Chapter 530 - 364: Sudden Bad News

Chapter 530: Chapter 364: Sudden Bad News

"Look! Meiyan agreed!"

"Agreed? In your dreams! That’s a polite refusal. We Asians are like that; we don’t want you to lose face!"

"Wow... You Asians are no fun. The men reject me, and the women reject me too. I’m heartbroken."

Though she said she was heartbroken, her face didn’t show the slightest hint of sadness, and Lin Chen couldn’t figure out what she was really thinking.

He subconsciously glanced at Jin Meiyan, who gave him a subtle shake of her head. He blinked and went back to work.

He then sensed Jin Meiyan pull Erica aside to whisper something to her. With that, the matter seemed to be settled, and neither of them brought up the topic again.

This, however, left Lin Chen dying of curiosity.

’What on earth did they talk about?’

Nothing else strange happened over the next few days. The three of them really were like tenants sharing a roof; they gathered for meals, but otherwise worked on their own.

Lin Chen spent nearly every day busy with cooking. In the mornings, he’d make lunch for the construction crew and prepare portions for the two women. If he was free in the afternoon, he’d go to the market to film and give the vendors there some delicious food.

His evenings were almost entirely dedicated to editing videos, and he’d browse other videos for inspiration in his spare time.

After Jin Meiyan’s episode was released, he announced in the video description how the third lucky viewer would be chosen.

The following evening, he would co-host a live stream with Jin Meiyan and randomly select a lucky winner from the live chat comments.

This free experience event was tentatively scheduled to last until his restaurant was completely finished. It didn’t cost much anyway, and compared to the income from video traffic and ad sponsorships, it was a drop in the bucket.

As for whether to continue it in the future, he would decide based on fan feedback later on.

On the morning of the live stream, Andre finally arrived, having successfully hitched a ride with one of the drivers.

When he learned that not only was Erica living there, but that there was also a beautiful woman from South Korea in the house, Andre gave Lin Chen a discreet thumbs-up.

He didn’t personally find the South Korean woman that attractive—her figure was too slender and frail, as if a strong gust of wind could blow her away.

But he knew that Asians generally had slighter builds, so he understood that she would definitely be considered a beauty in their eyes.

The basement level happened to be empty, so he had Andre move in there.

The days passed. Even though the captain went out to sea every day, there was still no news about the whales, almost as if they were deliberately avoiding areas of human activity.

As the final day of his arrangement with Erica arrived, Lin Chen still hadn’t figured out what to do.

He originally thought Erica wanted to date him, but he’d discovered last week that he was just overthinking things. She simply wanted to start a flirty, ambiguous relationship.

To be honest, having a fling with a mixed-race, wealthy, and beautiful woman like her was probably every man’s dream. His hesitation made him seem rather unmanly.

If he cast aside his moral reservations, all he had to do was nod, and he could have a taste of her charms.

But when he thought about Jin Meiyan living there, he felt that doing anything with Erica in front of her would be hurtful to her in some way.

But looking at it from another angle, there was no real relationship between him and Jin Meiyan. He hadn’t even gotten as far with her as he had with Erica, so there was really no need to worry about her feelings.

Yet this was a private matter he couldn’t discuss with Andre. As time ticked by, he felt like a cat on a hot tin roof, pacing anxiously around his room.

Just as he was about to bite the bullet and go make dinner for everyone, a series of urgent knocks echoed from his door.

"What is it?"

Opening the door, he saw the burly Andre standing outside with a worried look on his face.

"Something happened. Erica just took a call, then rushed out and hailed a cab. Before she left, she told me to tell you that she might not be back for a while. Judging by her expression, she must have run into some kind of trouble."

"Huh?"

Lin Chen froze, completely blindsided by such a dramatic turn of events at this critical juncture.

’The only people who could make Erica drop everything and leave in such a panic... would have to be her parents, right?’

’No, that’s not right. Given her relationship with her mom, she’d probably just make a few sarcastic comments, not leave in a total panic.’

’Could something have happened to her dad?’

DING.

Just then, a message popped up on his phone. He instinctively lifted it; sure enough, it was from Erica.

He read it with a frown, then looked up at Andre.

"She said her dad was on a routine patrol in the forest when he discovered signs of poachers. He was tracking them and dismantled a bunch of their traps. The poachers found out and retaliated. He’s in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment right now."

"From what she heard over the phone, it’s not too serious. He was shot in the thigh and knocked unconscious by a heavy blow to the back of the head, but that’s it. An injury like that should heal in a few months."

"She said we shouldn’t worry. She’s rushing over because her mom definitely can’t get away, which makes her the only family member available. She has to be there to see her dad as soon as possible."

"So that’s what happened," Andre said, his brow furrowed as he brandished a fist the size of a sandbag. "Those damn poachers! They’re the ones committing crimes. It’s generous enough that no one went after them, but they had the gall to attack someone? They should all be rounded up and thrown in prison for life!"

As someone who had spent years living in the wild, he’d had his fair share of run-ins with poachers and completely understood the position Erica’s father was in.

Lin Chen knew, of course, that her dad was the most important person in Erica’s life, bar none. Under the circumstances, she couldn’t possibly have the headspace to think about their arrangement. Her heart had likely already flown to her father’s side.

Having temporarily dodged a bullet, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. But the issue hadn’t been resolved; it was something he’d have to face sooner or later.

"What happened?"

Hearing their conversation, a nearby door opened, and Jin Meiyan poked her head out to ask quizzically.

After getting the gist of what had happened, she suddenly looked at Lin Chen. "Oppa, if you have feelings for Oppa, I think you should go visit her father."

"If you were to suddenly show up in the hospital room, I’m sure she would be very touched."

"?"

Lin Chen opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he couldn’t speak freely with Andre there.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he changed tack at the last second.

"I don’t even know where her dad works. How am I supposed to find him in a country as big as the United States? Besides, I have a lot of work to do here. The road is half-finished, they’ve started laying the foundation for the restaurant, and I have to handle the interior furnishings, plant selection, and tableware procurement all by myself."

"I can help with the plants," Andre suddenly interjected, raising his hand. "The temperature in Vancouver is pretty mild year-round, and its hot weather is suitable for growing many kinds of tropical plants."

"I can explore the forest on your land. I’ll get familiar with the terrain and local species while also helping you find some plants suitable for the restaurant. You’ll have to give me some general direction first, though, so I know what kind of final result you’re aiming for."

He didn’t know anything about construction or supervising the work, and his cooking was a long shot. He couldn’t help much, but living there for free without pulling his weight wasn’t his style, so he decided to help Lin Chen save some money in an area where he was an expert.

Besides, he was planning to invest in the project. It might be a small amount, but having a stake would at least be a fixed asset for the future, and from the looks of things, its value was bound to increase.

"Besides finding plants, I can also help with forest management and wildlife conservation. After all, if you develop this land for tourism, the influx of people will surely lead to a significant reduction in wild resources. You’ll have to set aside designated conservation zones."

Lin Chen had, of course, thought of all this before and had planned to put Andre in charge of it anyway. Andre bringing it up himself just saved him some trouble.

"Alright then. I definitely don’t know as much as you in this area, so I’ll leave it to you."

"I’ve got nothing to do just sitting around the house. I’ll head to the nearby town and see about getting a bicycle to ride around. But first, you’ll have to take me over so the construction crew recognizes me. I don’t want them to mistake me for an intruder and kick me out."

"That’s easy. Stand still."

Lin Chen took out his phone, recorded a few seconds of video of him, and sent it to Wang Jun with an introduction.

"There. You can go anytime. I’ve already sent them your picture and basic info. No one will stop you."

"Alright then. You two talk, I’m heading out."

Andre nodded and turned to leave.

With him gone, only Lin Chen and Jin Meiyan were left in the room.

Before he could speak, Jin Meiyan took the initiative. "It’s actually very simple. Why don’t you just ask Lady Marcia? There’s no way she wouldn’t know what’s going on with her own husband, right?"

’Holy shit.’

Lin Chen’s eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t considered such a simple and direct solution.

"But if I ask her, won’t she misunderstand my relationship with Erica?"

"That’s why your attitude is the key, Oppa. Weren’t you supposed to come to a decision today?"

"How did you know?!"

"Duh. Erica Oppa told me everything, including how you two hugged and kissed after drinking. She even complained to me that you weren’t man enough to pounce on her then and there."

"..."

’Seriously, how could that girl just blab about everything? Does she even know who she’s spilling her secrets to?’

’Where’s her woman’s intuition?’

Jin Meiyan’s candor and advice had once again backed him into a corner, forcing him to make a decision.

Facing the girl’s steady gaze, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He pulled an ice-cold cola from the fridge and took several large gulps, trying to use the biting chill to clear his thoughts.