Li Zhu met Feng Mian’s pair of golden eyes filled with grievance, and her fingers curled slightly.
Today really wasn’t suitable for becoming mates with Feng Mian. She and Ze Yu had stayed up far too late last night… and now she was still aching badly. Her waist felt sore and weak, and she was planning to go back to catch up on sleep after breakfast.
If she hadn’t promised Feng Mian yesterday that she would give him an answer today—and if she hadn’t felt bad letting him suffer in suspense—she would’ve eaten breakfast in her own cave with Ze Yu this morning.
Although the two caves weren’t far apart, it still took more effort than simply staying home.
She avoided Feng Mian’s gaze and said softly,
“Let’s listen to Ze Yu. We’ll become mates tomorrow. There’s no need to rush.”
Becoming mates wasn’t complicated. After mating, the witch doctor would carve the bonding mark for the pair—that was all. Ze Yu was probably the only exception.
Seeing this, Feng Mian was still a little dissatisfied, but he didn’t dare argue further. He lowered his head like a rain-soaked puppy, even his eating slowing down.
After breakfast, Li Zhu stood up.
“I’m going back to the cave to catch up on sleep.”
Ze Yu immediately rose as well. He had matters to attend to today and couldn’t nap with her.
“I’ll walk you back.”
The two headed toward their cave together.
Feng Mian stared longingly at their retreating figures from behind. He wanted to sleep with her too~
When they reached the nest, Ze Yu carefully helped Li Zhu lie down, then kissed her cheek.
“Sleep peacefully, Ah Zhu. I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything.”
Li Zhu grabbed his hand just as he was about to withdraw it, looking up at him curiously.
“You’re not sleeping with me?”
She had grown used to his embrace. Somehow, she always slept more soundly in his arms.
“Ah Zhu~ I have things to handle today. I’ll come back to accompany you once I’m done.”
Ze Yu stroked her hair patiently, coaxing her.
“Alright then.”
“Good girl~ Close your eyes. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”
“Okay~”
Before long, Li Zhu’s breathing gradually became steady.
Ze Yu bent down to kiss her once more before carefully leaving the cave.
On the other side, Feng Mian had just finished washing the bowls when he saw Ze Yu walking toward him.
“Come with me.”
Feng Mian froze. “Where?”
Ze Yu didn’t answer, walking straight toward the dense forest at the edge of the tribe.
After hesitating briefly, Feng Mian quickly followed.
But inwardly, he muttered—Ze Yu wasn’t planning to find a secluded place to beat him up, was he?
Li Heng watched the two figures one after another, rubbing his chin and chuckling. Was Ze Yu going to lay down the rules for Feng Mian? This was going to be interesting.
In the dense forest, Ze Yu stopped beneath a massive tree and turned around, his gaze deep and steady on Feng Mian.
“Since you want to become Ah Zhu’s beast husband…”
It was coming.
Hearing Ze Yu speak, Feng Mian’s heart leapt to his throat.
Ze Yu’s voice held no obvious emotion, yet carried unquestionable authority.
“Then there are things you must remember clearly. I won’t say them twice.”
Feng Mian straightened immediately.
“Go ahead.”
“Every morning when Ah Zhu wakes up and every night before she sleeps, she uses willow twigs to rinse her mouth. I have plenty in my storage space. When I’m around, get them from me. When I’m not, you should pick fresh ones for her. They’re not far from home—by the stream where we fetch water.”
“What do you mean you won’t be around? Where are you going?”
Ze Yu: “……”
Sometimes he really, really wanted to roll his eyes—but he held back.
He was starting to question whether bringing Feng Mian home in the first place had been the right decision.
“When I go hunting! I have a storage space—it’s more convenient! Did you remember everything I just said?”
Feng Mian: “Oh, oh, I remember.”
“And one more thing. Ah Zhu is pregnant. It’s been almost two months.”
Ze Yu spoke slowly, his tone growing more solemn.
“She mustn’t get tired now. But she’s the kind who can’t sit still, so you’ll need to remind her often. She can’t touch cold or raw things either. She especially likes wild fruits, so keep an eye on her. If she wants water, boil it and let it cool before giving it to her. When cooking, stew the beast meat until it’s soft and tender. Wash the wild vegetables thoroughly. She gets hungry easily at night, so food needs to be prepared in advance…”
“She’ll be three months along soon. After that, her sleep time and appetite will increase quickly. So within this month, you must learn how to cook properly.”
He listed everything one by one—from diet to daily routine, even possible morning sickness symptoms Li Zhu might experience—so detailed that Feng Mian was stunned.
But the moment he heard the words “pregnant with a cub,” his whole body froze, eyes going wide.
“Y-you said what? Ah Zhu is pregnant?”
He hadn’t known at all! No one had told him!
Ze Yu raised an eyebrow.
“Surprised?”
“Of course I’m surprised!” Feng Mian blurted out. “Why didn’t anyone tell me earlier?”
Ze Yu looked at him calmly, almost indifferently.
“Did you forget? At first, you only wanted to come to my house for a free meal.”
Feng Mian: “……”
That single sentence left him speechless.
It was true—at the beginning, he’d only lingered around the tribe to freeload meals.
Who knew he would later fall for her, filling his mind with thoughts of how to win Li Zhu’s acceptance—so much so that he never even noticed she was pregnant.
In truth, it wasn’t strange that he hadn’t realized. Li Zhu herself had only been pregnant a little over a month and hadn’t shown much change.
“Ah Zhu is a very, very good mate, so…”
Ze Yu’s voice lowered.
“If you dare let her suffer even the slightest grievance…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the cold glint flashing in his eyes made Feng Mian shiver.
“I won’t!”
Feng Mian hurriedly promised, both shocked and ashamed.
“I’ll take good care of Ah Zhu from now on. I’ll love the cub too!”
How dare he doubt him? He was such a good male!
Ze Yu studied the seriousness in his eyes and gave a slight nod.
“Remember what you said. Also, Ah Zhu likes lively places, but she can’t go anywhere too crowded or noisy. When she braids her hair, her neck gets sore—remember to massage it for her. And her laughter comes easily. You can make her laugh, but not too hard—her belly won’t be able to handle it…”
Ze Yu continued on and on. She was his most treasured possession, and he feared Feng Mian wouldn’t care for her properly, so he repeated every detail again and again.
If at the beginning he had taken her as a mate for the sake of Bai Ze’s offspring, now he loved her—offspring had nothing to do with it.
He wanted to guard her, protect her…
How could he not feel pain about finding her a second beast husband?
But compared to that, he wanted her to live forever carefree and happy.
He was willing to place everything she liked—
—even people—before her.
Feng Mian listened with utmost attention, afraid to miss a single word. He nodded from time to time, the restlessness in his golden eyes gradually fading, replaced by solemn resolve.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling over the two of them.
One patiently instructing.
One listening earnestly.
They didn’t look like rivals in love.
Instead, they looked like two beastmen guarding the same precious treasure—quietly exchanging their devotion.