The call from the production team came fast.
A complete 180-degree shift in tone.
Praise poured through the speaker:
"Today's footage was phenomenal—full of drama, full of authenticity! Er'gou's personality is gold. We'd love Lin Wan and Er'gou to join all upcoming segments. Compensation is negotiable!"
Lin Wan stared at the phone.
Speechless.
What had been a vicious smear campaign only hours ago had been obliterated—
By a husky.
With paws.
In under thirty minutes.
The dressing room fell quiet again.
Just Lin Wan and Er'gou.
She crouched down slowly, looking at the husky sprawled on the floor, chest rising and falling with visible fatigue.
Her emotions were a mess.
Fear. Relief. Gratitude. Shock.
And something softer, harder to name.
"…Hey," she murmured, gently rubbing his ear.
"Thanks."
Er'gou cracked one blue eye open, gave a faint huff through his nose, and lazily flicked the tip of his tail.
"But," Lin Wan continued, narrowing her eyes as she pinched his fluffy cheek,
"When you hijacked my laptop… did you secretly install some shady crawler software and hacker tools again?"
Pause.
"And what's the password to that cloud drive?"
"And exactly how many nuclear-grade secrets are you hiding in there?"
Er'gou immediately shut his eyes.
Began snoring.
Loudly.
Dramatically.
Lin Wan: "...Stop playing dead!"
Her phone buzzed again.
Not a notification.
A message.
Encrypted.
From Chen Lin's burner phone:
Well done. But stay alert. They won't give up.Entropy's nose is sharper than any dog's.Next filming location: Starlight Amusement Park.Watch the Ferris wheel zone — there's a 'special scent'.Also, expose him to dense crowds. Stimulating his dormant 'human social instincts' may stabilize his condition.
Lin Wan froze.
Ferris wheel?
Special scent?
Crowds?
She lifted her gaze toward the darkening sky outside the studio window.
The neon-lit city shimmered peacefully.
Beautiful.
Deceptive.
Because she now knew—
Eyes were always watching.
And she and the world's most emotionally unstable, reality-breaking, PR-genius husky—
Were walking straight into a far more dangerous playground.
Er'gou stopped fake-snoring.
Opened both eyes.
Looked at her.
Then toward the window.
His gaze deep, unreadable.
Yet—
That tiny, betraying flick of his tail…
Was that… anticipation?
For an amusement park?
Starlight Amusement Park — Night
The place was a riot of light pollution and budget fantasy.
A carnival of glowing illusions.
The carousel bathed in pink and cyan hues.
Bumper cars clashing with plastic shrieks.
The air thick with cotton candy sweetness, fried grease, and chilled night wind.
Tonight's theme for Cute Pet Showdown:
"Nighttime Amusement Park Adventure."
Lin Wan stood beneath the flashing entrance sign, leash in hand, feeling like a criminal who had accidentally smuggled a highly unstable weapon (psychological category) into a children's paradise.
Beside her—
Er'gou sat calmly.
Black collar secured.
Fur forcibly brushed before arrival.
Under the kaleidoscope of lights, his grey-white coat shimmered with a cool-toned sheen.
His blue eyes scanned the noisy wonderland.
No excitement.
No curiosity.
Only analytical detachment—
And a faint thread of vigilance.
Chen Lin's warning echoed in Lin Wan's mind.
Ferris wheel. Special scent.
Her eyes drifted deeper into the park.
Toward the towering Ferris wheel rotating slowly in the distance.
Outlined in multicolored lights.
Like a colossal eye blinking against the night sky.
Watching.
Waiting.
The guests assembled.
Zhou Zixuan was absent—"urgent schedule conflict."
His replacement:
Su Xiao, a sweet, girl-next-door actress carrying a docile Ragdoll cat.
Jenny's corgi vibrated with energy.
A'Huang's orange tabby slept like the dead.
The elderly couple's golden retriever wagged gently.
The director's amplified voice boomed with excitement:
"Welcome to Starlight Amusement Park! Tonight, our pets and owners will conquer classic attractions, complete special missions, collect Starlight Stickers, and win the grand prize!"
"First challenge—"
"Carousel Ride Together!"
Lin Wan's vision darkened.
Carousel?!
Putting Er'gou on a carousel?!
She could already see tomorrow's headlines:
#InfluencerForcesHuskyOntoRideForClicks
Yet—
Unexpectedly—
When Lin Wan awkwardly lifted Er'gou onto a pristine white carousel horse glittering with cheap plastic sequins—
He only stiffened briefly.
Then…
Did not resist.
He locked his paws tightly around the metal pole.
Chin raised slightly.
Blue eyes fixed ahead.
Expression—
Calm.
Almost… tragic.
As if declaring:
Very well.
For the mission.
For survival.
For dignity.
This king endures.
Music swelled.
The carousel began its gentle rise and fall.
Spinning.
Glowing.
Other pets reacted predictably—
Excited corgi barks.
Irritated cat grumbles.
Curious retriever glances.
Er'gou?
Statue-still.
Regal.
Soul apparently departed.
His blank stare suggested he was mentally attending a shareholder meeting while reviewing quarterly reports.
Only—
His death grip on the pole—
And the microscopic tension in his posture—
Revealed the storm raging beneath that icy composure.
Under flashing carnival lights—
A fallen top-tier idol—
Now rode a carousel horse.
In silence.
In humiliation.
In absolute, majestic dignity.