Melt Star Association.

Secretary Qiao Lan noticed that the members on duty today were all distracted, constantly looking in a particular direction.

She followed their gaze and saw the notoriously rebellious Prince, a cold expression on his handsome face, leaning against the wall by the president’s office with one hand in his pocket.

He looked like he wanted to keep everyone at arm’s length, but he kept glancing back inside.

The scene was strangely reminiscent of a dog waiting for its master...

It was utterly bizarre.

Qin Muye was hostile toward Qin Shu and all members of the Imperial Family, and he sneered at the Melt Star Association. What was he even doing here?

A few members started gossiping with great interest:

"He’s been standing there for an hour!"

"I never thought I’d live to see the Seventh Prince here. The year before last, the president had me invite him to join, and he said this place was a pigsty reeking of aristocratic stench..."

"I think he’s here for a female."

"A female?! You mean Jiang Qingli, the one who danced with the president?! Qin Muye came to this ’stinking den’ of ours just for her?"

As they were chattering away, the door to the president’s office opened from the inside, and a slender female figure appeared halfway.

Qin Shu smiled and said something to Jiang Qingli, then reached out to straighten a few messy strands of her hair.

Across the hall, the eyes of the people in the meeting room went wide.

"Holy crap! The president opened the door for her personally! And she gave her a head pat!"

"The president looks so happy. I’ve never seen her this proactive, not even when she was chasing that underclassman... This Jiang Qingli is really something else..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Qin Muye’s moving!"

The members were all Beastmen, so they could take in the scene and sounds with perfect clarity.

Qin Muye grabbed the girl’s slender wrist, pulled her to his side, and shot a fierce glare at Qin Shu.

Leaning against the door, Qin Shu’s red lips curved up as she lazily raised her eyes. "What’s wrong? Afraid I’d eat your female master?"

"You wouldn’t dare." Qin Muye frowned, then turned to anxiously look Jiang Qingli over.

Jiang Qingli was amused by his expression, which was like he was worried about a child. She spun around in front of him. "See? I’m perfectly fine."

Qin Muye’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before he asked, "She didn’t force you to join this crappy organization, did she?"

"Of course not." Jiang Qingli reached up and stroked his hair. "Miss Qin noticed my spiritual power was a little unstable and taught me a few techniques."

"That’s more like it." Qin Muye seemed a bit embarrassed, the tips of his ears turning red. He grabbed her hand and held it in his palm, then turned to Qin Shu and said, "We’re leaving."

With that, he took Jiang Qingli’s hand and headed for the stairs.

The members by the window snapped out of their shock.

"Uh... Did he just let that female pat his head?"

"Uh... Not only did he let her pat his head, but he also said goodbye to the president... Has he ever been that polite before?"

"With the Prince having such a good trainer for a female master, the president must feel so relieved right now..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don’t you know the president tried to set Qiao Lan up with Qin Muye before? He was incredibly nasty about it..."

The group immediately fell silent, cautiously glancing at the quiet Secretary Qiao.

Qiao Lan spoke, her face expressionless. "Are the preparations for the Moon Festival done? You have two months. If you lose to the student council again and embarrass the president, don’t even bother showing up anymore. Just find a rope and hang yourselves downstairs."

The members quickly shut up and got back to work.

Qiao Lan stood her ground, glancing back toward the elevator.

Jiang Qingli and Qin Muye were waiting for the elevator.

The girl watched the floor numbers, then turned, held out her palm to him, and smiled with a tilt of her head.

Qin Muye hesitated for a few seconds before placing his hand on hers.

Jiang Qingli shook her head, batted his hand away, and raised her palm higher.

After a few seconds, Qin Muye awkwardly rested his chin in her palm, a conflicted look on his face.

But the young man’s fingers, hanging by his side, were clenched tightly in nervousness, and a blush spread across his neck.

Sunlight fell upon them, and dust motes danced merrily in the air.

-

That afternoon, Jiang Qingli attended her first spiritual power theory class.

Qin Muye was waiting for her at the door.

Qin Muye actually hated the feeling of waiting, but waiting for Jiang Qingli was never boring.

Because he would unconsciously start thinking about all the things they could do after they met.

When the girl’s figure appeared in his line of sight, Qin Muye immediately quickened his pace to meet her. But just as he was about to reach her, he gave a faint cough, as if to cover his eagerness, and slowed down.

Jiang Qingli didn’t seem to notice him. She was walking out with her head down, muttering something under her breath.

Qin Muye listened closely for a moment, then frowned. "Are you reciting from a book?"

"Mhm..." Jiang Qingli nodded, a little dejected. "It’s a three-hundred-page textbook with so many key points. I have to learn it all before the exam."

’To make matters worse, the body’s original owner had skipped classes for months while chasing her Beast Husbands, so my progress is even slower...’

But Jiang Qingli wasn’t the type to complain.

She cheered herself up and took Qin Muye’s hand. "Let’s go home."

The two words, "go home," left Qin Muye in a daze for a moment.

By the time he came to his senses, they were already sitting in the flying vehicle.

Their hands were still linked. Qin Muye lowered his eyes to the girl right beside him, his heart stirring.

Qin Muye slowly lowered his head, carefully leaning it on her shoulder.

Jiang Qingli was looking down at her terminal, seemingly unconcerned.

Seeing that she didn’t object, Qin Muye slowly turned sideways and raised his other hand, wanting to embrace her while she wasn’t looking.

Just as he was hesitating between her waist and her shoulders, Jiang Qingli suddenly sighed.

Qin Muye subconsciously flinched, about to pull back.

A hand stopped his movement.

"You’ve already forgotten what I taught you. If you want a hug, just tell me. You’re being disobedient."

Jiang Qingli pressed his head into her embrace and ruffled his hair vigorously a couple of times.

His meticulously styled hair was playfully messed up into a tangled mop, but Qin Muye wasn’t angry at all.

All he could think was, ’Her embrace is so fragrant, so soft...’

He wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips brushing against the soft curve of her body through the cotton fabric. He felt his entire body go limp and tingly, except for one particular place.

Sensing his own reaction, Qin Muye was afraid of scaring Jiang Qingli, so he arched his back slightly, trying to create some distance.

But they were too close; such an obvious change was impossible to hide.

Jiang Qingli’s body clearly tensed up.

The enclosed space fell completely silent. Qin Muye felt a growing sense of shame and didn’t dare to look at her expression.

’Will she look at me with disgust...’

’Will she curse me out or slap me?’

’Or, just like in my dream, will she step on—’

"KNOCK KNOCK."

The sound of knocking on the glass interrupted Qin Muye’s increasingly active imagination, and he looked up in annoyance.

Through the glass, Yi Nuo reached out with a deadpan expression and started to pull the door open.

"Wait!"

The moment the door opened a crack, Jiang Qingli, afraid they’d be discovered, scrambled up, threw her arms around Qin Muye’s neck, and sat right down on his lap.

Her skirt fanned out over his jeans. They were pressed tightly together through the layers of fabric, and Qin Muye’s mind went completely blank.

The door was closed again. The hand on her waist tightened its grip, pressing her down. The scorching heat was enough to make her legs go weak.

Jiang Qingli stammered, asking the person outside, "Wh-what is it?"

"My apologies, Miss. I did not mean to disturb you." Yi Nuo stared at the ground. "It’s about Mr. Baili. He’s run into some trouble."

"His contamination value is fluctuating drastically."