Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Do You Really Want to Kiss Me?

For feline beastkin, the ears are an extremely sensitive area.

At first, Qin Muye endured it.

But the girl’s fingers were soft. She gently kneaded along the rise and fall of his veins. A tingling numbness, like tiny electrical currents, kept exploding through him, leaving Qin Muye’s mind a chaotic mess.

His breathing unconsciously deepened. Qin Muye leaned his upper body back, trying to escape the thrilling sensation.

But she showed no intention of pulling her hand back.

What mortified and annoyed Qin Muye even more was that while Jiang Qingli was touching his ear, she showed none of the intimacy of a courtship ritual. Instead, she was just grinning.

’Is she petting a dog?!’

"That’s enough." Unable to take it anymore, Qin Muye grabbed her wrist, his breathing heavy. "Have you had your fun?"

"Almost?"

Jiang Qingli reluctantly gave the plush, springy leopard ears one last squeeze.

She cleared her throat and said seriously, "Alright, let’s begin."

Qin Muye froze.

’Begin?’

’Begin what?’

His gaze traveled down from Jiang Qingli’s collarbone, but he snapped his eyes away the moment they reached the edge of her bath towel.

"Don’t be scared." Jiang Qingli grabbed his collar, pulling him toward her. "With you, it should be over quick..."

"Jiang Qingli!" Qin Muye cut her off, his patience gone. "We have a contract! Don’t forget what you promised me!"

"And another thing, who’s quick?!"

He practically squeezed those last words through clenched teeth, his expression utterly ferocious.

"Your pollution value is less than 20%, so the Spiritual Healing will be quick. It should only take half an hour." Jiang Qingli blinked. "That’s what it says in the pamphlet from the marriage and family planning center."

Qin Muye: "..."

It felt like he’d been hit over the head. Qin Muye suddenly realized.

Jiang Qingli had been talking about Spiritual Healing the whole time.

The prideful Prince, of course, refused to admit he had misunderstood. His face immediately darkened. "Who said you could give me Spiritual Healing? Stop meddling in my business!"

Jiang Qingli was speechless. "...Isn’t that what you wrote in the contract?"

As she spoke, she pulled up the contract they had signed on her terminal, flipped to the supplementary clauses at the end, and showed it to Qin Muye.

There, in very small print, was a clear addendum—

[...Party B is obligated to provide Spiritual Healing for Party A, with a minimum frequency of once per month. Failure to fulfill this duty will result in a 10% deduction from the monthly fee...]"

Qin Muye: "..."

Qin Muye had spent most of his life growing up in the Lower District. It was a dark and chaotic place where he learned how to brawl, but not how to read.

When he first came to the Upper City District, he was barely literate. He once publicly mispronounced his own cousin’s name, landing on the front page of the Imperial Daily and sparking a nationwide wave of sentiment that the Imperial Family was finished...

Although his literacy had improved since then, he still didn’t know much about things like laws and regulations.

That was why he had actually commissioned one of his buddies to help write the contract.

’Who knew he would... add a clause like this...’

Qin Muye cursed under his breath, turning his face away. His expression was still tense. "I forgot. I don’t need it right now."

"You really don’t?" Jiang Qingli asked, taking her responsibility seriously.

After all, until her System returned, she had to live with her several Beast Husbands.

Providing them with Spiritual Healing was unavoidable.

Her terminal’s system was linked to the data from her Beast Husbands’ wristbands, allowing her to see their pollution values.

Ye Linyuan had definitely used some kind of tech; his was displayed at around 10%.

Among the remaining Beast Husbands, Qin Muye’s Spiritual Pollution value was the lowest.

She had noticed this when they signed the contract. A moment ago, she’d thought it would be a good chance to practice on Qin Muye and get the hang of the healing technique.

Qin Muye stared at her, forcing the words out one by one: "I. Don’t. Need. It!"

Jiang Qingli didn’t press him. "Alright, then."

She stood up. "I’m going to change into my pajamas. You can sleep on the sofa tonight."

"Wait." Qin Muye reached out and grabbed her wrist.

The moment he touched her skin, he snatched his hand back as if he’d been burned.

"What is it?" Jiang Qingli didn’t notice his odd reaction and looked down at Qin Muye, who was leaning back on the sofa.

The light fell on the side of her face, coating every strand of her hair in a golden glow.

Qin Muye couldn’t help but think of the expression on Jiang Qingli’s face when she defeated the Mutant Beast today.

Cool, indifferent, the corners of her lips curved in a faint, mocking smile, as if nothing in the world mattered to her...

His Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.

Qin Muye paused for a few seconds before coming to his senses. His tone was a little unnatural. "You—a moment ago, why were you touching my ear?"

"Oh, that." Jiang Qingli’s tone was casual. "To help you relax. The manual says you can help a Beast Husband relax by stroking his beastly features. Your tail was tucked away behind you, so I couldn’t reach it. I went for the ears instead."

Qin Muye: "..."

’What a bullshit manual, never teaching anything useful!’

Just as he frowned, Jiang Qingli suddenly clasped her hands behind her back, leaned down, and moved closer.

The distance between them abruptly shrank.

Qin Muye froze. That faint, sweet scent enveloped him again.

"Hey." The girl raised an eyebrow, undisguised amusement in her eyes. "You didn’t think I was going to do something to you, did you?"

Qin Muye instinctively straightened up and roared in fury, "Who the hell wants your spit?!"

"Why are you so worked up?" Jiang Qingli chuckled. "Did I say anything about kissing?"

Qin Muye: "You—"

He wanted to retort, but his gaze fell on the girl’s rosy lips, and his mind went blank again.

By the time he came to his senses, Jiang Qingli had already turned and gone into the walk-in closet to change into her pajamas.

"Fuck..."

Qin Muye threw himself back onto the sofa and swore.

The room was unusually quiet.

And because of that, Qin Muye could clearly hear the rustling sounds coming from the walk-in closet.

That was the sound of Jiang Qingli changing her clothes.

Qin Muye suddenly felt hot and restless.

He rolled over, covering the beast ears on his head with his hands, utterly annoyed.

After a moment’s thought, he pulled out his terminal, found a contact, and fired off an accusatory message—

["Who the hell let you change the contract?"]

Just as he sent the message, he heard footsteps behind him.

Qin Muye squeezed his eyes shut, but his mind was wide awake.

After what felt like a long time, he heard the girl’s soft, steady breathing.

Qin Muye listened quietly for a while, gradually drifting into a dream...

-

’So fragrant...’

Qin Muye smelled a sweet fragrance.

The next moment, a hand grabbed the male’s hair, forcing his head up.

A bright light flashed before his eyes, and Qin Muye realized he was kneeling.

Before him, Jiang Qingli was dressed in a form-fitting gown, her legs crossed. She looked down on him from above, like an Empress judging a guilty subject.

The candlelight flickered, blurring the girl’s profile and making it impossible to distinguish dream from reality.

"Qin Muye."

"What did I teach you? You can’t even serve someone properly?" The female’s voice was soft and cold. She extended two fingers and pinched his chin. "Idiot."

She was high and mighty, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust.

But her rosy lips and the slight upward tilt of her eyes didn’t inspire any dislike. On the contrary, they made one want to be scolded by her even more.

Qin Muye opened his mouth, wanting to protest.

In the next second, however, a beautiful Mary Jane shoe stepped forward and pressed down hard.

Qin Muye let out a muffled grunt, but then, as if by reflex, he took her other hand in his.

"Please, don’t be angry." He respectfully kissed the back of her hand and lowered his head in submission. "Master."

She seemed to smile, gently stroking the top of his head. "Good boy."

Hearing this praise, Qin Muye’s heart surged, his blood boiling.

In the flickering candlelight, she leaned down, her red lips slightly parted.

The instant a soft touch met his lips, Qin Muye’s eyes flew open.