Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

Xie Youchen, standing in the doorway, froze and looked up.

The surroundings were dead silent.

Behind him, Chen Mi’s pupils trembled. He didn’t dare breathe, his eyes fixed on his boss.

When he had gone to deliver some documents that morning, he had accidentally seen the chat history between Xie Youchen and Jiang Qingli.

At the time, Jiang Qingli’s message had been just as hesitant: "I just asked. The doctor said he can’t get too emotional, so can we... wait until he’s discharged from the hospital to tell him?"

Xie Youchen had stared at the message for a moment before replying, "Okay, I’ll listen to you."

Although that was his reply, Xie Youchen’s expression at the time had been cold enough to kill.

Chen Mi guessed that the Seventh Prince probably didn’t know the two were together.

He had inquired about it; Qin Muye’s wound would take ten days to half a month to heal. He figured if he scheduled their itineraries to avoid the hospital during that period, they wouldn’t cross paths.

They had only come over now because Xie Youchen had something to discuss with Jiang Qingli.

Chen Mi had originally thought that, given his boss’s composure and Qin Muye’s usual tendency to ignore everyone else, there wouldn’t be any friction between the two.

But who would have thought? The Seventh Prince had said something astonishing, calling out, "Big Brother"!

’This... this is just...’

Chen Mi glanced at Jiang Qingli, saw her looking down and pretending to be busy, and silently took a step back himself, pretending to be a pillar.

Fortunately, Xie Youchen remained unfazed. He simply nodded in greeting before averting his gaze.

The young man’s eyes fell on the two people sitting on the sofa.

When he saw Yi Nuo sitting beside Jiang Qingli, Xie Youchen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The atmosphere instantly dropped below freezing as an invisible confrontation played out silently in the air.

Jiang Qingli, completely oblivious, was only thinking about not letting Qin Muye get jealous again. She spoke up, asking, "What’s up? Did you need me for something?"

"There’s been a breakthrough with the recording," Xie Youchen said. "Marshal Sun is waiting for us."

Jiang Qingli quickly got up, waved goodbye to Qin Muye, and left the hospital room.

Yi Nuo followed closely behind her.

Xie Youchen was the last to leave. Just as he was about to close the door, he suddenly heard a voice from behind him. "Big Brother."

"..."

Xie Youchen paused his steps, turned sideways, and looked at the young man on the hospital bed. "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

"I have something to talk to you about," Qin Muye stressed. "Close the door. Let’s talk alone."

Hearing his tone, Jiang Qingli had a bad feeling. "Can’t you just say it like this?"

"This is a conversation between males." Qin Muye adopted the air of a mature man.

A question mark appeared over Jiang Qingli’s head. Xie Youchen said, "It’s fine. I’ll be there shortly."

As the door was closing, Jiang Qingli said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "If he finds out, please be gentle with your words. Don’t provoke him."

’Xie Youchen’s temper, combined with his possessiveness, is world-class when it comes to infuriating people. He’d better not provoke Qin Muye into a relapse.’

The door closed, and Xie Youchen turned back.

Qin Muye had already sat up, arms crossed, and was looking at him seriously. "Big Brother, I can’t leave this hospital room for a while. I want to ask you for a favor."

Xie Youchen asked, "What is it?"

Qin Muye said, "There are a lot of sleazy males out there trying to get close to Jiang Qingli. Help me keep an eye on them, and don’t let those scumbags get a chance to throw themselves at her!"

"..."

Seeing his silence, Qin Muye thought his choice of words might have been a bit vulgar. He scratched his head. "Er... I mean, there are some males out there with defective morals, always thinking about seducing someone else’s female master. We can’t let that kind of thing happen."

Across from the hospital bed, Xie Youchen closed his eyes, his voice calm. "Your Highness, Imperial Law stipulates that each female can have up to ten Beast Husbands. There are even precedents for more."

Qin Muye made a ’tsk’ sound.

’What’s with this big brother-in-law?’ he wondered. ’It sounds like he’s telling me to mind my own business.’

Qin Muye thought about it and figured the other man must think he wasn’t being a virtuous Beast Husband by meddling in his female master’s affairs.

He pondered for a few seconds, recalling the heaps of nonsense Baili Jing usually spouted, and did his best to imitate him. "Jiang Qingli is still young. Those males out there have ill intentions and could very well affect her studies and her work."

After speaking, Qin Muye even felt he was quite brilliant.

’That actually sounded pretty convincing.’

But Xie Youchen didn’t immediately show his approval like a good older brother, as Qin Muye had imagined.

Instead, he let out a cold smirk.

’What is he smirking about?’

Qin Muye frowned, but then he heard the young man say coolly, "I believe that with her talent and ability, she can balance her life and work. Even one more Beast Husband wouldn’t be a problem."

The moment Qin Muye heard that, he almost shot to his feet. "Can you not make such wild assumptions!? Where would another Beast Husband come from? That’s not even remotely on the table!"

The more he spoke, the more speechless he became. "Bottom line, are you going to help or not? Name your price for compensation!"

"That’s a favor I truly cannot do," Xie Youchen said. "The East District has been attacked. I depart for there tomorrow. Your Highness should find someone else."

After he finished, he nodded at Qin Muye and left the hospital room.

-

When Xie Youchen arrived at the conference room, the group was just about to start.

The young man was exuding a cold, heavy aura. Yuan Liang teased, "Who pissed you off this time?"

"No one," Xie Youchen said, taking the head seat. "We can begin."

Yuan Liang took out last night’s recording, selected a few segments, and played them several times.

The sound of birdsong echoed in the room.

Jiang Qingli’s expression was calm, but the other males present all frowned to varying degrees.

She was puzzled. "Is there something wrong with the recording?"

Yuan Liang explained, "This sound seems to be able to trigger negative emotions in males. For birds of the same species, it can provoke them even more easily."

Jiang Qingli’s expression also grew solemn. She ventured a guess, "Are you suspecting this sound was intentionally created to control that flock of Black-winged Birds?"

"More or less," Yuan Liang said. "According to our research, some High Level Mutant Beasts have higher intelligence and can control other swarms. It’s very rare, though. The last time one appeared was twenty years ago..."

After some discussion, they concluded that the first step was to send a team to investigate the area and bring back intel while ensuring their own safety.

After the meeting, Jiang Qingli asked, "By the way, is there any news on Que Feiling?"

"No." Yuan Liang pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply.

"I have a feather that Que Feiling gave me. I don’t know if it could be of any use..."

Jiang Qingli took out a feather pendant. Que Feiling had given it to her before, and he’d even mentioned it had some kind of sensory function.

She had remembered it after getting home yesterday and brought it with her.

Yuan Liang took the feather, and after a look, his eyes lit up. "This is a tail feather from a Vermilion Bird! With this, we should be able to pinpoint his location more accurately!"

Marshal Sun, however, slapped his thigh in a flash of insight. "Miss Jiang, so you’re that kid’s female master!"