Unforeseen Encounters  

Wenjay, clad in an apron and rubber gloves, brandishing a scalpel, chased Patton around like a madman. After a strenuous effort, he finally cornered Patton against the garden wall.

"Where do you think you're going?" Wenjay taunted, "There's no escape now!"

Patton whimpered, seemingly aware of his impending fate. He cowered in the corner, casting a longing look at the osmanthus tree in the yard.

Following Patton's gaze, an idea struck Wenjay. Could it be that Patton wanted one last go at the tree? Feeling a pang of sympathy, he led Patton under the tree, "Go ahead, buddy. After today, you won't have this hobby anymore."

Instead of humping the tree, Patton began to dig furiously in the ground. Wenjay was puzzled. He nudged the soil with his foot and found it unusually soft, as if it had been dug up and filled in again.

Could something be buried here? Wenjay's mind raced with scenes from classic mystery dramas - secluded villas, deserted woods, damp and cold lakesides... all perfect places to hide a body!

Could Mingyoo have buried something incriminating here? An avenging father? A traitorous partner? A cheating ex-wife?

Patton, after digging for a while, tugged at Wenjay's pant leg, urging him to look. Wenjay bent down and saw half a foot sticking out of the loose soil. It seemed there really was something buried in this yard!

Should he call the police? No, he should dial 110 here!

Wenjay was in a state of chaos. He was torn between calling the police and grabbing the car keys to make a run for it. As he stumbled over his own feet, he noticed something odd - it wasn't a foot, but a slipper...

Recalling the dark green plaid slipper Patton had buried in the morning, Wenjay began to understand. He grabbed a shovel and dug around the tree, only to find over twenty identical slippers buried within a two-meter radius!

Wenjay burst into laughter, pointing at the shamelessly ingratiating Patton, "You sly dog, you think giving up your stolen slippers will save you?"

Patton wagged his tail, his dopey face indicating that was indeed his plan.

Wenjay now understood why Mingyoo bought so many identical slippers - if a dog took one, he could just replace it without having to throw away a mismatched pair!

Even the rich can be frugal!

After his laughter subsided, Wenjay dragged the pitiful Patton into the laundry room and, with a swift snip, neutered him.

The now neutered Patton was noticeably depressed. Although he wasn't in much pain, he seemed to understand that he had lost a significant part of his doggy pleasures. He lay motionless in his kennel, ignoring Wenjay's soothing words.

"You'll get through this," Wenjay reassured Patton, patting his head. He then gathered the twenty-odd slippers that had been buried for who knows how long, and threw them all into the washing machine.

As the sun set, its golden rays illuminated the beautiful courtyard of Maplewood Farm and the rows of dark green plaid slippers. Wenjay, holding a tub of ice cream, sat under the osmanthus tree, feeling incredibly fulfilled by his day.

After a light rain in the evening, Wenjay had dinner and, as usual, packed Mingyoo's portion in a Tupperware container and placed it in the refrigerator.

He then cooked a bland meal for the recovering dog.

By half-past eight, everything was taken care of. With no entertainment facilities in the mountains and the only projector out of order, Wenjay fiddled with the Wi-Fi router until he managed to connect his phone and laptop to the internet. He then retreated to his room to binge-watch some shows.

After watching an episode of a low-budget fantasy web series and two episodes of a steampunk-themed war drama, Wenjay felt a great sense of satisfaction.

After taking a shower and settling into bed, he was just about to drift off to sleep when he was startled awake by a faint rumbling sound. He got up and went out onto the balcony, where he saw a large shadow lingering at the crossroads outside the gate. After a moment, the figure darted into the nearby woods.

In the dead of night, could this be someone waiting to ambush Mingyoo? Wenjay thought the figure looked similar to the "wild man" he had encountered the previous night. Feeling a bit wary, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to put on his clothes and go downstairs.

The courtyard was eerily quiet. Half of the moon was obscured by clouds, and the wind rustled through the leaves from time to time. Wenjay, gripping a golf club, carefully opened the gate and slipped out. He walked a few meters along the wall and entered the adjacent woods.

The forest was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything clearly. After cautiously walking for about five minutes without spotting the "wild man," Wenjay was considering whether to return to the gate and wait when he suddenly heard a rustling sound behind him. He spun around just in time to see a massive shadow lunging at him!

Wenjay's reflexes kicked in, and he rolled away from the attacker. He quickly got up and swung his golf club at the figure, shouting, "Who are you?!"

The figure didn't respond, instead growling like a wild beast. His movements were slow, but his massive size made each punch and kick terrifyingly powerful.

Wenjay was now seriously considering the possibility that this was indeed a wild man - what normal person would have such strength? Despite his own martial arts training, he was struggling to fend off the man's uncoordinated attacks!

Caught off guard, Wenjay was kicked and sent flying into a tree. Just as he was about to get up, the man lunged at him like a massive bear.

Wenjay braced himself for the impending attack, but suddenly, the air around him seemed to tremble, and then the world seemed to freeze.

Yes, everything had frozen, as if someone had hit the pause button on a movie. The attacker was frozen in place, the leaves above no longer rustled, even the sound of the wind seemed to have disappeared!

What... what was happening? Wenjay wanted to blink, but to his horror, he found that he couldn't move. Like everything around him, he was stuck in this moment, completely frozen.

It only lasted a moment, perhaps a second, maybe half a second, or even less. Time started flowing again, the leaves began to rustle, and the man roared as he lunged at Wenjay... Suddenly, a tall figure appeared in front of him, like a ghost, grabbing the "wild man" and throwing him several meters away!

Yes, he was thrown away, his massive body, weighing over 250 kilograms, was tossed like a leaf, flying about five meters before crashing into the muddy ground, unconscious.

What just happened? Wenjay was stunned by this defiance of physics, staring wide-eyed at the man standing in front of him.

Under the dim moonlight, the man stood tall and lean, appearing godlike. His face was obscured, but Wenjay could see his wrinkled, dirty T-shirt, ripped jeans, and high-top military boots covered in mud. He looked as if he had just emerged from a fierce battle in the wilderness.

The man glanced at the unconscious "wild man," then turned to Wenjay, his voice raspy and deep, "Are you okay?"

Lying on the ground, Wenjay stared blankly at him for a moment before managing to stammer, "I'm... I'm fine."

"Get up." The man extended his right hand, "Can you walk?"

"Yes." Wenjay came back to his senses, but didn't take his hand. He got up on his own, noticing a metal brace on the man's right leg, causing him to limp slightly.

A thought flashed through Wenjay's mind - could this be Mingyoo Jow?

Before he could ask, the man suddenly turned and ran towards where the "wild man" had fallen, shouting, "Stop!"

There was a rustling sound from the bushes as the "wild man" made a quick escape. The man tried to give chase, but his leg hindered him. He only managed a few steps before stopping. He pulled something out of his pocket and aimed it in the direction of the escapee.

Wenjay noticed it was a compact Glock pistol.

A gun! Private gun ownership is heavily restricted in China, who would carry a Glock around?! Wenjay was shocked, staring at the man in disbelief.

The man took aim for a while but didn't fire. He slowly lowered the gun.

After a brief pause, he limped back towards Wenjay and said, "Follow me."