In the end, Hou Ling did not call the police.

It wasn’t because of what his professor had said, but because he discovered that every single guest staying at the guesthouse, including the children, was completely obedient to the young owner.

On one hand, this made Hou Ling even more certain that this con artist’s skills were astonishing, a true master of brainwashing.

On the other hand, it made him afraid to act rashly. He was worried that if he alerted the “scammer,” the parents and children might be in danger.

So, while maintaining contact with his colleague at the newspaper, he began looking for an opportunity to persuade the parents to leave with him.

He singled out one of the women among the parents. From his observations, she seemed very sharp and clear-headed in her words and actions. It was highly likely she had only been temporarily deceived.

As long as she could see reason, she would surely realize this was a scam! Plus, judging by her accent, this woman was a local, which would make leaving very simple.

Deciding to act, Hou Ling approached her and whispered conspiratorially, “Hello, I hear your child has emotional dysregulation disorder?”

Wang Fang turned her head and smiled. “Ah, yes, that’s right.”

In the past, she would have been upset if someone brought up her daughter’s illness, even if she didn’t show it. But now, Zhao Xing has given her hope for her daughter’s recovery. She could even discuss it with a smile.

All of this was thanks to this magical guesthouse.

Hou Ling, unaware of all this, continued with his plan. “Have you taken your child to a professional facility for treatment before? Did the doctors tell you that there is currently no specific medication for emotional dysregulation disorder?”

He had intended to gradually explain the ins and outs of the situation to Wang Fang, but to his surprise, the moment he started, Wang Fang’s eyes lit up.

She grabbed Hou Ling’s hand. “You know about emotional dysregulation disorder too? Do you have a child with this illness in your family? Let me tell you, don’t delay! Bring them here immediately!”

“My daughter was also treated at a professional facility for years, and her symptoms only slightly improved. But look at her now! She’s exactly like a normal child!”

Hou Ling followed her finger and saw Qi Baozhu playing house with another little girl.

One of the parents had contributed a silk scarf, which the two girls had draped over their heads as wedding veils.

If you didn’t know, you’d never guess these two children had emotional dysregulation disorder.

Hou Ling struggled, “But you just said, she was treated at a professional facility for several years…”

Wang Fang gave him a slap that nearly sent him staggering. “Then why wasn’t Baozhu this happy at the professional facility? It was only after coming to the guesthouse that she became normal. Can you explain that?”

Before Hou Ling could speak, Wang Fang slapped him again, making him stumble. “Let me tell you, buddy, I didn’t get it at first either. Why could a simple fragrance alleviate my child’s condition? I’ve been talking about it with the other parents these past few days, and we came up with an answer.”

Hou Ling clutched his shoulder and stammered, “Wh-why?”

Wang Fang said, “Using a fragrance to treat an illness might not seem scientific to us, but what is science? Isn’t science just about understanding the things we don’t know? Things that are already understood, those are correct, they’re the truth. But what about the things that aren’t understood? Just because we don’t know the principle behind it, does that make it unscientific? Does it become a folk remedy, a superstition? The ancients didn’t know about oxygen and carbon dioxide, did that stop them from breathing? Buddy, tell me, doesn’t that make sense?”

Hou Ling was dazed. “I-I guess so…”

Wang Fang smiled. “That’s right! So, what is this guesthouse? It’s our lifesaver! Don’t you worry about why Ah Xing opened a guesthouse here, and don’t you worry about how it was opened. The fact that it can treat our children makes it a good guesthouse! You think about that. And don’t be antisocial during lunch later.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

Hou Ling stared blankly at her retreating back, feeling like something was wrong. Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw a message from his colleague: “How’s the plan going? Did you convince the parent? Any problems?”

Hou Ling snapped back to reality and replied grimly: “What is science?”

Colleague: “?”

Hou Ling: “We cannot be biased against the unknown! Just because we can’t understand the principle, does that mean we can’t make use of it? As long as the result is good, we can accept it, even if it seems magical! Of course, as for whether the result is good, I… I still need to confirm this for myself!”

From that last sentence, it was clear his rationality was still fighting back.

His colleague on the other end: “…” Are you okay?

His colleague replied: “It’s fine if you can’t convince the parents. For now, just focus on gathering evidence of this guesthouse’s crimes. Once we have it, we can call the police, and they will definitely be able to rescue them. Just protect yourself for now…”

Hou Ling replied with a “Don’t worry” and put down his phone.

He had made a decision.

He would cast aside his biases and observe this guesthouse rationally and objectively. That was the correct way for a journalist to behave!

However, just as he made this resolution, an extremely domineering fragrance wafted over from the main hall.

Before his brain could process it, he swallowed hard, and his stomach began to rumble.

Professor Liao, who had gone to the main hall at some point, was now peeking his head out and waving at him. “Xiao Hou, come quick! I signed you up! You’ve got a spot for lunch today!”

Hou Ling called back an “Okay,” but his mind automatically began to wonder, Why do you have to sign up for a meal? This sounds a lot like a pyramid scheme. Lock a group of people up for brainwashing and have them bring their friends and family over…

At this thought, Hou Ling quickly shook his head. I told myself not to be prejudiced! Be objective, rational, and fair!

Entering the main hall, the domineering fragrance became even stronger. He followed the scent to the kitchen entrance, just in time to see Zhao Xing coming out with a large pot.

Zhao Xing looked at the man curiously. Professor Liao had told him earlier that a former student had come to visit, and that he was supposedly the deputy editor-in-chief and a reporter for a newspaper. But he looked kind of goofy.

Seeing Hou Ling staring at the large pot, he said, “Lunch will be served soon. Please wait a moment.”

Hou Ling looked at the very unappealing-looking stew in the pot but smelled the incredibly enticing aroma of the food. “Mm, no problem… slurp… I’m not… gulp… hungry at all.”

Zhao Xing: “…Right. I can tell.”

The children in the yard were called over by their parents. Shouting that they were hungry, they all crowded around Zhao Xing.

Afraid of burning them, Zhao Xing quickly lifted the iron wok higher. “Line up and wash your hands. By yourselves. I’ll be checking later. Only those with clean hands can eat, got it?”

The children drew out their reply in a high, childish pitch, “Okaaaay~~”

Then they obediently ran to the bathroom and washed their hands one by one.

The parents watched this scene with smiles, none of them stepping forward to help. They watched the little ones clumsily wash their paws, and not a single one of them frowned, even when their clothes got wet.

“Baozhu is so smart! She even knows to roll up her sleeves. Look at her, so proper!”

“Lulu is doing great too! She knows to use soap on both sides. Oh my, look at my silly son, only washing four fingers, hahaha!”

“Professor Liao, your Xin Xin is playing with the water again!”

Professor Liao chuckled. “No matter, no matter. Boss Zhao will deal with them in a bit.”

Zhao Xing put down the iron wok and looked speechlessly at the group of parents making lighthearted comments. He really didn’t get it. When they first arrived, these people had treated their children like they were made of glass.

They had been here less than two days, and now they were all hands-off. Whose kids were these, anyway?!

After washing their hands, the children gathered around Zhao Xing again, holding out their little hands for inspection like sunflowers facing the sun.

Zhao Xing checked them one by one, sending the unqualified ones back to rewash.

Once all the children and parents were seated, he brought over a ladle and began to serve the stew into bowls.

The meals at the guesthouse now resembled a communal potluck.

Whatever the ingredients, Zhao Xing just washed them and threw them into the iron wok for a random stew. He had wanted to follow some videos to learn a few simple home-cooked dishes, but he had been too busy these past two days and hadn’t found the time.

Wang Fang and another parent had offered to help him cook, but Zhao Xing hesitated and declined.

What if they didn’t wash a vegetable leaf properly and the wok started vomiting? How would he explain that?!

A random stew was fine. At least it tasted good.

Hou Ling sat next to Professor Liao, holding his bowl. He watched as Zhao Xing used the iron ladle to plop a serving of stew into his bowl with a thwack.

A strange feeling washed over him. It felt like he was being fed like some kind of even-toed ungulate omnivorous livestock…

However, the moment he picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of potato in his mouth, he had no more time to ponder this question.

This was too… delicious!

Hou Ling stared at the ordinary-looking food in his hands, his eyes wide.

His family was well-off, and after starting work, he had interviewed several important figures and occasionally tagged along for meals at five-star hotels. It wasn’t like he had never had good food before.

But even so, this bowl of ordinary stew had a special taste that he had never experienced.

The potato in his mouth was soft and flavorful, melting between his lips and teeth. It had soaked up the juices of the braised meat and was almost more fragrant than the meat itself, yet it retained the potato’s unique starchy sweetness and a hint of tomato’s tartness.

Hou Ling could tell that this was just an ordinary random stew, with only a few seasonings, and the taste was even a little on the light side. But it was just so good. It was the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves.

No matter how far humanity develops, as long as we have not shed our physical bodies, the pursuit of food is etched into our genes. And the aroma of this food, which brought out the freshness of the ingredients to the extreme, seemed to awaken his most primal craving for sustenance.

Hou Ling was only stunned for a moment, then he threw all decorum to the wind and began to eat with gusto. The way he ate, you would have thought he hadn’t had a full meal in eight hundred years.

As he was eating, his phone rang. He casually answered it.

His colleague on the other end said, “Hou Ling, what’s the situation over there? Why haven’t you replied to my messages for so long? If it’s not working out, just come back first, and we’ll think of another way…”

But after talking for a long time, he didn’t hear Hou Ling reply. Listening carefully, he could hear a faint… chewing sound?

A cold sweat broke out on the colleague’s back. What’s going on? Did he run into a perverted cannibal?

Just as he was worrying, he heard a young man’s voice from the other end of the line, far away, shout, “There’s still a little left in the pot. Who wants it?”

Then came Hou Ling’s muffled voice: “Me! I want it! I’ll take it all! Quick, pour it into my bowl!”

Colleague: ?

Hou Ling finished his meal with great satisfaction. His bowl was cleaner than his face, wiped clean with a steamed bun.

He had even forgotten that he had answered a phone call in the middle of it all, completely absorbed in the meal.

After resting for a while, Zhao Xing brought them each a cup of mountain spring water.

Hou Ling took a sip and was instantly moved to tears. Damn it! What is with this guesthouse? Why is even a cup of plain water so delicious?!

The afternoon passed quickly. Zhao Xing played with the children for a while, and then Professor Liao gave the little ones a simple literacy lesson.

Before they knew it, the sky was getting dark.

Seeing the sky darken, Hou Ling finally remembered that he still had a mission to complete!

Looks like he would have to stay the night.

Just as he was about to report to his colleague, he saw the young owner of the guesthouse walking over.

For some reason, Hou Ling always felt a little nervous facing the owner. “Is… is there something you need?”

“Nope,” Zhao Xing said. “I was just wondering, there’s still a vacant room tonight. Are you planning on staying?”

“Y-yes,” Hou Ling replied.

“Alright then,” Zhao Xing said. “A special reminder: if you don’t want to be disturbed at night, make sure you lock your door, okay?”

Hou Ling watched him leave, but his last words made him very uneasy. He randomly grabbed a parent. “Mister, is there someone on duty at the guesthouse at night? Why did the owner tell me to lock my door?”

The man laughed and said mysteriously, “You don’t get it, do you? This guesthouse has a special service at night. If you don’t lock your door, she’ll come in on her own, hahaha!”

Sp-special service!

Hou Ling was now thoroughly alarmed!

He knew that some senior reporters would go undercover to report on illegal activities, but he never thought that when it was his turn, it would be this kind of illegal activity!

He quickly reported to his colleague.

The colleague on the other end was also very nervous. He never thought it would be this kind of place.

He quickly gave him some pointers, telling him to get evidence if he could, but to leave immediately if he couldn’t. They would call him at a specific time to give him an excuse to leave.

Hou Ling memorized the instructions and nervously entered his guest room. His retreating figure, looking like a hero marching to his doom, was very tragic.

Zhao Xing, who was watching, was puzzled. What’s with this guy? he wondered. Has he never stayed at a guesthouse before?

Hou Ling couldn’t care less what others thought. He forced himself to stay awake until nine o’clock, then turned on his phone’s camera, placed it in a hidden spot, and lay down in bed, not even daring to take off his clothes.

The young man, who had only been in the workforce for a few years, was very nervous. He had heard that these kinds of places usually involved some sort of honey trap. He didn’t know if he would be able to get away in the end…

As his mind raced, there was a soft sound at the door.

Hou Ling closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, his whole body tense. Are they here? Why didn’t I hear any footsteps?

Then, he felt a slight dip in the covers, as if someone had gently patted them.

They’re here, they’re here! Someone is really here!

And then, a small hand pressed down on his chest, gently massaging it, up and down.

I can’t wait any longer… Hou Ling’s eyes flew open. “Please have some self-respect, you fallen woman!” he shouted.

He was met with the face of the little orange kitten, which was right on his chest.

Little Orange: “Meow meow meow meow meow!”

Hou Ling was completely stunned. “Wh-what’s going on…”

---

At the newspaper office, the colleague waited, watch in hand, until ten o’clock. Not daring to delay, he immediately dialed Hou Ling’s number.

The phone was answered after one ring. Before the colleague could even speak, he heard Hou Ling’s cutesy, high-pitched voice from the other end: “Don’t go~ Let me pet you one more time, just one more time~~~”

The colleague shot up from his chair. “Chief Editor, it’s bad! Xiao Hou has been corrupted by the sugar-coated bullets!”