Chapter 177.3: Poaching with a High Salary
Ten minutes later.
The group split up and got into several cars.
In one of the cars, Ning Sinian and Xiang Yueting were riding together. As the road grew more and more remote, they began whispering in low voices, wary of the bodyguard in the front passenger seat.
“On the way here, Captain Xiu said in the group chat that he’d take us to see his pets. But with how deep into the mountains we’re going… what kind of pet is he raising?”
“Just look at Lucky and you’ll understand. Captain Xiu may look cold and distant on the outside, but he actually has a very warm heart. I bet he’s raising a whole bunch of kittens.”
The two bodyguards in front: “?”
These two… do they have some kind of misunderstanding about Mr. Shen?
—
At 9 p.m., the group finally arrived at their destination: the Auster Manor.
At some point, snow had begun to fall outside—thick, goose-feather-like snowflakes drifting gently from the sky.
Fang Heng got out of the car and opened the door for Shen Xiu.
Before Shen Xiu stepped out, another bodyguard opened a large black umbrella to shield him from the falling snow.
Just as Shen Xiu stepped out of the car, Fang Heng took the coat from the butler and draped it over Shen Xiu’s shoulders.
“Mr. Shen, welcome back,” the butler said respectfully. “Dinner is ready.”
Seeing the butler reminded Shen Xiu of everything that had happened last time at Bosen Manor, and he was instantly struck by the overwhelming sensation of ‘those cringeworthy, buried memories suddenly rising from the dead to attack me.’
Forcing himself to stay composed, Shen Xiu replied, “Mm, thank you for your hard work.”
He couldn’t help but wonder—just how dense was Butler Shen, to not have noticed anything wrong with him back then?
Before entering the house, Shen Xiu turned his head slightly to glance at the motorcade behind him. He saw his friends getting out of the cars one after another, each being covered with warm coats by the bodyguards. Only then did he feel reassured and spoke, “It’s cold outside. Come in.”
Although Shen Xiu’s voice was still cold and calm, those who had spent time with him knew he wasn’t just being polite—he genuinely cared about them.
Everyone responded at once.
Only after hearing their replies did Shen Xiu turn and walk into the house.
Mu Zhenchu looked at Shen Xiu’s tall figure surrounded by a group of people, then glanced at his own clothes. He couldn’t help but quietly say to Xiang Yueting, “It’s not my first time seeing it, but… he’s just so cool! Why is it that we’re dressed exactly the same now, but I still don’t feel like that at all? I just feel rough and clunky.”
He completely lacked that innate aura of refinement and elegance Shen Xiu had.
“Stay calm. I don’t have it either.”
“Chill. Me neither.”
“Same here.”
…
As the ignored Fang Mo walked past, he overheard their conversation and couldn’t resist joining in.
“According to my brother,” Fang Mo said, “Mr. Shen gained that presence by surviving bullets flying past him. I suggest you all give it a try—maybe you’ll develop the same thing afterward.”
As soon as Fang Mo finished speaking, he was met with several horrified stares from Ning Sinian and the others.
Shang Yu bluntly chimed in, “Try it and die?”
Fang Mo: “…You didn’t have to put it that bluntly.”
Shang Yu gave a faint smile, then twisted the knife: “Instead of trying to scare us, maybe you should think about how to get Captain Xiu to treat you the way he treats your brother.”
Before boarding the plane, Xiang Yueting had already shared the story of the car being blocked to Shang Yu.
And from Xiang Yueting’s explanation, even though Shang Yu hadn’t gone to Basat, he had more or less figured it out.
After speaking, Shang Yu saw Fang Mo’s darkened expression and instantly knew he’d guessed right.
Fang Mo sank into gloom, staring at Shang Yu with a sigh: “Fine, you win!”
Sigh… he was just speaking the truth, so why did no one ever appreciate him?
Shang Yu’s smile remained unchanged. “Thanks for the compliment.”
Fang Mo: “……”
He was already feeling down from being ignored by Mr. Shen. Now he failed to scare the others and even got roasted by Shang Yu—his frustration doubled.
“Gotta say, Shang Yu’s brave to talk back to him,” Xiang Yueting whispered to Zhuang Yi.
Zhuang Yi guessed, “Maybe… ignorance is bliss?”
After all, Shang Yu hadn’t gone with them to Basat. He hadn’t experienced the terror of being surrounded by Fang Mo and his gun-wielding men.
Ning Sinian nodded. “That must be it!”
Xiang Yueting sighed emotionally, “To stand up to that guy for our sake… Shang Yu, I’m literally crying!”
Song Chengwang: “……”
He couldn’t bear to burst their bubble and tell them the truth—that Shang Yu was far from the gentle and harmless person he appeared to be on the surface.
Meanwhile, Xia Wenhao, who had arrived at the Auster Manor earlier than the others and had seen Shen Xiu enter, hadn’t noticed anyone else arrive. Now seeing the group chatting out in the snowy yard, he couldn’t help but call out, “What are you all doing? We’ve been waiting on you to eat!”
“We’re coming, we’re coming!”
“Where’s An’an? Why are you alone?”
Ke Zi’an, being Xia Wenhao’s childhood friend, was also on good terms with the members of The Galaxy.
“His parents came back to the country. He went home to reunite with them. Alright, enough chatter—get in already, it’s freezing out here.”
Xia Wenhao had stepped out to call them without even putting on a coat. With snow falling outside, the temperature obviously wasn’t remotely comparable to the warm, air-conditioned interior.
With that, Xia Wenhao quickly slipped back inside the house.
The others also hurried indoors.
Because they had lingered outside for a while, by the time they entered and the house staff helped them take off their coats, Shen Xiu was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Captain Xiu?”
“Don’t tell me… we took too long and he…”
The butler came out from the kitchen and smiled as he explained, “Mr. Shen is upstairs. He’ll be down shortly.”
“Everyone, before dinner, would you like to check your rooms and see if everything is satisfactory?”
This wasn’t their first time meeting the butler. Whether it was last time at Bosen Manor or now at the mountain estate, they couldn’t help but admire his thoughtful attentiveness.
“Thank you for the trouble.”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
“Thanks, Mr. Butler.”
…
Hearing everyone’s polite thanks, the butler smiled and replied, “You’re very welcome. You are all Mr. Shen’s friends—this is the least we can do. Everything in your rooms is brand new and thoroughly cleaned, so please feel at ease.”
He turned to the staff. “Please escort the gentlemen upstairs.”
“Understood.”
Ten minutes later, everyone came downstairs one after another and took their seats at the dining table. Once everyone was present, dinner began.
Not wanting the guests to feel uncomfortable, Shen Xiu had the other staff leave during the meal.
As expected, once the others left, the atmosphere immediately lightened up under Xiang Yueting’s lead.
After such a long flight, and wanting to have energy for the next day’s activities, everyone decided not to linger after dinner and returned to their rooms to rest.
—
The next day.
At 8 a.m., Shang Yu, already dressed neatly, had just reached the corridor corner near the staircase when he saw Shen Xiu standing by the window, his gaze cold as he stared at the swirling snow outside.
Sensing a gaze behind him, Shen Xiu turned around the moment Shang Yu spotted him.
When he saw that it was Shang Yu, the wariness in Shen Xiu’s eyes faded, and he took the initiative to greet him: “Good morning.”
Shen Xiu had come to realize that not being just Shen Xiu anymore had its benefits.
For instance—
The benefit was that, even with his social anxiety, he could now force himself to speak and socialize fluently, instead of being the purely “Shen Xiu” version of himself who often stayed silent due to not knowing what to say—making things awkward.
Shang Yu: “…Good morning.”
Even though he already knew how sharp Shen Xiu was… still, just now, he had walked extremely quietly, not making a sound, and had only just appeared here—yet Shen Xiu had instantly sensed and pinpointed him.
His own level of alertness, compared to Shen Xiu’s, wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Shang Yu couldn’t imagine what kind of harsh and brutal training Shen Xiu must have gone through in his family to become so formidable.
But Shen Xiu didn’t seem willing to talk about it. Everyone had their own secrets, and Shang Yu wasn’t the type to pry—so he didn’t ask.
“Ah, Shang Yu, you’re up early too?” Mu Zhenchu came out of his room and saw Shang Yu standing at the top of the stairs, not moving. Curious, he asked, “Why aren’t you heading down?”
Shang Yu thought to himself, ‘Because someone else beat us to it,’ but said aloud, “It’s nothing. I’m going now.”
Just then, the butler emerged from the kitchen, his face carrying a warm and comforting smile. “Gentlemen, breakfast will be ready shortly.”
Everyone had gone to bed early the night before, so they were all up earlier than they usually were at home. By the time they finished breakfast together, it was only 9 a.m.
After finishing breakfast and rinsing their mouths, the group sat on the couch, casually chatting while glancing outside at the still-falling, heavy snow that showed no signs of stopping.
“The snow’s really coming down… can we still go see your pets today, Captain Xiu?”
From yesterday until now, despite staying here, they hadn’t seen any trace of pets.
So they assumed Shen Xiu must be keeping them somewhere else.
Shen Xiu answered firmly, “We can.”
“Hold on a moment.” As he spoke, Shen Xiu took out his phone and sent a message.
Not long after, Fang Heng appeared in front of everyone—holding Lucky in his arms.
Fang Heng really wanted to put Lucky down, but the cat clung tightly to his clothes and refused to let go, insisting on staying in his arms.
Left with no choice, Fang Heng awkwardly appeared in front of Shen Xiu and explained, “Mr. Shen, it won’t get down.”
Thinking about how Lucky had rolled over and winked at him earlier, he couldn’t help but feel that the cat really had some serious charm—he almost couldn’t resist petting it.
But the thought that this was Shen Xiu’s cat made him stop himself. He didn’t dare.
Xiang Yueting blurted out, “That means it likes you!”
Fang Heng instinctively turned to look nervously at Shen Xiu, afraid he might misunderstand and think he was coveting his cat.
Meeting Fang Heng’s gaze, Shen Xiu looked at Lucky and responded, “…Mm.”
Shen Xiu didn’t have the heart to tell Fang Heng: Don’t worry, there’s no need to be nervous. I don’t mind.
Besides, the reason Lucky clung to him was the same reason it clung to Zhuang Yi—because they were both so reserved.
Lucky liked to stay close to people who held back and resisted petting it. It found them… challenging.
It had absolutely nothing to do with “liking” them.
For people like Shen Xiu, who couldn’t help but pet it all the time, in Lucky’s eyes, they only held value during moments when they were holding freeze-dried treats or canned food.
“Five minutes. We’ll head to the greenhouse,” Shen Xiu said.
Fang Heng nodded. “Understood.”
After Fang Heng left, Shen Xiu held Lucky—who had failed to “conquer” Fang Heng and had temporarily returned to his arms. As he absently stroked its fur, he explained to the still-curious group:
“Lucky’s brothers and sisters are kept inside.”
Lucky’s brothers and sisters?
Upon hearing this term, everyone became even more certain of their earlier guess.
So it was just as they thought—Shen Xiu had likely adopted a whole group of stray cats just like Lucky.
Fifteen minutes later, the group stepped off the car.
Looking at the massive structure in front of them—larger than even a zoo and stretching far out of sight—fully enclosed with transparent materials, their earlier assumptions began to waver.
Inside the enclosure, though the greenery wasn’t as lush as in summer, it still resembled a vibrant autumn scene.
Outside, snow was falling heavily, blanketing everything. But the transparent walls of this massive space had no snow accumulation at all—it was clearly temperature-controlled.
Now everyone was truly confused: Just what kind of “pets” need a place like this?
Before going in, Shen Xiu handed his coat to Fang Heng and, holding Lucky, turned to his friends: “It’s not cold inside. You can hand your coats to them.”
A minute later, everyone had removed their coats or down jackets, wearing only turtleneck sweaters as they entered the transparent greenhouse.
Once inside, they discovered that the greenhouse was divided into several sections using transparent walls, each clearly leading to a different enclosure—obviously housing different pets.
Before entering Enclosure No.1, Shen Xiu handed Lucky to Zhuang Yi.
Thinking of Arles’ size, he warned his friends—who hadn’t yet stepped inside—through a circular opening in the wall: “Don’t be afraid. Arles might be big, but he’s very gentle…”
ROAR… ROAR…
Before Shen Xiu could finish, the roar of a wild beast echoed in their ears. Shen Xiu turned to look.
The roars came along with the trembling of leaves and branches. Just as everyone instinctively tensed up, a massive lion charged straight toward Shen Xiu…
“!”
What the hell!?
Even with the transparent wall between them, everyone involuntarily froze in fear.
To keep Arles from scaring the others, Shen Xiu called out, “Arles.”
The charging lion abruptly braked at Shen Xiu’s voice and came to a halt right in front of him.
Before the others could react, they saw the fierce lion rubbing its enormous head against Shen Xiu’s arm, affectionately seeking attention.
Everyone: “……”
Raising such a dangerous animal—it does make sense to keep it locked up for everyone’s safety.
But still—
Was that terrifying display from just now… a hallucination?
Watching Arles nuzzle Shen Xiu like a big kitten, the members of The Galaxy all had the same unspoken thought run through their minds—
“Weird… but somehow, it fits.”
As expected, the Xiuologists were the ones who understood Shen Xiu best. Just like they said, Shen Xiu really had raised wild beasts as pets abroad.
“If anyone dares say the Xiuologists are wrong again, I’m not having it. They know Captain Xiu better than we do…”
“That’s a lion? Why is it so well-behaved? I don’t get it!”
“Maybe… when you’re faced with overwhelming strength, that kind of obedience isn’t so surprising.”
“Why overthink it? It’s not coming at us anyway. Isn’t this the perfect moment to go live? Give the fans a tiny dose of shock.”
Before anyone could respond, Xiang Yueting immediately turned to Shen Xiu and asked, “Captain Xiu, can we show Arles to the fans?”
Everyone: “……”
Seriously, sometimes they were so envious of Xiang Yueting—he said whatever he wanted, lived freely, simply, and joyfully.
Shen Xiu didn’t mind at all. “Go ahead.”
In China—
News of The Galaxy heading to Yicheng together had already been captured that very day, so fans and netizens all knew they were there.
When Xiang Yueting’s livestream opened, everyone thought he was going to show off the snowy scenery of Yicheng.
What they didn’t expect was that the moment they clicked into the stream, they’d see a majestic lion with a thick mane, rolling on the ground in front of Shen Xiu—exposing its belly like a cat…
