Chapter 166: Come, Leave Him, Come to My Side
Before her was a luxurious palace. It seemed to be mealtime, as the dining table was laden with food. Seated at the table, besides Zelda and Hu Yan, was the Eldest Prince, Hu Ao, whom she had met once before.
Bai Zhi guessed this must have been the day Hu Yan was trending after his appearance at the mall. He and Zelda had gone to the palace, and Zelda had even eaten a lot of barbecue because he wasn’t full.
Empress Leia’s eyes were red. "You’re not young anymore. You used to say you didn’t want to find a female, but now you’re in your twenties. It’s time to find a female and have a child. If something were to happen to you... I’d at least have something to remember you by. You have no idea what I’ve been through all these years."
The Emperor also said, "Your mother is right. Tell your father which female you like, and I’ll arrange the marriage for you."
Hu Yan said calmly, "There’s no rush. I don’t want a female for now."
Then, the scene shifted. Empress Leia was wiping away tears, and Hu Yan looked somewhat resigned. "You choose, then. I’ll meet her when the time comes."
Although his words were abrupt, considering the preceding scene, it wasn’t hard to tell that Hu Yan had agreed to find a female.
A wave of grievance washed over her in an instant. Her nose tingled, and Bai Zhi’s eyes immediately reddened.
She tried her best to comfort herself that this was all an Illusion Realm, that none of it was real. But she couldn’t suppress the emotion churning inside her.
In her view, Hu Yan could have just told her directly that he wanted to dissolve the marriage contract. After that, he could be with whomever he wanted.
But Bai Zhi clearly remembered him visiting her spirit sea just to tell her he wouldn’t be back that night, whispering many sweet nothings to her. And then, the very next moment, he agreed to go on a blind date. That was something Bai Zhi simply could not accept.
It was at this moment that the Enchanting Heart Worm sensed Bai Zhi’s wavering resolve and injected something else into her. Bai Zhi’s eyes instantly turned crimson.
Next, the Enchanting Heart Worm extracted a portion of her memories, and the scene before her changed to the time Hu Yan gave her his mark.
But in this scene, Hu Yan gave her his mark one night, only to go and meet another female the very next day.
The female across from him was full of adoration, yet timid. But the excitement and joy in her voice were clear and direct. "Third Prince, I’m not mistaken, am I? Are you really the Third Prince? You’re really back?"
Hu Yan showed little reaction to her excitement, merely saying calmly, "There shouldn’t be another Hu Yan on the Main Star."
The female lowered her head, stole a glance at Hu Yan, and said in a small voice, "My mother said... you’re willing to try being with me. Is that true?"
"I only promised my mother I would try, to stop her from worrying."
The female wrung her hands, nodded, and immediately stated her advantages. "I understand. I’m from the Rabbit Clan. Our clan is very fertile. Don’t worry, if you’re willing to be with me, you can have a child of your own in just a few months at most."
Her mother had told her that their clan had the strongest and fastest reproductive ability among all Beastman females. No Beastman didn’t want a child of their own. If she wanted to win the Third Prince’s heart, she had to show him her greatest advantage. This was probably also why the Empress had chosen her.
Sure enough, although Hu Yan’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, his attitude softened slightly. When the female moved closer to him, Hu Yan did not reject her.
Bai Zhi’s expression was now very ugly. Her hands at her sides were clenched into tight fists, and her crimson eyes were locked on the female’s hands wrapped around Hu Yan’s waist.
She couldn’t believe that Hu Yan, who had just given her his mark the day before, could so casually interact with another female the very next day!!
She recalled a time when she heard a colleague talk about men who could date multiple women at once. She had even joked that they must have great time management skills to keep every girlfriend happy without getting caught.
Now that it was happening to her, Bai Zhi only felt a pain more intense than anything she had ever experienced.
Tears started streaming down her face without her realizing it. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, yet she felt nothing.
But in the next second, the scene before her eyes changed again.
It was the time she had asked Hu Yan to intervene to save Yan Yichen on the competition stage, and Zelda had seen it.
Afterward, when they were alone, Zelda asked Hu Yan, "You actually gave her the mark? That’s the one mark your clan can only give to a single female! Didn’t you say you’d dissolve the marriage contract once you got the Blue Soul Stone and the blueprints to open the Endless Sea Area? What are you trying to do by giving her the mark now? I can feel that she has very deep feelings for you right now. She’s so devoted that she’d give you anything you asked for. There was absolutely no need to do this."
Hu Yan’s eyes darkened as he said, "She can help me upgrade. I’ve been stuck at the SS-level for too long. At this stage, absorbing Beast Cores can only restore my spiritual power; it does little to increase it. Beast Cores can’t help me level up, but she can. As long as her heart belongs to me, she will willingly help me upgrade. Only with her willing cooperation can I reach the SSS-level faster."
"I’ve discovered that as long as I use a few little tricks to coax her—give her the mark, say a few sweet words—she’ll willingly give me everything she has."
This final sentence from Hu Yan pushed Bai Zhi’s hatred to its peak.
She had never imagined that everything Hu Yan had done for her recently was simply to make her give him her all willingly!!
At this moment, the Enchanting Heart Worm placed something else into her spirit sea while whispering in her ear, "Yes, that’s it. Hate him. Everything he’s done was just to make you upgrade him, to make you give him everything you have. He won’t even say he loves you."
"He betrayed you. While he had you, he also had other females. He’ll do the same things with them. He’s not worthy of your devotion."
The Enchanting Heart Worm coaxed, "Come now. Leave him. Come to me. Only I can help you."
Bai Zhi said with a blank expression, "Yes. He doesn’t deserve my love, nor is he worthy of my sacrifice. I’m going to leave him."
The Enchanting Heart Worm continued, "That’s right. Just like that. Come. Come to me."
Bai Zhi walked towards it, step by step.
On his way back to the Main Star, Hu Yan suddenly received a video call from Zelda. "I’m on my way back to the Main Star. If you have something to say, be brief."
"Hu Yan, I have a bad feeling something’s about to happen."
Hu Yan paused, then looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Zelda said calmly, "I feel like someone invaded my memories. I don’t know what they want, but for a dozen or so seconds this afternoon, I have a gap in my memory for some reason."
Hearing Zelda’s words, Hu Yan’s lips tightened. A deep sense of unease washed over him.
He spoke with extreme speed, "Go to my place and see if Bai Zhi and the others are there. I’ve been trying to video call them, but no one is picking up. I can’t enter her spirit sea either. I overheard the Insect Mother’s conversation. It sent an Illusion Insect and an Enchanting Heart Worm to the Main Star. I suspect the Insect Mother may have captured her..."