Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Fish is Biting

It was already dark by the time Gu Ning got back to her place.

She had stopped to use the restroom on the way, so she got home a little later than she had two days ago.

She also had to wait by the elevator for a while until it was empty.

Taking the stairs was out of the question. Seeing the elevator was finally empty, Gu Ning dashed inside and quickly pressed the button for her floor.

Just as the doors were about to slide shut, a hand shot out and stopped them.

The doors slid open again, and a tall, slender figure stepped inside.

Gu Ning rarely thought to use the word "slender" to describe a Beastman. She usually found them tall and brawny, like walking walls. But when she saw this Beastman, the word popped into her head.

It probably had to do with his clothes, which looked like a combat suit—form-fitting and flattering to his physique.

The high collar of his outfit hid the lower half of his face, leaving only a pair of light green eyes visible to Gu Ning.

Gu Ning tilted her head back to look at the Beastman. His head was bare—his beast ears were retracted. She glanced behind him; he had no tail, either.

If not for his towering height and proportions a size larger than a human’s, she would have mistaken him for a human male.

She had seen some Beastmen retract their beastly features before, so it wasn’t strange. Alex never showed his beast form, either.

As the Beastman’s gaze swept toward her, Gu Ning quickly lowered her head.

The Beastman only gave her a casual glance before turning his back.

The elevator doors had already closed by the time Gu Ning registered what had happened.

The Beastman stood in the middle of the elevator, not pressing any floor buttons.

’He must live on the same floor as me,’ Gu Ning thought.

For some reason, she felt a little nervous.

DING!

The elevator quickly arrived at the fifth floor. The moment the doors opened, the Beastman strode out without a second glance in her direction.

It was exactly the kind of dismissive attitude Gu Ning preferred.

Gu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. She much preferred being ignored by Beastmen to being stared at with disgust or malice.

Once the green-eyed Beastman was out, Gu Ning held the elevator door open with her hand. She perked up her ears, waiting a moment to make sure he had gone back to his apartment and they wouldn’t cross paths again before finally stepping out.

Normally, Gu Ning did her best to avoid any Beastmen who lived in her building.

So far, no other Beastman knew that two people were living in her apartment, Room 506. Oh, wait, now it was three.

The landlord didn’t know, either. If he found out, given how aggressive he was about collecting rent, he’d either kick them out or charge them triple.

Fortunately, the landlord never meddled in anything as long as he got his rent.

Gu Ning hurried through the dim, cluttered hallway and back to her apartment.

Just then, a figure emerged silently from the stairwell by the elevator. He walked unhurriedly to Room 509, across from Room 506, took out a key, and let himself in.

He didn’t turn on the lights. Wanai leaned against the door, peering at the apartment across the hall through the crack for a moment before slowly closing it.

In the darkness, a message popped up on his terminal:

[How’s it going?]

[Relax. The bait is set.]

...

The moment Gu Ning walked in the door, Cook leaped on her with a hug.

"Cook, a little looser..."

He was squeezing her so tightly she could barely breathe.

Cook’s tail whipped wildly behind him. He hugged Gu Ning and spun her around a few times before setting her down. Then he twirled in front of her, showing off how much he had recovered.

Gu Ning was thrilled to see him like this. She circled him, observing him closely. The potion Barto had gotten for her worked wonders. It hadn’t even been a full day, and Cook was already up and about.

He was still walking with a slight limp, though. It would probably take another two or three days for him to recover completely.

"You’re back?"

Hearing the noise, Barto poked his head in from the balcony.

Seeing him there, Gu Ning’s hand, which had been about to pull down her bib, froze. She’d almost forgotten.

She nodded at Barto and headed for her bedroom.

She tried the doorknob first. Seeing the room was locked, she relaxed a little.

Her bedroom was where she kept the things she used to disguise herself as a Beast Female. It would be bad if Barto found them.

Cook followed her into the room.

After Gu Ning shut the door and locked it, Cook eagerly stripped off all her gear, then subjected her to another slobbery bath.

Now that his wounds were much better, he was even more enthusiastic, and Gu Ning couldn’t push him away.

Gu Ning could only cover his mouth, but Cook just grabbed her hand and started licking it instead. Midway through, his expression froze. Then he started sniffing her intently.

’Ningning smells like another Beastman... and it’s the smell of saliva!’

Seeing that he had finally settled down, Gu Ning tossed her backpack on the floor, pulled out the chair at her desk, and sat down to rest for a bit. Then she could think about how to deal with Barto.

The three of them would be living together for the next month. She wouldn’t be able to stroll around the living room in a tank top and shorts like she used to.

After sniffing Gu Ning for a moment, Cook turned his attention to the pile of gear she had taken off.

Seeing him sniffing relentlessly at her clothes, Gu Ning remembered the bread Alex had given her at noon. She smiled, pulling the food from her pocket. "Haven’t had dinner yet, huh? You must be hungry."

Cook nudged her hand, ignoring the bread, and continued sniffing her clothes. Finally, he pulled a water bottle out of Gu Ning’s backpack.

’This is it. This water bottle is saturated with the stench of another Beastman.’

Cook held the water bottle, sniffed it carefully, and then bared his teeth in disgust.

"What’s wrong, Cook?"

"Throw..." Cook spat out the single word, his tail whipping anxiously. He grabbed the water bottle and started for the door to throw it out.

Gu Ning quickly stopped him. "Barto’s out there."

Cook froze, looking at her questioningly while still holding the water bottle.

Gu Ning understood Cook’s behavior. It was like a pet dog smelling another dog on its owner and showing its displeasure and hostility. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

She took the water bottle from him and coaxed, "I just picked this up."

Cook couldn’t actually understand her words, but he could grasp her meaning from her expression and actions.

His expression softened a little when he understood she had just found it.

Gu Ning often brought back things she salvaged from the junkyard, like old clothes, that smelled of other male Beastmen. But none of those scents were as fresh or as strong as the one on this water bottle.

He felt a strange sense of unease.

But he trusted Gu Ning completely. He believed whatever she said, and soon he put the matter out of his mind.

Gu Ning rested in her room for a bit, then put her hat and bib back on and went out.

Barto had just finished cooking. Seeing Gu Ning emerge after so long, still in the same getup, he asked, "Do you ever change out of that outfit?"

Gu Ning saw the steaming food on the table, walked over, and put some on a plate before carrying it back into her room.

Cook walked right up, snatched the plate of fried meat and sausages from in front of Barto, and followed Gu Ning into the room.

Barto: "..."

"I made that food! You two damn mutts! You barely left me anything!"

Furious, Barto kicked the bedroom door twice. "Get back out here!"

Cook sat with his back to the door, bracing it shut as he ate.

Only after hearing Barto muttering angrily as he returned to the living room did Cook go back to Gu Ning’s side to eat with her.