Beast Whisperer Rise of the Nation - Chapter 2: Teach the Scum a Lesson

 Chapter 2: Teach the Scum a Lesson

The policeman’s comforting words remained stuck on his tongue as the murmurs in the crowd died out, and all ears turned toward Jiang Shiyan.

"I didn’t fall into the water by accident. Wu Bowen pushed me into the sea. He even spiked my drink with sleeping pills."

Wu Bowen, her so-called boyfriend, had a kind face but a heart as cruel as stone.

“Are you saying your boyfriend pushed you into the sea?” The policeman’s tone became stern. “You shouldn’t make such accusations lightly. Think carefully before you speak.”

"Officer, I’m fully prepared to stand by what I said," Jiang Shiyan responded, her voice resolute.

As more people gathered, eager to witness the unfolding drama, the police decided it was best to take her to the hospital for a full check-up. 

To everyone’s astonishment, despite being stranded on a deserted island for over 30 days, Jiang Shiyan’s health was impeccable. In fact, the only abnormality was her heightened brain activity, well above that of an average person.

Jiang Shiyan privately addressed the system within her: "Shou Shou, they didn’t find you."

[Shou Shou comes from an advanced civilization galaxy. As Blue Star is a mere ordinary civilization, its technology is incapable of detecting advanced systems like me. You can rest assured.]

Jiang Shiyan was settled into a private hospital room, where she recounted everything leading up to her near-death experience. She left nothing out, including the details of how Wu Bowen had attempted to murder her.

"But as far as we know, it was your boyfriend, Mr. Wu Bowen, who reported your disappearance," a female officer chimed in.

“A week before our planned vacation, we each bought ten lottery tickets for the Double Color Ball. One of the tickets ended up winning the jackpot.” Jiang Shiyan’s voice broke as she forced a bitter smile. “Before he pushed me into the sea, I had told him where I’d hidden the winning ticket…”

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, and she covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing her distressed state, the police decided to leave a female officer with her for comfort.

Jiang Shiyan came from a well-off family. Her older brother ran a pet hospital, and her parents were highly respected educators—her mother a high school English teacher, her father a university professor.

But compared to her outstanding brother, Jiang Shiyan had always been viewed as somewhat mediocre. Her parents only wanted her to grow up happy and healthy, so she had little experience with relationships. When she met Wu Bowen, she was easily deceived by his sweet words, even willing to support him financially.

Wu Bowen was the stereotypical “Phoenix Man,” coming from a poor rural family with four older sisters. Yet, with his handsome appearance and charming demeanor, he was able to deceive many.

What hurt the most was that Wu Bowen had been one of her father’s graduate students. Her father had even brought him into a national-level research project. 

Thinking about this betrayal, a surge of hatred welled up within Jiang Shiyan, a feeling inherited from the original owner of the body she now inhabited.

The next morning, after receiving a call from the police, Jiang Shiyan’s family rushed to the hospital. Her mother, who had been overwhelmed with grief during her disappearance, cried uncontrollably as she embraced her daughter.

Her father, too, with red-rimmed eyes, gazed at his youngest child. "It’s good to have you back. That’s all that matters."

Once the initial emotions had subsided, Jiang Shiyan told them the hard truth—that Wu Bowen had pushed her into the sea, most likely to steal the winning lottery ticket, worth five million yuan.

"That animal!" her father roared, his usually calm and gentle demeanor shattered. His hands trembled in fury.

He had believed Wu Bowen’s act. On the surface, Wu Bowen had appeared to be a loving boyfriend, tirelessly searching for Jiang Shiyan after her disappearance. To reward his efforts, Jiang’s father had even invited him to work on his prestigious project.

But now, his chest tightened in agony, and he fainted on the spot.

When he finally regained consciousness, Father Jiang looked as though he had aged twenty years overnight. Gripping Jiang Shiyan’s hand, he said, voice thick with guilt, "Yanyan, I’m so sorry. I failed you. I let a wolf into our home."

Jiang Shiyan leaned into his hand, trying to comfort him. "Dad, don’t blame yourself. If anyone is at fault, it’s Wu Bowen for being such a master manipulator. He fooled all of us. But I’m back now, safe and sound."

Though Jiang Shiyan felt a bit awkward, her body instinctively acted like the original owner, behaving affectionately to soothe her father’s guilt.

"Dad, our priority now is to gather evidence that Wu Bowen tried to kill me. You also need to take care of yourself and be cautious with your research projects. Given what kind of person Wu Bowen is, he might try something underhanded..." Jiang Yiheng, her brother, reminded them.

Father Jiang’s face darkened at the thought.

…

Word of Jiang Shiyan’s return quickly reached Wu Bowen.

The papers he had been holding slipped from his hand, and panic filled his eyes as he grabbed the person beside him. "What did you just say? Who came back?"

“Professor Jiang’s daughter. She was rescued from a deserted island after being missing for over a month…”

Wu Bowen’s face drained of color. He ran towards the Jiang family’s residence without thinking.

"Hey! You forgot your papers—"

Wu Bowen ignored the call, sprinting all the way to the faculty dormitories at Z University. Panting heavily, he paused at the bottom of the building, trying to steady his nerves before going upstairs.

Just then, a soft voice sounded behind him. "Brother Bowen, long time no see."

Wu Bowen turned abruptly, his expression one of sheer terror, as if he had just seen a ghost. He stumbled back a few steps. "Y-Yanyan…"

Jiang Shiyan, dressed in a flowing white gown, her hair cascading around her, slowly approached him. "Brother Bowen, I’m back. Aren’t you happy to see me?"

She even applied makeup to make herself look sickly, with pale skin and bloodless lips.

Just then, Da Huang, a stray dog from campus, appeared behind Wu Bowen, cutting off his escape. The dog let out a low, threatening growl.

Wu Bowen's lips trembled as he stammered, "Are you a human or... a ghost?"

Jiang Shiyan’s voice was icy. "Brother Bowen, do you think I’m human or a ghost? We went out to sea together to see the dolphins. Why did you abandon me? The sea was so cold and dark... I couldn’t see anything."

A chill ran down Wu Bowen’s spine, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably. "I-I don’t know…"

At that moment, a snake suddenly shot out from the bushes and sank its fangs into Wu Bowen’s ankle.

"Ahhh!!"

Wu Bowen’s scream pierced the night. Da Huang, terrified, darted away. Wu Bowen collapsed to the ground, clutching his leg in agony. As he writhed in pain, Jiang Shiyan approached, her cold hands grabbing onto him.

"Brother Bowen..." she whispered.

"No! Stay away from me! Don’t come any closer!" Wu Bowen shrieked, scrambling to his feet, stumbling as he limped away.

Jiang Shiyan casually tossed aside the ice she had been holding in her pocket, blowing on her cold hands.

It was freezing.

[Mission progress: "Teach the Scumbag a Lesson" is 60% complete. Keep going! Upon completion, you will unlock the ability to understand animal language.]

Jiang Shiyan smiled mysteriously.

"Very soon."