Chapter 111: Chapter 111: So Old, So Pitiful

Qin Muye had a restless night.

He had a strange dream.

The first half of the dream was wonderful. Something had happened to all the other Beast Husbands, leaving him and Jiang Qingli all to themselves.

The girl, wearing a red dress and little leather shoes, was on a date with him at an amusement park.

They rode the roller coaster together, their fingers intertwined amidst the screams. During an interstellar combat game, they fought side-by-side and set a new high score. On the carousel under the warm lights, her eyes curved into a smile as she kissed his forehead.

After getting off the carousel, a staff member in a teddy bear costume told them that two people who kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel while watching the fireworks will stay together forever.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qingli took his hand and ran toward the Ferris wheel.

However, when they reached the Ferris wheel and the cabin door opened, the faces of the other four Beast Husbands appeared!

Without a word, they surrounded Jiang Qingli.

The insidious, cunning, black-hearted snake wrapped its tail around her ankle. The two-faced, deceptively sweet fox pressed his face into her palm. The cold, pretentious cat snatched her hand, intertwining their fingers. And the coquettish rabbit spirit, pushing and shoving, clung to her waist, crying, ’Sister’... There wasn’t a single spot left for him!

The Ferris wheel reached the top. Jiang Qingli stood before him, leaning down toward him, but a hand shot out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her back—

And there, the dream came to an abrupt end.

Qin Muye stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, unable to fall back asleep. He shot up and went to find Jiang Qingli.

But after knocking on Yuan Shimo’s door for several minutes, no one answered.

A servant cleaning the hallway passed by and said that the young miss and Young Master Gu had gone downstairs for breakfast.

The moment Qin Muye heard it was Gu Nian, he spun around and headed straight downstairs.

’A dream is just a dream.’ Qin Muye didn’t think it meant anything.

But as he stood at the dining room entrance and heard Gu Nian talk about having an "older sister," playing pitiful to get Jiang Qingli to pat him, Qin Muye couldn’t suppress his rage.

’Damn it all, how can this damned rabbit be so damn coquettish all the time!’

He couldn’t stop himself from blurting out an insult about patting oneself with a slipper.

Despite being on the receiving end of Qin Muye’s disgusted insult, Gu Nian didn’t look hurt at all.

The young man looked at the extremely foul-tempered Prince and asked with a hint of bewilderment, "What does ’pat with a slipper’ mean? Is the Prince telling me to pat my forehead? Is this some kind of high-tech thing from the First District?"

He lowered his eyes, a little embarrassed. "I’m sorry, I’ve never seen that in the Lower District. Sister, please don’t think I’m unsophisticated..."

Qin Muye had spoken clearly, and Jiang Qingli heard every word. Of course, she understood what he meant.

But it wasn’t exactly easy to explain that it was an insult.

She frowned at Qin Muye, warning him not to say another word, then gave Gu Nian a dry explanation. "That... that’s just a folk remedy of his. Don’t believe it. Just pretend you didn’t hear anything."

Afraid that Qin Muye would say something else outrageous, she quickly urged him, "Hurry up and eat. We have shooting class this morning, and you’re my partner. Don’t be late!"

After speaking, she lowered her head and continued eating her wontons.

Qin Muye grunted an "Oh" and stepped into the room.

Just as he was approaching the dining table, Gu Nian suddenly shot him a sidelong glance. The slight upward curve of his eyes held none of its earlier timidity; instead, it was filled with contempt and mockery.

But a second later, Gu Nian lowered his head again, as if nothing had happened.

This blatant provocation was like pouring oil on the fire.

Qin Muye’s pupils contracted. His anger flared up instantly.

The young man’s fists clenched. He wished he could rush over and beat the hell out of that rabbit right now!

But Jiang Qingli was still sitting there. Qin Muye pictured himself as a ninja and forced himself to endure it.

Qin Muye ate his breakfast in stony silence, radiating a dark aura.

Next to him, Gu Nian continued his stream of "Sister this" and "Sister that," even clingier than before:

"Sister, is it hot? Should I blow on it for you?"

"Sister, is it seasoned to your liking? Is there anything that needs to be improved?"

"Sister, can I make breakfast for you again tomorrow?"

By the end of the meal, Qin Muye felt like his ears were growing calluses from listening to it all.

’Sister, sister, all day long. He sounds like a brain-dead baby who hasn’t been weaned.’

’I should send him to a special needs institution one of these days and let him shout it until he’s satisfied.’

-

After breakfast, Qin Muye pulled Jiang Qingli toward the elevator, saying he wanted to take her for a spin to the academy in his new sports car.

Although flying vehicles were the current trend, plenty of people still drove cars.

Qin Muye owned many cool cars. In the garage, his were the most vibrant and stylish—all of them limited editions.

Jiang Qingli was eager to try. "Can I drive? I was playing a racing game the other day and want to try it for real. Don’t worry, if I break it, I’ll pay you back."

"Am I that petty?" Qin Muye, seeing a chance to show off, was so pleased his tail was practically wagging. "Play with it as much as you want."

"So generous of you, Prince~"

Qin Muye gave a smug smile, then paused and looked at Gu Nian, who was standing beside them. "It’s just... a sports car only has two seats. It can’t fit this many people. I’m afraid you’ll have to figure it out yourself."

It was then that Jiang Qingli suddenly remembered. A couple of days ago, Yi Nuo had mentioned that Gu Nian needed to report to the academy to complete the enrollment procedures for a specially admitted transfer student. ’Could that be today?’

She asked, and sure enough, it was.

Torn between the sports car and her responsibility, Jiang Qingli chose the latter. "I should probably accompany Gu Nian to the academy to register first. We can go another day..."

Before she could finish, she saw Qin Muye narrow his eyes in displeasure.

The Prince, his anger from the night and breakfast finally boiling over, let it out in a sarcastic tirade. "How old is he? Still needs a babysitter? Should we get him a diaper too, so he doesn’t shit himself?"

"Thank you, Sister, but it’s okay," Gu Nian said, biting his lip. "I can walk to the academy by myself. I know how to read a map..."

As they reached a stalemate, Yi Nuo’s voice came from behind them. "Miss, don’t worry. I will take Young Master Gu to the academy and assist him with his paperwork."

The Gray Wolf Butler stood in the shadows, smiling at Jiang Qingli. His face was a little pale.

"Is your cold better?" Jiang Qingli asked.

The previous morning, Yi Nuo had suddenly called in sick with a cold. She had approved his leave and told him to get plenty of rest.

His voice had sounded very weak on the phone; she hadn’t expected him back at work so soon.

After just one day, Yi Nuo looked exhausted, and his lips had a faint bluish tint.

Jiang Qingli said, "If you’re not feeling well, you can take more time off to rest."

"I’m already better." Yi Nuo lowered his gaze, his eyes reflecting only her. A faint smile touched his lips. "Thank you for your concern, Miss."

His gaze fell upon Gu Nian. "Besides, Young Master Youchen also instructed me to take good care of Gu Nian."

A shadow flickered in Gu Nian’s eyes, but he looked at Jiang Qingli with feigned ignorance. "Sister, who is Young Master Youchen?"

Thinking about Jiang Youchen’s role in the plot, Jiang Qingli answered stiffly, "...My older brother."

"Oh, so Sister’s brother cares about us too." Gu Nian gave Yi Nuo a sweet smile. "In that case, please thank my brother-in-law for me, Housekeeper Yin."

Yi Nuo: "..."

-

With a professional like Yi Nuo taking over Gu Nian’s matter, Jiang Qingli felt at ease going for a drive with Qin Muye.

The elevator that had taken the others down to the first basement level returned and opened. Yi Nuo and Gu Nian stood at the entrance, both expressionless.

Neither moved first, each wary of the other.

The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps from behind.

The young, handsome White Fox Actor walked past them and entered the elevator.

Yi Nuo and Gu Nian broke their standoff, entering one after the other and standing on opposite corners of the elevator, pointedly ignoring each other’s existence.

Baili Jing looked at Gu Nian’s reflection in the elevator’s mirrored wall and said slowly, "In this house, I suggest you drop the act."

Gu Nian met his gaze in the reflection, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips.

Baili Jing said with a smile, "If I were you, I’d stay quietly in my place instead of running around provoking everyone like an ill-mannered little beast."

The light scattered across the young man’s elegant profile, making him seem as gentle and warm as a maiden’s dream lover, yet his words were merciless, laced with a cold intent to expel.

Gu Nian suddenly snorted with laughter. "So you’re aware that you’re getting old."

The boy’s large, beautiful eyes blinked, his long lashes fluttering. His tone was pitying. "How pathetic. It must be hard to do anything when you’re old and past your prime."

He flashed an angelic smile, but the words that came out were exceptionally cruel, each one a dagger to the heart.

"I just made Sister some breakfast, and you’re already this worked up."

"The reason you’re so worried is that you know Sister doesn’t feel that strongly about you. You’re far from irreplaceable. Otherwise, why would you be here threatening me, trying to hold on to what little, pathetic attention you have?"

The smile on Baili Jing’s face slowly faded.

He stared at the boy, his expression cold. "If you weren’t one of Qingli’s Beast Husbands, you would have died a thousand times over by now."

Gu Nian shrugged, completely unafraid. "The feeling’s mutual."

Baili Jing retracted his gaze and said no more.

His agent was waiting outside. Once Baili Jing was settled in the back seat, the agent began chattering away about the day’s schedule.

After talking for a while, he noticed Baili Jing was staring out the window, his chin propped on one hand, not saying a word. The sunlight cast lonely shadows across his face.

Baili Jing often had such an expression before, but the agent hadn’t seen it once since his marriage. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

’Did Jiang Qingli do something to their boss again?’

The agent felt uneasy but didn’t dare to ask.

Outsiders didn’t know, but he knew very well.

Baili Jing never allowed anyone within earshot to speak ill of Jiang Qingli. Even if he stumbled upon a post online cursing her, he would personally hack the account to delete it, just like a toxic solo stan.

Just as he was wondering, Baili Jing suddenly looked at him.

"Liu Wu, I recall you’re your female master’s favorite Beast Husband, aren’t you?" The White Fox Actor’s smile was warm and sincere. "Could you teach me a few of your secrets?"

"You need secrets?" Liu Wu’s eyes went wide. "A normal person would take one look at your face and be on their knees, begging for a night of passion!"

Baili Jing just smiled, a hint of bitterness in it.

’I wish.’

’But in her heart, I’m still not the most special one.’