Chapter 96: Chapter 96: There Are Just Too Many Temptations for a Female

Baili Jing looked serious.

Jiang Qingli had no doubt that if she nodded, he would definitely go with her.

’But it’s not appropriate.’

For one, the invitations to the underground auction were sent out by the auction house after a strict, multi-layered screening process. Furthermore, Baili Jing’s Superpower Level wasn’t as high as Ye Linyuan’s—it was only F, which wasn’t enough to protect himself.

Jiang Qingli didn’t want to see Baili Jing get hurt again.

But she was also bad at refusing Baili Jing.

Jiang Qingli hesitated for a moment, then made a few hesitant gestures.

Fortunately, Baili Jing didn’t insist. He just smiled, gently patting her head, and said softly, "Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ll feed you."

’Feeding me again.’

Maybe it was because of their nearly five-year age gap, but Jiang Qingli had noticed that Baili Jing was particularly fond of treating her like a little kid.

He fed her when she ate, he fed her when she drank, and he even fed her... back then—

’Wait, I can’t think about that last one.’

Jiang Qingli’s eyes darted around, only to meet the smiling eyes of the white fox young man.

He pinched the girl’s pink-flushed cheek and asked softly, "Why are you blushing? Did you think of something you shouldn’t have?"

’How does he know what I’m thinking?’

’Is he a mind-reader?’

Jiang Qingli hastily averted her gaze. "No..."

She opened her mouth to eat the piece of fruit he’d speared with a silver fork and offered her, saying casually, "I just feel like you’re a bit like a patriarch... um... an older brother?"

SCREEE—

The tip of the fork scraped across the plate, making a jarring sound.

Jiang Qingli looked up. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing." Baili Jing speared another piece of fruit and brought it to her lips. "Try this one."

"Okay." She opened her mouth and ate it, praising him with a beaming smile, "It’s delicious."

After breakfast, she still hadn’t seen her other two Beast Husbands.

’I wonder where they went.’

Jiang Qingli walked out of the dining room and glanced at her terminal.

On the social media app’s interface, there were over twenty unread messages from Qin Muye alone.

The royal family had an event to attend, and no matter how notorious his reputation or how unwilling he was, Qin Muye had to be there.

After reluctantly explaining this, he sent a transfer of eighty million.

"This is for bidding on the rabbit. I hit my transfer limit, so I couldn’t send more."

Then, he added emphatically: "Don’t use their money, just use mine! If it’s not enough, you can owe me for now. I’ll pay it back for you when I get back."

Ten minutes later, probably because Jiang Qingli hadn’t replied, he stressed again: "Don’t use their money!"

Jiang Qingli found this adorable and sent a "head pat" sticker.

She smiled as she typed her reply: "Don’t worry, if it’s not enough, I have my own money too."

Qin Muye replied almost instantly: "You can’t use your own money either! Just use mine!"

"Besides," he replied, a hint of jealousy in his tone, "a rabbit isn’t worth that much money anyway."

Amused, Jiang Qingli teased him: "Then how much do you think a snow leopard is worth?"

Qin Muye was "typing..."

After a long moment, he finally replied: "If the buyer is Jiang Qingli, this Prince might consider paying you to take me."

He paused, then added a prerequisite: "But you can’t buy any other snow leopards."

The message seemed very calm, but Jiang Qingli knew that the easily flustered Prince Snow Leopard’s handsome face must be completely red by now.

After chatting with Qin Xiaogou for a bit, Jiang Qingli ended the conversation, not wanting to disturb his event.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shimo had also sent her a message.

Yuan Shimo: "Female master, my advisor has organized a last-minute symposium. It will be held at the Imperial College’s Traditional Culture Research Center and will last for three days. You were still fast asleep when I left this morning, and I am very sorry for not reporting to you in person. I hope you can understand."

They hadn’t spoken since last night, both tacitly pretending that nothing had happened.

’I didn’t expect him to report his whereabouts to me.’

’His wording is even more distant than before.’

’This kind of polite distance is fine too. It saves me the trouble of figuring out how to act around him.’

-

「Six o’clock in the evening.」

The setting sun slowly descended, casting long silhouettes across the ground.

At Ye Linyuan’s direction, Jiang Qingli had changed into a simple yet elegant, black strapless gown.

"Are we just going like this?" Jiang Qingli asked. "Don’t we need some kind of disguise?"

"They’ll provide them after checking the invitations." Ye Linyuan glanced at his watch, then took her by the wrist and pulled her away.

The voice-activated lights in the garage turned on.

One of Ye Linyuan’s subordinates stood by the flyer, his gaze lowered as he respectfully minded his own business. He ushered them onto the vehicle, which then departed.

The voice-activated lights went out.

A few minutes later, the dim yellow lights turned on again.

Yi Nuo stood at the garage entrance and saw Baili Jing approaching from another direction.

"Where are you going, Mr. Baili?" Yi Nuo asked.

Baili Jing had changed into a black suit that perfectly complemented his sharp figure. He gave Yi Nuo a careless glance. "The same place you are."

-

Jiang Qingli had originally thought the entrance to the underground auction would be in some deserted wilderness or a remote village.

She never expected it to be located directly beneath a famous entertainment venue in the First District.

After the vehicle parked in the garage, a male attendant in a semi-sheer black shirt walked over and gave Jiang Qingli a flirtatious wink.

Jiang Qingli felt the fingers gripping hers tighten.

The oblivious attendant tried to get closer, but two translucent invitation cards were slapped against his face.

Ye Linyuan’s voice was cold and deep. "She has an escort. If you’re not going to use your eyes, I’ll dig them out."

His aura was overpowering. The attendant, intimidated, reined himself in. After checking the invitations, he handed over two ID cards.

He led the two of them inside, his attitude much more respectful. "This way, you two. After using the ID cards, you can choose your own masks."

Jiang Qingli activated her ID card, and a translucent screen appeared before her, displaying a variety of masks.

’This must be the disguise Ye Linyuan mentioned,’ she thought. ’It’s quite flashy.’

Ye Linyuan casually selected the default black and gold mask.

Since she was here to rescue a rabbit, Jiang Qingli chose a white and pink rabbit mask.

The attendant led them further inside.

More than ten doors stood before them. An attendant at the far right, who had been waiting for some time, respectfully took out the two masks they had just chosen. Inside the masks was the number 011.

’It must be a codename.’

The attendant reminded them, "There’s a button on the side of the mask. You can change your hair color at will."

Jiang Qingli casually selected pink. The next second, she saw particles rapidly cover her hair. It was probably the same method Yuan Shiyao used to impersonate his brother.

Passing through the door, they entered a grand hall.

An attendant wearing a suit with no shirt underneath approached, taking Jiang Qingli’s hand. "Distinguished guest 011, I am Noel, your server for the evening. I will accompany you for a fantastical night."

As he spoke, he leaned forward and bowed, giving Jiang Qingli an unobstructed view of his muscles.

Before Jiang Qingli could get a good look, her hand was snatched away.

"Get lost." Ye Linyuan’s patience had reached its limit, his voice glacial. "She doesn’t need you."

"Is this your Beast Husband? He doesn’t seem to like me very much." Noel looked at Jiang Qingli with a wronged expression. "Miss 011, my satisfaction rating is one hundred percent... Are you sure you don’t want to give me a try?"

The pressure from the man beside her dropped even lower. Afraid Ye Linyuan might actually strangle the attendant, Jiang Qingli quickly shooed him away.

Before leaving, Noel added in a breathy whisper to Jiang Qingli, "Call me if you need anything. We can play however you like."

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’There are far too many wicked temptations for females in this world!’

With Ye Linyuan’s aggressive attitude, no other male attendants dared to approach. The two of them passed smoothly through the bustling hall and entered an elevator.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hand reached in and pried them open.

A man and a woman walked in.

The female pursed her lips. "Baby, thank you for coming here with me. I thought you’d be angry like the others..."

"Why would I be angry about you buying a little pet to play with?" The male patted her head, smiling dotingly. "Besides, none of that riffraff can compare to me."

The familiar voice made Jiang Qingli freeze.

Her gaze fell on the male’s aqua-blue hair, and she had a bad feeling.

When she turned her head and saw the female in a white dress, she felt completely numb.

’Why are Bai Yiyi and Yu Chenglan here too?’