LAVW – Chapter 165 Tiger Tiger

Seeing that the man and the tiger were still standing in the windy spot, Laman quickly grabbed another “warmth” behind-the-scenes shot, then waved and called out, “Hey, Pascal—get Qian down here!”

Pascal said, “I can’t walk anymore.”

Shi Qian was actually fine—except that his big “mangosteens” were getting a little frozen: his tiger paws.

After moving around a bit, Shi Qian let Pascal help him up.

Only then did they realize what Pascal had frozen was… his butt. His posture as he stood was awkward.

Unkind laughter rose nearby, mixed with the sound of many people sniffling. The temperature had dropped again lately, and catching colds was becoming a shared problem for the entire crew.

Fortunately, once this scene wrapped, today’s work would be done. Everyone could head back indoors to warm themselves by the fire.

The whole crew was temporarily staying in the small town nearby.

If The King were released many years later, it might even turn the place into a tourist hotspot. But with the current state of publicity, it probably wouldn’t have that kind of impact. Still, it provided many locals with short-term jobs, which made the production quite welcome.

Shi Qian and Pascal didn’t go for the hot drinks prepared by the crew’s main kitchen. Instead, they headed to the door of Merlin’s small kitchen.

Pascal poured himself a big pot of Eastern ginger tea, and warmth spread through his body at once.

“Really, thank you, Merlin,” Pascal said gratefully.

Merlin shot him a look. There was a hint of sourness in her heart, and she didn’t bother hiding it on her face.

Seeing Merlin’s expression, Shi Qian turned his head away, pretending to stare intently at the pork knuckle.

A real pork knuckle, steaming with fragrance! It smelled incredible.

Pascal also noticed the girl’s mood. Cradling his hot tea, he said, “Even though you didn’t go today, Qian acted really well. He can learn my way of acting—it’s more convenient. And you can take the time to recover properly.”

That’s right—Merlin was jealous that Shi Qian had acted together with Pascal.

Before this, Shi Qian had only ever performed by following her cues. That had been a special privilege meant just for her.

But now that specialness was no longer unique. Pascal could do it too!

How could Merlin not feel sour? She even felt like dumping two big spoonfuls of vinegar into Pascal’s ginger tea.

Still, aside from that small bout of temper, after working together for so long, Merlin had shed her admiration for the handsome senior—and had also built up quite a bit of genuine friendship with the foodie Pascal.

She snorted. “You’re sick yourself, Pascal. Count it—how many times has this been now?”

“Well, I can’t let myself affect the whole crew,” Pascal said. He was the type to get completely absorbed once filming started, throwing caution to the wind—a true workhorse who didn’t want to rest.

Shi Qian had only one thing on his mind: the pork knuckle. Catching the change in aroma from the pot, he immediately let out a reminder.

“Roar—”

It’s ready.

Merlin went over to check how the wild boar meat was stewing.

Today’s pork knuckle was a wild boar’s pork knuckle—prey Shi Qian had hunted himself.

Even while busy filming, Shi Qian was steadfastly carrying out his little plan.

He was using his adaptation to life in the wild to pave the way for his eventual departure.

A fierce tiger returning to the mountains wouldn’t go out empty-handed. Shi Qian often brought back whatever prey he happened to encounter.

The wild boar was the biggest catch he’d brought back so far. It was heavy—dragging it all the way back had exhausted him.

This big piece of prey was his small contribution, letting the whole crew have a taste of something fresh.

Merlin kept some of the meat, along with the pork knuckles and a huge, ferocious-looking boar’s head.

Originally, Merlin had planned to ask the locals to turn the boar’s head into something like a dried specimen as a souvenir.

She didn’t mind—but Shi Qian thought the boar’s head was ugly. Merlin’s idea was firmly rejected by Shi Qian, and it would probably end up becoming braised pig ears and cheek meat on the table instead.

Now that the knuckles were done, Merlin fished them out, placed them into Shi Qian’s special bowl first, and then continued with further preparation.

Humans ate after the tiger.

Watching this, Pascal felt that one day his agent’s words would come true—lately, he really had the urge to snatch food from a tiger’s mouth.

Especially since Qian had such a good temper, treating him like a brother.

Boldly, Pascal leaned closer to Shi Qian, deftly handling his knife and fork. “Qian, how about sharing a bite with me?”

Shi Qian: …

Pascal, you’re an award-winning actor wherever you go—could you pay a little attention to your image?

Pascal declared that he could not, shamelessly moving in to divide up Shi Qian’s pork knuckle.

It was piping hot; cutting it up only made it cool faster.

One bite. Then another.

Seeing this, Shi Qian hurriedly shoved his bowl to the side and shook his head firmly.

“Roar—”

Stop it. Stop right now.

Watching one man and one tiger fight over food, Merlin felt she would never “idolize” Pascal again. Helplessly, she said, “It’ll be ready soon. Really.”

Once both humans and tiger had their portions, the kitchen finally quieted down, leaving only the soft rustle of wind and snow outside.

It was snowing again.

That meant the temperature would drop even further—but it was perfect for shooting snow-drenched scenes.

After eating his fill, Shi Qian fell asleep not far from the fireplace. The orange-red firelight danced over his white fur streaked with black patterns, tinting his white whiskers with a rosy glow.

Merlin sat on the nearby sofa, watching Qian’s sleeping face.

Unlike Pascal, whose daily intake barely kept up with his heavy energy expenditure, Shi Qian had continued to grow during this time. His face already showed the features of an adult tiger.

The markings on his face spread across his fluffy sleeping features like a butterfly with outstretched wings—an extraordinarily handsome tiger.

His smooth, increasingly powerful body perfectly combined beauty and strength, shaping what Merlin saw as the most beautiful animal in the world.

Merlin reached out, quietly stroking upward from the white tiger’s nose, tracing the butterfly-like markings on Shi Qian’s face.

She then lightly pinched his paw again. “You actually won’t wear the shoes I made for you. Aren’t you afraid your paws will freeze?”

Shi Qian’s nose twitched. Sensing that it was the familiar Merlin, he flicked his tail and went right back to sleep.

He still had to go out tonight, after all.

Tigers are nocturnal animals. Once Shi Qian woke up, in the dead silence of the night, he slipped out quietly.

The snow had just stopped. A thick layer covered the ground—when he stepped down, it sank in up to part of his leg.

Tigers are very cold-resistant animals, but with the icy wind whooshing about, anyone would feel chilled to the bone. So, truth be told, Shi Qian wasn’t very eager to go out either. But the plan was already made, and it still had to be carried out.

Unless…

Shi Qian glanced at the pitch-black sky, thinking: If it starts hailing later, then I won’t go out!

With his excellent eyesight, Shi Qian could stroll easily across the snowy ground even at night.

When the wind stopped, all that remained between heaven and earth was the faint sound of his footsteps.

As he walked, Shi Qian thought about how Merlin had been jealous of Pascal earlier that day.

Heaven and earth could bear witness—wasn’t it only because Merlin was sick that he let Pascal step in?

At the end of the day, it was simply because he felt sorry for Merlin.

Although following Pascal, learning from him and getting scolded by him had rapidly improved Merlin’s acting skills, she was still sick. Shi Qian felt it was better for her to rest first. Merlin wasn’t a real actress yet, didn’t actually need to be on camera—only by resting well would her learning efficiency be higher.

Besides, given Merlin’s current level, whenever she demonstrated something for Shi Qian, Pascal would usually guide her from the side anyway. Direct teaching like today’s, cutting out the “middleman,” was actually more efficient.

But who told Pascal to be such a glutton? He was always mooching off Merlin’s cooking skills. Normally, Shi Qian would just watch the two of them “work together seamlessly” with a clear conscience.

Even though his relationship with Pascal had improved, Merlin still came first in Shi Qian’s heart.

He and Merlin had dealt with scumbag men together, endured hardship and poverty together, sold performances together, worked for film crews together…

Thinking back, Shi Qian came to a simple conclusion: he could share hardship, and he could share joy.

He should be a pretty good tiger.

After wandering around for a long while, Shi Qian picked up a small animal on the road—one that had frozen stiff and gone to meet God—and then headed back.

By the time he returned to the edge of town, it was already two or three in the morning.

Among the places where the crew was staying, one room was still lit.

Shi Qian walked closer and saw that it was Laman’s room.

As a “night owl,” Shi Qian was still quite happy staying up late, but Laman had been busy from morning till night—yet he still wasn’t asleep at this hour.

Curious, Shi Qian knocked on the window.

Puff. Thump. Thump-thump.

Laman jumped in fright. “Who is it?”

Shi Qian lowered his voice. “Ao.”

Me.

Laman recognized the sound and struggled to pull the window open from inside.

Then he stood by the window, both hands braced on the frame, his upper body leaning slightly forward. “Qian, you went out for another night stroll? You need to be careful of people.”

People in this town sometimes went out hunting at night. Even though everyone knew the crew had a millionaire white tiger, what if there was an accidental injury?

Being knocked on the window by Qian alone in the dead of night made Laman very happy. He regarded it as a special privilege reserved for diligent people.

After expressing his concern, looking at the tiger’s head so close at hand, Laman really wanted to reach out and touch him.

He actually knew that his overly strict self was rather unpleasant. The entire crew was practically petting the tiger—everyone had intimate photos with him—yet he was the only one who had never touched Qian. Everyone thought he was afraid of fierce beasts like tigers.

In fact, Laman was already meticulously polishing the script for his beloved animal “muse.”

Favoritism truly was an incredibly powerful force.

Shi Qian could see his longing, so he didn’t leave.

But Laman didn’t move.

Seeing the confusion appear in the white tiger’s eyes, Laman said helplessly, “I promised my wife that I wouldn’t touch fierce animals like you. She’s worried about my safety.”

“Don’t believe what other people say. I really like you, Qian.”

Shi Qian knew this very well—Laman’s favoritism and preferential treatment toward him were even greater than Pascal’s.

He had just always assumed that Laman avoided close contact because he was afraid. He hadn’t expected it to be because of a promise to his beloved at home.

Shi Qian raised a tiger paw. “Ao?”

Then I’ll touch you?

Laman smiled and shook his head. “You can’t help me cheat. Promises are very important things.”

Shi Qian felt that made a lot of sense. His little “cleverness” could sometimes be a bit annoying—not so purely cute after all.

Shi Qian lowered his head, picked up the small animal lying on the ground, then lifted his head and offered it up to the window.

“Is this a gift for me?” Laman was delighted.

Shi Qian pushed it a little closer, and Laman accepted it—his very first gift from an animal: a small animal.

It felt strange… and happy.

After giving the gift, Shi Qian gestured for Laman to look at the other darkened rooms, reminding him that it was time to sleep, then turned and left.

Laman: …Now I really can’t sleep!

He looked at the small animal in his hands and even wanted to call home to brag about it.

But since it was the middle of the night, he held back until the next day.

The result of that bragging was that he was about to lose his gift! His two treasures both demanded it, saying they would come over immediately for a full family reunion.

And after hearing the late-night story, his wife actually agreed to come as well—bringing their daughters along.

With his mood lifted, Laman’s enthusiasm for work rose even higher, and he slightly sped up the filming pace.

If he could, Director Laman would of course love to go all out—rush through the entire storyline in one go so that he and the whole crew could enjoy a brief holiday. But reality didn’t allow it. The newly started shoot involved key scenes, so it still had to be taken slowly and carefully.

The little Tiger King played by Shi Qian leads his clan into a devastating attack, even losing their burial ground—the resting place of their ancestors.

Such a sacrifice is made only because they truly can’t hold on any longer.

Next, Shi Qian will take a risk, exposing himself and drawing in the exiled prince played by Pascal.

Humans and beastfolk like them are natural enemies: humans hunt beasts to survive, and beasts also slaughter humans.

At the brink of life and death, the fallen prince and the little Tiger King whose clan is on the verge of extinction successfully rally the surviving tiger clan, forming a small but vital force of resistance.

In the overall plot, this is a turning point of rise and fall, and also the moment of reversal. From then on, the tone shifts toward a fairy-tale–like development, proceeding smoothly. Brave and beautiful protagonists endure hardship and ultimately obtain true happiness and fulfillment.

But Shi Qian felt that he was anything but fulfilled.

Laman had gotten fired up—almost like he’d turned more unhinged, exactly like an unreasonable client.

What was even scarier was that, if you listened carefully, this client actually made sense.

Thus came a world where only the contractor suffered.

Sometimes Laman even added extra details, pushing the difficulty of the performance to yet another level.

After struggling through a short segment of filming, Laman’s family arrived, and the entire crew welcomed a two-day mini break.

Everyone was delighted, ready to rest properly for two days before continuing the fight.

When the drowsy Shi Qian was lying by the fireplace asleep, two little girls appeared beside Merlin—Laman’s two daughters.

When Shi Qian woke up, Merlin was baking egg tarts with the two girls. The rich aroma of eggs drifted through the air and woke him with hunger.

He got up and crouched at the kitchen door, only then realizing that two little kids had somehow appeared beside Merlin.

One exclaimed, “Qian’s awake!”

The other beamed with joy. “Qian’s grown so much—he’s getting more and more handsome!”

Shi Qian: “Roar-aoh.”

You have great taste.

Once he got a bit more familiar with them and saw the little girls picking up his shed fur, Shi Qian knew—they were his “fans.”

Meeting unfamiliar fans for the first time left Shi Qian both shocked and delighted.

Looking again at the facial features the two girls shared with Laman, and at their restraint in never trying to touch him, he could also confirm their identities.

At this point, Shi Qian reasonably suspected—

Laman was also his die-hard fan.

Others join a crew with money. He, on the other hand… brought the director to form the crew?

Worthy of me!

After finishing his egg tart, Shi Qian led the three of them out for a stroll.

He saw Laman standing close to a woman, seemingly talking about something, and Shi Qian strode over.

But as everyone knows, cats make almost no sound when they walk—even big ones like Shi Qian.

So Shi Qian ended up hearing Laman’s conversation.

Laman said with a tone of distaste, “I’m not letting personal matters interfere with work. Everyone’s in bad shape lately—quite a few actors have gotten uglier. We can’t film like this.”

Shi Qian: …

Didn’t expect you to be such a looks-focused director when it comes to filming standards.

Laman’s wife voiced exactly what Shi Qian was thinking: “Don’t talk like that. What do you mean, ‘gotten uglier’?”

One of the girls said, “Dad, you’re not rigorous at all. Qian clearly looks better—his physique is much more imposing now.”

The other added, “Right. Dad’s the one who’s gotten uglier. Qian hasn’t.”

Laman tried to explain, “I meant people. I’ve gotten uglier myself—filming is exhausting.”

In Laman’s mind, he was merely describing everyone’s condition.

But when he turned back to look at the white tiger a few more times, he had to admit his daughters were telling the truth.

They saw the tiger every day, so they hadn’t noticed the change as clearly.

Now, however, Shi Qian had almost completely shed the youthfulness of a cub, transforming into a young, powerful, and handsome white tiger.

Judging by Shi Qian’s effortless hunting skills, even if he wasn’t a wild tiger, he was genuinely strong.

Only a tiger like this could possess the bearing of a king among tigers.

In the story, he’s called the Little Tiger King partly because Shi Qian was still growing at the beginning, and partly because the previous Tiger King also appears in flashback scenes. Back then, Shi Qian was the dearly loved little prince of the tiger clan, much like Pascal’s role.

What could be happier than watching the little prince you chose grow and transform into a king?

Laman practically itched to drag everyone back to filming, eager for the whole world to see his movie sooner—to see everything within it.

But no one paid him any attention. Even the producer, who worried about money every day, rolled his eyes and told him to properly finish resting these two days first.

Left with no choice, Laman carried a lightweight camera and took photos his daughters and wife liked.

On the afternoon of the last day of the break, everyone gathered in a well-ventilated house to barbecue.

People from the town brought food and were invited to join in, and the whole town became lively.

Just then, a rumbling sound came from the sky.

People ran outside to look, seeing two helicopters approaching steadily across the heavens.

Shi Qian and Merlin also ran out to join the spectacle.

The helicopter noise was deafening. Nearby birds scattered in panic.

Some birds even dropped straight down, falling into the nearby woods.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Some people even took out weapons, guarding against whoever was on the helicopters.

But the helicopters drew closer and closer, finally landing on an open area near the village.

Laman sent people to check things out. The crew had security personnel, more professional than the villagers.

Curious by nature, Shi Qian followed behind the security team.

And then—

He saw Deanna, wearing a long black down coat and sunglasses, jumping down from the helicopter.

The people around her were dressed like bodyguards, all in black, each carrying weapons.

Deanna took off her sunglasses and looked at the big white tiger behind the security staff. Her previously calm green eyes softened like winter water meeting spring breeze, rippling with a gentle smile.

Shi Qian: “Roar, roar—!”

Deanna!

Shi Qian rushed through the crowd and pounced into Deanna’s arms.

Without meaning to, he knocked her over.

Deanna skillfully rolled to the side and immediately raised a hand to stop any unnecessary movements from those around her.

She drew her legs up and sat, her posture relaxed and dashing. Covering her ears, she said to Shi Qian, “Isn’t it noisy, Qian?”

“Come on, let’s go see Merlin.”

Merlin had already spotted her and ran over in big strides.

Reunited friends—Merlin naturally gave Deanna a huge hug.

Seeing that they knew each other, everyone relaxed their guard and returned to the easy barbecue atmosphere, privately whispering guesses about who Deanna was.

Merlin was usually talkative, and seeing Deanna made her even more unstoppable.

Listening to her chatter, Deanna felt happy too.

It had been a long time since she’d heard such simple, warm concern and sharing.

Shi Qian stayed to the side, sizing up the people Deanna had brought with her.

They had killing intent.

Looking more closely, it was clear none of them were easy characters—fierce, dangerous individuals who had been through bloodshed.

And Deanna was their leader, held in great respect.

Thinking of those people who had offered strange apologies, and of Sophia who vanished after Deanna’s promise, everything suddenly clicked for Shi Qian.

Deanna—his and Merlin’s hidden trump card.