LAVW – Chapter 166 Tiger Tiger

Merlin brought Deanna to their seats and showed off her skills.

With the same ingredients and seasonings, once they passed through her hands, the aroma and flavor became noticeably superior—thanks entirely to her excellent cooking.

The first time Deanna managed to get in touch with Merlin, she had already heard about the food stall, but she hadn’t really believed it, thinking Merlin was just trying to comfort her.

It wasn’t until their second meeting that she realized Merlin hadn’t exaggerated a single bit.

Deanna sighed in admiration, “If I’d known you had cooking skills like this, I would’ve made you cook more back then. It feels like I missed out on so many good meals.”

“I only had a sudden breakthrough later on,” Merlin laughed. “Even if you’d wanted me to learn earlier, I probably couldn’t have.”

Shi Qian: You’re absolutely right.

Most of Merlin’s initial “talent” had come from the buff he gave her.

But once a skill was learned, it wouldn’t disappear even if he left. That was how “learning” worked—simple logic.

Out in the open, Merlin chatted with Deanna about funny things between her and Qian, and about interesting happenings on the film set.

After finishing the barbecue and returning to a more private room, Merlin couldn’t hold back anymore.

She sat down beside Deanna, glanced at the sunglasses-wearing men in black standing guard outside, and asked in a low voice, “Deanna, what do you do now? The people with you… the feeling they give me…”

Deanna thought Merlin was scared. “Don’t worry, they’re all my people.”

On this trip, everyone she brought along was among her most trusted confidants. Absolutely reliable. Otherwise, she would be putting herself in danger.

“I’m not afraid,” Merlin explained. “I’m wondering whether your situation is dangerous. You had to come all the way out to such a remote place just to meet, and you brought so many bodyguards.”

Deanna thought for a moment, then gently shook her head.

“Don’t worry. Not really.”

She was the leader. With nothing major going on and strict protection around her, danger did exist, but as long as she was careful, she was safe.

It was just that with too many people, traveling easily attracted attention. As Merlin said, it was remote enough this time that she dared to come see Merlin and Qian.

“When my father was alive, he was the leader of the Moxi Country mafia. I’m the daughter of his first wife. Above me, there was an illegitimate older brother, and below me, a younger brother. They killed each other, and in the end, neither survived.”

“When he was critically ill, one of my uncles discovered my whereabouts and sent people to assassinate me…”

Deanna narrated what had happened after she left in a calm, understated tone, her hands already moving to pet the big cat.

Shi Qian behaved obediently, letting her stroke him along her thigh.

Deanna’s cat-petting skills were just as good as ever—excellent.

Shi Qian let out a purr, eyes comfortably closing as he lifted his chin. His ears perked up wide and round—one look and you could tell he was intently listening to gossip.

Hearing Deanna speak so frankly, Merlin froze slightly.

She hadn’t expected her close friend to have such a background, let alone now be such an extraordinary figure.

But those things didn’t feel very tangible to Merlin. After listening, she thought for a moment and said, “Deanna, I just hope you’ll always be safe. Even if we don’t meet, that’s fine. I’ll keep you in my thoughts.”

Deanna said seriously, “I just really wanted to see you.”

Compared to her current life, she missed her days of wandering freely out in the world even more.

Not everyone loved their homeland.

Noticing her low mood, Merlin dug up something fun to talk about. “Deanna, do you know about that youngest-ever millionaire quiz competition from before?!”

“Of course. It was our Qian.”

When it came to starting from nothing, while human children at one or two years old were still babbling and stumbling around, Shi Qian was already a fully mature animal actor.

The white tiger puffed out his chest proudly, which immediately attracted four hands reaching in.

Shi Qian: !

I’m in danger.

The millionaire was besieged and had his tiger fur rubbed off.

Shi Qian: “Roar—”

Can you people have a proper conversation or not? Be serious when you’re human. Don’t spend every day thinking about petting the tiger.

That night, Merlin and Deanna lay under the covers talking until dawn.

As a result, Merlin was completely exhausted the next day and couldn’t get up, leaving Shi Qian to go out on his own to find Pascal for food and filming.

Shi Qian’s eyes went wide at the time.

Just a while ago you were still jealous!

And now you’re just ignoring me?

When Shi Qian went to find Pascal, even Pascal laughed. “Looks like your good friend’s here. Qian, you’re not the favorite anymore.”

He winked at Shi Qian. “Why don’t you stick with me instead? I won’t abandon you.”

Shi Qian: Humans are all liars.

But animals can be playboys too—who you hang out with is still hanging out anyway.

Shi Qian followed Pascal and experienced a plain, unadorned day in the life of a superstar leading man.

—Filming, filming, and still filming.

After seeing off his wife and daughter, Laman remained in a state of high excitement. Inspiration was bursting forth, and the actors could only bear the extra workload along with him.

Everyone worked together with one heart, pushing toward the best possible version of the film.

After a full day’s work came a happy dinner.

Today wasn’t a gathering, so no one else from the town was invited. But as Shi Qian passed by the place where they were eating, he spotted the village chief.

After hearing the chief’s request for help, Laman said, “The crew can send people to help hunt the wolf pack. But I can’t vouch for everyone else—people might leave at any time. I can only help you ask around.”

“Thank you so much,” the village chief said again and again.

By the time Shi Qian, the gossip-loving tiger, padded over, the two had already stopped talking.

Laman was swamped. He grabbed Pascal as a temporary laborer and had him take Shi Qian back, bringing the village chief along as well. He also briefly mentioned that other villages had discovered a wolf pack and needed help.

Shi Qian: “Roar—?”

A wolf pack, really?

He often wandered through the nearby forests and had only ever seen one or two wolves at most—nothing that could be called a “pack.”

While listening in as the village chief explained the details to Deanna, Shi Qian realized the place was on the far side of a mountain he hadn’t patrolled.

There was a relatively large mountain nearby, steep and troublesome to cross. Shi Qian had gone near the peak before, but out of laziness he’d never bothered to traverse it, so he’d never checked the other side.

It wasn’t a big deal. Deanna nodded and said, “I can take two people to help.”

After setting a date, the village chief left satisfied.

Three days later, the weather cleared slightly. Visibility in the mountains and forests improved—it was a good day for hunting.

Shi Qian wanted to go, but Laman refused to let the tiger loose.

Then again, remembering that he himself was also a “beast,” Shi Qian, the lead actor, obediently stayed with the crew to film.

Deanna brought Merlin along, wanting her to experience a different world. Shi Qian was abandoned once more and ended up as Pascal’s fellow sufferer again.

After finishing a scene, the man and the tiger lay sprawled in the snow.

From far away, Shi Qian seemed to hear gunshots. He didn’t know if it was just his imagination. Judging by the others, no one else seemed to hear anything.

Seeing Shi Qian’s ears prick up again, Pascal reached out and gave them a pat. “Want to go see that badly? Your curiosity really is as strong as a cat’s.”

Shi Qian: “Roar—”

How is a big cat not a cat?

I’m just bigger.

Pascal sat up, stuffed a cushion under himself, and chatted with Shi Qian in the corner.

“Qian, are you like Hans’s Lancel as well—do you think of yourself as human?” Pascal was too deep in character, treating the white tiger as the little tiger king from the script.

In the film, the little tiger king possessed intelligence and wisdom comparable to a human’s.

That was what set him apart from the other tigers in his clan.

It wasn’t until he met the prince played by Pascal that the little tiger king gained his first true “friend.”

As a friend, the prince—just like Pascal—would ask the little tiger king many meaningful questions.

But back in reality, how was Shi Qian supposed to answer something like that?

He chose honesty: “Roar—”

Yes, and no.

Shi Qian would occasionally think about how he had once been human, but he wouldn’t develop cognitive confusion like Lancel did. After answering, he looked at Pascal with interest.

Brother, you can’t understand this!

Pascal didn’t seem troubled at all and continued expressing his thoughts. “You really are an extremely contradictory existence.”

“Lancel treats himself as human, even wants a human as a partner, yet he’s still just a leopard. People who know about it treat him like a joke.”

“You, on the other hand, seem to truly possess a human-like spirit, able to understand the difference between humans and beasts. And it’s precisely because you know where the line is that your humanity shows.”

Shi Qian: …

Damn, did my cover just get blown?

Shi Qian believed that aside from in front of Merlin, he hadn’t really revealed much around Pascal. Except—he did lack the patience to grind away slowly at acting, so his learning speed and imitation ability were indeed frighteningly fast.

After all, slow filming would cut into his sleep.

But didn’t he have a circus background set-up? Surely that was enough to prevent suspicion.

Shi Qian flicked his tail and looked at Pascal with wide-eyed innocence.

Go on, act it out.

If I play along with you, I lose.

Shi Qian often put on this very expression, watching Pascal perform his solo act. It was just that today, with Pascal talking in such an eerie, mystical way, Shi Qian had been momentarily stunned.

“Do you want to return to the jungle and regain your freedom? Merlin mentioned once that you often go out late at night. She didn’t know what to do, and in the end decided to let you choose for yourself.”

Pascal said quite a bit more, then turned his head and finally realized he’d overthought things again, mixing up reality and film.

He patted the white tiger’s head. “Not understanding things like this is actually the best way to be.”

Shi Qian stretched out one paw, rummaged through Pascal’s pocket, pulled out a strip of jerky, and pushed it toward Pascal.

The jerky had been prepared as a snack for Shi Qian, but humans could eat it too.

Pascal broke it in half, one man and one tiger sharing it. In an instant, they were pulled out of the virtual world and back into reality.

“Merlin makes such good jerky.”

Shi Qian: “Roar.”

Delicious.

He had wanted to leave—one could say it was for freedom.

When he had been a chinchilla, spiritual beasts were extremely rare to ordinary cultivators in the cultivation world. But in the vast greater world, they were merely one kind among countless living beings. After forming a contract, he could even communicate with Long Ye and write with spiritual energy—Shi Qian had felt completely at home.

When he had been an ox, whether in the countryside, at the agricultural university, the agricultural research institute, or on the grasslands, as long as he didn’t venture into unfamiliar, bustling areas, it wasn’t too uncomfortable. At most, when he wandered onto the streets, he’d draw an exceptionally high rate of second glances, or be barred from places like shopping malls.

To appear in this world as a fierce beast and become an animal actor was already Shi Qian’s best way out. Once he left the film crew, he would again be a fearsome beast. The world itself didn’t reject him—but humans feared and shunned him.

Were people wrong?

It was simply that the identity and timing of his appearance were inappropriate.

From the very beginning, it had been destined to be a short journey.

Shi Qian finished his half of the jerky, then turned his head and snatched Pascal’s share, happily watching Pascal jump around in anger.

Even a short journey could be joyful—so long as the main character had fun.

On the other side of the mountain.

One shot per wolf—Deanna’s flawless headshot accuracy made Merlin howl with excitement in her heart.

After clearing out the wolf pack, Merlin gained a wolf-tooth necklace that hadn’t yet been crafted.

On the way back, people from a nearby village wanted to treat them to a meal. Deanna shook her head and declined, leading Merlin and the others back.

They took a small path, crunching through the snow, the soft rustling sounds rising now and then.

Occasionally, a little deer would dart past.

Watching the deer run off, Merlin confided in Deanna, “Deanna, if—if I mean—Qian wants to return to nature, what do you think?”

Deanna paused for a moment.

She hadn’t expected Merlin to bring this up. But since she had, it meant there were signs.

Deanna hypothesized, “If it were me, I’d send Qian away.”

“Tigers are fierce beasts. Back when Qian was smaller, we could still squeeze him in, but now even the seats in an ordinary car can’t fit him. And we’re always afraid to let him appear outside, worried he’ll scare people.”

“Being shut in all the time, only able to look at the outside world—it probably isn’t a very good experience.”

Suddenly, Deanna felt that Qian’s situation resembled her own. With that thought, she firmed her resolve. “Merlin, if Qian wants to leave, send him off. I can help.”

“That’s actually part of why I came to see you this time.”

Deanna took out a black card and naturally handed it to Merlin.

But Merlin couldn’t just casually accept such a valuable gift.

She knew there must be a lot—a lot—of money on that card.

“Deanna, I can slowly pay it back myself.”

“Don’t refuse me.” Deanna pressed the card into Merlin’s hand and sighed. “I pretty much only have money left now.”

Merlin: …

Merlin laughed. “Saying that in front of someone in debt makes you sound very punchable.”

Deanna had already withdrawn her hand. “I’m serious.”

“Pay off the debts the circus owes first. After that, you can consider finding a suitable place for Qian, hire trainers to teach him various skills, and guide his growth.”

“During that time, you can also see what Qian chooses. If he doesn’t want to cooperate, you can get him a park to play in—at the very least, the space should be wide.”

Merlin held the black card Deanna had given her and suddenly felt how heavy it was.

If things were as Deanna said, Merlin couldn’t even calculate how many zeros there must be on that card.

“Deanna, Qian is mine. I should be the one to take care of him,” Merlin said, feeling that those responsibilities should be hers.

Seeing that she still wouldn’t accept it, Deanna used her right hand to push up the sleeve on her left arm, revealing part of her wrist.

Where a vine tattoo had once been was now covered with burn marks from ammunition.

Merlin was startled. “Deanna! Your hand—”

“Before I fully succeed, I don’t know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. I work hard every day now—just consider it helping me spend money and enjoy myself.”

After unleashing her ultimate move, Deanna lowered her sleeve again.

In weather like this, exposing your arm was freezing.

Once the sleeve covered it, Deanna looked as though nothing were wrong.

But worry gathered in Merlin’s eyes.

Seeing this, Deanna said, “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of myself.”

Merlin nodded. “I know. You’ve always been good at taking care of people. You’re smarter than me—I know you can handle it.”

“You’ll definitely succeed.”

She hoped Deanna would succeed.

“Thank you for your blessing, Merlin.”

After returning, Deanna left the next day.

Shi Qian stood on a high slope with Merlin, watching the helicopter fly away.

Seeing the worry on Merlin’s face, Shi Qian guessed she might have learned something about Deanna.

Unlike Merlin, Shi Qian wasn’t pessimistic. He believed more in Deanna’s abilities. Reaching her current position already proved her capability.

As for the future—just live it as it comes.

When the helicopter became a tiny dot and then disappeared, Merlin asked, “In our lives, there will always be days when we meet again. Right, Qian?”

Shi Qian nodded decisively.

In his view, both Merlin and Deanna were still young girls. He believed they’d have another reunion before long.

The wind suddenly picked up again. Shi Qian howled, dragging Merlin over to Pascal.

After Shi Qian went on strike and refused to learn acting from Pascal, the acting-obsessed Pascal could only shoulder the responsibility himself and continue explaining the scene to Merlin.

“It’s only been a few days and you’ve already forgotten everything? Details—details!”

“This expression is three parts sadness, three parts acceptance, and four parts determination. To help Qian better understand and imitate, you need to fully mobilize your eyebrows, eyes, and facial muscles.”

On the surface, Merlin obediently and diligently studied and corrected herself.

In her heart: Three-three-four… God, even the most delicious cake would get scolded if you divided it like that.

Shi Qian was also complaining internally: …

Whether a scene passed or not mostly depended on whether Laman’s eye felt it worked.

With a face full of fur, where was he supposed to get that much expressiveness anyway?