Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

After the check-up, Jiang Qingli received a call from a nurse.

”Ma’am, please rest assured, Young Master Youchen’s current condition is under control.” The nurse’s tone suddenly shifted. ”However, as an adult male, this will only happen more frequently from now on. So, the most permanent solution is...”

Jiang Qingli asked, ”What is it?”

The nurse hesitated on the other end. ”To find a female master with a high Match Value to soothe him during his special periods. Otherwise, if he keeps toughing it out like this, his pollution value might spiral out of control one day...”

Jiang Qingli froze, her breath catching in her throat.

Hearing no response, the nurse asked in confusion, ”Ma’am? Are you still there?”

Her mind went blank for a second before she snapped out of it, forcing a smile into her voice. ”Okay, I understand. Thank you so much.”

After hanging up, the smile vanished from Jiang Qingli’s face. She frowned, suddenly getting the intense feeling that she was being watched.

Jiang Qingli slowly raised her eyes.

In the dim light, Ye Linyuan was leaning against a nearby wall, his arms crossed. His posture was casual, but his gaze never left her for a second.

His golden, vertical pupils were narrowed slightly, as if in displeasure.

”Why are you always staring at me?” Jiang Qingli asked.

For some reason, she felt a wave of irritation. His stare felt probing, tinged with a sour jealousy. She turned her back on him, grabbed a cup, and went to the water cooler to pour some water.

His snake tail slithered silently up behind her.

Ye Linyuan reached out, switching the dispenser from cold to warm. He took a small sip to ensure it was safe before handing the cup to her, the entire sequence practiced and natural.

Jiang Qingli took the cup and had a sip, feeling a sense of calm wash over her.

Then, a deceptively casual voice murmured by her ear, ”So, Jiang Youchen is looking for a female master?”

The water she was about to swallow stayed in her mouth. Her eyes went wide, and her cheeks puffed out like a goldfish’s.

Her fingers tightened on the cup. Jiang Qingli forced herself to swallow, then looked away and answered stiffly, ”How should I know if he’s looking? Why? Do you have someone to set him up with?”

His long fingers gripped her jaw, tilting her face up. Ye Linyuan looked down and scoffed, ”You want me to set him up?”

Before she could answer, Ye Linyuan leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers. His voice was a low murmur. ”Do you?”

’Though the question sounded similar, Jiang Qingli instinctively felt he wasn’t asking about the same thing.’

But before she could fully process the subtle difference between his two questions, Ye Linyuan lowered his head and captured her lips with his.

He was silencing any words she might have uttered that he didn’t want to hear.

Especially words about the male who had tried to kill him multiple times.

-

As dawn broke, birds began to chirp and chatter in the branches.

The man sitting upright in the room kept his eyes closed, so still he appeared to be fast asleep.

It wasn’t until a faint sound came from upstairs that Jiang Youchen slowly opened his eyes.

At the same moment, the dark screen before him flickered to life, displaying a live feed from the hallway camera.

Onscreen, a door opened a crack from the inside.

The girl poked her head out, cautiously peering left and right. Seeing no one, she let out a sigh of relief.

’Just like when she used to sneak out to cause trouble as a kid.’

The young man propped his chin on his hand, his thin lips curving slightly upward.

But before the smile could fully form, it froze on his face.

Onscreen, after confirming the coast was clear, Jiang Qingli waved to someone behind her, urging in a hushed voice, ”Hurry, hurry, hurry! Before someone sees us.”

”So what if they see?”

The surveillance equipment was excellent, clearly picking up the male’s low, magnetic, raspy voice, and just as clearly capturing his handsome, yet somber face.

The black-haired male wore a loose, gray bathrobe, its lapels agape, revealing a wide expanse of skin and his sharp collarbones.

And, on his collarbones, a fresh bite mark and a chaotic web of scratches.

Jiang Qingli glanced back and saw Ye Linyuan still in his bathrobe, strutting about so brazenly. She grabbed him by the lapels and demanded, ”Why aren’t you dressed?”

”My, what a short memory you have,” Ye Linyuan said, smoothly catching her wrist and pulling her closer. ”Who was it that tore my clothes and threw them in the trash? Need me to jog your memory?”

He tilted his head and nipped the tip of her ear.

Where she couldn’t see, he glanced up at the surveillance camera and gave it a provocative, utterly arrogant arch of his brow.

Unaware of Ye Linyuan’s little stunt, Jiang Qingli covered her burning ear and shot back, ”Didn’t I get you clothes?”

A smirk played on Ye Linyuan’s lips. ”You mean that set of your brother’s?”

Jiang Qingli corrected him, ”He’s never worn it!”

A few days ago, she’d been scrolling online and came across some matching family outfits. She bought a set for everyone, but they sent the wrong color for Jiang Youchen’s.

Afterward, Jiang Qingli had thought the whole idea was pretty childish. ’Who even wears matching family outfits anymore? They’re so tacky.’ She couldn’t be bothered to return it, so she’d just tossed it in the closet.

Which meant it was now conveniently available for Ye Linyuan.

”No, thank you.” Ye Linyuan tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and leaned in, whispering so only she could hear, ”It’s too small.”

Jiang Qingli froze for a second, her cheeks instantly burning hot.

’This snake! What kind of filth is always on his mind!’

She was about to scold him when she saw his gaze shift to something behind her, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Jiang Qingli turned and saw the elevator doors slide open. The white-fox youth emerged, a gentle smile on his face as he walked toward them.

The hand on her waist tightened.

A shiver ran down Jiang Qingli’s spine. ’Oh, this is bad. This is so, so bad,’ she thought.

’The moment these two meet, it’s bound to be a festival of passive-aggressive sniping. How am I supposed to keep the peace now...?’

’Even worse, if someone walked by, how would she explain Ye Linyuan’s appearing out of thin air?’

’Although Ye Linyuan and Jiang Youchen didn’t seem to be in conflict right now, in the original novel they were literally out for each other’s blood...’

’Jiang Qingli wanted them to coexist peacefully. She had planned to introduce them formally in a public setting to foster a better first impression and prevent the plot from taking a nasty turn.’

’All they had to do was be themselves. As their female master, she was the one who had to worry about everything.’

While she was lost in thought for a few seconds, Baili Jing had already reached them.

Unexpectedly, Baili Jing didn’t seem surprised to see Ye Linyuan. He simply gave him a nod.

Ye Linyuan, on the other hand, acted as if Baili Jing didn’t even exist. He looked down at Jiang Qingli and said, ”Go on, do your thing.”

Although he ignored Baili Jing, he didn’t resort to his usual passive-aggressive mockery either.

For a split second, Jiang Qingli wanted to ask if Ye Linyuan had been possessed.

’Was this the same Ye Linyuan who got prickly and told other Beast Husbands to get lost the moment he saw them?’

’This isn’t right. Who possessed him?’

As if sensing the confusion in her eyes, Ye Linyuan suddenly turned back and, before she could react, nipped her on the lip.

He stepped back just before she could push him away, raising an eyebrow. His smile held a wicked, playful glint, as if to say, ’Isn’t this more like it?’

Jiang Qingli: ”...”

’Whoever possessed Ye Linyuan just a moment ago, please get back in his body and never leave!’

Baili Jing raised a hand to close the door, cutting off Ye Linyuan’s line of sight.

He took out a handkerchief, gently wiped Jiang Qingli’s lips, and then took her hand, leading her downstairs.

”When did you get here?” Jiang Qingli asked, squeezing his hand back and giving it a little swing.

Baili Jing smiled down at her. ”Just now.”

”Oh...” Jiang Qingli cleared her throat. ”Ye Linyuan got back yesterday. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, you know.”

’If she was going to keep things fair, she couldn’t show any favoritism.’

’And she didn’t want Baili Jing to get the wrong idea.’

’He had waited for her since their youth, all this time.’

Baili Jing hummed a soft acknowledgment, his eyes crinkling with a smile as his fingers slid between hers to lace them together.

As they rounded a corner, a tall, straight-backed silhouette came into view.

Baili Jing stopped short, his handsome brow furrowing.

Jiang Qingli glanced up, her eyes meeting the reddened gaze of Jiang Youchen.