Seeing Wen Qian blush, a sly glint flashed in Yin Zhi’s eyes. The corner of his lip curled, and he turned, pinning her beneath him. He braced his hands on either side of her, his tone turning suggestive. "Qianqian... I’m going to look back."
Flustered by his sudden move, Wen Qian’s head felt hot. She asked subconsciously, "Look at what?"
"The bell," Yin Zhi said.
???
’What the hell? I’m a human woman, where would I have a bell!’ She clutched her skirt tightly with both hands, terrified he would launch a surprise attack.
"I don’t have one! Don’t you dare!" Wen Qian roared, flushed with shame and anger.
"How will we know if we don’t look...?" Yin Zhi smirked, his long, slender fingers landing on the hem of her white skirt. His silver-white hair fell across his brow, making his cool, clear features particularly striking.
Wen Qian completely flipped out, kicking her legs wildly to try and shove him aside.
’What is this act for! Before he could transform, I lost count of how many times I walked around naked in front of him. Who is he trying to fool now, acting like some wronged, innocent little wife?’
Smoothly grabbing her ankle, Yin Zhi revealed a triumphant smile. He slowly lifted Wen Qian’s leg, provoking a series of shrieks from her...
"Qianqian, why is your face so red? Is it because you like this so much?" Yin Zhi hadn’t actually intended to lift Wen Qian’s skirt, but he really did love seeing her look so flustered and angry.
Seeing the slyness in his eyes, Wen Qian guessed that his earlier obedience had been mostly an act. She still remembered him saying "the little brother who rolls around in the same bed," and with such a malicious tone, too. At the time, Wen Qian had really thought he’d been possessed by something...
Well-behaved yet mischievous as a cat, docile and clingy after transforming—he had tried his best to hide the arrogant dominance in his very bones, but Wen Qian had finally caught on.
Yin Zhi didn’t actually intend to lift Wen Qian’s skirt, but Wen Qian did, in fact, give his tail a firm squeeze. Seeing Yin Zhi’s pupils tremble as he retreated back into the corner of the sofa, Wen Qian suppressed her laughter. ’Looks like his habit of wagging his tail whenever he gets smug isn’t something he can change anytime soon.’
Standing up, Wen Qian coughed lightly twice and deliberately straightened her skirt in front of him. Seeing the man’s expression gradually darken, the curve of her lips only grew more pronounced.
’Finally, I can get a good night’s sleep!’
Wen Qian didn’t know when she fell asleep, only that just before she drifted off completely, a fluffy ball of fur burrowed into her covers. The little cat used its paws to kick the blanket into place, then buried its furry head in the crook of her arm.
Wen Qian had given Yin Zhi an ultimatum: he was not allowed to transform while in bed, or else he would have to sleep on the sofa. So, even though he was reluctant, Yin Zhi could only remain in his cat form.
But he didn’t care. For him, just being able to sleep in the same bed as Wen Qian was wonderful enough.
Letting go of the day’s exhaustion, the human and the beast soon drifted off to sleep.
It wasn’t until the sun grazed the windowsill and the eastern sky began to pale that Yin Zhi’s eyes snapped open.
There was none of the grogginess of deep sleep in his eyes; instead, they held a hint of coldness. He got out of bed, transformed, and dressed with the utmost speed. Turning back, he glanced at the still-sleeping Wen Qian and carefully tucked in the corners of her blanket.
"Who let you in?" On the living room floor crouched a silver gradient cat that looked similar to Yin Zhi. It sat in an extremely proper posture, like a guard forever on standby.
"Meow~"
Listening to Ling Xuan, Yin Zhi frowned. "What is he here for?"
"Meow meow meow~"
Ling Xuan hadn’t wanted to disturb Yin Zhi at this hour, but the visitor was from the Bali Tiger Clan and seemed to hold some status. Of course, the main reason was that the man had shown up at his house and taken a stance that he wouldn’t leave until he saw Yin Zhi.
He didn’t feel right kicking the man out, nor could he adopt Yin Zhi’s carefree "do whatever you want, I don’t care" attitude. Ling Xuan had been busy dealing with matters in South City until three in the morning. He’d only gotten home and slept for two hours before someone came knocking. He was mentally exhausted, too.
He remembered Yin Zhi telling him not to reveal his whereabouts, so even though the visitor might be an acquaintance, Ling Xuan only dared to have him wait at the entrance to the residential complex.
"Old people sure don’t need much sleep..." Yin Zhi said coolly, glancing at the time. After a pause, he added, "Have him come wait for me downstairs."
"Meow~"
...
Ling Xuan had planned to bring the visitor over and then find an excuse to slip away. But who would have thought the topic of conversation would be so captivating? He remained crouched on the stone steps, his ears twitching and his eyes constantly darting in their direction.
"Young Master, how could you live in a human female’s home? If my Lady were to find out... aren’t you afraid of disappointing her!" The gray-haired old man looked utterly heartbroken. Over the years, he had seen countless of his brethren die tragically at the hands of humans and had long since come to despise them, especially the females.
Uncle Feng was the butler of the Shen Family. He had been on Blue Star for over ten years, living in South City the entire time. In the early hours of the morning, he received a message that someone had spotted Ling Xuan at an underground venue, so he rushed over with his men overnight.
Although the two had never crossed paths in the Beast World, he had long since heard of Ling Xuan.
Ling Xuan was Yin Zhi’s right-hand man and took orders from him alone. When his subordinate reported yesterday that Ling Xuan claimed to be "running an errand for someone" as he took the person away, Uncle Feng had immediately deduced that Yin Zhi must be on Blue Star.
He had rushed from South City to City A overnight, but he never expected to find the Young Master of the Silver Tiger Clan living in a human’s house.
’This is... utterly improper!’
Yin Zhi had initially planned to show the man some respect on account of his age, but now he felt that while the man looked resolute and upright, not a single word he said was pleasant to hear.
At that, Yin Zhi dropped all pretense of respect. "Are the Shen Family’s houses built on the coast? You’re meddling pretty far from home."
’Does he really think he has a say in where I live?’
’If he hadn’t shown up, I’d still be in my warm bed, snuggling with my soft, fragrant female. Oh, right, Wen Qian hasn’t bathed me in a while. I should have taken the opportunity when she was showering yesterday to ask to join her.’
As he thought of this, a smile actually graced Yin Zhi’s lips.
The old man’s originally affable expression cracked at Yin Zhi’s retort. In an almost scolding tone, he said, "Young Master, do not forget you have a marriage contract with our Lady! Sooner or later, you must return to the Beast World!"
The Silver Tiger Clan and the Bali Tiger Clan had arranged a marriage contract a hundred years ago. This was a fact known to everyone in the Tiger Clan.
"So?" Yin Zhi’s eyes narrowed, his gaze instantly turning dark and deep.
"So... I will absolutely not permit you to associate with this human female." Uncle Feng closed his eyes, trying to contain his anger, clearly extremely displeased with Yin Zhi.
Ling Xuan’s eyes darted back and forth, and his fur stood on end when he heard that sentence. ’Last night,’ he thought, ’I only said one tentative thing and got a whole earful from Yin Zhi. Now this old man is being so brazen... the Young Master isn’t going to just... take care of him, is he?’
"Ling Xuan." As expected, a fierce light flashed in the man’s eyes. He let out a cold laugh. "Take *good care* of the old man."
Ling Xuan: "..."
’Understood. I’ll just toss him in the river later.’