LAVW – Chapter 139 Can’t Speak Up

Self-admiration still wasn’t enough. Merlin turned and asked, “Tony, am I even more beautiful now? The redness at the corners of my eyes makes me look pitiful yet adorable—this effect is just amazing.”

Shi Qian nodded: “Roar.”

Yes, yes, yes. Even prettier.

It was good that she was indulging in her beauty instead of being upset over some scumbag.

The only problem was that the beauty walked out so fast that Shi Qian almost couldn’t keep up.

Merlin continued admiring herself for a few more minutes, murmuring to herself about how to recreate tonight’s makeup effect.

Shi Qian felt dizzy just listening.

The process was way too complicated!

It felt harder than cultivating immortality.

Shi Qian zoned out, running the heart method he had painstakingly refined, absorbing the moonlight of the night.

Before he could complete even one full cycle, Merlin suddenly shouted, “Damn it! My makeup, my clothes… that woman won’t touch my things, will she?”

“Oh heavens, I have to go back right now!”

Shi Qian hurriedly patted the cage: “Roar roar.”

Don’t act impulsively!

After a brief pause, he barely managed to bring Merlin’s reasoning back. She frowned: “If I go back, Victor might still cause trouble. I need to find some help.”

Shi Qian nodded in agreement.

Merlin didn’t notice anything wrong, just looked at the big cat: “Should I… let you out? Tony.”

Shi Qian: …

He also wanted to help.

But if he wasn’t mistaken, in this country that had renamed itself “Ameli,” every household had wooden | warehouse | stakes.

Not something to mess with.

Even the king of the forest didn’t dare to run wild in the city.

Shi Qian stuck out his tongue, let out a soft “woo,” then tilted his head, telling Merlin—acting impulsively was too risky.

You won’t die, but I might.

Merlin immediately understood and sincerely praised him: “Oh my! Your acting is even better than mine.”

Is that really the point?

Shi Qian responded somewhat confusedly: “Roar…”

Thank you.

Persuasion successful, Merlin drove off, deciding to find a good friend for help.

“I can borrow some money from Deanna, show her the injury. Deanna is a good person, she’ll help. Then I’ll go to Victor and take my things back! That little b**** can’t get off easy.”

Shi Qian watched the night scenery outside the car, continuing to nod in support: “Roar.”

Good.

Shi Qian was multitasking in his mind, thinking about Victor’s affair partner’s comment that Merlin wasn’t very smart.

Looking at her now, it seemed that wasn’t a lie.

He had been nodding along the whole way, but Merlin hadn’t noticed a thing. Perhaps she was still caught up in her emotions and hadn’t realized Shi Qian’s over-compliance.

At night, his mysterious blue eyes fell on the back of Merlin’s head.

The night wind lifted her hair, revealing her delicate swan-like neck, giving this wandering night a cinematic, romantic feel.

But no matter how romantic, it was still wandering.

Practical Shi Qian leaned in his cage, letting out a poor man’s sigh.

“Awooo—”

Gotta make money.

Merlin, driving ahead: “Tony, how do you still howl like a wolf?”

Shi Qian earnestly suggested: “Roar roar.”

Give me a new name.

Too bad Merlin didn’t understand.

The car stopped again. Shi Qian noticed that Merlin’s friend’s living conditions weren’t as good as her ex-boyfriend’s—no yard. Also, Deanna’s house looked older and more modest.

Merlin got out and knocked on the door.

“Deanna, it’s me.”

“Merlin, why are you coming to me now?”

The door opened, revealing a tall girl with short hair, half a head taller than Merlin, wearing loose shorts and a T-shirt.

She looked down slightly at Merlin, like a strikingly handsome young man.

But Shi Qian could tell from her voice that she was actually a girl with a neutral style.

Merlin explained, “Victor… when I got home, I found him with another woman!”

The words barely left her mouth when Merlin felt an immense grievance and began to cry.

Crying, she recounted everything, finally summarizing her dating history: “No man is a good one!”

Deanna leaned in the doorway, understanding what had happened, and stepped aside: “Alright, I get it. Victor’s not a good guy.”

“But you should come in; otherwise, I’ll get complaints from the neighbors about bullying a pretty girl in the middle of the night.”

Merlin laughed at her dry joke: “Oh? How are you going to bully me? Mistaken for a guy again?”

“But—”

Merlin stood at the doorway, not stepping inside: “I still have a friend in the car.”

“Who?”

Deanna looked toward Merlin’s car.

The front passenger seat was empty, and so was the side.

Further back, human eyesight couldn’t make out clearly. Only Shi Qian’s tiger eyes, with vision several times better than a human’s, could capture the figure and face.

Merlin stammered: “Tony is… in the back, it can’t come down.

“Because Tony… is a tiger.”

Deanna frowned: “Wait! Your father’s circus—”

Merlin nodded, then lowered her head, not daring to look her friend in the eye.

Even though she had promised herself not to, her mind went blank, and she ended up rescuing the big cat.

Thinking of that overwhelming, despair-inducing debt, Merlin immediately crouched down, burying her head between her knees.

Deanna tapped her shoe against Merlin’s: “Hey, Merlin, get up.”

“Merlin, am I really that stupid? But it’s so pitiful—abused, lost its parents, just like me.” Merlin pouted and looked up as she asked.

Deanna cleverly asked, “Did they call you stupid?”

Merlin nodded, feeling upset and bothered by it.

“Don’t care about the thoughts of scum.” Deanna bent down and patted Merlin’s head. “Tonight, you look especially beautiful. Beautiful Merlin, get up and take me to meet our new friend.”

Merlin’s eyes lit up. “Really? I feel like I look great tonight too.”

Shi Qian: …

Got it, got it!

So this is how you praise a beauty like Merlin.

Merlin led Deanna to see the big cat, introducing, “Its name is Tony. It can nod, act, and is really smart!”

“The cage is too small; it’s probably uncomfortable and injured. Deanna, can you lend me some money so I can take it to the animal hospital?”

“They’re closed at night. I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

Deanna looked at the cage and the young tiger, grabbed a pair of gloves and other tools, and together with Shi Qian, moved the cage into the pickup truck’s bed.

She then prepared some meat and water, used a rope to open the cage door so the big cat could come out, but still contained it in the truck bed.

Merlin watched intently the whole time, eyes sparkling, and admired, “Deanna, you’re amazing!”

Shi Qian also stretched his limbs and raised his head: “Roar.”

Thanks.

Deanna remained calm: “Tomorrow will be the real challenge. Hopefully the animal hospital can handle him.”

“Now, can you go rest with me?” Deanna asked Merlin.

Merlin smiled and nodded. “Of course. Thank you so much, Deanna. Having a friend like you is the luckiest thing in the world!”

Merlin continued flattering the impressive Deanna with rainbow words even as they entered the house.

Shi Qian thought to himself—Merlin, you’ve got some skills.

But looking at Deanna’s gaze toward Merlin, Shi Qian felt something was off but couldn’t figure out what.

When the footsteps disappeared, Shi Qian began worrying about the raw meat.

Tigers eat raw meat.

But Shi Qian had never eaten meat like this before—raw, barely processed—just as he hadn’t liked grass before becoming a cow.

“Roar.”

Damn it.

The little tiger had been hungry too long. Driven by hunger and instinct, Shi Qian couldn’t resist and bit the meat.

The taste wasn’t bad. His physiology no longer rejected the gaminess; in fact, it was quite good.

Though it came straight from the freezer.

A bit icy on the teeth.

Shi Qian slowly ate the meat, then drank some water.

Tigers scoop water with their tongues, not much different from the last world. He handled this skill well.

Feeling no longer hungry, Shi Qian crouched and lifted a dirty white paw to examine it.

The dirt didn’t matter.

A huge cat paw!

Retractable, sharp claws!

Cool and cute!

Wanted to lick it.

Shi Qian sneakily used the remaining water to wash the big dirty paw and rubbed it clean over his face.

The big cat’s face-washing motion wasn’t much different from a kitten’s.

The highlight was just the head-shaking, adorably cute action.

After cleaning his paws and face, he left the rest of the body for the vet tomorrow.

When he woke up, it was amid the car and human voices.

Shi Qian lazily lay in the car, listening to the outside sounds.

A foreign language, only slowly understandable. Some spoke too fast, causing confusion.

But if you got up early enough, you could catch some news.

This area, near the film and TV base, was a place for chasing dreams—overnight fame, lavish wealth, flashy parties, luxurious villas… all seemingly within reach through movies, dramas, or even a song.

Thus, people set out early toward the land of dreams.

Merlin and Deanna didn’t wake up late either, but Shi Qian waited and waited, seeing no one.

Finally, after most neighbors had left, Merlin appeared with Deanna.

Merlin sat in the passenger seat, turned to the small window, and spoke: “Sorry, Tony! Have you been waiting long? Yesterday hit me hard, and today nothing looks good when I do my makeup.”

She chattered on about her feelings, like a little bird whose nest had been occupied.

Then reflected: “I got too upset, wanted to outshine that woman today, and forgot about you for a bit. Deanna reminded me to take you to the hospital, so we came right away!”

Shi Qian wasn’t angry: “Roar roar.”

Got it. You’re a poor little girl fresh from heartbreak, I understand.

And would he demand reason from a girl who’s sad about a breakup but stops in her tracks after realizing she looks good?

Expecting a scattered person to be rational—that’s unreasonable.

Shi Qian lay flat in the car, deciding to get along more with Merlin’s friends, because it was clear the new caretaker couldn’t be relied on.

But strangely, he didn’t dislike her.

He could feel a special vitality in Merlin.

Not related to beauty—maybe… intelligence-related.

Shi Qian looked at Merlin, who was promising him a feast, thinking: Cute, no brain.

You forgot, you have no money!

Soon, the pickup arrived at the large animal hospital. Deanna and Merlin went in to explain the situation.

A somewhat familiar face appeared. A veterinarian uncle called out: “Little Tony?”

Shi Qian: “Roar.”

It’s me.

“Good, that makes things easier.” The vet turned. “Tony has a good temperament, very friendly. No anesthesia needed, that would scare him.”

“But I need to check if his personality has changed recently.”

Shi Qian cooperated with several tests before being allowed out.

As soon as he poked his head out, the vet praised, “Tony, you washed your face this morning. Such a clean little tiger.”

Merlin also smiled: “Tony really is a clean big cat, just like Merlin—a beautiful, clean one.”

Shi Qian, pausing: …

You might be praising a bit too early.

After revealing his clean plush face, he stepped out with his two front paws, and finally—the dirty body came out.

The color difference and condition of the little white tiger’s fur made it look like two big cats were stitched together.

Merlin’s smile froze.

Deanna: “Oh, truly our clean, beautiful big one.”

The vet looked a bit concerned: “It’s a little odd for him to be like this.”

Shi Qian obediently waved his paws: “Roar roar.”

Really just clean… but won’t open his mouth!