After dinner, Gu Ning and Barto rearranged the living room to match the set from the Fox Clan female video, preparing for the upcoming contract signing with Deviant over video call.
"Yeah, like that..."
The two of them put their heads together, comparing the set to the video and perfecting the details to make sure he wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Once they felt it was good enough, Barto went to turn off the living room lights while Gu Ning drew the curtains.
Just as she closed the curtains, she heard a crisp tapping on the windowpane.
"ARF...!"
Cook, who had been sitting by the wall licking his paws after a satisfying meal, barked twice at the window. His demeanor was calm, however, suggesting it was someone he knew.
Gu Ning had a good idea who was knocking outside. She hesitated for a moment before pulling back a corner of the curtain.
There was nothing outside the window...
Wait.
Gu Ning’s gaze fell to the windowsill. It looked like something had been left there.
The window was covered in a layer of frost, and she couldn’t quite make out what it was. She had no choice but to open it.
A blast of frigid air rushed in, making Gu Ning gasp.
She looked at the object. Was that... a bouquet of flowers?
Gu Ning stuck her head out the window and scanned her surroundings. It was a little after seven in the evening and pitch-black out. In the glow of the streetlamps, she could only make out the Beastman guards patrolling below and the dark figures that occasionally flew through the air.
Those dark figures were the Bird Team guards; they patrolled the area day and night.
"ARF?" Cook padded over to her side and stuck his head out to look as well.
"What are you two looking at?" Barto asked, coming up behind Gu Ning and poking his head out as well.
"Aren’t you cold?" Barto looked down at Gu Ning. At home, she liked to wear thin, loose-fitting clothes, wrapped in a blanket.
He glanced at the flowers on the windowsill, then put an arm around Gu Ning’s shoulders and guided her back inside. Grabbing Cook as well, he moved to shut the window.
Before he could close it, Gu Ning snatched the mysterious bouquet from the windowsill and brought it inside.
The flowers were a little wilted from the cold. But in this weather, they must have been well-insulated before being left here, or they would have frozen solid long ago.
’I have no idea where the person who sent these managed to get them.’
Gu Ning curiously inspected the flowers. They looked like small daisies, with pink, white, and blue petals. They were quite pretty.
Barto closed the window and drew the curtains. He glanced at the flowers in her hand and scoffed softly. "If you want flowers, I’ll buy you a roomful of them when we get to Zone 5."
Gu Ning didn’t fully understand what he meant, but she could hear the displeasure in his voice. She walked around the living room with the flowers, found a bottle to use as a vase, sprinkled some water on the blooms, and placed it on the table next to the sofa on their set.
’Fresh flowers are so rare in this place, especially this time of year.’
Barto caught the scent of another Beastman on the flowers and wanted nothing more than to throw them out. But when he saw how carefully Gu Ning was tending to them, he decided against it.
’That guy has been trying to send them for days. He finally found his chance to get them to Gu Ning today.’
Just as Gu Ning finished arranging the flowers, a message from Deviant popped up on her terminal.
After sorting out her ID photo that afternoon, she had logged into PawPress and left the account’s backend running.
She opened the message. It was about signing the contract.
"Are you ready?" she asked Barto on a slip of paper.
"Just about," Barto said, checking the set in the middle of the living room. "You and Cook go hide. Stay out of the shot."
Gu Ning nodded and pulled Cook with her into the shadows by the wall.
Barto straightened his tie and smoothed his slightly wrinkled shirt. He felt the headscarf covering his beast ears, and once he was sure everything was in place, he sat down in the armchair.
.
"Weren’t we supposed to sign this afternoon? Look at the time," Deviant muttered, his fingers drumming impatiently on the table. He stared at the motionless screen of his terminal, glancing at the clock every few seconds. "This guy has no sense of time."
Beside him, Idelos flipped through a book, not even bothering to look up. "Getting antsy already? I thought you said you weren’t going to let him lead you around by the nose."
"Easy for you to say," Deviant shot back. "Why don’t you take over? I haven’t slept properly in two days because of this Yuanbao licensing deal."
Idelos shot him a look. "You think I’ve been sleeping well? This was supposed to be my vacation, but you’ve been pestering me every single day."
’The second my contract with Deviant is up, I’m parting ways with this unscrupulous uncle of mine.’
Deviant was about to retort when a pleasant ringtone chimed.
Seeing the caller’s name, Deviant immediately sat up straight. He quickly smoothed his hair and clothes before accepting the video call.
When the video feed appeared, Deviant was momentarily stunned.
It wasn’t the red-haired Beastman on the screen that surprised him, but the background. It was the exact same set from the last Yuanbao video featuring the Fox Clan female.
It only took two seconds for Deviant to compose himself and put on a professional smile. "Hello, sir. May I ask who I’m speaking with?"
Idelos stopped turning the pages of his book and looked up.
"Gu Li," Barto said.
Gu Ning, who was listening in with rapt attention, could only think, ’?’
’Gu what?’
Deviant studied the Beastman’s face. "Mr. Gu Li, that’s a very stylish headscarf."
"Cut the small talk," Barto said, lounging with his head tilted and his legs crossed. He looked at the irritating face on the screen. "If you’re going to sign, then hurry up and sign."
Deviant said, "Pardon me, Mr. Gu Li, but I’m looking for Mr. Gu Demiao Ning."
He offered a slight smile. "You’re not him, are you?"
"Isn’t that obvious?" Barto replied. "My name is Gu Li."
Hearing Barto’s undisguised, condescending tone, Idelos couldn’t help but crack a smile. ’Finally,’ he thought, ’someone who can handle Deviant.’
Deviant’s smile faltered for an instant. "Well, I need to speak with Mr. Gu Demiao Ning. Is it possible for him to join you on camera?"
Barto said, "First, I’m his agent now. Second, I’m giving you five seconds to decide if you’re signing. Third, you have three seconds left."
Deviant: "..."
He picked up the contract he’d prepared earlier and held it up for the camera. "No need to rush, Mr. Gu Li. The contract is already stamped on my end. Since you’re Mr. Gu Demiao Ning’s agent, we should have a proper chat, get to know one another."
Barto replied, "There’s no need to discuss anything unrelated to business. I’ve already done my research on you. And you don’t need to fish for information or run a background check on me. I’ll provide you with credentials."
"I won’t let you get a raw deal, but you also need to know your place. Don’t push it."
Deviant raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced over at Idelos.
"Alright." After a moment’s thought, Deviant signed his name on the contract in full view of the camera. He then scanned it with his terminal and sent over the digital copy. "It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Gu Li..."
Deviant’s gaze swept over the dimly lit area beside Gu Li. He adjusted his glasses. "And you as well, Mr. Gu Demiao Ning."
Hearing Deviant call out her screen name, Gu Ning cringed so hard her toes curled. She silently prayed she would never have to hear someone call her that in person.
The call disconnected.
"That kid..." Deviant set the contract down and swiveled his chair to face Idelos. "He looks young, but he’s so decisive."
As he spoke, he opened the saved media on his terminal to review the recording.
"He turned out to be easier to deal with than I expected," Idelos remarked thoughtfully.
"Let’s see what clan he’s from," Deviant said, replaying the video and zooming in.