Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Don’t Blame Her, Blame Me

They turned around to see a silver-haired young man in a black T-shirt and ripped jeans sauntering over. The seven or eight studs in his ear glinted harshly in the light.

"Muye, what a surprise," Baili Jing said with a slightly surprised smile. "I thought I wouldn’t see you until next week."

Qin Muye shot Baili Jing an annoyed glance.

’This damn fox has the nerve to act like he just noticed me. With those sharp fox ears of his, he must have known I was here the whole time.’

’He’s just putting on this considerate act for Jiang Qingli.’

’What a phony.’

But with Jiang Qingli watching, Qin Muye didn’t want to start a fight. ’That would be too crude,’ he thought. ’I’m much more mature now.’

"Not long." Qin Muye cleared his throat. "What’s this about a schedule?"

Jiang Qingli explained, "It’s a schedule for my Beast Husbands. I’ll take turns spending the night in your rooms, uh... for Spiritual Healing and things like that..."

Her voice trailed off guiltily toward the end, and she snuck a glance at Baili Jing, who winked back at her.

Qin Muye missed their subtle exchange, his mind catching only on the words "take turns spending the night."

The Prince’s eyes widened, and his breath hitched. "You—"

He took a deep breath, staring at Jiang Qingli. "What do you take me for? How could you not tell me about something this important?"

"It was my suggestion." Baili Jing stepped forward, placing himself in front of Jiang Qingli. "My apologies, Muye. Our female master needs practice, and since you weren’t here, I took the liberty of making the decision. Don’t blame her. If you must blame someone, blame me."

Qin Muye nearly rolled his eyes at Baili Jing’s classic phony act.

’Of course he shouldn’t blame Jiang Qingli!’

’Qingli is an idiot; she doesn’t have a malicious bone in her body. It must have been that damn fox Baili Jing and that stinking snake Ye Linyuan who tricked her.’

’Looks like I can’t let Qingli hang around them too much anymore. They’re always leading her astray.’

Qin Muye narrowed his eyes. "So, you and Ye Linyuan were taking turns before? Where is Ye Linyuan? We’re renegotiating."

Jiang Qingli said, "He had to leave for a while on business."

Baili Jing put on a troubled expression. "I just messaged him, but he hasn’t replied. It’s a bit difficult to renegotiate with someone missing..."

Qin Muye’s eyes lit up.

’Ye Linyuan isn’t here. So does that mean it’s just me and Baili Jing now?’

The corners of his lips quirked up before he quickly suppressed the smile.

"Then I suppose I’ll take his place for now." Qin Muye lifted his chin. "And we’re starting with me tonight."

"Sorry, but tonight is my turn," Baili Jing said with a smile. "You can have tomorrow night, Muye."

"Says who?" Qin Muye’s brows knitted together, refusing to yield an inch. "That stinking snake had yesterday. What the hell does that have to do with me!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he’d gotten carried away and cursed again. He immediately shot a nervous glance at Jiang Qingli.

Baili Jing’s expression remained serene. "You just said you would take Ye Linyuan’s place. This was the schedule he and I agreed on."

Qin Muye: "..."

’Shit, that damn fox played me again!’

He wanted to take it back, but he didn’t want to lose face in front of her. "Whatever, fine," he said, curtly ending the conversation.

Seeing that they were done, Yi Nuo, who had been silent at the side, finally spoke. "Miss, it’s time for you to go to the academy."

The words were barely out of Yi Nuo’s mouth before Qin Muye was striding toward the aircraft, as if afraid he’d be left behind if he moved any slower.

Once inside, he turned his head to hurry Jiang Qingli along. "Hurry up."

Jiang Qingli nodded and waved to Baili Jing. "We’re off then."

Baili Jing’s grip on her fingers tightened, a flash of melancholy in his eyes.

’The little time he had would now have to be shared with yet another person.’

’But he had no choice but to endure it.’

Baili Jing let go of her hand, bent down to kiss her lips, and whispered, "Baby, don’t forget to come back early. I’ll be waiting for you."

"Okay." Jiang Qingli thought he seemed like a poor little puppy waiting for its master to come home. She kissed him back and caressed his face. "Good luck with work."

From inside the aircraft, Qin Muye watched their lovey-dovey, drawn-out goodbye, his frown deepening by the second.

The last time he’d heard that this damn fox had climbed into Jiang Qingli’s bed, Qin Muye had been on pins and needles back at the palace, terrified that they would have a baby together while he was gone!

’He hadn’t even kissed her, his own progress moving at a snail’s pace while the other Beast Husbands were shooting off like rockets!’

It was unbearable. Qin Muye had immediately demanded to be let out.

The Palace Tutor had sternly refused. She’d been appointed by the Empress to improve Qin Muye’s education during his confinement and prevent him from becoming a laughingstock for the Imperial Family again.

The tutor’s tests were designed specifically for the Imperial Family’s children, covering a vast range of subjects including astronomy, geography, cultural knowledge, etiquette, and customs.

Not long after returning to Central City, Qin Muye had taken a test and scored a 37.

The very next day, a daily newspaper plastered his test results on the front page under the headline: "BREAKING! ILLITERATE PRINCE IN THE INTERSTELLAR ERA? THE EMPIRE IS DOOMED!"

Every time he made the slightest move, the media swarmed like flies, screaming about how the Empire was doomed.

Qin Muye couldn’t have cared less. If people wanted to call him illiterate, he’d just act the part. He didn’t have a father, anyway, and his high-and-mighty mother only ever sent messengers, proving she didn’t give a damn.

He just never imagined that one day, for the sake of seeing a female sooner, he would burn the midnight oil for two straight nights to fill out that test and achieve the "high score" of sixty.

That morning, the Palace Tutor had been so sure he’d cheated that she only let him go after a fruitless search for evidence.

The moment he was out of the palace, Qin Muye had rushed over to the Jiang Family home.

He’d been planning to chat with Jiang Qingli, maybe clear the air about that whole incident with Bai Yiyi to avoid any misunderstandings.

But as soon as he arrived, he found the two of them acting out a scene from some romance drama, getting all intimate right in front of him.

Qin Muye felt as if his very airways were full of sparks, igniting into flames with every breath he took.

The burning in his chest was so intense he could barely breathe.

When Jiang Qingli climbed into the aircraft, she found Qin Muye’s expression was absolutely foul. Assuming someone had provoked him again, she quietly sat as far away as possible to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

She took a seat diagonally across from him, at the maximum possible distance.

’This was the first time Qin Muye had ever been annoyed with an aircraft.’

’Why did they have to make it so damn big? He could barely even reach her.’

The aircraft was eerily quiet. Qin Muye propped his chin on one hand, looking like some vicious thug contemplating who to knife next.

In reality, however, his gaze was fixed on the girl across from him, his brows furrowed in turmoil.

Qin Muye, with his trendy clothes and numerous piercings, looked like a total player. The truth was, he’d had almost no contact with females his entire life.

People probably wouldn’t believe it, but the female he had spoken to the most in his life was the nearly two-hundred-year-old Palace Tutor. For a moment, he was at a complete loss for how to speak to Jiang Qingli.

Perhaps his staring was too obvious.

After a few minutes, Jiang Qingli asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"

’She spoke to me first.’

The tension coiled in Qin Muye’s chest suddenly snapped. He finally managed to ask the question he’d been turning over and over in his mind: "Can I... come sit by you?"

Confused, Jiang Qingli simply nodded. "Sure."

He sat down beside her, his gaze wandering for a moment before settling on her face. He seemed to be studying her expression, but the instant she met his eyes, he looked away as if he’d been burned. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Hey."

A few minutes later, Qin Muye spoke again, his voice strained with awkwardness.

His normally rebellious features held a rare, cautious look, like a large, uncertain dog.

"Are you... mad at me?" he asked in a low voice, adding reluctantly, "Because of... her."