Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 308 - 252: Award Ceremony (Part 2)

"Sir, you can’t abuse that animal. It hasn’t done anything wrong; making sounds is in its nature. Please let go of it, or I will propose to the organizing committee that you be disqualified."

When the others heard this, their attention snapped back to him. The already somewhat noisy lounge grew even more clamorous as everyone waited to see how the situation would unfold.

Feng Mountain was both exasperated and amused. He quickly tried to explain.

"It’s a misunderstanding. I’m not abusing it. This little fella has a bad attitude—it spews profanities the moment it opens its beak. I’m just teaching it some manners."

But the wildlife rescue nominee looked skeptical, clearly not believing Feng Mountain’s words. He remained standing there, his gaze fixed on Feng Mountain, waiting for him to let go. The situation reached an impasse.

’You’re forcing my hand.’

’Don’t regret this later.’

Feng Mountain grumbled inwardly. Feeling utterly helpless, but not wanting to be mistaken for an animal abuser, he had no choice but to release his grip on Loki’s beak.

’How dare you lecture my dad? Are you getting cocky?’

The moment he let go, Loki bristled with rage, all its feathers seemingly standing on end. Its small eyes, filled with fury, glared at the nominee.

A relentless barrage of vulgar curses was hurled at the nominee.

"What the fuck, you old bastard!"

"You bitch, come suck my d*ck!"

"You stinking dogshit! You’re useless, just a pile of crap!"

"Fuck off! Let me drown you in a cesspit, you maggot!"

...

Loki’s tirade grew increasingly vile. The stream of profanities spewing from its beak was like a series of dirty bombs exploding in the otherwise dignified lounge, leaving everyone utterly dumbfounded.

No one could have imagined that such a small parrot could be so vicious—and utterly shameless—with its insults.

The onlookers were frozen in place by the sudden spectacle. For a moment, everyone forgot how to react, simply staring blankly as Loki threw its tantrum and spewed insults.

The animal rescue nominee was immediately thrown into disarray by the barrage of insults.

He had been standing there a moment before, the very picture of righteousness, determined to protect an animal from abuse. He never imagined he would find himself in a verbal showdown like this.

He stood completely stunned, his face flushing then paling. His mouth hung open, but no words came out for a long moment, completely dazed by Loki’s string of profanities.

"Excuse me, sir," a white-haired old man said, standing up to address Feng Mountain. "Please control your... parrot. It is truly... truly unseemly!"

The old man probably wanted to say "filthy," but his decorum led him to use the more euphemistic "unseemly."

"Of course."

Feng Mountain snapped his fingers. Loki, who had been screeching like a shrew in the street, instantly fell silent and obediently smoothed its feathers.

Then, Feng Mountain turned to the bewildered nominee and calmly explained.

"Sir, please understand. This grey parrot had a... very uncivilized life with its previous owner. I only adopted it from a rescue center a few days ago, and I haven’t had time to correct all of its bad habits yet."

"It... it... Never mind. It was my mistake. I apologize." The nominee waved his hand dismissively and sank back into his chair, looking utterly mortified.

「Just then.」

The muffled sound of music drifted through the walls and into the lounge.

The door opened and a staff member wearing headphones walked in. She held a list in her hand, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the lounge.

"Everyone, the awards ceremony is about to begin. I will call out your names, and when you hear yours, please proceed to the stage in order."

Upon hearing this, a variety of expressions appeared on the faces of the people in the lounge.

Feng Mountain straightened his posture slightly and gently patted Loki on his shoulder, whispering a warning, "Behave yourself in a little bit."

「Soon.」

Amid the faint sound of applause from outside, the staff member tilted her head, listening to her earpiece, then quickly called out into the lounge.

"Mr. Ivan Oriel, you’re the first nominee to go on stage. Please proceed to the platform."

As soon as she finished speaking, an elderly man with a full head of white hair slowly stood up with a smile and walked toward the door. The others saw this and also rose to their feet, applauding warmly to congratulate him.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth...

One by one, the nominees were called, and they left the lounge with expressions of either excitement or nervousness.

As time passed, the number of nominees in the lounge dwindled.

"Mr. Feng, it’s your turn to go on stage!" The staff member said, looking over at Feng Mountain, who was sitting in a corner.

"Thank you!"

Feng Mountain stood up, first adjusting his Wolf Fur Coat, then giving Loki a light pat on his shoulder, signaling for the bird to look sharp.

After leaving the lounge, Feng Mountain followed the tall, brown-haired woman down a corridor.

Along the way, staff members were busy with their tasks, and performers were running through last-minute rehearsals.

But as Feng Mountain passed by, his unique Wolf Fur Coat was so eye-catching that everyone’s gaze was drawn to him. They would stare for a moment, their eyes wide with surprise.

Some of the younger women even stopped what they were doing, their mouths slightly agape, staring intently at Feng Mountain as they pulled out their phones and started taking pictures.

Feng Mountain noticed the stares and felt a little uncomfortable, but at this point, all he could do was brace himself and keep walking.

With every step closer to the awards stage, the applause grew louder, rolling in like a surging tide, wave after wave. Each clap seemed to pound against Feng Mountain’s heart, making the already nervous man even more anxious.

The last time he’d experienced a scene like this was back in prison, when he was awarded the title of "Outstanding Student."