Wen Feiran frowned slightly, his expression composed. His slender shoulders and back seemed to grow broad and imposing, radiating a reassuring strength.
"I only have one idea."
Wen Feiran said solemnly, "Kneel down and beg him not to die."
Chapter 12: Welcome the next disgraced man
The air seemed to freeze.
The corners of Su Shangting's mouth twitched twice. He looked at Wen Feiran, starting to speak but stopping himself.
How had he never realized Wen Feiran was so funny? He could even joke around in a situation like this.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard a thud beside him.
Without a moment's hesitation, Zou Yuxing dropped to his knees and prostrated himself on the ground, knocking his head against it twice with loud bangs. "Master Chicken—no, Ancestor! I really didn't mean it! You just looked too much like a pheasant. No, I was too ignorant! Please give me another chance. I'm still young. I don't want to die!!"
In response to his heartfelt plea, the Life-Sentence Chicken kicked out both legs, lay down on the ground, and closed his beady eyes.
Zou Yuxing: !!! I'm done for!
As soon as the Life-Sentence Chicken died, his body seemed to go into rigor mortis. His claws were stretched out straight, but his body was so round that they couldn't even touch the ground.
The scene grew deeply bizarre. Time seemed to have been paused, and all three people in the room froze.
Su Shangting and Zou Yuxing were bitter enemies, and he was happy whenever Zou Yuxing suffered. But now his feelings were complicated, and there was pity in his eyes. "It's not that bad."
Zou Yuxing was reeling from the blow and hoping someone would pull him back up. He looked at Su Shangting expectantly.
Su Shangting pressed his lips together and comforted him. "You might not die. At worst, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison."
"..."
Wen Feiran looked at Zou Yuxing's face and thought he might be about to join the Life-Sentence Chicken.
He cautiously took a step forward, trying not to make a sound, and squatted down in front of him.
As if sensing his gaze, the Life-Sentence Chicken's eyelids fluttered twice, his beady eyes radiating pure stupidity.
"He's a-alive!" Zou Yuxing gasped and was so startled that he lost his balance. But he had learned his lesson this time. He held himself in an extremely stiff position and didn't dare make a sound.
Wen Feiran let out a long breath. "He has a habit of falling asleep anytime, anywhere. In terrible weather like this, he wouldn't even struggle if he froze to death."
Zou Yuxing: "..."
Su Shangting: "..."
This stupid chicken must have made himself endangered all on his own!
Wen Feiran forced a smile and reassured him, "Don't overthink it. He probably just fell asleep."
Zou Yuxing was thoroughly frightened. Still holding that bizarre pose, he crawled on his hands and feet to a corner and curled up against the wall, putting as much distance between them as he could. He was terrified of being blamed again.
"What do we do now?" Zou Yuxing looked to Wen Feiran for help.
Wen Feiran could only bite the bullet. "I'll call the police and wait for them to come."
He briefly explained the situation over the phone. As soon as he put his phone away, he met a pair of eager eyes.
"What else do we need to do?" Zou Yuxing asked in a low voice.
"It's too cold. Go shut the door tight."
Zou Yuxing went on tiptoe. It was a very simple task, but it took him a full ten minutes.
"It feels cold in here too. If he freezes to death in his sleep, won't we have no way to clear our names?" Su Shangting said in a low voice.
"But I'm afraid lighting a fire might make him die of heat. Then we'd also be accused of trying to roast a chicken," Wen Feiran said gravely.
Su Shangting thought it over for a moment, then nodded emphatically. "You're right."
"But what if he gets hungry?" Zou Yuxing was already treating the Life-Sentence Chicken like an ancestor. "Should we give him some sweet potato?"
"I don't know if he eats it," Wen Feiran said hesitantly.
Su Shangting rolled his eyes. "What kind of ridiculous idea is that? What if this stupid chicken has never seen a sweet potato before, and the sight of unfamiliar food scares him to death?"
Wen Feiran: "..."
Zou Yuxing: "..."
That made so much sense.
For the rest of the time, the three of them huddled in the corner, not daring to move. Zou Yuxing even covered his mouth with his hand, afraid he'd be sent to prison for breathing too loudly.
Time ticked by, and just as the group reached the limits of their endurance, someone finally knocked twice on the door. "Is anyone there? I received a call reporting an incident."
The room was silent. A full minute passed before the door was pushed open a crack.
Three pairs of eyes crowded into the gap, brimming with tears and filled with endless fear and grievance.
Police officer: ?
After learning what had really happened, the officer smiled. "So everything you said was true. I thought... Never mind. It's been a long time since she was last spotted in the wild around here. We thought this might no longer be a suitable habitat for her. Your discovery today is very significant. I'll report it as soon as possible."
Seeing that the Life-Sentence Chicken was still alive and kicking, Zou Yuxing knew he had been completely cleared. "That's good."
"By the way, you didn't finish what you were saying. What did you think I was?"
The officer smiled and swept his gaze over the three of them. "Who made the call?"
"I did," Wen Feiran said quietly.
"You sounded so frightened, you might as well have been saying 'help me.' I thought you were in danger and couldn't ask for help over the phone, so you made up an excuse."
All three fell silent. They really weren't good Samaritans who had discovered an endangered animal, but poor souls afraid of being blamed.
The matter was finally resolved satisfactorily. Animal experts and the media sought them out afterward, and the production team had to interrupt the livestream to deal with the related matters.
The incident was still spreading online. Many netizens who hadn't watched the livestream opened Weibo and nearly exploded with anger.
#Zou Yuxing wants to eat a wild animal#