Chapter 389: Stronger Night After Night
Qin Muye took a deep breath and accepted the terminal.
On the other end, Xie Youchen’s voice was low. "Prince, we’ve detected that a massive beast tide will strike the East District in two weeks. If you have recovered, we hope you will participate in the support effort. This is also His Majesty the Emperor’s wish."
Qin Muye leaned against the wall and stared into the distance. The furrow in his brow hadn’t smoothed, but he remained silent.
When he’d first learned what Xie Youchen had done behind his back, Qin Muye had stormed over to the administration building specifically to find his contact information.
He had wanted to demand how Xie Youchen had seduced her. He’d wanted to curse that bastard for having no moral compass, for even preying on a childhood friend. And then he’d planned to viciously tell him to get the hell out of Jiang Qingli’s life...
But now, holding the terminal and hearing that voice on the other end...
Qin Muye instantly calmed down.
Publicly, Xie Youchen outranked him. Qin Muye had no authority to punish him.
Privately, even if Xie Youchen was a shameless, bed-warming bottom-feeder, Jiang Qingli had been willing to take him. Whatever her reasons, a Beast Husband had no right to question his female master’s choices.
Most importantly, Qin Muye still didn’t know what Xie Youchen’s game was.
’But anyone who can climb into Jiang Qingli’s bed can’t be some simple pushover, can they?’
Qin Muye had seen his fair share of deeply calculating males.
The few Lord Attendants in the rear palace were all handsome and skilled at serving others, but they also had to be valuable to the Emperor to remain. As a result, every male in the rear palace was as cunning as a fox, with an endless arsenal of tricks to win favor. Qin Muye looked down on it, but he had witnessed plenty.
’If I chew Xie Youchen out right now...’
’What if he looks all cold and aloof, but is secretly a scheming green tea just like that fox Baili Jing? I might just give him an opportunity to go crying to Jiang Qingli and play the victim.’
’Wouldn’t that do more harm than good?’
’Right now, Xie Youchen is just an unofficial lover with no status. Jiang Qingli is probably just playing around with him. But if he uses me as a stepping stone to get into the family, that would change everything.’
In just a few seconds, Qin Muye’s state shifted from furious to both furious and wary.
He suppressed his anger and said coldly, "Understood. I will obey my superior’s command."
The other end went silent for a few seconds.
Then Xie Youchen suddenly asked, "You know everything?"
It was obvious what he was referring to.
Qin Muye sneered dismissively. "You have the nerve to ask?"
Xie Youchen seemed to chuckle. "What happened between Ah Li and me... I was the one who initiated it."
Before the other could respond, he continued, "Ah Li and I were together before she came to the Upper City District. The other Beast Husbands knew. It seems you were the only one who misunderstood."
"After we arrived in the Lower District, Ah Li was worried you would have a strong emotional reaction, so she asked me to keep it from you."
"It’s good that the misunderstanding is cleared up. After all, we’ll have to get along in the future."
Over the phone, there wasn’t a trace of guilt in Xie Youchen’s low, magnetic voice. Instead, he sounded effortlessly composed.
It was as if he and Jiang Qingli were a match made in heaven, and not telling Qin Muye was just a temporary concession they had to make.
Qin Muye wasn’t an idiot. How could he not hear the implication?
He laughed in fury. "Who the hell do you think you are? She only played with you because you’ve been shamelessly throwing yourself at her for years."
"Whether she’s ’playing’ or not isn’t for you to decide," Xie Youchen laughed as well. "But it’s understandable. You two have known each other for such a short time."
"You’ve known her for so many years, yet you were still later than me, weren’t you?"
"Matters of the heart don’t follow the rule of first come, first served."
Qin Muye: "..."
’So he’s really going to play this part, huh?’
’He must have been telling himself this crap for so long he’s actually brainwashed himself.’
Qin Muye couldn’t be bothered to say more. He stated directly, "If a shameless creature like you ever sets foot in the Jiang Family’s home, then my name isn’t Qin Muye!"
With that, he hung up and tossed the terminal to Yuan Liang.
Yuan Liang, who had been standing nearby, witnessed the entire conversation Qin Muye had with the person on the other end.
Although he hadn’t heard everything, just listening to Qin Muye’s side was enough to piece together most of it.
Right now, a storm was raging in Yuan Liang’s heart. He was so shocked he couldn’t even speak.
’What the hell? Xie Youchen, the unattainable ice prince of our military district, was just being played with by Jiang Qingli...?’
’And from the sound of it, they were hiding it from Qin Muye.’
’But not only did Xie Youchen not mind, he was desperately throwing himself at her, even willing to take being cursed out to his face...’
’Miss Jiang... her reputation is truly well-deserved!’
In the midst of his turmoil, a hand suddenly clapped his shoulder. "Calm down."
Yuan Liang turned his head to see Qin Shu standing beside him. He had no idea when she had arrived or how much she had heard.
His mind was a mess, but Yuan Liang still tried to cover for them. "Marshal Qin, you..."
"No need to cover for him. I already knew." Qin Shu pointed to her own eyes. "I saw it with my own two eyes."
Before her words had even faded, the air pressure around them plummeted.
A bolt of lightning flashed through the dark clouds overhead.
Seeing this, Yuan Liang knew Qin Muye was in a foul mood again. He chuckled nervously. "I still have some work to do, so I’ll get back to it. You two take your time..."
After speaking, he quickly departed.
’I need to get to the surveillance room and delete this footage before someone with ill intentions can use it.’
As he left, he also scanned the surroundings for any eavesdroppers.
With no one else around, Qin Muye no longer bothered to hide his fury.
He gritted his teeth, looking like he wanted to pick a fight with Qin Shu. "You knew all along? You helped Xie Youchen hide it from me? Whose sister are you, anyway?"
Qin Shu rubbed her ear, looking completely unconcerned. "I did try to hint at it, but you weren’t listening."
Qin Muye frowned. "Couldn’t you have just said it outright?"
Qin Shu shrugged. "I saw that Qingli had some feelings for Xie Youchen, so I didn’t want to give you a chance to ruin it."
Qin Muye: "..."
The pressure around Qin Muye dropped even lower.
’Everyone knew except for me!’
The thought that he had once considered Xie Youchen a decent guy, even calling him "big brother" a few times, gave Qin Muye a splitting headache from anger.
He couldn’t be bothered to discuss the issue further and asked irritably, "What are you doing here?"
Qin Shu said, "I’m returning to the Eleven Cities tomorrow. I came to let you know."
She had only come because she was worried Qin Muye would die in the Twelve Cities. Now that she was sure he was fine, there was no need for her to stay.
She had a lot to deal with back there and needed to return as soon as possible.
Qin Muye: "Oh."
’Got it. You can scram now.’
Qin Shu was speechless. "I wasn’t looking for you. I want to see Qingli before I leave."
An image of Jiang Qingli’s peaceful, sleeping face from before he left appeared in Qin Muye’s mind, and his expression softened slightly. "She’s not available right now."
"Whispering sweet nothings with that little butler?" Qin Shu stroked her chin. "Or that kid from the Que family?"
"Neither." Qin Muye couldn’t stand to hear the names of those shameless homewreckers right now, and his tone was impatient.
Not wanting Qin Shu to know what he and Jiang Qingli had been doing, he said vaguely, "Just tell me when. I’ll let her know."
Qin Shu didn’t press the issue, simply nodding and giving him a time.
「-」
By the time Qin Muye returned to his quarters, his mood had mostly stabilized.
He thought Jiang Qingli was still asleep, so he moved quietly.
But when he pushed open the door, the person on the bed was gone.
Qin Muye thought of Qin Shu’s words, and fearing that Jiang Qingli had gone to see someone else, he spun around quickly.
Just as he was about to pull out his terminal to call Jiang Qingli, her somewhat frustrated voice came from the walk-in closet.
The distinct sound of a small tube rolling across the floor followed.
It sounded like something had fallen.
Qin Muye pushed open the closet door, and an object rolled to a stop right at his feet.
Jiang Qingli hadn’t expected him to be there and quickly tried to stop him. "Wait—"
But he was a step too late.
Qin Muye had already bent down.
As he picked it up, he saw the label clearly—
_Special Post-Coital Supplement! With This! Get Stronger and Stronger Every Night!_