Jiang Mian considered it for a moment.
‘I put those plants in to soak, so he must have figured it out.’
She nodded.
“Yes, that’s the plan.
But I can handle it myself.
You should go get some rest.”
Without any sophisticated equipment, this kind of simple, crude extraction method was actually quite easy.
She didn’t need an assistant.
Rong Fei took the bowl Jiang Mian had just used and began to slowly wash it.
His pale fingertips traced the rim of the white porcelain, as if his fingers were even a shade whiter than the bowl itself.
He spoke softly, “It’s no problem.
I wasn’t doing anything anyway, so it’s a good chance to help Mianmian out.”
Jiang Mian didn’t really mind either way, but if Rong Fei wanted to help, she’d let him.
She nodded.
“Alright.
I’ll call you when I need you.”
“Alright,” Rong Fei replied softly.
Meanwhile, Chi Lin hadn’t left right away after Rong Fei led Jiang Mian off.
Now, as he passed the kitchen doorway, he glanced at the two people inside before leaving with an unreadable expression.
After finishing the bowl, Rong Fei began to wash his hands, scrubbing them until the skin turned red.
Water streamed over the backs of his reddened hands.
A slender hand appeared next to his, a pre-packaged, disposable wipe resting on its soft palm.
“It’s a 75% alcohol hand wipe.
You can use it to clean your hands,” the young woman’s clear voice said.
“It disinfects better than scrubbing your skin raw.”
Rong Fei’s long lashes drooped.
‘What a strange feeling.’
After a moment, he raised a hand to turn off the faucet.
He left his hand resting on the tap, but his gaze shifted to Jiang Mian.
Her pair of crystal-clear black eyes watched him quietly.
The beauty mark at the corner of her eye was an alluring accent on her fair, pretty cheek, yet her expression was serene, as if she were truly just offering him a serious suggestion.
After a moment, the corners of Rong Fei’s lips curved into a faint smile.
He reached out, took the alcohol wipe from her hand, and his eyes crinkled slightly.
“Thank you, Mianmian.”
“You’re welcome.” Jiang Mian lowered her hand.
Jiang Mian turned to check on the pot, but Rong Fei’s gaze remained fixed on her.
‘This is the first time someone has come back just to show me concern like this.’
‘Yes.
For a split second, my heart stopped.
The raw skin of my hands throbbed with a numb ache—an addictive, exhilarating pleasure.’
‘But is this genuine, or is she just trying to toy with me?’
‘Some humans like to feign concern for a Beastman, only to cruelly rip away the facade and play with their emotions.’
‘Which type is she?’
Jiang Mian, of course, had no idea Rong Fei’s mind was racing with so many assumptions.
She glanced into the pot.
There was still some of the nutrient solution broth left.
‘Lin Yu and Zhao Ci, those two Beastmen, haven’t had any yet.’
‘Zhao Ci truly despised the original owner of this body, and for good reason.
She had no sense of propriety and was always trying to climb into his bed.’
‘When she didn’t get her way, she’d punish him brutally, like she had some kind of uncontrollable aggression disorder.’
Jiang Mian recalled his cold demeanor.
‘If I go ask him to drink the nutrient broth, not only will he refuse, but he’ll probably mock me for even trying.’
‘She wanted to improve their relationships, not grovel for goodwill and set herself up to be berated.’
‘In any case, she’d already sent Rong Fei to call them.
If they didn’t want to drink it, fine.
They’d come looking for it when they got hungry enough.’
Jiang Mian was about to cover the pot of broth, but then she remembered the incurable stomach pain that would constantly torment Lin Yu in the future.
‘This must be how it starts, from neglecting himself in his youth!’
Jiang Mian’s expression wavered.
In the end, thinking of the life-saving favor he would grant her in the future and their decade of friendship, Jiang Mian decided she had to go find Lin Yu after all.
“Going to get the other two Beastmen?” Rong Fei saw her expression and her move toward the door, seeming to guess her intentions in an instant.
“Want me to come with you?”
Jiang Mian waved a hand dismissively.
“No, it’s fine.
I’ll go myself.”
She quickly arrived at Lin Yu’s door and knocked.
“Lin Yu, come out.
I’ve got something for you to do.”
A moment later, she was knocking on Zhao Ci’s door.
“Zhao Ci, get out here!
I’ve got something for you to do!”
Jiang Mian waited for a while.
Neither of the doors she’d knocked on opened.
Instead, Chi Lin’s door swung open and he emerged, a faint, lazy smile on his face.
“Well, well, sister.
Still so concerned about that Butterfly Beastman, are we?
He despises you, and yet you still like him so much.
Am I not better looking than him?
I’m so much more obedient and well-behaved, too.
Why don’t you like me, sister?”
Jiang Mian was speechless.
‘Maybe the original owner just wasn’t into the whole sultry, high-maintenance type.’
‘Zhao Ci’s defiant, icy beauty probably sparked a desire to conquer him.’
Her mind wandered for a moment, and by the time she refocused, Chi Lin was right beside her.
He bent down, leaning close to her ear, his voice a low, laughing murmur.
“Sister, I heard you tried to climb into the Butterfly Beastman’s bed last night.
And you got kicked out.
Don’t be sad, sister.
I’m much better at panting than he is.
I sound much prettier when I do it.
Wouldn’t you like to hear?”
His hot breath puffed against her ear.
Her pale ear instantly flushed red.
Jiang Mian’s face burned.
She slapped one hand over her eyes and pressed the palm of her other hand against his chest, pushing him away.
“You are so shameless!”
She composed herself, quickly lowering her hand.
Glancing at him, she gave a slight twitch of her lips.
“There’s no future for a human and a Beastman, so have some self-respect.”
‘Mostly, I just don’t want to end up in prison.’
Then she added, “And in the future, don’t act like you’re in heat around me.”
With that, she hurried past Chi Lin.
‘In the ten years she’d been kept by the Beastmen in that large villa, no one had ever dared to speak to her like that.’
Chi Lin’s gaze, however, lingered on her small, still-flushed ear, and his eyes darkened slightly.
‘Is she faking it, or is that a genuine reaction?
If she’s faking, her acting is simply impeccable.’
Jiang Mian thought back.
‘Chi Lin had been flippant with the original owner before, but he’d never been *this* out of line!’
‘At least, it was never such blatant seduction!’
‘What is this guy trying to do?
In my memories, wasn’t he always talking about doing risqué livestreams to make money?
He was supposed to be too busy to bother with the original owner.’
‘And the original owner had been so infatuated with the Butterfly Beastman that she was always harassing him, leaving her no time to bother the other Beastmen.’
‘So why is this Chi Lin always coming onto her now?’
‘Is he testing me?
Or is he *testing* me?’
Jiang Mian couldn’t be bothered to think about him anymore.
She still had to extract the nutrients later.
She went back to Lin Yu’s door and knocked.
“Lin—”
The next second, the door opened.
Lin Yu was dressed in dark clothes.
The light in his room was off, surrounding him in more darkness.
He looked as if he had melted into the night.
Jiang Mian paused, then lifted her gaze to meet his.
Lin Yu’s eyes were narrow and red, his stare weary and cold.
“Is there something?” His voice was exceedingly slow, with a cold, grating quality like sand shifting on the deep-sea floor.
“Yes.
I need your help with something,” Jiang Mian nodded.
‘If she just told him to drink the nutrient broth, he would definitely refuse her good intentions.’
‘So, she was taking a more roundabout approach.’
A long moment passed.
“Hn,” Lin Yu grunted, his response minimal and soft.