Landlord in the Arctic

For example, opening a casino in the Crown Territory, or using the River Beach to smuggle weapons and drugs.

But who would have known? The conditions she proposed sounded like a complete joke. It was as if she hadn’t proposed anything at all.

"The first condition is no problem." Feng Shan paused for a moment, cleared his throat, and continued, "As for the second, Tyson and the others came to the Crown Territory of their own free will. I can’t make that decision for them. You’ll have to ask them yourself. I won’t stand in your way."

"Really?" Natasha’s eyes lit up instantly.

She had been staying in the log cabin for the past two days, and from time to time, she would run into the Tiger Pack.

At first, she was a little worried. After all, if over a dozen tigers suddenly went feral, even her bodyguards wouldn’t be able to handle them.

But after spending some time with these tigers, she discovered something.

These seemingly ferocious beasts were as docile as kittens. They would let her pet them, hug them, and they never got angry.

You have to understand, every Russian dreams of taming a wild beast.

Keeping brown bears, wolves, tigers, or eagles as pets was nothing out of the ordinary.

In Lengwan, Andrei kept a brown bear named Peter, who followed him around all day.

Natasha had also raised a brown bear once, but unfortunately, after an accident where the bear suddenly turned violent and attacked a passerby, her Aunt Natalia shot it for safety’s sake.

Ever since that incident, Natasha had never kept another animal.

However, fate always has a strange way of working things out.

When she stepped into the Crown Territory and met the Tiger Pack for the first time, the love for animals deep in her heart was like a seed awakened by a spring breeze, sprouting once more.

The Tiger Pack’s agile figures and domineering presence deeply fascinated Natasha, and she couldn’t help but fall in love with them.

She had taken this opportunity of being alone with Feng Shan to make her request.

Seeing the anticipation in Natasha’s eyes, Feng Shan put on a serious expression and said solemnly, "Of course it’s true. They are good kids. If you earn a tiger’s approval, you must take good care of it."

"Of course," Natasha quickly agreed.

At the same time, her heart was already itching with anticipation, and she began to wonder what she could do to win the Tiger Pack’s approval once she returned to the cabin.

Her eyes shone with yearning, as if she could already picture the heartwarming scene of herself with the tigers.

"What’s the third condition?" Seeing her lost in thought, Feng Shan steered the conversation back to the main point.

"I don’t know. I haven’t thought of it yet. I’ll tell you when I do."

Natasha suddenly snapped back to reality, shaking her head lightly to cast her tangled thoughts aside for the moment.

...

The sky grew darker.

In the night sky, the dazzling, dancing aurora had quietly faded away at some point, as if it had finished its performance and taken an elegant bow, leaving its stage behind.

All that remained was the biting wind, howling wantonly across the vast expanse of land.

The sharp whistling of the wind seemed to speak of the Tundra’s nightly solitude and cold.

Feng Shan stood by the stove and added some more firewood.

The flames leaped up cheerfully with a CRACKLE and POP, illuminating his slightly weary face.

After a full day of running around, plus a good amount of drinking, Feng Shan couldn’t help but yawn as he looked at Natasha in the rocking chair.

"Are you sure you’re sleeping here tonight?"

"Mhm, I already told Aunt Natalia. I’m sleeping here tonight." Natasha nodded lightly. After speaking, as if remembering something unpleasant, she glared, shot Feng Shan a look of disdain, and said contemptuously, "Men are just animals who think with their dicks. Disgusting."

’I’m getting blamed for this too?’

’It’s Frank’s fault, go find him!’

’It’s not like I forced the two old flames to jump into bed together.’

Feng Shan grumbled inwardly. A helpless, bitter smile appeared on his face as he left a parting shot and turned huffily toward the bedroom.

"I’ll go make the bed for you."

「Far North Tundra.」

Night fell as swiftly as a pool of thick ink, and the cold ran rampant across the land.

On the wall-mounted thermometer, the thin column of mercury seemed frozen in place, pointing steadily at the -50 degree mark, a silent declaration of the harsh conditions outside.

Outside the bus.

The biting wind was like an untamed wild horse, howling and roaring, WHOOSHING without end.

Sheets of snowflakes, driven by the gale, slammed against the windowpanes with a sharp TAPPING sound, as if trying to break through the barrier and burst into the warmth of the bus.

Inside the bus, however, it was a different world.

The wood-burning stove burned vigorously, its orange-red flames leaping merrily, constantly radiating waves of warmth that kept the cold at bay.

Feng Shan had made a bed on the living room floor, lying on a soft reindeer hide blanket, completely enveloped in warmth.

He lay beside the stove, a convenient spot for getting up in the middle of the night to add more wood.

Gazing at the flames burning in the stove, his thoughts began to drift.

"Are you asleep?" Just as Feng Shan was about to drift off, Natasha’s soft but clear voice came from the direction of the bedroom.

"If you hadn’t asked, I probably would have been," Feng Shan said, deliberately raising his voice toward the bedroom. He pulled his blanket up, his tone tinged with a bit of teasing. "Can’t sleep? Need me to tell you a fairy tale? How about ’The Little C4-Seller’ or ’The Stewed Duckling’?"

"Thanks, but I prefer stories about chainsaw massacres. Don’t you know how to be romantic with a lady?" Natasha’s voice came again, this time with a hint of playfulness.

"Sorry, I’m allergic to romance."

Feng Shan couldn’t help but chuckle and offered a playful retort of his own.

He pulled the blanket up, wrapping it tightly around his neck to block out the last trace of the chill.

Soon, surrounded by warmth and quiet, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Outside the bus, the cold wind still howled, and the snow still danced.

But inside, the two of them enjoyed a rare moment of peace, each in their own world.

...

The night passed quietly, the polar night a vast curtain drawn over this forgotten, barren land.

Natasha was curled up in a fluffy, warm cocoon of blankets, like a lazy cat.

In the embrace of darkness, she groggily opened her eyes, the last vestiges of sleep still lingering in them.

She wrinkled her nose slightly, as if savoring last night’s sweet dream.

Then, she sat up straight, raised her arms high, and stretched languidly with a soft sigh.

Due to a unique sleeping habit she’d had since childhood, the moment she stretched, her ample chest inadvertently popped out from the edge of the blanket, looking particularly conspicuous in the dim light.

For some reason, she had slept exceptionally well last night.

Natasha, who usually suffered from a bit of anxiety and was a light sleeper, would normally be jolted awake by the slightest sound, after which she’d find it hard to fall back asleep.

Last night, however, it was as if she had fallen into a peaceful abyss, sleeping soundly until she woke up naturally.

This feeling of complete relaxation and comfort was so rare, so pleasant.

Natasha rubbed her still-hazy eyes. Her consciousness was hovering between dream and reality in a half-awake state as she habitually called out softly.

"Aunt Natalia, I’m awake."

Her voice was soft and had a hint of a pampered child’s whine, as if she were back in her warm childhood home, waiting for her aunt’s care.

"If you’re awake, then get up. Aunt Natalia isn’t here." A man’s deep voice suddenly rang out in the quiet space like the blow of a heavy hammer, shattering the peaceful warmth.

Natasha jolted, instantly wide awake.

Only then did she remember she was in the bus, and the owner of the voice was none other than Feng Shan.

Immediately, two crimson blushes bloomed on Natasha’s cheeks, and a flash of panic and embarrassment crossed her eyes.

Like a startled fawn, she hastily grabbed the blanket and wrapped it tightly around herself.

As if that could hide her earlier lapse in composure.

Just then.

A patch of dim, soft yellow light appeared silently at the bedroom doorway like a phantom.

"Don’t come in!" Natasha shrieked, her nerves instantly tensing like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.

The dim yellow light paused at the bedroom door.

It seemed to have been stunned by Natasha’s shriek, and then it slowly retreated.

...