-up nose and the slightly stretched collar—his heart was caught by this teasing little act. His fingers still warm and damp from drying, hair only half-dried, but he couldn’t wait a second more. He tossed the hairdryer aside and pulled Lin Su down onto the bed.
Lin Su was caught off guard, spinning like the world flipped. “What are you doing?”
Shi Wenze bit him softly, “Looking at dinosaurs.” Lin Su, speechless.
Rose scent filled the air, and the bedside lamp dimmed to a faint glow—probably even less light than stealing candlelight through a wall crack. Honestly, it was hard to see the dinosaur like this.
Lin Su said, “I still have to teach Xu You tomorrow.”
“I know.” Shi Wenze kissed his hand. “Let’s do something else.”
Something else that can’t be broadcast, but is wildly happy. Happier and more uncontrollable than all the times before combined. An hour later, Lin Su held Shi Wenze close, fingers threading through his short black hair, breathless—sweet and bittersweet—thinking, Yeah, he really loves dinosaurs.
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