“What about you?” Jiang Xinli slowly unwrapped her arms from Sheng Tianze’s neck, her clear, doe-like eyes fixed on the handsome, sharp-featured man before her.
“Is this home…
a cage for you, too?”
Sheng Tianze stopped dead in his tracks.
A faint smile played on his lips.
“You really want to know?”
He arched a brow, his voice a low, tempting murmur.
“Yes.”
“Kiss me, and I’ll tell you.”
“…” The girl bit her lower lip.
“Fine.”
“A peck on the cheek doesn’t count.
Kiss me here.” Sheng Tianze raised a hand, his long fingers lightly tapping his own lips.
Then, with a slight flex of his arm, he hoisted her higher.
The distance between them closed in an instant.
Jiang Xinli could even feel his warm breath.
“You—”
A blush instantly spread across Jiang Xinli’s cheeks.
She pouted in protest, but ultimately, she obediently placed her hands on his shoulders for balance and slowly leaned in.
She had only intended for the briefest of touches, but just as their lips were about to meet, the man’s hand shot up and cupped the back of her head.
He broke through her defenses and swept in.
Jiang Xinli’s mind went blank.
She instinctively tried to push him away, but his deep voice rumbled in her ear, “Don’t struggle, or you’ll fall.”
The ground was covered in sharp gravel and corrosive dust, which was why Sheng Tianze had been carrying her the entire time.
Jiang Xinli froze and obediently went still.
The whistling wind and their ragged breaths intertwined…
They were lost in a passionate kiss as he walked.
Sheng Tianze only broke the kiss reluctantly when they neared the house.
“I used to want to escape, but now—” Sheng Tianze raised his hand.
A soft stream of healing light flowed out, gently caressing Jiang Xinli’s swollen, tingling lips.
A playful glint appeared in his eyes behind his lenses, as if he were admiring a precious treasure that belonged only to him.
“I don’t want to escape anymore.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Yes, he no longer wanted to escape.
But Jiang Xinli now did.
The two entered the living room.
Yue Hua Yin, Ye Kuo, and Hua Xi were sitting in a circle, studying what looked like a small sand table. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Xuan Ying sat alone in a corner, engrossed in fiddling with a barbed, poisonous whip.
At the sound of footsteps, all four of them looked up in unison.
Sheng Tianze glanced casually at the four men in the room before finally setting the girl down from his arms.
Yue Hua Yin: “Female Master.”
Hua Xi: “Female Master, you’re back.”
“Female Master—” Ye Kuo began, but trailed off.
“Yes.” Jiang Xinli gave them a small smile and a nod, then, like a startled rabbit, stumbled up the stairs in a hurry to escape.
Sitting in the corner, an imperceptible flicker of bitterness and jealousy crossed Xuan Ying’s ice-blue eyes.
He stared intently at Jiang Xinli’s retreating back and sneered.
“Hah.
Forgot she has legs, I see.”
After that, he lowered his head, his fist tightening as he went back to fiddling with the object in his hands.
“Back?” Yue Hua Yin pulled his gaze away from Jiang Xinli’s retreating figure and let it rest on Sheng Tianze’s face.
A clear red imprint was visible at the edge of his otherwise stern, thin lips.
“Yes.” Sheng Tianze gave him a slight nod, then turned and strode into the ground-floor shared bathroom.
“Female Master…
she didn’t even glance at me.” Hua Xi’s face was a mask of disappointment.
He hung his head and began to pluck, one by one, the beautiful peacock feathers he had deliberately ruffled up to show off.
Ye Kuo’s voice was dejected.
“…She didn’t look at me either.
She must…
still be angry with me…”
A trace of suspicion flashed in Yue Hua Yin’s eyes.
He glanced toward the stairs, then toward the bathroom where the sound of running water could be heard.
“The Female Master…
she’s definitely different than before.
But it seems…
she’s become a little too attached to Sheng Tianze.”
‘The Female Master’s personality has definitely changed.’
‘But she used to find fault with everyone.’
‘Now, it seems she’s starting to play favorites.’
‘You’re all so…
Hah. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Lovesick fools.
It’s pathetic.’
With a look of disgust, Xuan Ying stood up and strode purposefully toward the kitchen.
He yanked open the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of ice water, and chugged it down.
Hua Xi watched him go, then nudged Ye Kuo.
“Xuan Ying’s so mad all of a sudden.
You don’t think he’s jealous, do you…?”
Ye Kuo said nothing, but a strange feeling churned in his own heart.
After fleeing back to her room, Jiang Xinli quickly shut the door and bolted it before finally entering the bathroom.
She turned on the faucet, letting the icy water run over her hands.
‘It’s the cage they dream of escaping…’ Jiang Xinli smoothed her hair, frowning at her reflection in the mirror as she recalled Sheng Tianze’s words and fell silent.
‘From the few fragmented memories she had, she knew that the original owner and the five Beast Husbands were in a political marriage, with no emotional foundation whatsoever.’
‘Because of a marriage law stating that if a female committed a crime, her Beast Husbands would be punished alongside her, they had all been exiled to this Dark Star.’
‘Everything they once possessed was gone, and on top of that, they had to endure day and night of physical and mental abuse from the original owner.’
‘For them, what was a home like this if not a prison?’
‘As for Sheng Tianze, he hadn’t mentioned divorce at all in the past two days.
In fact, he’d been taking good care of her.’
‘Jiang Xinli knew full well it wasn’t because her damsel-in-distress act was that convincing.’
‘But just as there’s no hate without reason in this world, there’s no love without reason either.’
‘Regardless of whether his feelings were fake or genuine…’
‘For the time being, she needed him.’
‘She needed him more than any of the other four Beast Husbands.’
DING!
A soft chime, accompanied by a vibration, came from the Light Computer on her wrist.
Jiang Xinli lifted her wrist and tapped it open.
On the [Dark Star Prison 1 Management System] interface, a red exclamation mark had appeared next to her messages.
She tapped it, and a highlighted red message popped up:
[The Interstellar Prison will soon be opening a once-in-a-century benefit mission for Dark Star 1.]
[ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL:
To celebrate the dawn of the new Interstellar Era!
All serious felons exiled to Dark Star 1 with sentences exceeding 90 years may have their exile shortened by 80 years upon completion of this benefit mission!
Those with outstanding performance may receive an additional reduction of 5-8 years!
The mission will be announced on the 1st of next month.
Stay tuned!]
Jiang Xinli’s eyes lit up as she quickly scanned the message.
After a moment of deep thought, she made a decision:
‘She was going to divorce all five of her Beast Husbands!’
With that thought, she got up and began to search the room.
After searching for a long time, she couldn’t find any pen or paper.
‘Then again, considering the original owner was a maniac with a violent temper, she could understand why.’
Opening her Light Computer again, she discovered it supported friend chats and calls, much like the WeChat from her original world.
‘Based on what Sheng Tianze had said and the apps she’d seen on the device, there was a high probability that all chats and communications on these prison-issued Light Computers were being monitored by the interstellar prison authorities.’
‘However, as long as she didn’t say anything that violated prison regulations, she didn’t have to worry too much.’
With that in mind, she opened a chat window and, treating it like a memo, began to list out divorce terms one by one.
KNOCK KNOCK!
“Female Master.” It was Sheng Tianze’s voice.
Jiang Xinli hesitated for a moment before slowly going to open the door.
Looking at the man standing there in a white bathrobe, exuding a captivating charm, she subconsciously gulped…