Stop Eyeing My Pretty Caretaker - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The spacecraft traveled for a full six hours.

Finally, it docked at a dimly lit transit station.

Jian Chen had woken up long ago; meanwhile, the small table in front of him had been piled into a small mountain.

Mostly candy, along with many snacks, pastries, a small box of dumplings, and several cups of steaming milk tea. Jian Chen thought that these were likely what the interstellar residents believed to be the favorite foods and drinks of humans.

While flattered, he also felt a bit melancholy.

As expected, everything before his eyes was real.

Though it felt like a fantasy, it was truly happening right in front of him.

Jian Chen hesitated. Just as he was about to leave his seat, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and discovered that the “fluffies” who had just been feeding him looked somewhat disappointed, watching him expectantly.

Jian Chen: “…”

Jian Chen sat back down and opened his backpack.

He laboriously stacked the small mountain of items and stuffed them into his bag.

Only then did the passengers of the spacecraft withdraw their burning gazes, satisfied.

At the same time, they silently placed their hands over their hearts.

…He’s so cute.

Jian Chen followed the crowd of “people” off the ship.

He lowered his head to check his ticket, then looked up at the station sign, finally confirming that this planet was the legendary “Planet Moli.”

Traveling freely between various planets was something completely unimaginable back on Earth thousands of years ago.

Jian Chen’s heart beat a little faster.

He knew his mission for this trip. According to the original owner’s wishes, Jian Chen was supposed to sign a contract today to officially sell the zoo.

Simultaneously, a dialogue that did not belong to his own memory surfaced in his mind:

“Mr. Jian, once you sign your name, the contract takes effect immediately, and all assets under the name ‘Stardust Zoo’ will be frozen.”

“Of course, in exchange, the buyer will pay you 3.4 billion Star Coins.”

3.4 billion Star Coins…

Jian Chen sighed silently.

In the concept of the interstellar era, this amount was an unimaginable, astronomical sum of wealth.

In other words, with this money, Jian Chen could not only own a luxury mansion and collect private warships to travel the universe, but he could even buy a small, undeveloped planet… at the very least, he could go to the Desolate Lands and be a carefree, big-spending interstellar pirate.

It was undoubtedly a massive temptation.

No wonder the original owner had agreed to transfer the zoo without hesitation upon hearing the quote, stepping onto the journey to sign the contract without even blinking.

Jian Chen fell into deep thought.

Although the lawyer hadn’t explained and the original owner hadn’t asked—what would happen to the animals in the zoo?

Would they, as he feared, be “sold” along with the zoo like mere objects?

If treated as commodities, what kind of situation would they face?

As a zoologist, this was a question Jian Chen instinctively couldn’t ignore.

The young man picked up his luggage and quickly caught up with the crowd.

Regardless, the contract hadn’t been signed yet. He would go and see for himself first.

Planet Moli was located at the tail end of the interstellar route. Half of the sphere experienced eternal daylight, while the other half was plunged into continuous night.

As the flight attendant had said earlier, Planet Moli was home to various black markets and illegal trades; it had a dark side that other planets could not reveal to the world.

And these transactions took place on the hemisphere without sunlight.

So, upon exiting the transit station, Jian Chen first saw a sky of endless night.

There were no stars or moon, only an ink-black void that seemed to have no end.

The lights of ten thousand homes lit up the horizon, but unlike Earth, they were primarily blue, looking both grand and eerie.

It was filled with a dangerous, mysterious color.

Jian Chen had never seen such a spectacle.

To say he wasn’t intimidated would be a lie.

…He felt strangely as if he had entered a black market or a den of thieves.

Was this really necessary?

Jian Chen wanted to ask the original Jian Chen: To sell a zoo, why did we have to come to a place like this?

orz

Despite his nerves, Jian Chen resolutely walked inside.

Since this was the original owner’s business and it hadn’t been resolved when he transmigrated, it now fell on his shoulders.

As for where to go after this, he was still very lost.

But the current Jian Chen had nothing left to lose anyway.

Though his memories of the original owner were fragmented, he had managed to grasp basic interstellar common sense, enough to avoid exposing the fact that he was a transmigrator in this unfamiliar era.

Jian Chen left the platform and reached the exit.

Vehicles in the interstellar era could already fly in mid-air. Where the wheels slid past, they would leave a beautiful afterimage in the air; within a two-meter radius of the afterimage, other vehicles would automatically sense and avoid it to prevent collisions.

Jian Chen was dazzled.

He was shocked by the level of technology in the interstellar era.

Suddenly, a high-end car speeding along traced a blue shadow and stopped in front of Jian Chen.

The driver’s side window slid down. The man inside wore a black suit; he was tall with a cold expression. He asked, “Jian Chen?”

The youth was speechless.

This must be the contact person?

Jian Chen gripped his suitcase and nodded. “Yes.”

The man’s gaze swept over Jian Chen, lingering for a long time before he said flatly, “Please get in the car.”

Jian Chen put his luggage in the back seat, walked around, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat.

The car started slowly.

Jian Chen quietly observed the man in the driver’s seat.

A neat suit, a tie on the shirt… strangely, the man wore a very mismatched dark scarf.

The reason he called it “dark” was that Jian Chen couldn’t accurately judge the scarf’s original color. Moreover, the scarf was pilling and the ends were somewhat tattered; it was clearly wrapped in and worn with anti-corrosion materials.

He had an unfamiliar face and a cold, almost mechanical voice. There seemed to be no such person in the original owner’s memory, but why… did he feel strangely familiar?

Jian Chen couldn’t help but ask, “Are you the buyer?”

“No.”

The man paused for a few seconds and said, “I am the butler of your zoo.”

“…”

Jian Chen shut his mouth silently.

It seemed the original owner’s memories hadn’t fully fused with him yet; he had actually forgotten such an important figure in his life. How embarrassing.

However, Jian Chen suddenly realized something and asked, “Then why did you… confirm my name just now?”

The butler drove without looking away, his breathing steady and faint. He seemed to think for a moment before saying, “I just felt that you…”

Jian Chen: “?”

The man said: “Seem a bit different somehow.”

The youth fell silent.

Spotted as “off” in just three sentences. Jian Chen decided it was better to communicate as little as possible to avoid blowing his cover.

The car traveled very fast.

With no traffic lights or congested traffic to squeeze through, and with the car seemingly avoiding obstacles automatically, Jian Chen looked out the window at the scenery passing below. His heart felt like it was on a roller coaster.

After sitting for a while, Jian Chen lowered his head and rubbed his cold fingertips.

The top right of the dashboard showed the interior temperature: 6°C.

Even though he was wearing much more than the butler, the other man looked completely normal, while Jian Chen was shivering.

Jian Chen: “…”

Am I the only one who finds this temperature cold?

It seemed the butler was also likely a “fluffy,” though he didn’t know what animal his original form was.

Suddenly, the man reached out, his long fingers adjusting the temperature.

Jian Chen watched as the number changed from 6 to 26.

At first, the youth squinted his eyes comfortably in the warm air, but soon, Jian Chen became so hot he had to take off his coat and scarf, and his forehead began to sweat.

Yet the person in the driver’s seat remained the same as before, no change at all—not even a single drop of sweat.

Jian Chen thought, questioning his life: Are there actually fluffies that aren’t afraid of heat?

The car stopped outside a luxurious trading hall.

Before Jian Chen went in, the butler took something out from his inner pocket and handed it to him.

Jian Chen stared at the soy-sized piece of black metal in his palm, clearly stunned.

The man pointed to his ear and said, “Translator.”

Jian Chen suddenly understood.

As expected of a butler, he could take care of all these details.

Led by a waiter to the third floor, Jian Chen peeked his head in and found a spacious meeting room. At the other end of the round table sat a person. If one looked closely, two red-and-black ears could be seen on the person’s head.

Upon seeing Jian Chen, the man’s ears flickered.

Jian Chen, having extensive experience with animals, made a silent judgment:

This gentleman is a fox.

From his initial shock to his current numbness, Jian Chen seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to the fact of dealing with animals. He spoke first: “Sorry, sir, am I late?”

“No, please come in!”

The fox gentleman’s eyes lit up. He stood up and smiled, shaking Jian Chen’s hand. “Hello, my name is Chen Jianshang.”

Jian Chen shook the man’s hand back, repeating the name in his head. Feeling a bit complicated, he said politely, “Hello… Mr. Chen.”

The two took their seats.

Just like any transaction, they both finished reviewing the contract. The fox gentleman wrote his name on his side of the contract and pressed his thumbprint.

The pressure shifted to Jian Chen.

Jian Chen picked up the pen, hesitating.

Chen Jianshang was very good at observing expressions. His expression shifted as he seemed to see Jian Chen’s hesitation, so he smiled and advised:

“Look, Mr. Jian, you’ve been running it for two years, and now the zoo is going bankrupt. That says something.”

“Besides, as a zoo, you don’t even have a panda. Is that even right?”

“But if you let us take over, we are very good at management. We can definitely change its fate, revitalize the zoo, and let it reach its best value.”

Jian Chen: “…”

That actually sounds quite reasonable.

For a moment, Jian Chen was speechless.

So Jian Chen slowly lowered his pen and began to write his name.

“Boss, is it appropriate for you to spend so much money to buy a zoo?” The subordinate beside him switched to the language of Planet Moli to communicate with Chen Jianshang, his voice full of worry. “Won’t we lose money? This little guy is taking it all.”

The fox gentleman sneered. “What do you know? How could we lose money?”

“With a zoo that big,” he used his hand to make a gun gesture, pointing it at his own forehead, “what a great hunting ground it will make.”

“Those animals may not have evolved high intelligence, but their reaction speeds aren’t bad.”

“Let players bring guns and hunting weapons—tickets at 2,000 Star Coins each, and a 40 Star Coin reward for shooting a prey. We’ll make a killing.”

The tip of Jian Chen’s pen stopped.

If one looked closely, they could see the youth’s fingertips were red and shaking slightly.

That was the state of someone gripping a pen with great force.

“Sorry.”

Jian Chen crossed out the radical he had just finished writing and put down the pen.

“This zoo—I’m not selling it anymore.”

Both people across from him showed looks of surprise.

Chen Jianshang was the first to react. He slowly withdrew his smile, his face darkening. “Mr. Jian, you were the one who contacted us three weeks ago saying you wanted to transfer the zoo. You were the one who personally came from the Empire to Planet Moli to sign the contract.”

He smiled thinly. “Why the sudden change of heart now?”

Jian Chen said honestly, “What we agreed upon previously did not include the method of handling the animals. I didn’t know Mr. Chen intended to turn the zoo into a hunting ground.”

The subordinate’s eyes widened, pointing at Jian Chen. “He has a translator!”

Chen Jianshang’s face grew cold and sinister.

“Mr. Jian Chen, this isn’t your Empire. Since you’ve stepped onto Planet Moli, you have to follow the rules here.”

“Besides, the Imperial Monarch hasn’t returned from the war yet.”

The man raised an eyebrow and said excitedly, “I heard his war with the Zerg wasn’t a total victory? Haha, word is that on the way back, the powerful Zerg King intended to perish together with His Majesty’s ship. The news says they won, but in reality, that man’s life is hanging in the balance.”

“Once the Emperor dies and you lose the protection of the Empire, Planet Moli will be even more in its element.”

Chen Jianshang placed the contract on the table and pushed it toward Jian Chen. “So, today, you must sign this.”

Jian Chen’s heart went cold.

He knew it—this was a black market!!

If this were back on Earth, Jian Chen would have been quite intimidated. After all, he had a person and a bear waiting for him at home; perhaps his brain would have whirred at high speed to find a way to stall and escape danger.

But now, as the lonely transmigrator Jian Chen, he was fearless. He just wanted to lie flat.

Jian Chen sighed. “I’m not signing.”

He added: “Not even if I die.”

Chen Jianshang and his subordinate: “…”

Why is this human so arrogant?

His tone was so willful he sounded like the Emperor’s consort.

Chen Jianshang’s ears stood up in anger.

His brown pupils grew lighter and brighter. His clothes slowly tore as fur replaced skin. In just a few seconds, he had transformed into his beast form.

Jian Chen had guessed correctly; Chen Jianshang was indeed a fox.

However, he hadn’t expected a fox’s body could be so large—it was half a person tall. His teeth were sharp, and his bite force looked capable of snapping a human’s throat in one go.

Jian Chen thought about it; it made sense. After all, the guy was a black market boss. Even in beast form, he couldn’t be compared to an ordinary fox.

If possible, Jian Chen hoped he could be taken out in one bite.

That would involve less pain.

The fox arched its back, sharp claws protruding from its pads. In the next second, it was about to pounce on Jian Chen.

Suddenly, a noise came from outside the door.

In the next second, the wooden door was forcibly broken open.

Jian Chen, who had been lying flat waiting for death, was suddenly picked up. Moreover, the person holding him didn’t retreat the way they had come; instead, while holding him tightly, they crashed right through the window on the other side!

Jian Chen: “!!!”

They jumped straight down from the third floor!

Broken glass flew past his ears accompanied by the sound of the wind. Jian Chen’s heart hammered; he squeezed his eyes shut.

But his body didn’t slam heavily into the ground. The person holding him actually landed steadily on the floor.

Unharmed, without even making a sound.

Jian Chen looked up and met the other’s eyes.

He discovered the man was the butler who had just driven him there!

Chaotic voices came from the third-floor window: “That human didn’t come alone! There’s an android!!”

An android?

Jian Chen froze, the term somewhat unfamiliar to him.

There was no such concept in the era of Earth. Jian Chen knew from the original owner’s memories that androids were a new species in the interstellar era.

And Planet Moli was the largest manufacturing plant for androids.

It was said that androids had human hearts, nerves, and thoughts, including some vital organs, but their skeletons were metal and a chip was implanted in the brain to control the whole body.

However, they possessed more power than humans; their muscles and various organs were enhanced. They had superior appearances and could think like humans. A rare few even possessed emotions. They not only had rigorous calculation abilities and staggering reaction speeds but also possessed infinite physical stamina.

Rather than “people,” they were more like the evolved derivatives of the earliest robots from ancient Earth.

So now, when they said “android,” they were referring to his butler?!

Jian Chen pursed his lips, a strange feeling suddenly surging in his heart.

Like a mysterious intuition, Jian Chen blurted out, “Um, sir, you have a name, right?”

Jian Chen pressed further: “What is your name?”

the other man lowered his gaze. Due to the intense exercise, his mechanical voice was more obvious than before, yet his arms were unexpectedly steady and calm:

“Bennett.”