Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Don’t Dirty the Young Lady’s Hands

The moment he heard her, Qin Muye shouted, "No! Absolutely not!"

His face was bright red, and his hand trembled as he clutched Jiang Qingli’s. "Wh-what are you thinking! I won’t allow it!"

His male pride would never allow him to share her with another man!

Nearby, Ye Linyuan narrowed his eyes.

His long, slender fingers pinched the girl’s cheek. His golden, slitted pupils stared down at her, churning with cold fury and immense pressure. "Say that again."

’Uh oh. They both seem really angry.’

Jiang Qingli had just been running her mouth for the fun of it.

Seeing things getting out of hand, she blinked and explained in a small voice, "You’re overthinking it. I just meant that at night, I’ll sleep on the bed, and you can sleep on the floor or the sofa. That’s fair, isn’t it...?"

Her cheek, soft and plump where he pinched it, puffed out, and her glistening, cherry-pink lips parted and closed.

She looked like a little goldfish blowing bubbles.

Even though he knew she was deliberately playing innocent, he couldn’t bring himself to be truly angry with her.

Ye Linyuan’s gaze fell to the girl’s lips. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his eyes darkened.

From this angle, all he had to do was dip his head to capture the delicate curve of her upper lip, to lick and kiss her, and then...

"Hey, haven’t you had enough of pinching her?"

Qin Muye couldn’t stand seeing Ye Linyuan’s hand still on Jiang Qingli’s face. He slapped it away and pulled the girl toward himself.

Ye Linyuan snapped back to reality and said coldly, "Get lost."

"You dare tell me to get lost?" Qin Muye scoffed. "Don’t think you can be so shameless just because you’re some kind of crawler. Today is my turn!"

"How unreasonable," Ye Linyuan sneered.

Qin Muye hated it when people used idioms. He was just about to fire back when Jiang Qingli squeezed between them and pushed them apart.

"Can you two please just stop talking for a minute?" Jiang Qingli sighed.

’I just managed to change the subject, how did we circle right back to this...?’

"Then what should we do?" Qin Muye immediately became docile after she spoke.

As he spoke, however, he took Jiang Qingli’s hand and moved it sideways, pressing her fingers against his own bulging muscles.

Then he looked at her, a little shy but also full of anticipation.

Qin Muye wasn’t just bragging; his physique was definitely superior to the other males. The Imperial Family’s own tailor would shower him with praise every time they took his measurements.

’Jiang Qingli had only touched Baili Jing’s because she hadn’t seen his own body before.’

’Once she experienced the real deal, she naturally wouldn’t be interested in that vixen anymore.’

Unfortunately, Jiang Qingli didn’t squeeze his muscles again and again as Qin Muye had hoped.

She just furrowed her brow, apparently deep in thought.

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Linyuan slowly but firmly removed Jiang Qingli’s hand from Qin Muye’s muscles and placed it back at her side.

’Damn that wretched snake!’

’He must have a terrible physique from crawling on the ground all the time, that’s why he stopped Jiang Qingli from touching me!’

’He’s just jealous!’

Qin Muye glared back furiously. He was about to ask Jiang Qingli to be the judge when he heard her speak.

"The other two Beast Husbands are coming back to the First District soon. Starting next week, we’ll make a new schedule," Jiang Qingli said thoughtfully. "Monday through Friday, one person per day. That should be just enough."

"Then what about tonight?" Qin Muye was most concerned about the immediate future.

’He’d learned so many new moves from that little book! He was dying to put them into practice!’

Jiang Qingli glanced hesitantly at Ye Linyuan.

The villain didn’t say a word. He just grabbed Jiang Qingli’s hand and slipped it under the hem of his own shirt.

Before Qin Muye could even try to stop him, Jiang Qingli’s hand was already pulling back out, having completed a single, swift touch.

He watched as the girl’s brow furrowed slightly.

Qin Muye’s heart sank. He had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, a moment later, Jiang Qingli looked over at him, a little apologetically. "Qin Muye..."

Qin Muye gritted his teeth. "Don’t say my name!"

"Tonight, Ye Linyuan... uh, he’s not feeling well. He needs me more," Jiang Qingli said, tugging on the young snow leopard’s sleeve. "How about I spend the night with you tomorrow?"

Her words felt like a physical blow, snapping the fragile sapling of hope that had just sprouted in Qin Muye’s heart.

’Don’t tell me Ye Linyuan’s muscles are like big loaves of bread?’

’Even better than his?’

Qin Muye felt the sting of being outdone.

His face darkened. After a long moment, he bit out a single word: "Whatever."

With that, he turned and stormed off.

Jiang Qingli called after him, "Where are you going?"

Qin Muye ignored her, his heavy footsteps stomping on the floor as he fumed.

But after a few steps, he spun around. "To the gym!"

’He’s furious, yet he’s still reporting his whereabouts to me.’

Jiang Qingli took a few steps after him, wanting to pat his head like a puppy and tell him not to be angry.

Suddenly, a hand gripped her wrist.

The cool fingers reminded Jiang Qingli of what she had just touched.

’Under Ye Linyuan’s shirt wasn’t skin, but layers of bandages. They felt damp... It must have been blood.’

’No wonder he sent a message yesterday saying he had to go out, only to come back today.’

’So he was injured and needed my help to heal.’

’Ye Linyuan’s identity in the First District is that of a nobleman. A sudden injury would inevitably arouse suspicion, so he couldn’t tell Qin Muye about it.’

’But... my spiritual power hasn’t recovered yet. Would just kissing him be enough to help, like last time?’

"Miss."

Yi Nuo’s voice cut through Jiang Qingli’s thoughts.

The Gray Wolf Butler stood to the side, bowing respectfully. "Lunch is ready."

"Okay," Jiang Qingli nodded, then said to Ye Linyuan, "I’m going to check if Baili Jing is awake. You two go ahead and eat without me."

Still worried about Baili Jing’s condition, she turned and entered the room.

The door closed.

But in the hallway, neither of the two males moved.

Ye Linyuan stared coldly at Yi Nuo.

’Most of the time, the butler maintained a proper distance from his mistress. His posture was perfect, his demeanor humble—like a silent, unremarkable piece of the scenery.’

’But sometimes, the way he looked at Jiang Qingli was not with the deference of a servant to his master, but with a molten-hot obsession.’

’A restless creature.’

Ye Linyuan’s eyes narrowed, and killing intent flared within him.

But Yi Nuo acted as if he didn’t sense the other man’s hostility. He simply made a "please" gesture toward Ye Linyuan. "Mr. Ye, please proceed to the dining room."

Ye Linyuan didn’t move.

Yi Nuo said, "The Miss and Mr. Baili have been very close since they were children. You won’t be able to get between them. You should just go and eat."

Ye Linyuan didn’t linger. He started down the stairs with a lazy, elegant gait.

As he passed Yi Nuo, he let out a derisive laugh. "I’m quite curious... what methods do you think Jiang Youchen would use to dispose of you if he knew what was on your mind?"

"My only master is the Miss. I will die only when she commands it," Yi Nuo said, lowering his gaze. "You, on the other hand, with so many enemies... you’re the one who needs to watch your back."

"Of course, should you meet an untimely end, I will handle the arrangements. I’ll clean up every last drop of blood."

"So as not to... dirty the Miss’s hands."

-

Inside a clean, bright room, Baili Jing was leaning against the headboard, his fingers weakly reaching for a glass of water.

Seeing this the moment she pushed the door open, Jiang Qingli hurried over, picked up the glass, and offered it to him.

Baili Jing didn’t take it. Instead, he brought his lips to the rim of the glass, his shimmering eyes looking up at her.

Jiang Qingli knew this fox wasn’t so weak that he needed to be fed water.

But when faced with the superstar’s display of vulnerability, Jiang Qingli was more than happy to oblige.

With nearly every sip, Baili Jing would glance at the girl sitting by his bed.

His direct gaze burned with undisguised ardor.

Jiang Qingli grew a little flustered under his stare. She placed the glass on the nightstand and asked, "Aren’t you going to get some more sleep?"

"I want to look at you a little longer," he said. His voice was weak, but not unpleasantly so; rather, it had an endearing vulnerability that wasn’t usually there.

"I’m not going anywhere." Jiang Qingli’s heart softened, and she stroked his hair. "I’ll stay here with you this afternoon, alright?"

"Okay." Baili Jing pulled her hand toward him and kissed her palm.

Jiang Qingli had lunch in Baili Jing’s room, then settled in at a nearby desk, leaning over to read an electronic textbook.

Sunlight streamed in, gilding every strand of her hair with warmth.

Baili Jing drifted back in a daze to a time long ago.

Back then, he used to go to the library with the Jiang siblings.

While they were reading, Jiang Qingli would always be fidgeting, looking at this and that. Sometimes she would turn and just stare at his profile.

He would pretend not to notice, but his palms would grow slick with nervous sweat.

Sometimes he wouldn’t be able to resist a seemingly casual sideways glance, smiling as he asked what she was looking at.

She would turn the tables on him. "Y-your breathing is distracting me!"

He would apologize with a smile, watching as her face grew redder and redder.

And right about then, Jiang Youchen would deliberately say something to break the budding romance between them.

Right. Jiang Youchen usually sat across from them.

The ever-watchful Jiang Youchen surely never knew that in his blind spot, Jiang Qingli would secretly hold his hand, her fingers tracing patterns on his palm...

The sedative in the medicine quickly took effect. With a faint smile on his lips, Baili Jing fell into a rare, peaceful sleep.

When he woke again, night had fallen.

Jiang Qingli was sitting by his bed, sending a message to their group chat:

[Is everyone online?]