Rong Fei supported Jiang Mian as she walked, though she wanted to tell him she was fine.
She only had a concussion, not a broken leg.
Besides, the aphrodisiac effect of the Butterfly Beastman’s glitter was making her body flush with heat.
Having Rong Fei so close was an agonizing struggle for control.
But her room was just ahead, and it would seem like she was making a fuss if she said anything now.
So she said nothing and simply endured it.
The strong arm around her waist, the broad, cool chest her shoulder kept brushing against—it was all chipping away at Jiang Mian’s self-control.
A fine sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead.
She even fought the urge to grab his cool hand from her waist and press it against her own hot face.
Without thinking, Jiang Mian’s hand found its way to Rong Fei’s, which rested over her clothes at her waist.
Slender, pale fingers.
Prominent veins on the back of his hand.
And that cool touch.
The chill of his skin shocked her back to her senses.
She swallowed hard, pretending to let her palm trail casually across the back of his hand before pulling away with forced restraint.
When they reached her room, Jiang Mian felt a wave of relief, as if she’d been rescued.
She quickly pulled away from Rong Fei.
The walk had been short, but it felt like an eternity.
Rong Fei simply raised an eyebrow and let her go without a fuss.
“Thanks,” Jiang Mian said, turning to Rong Fei at her door.
Her face was deeply flushed, her forehead beaded with sweat, tangling the loose strands of her hair.
Her dark eyes, glistening and unbearably alluring, were red at the corners, making even the beauty mark beneath one eye seem to blush.
Hearing her thanks, Rong Fei watched her quietly for a moment.
Only when she met his gaze did the corner of his lip twitch into a faint smile.
“It’s nothing.”
“Mm.” Jiang Mian nodded silently, then went into her room and shut the door.
The aphrodisiac effect of the glitter had kicked in.
Jiang Mian stumbled toward the bathroom.
‘Time for a physical cooldown.’
Her slender fingers and pale fingertips were wrinkled from the cold water.
Jiang Mian finally, slowly, pulled her hands from the water, shivering slightly.
She quickly dove under the covers.
She quickly turned on the heat.
‘Can’t be catching a cold.’
And with that, Jiang Mian fell into a deep sleep.
That evening, Jiang Mian was woken by a knock at her door.
It was Rong Fei.
“Mianmian, the nutrient soup is ready.”
When Jiang Mian woke up, she still felt weak, but much better than she had at noon.
She stretched and decided she needed to find Zhao Ci and clear the air.
‘But I’ll definitely need Rong Fei to come with me.’
Jiang Mian slowly walked out of her room and was a little surprised to see Rong Fei still standing at the door.
‘I thought he would have left after calling for me.
I didn’t expect him to still be here.’
“I was worried something might have happened, so I decided to wait,” Rong Fei explained, noticing the confusion in her eyes.
“It looks like some sleep did you good.”
“It did,” Jiang Mian said with a faint smile as she stepped out.
“Thank you again for this afternoon.
Let’s go.”
Everyone else usually came out on their own for mealtime.
The moment Chi Lin saw Jiang Mian, he sidled right up to her, his finger touching the pink band-aid on her neck.
“Oh my, what’s this?
Are you hurt?”
Jiang Mian pushed the encroaching Chi Lin away and answered noncommittally, “Mm.”
“How did you get hurt?” Chi Lin asked, blinking innocently.
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s nothing,” Jiang Mian said dismissively, not wanting to explain.
“You might not be in pain, but my heart aches for you.” Chi Lin’s wrist was still wrapped in white gauze.
He reached out, tracing the edge of her band-aid with his fingertip as he leaned his head close to her again.
“Are you sure it doesn’t hurt?” he drawled.
“Let me kiss it better for you.”
Jiang Mian shoved his head away again as if he were a virus.
“Go on, get away from me.
Don’t come near me.”
She said, quickening her pace to get away.
“Ah, Jiang Mian, you wound me so!” Chi Lin cried, putting on a heartbroken expression.
Jiang Mian didn’t believe him for a second.
The only one who didn’t show up for the evening’s nutrient soup was Zhao Ci.
Just when Jiang Mian thought Zhao Ci wouldn’t show, he did.
The tall, slender young man stood before Jiang Mian.
His purple hair hung in a disheveled mess—he probably hadn’t been in the mood to style it.
His face was pale, but that couldn’t mask his striking beauty.
He looked like a wilted flower, drained of life yet exuding a decadent, corrupting allure.
He stood before her, his gaze fixed on the band-aid on her neck.
A flash of agitated frustration crossed his face.
‘No matter how disgusted he felt, Zhao Ci couldn’t ignore the returning memories of his frenzy.
The recollections left him feeling conflicted and filled with self-loathing.’
‘He was utterly disgusted by this woman, and yet, in his confused state, he had felt the urge to court her.’
‘Even now, recalling it, he could almost feel the tremor that shot through his butterfly wings at her light touch—a dizzying, tingling flutter in his chest.’
‘But that woman, Jiang Mian, had actually pushed him away!’
‘She was the one who had drugged him and climbed into his bed, but now that he was the one aroused, she had callously pushed him away.’
Conflicting emotions tormented Zhao Ci.
‘How dare she refuse him?
What right did she have to summon and dismiss him at her whim?’
‘But he couldn’t find a way to vent the frustration stewing in his heart.’
‘And yet, as a Beast Slave, wasn’t he supposed to be at his master’s beck and call?’
‘But he was truly disgusted by those two words—Beast Slave.
He refused to accept his fate as a lowly slave.’
‘Humans truly were the most disgusting creatures, branding them with the name Beast Slave.’
Jiang Mian watched the Butterfly Beastman stand before her, silent, his expression growing darker by the second.
She finally broke the silence.
“Why don’t you have your nutrient soup first?
We can talk after.”
‘She wanted to talk to him, too.’
‘From her perspective, he’d only bitten her neck.
It wasn’t a big deal.’
‘But she couldn’t say the same for Zhao Ci.
He must feel awful, having bitten the neck of someone he found so disgusting.’
“That won’t be necessary.” Zhao Ci’s chapped, pale lips barely moved.
His long lashes were lowered, and his voice was hoarse and cold.
“I’ll wait for you.”
‘Jiang Mian understood.
He wasn’t going to have the nutrient solution; he’d just wait until she was done to talk.’
“If you’re not going to eat, then we have nothing to talk about,” Jiang Mian replied casually, before continuing with her nutrient soup.
‘Zhao Ci couldn’t for the life of him figure out what game she was playing now.’
‘Was she really that worried about whether he was hungry?’
‘The moment that thought occurred to him, he was convinced Jiang Mian still had designs on him and was just using this roundabout method to get him to drink the nutrient soup.’
He frowned in disgust.
But then Jiang Mian added languidly, “Don’t read too much into it.
I’m not interested in you anymore.
I’m just afraid you’ll starve to death and I’ll be the one to face the karmic retribution.”
“You, afraid of retribution?” Zhao Ci said, as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world.
The corner of his mouth curled in a sneer.
“Just hurry up and eat, so we can get this conversation over with,” Jiang Mian said, her lips twitching.
‘He must have come looking for her because he’d finally figured things out.
He was probably here to negotiate the terms of that rule.’