Steam filled the bathroom.
Wen Ran gave the mirror a triumphant smile, but Ize merely gave her head a doting pat.
The girl puffed out her cheeks and glared at him, then let the warm water wash over her fair, tender feet.
The next morning, Wen Ran was awakened by Ize’s gentle voice.
“Ugh…
Brother, it’s still early.
I want to sleep a little longer.”
Ize pinched her pert nose, but his words were surprisingly harsh.
“Today is the first day of school.”
The moment he said those words, Wen Ran’s sleepiness vanished.
To cope with the berserk state of male spiritual power, females developed spiritual power, and their bodies also began to secrete pheromones.
Spiritual Bodies and pheromones can both soothe and channel a male’s tense spiritual power.
Pheromones can provide a shallow level of comfort, relieving a male’s mental tension.
Female spiritual power, on the other hand, can enter a male’s Spiritual Sea to deeply untangle his spiritual power.
Through research, the Alliance discovered that the purer a female’s bloodline, the greater the probability of passing the Calming Ability on to the next generation.
Thus, a long time ago, the Imperial City Alliance began a program of purifying female bloodlines.
After one or two hundred years, all the pure-blooded females of the great families possessed the Calming Ability.
If a female’s spiritual power reached S+, she could even perform mass calming.
Of course, only high-status and powerful males could receive calming from a pure-blooded female.
Other common males of lower B through E ranks could only inject pheromones or suppressants.
Pheromones were expensive, far beyond the means of an ordinary family.
Suppressants were cheap, but the side effect was a shortened lifespan.
Once young females came of age, they were required to enter the Imperial Capital Academy to learn how to master their Calming Ability and how to handle males in a berserk state.
Although Wen Ran had no Spiritual Body or spiritual power, she still had to attend.
Wen Ran arrived at the classroom carrying an exquisite handbag.
As she surveyed the lavishly decorated room, it felt like she was in another lifetime.
A smart, levitating podium with a holographic projector, genuine leather sofas with velvet cushions…
it was all so comfortable it could make one drowsy.
In her past life, she had given up on herself and hadn’t paid any attention in her calming classes.
That was why she’d been completely helpless against the persecutions of You Bufan and Lu Yanting.
‘If only I’d had the power to fight back, I wouldn’t have been so passive.’
“Well, well, if it isn’t the young lady of the Mite White Lion Family.
What’s she doing in class all of a sudden?”
“Aren’t you about to be married off?
Shouldn’t you be at home nurturing your relationship instead of coming to school?”
“That’s right.
Why waste time at school?”
“Exactly.
After all, those three fiancés of yours are quite the handful.
If you still haven’t produced a cub by age thirty, you’ll be assigned to a low-ranking male.”
A female who hadn’t given birth to a cub by age thirty was considered to have low fertility.
But pure-blooded females were too rare.
Therefore, the Beast World Alliance stipulated that any female who had not yet given birth by thirty must enter a matching pool to be randomly paired with a low-ranking male.
Wen Ran’s gaze swept over the gossiping females.
Without exception, they were all from major families that didn’t get along with her.
“Instead of wasting your time gossiping, maybe you should think about how to improve your own Calming Ability.”
“Vivian, I heard you tried to soothe your brother’s spiritual power a few days ago, but his spiritual projection went berserk instead.
Didn’t he need five shots of pheromones to recover?”
The red-haired female named Vivian was so angry she looked ready to attack, but her gaze landed on the name “Mite” on Wen Ran’s uniform tag.
She resentfully swallowed her anger.
The highest-ranking families were the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan.
The First Class families were the Lion Clan, Tiger Clan, Leopard Clan, and Shark Clan.
Her Second Class Red Fox Family couldn’t afford to provoke any one of them.
She could gossip and make snide remarks about Wen Ran with the other girls.
The families would just dismiss it as girlish jealousy and wouldn’t escalate the matter.
But if she were to have a direct confrontation with Wen Ran, the Mite family would surely intervene.
The class bell rang, and Vivian returned to her seat, fuming.
Throughout the day, Wen Ran listened attentively in class, much to her teacher’s surprise.
That evening, Wen Ran packed her bag and walked out of the school gates.
When she opened her car door, she found someone already sitting inside.
Wen Ran clutched her handbag tightly.
She had already resolved to win over Lu Yanting, but seeing him still made her afraid.
Her throat went dry, but she tried her best to maintain a composed expression.
She channeled the original heroine, Wendy, her voice soft and fragile, like a delicate white flower.
“What…
what are you doing here?”
Lu Yanting gazed at the girl before him, dressed in a school-uniform-style blazer and short skirt.
The charcoal-gray pleated skirt was just long enough to cover anything vital, revealing her long, straight legs.
Lu Yanting’s brow furrowed.
“Is the Mite family going bankrupt?
Can’t they afford to buy you some decent clothes?”
Wen Ran looked down at her clothes, an innocent expression on her face.
‘This is the academy’s official uniform.’
Get in.
We’ll be late.”
She tilted her head and asked warily, “Where to?
I’m not going.
I want to go home.”
Seeing the wariness in her eyes, Lu Yanting sneered.
“Do you want me to have the Mite Family Master tell you himself?”
Wen Ran pouted, her almond-shaped eyes widening in a glare.
“How old are you?
Still tattling to the grown-ups!”
“It’s not about being original, it’s about being effective.
Get in!”
With no other choice, she obediently got in.
As the car started, she shrank into the farthest corner, putting as much distance between them as possible.
Seeing her look like a frightened kitten, Lu Yanting gave a wicked smirk.
As dusk fell, the car pulled up to a private club.
Wen Ran blinked as she stared at the high-end club, looking so adorably dazed that one couldn’t help but want to tease her.
Lu Yanting noticed his thoughts drifting and cleared his throat.
“What are you spacing out for?
Follow me!”
Ten minutes later, they entered a private suite.
Wen Ran looked at the unfamiliar faces in the booth, feeling a little scared, as if they were man-eating demons.
Seeing her frozen in place, Lu Yanting impatiently grabbed her arm and shoved her into the booth.
She stumbled, and a male sitting nearby caught her, a lecherous grin on his face.
“Young Master Lu, so this is your fiancée.”
“She might not have a Spiritual Body or spiritual power, but you could have fun with a face like that for a whole year.”
“Yeah, no wonder Young Master Lu changed his mind about breaking the engagement.
If it were me, I couldn’t let a face like that go either.”
As he spoke, the man eyed Wen Ran with a predatory gaze.
Wen Ran was terrified, and it showed on her face.
She looked toward Lu Yanting, her glistening eyes filled with hope.
That look of trust made something in his heart give way.
“Miss Mite, we meet again.”
It was the Black Ape from the engagement banquet.
Demar had appeared from nowhere.
He took the girl’s hand and kissed it.
Seeing his bold move, the others started to hoot and holler.
“Whoa, looks like there’s something going on between you two.”
The wet sensation on the back of her hand made Wen Ran want to slap him, press her call button, and have him sent before the interstellar court.
‘But with Lu Yanting here, I can’t do that.’
‘He likes them weak and vulnerable.
He likes playing the hero.
So, weak is what I’ll be.’
“Don’t be ridiculous.
I just happened to meet Miss Mite at the Shengshi banquet the other day.”