In the end, Yin Zhi didn’t actually make Ling Xuan do it. He just said he didn’t want to see that man in City A ever again. That included all his subordinates—they were to be packed up and thrown back to South City.
Ling Xuan didn’t know if his Young Master had a genuine change of heart or if he was just in a good mood after turning to see Wen Qian peeking from the balcony, and had thus decided not to pursue the matter with the old man.
Ling Xuan didn’t dare to ask. He had noticed Wen Qian’s eyes light up for a moment as she looked at him, and his Young Master’s face had immediately darkened... ’Damn it, what did I do to deserve this?!’
"Meow!" Ling Xuan beat a hasty retreat, not daring to linger beneath Wen Qian’s apartment. ’Honestly, that woman,’ he thought. ’My Young Master is so brilliant, mighty, and distinguished. It’s bad enough she doesn’t spare him a few more glances, but she had to go and give me such... such an improper look!’
’She’d better not get any funny ideas about me, or I’m afraid I’ll meet my end right here.’
Ling Xuan fled at top speed, completely forgetting that in Wen Qian’s eyes, he was just a fluffy little kitten.
He turned and entered the apartment building.
Yin Zhi stopped at the front door, calmly bent down, and lifted the doormat. He took out the spare key Wen Qian had left there and let himself in.
The girl clearly looked like she had just woken up. Her hair was down, and a rebellious lock of her bangs stuck up at an odd angle.
"Who were you talking to just now? Was he a Beastman, too?" Wen Qian asked curiously.
Wen Qian had woken up as soon as Yin Zhi went downstairs. She’d lingered in bed for a moment before getting up to open the curtains. At first, she had wondered who the man downstairs with the impossibly handsome profile was. But when she looked closer, she realized—wasn’t it just her arrogant little silver gradient?
"Yeah," Yin Zhi nodded. He paused, then added, "I don’t know him well."
He walked straight to Wen Qian, resting his chin on her shoulder like a needy child. His stunning face paired with a model’s physique made Wen Qian’s heart race. ’I’m definitely going to need time to get used to having a gorgeous man in my arms like this.’
"Oh, right..." As if remembering something, Wen Qian took a step back. She cupped his face in her hands and flashed a warm, bright smile.
Yin Zhi was mesmerized by her smile. He subconsciously gulped, and just as he was about to make a move, Wen Qian spoke again. "That little cat downstairs was so cute! Is he a friend of yours from before you could transform?"
Wen Qian’s eyes sparkled. ’That little cat was acting so sneaky, just squatting there next to Yin Zhi,’ she thought. ’It was hilarious! After the old man left, the cat and the Beastman seemed to exchange a few words. So even after they transform, Beastmen can still talk to animals... That’s so cool!’
Yin Zhi’s attention was completely fixated on the word "cute." His expression immediately soured.
"How can you be so fickle?" he demanded, his brow furrowed and his tone tinged with grievance.
"Huh?" Wen Qian was completely baffled. ’He must have misunderstood something,’ she thought, waving her hands dismissively. "I just like small animals."
"But I’m a small animal, too," Yin Zhi retorted, vexed.
’Yesterday it was Gu Mian, today it’s Ling Xuan. Sooner or later, these Beastmen with no sense of boundaries are going to tear this home apart. It’s bad enough they ruined my sleep this morning, but now they’re brazenly parading around right in front of Wen Qian...’
Wen Qian scratched her head, completely baffled by his behavior. ’Beastmen are so hard to figure out!’ she thought. ’He was so insistent before that he *wasn’t* a small animal, and now he’s scrambling to claim the title?’
Seeing her look of utter confusion, Yin Zhi decided not to bicker with her anymore. He pouted. "Do you have class today?"
"I have one class this afternoon." Wen Qian picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip. Just as she was about to set it back down, Yin Zhi intercepted it.
He downed the rest of the water in one gulp and stated calmly, "I’m going too."
"Huh?" Wen Qian froze. After a few seconds, she came to her senses and flatly refused. "No way. There are too many people at the university."
’He just learned how to transform; he has no idea what Beastmen mean to humans. Yin Zhi is top-tier handsome even among other Beastmen. If he were caught...’ Wen Qian gulped.
’Nightclubs, casinos, cages, collars... It would be like a dark novel plot playing out in real life.’
"I’ll be careful. It’s too dangerous outside; I have to protect you." Yin Zhi tried to curry favor by nuzzling her earlobe with the tip of his nose. Then, he added in a low voice, "If you don’t bring me, I’ll just have to follow you in secret."
’Either way, I’m not giving that damned snake another chance to be alone with Wen Qian.’
Wen Qian gritted her teeth. ’So he’s gotten bold,’ she thought. ’When pouting doesn’t work, he resorts to threats.’
"If you get caught, I’m not rescuing you!" she snapped, annoyed, and gave his cheek a hard pinch.
But Yin Zhi wasn’t the least bit angry. Seeing Wen Qian’s puffed cheeks, his gaze softened. ’See? Qianqian is all bark and no bite. She’s definitely worried about me.’
For the entire past school year, Wen Qian had barely any opportunities to see Gu Mian in private. But for some reason, in the last two days, she’d run into him just buying milk tea at the university entrance.
As she recalled, Gu Mian didn’t drink milk tea; he drank his coffee black, without sugar. When his fan club on the school forum dug up this tidbit, she had even joked about it in the comments—"I always wondered why I can’t handle hardship. Turns out it’s because Professor Gu is taking all the bitterness for me."
The post was accompanied by a picture of a strawberry milkshake from this very milk tea shop.
And on that very same day, Gu Mian liked her comment, replied, and followed her. His reply read: "It’s okay to have something sweet once in a while."
’Gu Mian’s ’following’ list was set to private, and he only followed three people. ’It must be his two most prized protégés and me, since he’s about to start mentoring me,’ Wen Qian guessed. ’After all, I’m the class representative he chose. There must be something about me he appreciates.’
This time, however, Wen Qian was wrong. Gu Mian had simply wanted to follow her but was afraid of scaring her off. So, he had randomly followed two other accounts first. He hadn’t even noticed who they belonged to.
After Gu Mian’s reply, Wen Qian’s social media account blew up a little. Many people started copying her, making jokes and tagging him on posts about him.
Yiwan Hao Zhou: There’s no sugar in the professor’s milk tea because he’s already sweet in my heart @SnkGu
Beibeibeibei: The bitterness in the professor’s cup can’t compare to the bitterness of my life @SnkGu
Monster Chieftain: I’d trade a 500 million dollar lottery win to date a guy like him @SnkGu
...
Perhaps because there were too many replies, Gu Mian’s account went silent.
At the same time, people also found out the name of the milk tea shop Wen Qian had posted about and began hyping it up. Consequently, the once-quiet shop became an overnight sensation.
This actually depressed Wen Qian for a while. The only reason she went to an off-campus shop was to avoid the long lines at the ones in the university. ’Great,’ she thought. ’Now this one has a long line, too...’
"Professor Gu, are you here for milk tea, too?" Wen Qian asked, tightening the strap of her cat carrier. ’Why on earth is Yin Zhi suddenly doing acrobatics in here?’ she thought irritably. ’Doesn’t he know how heavy he is?!’