Jiang Qingli never imagined she would be caught being handsy with five men at once.

What she expected even less was for her own hand, under all that pressure, to give another two mischievous squeezes.

Two voices surfaced in her mind.

One was screaming: ’Stop it, you damned hand!’

The other weakly retorted, ’But it feels so good...’

But aside from Baili Jing, none of the other men looked pleased.

Ye Linyuan narrowed his golden, slitted pupils. His cold, sinister gaze shifted upward to land on Baili Jing’s face.

Yi Nuo clutched the terminal in his hand, subconsciously taking half a step forward before stopping. He remained in place, lowering his gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Qin Muye, who was closest, saw everything perfectly. His eyes burned with rage, and his grip on Baili Jing’s collar tightened. "You—"

"Muye," Baili Jing said, capturing Jiang Qingli’s retreating fingers and pressing them to his heart. His bloodless lips curved into an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry. It’s all my fault that Xiao Li was unconscious for the entire night... If you’re angry, you can just hit me."

Qin Muye nearly raised his fist, but in a flash, he realized something wasn’t right.

’How could this vixen possibly admit he’s wrong?’

He shot a glance at Jiang Qingli.

"You all... first, tell me what’s going on," Jiang Qingli said, batting away Qin Muye’s hand. She helped Baili Jing lean back against the headboard and explained, "He’s very weak right now. Don’t fight with him."

’She’s actually defending Baili Jing?!’

Qin Muye sucked in a sharp breath, his lungs burning with fury.

Watching how carefully she tended to him, a bitter, restless feeling churned in his chest. He didn’t know where the emotion was coming from. All he could do was run a frustrated hand through his hair, take a few steps back, and plop down on the sofa.

After sitting down, Qin Muye remembered that Jiang Qingli had asked him a question.

He grudgingly pointed at Yi Nuo. "Ask him. He knows everything."

Yi Nuo said to Jiang Qingli, "Last night, after you entered Mr. Baili’s room, you never came out. This morning, around seven, Mr. Yuan messaged me to say you hadn’t replied to his messages all night, so I decided to come and check on you."

"I knocked several times, but there was no answer. I also tried calling both you and Mr. Baili, but neither of you picked up."

"Just then, the Prince came by and kicked the door open."

"We found you and Mr. Baili both unconscious, so we called the family doctor."

"After hanging up, I reported the situation to Mr. Yuan. Mr. Ye returned around that time as well."

"Then, less than a minute later, Mr. Baili miraculously woke up and got into an argument with the Prince."

Yi Nuo finished his summary with a smile. "And everything that happened after that is what you just saw."

"I wasn’t arguing with him. He was asking for it," Qin Muye added with a cold snort.

Jiang Qingli didn’t notice the faint sarcasm in the phrase "miraculously woke up," which Yi Nuo had inserted into his otherwise formal report.

As she listened, she was checking Baili Jing’s pollution value.

Baili Jing’s pollution value had dropped from 72% last night to 22%.

It had plummeted by 50% overnight!

Jiang Qingli looked up in delight, ready to share the good news with the white-fox youth beside her.

Beside her, Baili Jing had been watching her quietly. Upon seeing her reaction, his lips curled upward.

His eyes held unconcealable admiration and pride, along with a touch of guilt for having exhausted his Xiao Qing Mei.

"Thank you, baby." Baili Jing lifted her hand and pressed a light kiss to it. "I’ll be more careful from now on. I won’t let you get so tired again."

"It’s fine," Jiang Qingli said, patting his head. "It’s what I’m supposed to do."

As soon as she said that, a cold snort echoed through the room.

Without even glancing at the intimate pair, Ye Linyuan turned and stalked out of the room, his face an icy mask.

Qin Muye couldn’t stand to watch any longer either, but he refused to leave.

’Baili Jing is already this arrogant with me here. If I leave, who knows what he’ll try to do to Jiang Qingli!’

’I can’t give that vixen the opportunity!’

’Besides... today is my turn for a healing session.’

’There aren’t any classes today, either. Once Jiang Qingli is done with Baili Jing, the rest of her time is mine.’

After this bout of self-reassurance, Qin Muye’s mood improved considerably. He just averted his gaze, refusing to look toward the bed.

The doctor hadn’t arrived yet. Everyone in the room wore a different expression, but all eyes were fixed on Jiang Qingli, making her skin crawl.

Catching sight of the holographic image to her side, Jiang Qingli quickly spoke up. "Yuan Shimo, did you need something from me?"

At the sound of her voice, the others’ gazes shifted to the silent Yuan Shimo.

Yuan Shimo appeared to be in some kind of vehicle. The background was patterned in dark green, with intricate, overlapping designs of pale gold vines that made the young man in the white silk shirt look all the more distinguished.

Yuan Shimo’s cat-like eyes narrowed, a flash of derision flickering through them.

"Ah, it’s nothing important." Strands of pale gold hair fell softly at his temples as Yuan Shimo gave a gentle, pleasant smile. "I just wanted to inform my female master that I have departed from Ninth City."

"Okay. How long will it take you to get here?" Jiang Qingli asked.

"About half a month."

"That long?"

"There were some unexpected delays," Yuan Shimo said slowly. "I heard there has been a string of major thefts in the Seventh District and the Fourth District. The checkpoints for both districts are on high alert, and aerial vehicles are under strict regulation, so I’ve opted for ground transport."

"Alright, well, stay safe," Jiang Qingli said, giving him a friendly smile. "Let me know if you need anything."

’There it is. The typical female ploy.’

’Empty, hypocritical pleasantries. Deep down, she doesn’t give a damn about any male.’

Yuan Shimo sneered internally but kept the faint smile on his face as he thanked Jiang Qingli and ended the video call.

The vehicle emerged from a tunnel, and Yuan Shimo gazed out the window.

The skies of the Lower District were perpetually shrouded in dark clouds, but today was a rare, sunny day.

Pale sunlight streamed through the glass into the vehicle, casting a long shadow across the floor.

Yuan Shimo tilted his head, looking out at the sun-drenched city.

The sunlight fell on his face, and its faint warmth reminded him of the smile Jiang Qingli had just given him.

’She seems to enjoy smiling at people like that.’

’Does she always use that smile as a trap to lure other men?’

’Luring them into fighting endlessly over her, while she looks down from on high, mocking the males for their stupidity and base instincts.’

He recalled the strange way Yuan Shiyao had acted when mentioning the girl. Yuan Shimo frowned, growing more convinced that Jiang Qingli was a deeply manipulative female.

The sunlight was glaring, almost irritatingly so. The young man’s lips tightened into a thin line.

He sat perfectly still, radiating an extreme coldness.

Yet the shadow at his feet trembled bizarrely and frenetically, as if it had a mind of its own, threatening to overturn the entire world.

-

Not long after she ended the video call with Yuan Shimo, the doctor arrived.

There was a lot of equipment. The family doctor helped Jiang Qingli to the house’s lounge for her examination, while a nurse examined Baili Jing.

Qin Muye and Yi Nuo followed close behind Jiang Qingli, trailing her right up to the lounge door before the doctor stopped them with a helpless sigh.

"Gentlemen, I know you’re concerned about the female master, but examinations involving spiritual power require a quiet environment. Please be patient," the doctor said, then closed the door.

The two men stood at the door. They turned, made eye contact for half a second, and then looked away from each other in disgust.

Qin Muye was the first to break the silence.

The tall young man leaned against the door and spoke irritably. "Hey. You can scram. Stop taking up space here." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Prince, I answer to the young lady. It is my responsibility to ensure her safety," Yi Nuo replied, his expression unchanged. "You, on the other hand, Your Highness, seem emotionally unstable. Perhaps you should get a check-up as well."

Qin Muye: "..."

’So this guy really does just put on a good-boy act for Jiang Qingli. Behind her back, he’s got fangs, ready to bite anyone who gets close.’

’Completely two-faced.’

Qin Muye scoffed. "I’m Jiang Qingli’s Beast Husband. By extension, that makes me your employer. I told you to scram, so scram!"

Yi Nuo gave him a cold look, clearly unconvinced.

Just then, a servant approached and whispered something to Yi Nuo. After shooting a final glance at Qin Muye, Yi Nuo reluctantly departed.

Qin Muye raised an eyebrow, a smug smile spreading across his face.

He took sole possession of the doorway and began to wait, perfectly content.