Chapter 457 - 401: How Do You Know I’m Not Bad?
Chapter 457: Chapter 401: How Do You Know I’m Not Bad?
"I don’t want to!"
Gu Ning retreated to Cook’s side, clinging to the little dog’s arm. "You... hurry up and leave!"
’She’d have to be crazy to let the guy who robbed her be her escort for the night.’
Kaper continued to unbutton his shirt, jerking his chin at her. "Aren’t you uncomfortable wrapped in that bath towel all this time? Just take it off."
’She has it on pretty tight. It hasn’t fallen off after all that commotion.’
Gu Ning clutched the knot on her bath towel. "If you don’t leave, my... that bird will come back and beat the crap out of you!"
Kaper patted the bed. "Come on, don’t be shy. Get your money’s worth."
Gu Ning held out her hand. "Give... my money back. Then it won’t be a waste."
Kaper laughed so hard he fell back onto the bed. He turned his head to look at his silly little brother. ’Fortune really does favor fools. He ended up with such a cute female.’
Seeing the Beastman sprawled out like he owned the place, Gu Ning started pulling Cook backward, not wanting to waste any more time on him. But the moment she moved, the man flipped to his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the edge of the bed.
"What are you doing?" Gu Ning tried to yank her hand away, but he had already let go. He braced one hand on the bed, leaning back slightly, and used the other to pull his collar open wider, exposing his well-defined muscles to her gaze.
Kaper asked, "First time hiring an escort on the road? You really don’t want to give it a try?"
Gu Ning’s eyes flickered to his partially exposed collarbone and the scar that stretched across it. She pursed her lips and raised a hand—
Kaper’s lips curled into a smirk as he pulled his shirt open even wider.
Gu Ning grabbed his collar and pulled it closed. "Fix your clothes and get out."
Kaper’s expression faltered.
Gu Ning took another five Crystal Stones from her pocket and gave them to him. "This should be enough for you... for a while."
Kaper glanced at the Crystal Stones she’d shoved into his hand. "You still have this much, huh?"
Gu Ning took another step back and said slowly, "You’re a proper Beastman. You’re able-bodied, strong, and you seem smart. You shouldn’t be robbing people."
"Cook..." Gu Ning paused, then continued, "My little dog, he’s a Mixed Breed, but he has always worked to support himself."
Cook proudly puffed out his chest. "AWOO!"
Kaper said nothing, his eyes fixed on her.
Gu Ning continued, "You don’t seem... all that bad. If you leave now, I’ll pretend you were never... here."
Kaper sat up straight, leaning slightly toward her. "How do you know I’m not a bad guy? It’s not smart to go around trusting strange Beastmen."
Gu Ning said, "Who said I trust you? If you show your face again, I’ll beat you up."
’She just felt this Beastman still had some sense of morality, a line he wouldn’t cross. She wanted to handle this peacefully, and sending him away with money was the simplest solution. Besides, judging by Cook’s reaction, the man wasn’t a threat to them. Otherwise, Cook would have already rushed over and bitten him.’
’And there was something about Cook’s reaction to him that was strange, in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on.’
Gu Ning glanced back at the little dog squatting behind them. He was panting with his tongue lolling out, looking happier than she had seen him the entire trip.
"I’m not a good Beastman," Kaper said as he got up. He walked past her and casually yanked her bath towel away.
Before Gu Ning’s brain could even process what had happened, muscle memory kicked in and she slapped both hands over her face.
Peeking through the gaps between her fingers, she saw the detestable man walking toward the door without a backward glance. He didn’t spare her a single look, as if snatching her towel was just a mean-spirited prank to frighten her.
Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, his footsteps halted. He turned back and asked, "What’s your name?"
Gu Ning kept her lips pressed tight, saying nothing.
Cook: "Ning... Ning!"
"..." Gu Ning pushed the peeking Cook back. By the time she looked up again, the Beastman was gone.
Hearing the door click shut, Cook let out a disappointed "Awooo..." ’Why’d he leave? Isn’t he going to stay with Ningning?’
Gu Ning stared at the closed door in a daze for a moment, then ran over to bolt it shut. She turned to the little dog and asked sternly, "Cook, who was that?"
Cook: "Awoo."
Gu Ning pinched the little dog’s ear. "You don’t know him? Then why weren’t you the least bit on guard around him?"
Cook snuggled into Gu Ning’s arms, hugging, licking, and nuzzling her. "Ning, don’t... be... mad."
Gu Ning sighed. "I’m not mad at you. Do you really not recognize him?"
’This was the first time she’d ever seen Cook act so docile toward a strange Beastman. The idea that he was just afraid of the man simply didn’t add up.’
Cook whined back at her.
Gu Ning asked, "Did he seem familiar?"
Cook: "AWOO!"
’He didn’t know who the man was, but he just felt that he should have stayed. He would be good to Ningning, just like he was. He would protect Ningning.’
"He’s... good..." Cook said, but then a feeling surged up from the depths of his memory, and he quickly corrected himself. "Bad... He’s bad!"
His contradictory words only left Gu Ning more confused.
’Whatever,’ she thought. ’I’ll just count us lucky. The Beastman only took a little money and didn’t actually hurt us.’
...
Late that night, Philinos finished giving his statement and rushed back to the hotel.
He stood at the door for a moment and raised his hand to knock, but then he considered that Gu Ning might already be asleep. He lowered his hand and took out his room key instead.
With a soft BEEP, the door unlocked. Philinos pushed it gently, but it only opened a crack.
Through the crack, Philinos could see the chain lock was fastened from the inside.
’She must really be asleep.’
He stared at the chain lock for a moment and was about to close the door, planning to stand guard outside for the night. Just then, the chain dropped with a soft CLICK. Cook had opened the door for him from the inside.
Philinos paused before entering. His gaze swept across the room, landing on Gu Ning, who was curled up asleep on the sofa. Lanuo was lying on the floor at her feet, also dead asleep under a blanket.
"Awooo..." Cook greeted Philinos before returning to Gu Ning’s side and lying down.
’The bird’s finally back,’ Cook thought. ’Now I can sleep for real.’
Philinos walked quietly to Gu Ning’s side. He glanced at the table nearby, which was covered in half-eaten food. His keen senses immediately told him something was off.
He walked over to the table. His eyes scanned the leftovers, finally settling on a chicken bone. He picked it up, sniffed it, and his expression turned grim.
’There’s a faint scent of an unfamiliar Beastman on it. It doesn’t match any of the ones who were here earlier.’
Philinos looked up at the trio sleeping peacefully on the sofa and gently set the bone back down.
’They probably just ordered more room service after I left.’
Still, Philinos felt a little uneasy.
He carefully lifted Gu Ning into his arms, placed her on the bed, and tucked her in. He watched her for a moment before getting up to inspect the room.
There were no obvious issues. Except...
Philinos picked up his bag from the bed in the inner room. It showed signs of having been rummaged through.
He sniffed the bag and detected the same fragrant soap scent that clung to Ning. ’Ning opened my bag.’
Philinos’s heart skipped a beat, and a secret, hidden joy welled up inside him.
He opened the bag and saw the short sword lying inside, right where he’d left it. The joy on his face vanished.
’She saw it. What if she doesn’t like it?’
Sensing the bag felt a little lighter, Philinos picked up the pouch of Crystal Stones, which also carried Ning’s scent.
He hefted the pouch, then opened it to check. Some of the Crystal Stones were missing.
’Ning probably used them to tip the room service staff.’
’So she used my money?’
The corner of Philinos’s mouth twitched into a small smile, and his mood brightened considerably.
He put everything away and opened his terminal, ordering his subordinates to prepare some items Ning would need the next day. As he did, he began tidying up the clothes she had changed out of.
Philinos picked up Gu Ning’s outer coat from beside the hot spring pool. He gave it a shake, and something fell out.
He bent down to pick it up. It was a... small bird doll.