Chapter 226: Jealousy

Chapter 226: Chapter 223: Jealousy

He’d always been talkative, but today was clearly different.

Perhaps he was trying to prove that everything that had just happened was real.

Or maybe it was his way of expressing his anxiety.

Sensing his faint apprehension and unease, Bai Zhi didn’t find him noisy at all. Instead, she took the initiative and linked her arm through his. “That’s right,” she said with a smile. “I never expected you to be a Young Master. I’ll be in your care from now on.”

Yue Junxiao froze for a moment, all his jumbled thoughts vanishing. His mind was filled with a single thought: ‘My wife is holding my arm!!’

‘My wife really does like me the best!’

At this thought, Yue Junxiao’s eyes curved with a smile. He cheerfully patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry. You’re my wife. If I don’t look out for you, who will?”

Seeing Yue Junxiao like this, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Yue Junxiao seemed to realize something as well, and he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Then he turned to Hu Yan. “Oh, right. Thanks for speaking up for me just now, Hu Yan.”

He might not be as sharp as Hu Yan and the others, but he wasn’t so slow that he couldn’t tell Hu Yan had been looking out for him—vetting the situation for his sake, but ultimately leaving the final decision to him.

He had gathered information for him, yet he hadn’t presumptuously made the decision on his behalf.

Hu Yan just gave a slight nod. “It was only right.”

Seeing this, Yan Yichen was a little displeased. “I backed you up too! Why aren’t you thanking me?”

Yue Junxiao immediately threw an arm around his neck, gave a mischievous grin, and declared magnanimously, “Thank you? Of course I’ll thank you! I could forget anyone else, but never you. When I become the City Lord, you can eat whatever you want and buy whatever you want!”

Yan Yichen rolled his eyes and retorted, “Are you just making empty promises? That’s a pie too big for me. My stomach’s small and so is my mouth; I can’t eat it.”

Yue Junxiao grinned. “I know, you’re a little birdie~”

Seething with rage, Yan Yichen lunged for him. “You’re the little birdie! Your whole family are little birdies!!”

Of course, Yue Junxiao wasn’t going to stand still and let him hit him. He ran off, laughing mischievously.

Watching the two of them roughhousing, Bai Zhi knew Yue Junxiao had calmed down. She couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead. ‘Just as I thought. For a Beastman with a personality like his, even strong emotions only last for a moment.’

‘Something this major would take anyone else some time to process and accept, whether they were happy about it or not.’

‘But for Yue Junxiao? What emotions?’

‘Nonexistent.’

‘A personality like that is actually a good thing. He doesn’t take things to heart, and any feelings he has dissipate quickly.’

‘It’s much better than bottling things up until you make yourself sick.’

Sure enough, a moment later, Bai Zhi heard Yue Junxiao’s voice apologizing to Yan Yichen.

Hu Yan watched them before remarking, “You have a good father. All the Beast Husbands he chose are so impressive.”

Bai Zhi’s expression turned complicated when she heard this.

‘That’s the original owner’s father, not mine. But since I’m occupying this body now, I guess I’m reaping the benefits.’

‘She was even starting to suspect that the original owner’s father knew something. Otherwise, how could he have been so good at picking them? Out of five Beast Husbands, three had now been revealed to have extraordinary backgrounds.’

‘And Hu Yan, who had the strongest background, had also successfully secured the position of first Beast Husband. It was hard not to suspect that the original owner’s father had known in advance and arranged it all specially for his daughter.’

‘The more Bai Zhi thought about it, the more suspicious she became. Could the original owner’s father have had a System? Or was he reincarnated? Or, like her, had he transmigrated into a book?’

‘Or maybe there was some other kind of BUG. Otherwise, how could it be possible with such low odds? Others couldn’t even manage to find one, yet he’d scooped up several.’

But now that Hu Yan had asked, she could only force an awkward smile. “Just lucky, I guess.”

She quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, I wonder if Zelda knows we’re back today. It’s strange he hasn’t come over.”

Hearing her obvious attempt to change the subject, Hu Yan glanced at her. “You didn’t know Zelda is busy opening his shop in Doris?”

Bai Zhi looked completely bewildered. ‘That was happening?’

‘Why didn’t I know about it?’

‘The last time Zelda gave her money, she had handed over the lease for the shop that was about to expire and hadn’t thought about it since.’

‘Xiao Yu and the others had mentioned something about opening a shop on the Main Star, but she’d been too busy to go see it. She only knew about the progress from the occasional photos they shared.’

‘She recalled how in the past, he would always rush over whenever Hu Yan returned. But today, they had all been back for a while, and there was still no sign of him.’

Stumped by two questions in a row, Bai Zhi’s eyes darted about. She decided to take a page from Yue Junxiao’s book, turning to hug Hu Yan around the waist. She tilted her head back and called out in a wheedling tone, “Hu Yan~”

At Bai Zhi’s soft, sweet voice, the tips of Hu Yan’s ears tingled. He lowered his eyes to look at her, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and a low “mhm” rumbled from his throat.

Bai Zhi said, “I’m stuffed, and I don’t want to walk. Carry me back.”

The words had barely left her lips when Hu Yan bent down slightly and hoisted her up.

Startled by his abrupt motion, Bai Zhi gasped. She had expected a princess carry, but he’d used a completely different hold. Frightened, she instinctively clamped her legs around his waist and threw her arms around his neck, not daring to move for fear of falling.

Seeing Bai Zhi’s face pale with fright, a smile crept into Hu Yan’s eyes. He murmured, “Don’t worry. You won’t fall.”

At his words, Bai Zhi looked up at him. When she saw the smile on his face, she realized he had done it on purpose to scare her. She immediately started squirming and hitting him, “You! You scared me on purpose! You’re horrible!”

His voice was suddenly hoarse. “Don’t move,” he said.

She looked at Hu Yan, and he looked back at her. Their eyes met.

Hu Yan didn’t say anything else, merely patting her bottom. “Hold on tight.”

With that, he carried her inside.

Bai Zhi thought Hu Yan was going to do something, but he didn’t make a single move, right up until he set her down.

Bai Zhi suddenly looked at him and asked, “Hu Yan, are you upset about something?”

Hu Yan gazed at her, asking in return, “What makes you say that?”

Bai Zhi bit her lip. “I just have a feeling… you don’t seem happy. Is it because of me?”

After a long moment, Hu Yan sighed in resignation. “You’re frighteningly perceptive.”

Bai Zhi asked, “So it really is because of me?”

Hu Yan said, “If I have to be honest, it’s probably just that I haven’t managed my own feelings well. I got a little jealous.”

Bai Zhi was stunned. ‘Hu Yan was in a bad mood because he was… jealous?’

Her expression was all too easy to read, so he explained with a resigned sigh, “I’m just a regular Beastman, too. It’s only natural that I’d have my own emotions.”

He then added, “I’ve known how things were from the very beginning. It’s just… circumstances are different now, and I’ve become more selfish. Give me some time. I’ll sort myself out.”