Chapter 349 - 311: You Don’t Seem Like a Mixed Breed

Chapter 349: Chapter 311: You Don’t Seem Like a Mixed Breed

When Gu Ning heard talk about her new video, her attention was completely captured by the Beastmen’s discussion.

She set down her camera and listened intently to the gossip about herself.

It had been two days since she sent the edited video footage to Idelos. She hadn’t logged into her account since, as there was no signal on the road and she couldn’t get online.

As the next train’s departure time neared, Beastmen began crowding the edge of the platform, and the chatter about Gu Demiao Ning and Yuanbao grew more frequent.

Gu Ning listened for a while. The speculation was mostly about why she hadn’t been online. Some guessed she was hibernating, others that she was in seclusion working on videos, or that she’d made her money and was now just slacking off... There were even rumors that she had sold Yuanbao to some corporation and no longer had any creative control.

She, the subject of all this gossip, listened with great amusement.

Naturally, some of the chatter involved people cursing her out, but Gu Ning simply tuned them out.

’What does cursing Gu Demiao Ning have to do with me, Gu Ning?’

Just then, a pained yelp erupted from the crowd. "Which bastard stepped on my tail!"

Gu Ning looked over; it was the Beastman who had been cursing her the most viciously just moments ago.

While the Beastman was muttering curses and searching for the one who stepped on his tail, a long leg shot out from behind and kicked him squarely in the rear.

The kick sent the Beastman sprawling, making him face-plant on the ground.

The crowd burst into laughter.

"Put her down." Barto slipped out of the crowd to the stunned young female’s side, leaning close to whisper to Alex, "This is too conspicuous. She’s not a Beast cub."

Gu Ning couldn’t help but whisper, "Barto, you..."

Barto shrugged, plucked her from Alex’s arms, set her on the ground, and slung an arm around her shoulder. He leaned down and asked, "Want to go give him a kick yourself?"

Gu Ning jabbed the little fox with her elbow, silently telling him to stop fooling around. With so many people watching, and her being a Mixed Breed, getting seen would likely cause a public outcry.

At this thought, her eyes scanned over Barto.

"What is it?" Barto looked down at her. "You think I shouldn’t have kicked him? Relax. That moron didn’t see a thing."

Gu Ning shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

Barto caught the mirth in her eyes behind her wind-resistant goggles. "What’s with that look?"

Gu Ning crooked her finger at him, signaling for him to bend down.

Barto complied.

Gu Ning tugged on the little fox’s collar, leaning close to his ear to say, "Barto, you don’t seem like a Mixed Breed."

Her meaning hit home. A glint appeared in Barto’s eyes as he turned to gaze at the face so close to his own. Gu Ning’s face was thoroughly hidden, but he could clearly see the limpid, smiling depths of her eyes.

"WHOO—" The train’s whistle blew as it entered the station, and the crowd began to move.

Barto remained frozen, still bent over, gazing at Gu Ning for a long moment. An indescribable, tender ache filled his heart.

Her words weren’t anything special, and her smile was nothing out of the ordinary, yet he couldn’t help but feel this moment was perfect.

’It would be even more perfect if that alpha wolf next to her wasn’t such an eyesore.’

"Really? I don’t?" Barto couldn’t help but lean in even closer, his long ponytail draping over his shoulder and brushing against Gu Ning’s face.

"Mhm." Gu Ning pushed his hair away and murmured a reply. She’d wanted to say his aura had grown much steadier, but the words that came out were, "Your temper has improved."

Barto let out a low chuckle. "A regular Beastman’s temper isn’t much better than a Mixed Breed’s."

Then he added, "Was my temper that bad before?"

Gu Ning gave him a look that said, ’You tell me.’

Knowing the little fox was sensitive, she thought for a moment, tilted her head, and offered a simple, straightforward compliment. "You’re... better looking than them."

"And here I thought you were going to say something profound." Barto flicked his finger against her cheek, the corners of his lips curling up uncontrollably.

"The train is here." The alpha wolf gripped her left hand tightly.

"What’s the rush?" Barto sneered, grabbing Gu Ning’s right hand.

Gu Ning looked from Alex to Barto, feeling a strange pressure building over her head.

The train slowed to a gentle stop in the station.

As soon as the doors opened, the Beastman passengers waiting on the platform swarmed aboard.

Gu Ning was sandwiched between Alex and Barto, who shielded her from the crowd, pulling her from her left and right as they quickly stepped onto the train.

The interior of the train was much more spacious than she had imagined. Alex led the way into the nearest car on the right, heading to the last row and taking the seats to the right of the restroom.

Both sides of the aisle had three-person benches, which was just enough for the three of them.

The train had open seating, unlike the regular or high-speed trains Gu Ning was used to, which had assigned seats. They only let a certain number of ticketed passengers board; anyone over the limit had to wait for the next train.

It was winter now, and not yet peak season, so there were enough seats.

Gu Ning tried to take the innermost seat, but before she could even sit down, Barto stopped her. "Sit in the middle."

’He had no desire to sit next to Alex. The guy reeked of a male in heat.’

Gu Ning had wanted the window seat to watch the scenery and take pictures. However, she saw that the aisle was quite wide, with more than enough room for her to stand. She figured she could always get up and stretch if she got tired, and it wouldn’t prevent her from leaning over to see the view. So, she sat down in the middle.

"You want the inside seat?" Alex offered, making room for Barto.

Barto didn’t move. The car was spacious for Gu Ning, but it seemed a bit cramped for tall, sturdy Beastmen like them.

’He needed to sit on the aisle to handle any emergencies. Plus, the ride to the next station was several hours long, and he would have to take Gu Ning to the restroom. As long as he was with her, he didn’t want to leave those tasks to anyone else.’

Alex knew Barto wouldn’t choose the inside seat, so he didn’t argue and sat down by the window.

Once seated, Gu Ning took out a pen and paper to ask about how Cook and the others were doing.

Barto sat down beside her and took the note she offered. "Relax," he said. "He’s with that bunch from the Military Department, and Seth is with him."

’He could smell their scents, too.’

Gu Ning hesitated, then wrote: *Barto, why don’t you go watch over Cook?*

’The three of them used to live together, and Cook had never once been out of her or Barto’s sight. Now that neither of them was by his side, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.’

’She wanted to go to Cook, or bring him here with them, but she knew they had probably separated her and Cook on purpose.’

’Cook’s degeneration value was too high. He couldn’t afford to get agitated again.’

Barto hadn’t even warmed his seat before Gu Ning was already telling him to leave. He was instantly annoyed. "Why don’t you send *him*?"

Gu Ning followed his gaze to Alex, then looked down, flipped to a new piece of paper, wrote on it, and held it up for Barto to see.

Barto grabbed her hand and peered at the note: *Cook is our puppy. He listens to us best.*

Cook didn’t like Alex much; he wouldn’t be happy to see him.

When he saw that word, "our," the flicker of annoyance in Barto’s heart vanished completely.

"Alright, I’ll go check on him," Barto said, getting up. "Save my seat."

Gu Ning nodded with a beaming smile.

The moment Barto left, another Beastman plopped right down in his seat before Gu Ning could even try to stop him.