Chapter 408 - 407: Did He Kiss You Again?

Through the hazy light, the rain pattered against the floor-to-ceiling window.

Jiang Qingli grasped the snow-white fox tail and gave it a gentle tug. In response, she heard the young man’s voice whisper by her ear.

It was less a pained grunt and more a blatant invitation.

His hot breath tickled her ear.

Jiang Qingli reached for his fox ears, but he caught her wrist, clasping it firmly in his hand.

"Stop playing," the white-fox young man said, blinking pitifully. "Baby, pay attention to me."

He had been the one to tempt her with his tail first, but now that she was playing with it and ignoring him, Baili Jing was getting a little jealous.

The young man lowered his head and captured Jiang Qingli’s lips, not allowing her to focus on anything else.

They hadn’t seen each other in a while, and it seemed Baili Jing’s kissing had improved.

Or perhaps, Baili Jing had always known exactly how to please her, how to make her lose herself completely.

Of all her Beast Husbands, he was the one who understood Jiang Qingli best.

After all, he had been with her the longest.

He knew many of her secrets—ones she hadn’t even discovered about herself.

He had committed them to memory from their very first time together.

...

「As the sun set.」

Jiang Qingli was sprawled ungracefully on the sofa.

Her head was spinning, and it took a while for the world to settle.

She glanced over at the other side of the room.

Jiang Qingli had been feeling tired and wanted to rest, so Baili Jing had taken a quick shower before running a bath for her.

The sound of running water trickled from the bathroom. Baili Jing emerged with a towel hanging loosely around his waist. He opened his suitcase and began to take out its contents, arranging each item neatly.

He carefully arranged fresh ingredients, still glistening with droplets of water. His fox tail swayed behind him; clearly, he was enjoying himself.

Jiang Qingli rolled over. Watching his back, a smile touched her lips. It felt like home.

But as he began to stuff the large refrigerator, filling it layer by layer with an unending stream of items, Jiang Qingli started to feel that something was off.

"Okay, okay, that’s way too much... The freezer’s already full..."

"This rice... Is that a five-kilogram bag?"

"Wait, did you bring all our pots and pans from home?"

Baili Jing, who was copying a recipe he’d prepared onto a screen, answered with a smile, "There’s still a month until the beast tide ends. This year’s is different from previous ones and might be extended. Naturally, I have to be prepared to take care of you for the long haul."

"The cookware here is average quality. I had these custom-made. The food will taste better with them."

Jiang Qingli thought he was being a little too domestic. "You could have just brought a housekeeping robot from home to do all this."

"How could I do that?" Baili Jing shook his head. "A housekeeping robot’s cooking is too rigid. It wouldn’t know what you like."

The bathtub beeped; the water was ready.

Baili Jing washed his hands, dried them meticulously, and then swept Jiang Qingli into his arms. He carried her to the bathroom, unwilling to let her walk a single step.

As he walked, he continued their conversation. "Besides, housekeeping robots can be hacked. It’s safer if I’m the one taking care of you."

’That’s true,’ Jiang Qingli thought, nodding. "You’ll be working hard then, hubby."

"It’s what a husband should do."

Hearing those sweet words from her made Baili Jing feel like it was all worth it.

Besides, staying by Jiang Qingli’s side to take care of her had been his dream since he was a child. It wasn’t a hardship at all; it was pure bliss.

-

Through some clever maneuvering, Baili Jing managed to stay.

For the next few days, Jiang Qingli lived like an Emperor.

Mornings began with a gentle kiss for a wake-up call. Her three daily meals were all prepared for her, with at least five dishes and a soup. And at night, there was even more gentle and considerate... service in bed.

Jiang Qingli was being pampered so thoroughly that, while she hadn’t yet regained the few pounds she’d lost from drinking nutrient solution, her quality of life had skyrocketed.

Except for one small problem...

"He kissed you again this morning?"

On Friday afternoon, just as Jiang Qingli was leaving a meeting, Qin Muye, who had rushed back from his mission, grabbed her by the wrist. He cornered her at the end of the hallway and asked through gritted teeth.

"...Weren’t you supposed to be back this afternoon?" Jiang Qingli asked, feeling a little guilty. She rubbed the tip of her nose. "How’s the investigation into the ambush going?"

The last time the Black-winged Birds attacked the temporary containment facility, Yuan Liang had determined from experience that a Spiritual Mutant Beast must have been controlling them.

The internal hierarchy of Mutant Beasts isn’t well-defined, but High Level Mutant Beasts are quite intelligent and often control lower-level ones to cause trouble.

Since Que Feiling and Qin Muye had handled the previous incident with the agitated Black-winged Birds, this new case was assigned to them as well.

Qin Muye was supposed to return in the afternoon, but he was several hours early.

Qin Muye cleared his throat and explained, "We caught a Spiritual Mutant Beast. It looked pretty strange, possibly a new species, so we handed it over to the research institute."

After a few seconds’ pause, Qin Muye steered the conversation back. "Don’t change the subject." He was practically seething. "Didn’t you promise me yesterday you’d spend tonight with me? How could you... How could you let him kiss you!"

Jiang Qingli looked away. "...That was this morning."

Qin Muye: "..."

She might have said that, but the Prince’s expression only grew darker.

Qin Muye had found out on the second day of Baili Jing’s arrival. But since he had to leave for a mission, he’d reluctantly tolerated it, figuring it was fine to have someone warm Jiang Qingli’s bed for her.

Who knew that sly fox would manage to stick around for so long!

Baili Jing was discreet and didn’t leave much of a scent behind.

But the moment he got close to Jiang Qingli, he could detect a strong masculine scent behind her ear or on her fingertips.

It was obvious Baili Jing was provoking him on purpose!

’I should just rip all the fur off his tail and see how he tries to seduce Jiang Qingli then.’

Qin Muye was both furious and hurt. "I don’t care. I’m leaving for the East District tomorrow morning. You promised me, so you have to spend time with me."

As he finished speaking, he suddenly recalled the past few days of his mission. During their evening breaks, Que Feiling and his teammates were always discussing how males could act endearing.

They all said that when a male acts endearing, it makes his female master’s heart soar.

A male who masters the art of being endearing is treasured by his female master.

Qin Muye steeled himself. Stiffening his neck, he took Jiang Qingli’s hand, placed it on his head, and nuzzled against it.

He looked just like a large dog demanding to be petted.

His clumsy attempt was both silly and adorable.

Jiang Qingli stifled a laugh and patted his head. "Alright, alright. I’ll spend time with you now, okay? I have a remote conference with the First District at three o’clock, but I can have a meal with you until then. We can have the braised beef-flavored nutrient solution."

’That’s more like it,’ Qin Muye thought.

He then recalled Que Feiling and his teammates saying how modern females have seen so many male thirst traps online that it’s hard to charm them with simple cute acts...

Qin Muye grinned smugly.

’And here I thought it would be difficult.’

’This is a piece of cake.’

He was even starting to like this whole "acting endearing" thing.

But it was probably uncomfortable for Jiang Qingli to keep her arm raised. So, Qin Muye knelt beside her, took her hand, and was about to place it back on his head when the sound of urgent footsteps echoed down the hall—

"Buddy! Big news! Ten minutes ago, five S-rank males were confirmed missing—"