Chapter 287: Serving with Beauty
Ye Linyuan stood in the shadows, his arms crossed and brow furrowed as he coldly watched the intimate display between the two.
The atmosphere grew subtly awkward, neither having expected to be seen.
Jiang Qingli subconsciously took a step back, but the fingers at the small of her back tightened, pressing her into his embrace until she was against his chest.
He then tilted his head, his lips gently landing a kiss on Jiang Qingli’s cheek.
He acted as if Ye Linyuan wasn’t standing right there, watching.
Ye Linyuan scoffed.
’Just what you’d expect from the White Fox Actor,’ he thought. ’His ability to ignore everyone else is second to none.’
The touch was as light as a dragonfly skimming water. He pulled away before she could raise a hand to push him, even explaining with a smile, "We’re both our darling’s Beast Husbands. Mr. Ye wouldn’t be so petty."
Having said that, Baili Jing looked up toward the newcomer, a smile in his voice. "Linyuan, you’re here. Why didn’t you make a sound? You scared our female master."
His tone was gentle, but the fox-like eyes he turned on the other man narrowed slightly, filled with the displeasure of being interrupted.
Ye Linyuan flexed his wrists, his golden, slit pupils glaring back coldly. "If you can’t even sense when someone shows up, it just means you’re too weak. You should divorce her now, before you get yourself killed and don’t even know how it happened."
He hadn’t made any effort to hide his presence.
’Baili Jing should have sensed me the moment he leaned in for that kiss. What’s with this act, pretending to be some clueless idiot?’
Called out by his rival, the White Fox Actor’s smile never faltered. He retorted gently, "Linyuan, are you saying that... if something were to happen to me, you would be the prime suspect?" A look of disapproval crossed his handsome face. "I suggest you reconsider your tone and phrasing. It’s not good for the harmony of our home."
’Who’s family with him?’
Ye Linyuan looked toward Jiang Qingli, but she acted as if she hadn’t seen a thing. She rubbed her stomach and said in a louder voice, "I’m starving, so hungry! Let’s have breakfast."
She turned back around, took a bowl from the cabinet, and was about to get utensils when a pair of jade-like fingers beat her to it, picking up the ladle and serving her a bowl of porridge.
Baili Jing had also wanted to help her, but she moved first, picking up the bowl of porridge and quickening her pace to escape the battlefield. She hugged the bowl as she sat down in the dining room and began to savor the delicious meal.
On unassigned weekends, small frictions would often arise between the Beast Husbands over the uneven distribution of her time.
Jiang Qingli had tried to mediate before, but it always backfired, and she was often misinterpreted as taking sides.
After hearing about it, Lin Xiyue, the master of keeping things balanced, had waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about it. As long as they aren’t actually fighting, just pretend you don’t see anything! Beast Husbands aren’t meant to be best friends. They only live together because of you, their female master. Of course they can’t be perfectly harmonious all the time. A little friction is normal. Just ignore it. They’ll get used to it after a while."
’So, I’ll just pretend not to see it.’
After Jiang Qingli left, a dead silence fell over the kitchen.
Baili Jing and Ye Linyuan both turned to face the male opposite them, their expressions filled with mutual dissatisfaction.
"Putting on an act," Ye Linyuan sneered.
’He knew I was here and still deliberately kissed her. What is that if not an act?’
Facing the accusation, Baili Jing’s lips curled into a smirk, not yielding an inch. "Since you knew what our female master wanted to do to me, you should have made yourself scarce to avoid embarrassing her."
"You may not have had the chance to learn etiquette before, but if you’re going to be Qingli’s Beast Husband, you still need to understand some rules," Baili Jing said. "I’ll send you a copy of the standard handbook on noble etiquette later. You should at least have basic manners."
"Is your Match Value so low that the only way you can feel relevant is by doing a servant’s work?" Ye Linyuan sneered.
Having the lowest Match Value among the Beast Husbands was Baili Jing’s greatest insecurity.
Every time someone brought it up, his expression would darken, and a murderous aura would even emanate from him.
But this time, Baili Jing showed no sign of offense. Instead, he just smiled nonchalantly.
"Ye Linyuan, I know you all mock me for my low Match Value with her. It’s a fact, and I can’t deny it."
"But unfortunately for you, she will never abandon me."
Baili Jing looked at him and said slowly, "Ye Linyuan, she and I share too much. She loves me. Even if I can never be marked, she will not abandon me. I have never once doubted that."
"That’s why I don’t mind helping her manage the household. I don’t care how many others are by her side, because I know that I am irreplaceable."
"And you..."
Baili Jing’s gaze traveled upward, landing on Ye Linyuan’s sinisterly beautiful face. Then, staring right into the murderous intent in the other’s eyes, he slowly smiled.
"I’m afraid that from the moment you were born, you lost the ability to perceive love, let alone give it to others."
"Therefore, the most you have to offer is mere physical attraction."
"A mark is very restrictive for a male, but it holds almost no sway over a female. Your position could be filled by any other beautiful Snake Beastman."
Before leaving, Baili Jing added meaningfully, "One who serves with beauty alone will not last."
-
The seafood porridge was delicious, tasty enough to enjoy even without any side dishes.
Jiang Qingli scrolled through the news as she ate. Halfway through her meal, Baili Jing came over to chat with her.
His gentle smile held a clear note of delight.
Jiang Qingli glanced behind him and asked, "You didn’t get into a fight with Ye Linyuan because our kiss was interrupted, did you?"
’And by the looks of it,’ she thought, ’he won.’
"Of course not." Baili Jing pinched her cheek. "Am I that kind of person in your heart?"
Jiang Qingli shook her head. "No." ’...Right?’
Baili Jing smiled. "I was just discussing the essential qualities of a Beast Husband with Professor Ye."
It was getting late, and Baili Jing had to get to work, so he stood up to leave.
Jiang Qingli’s heart melted. "You came all this way so early, and now you have to leave again, just to make me breakfast?"
"You said you liked my cooking," Baili Jing said, mimicking her tone, his fox-like eyes curving into crescents. "I wouldn’t trust anyone else to make it for you."
030: [The ’number one’ aura is shining so brightly.]
Jiang Qingli glanced around, then beckoned him closer and whispered, "No one’s around. Want to continue that kiss from earlier?"
"No."
To her surprise, Baili Jing refused.
Jiang Qingli blinked in surprise.
The white fox young man gave a seductive, alluring smile. "I want to save all my energy for my darling tonight."
The same two bold, capitalized words popped into the minds of both Jiang Qingli and 030: SLY FOX.
After breakfast, Jiang Qingli went upstairs to change into her training clothes.
When she got to the shooting range, Ye Linyuan wasn’t there.
Jiang Qingli found this very strange. She thought about sending him a message, but he had so many different numbers that she didn’t know which one he was using. She decided just to go downstairs and find him instead.
Strangely enough, Ye Linyuan was still in the dining room.
He was standing in the shadows by the window, staring out at the leaves glittering in the sunlight, his eyes dark and somber.
Jiang Qingli came up behind him and tapped his back. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Ye Linyuan said coldly, but his gaze landed on her face.
More precisely, he was studying the look in her eyes as she looked at him.
The girl’s almond-shaped eyes were wide, making her look like a small, fuzzy, and very confused animal.
But it was a far cry from the tender, loving gaze she had given Baili Jing just moments ago.
Ye Linyuan’s brow furrowed as a powerful wave of irritation washed over him.
It was like a massive black hole had opened in his chest, an emptiness that could never be filled.
Jiang Qingli was baffled. "What’s..."
Before she could finish, he captured her lips, silencing her words with his own.