Chapter 128: Choose Him or Me

The little bird beat its wings frantically, trying over and over, but it couldn’t escape the young man’s grasp.

Finally, it simply closed its eyes and lay in Yin Zhi’s palm, resigned to its fate.

’I can’t fight him, and I can’t flee. I guess this is my fate.’

"You guys go on and play."

Another round of the game ended, and Wen Qian stretched languidly.

"I want to play with you." The Little Fox lounged in her arms, refusing to get up like a spoiled child.

Yin Zhi watched from the side with envy, roughly ruffling Li Jiu’s head again.

Li Jiu grew dizzy from the pressure and thought groggily, ’Is this what it feels like to have a mountain fall on you?’

"I’ll play with you in a bit." Wen Qian ruffled the Little Fox’s head. When he still wouldn’t get up, she gave the tip of his tail a sly pinch.

His body suddenly trembled. The next second, the Little Fox was clutching his tail as he rolled off Wen Qian, flopping weakly onto the sofa.

His fluffy tail was still swaying behind him. Wen Qian found it amusing but didn’t do anything more.

Getting up, she went upstairs, opened her laptop, and went to the correctional facility’s website. The application for an in-person prison visit she had submitted earlier had been processed, and she could view the result in her personal account section.

If the application was successful, Wen Qian would be able to go to the prison in a couple of days for the in-person visit on the approved date.

A red notification sat quietly on the messages page.

Wen Qian clicked it open, and the first thing she saw was a selection pending confirmation.

A faint smile graced her lips. She would be able to see her adoptive mother soon.

Downstairs, the Little Fox and Shen Mqing were having a blast, but Yin Zhi, holding Li Jiu in his hands, was getting restless.

He shook the drowsy little bird awake and shot it a questioning look.

The fluffy head tilted to one side. Li Jiu clearly didn’t understand what Yin Zhi meant.

He frowned. ’As expected... the most useless one in the house.’

Li Jiu didn’t know why Yin Zhi suddenly had an expression of helpless, restrained... pity, only that he was finally willing to let him go.

The moment he was tossed into the air, Li Jiu immediately fluttered his wings and flew up to the crystal chandelier hanging in the living room.

He tilted his head, carefully preening his feathers with his sharp beak. When he looked up again, Yin Zhi had already disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Wen Qian closed her laptop and was about to leave the room.

The moment she opened the door, she came face-to-face with Yin Zhi.

Surprise flashed in the young man’s eyes. A Beastman’s hearing was exceptionally sharp, yet this time, he hadn’t sensed Wen Qian’s approach.

Standing face-to-face, Yin Zhi averted his gaze awkwardly. "We need to talk."

Hearing the young man’s crisp, clear voice, Wen Qian suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. She took a small step back, giving Yin Zhi room to enter.

Glancing at the neatly folded blankets on the bed, Yin Zhi’s eyes darkened.

The room’s curtains were open, and faint sunlight streamed in from outside, casting a pale orange glow on the floor.

The scent in the room that didn’t belong to Wen Qian had already faded, leaving only the smell of the afternoon sun.

There was a chair in the room, as well as a small sofa.

But Yin Zhi didn’t sit on either, just stood there, staring blankly at the warm sunlight to the side.

Wen Qian didn’t know what he was thinking. After watching for a moment without figuring it out, she simply turned and sat down on the bed.

"You and that snake..."

Those few words made Wen Qian’s heart pound wildly.

She opened her mouth twice, but in the end, only managed a soft "Mm."

’A Beastman’s sense of smell is sharp. His strange behavior today must mean he’s noticed something.’

Yin Zhi had been clingy since they first met, and Wen Qian could feel his possessiveness towards her.

’I just don’t know if this possessiveness is the kind a small animal has...’

"Don’t you know I like you?" Agitation flashed in the young man’s eyes, his fingers subconsciously tightening.

Wen Qian nodded instinctively. "I know."

"Then why would you... No, that’s not right!" Halfway through his sentence, he tugged at his collar in frustration, turned, and grabbed her by the shoulders. The young man’s lips, usually full and red, were now pressed into a thin line.

"I’m talking about the way a man likes a woman... a male likes a female."

"..."

Time seemed to stretch on forever in that moment.

Wen Qian’s expression froze. After a long moment, she finally regained her composure.

She looked at Yin Zhi, her voice a little hoarse. "Sorry, I... wasn’t sure before."

"You’re apologizing to me? You’re apologizing to me for something like this..." the young man muttered anxiously.

After a moment, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the hurt in them.

"Qianqian, our Tiger Clan only has one mate in our entire lives, but yesterday you actually..."

"Since you chose him, then I..."

The young man opened his mouth, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the rest of the sentence.

She knew she shouldn’t, but Wen Qian was still curious about what Yin Zhi would say next. ’This kid has been sulking all afternoon. He isn’t planning to break things off with me, is he?’

But for some reason, Wen Qian didn’t feel scared at all, as if she subconsciously knew... he wouldn’t.

Turning his head away to avoid Wen Qian’s probing gaze, the man took a deep breath.

"I’m willing to give you another chance. If you choose me instead, then I can pretend nothing ever happened. If you choose him, I’ll back..."

DING—

The phone’s notification sound rang out right then.

The words he had finally mustered the courage to say were cut short just like that.

Yin Zhi’s face instantly turned cold, but he still feigned generosity and said, "Go ahead and check your message."

"Why don’t you finish what you were saying?" Wen Qian picked up her phone, not forgetting to glance at Yin Zhi.

"You look first," the man said with a frown.

Although he said that, his gaze was fixed on Wen Qian’s movements.

Watching her pick up the phone, the moment the contact name appeared... Yin Zhi’s face grew even darker.

It was Gu Mian.

"You, uh, you finish first..." Feeling the man’s sharp glare, Wen Qian slammed her phone face-down on the bed.

’Wait... why am I acting so guilty?!’

Her expression turned a little strange, but the next second, Yin Zhi grabbed her hand forcefully.

"Hey! Don’t look at my phone..."

Wen Qian jumped up to get away, but the man twisted her arm, pinning her wrist and pushing her down onto the bed.

His finger swiped across the screen.

It unlocked easily.

The next second, the man’s eyes looked as if they were carved from ice.

Wen Qian buried her face in the blankets. After struggling several times without breaking free from Yin Zhi’s grip, she had no idea what he had seen...

"Well played, Wen Qian... I’m just so touched by you two lovebirds." The young man suddenly leaned down, his warm breath spraying against the girl’s earlobe.

His breath was hot, but his words were cold. Each word sounded as if it had been chewed up and spat out, sending a shiver down Wen Qian’s spine.

’Wait... what the hell did Gu Mian send?!’

Wen Qian wanted to cry but had no tears...

She strained to turn her head and glanced at the phone the young man had tossed onto the bed. Her heart instantly went cold.

A Mian: It’s a little cold today. Remember to wear something warm if you go out.

A Mian: [Image]

It was a selfie.

In the selfie, the man’s fingers were gently pulling open the collar of his shirt, revealing the mottled red marks underneath.

"..."