Chapter 20: The Movie King and the Husky 03

“Oh? Are you alright?” Yuan Ming still asked with some concern.

“I’m fine,” Tang Bin said. After a pause, he remembered what 3376 had said earlier and mustered up the courage to suddenly say, “…I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable. You guys go ahead and have fun, I’ll head back.”

“I’ll put it on my tab.”

“Ah Rui?!” Yuan Ming was even more surprised, shocked to the point that his large tattooed arm shook.

Although Young Master Rui had always been sickly, it was mostly because of his bad temper—he often wore a stern face, and his pale complexion made people feel like he was unwell again.

If anything, his health had been bad when he was younger, but in recent years, since he became an adult, Luo Rui hadn’t been sick in a long time.

So, when he said he wasn’t feeling well, Yuan Ming was startled.

“Are you alright?!!”

“I’m fine.” Tang Bin paused again, nervously mimicking the original character’s attitude, giving him a sideways glance and saying, “Stop making such a big deal out of everything.”

“Oh.”

“……”

This really worked wonders.

When Tang Bin snapped at him like that, Yuan Ming obediently stopped making a fuss.

There wasn’t even the slightest sign of dissatisfaction, and he just asked with concern, “Should I arrange for someone to take you home?”

“No need.” Tang Bin said coldly.

He immediately turned around and walked off.

“Sigh, Ah Rui, what about Zheng Zhe?”

Tang Bin had only taken a few steps when he heard Yuan Ming ask from behind.

The moment Tang Bin thought of Zheng Zhe’s clinginess and the feeling of him getting too close, a layer of goosebumps immediately formed on his skin.

He never wanted to be near that person again.

So Tang Bin said, “Don’t let him show up in front of me again.”

He went to the parking lot, pulled out the car he had arrived in, and sat in the driver’s seat, letting out a deep sigh.

It felt like he had accomplished something major, and his whole body relaxed. His heart was still racing from the shock, but it was over. It was all over.

He didn’t dare rest just yet, fearing that Yuan Ming and the others would catch up again… Although he knew they wouldn’t, he was still scared as he started the car and drove off.

Once he left, Tang Bin didn’t know where to go. He had told Luo Yuntian he would be back late, but it was still early.

He could have gone home, but he was afraid his family would ask what happened, and he didn’t want them to think he was strange.

Not knowing how to interact with his family, Tang Bin had never had a traditional family. His upbringing had only involved Uncle Old Tree and Brother Koi. He didn’t have a father, so he had no idea how to relate to one.

Tang Bin kept wrestling with himself, unable to figure out where to go, so he simply drove around the city, letting the wind blow through the car.

The city was huge, and it would take him a while to drive around.

The closed car was empty except for him, with music pouring out from the high-end speakers, making Tang Bin feel very safe.

Moreover, after completing one round, he could do another, and another… many rounds…

Tang Bin drove until his arm was sore but didn’t want to stop.

—He had just touched the steering wheel earlier. Although he knew how to drive, he couldn’t help but grip the steering wheel tightly with both hands whenever he was behind the wheel.

It wasn’t until later when his stomach growled that he saw a row of street food stalls, so he parked the car and decided to get some skewers.

The street food stalls offered authentic local delicacies, with barbecued and skewered items as the main attractions. The aroma wafted through the air for miles, drawing many people out at night looking for a snack.

“Boss, I’ll have this, this, and this.” Walking up to a small barbecue stall, he didn’t know what to pick, so he just chose whatever looked appetizing.

The smell of the grilled skewers was strong; even without getting too close, he could already smell the rich aroma of cumin and grilling meat. But since it was grilled over a charcoal stove, the smoke was a bit heavy, and everyone waiting at the stall was in a “you can’t see me, I can’t see you” state.

No one was curious about why this person was wearing an expensive suit and driving a sports car to a roadside stall for skewers.

Of course, Tang Bin had no idea how out of place his appearance was here.

“Alright, that’ll be 18 yuan!” The boss shouted in a boisterous voice, while placing Tang Bin’s skewers on the grill.

Tang Bin reached into his pocket and smoothly pulled out the original owner’s wallet.

The wallet was stuffed. He opened it briefly and saw a thick wad of red RMB notes. At first glance, there must have been dozens of bills.

He took one out and handed it to the boss. The boss was busy, and when he saw it was a “large bill,” he hesitated and said, “Do you have change, boss? I can’t make a change right now. How about you just pay with a QR code? Here, scan this.”

“Oh.”

Tang Bin had no objections. He took the money back and pulled out his phone, intending to pay via WeChat.

But just as he opened the WeChat payment page, Tang Bin couldn’t help but open his mouth wide, almost forming an “O” shape.

Looking at the numbers displayed on his phone screen amidst the smoky barbecue air, Tang Bin quietly and discreetly counted the zeros.

One, two, three, four, five, six… Ah!

It was only after several hours in this world that he truly realized the amount of money the system had allocated to him was not just a small sum!

He vaguely remembered from the original owner’s memory that this six-digit allowance had been transferred to him earlier in the morning by Luo Yuntian’s wife, who was his mother.

Because the original owner had told his mother in advance that he would have a party with friends that night, and the money was for him to treat his friends to food and fun. The birthday gift was separate…

The young flower demon, who had just entered the human world and had not yet truly experienced human hardships, should have been unaware of the fleeting nature of money.

But whether it was due to the influence of the first role he had assumed, Tang Bin couldn’t help but be astonished when he saw that long string of digits on his phone screen. He carefully glanced around, and seeing no one paying attention to him, he quickly scanned the QR code.

Then, Tang Bin used 18 yuan from his six-digit allowance to buy himself a skewer, solving his hunger for the moment.

The skewers didn’t actually taste as good as they smelled.

After all, it was a street food stall, not so cleanly or delicately prepared. Many parts were overcooked and charred, and they might even have been grilled with gutter oil. Even Tang Bin didn’t find them very tasty.

But fortunately, the skewers were coated with a thick layer of cumin and chili powder, and the flavor of the meat itself made it quite satisfying. Tang Bin didn’t want to throw them away, so he sat at one of the small plastic tables by the street vendor, devouring one skewer after another.

“Ah! Where did this dog come from?!”

Tang Bin was happily eating when he suddenly heard a woman’s high-pitched scream from the table next to him.

The scream was as sharp as a soprano, cutting through the air, and even Tang Bin was startled.

“Ahh! Get it away! I’m scared! I’m scared!”

In a matter of moments, the girl, terrified of dogs, had jumped onto a plastic chair.

Tang Bin followed the sound and saw a little fluffy gray dog running past their table—apparently, the dog was also startled by the girl’s scream and, with its legs stretched out, ran straight toward Tang Bin.

“It’s just a stray dog, what are you scared of?”

The girl’s boyfriend, also shocked by her scream, saw that the dog was leaving and comforted her, assuring her that the dog wouldn’t bite, so there was no need to be afraid.

“Why are there so many stray dogs these days? Didn’t they say they were getting rid of them?”

The girl seemed to be really scared and, no longer in the mood to continue eating skewers, muttered a few more complaints before leaving with her boyfriend.

Tang Bin, however, couldn’t help but feel sorry for the dog that had been frightened away. The dog was still fairly young, with its ears perked up. It wasn’t a small dog—it looked more like a medium or large breed, only a few months old.

It had a cute, round face, but after being frightened, it ran a couple of steps before stopping. It lay down on the ground as if exhausted and hungry, unable to move anymore.

Tang Bin couldn’t bear to see it. He waved his hand at the dog.

The little dog saw him, but instead of running over, it turned its head and completely ignored him.

Tang Bin was a bit confused but didn’t get upset. Since the dog wasn’t coming over, he decided to go to it. But just as he got close, the dog turned its head and looked at him with a fierce expression, even baring its teeth at him.

“…”

Tang Bin had originally planned to pet the dog but was startled by its aggressive look and hesitated to reach out.

However, he didn’t give up. Instead, he softly spoke to the dog, “Are you hungry? I have food here. Do you want some?”

Upon hearing this, the dog stopped showing its teeth. Tang Bin tried getting closer again, and this time, he didn’t meet the dog’s hostile gaze.

Feeling a bit braver, he crouched down and slowly moved closer to the dog, trying to pet its furry coat.

But in the end, Tang Bin didn’t get the chance to touch it.

Just as he was about to reach out, he noticed that the fur on the dog’s back was clumped together by a dark brown liquid, which was slowly seeping out.

Upon a closer look, he saw a deep wound between the matted fur, and it seemed that the dark liquid was coming from that injury.

“Ah! You’re hurt!” Tang Bin instinctively shouted.

The dog, still lying on the ground, didn’t react much. When Tang Bin shouted, it just looked at him calmly, almost as if it thought he was overreacting.

Tang Bin turned around in place, not sure of what to do.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the large gash on the dog’s back and how much it must have hurt. He felt extremely anxious, unable to decide what to do next.

But the people around were indifferent. Some of them heard him shout and came over to take a look, but as soon as they heard the dog was injured, they quickly walked away.

—It’s just a stray dog, who knows what kind of bacteria it’s carrying. And now it’s injured, who knows if it’ll suddenly jump up and start biting people?

The people around were pointing and gossiping, but none of them were willing to help. Tang Bin, not sure of what to do, suddenly heard someone run up to him and ask, “Is this your dog?”

“No.” Tang Bin shook his head.

“This dog’s about to die. Don’t bother with it. Leave it to me, I’ll bury it for you,” the man said.

The dog on the ground suddenly showed its previous fierce expression again. This time, it even got up on its four paws, looking as though it would bite the man if he got too close.

Seeing this, Tang Bin immediately shook his head vigorously, “No! Look, it’s standing up, it might not die!”

“Hey, I think you’re an idiot,” the man changed his tone, becoming forceful. “Don’t meddle with things that aren’t your business, get out of the way!”

Tang Bin had initially been focused on the dog and hadn’t paid much attention to the man. Now that he noticed the man’s casual attire, aggressive expression, and large build, he suddenly remembered a news story he had seen somewhere, where people caught stray dogs and sold them to dog meat restaurants.

Now, looking at this man, he couldn’t help but feel that he looked exactly like one of those who would catch stray dogs.

“No!” Tang Bin responded, instinctively shuddering. He was afraid the man might hit him, his heart racing with fear.

But to prevent the man from taking the dog and selling it to a dog meat restaurant, he mustered up the courage and, without thinking, scooped the dog up in his arms, saying firmly, “No! This dog is mine now, I’ve decided to keep it. Why should I give it to you!”

The dog, which had been extremely aggressive just moments before, let out a small whine when suddenly picked up, but didn’t struggle.

It seemed to realize that the person holding it was trying to save it. Perhaps it was also in pain from its wound, and feeling the excruciating pain, it shivered in Tang Bin’s arms, still glaring fiercely at the man.

It seemed like if the man made any move, it would leap at him and tear his throat apart.

“Hey… you look like a man, but it turns out you’re an idiot.” The man, who often dealt with stray dogs and had done all sorts of nasty things, had never encountered such a vicious-looking dog before.

He was momentarily startled by the dog’s fierce expression, but soon recovered and sneered. With his experience, he didn’t think the dog was much of a threat.

He didn’t seem interested in saying more, and started walking towards Tang Bin.

There were a lot of people watching the scene around the barbecue stall, but none of them stepped in to stop it.

It was already dark, and no one wanted to get involved in trouble.

Tang Bin overheard whispers from the crowd, with some saying that the dog looked too aggressive and wondered how it got injured, advising that it should be taken away quickly. As Tang Bin grew more afraid, he began to step back, trying to think of a way out.

Just then, the crowd parted, and two tall men walked quickly up to Tang Bin, asking, “Young Master, what’s going on? Is someone causing trouble?”

Both men were dressed in suits, one wearing a Bluetooth earpiece, with tough expressions on their faces.

Even though it was dark and they weren’t wearing sunglasses, their posture and the way they immediately called him “Young Master” made it clear what their role was—bodyguards.

“Phew… It’s fine.” Tang Bin sighed with relief.

The original owner’s memory had these two men in it—they were indeed bodyguards hired by Luo Yuntian.

In order to avoid attracting attention, the bodyguards didn’t usually appear unless something obvious happened.

Since Tang Bin had just taken over the body and wasn’t fully familiar with it yet, he had momentarily forgotten about them.

As soon as the bodyguards appeared, the previously arrogant thug immediately shrank back.

Without any hesitation, he apologized to Tang Bin, saying, “Sorry, big brother. I didn’t know any better.”

Tang Bin furrowed his brow and said firmly, “From now on, you’re not allowed to bully injured animals.”

He forced himself to continue, “Otherwise, every time I see you, I’ll hit you!”

The latter part of his words sounded a bit hollow. Tang Bin knew that even if the man did something bad again, he wouldn’t be able to stop him.

There were too many miserable and pitiful animals in this world, and it wasn’t as simple as wanting to help—he couldn’t take care of them all.

He knew full well that he couldn’t actually do anything, so the threat felt somewhat weak.

Fortunately, the two bodyguards standing beside him provided some backup. One of them angrily spoke, “Did you hear our young master’s words clearly?!”

“Yes, yes, I heard, I heard clearly.”

“Then get lost!”

The man was scared off, and the onlookers also stopped gawking and scattered.

The area around the barbecue stall became quiet again, leaving only the bewildered barbecue vendor staring at Tang Bin, who was holding the dog, as he walked away with his two bodyguards.