Chapter 474: I Cherish Her More Than Life

Jiang Qingli was exhausted after a long day and had forced herself through a meeting. Her military uniform was still stained with mud and blood. She pushed her two fathers out of the room and went to take a shower.

So when Yi Nuo arrived upstairs, he saw Zhou Yanli standing at the door. His bearing was as dignified and noble as ever, but the look he gave Yi Nuo was critical and condescending.

Nearby, Xie Qizhen sat sprawled in a chair, hands on his knees, sizing him up from head to toe.

’This scene... It’s just like in those TV dramas, when a father meets his daughter’s boyfriend.’

Yi Nuo couldn’t help but feel his heart tighten, and he straightened his posture.

He bowed respectfully to them. "Mr. Xie, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Yanli gave a faint "hmm," while Xie Qizhen stood up and strode toward him.

Yi Nuo stood even straighter.

Xie Qizhen was the pinnacle of combat strength among all living Dragons. Despite his brash personality, he had incredibly high standards. Yi Nuo didn’t know if he would measure up...

Before he could think of what to say, Xie Qizhen suddenly raised a hand and clapped him hard on the shoulder twice, laughing loudly. "Hey, kid, have you gotten taller?"

The towering Dragon gestured. "You’re almost as tall as me!"

Yi Nuo froze, realizing he’d overthought things.

Xie Qizhen wasn’t staring at him for any particular reason; he just hadn’t seen him in a long time and was checking to see if he’d grown.

Yi Nuo had come to the Jiang Family in his teens, so Xie Qizhen had more or less watched him grow up. He saw him as a simple, grateful person and treated him like a nephew.

Seeing the uneasy expression on Yi Nuo’s face, Xie Qizhen pulled a pile of supplements from his Space Ring and stuffed them into his hands, as if he were handing out candy.

Yi Nuo accepted them with thanks. Xie Qizhen tsked. "Why are you being so formal with your uncle? Don’t mention it. You’re just too polite, kid. When you find a female master in the future, are you going to bow every time you speak to her?"

He imagined the scene, put his hands on his hips, and burst out laughing.

Yi Nuo: "..."

’It seems Xie Qizhen... still doesn’t know about me and Jiang Qingli.’

"Ahem." Behind him, Zhou Yanli coughed softly and reminded him coolly, "Qizhen, you should head back, or you’ll be discovered."

Xie Qizhen was genuinely annoyed by Zhou Yanli’s constant nagging, but he really did have to go. He had stepped out during a break in his meeting.

Xie Qizhen made a call, and a subordinate from the Space System opened a spatial rift for him to return the way he came.

After the "loudest speaker" had left, the hallway instantly fell silent.

Yi Nuo lowered his head to put the supplements into his own Space Ring when he caught a glimpse of a red hem out of the corner of his eye.

A hand rested gently on his shoulder.

Yi Nuo looked up and met Zhou Yanli’s narrow, fox-like eyes.

Zhou Yanli’s touch was light, but the unquestionable pressure it carried made Yi Nuo feel too guilty to meet his gaze.

"No need to look away. I know everything."

Yi Nuo knew he couldn’t hide it from Zhou Yanli. He quickly said, "Mr. Zhou, I’m sorry."

"Why apologize? You’ve done nothing wrong," Zhou Yanli said in a gentle voice. "My daughter is wonderful. It’s only natural that you would develop feelings for her after spending so much time together. It’s just..."

’Just what?’

The pause in his speech made Yi Nuo’s heart leap into his throat again.

Zhou Yanli paused skillfully for a moment before continuing slowly, "I hope that even with your new status, you can still perform your duties well. Remember that your only master is Xiao Li, not the other Beast Husbands."

Yi Nuo understood.

Zhou Yanli treated Xie Youchen like a son, but he was also dissatisfied with Xie Youchen’s overly aggressive protection of Jiang Qingli.

Yi Nuo took a deep breath and promised earnestly, "I understand, Mr. Zhou. Please rest assured, my only master is the Miss."

"I love and respect the Miss more than my own life."

Zhou Yanli stood silently, his gaze scrutinizing every minute detail of Yi Nuo’s expression. After a moment, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Very good. I trust you won’t disappoint us."

"Good child. God will surely bless you as well."

He stepped forward and, with his index finger hovering in the air, drew a symbol on Yi Nuo’s forehead.

In the temple dedicated to the Beast God, this gesture usually represented a Divine Servant bestowing a blessing on the god’s behalf.

Yi Nuo placed his hands over his heart to accept the blessing.

In truth, he didn’t believe the Beast God existed, but at this moment, he prayed devoutly that he could be with Jiang Qingli forever.

...

Jiang Qingli took a shower in the bathroom and came out in a pair of slippers. The first thing she saw was a slender, suit-clad figure with his side to her, diligently making the bed.

The suit wasn’t tailored, after all, so it was a little too big. When Yi Nuo bent over, Jiang Qingli could see a small patch of his fair chest.

Looking closely, she noticed the usually meticulous Gray Wolf Butler seemed a bit different right now.

His hair was a little messy and his collar was loose. He had probably been fast asleep when Xie Qizhen forcibly woke him up to rush over here.

Jiang Qingli walked over and patted his shoulder. "Alright, that’s neat enough. Go on to bed."

Yi Nuo pressed his lips together and answered softly, "Okay."

He said as much, but the hand hanging at his side tightened.

Yi Nuo had seen Jiang Qingli emerge from the bathroom out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t dare speak first, let alone look at her directly. Just the thought of her having showered, the scent of her body wash hanging in the misty air, made him tense up, on high alert.

He was terrified he would do something inappropriate and offend Jiang Qingli.

Biting the tip of his tongue, Yi Nuo snapped back to his senses. He retreated to the other side of the room, maintaining a perfectly polite distance from Jiang Qingli.

Jiang Qingli snuggled into the covers and turned her head, only to see Yi Nuo still standing a meter away from her, posture ramrod straight, his gaze fixed on the floor.

She was a little amused. "Come here."

Yi Nuo stepped forward and bowed slightly. "What are your orders, Miss?"

Jiang Qingli thought for a moment. "Could you bring me the terminal from the desk? I need to send some messages."

Their communication devices had been destroyed on the train. The one Jiang Qingli was using now was a replacement prepared by Zhong Tongyun.

Fortunately, all her old data had been saved to the cloud. Before her shower, Jiang Qingli had logged in with an iris scan to transfer everything to the new terminal. It should have finished by now.

The moment she turned on the terminal, a flood of messages popped up.

She had been out of contact for over six hours, and her terminal was filled with messages from her other Beast Husbands and friends.

The red notification dots kept refreshing, making Jiang Qingli’s eyes blur.

She sensed someone watching her out of the corner of her eye. When Jiang Qingli turned her head, Yi Nuo didn’t have time to look away and quickly lowered his gaze.

Looking at his pale face and the dark tint to his lips, Jiang Qingli had been about to tease him, but now she couldn’t bring herself to. Instead, she said gently, "Yi Nuo, you’re tired too. Go to sleep."

"I’m not tired. My duty is to protect you, Miss." To prove he was telling the truth, Yi Nuo widened his eyes.

Jiang Qingli raised an eyebrow. "Don’t you canines wake up easily? You can protect me while you sleep. Hurry up. That’s an order."

Yi Nuo didn’t dare disobey. He scanned the room, looking for a place to rest, when he suddenly heard the girl’s voice say—

"There’s only one bed here. Where else were you planning to sleep?"