Chapter 26: Young Master? Fiancée?

Still, it was for the best. If it weren’t for that bite, he wouldn’t have rushed to reveal his identity to Wen Qian.

After all, there was a world of difference between her hearing it from him and hearing it from someone else.

Gu Mian had never intended to hide anything. He was just worried—worried his Beastman identity would frighten her. But that resolve began to waver when he smelled Yin Zhi’s scent on her, and today’s incident only confirmed his suspicions.

...

「An unknown amount of time passed.」

Yin Zhi stirred from his sleep. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a picture of romantic bliss.

The girl had her eyes lowered, carefully cleaning the wound of the man sitting on the sofa. Following the "correct steps" he recited, she slowly wiped away the dried blood, then gently squeezed out the clotted blood underneath.

Wen Qian was incredibly meticulous throughout the process. She looked up several times and asked Gu Mian in a gentle tone if she needed to be gentler. In response, the man just shook his head. His expression was perfectly calm, but his gaze never left her face.

But... was it her imagination? Wen Qian felt that the wound on Gu Mian’s arm seemed much shallower now. It had taken quite a bit of effort to squeeze out the blood.

"Should I bandage this now?" Wen Qian asked as she put down the iodine-soaked cotton ball.

Gu Mian’s lips curved. "Okay."

So, the girl went back to the first-aid kit for some gauze. ’So Beastmen are just as "fragile" as humans,’ she thought. ’Bandaging a wound also takes this many steps.’

At this sight, Yin Zhi’s eyes went wide. After confirming he wasn’t dreaming, he let out a loud "MEOW" and shot onto the sofa.

’What is going on?! I just took a nap, and when I wake up, my love rival has already moved in?’

’Seriously, dude? You really want to be the other man?’

"You’re finally awake..." Yin Zhi’s sudden appearance startled Wen Qian. "You scared me," she said, her heart still pounding.

"MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW!" Yin Zhi swore, but the moment the sound came out, he froze... He hadn’t transformed yet!

His entire body—oh, wait, his entire cat body—seemed to deflate like a punctured ball. He shot Gu Mian a vicious glare, then reluctantly turned and padded toward the bedroom.

Turning back awkwardly, Wen Qian felt a little embarrassed. "His clothes are in the bedroom."

Gu Mian lowered his gaze to the girl’s slender, pale fingers, his voice devoid of warmth. "You two sleep together?"

"Yes," Wen Qian said, tying a neat bow on Gu Mian’s wrist. Realizing that didn’t sound right, she quickly explained, "He turns into a little cat when he sleeps."

Before he could transform, Yin Zhi had always slept with Wen Qian. After he gained his human form, he refused to change this habit no matter what Wen Qian said. Seeing his heartbroken expression, Wen Qian stopped insisting. Besides, the little cat was soft, warm, and comfortable to cuddle.

Yin Zhi was still buttoning his collar as he came out of the bedroom. He looked up to see Gu Mian watching him leisurely, and his temper flared. "Why haven’t you left yet?"

’When did the Gu Family’s constitution get so weak? He needs medicine for a tiny wound like this? If he’d waited any longer, the wound probably would have healed on its own.’

A Beastman’s healing ability was incomparable to a human’s. Part of the reason he’d had Wen Qian squeeze out the clotted blood was because he was afraid the wound would heal too quickly.

Although Yin Zhi had bitten him with lethal intent, this was Blue Star, where a Beastman’s physique and combat abilities were significantly weakened. To Gu Mian, an injury of this severity was trivial; in a couple of days, the bite marks would likely vanish completely.

Yin Zhi immediately strode over to Gu Mian. He plopped down on the sofa, shoving the other man aside. Then, he propped his chin in his hands and looked at Wen Qian with an innocent expression. "Qianqian, I’m tired."

Wen Qian was speechless. ’Here he goes again.’ Thinking that he would probably pull her into his arms for a cuddle the next second, Wen Qian immediately stood up straight. "I’ll go check on the Yellow-tailed Robin!"

Without waiting for Yin Zhi to react, she dashed over to the shelf. When she’d gotten back earlier, she had opened the box carrying the Yellow-tailed Robin and placed it there. She wondered if the little creature was awake yet.

After checking the Yellow-tailed Robin’s condition, Wen Qian breathed a sigh of relief. Its tiny body was curled into a ball, and its breathing was noticeably steadier than when she first found it. She was just about to ask Gu Mian if they should change its bandage again when she turned and saw Yin Zhi, his face dark, saying something to him...

Then came the man’s cool, clear voice: "Does your fiancée know you’re such a busybody, Young Master?"

The moment the words were spoken, the air in the room seemed to freeze. Yin Zhi instinctively glanced at Wen Qian’s expression, only to see her staring at him in confusion.

’Damn it, who taught him to talk like that?’

Getting no response, the man’s gaze swept over the girl’s petite figure. He leaned back, settling naturally against the sofa. His voice was lazy and low. "The Young Master doesn’t think that just by throwing the person back to South City, nobody would know, does he?"

In truth, even if that old man hadn’t said a word, Gu Mian already knew about this. He hadn’t mentioned it before simply because Wen Qian wasn’t around.

"Young Master? Fiancée?" Wen Qian stood frozen for a long moment before it dawned on her that the "Young Master" Gu Mian mentioned was Yin Zhi. Her mind couldn’t quite wrap around it. ’Since when did little cats and dogs have social hierarchies?’

Yin Zhi’s gaze was evasive, but he couldn’t help wanting to see Wen Qian’s reaction. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and his voice dropped. "I never acknowledged it."

Hearing this, Gu Mian scoffed. "It’s common knowledge throughout the Tiger Clan. What does acknowledging it have to do with anything?"

"You..." Yin Zhi gritted his teeth. ’He really wanted to go and rip that damn snake to shreds.’

But then he remembered that biting him just now had not only failed to give him any advantage but had also earned him a scolding from Wen Qian, so he held himself back.

Most importantly, his blood was poisonous. Yin Zhi didn’t want to fall into a stupor again, and he certainly didn’t want to see his beloved female treating another male’s wounds.

"No, wait a minute, you two..." Wen Qian said, pressing her temples. ’Why am I getting more and more confused the more I listen? So, yesterday wasn’t Yin Zhi’s first time transforming?’

’And what the hell is this about a "Young Master" and a "fiancée"? Are these two Beastmen playing word games in my house?’

The thought that she knew nothing about the little cat she’d been raising for a month made Wen Qian a little angry. "Yin Zhi, you explain."

"I..." Not daring to meet the girl’s eyes, the man lowered his head and stammered.

Yin Zhi had been on Blue Star for five years, and he had his own power base in City A. He hadn’t meant to keep it a secret; his injuries had only just healed the day before. Not long after he transformed, he ran into Gu Mian, so he never really had a chance to explain.

He had planned to explain later, but who would have thought that damned snake would blow his cover. As he thought this, the man’s expression darkened. ’Judging by Gu Mian’s earlier behavior... he must have done it on purpose.’

"It seems the Young Master finds it inconvenient to speak." The man narrowed his eyes, his chin tilting up slightly. A handsome curve formed on his lips. He lowered his voice. "Why don’t I explain it to Qianqian?"

Yin Zhi instantly bristled. "It’s not your place to say!"