Chapter 170: The Wolf Pup
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Unaware of the heated online chatter surrounding them, the three groups of artists set out on their respective paths after receiving their maps. Xia Xin and Jing MO chose the leftmost route, while Xu Zhi and Zhou Lian opted for the right. Lu Shi and Tian Mei settled on the middle one.
“But I have so much baggage,” Tian Mei lamented, biting her lip in distress. Her suitcase was filled with skincare products and stylish clothes, items she had no intention of leaving behind. She was hoping others might share the load. Without missing a beat, Lu Shi stepped forward and said, “I can carry one for you.”
Three more remained. Tian Mei’s eyes darted toward Xia Xin and Jing Mo. The pair was traveling light, each with only a backpack. If each could just carry one of her cases, she could manage the last one herself. Unfortunately, they paid her no attention. They had chosen their path and walked away, looking like holidaying campers from behind.
Frustrated yet hesitant to call out to them, Tian Mei turned her gaze toward Xu Zhi. Initially reluctant, Xu Zhi found his mind wandering back to a time when Xia Xin and Zhao Nan had helped him with his baggage as upperclassmen. Softening, he said, “I’ll help you,” and picked up two suitcases.
“Thank you, Big Brother Xu Zhi,” Tian Mei beamed.
“I heard Xu Zhi and Xia Xin were from the same university,” Zhou Lian mentioned, her words tinged with meaning. “He even refers to Xia Xin as his upperclassman.”
The implication was clear: if Xia Xin was younger than Tian Mei, then Xu Zhi, who referred to Xia Xin as his upperclassman, was undoubtedly younger too. Tian Mei feigned ignorance, seizing the opportunity to build up her image as a naive and innocent girl.
“Let’s go, Lu Shi,” Tian Mei said, dragging one suitcase as she left.
Soon enough, both Lu Shi and Xu Zhi were on the verge of madness. Normally, rolling suitcases on a flat surface would not be an issue. But here, the path was filled with bumps and holes, making it impossible to pull the baggage smoothly.
Throughout the journey, Lu Shi kept hinting at Tian Mei to discard some unnecessary items. She, however, pretended not to understand. She wouldn’t get rid of her treasures that ensured she looked flawless on camera.
Frustrated but restrained by the need to maintain his on-camera image, Lu Shi refrained from tossing her belongings. Xu Zhi felt the same. Although he could have asked Zhou Lian for help, she already seemed to be struggling with her own suitcase. The two teams had multiple rests on the way and spent quite some time walking to the destination.
Meanwhile, Xia Xin and Jing MO, unburdened by excessive baggage and armed only with their backpacks, advanced swiftly. Along the way, Xia Xin encountered a few injured animals, a seagull, and a wolf pup. While the seagulls were easily appeased with some crumbled crackers, the young wolf was injured. Xia Xin used antiseptic and bandages from her backpack to dress its wounds.
After receiving Xia Xin’s care, the wolf pup seemed to take a liking to her and trailed behind her, making soft sounds.
Unbeknownst to Jing MO, the pup communicated its fondness for Xia Xin, saying things like “Human, take me with you. You smell really nice and I love your scent.”
Jing MO was bewildered. Wolves are carnivorous, wild, and highly suspicious creatures. They are strong and agile, even known to harm livestock and humans under certain circumstances. He couldn’t understand how a wolf pup, even if it was young, took a liking to Xia Xin.
As the wolf nestled its head into her lap, Xia Xin sighed and asked, “Where are your parents?”
“Don’t know. Got lost,” the pup replied.
“You got lost?” Xia Xin was speechless, struck by the childlike innocence of the wolf pup. “I’m here to film a show and can’t stay here long term. While we’re filming, I’ll try to find your parents. Once we find them, you’ll go back to them, okay?”
Although clueless about the concept of filming, the wolf pup was thrilled to hear that Xia Xin would help find its parents. It snuggled further into her lap in a display of affection.
The scene set the chat room ablaze.
[Wow, is that a wolf pup? Why is it as adorable as a dog?]
[I want one!]
[That pup is so well-behaved, just like the husky at my grandma’s place. So cute!]
Seeing the audience’s reactions, the director was pleased. Inviting Xia Xin to the show had clearly paid off in spades, boosting the show’s entertainment value to new heights..