Virtual Idol in the Beast World: Five Clans Fight Over Me

Gu Ning couldn’t understand what Cook meant either.

’It’s still early. Shouldn’t Barto be busy at his shop?’

When Seth saw Cook carry Gu Ning away, he immediately followed them.

Cook was still hostile toward him. Seeing him approach, he let out a warning growl.

Gu Ning quickly covered Cook’s mouth and whispered, "Cook, Seth is a friend."

Cook licked her hand. "Wolf... bad!"

With that, he shot Seth a glare and hurried into the building where they lived, still carrying her.

After they entered the building, a few giant wolves appeared behind Seth.

Seth sensed the presence of his own kind and turned to look.

A wolf slightly larger than him trotted to his side. They nuzzled heads and exchanged a few sounds. Afterward, Seth went into the building and stood guard at the entrance to the stairwell, while the other wolf stood guard outside.

"BANG!"

Cook shoved the door open with one hand, carried Gu Ning inside, and then shut the door behind them with another SLAM!

Then, just as he always did, he took off Gu Ning’s hat and mask and began to lick her skin and hair.

’It’s been a few days. Ningning reeks of that pungent wolf smell. I have to cover it with my own scent!’

Returning to the home she hadn’t seen in so long, Gu Ning couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy and relief.

She scanned the living room and glimpsed a red, fluffy ball in the corner...

"Barto?"

Gu Ning froze.

’I thought Barto was still out. He’s actually home?’

Barto was curled up in a ball in his little den, looking like he was asleep.

"You mutt, I told you to be quiet when you come back."

Barto’s tail gave a listless flick as he spoke in a muffled voice.

Hearing how little energy was in his voice, Gu Ning immediately suspected he might be sick.

She pushed away the big dog’s head, slipped out of his embrace, put her hood back on, and walked over to crouch by Barto’s side, patting him.

"Get lost. You stink."

Gu Ning: "..."

She patted the little fox again.

Barto curled himself into an even smaller ball. "Go away."

Cook ran over and yanked him out of his den.

Barto swiped a paw at Cook impatiently. "I said, stop bothering—"

Before he could finish, Cook held him up so he was face-to-face with Gu Ning.

Barto: "..."

He stared in astonishment at the familiar figure before him, his listless eyes gradually lighting up.

Gu Ning raised a hand in greeting, then took a pen and paper from her pocket, wanting to ask if he was sick.

She had barely written two words when Barto struggled free from Cook’s grasp and snatched her hand.

"You... How are you back?!"

Barto’s voice was filled with disbelief.

"Did Alex bring you back? Or, or did you come back on your own?"

Seeing his surprise, Gu Ning’s eyes curved into crescents as she patted her chest.

Barto fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What did you come back for?"

Gu Ning looked down and wrote: I came back to see you all.

Barto glanced at the note in her hand, paced back and forth a few times, then stopped. His eyes swept over the somewhat messy living room, and he immediately started cleaning up.

First, he tidied up his den. Then he gathered the clothes, blankets, and other things strewn across the floor and tossed them all onto the sofa, stuffed half-eaten snacks into the trash can...

"Why didn’t you say you were coming back?"

"Right, the power’s out, so there’s no internet."

"You still could have sent someone to tell me ahead of time."

"Are you hungry? Wait, I’ll cook something for you."

Barto chattered on, and Gu Ning couldn’t get a word in.

Seeing him run around the living room, bustling about, he seemed full of energy and not at all sick, which made her feel a little more relieved.

Still, she asked him just in case.

Barto took the note she handed him, read it, and went back to cleaning. "Sick? How could I get sick?"

After saying that, he paused and asked, as if nonchalantly, "Are you better now?"

Gu Ning followed the little fox and handed him a note: I’m better.

’Thank goodness. My period ended yesterday. Otherwise, when that pack of pups stormed into Alex’s place and made a scene, they might have smelled something.’

Barto huffed twice. "Good that you’re better. Saves me the trouble of taking care of you."

He finished tidying the living room, took out some food he had stored away, and went to the balcony to cook.

"Don’t come in."

Seeing Gu Ning following him, Barto pushed her onto the sofa to sit. He then took out some snacks and poured them out in front of her, moved the heater to her feet, draped a blanket over her lap, stuffed the pile of dirty clothes from the sofa into a bucket, and then ran back to the balcony to continue his work.

Gu Ning’s eyes followed his movements. She suddenly felt the awkwardness of being a guest at a relative’s house, unable to help with anything.

’It’s only been a few days. Why is he being so formal with me?’

Before the internet went down, they had chatted on the terminal, and his attitude had been quite cold.

She had wondered if Barto was angry about her staying at Alex’s place, since he had a strong opinion about Alex.

Cook sat down beside her, hugging her and licking her here and there.

Gu Ning played with him for a while, then got up and walked toward the bedroom.

Seeing the bedroom door was shut tight, Gu Ning tried the doorknob.

It wouldn’t turn. The bedroom was still locked.

’Does this mean that in all the days I was gone, Barto never opened my bedroom?’

Gu Ning leaned over to look at Barto, then quietly asked Cook, who was right beside her, "Cook, has this door been opened?"

Cook shook his head.

Gu Ning felt relieved.

She wanted to go into the bedroom, but when she felt her pocket, she froze.

’Crap, I forgot where I put the bedroom key.’

And she didn’t have a spare key.

Cook saw Gu Ning patting her pockets, tilted his head in thought, then placed his hand on the doorknob and used brute force to open the bedroom door for her.

"Ning..." Cook held up the doorknob he had twisted off, wagged his tail at Gu Ning, and grinned.

Gu Ning was speechless for a moment, then patted the big dog’s head. "Good job, Cook."

"Wait here at the door."

With that, Gu Ning entered the bedroom and pulled the door partially shut.

She walked to the desk, pulled a set of keys from a drawer, and used them to open and check several large trunks placed in the bedroom.

Everything was more or less as she had left it, with no signs of having been touched.

She had never decorated the bedroom since moving in. Aside from a desk, a chair, and an empty bookshelf, everything else was packed away in these trunks.

Gu Ning rummaged through the trunks briefly before locking them again.

She didn’t know how much longer she would be in Zone 19. According to Alex, it could be as short as half a month or as long as a full month. These filming props might still be useful, but taking them with her was probably out of the question—it would be too much trouble. At most, she could leave with just a backpack.

An hour later, Barto had finished cooking and called Gu Ning to eat.

Gu Ning sat down at the dining table and stared in shock at the fragrant dishes that covered it. ’Is it the New Year or something? This is... a little too extravagant.’

No one was happier than Cook.

He had been eating instant food with Barto for nearly a week. After the power went out, Barto didn’t even buy him roasted chicken anymore, and he had been stuck eating dried meat and boiled potatoes for two straight days.

But as soon as Ningning came back, the cold, lifeless house felt alive again.

Cook swallowed hard, grabbed a fork, and filled Gu Ning’s bowl with food first.

Barto sat down across from Gu Ning. Seeing that she wasn’t eating, he asked, "Not to your liking?"

Gu Ning wrote a note and pushed it in front of him: Is there another meal after this?

Barto: "..."