Chapter 328: Why Are You Here?
For a very long time, Yi Nuo had been diligently fulfilling his duties.
He followed Jiang Qingli like a shadow, maintaining a comfortable distance—not too far, not too close, but always ready to appear the moment she needed him.
Most of the time, Jiang Qingli didn’t even notice Yi Nuo’s presence. He was always so silent that she often took him for granted.
Now that he had suddenly vanished from her sight, Jiang Qingli’s first reaction was to feel that something was off.
But she quickly shook the feeling off.
’Yi Nuo is my butler, but there’s no rule that says he has to be by my side 24/7. He needs to rest, too. As his master, I can’t be too much of a slave driver.’
’I’m being such a capitalist,’ Jiang Qingli chided herself, then went back to replying to her friends’ messages.
In the group chat, Lin Xiyue and Ai Li were both shocked to hear about Fang Chi’s mental regression.
Lin Xiyue, worried Jiang Qingli might feel pressured by the situation, quickly typed: [His condition was so critical, we should be thankful he’s even alive. So it’s a win, not a loss.]
Ai Li, on the other hand, lamented: [Holy crap, he really regressed to a nine-year-old?! Tsk, tsk. A lot of beautiful women in the First District are going to be heartbroken. There aren’t many faces that can compare to his.]
Lin Xiyue added: [I’m dying to know if he was a devil-may-care player even when he was nine.]
Jiang Qingli recalled how Fang Chi had followed her around the day before, calling her "sister," and typed a reply: [No, he’s actually quite well-behaved.]
Lin Xiyue: [...Can ’well-behaved’ and his name even be in the same sentence?]
[You’re so lucky, Xiao Li.] Ai Li sent a smirking emoji. [Every one of your mission targets is a total catch, hehe.]
Jiang Qingli could tell Ai Li’s mind was in the gutter. [Don’t be ridiculous. He’s just a kid right now.]
[Alright, alright.] Ai Li was just teasing. She changed the subject. [Anyway, which of your Beast Husbands are you planning to bring on vacation with us? The scenery there is amazing, by the way~]
Lin Xiyue: [The beach, the open sky, swimsuits~ Hehe~ This is a rare vacation, you have to make the most of it!]
’I knew it. Whenever I’m with them, the conversation always takes a turn for the gutter after a few sentences.’
Just then, Gu Nian came over carrying breakfast.
As Jiang Qingli ate her porridge, she gave some serious thought to her upcoming schedule.
Due to Fang Chi’s unique situation, his healing sessions had to be conducted every two to three days and would conclude next week. Therefore, she had arranged the trip with Lin Xiyue and her friends for the following Friday, and it would last for about a week.
Last night, Jiang Qingli had asked Xie Youchen, but he was too busy with work. Baili Jing had a filming commitment and was also unavailable. Qin Muye was unreachable, so she’d just have to send him some photos from the trip...
As for the remaining Beast Husbands, Jiang Qingli planned to ask them too.
"Nian."
After breakfast, as they were heading out, Jiang Qingli kept her head down, typing messages to the other Beast Husbands. Without looking up, she called out to the young man beside her, "Are you free next Friday? For the beach vacation I mentioned. How about we go together?"
Gu Nian had known about the trip for a while and had been eagerly waiting for Jiang Qingli to ask him. He was so excited that he started nodding enthusiastically before she even finished her sentence.
But then he felt that agreeing so quickly might make him seem too eager, so he asked, "Sister, did you only ask me, or did you ask everyone else too?"
The little rabbit blinked his crystal-pink eyes. Even his entitled words sounded exceptionally cute coming from him.
Jiang Qingli frowned, looking troubled. "Oh, you don’t want to see anyone else? In that case..."
Gu Nian: "In that case—!"
’Then no one else should go! It’ll just be me and Sister! A world for just the two of us!’
Jiang Qingli: "Then you can stay home, and I’ll send you swimsuit photos."
"Sister—" Gu Nian knew she was teasing him, but he still grew a little anxious, wrapping his arms around her waist and whining, "Stop teasing me! You know I want to be with you the most!"
"Okay, okay, I know."
Jiang Qingli explained the situation with the other Beast Husbands to him. Just then, a reply from Yuan Shimo came through on her terminal.
Cat Teacher: [I would also love to go on a trip with you, but unfortunately, I need to attend a conference in the Third District next weekend.]
Jiang Qingli replied with a nodding cat emoji, and when she exited the chat interface, she saw the chat box below.
Ye Linyuan hadn’t replied. The system’s default solid black avatar showed that the account owner was offline.
Ye Linyuan hadn’t shown himself since Tuesday.
She had wanted to ask him about the scene he saw in Fang Chi’s memories, but she hadn’t found the chance.
Jiang Qingli sighed and sent him another message: [Hey, are you coming back this weekend or not?]
"Sister, Uncle Ye has been pretty busy lately," Gu Nian said. "A few male Beastmen with special abilities have shown up in the Underground City, and he’s fighting them to defend his title as City Lord."
The Underground City and the auction house didn’t interfere with each other, but Gu Nian was surprisingly well-informed about the city’s affairs.
Thinking of Ye Linyuan’s scars, Jiang Qingli grew a little worried. "How do they stack up against him in terms of strength?"
"Don’t worry, Sister." Gu Nian patted her on the back reassuringly. "That trash can’t beat Uncle Ye."
"But he probably won’t have time to go on the trip with us. What a shame..."
As Gu Nian said this, he couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
’A few of the Beast Husbands and Xie Youchen are busy... That means I’ll be the only one accompanying Jiang Qingli.’
’I’ll have Sister all to myself for a whole week!’
’A week is plenty of time to try all sorts of things we normally don’t get to do...’
Gu Nian’s smile was just beginning to bloom when a gray figure crossing the hallway appeared in his peripheral vision. His smile froze instantly.
’Damn it. How could I have forgotten about this mutt who’s always thinking about overstepping his bounds?’
Before the figure turned the corner, Jiang Qingli called out to him, "Yi Nuo."
Yi Nuo stopped in his tracks and waited for her to approach. "Miss."
Seeing what he was holding, Jiang Qingli frowned. "Why are you carrying a suitcase? Where are you going?"
"It’s empty. I just went to retrieve it. I’m going to the beach with Housekeeper Qin and the others next week." Seeing the obvious relief on her face, a hint of nervousness and anticipation flickered in Yi Nuo’s eyes. "But, if you need me, Miss..."
Jiang Qingli had heard from Housekeeper Qin a few days ago that the staff were taking a vacation. She’d even approved a budget for their trip.
But she hadn’t expected Yi Nuo would be going with them.
Jiang Qingli had asked several of her Beast Husbands, but she hadn’t asked Yi Nuo, because she had subconsciously assumed that he would follow her as usual.
Hearing him say this, she finally realized.
’Oh, right. Yi Nuo’s relationship with the rest of the staff isn’t particularly close, but they get along. It’s only normal they’d go on vacation together.’
’His world doesn’t revolve around me, after all.’
Jiang Qingli nodded. "It’s fine. There will be staff at the resort. You rarely get a holiday."
Disappointment flashed in the Gray Wolf Butler’s eyes. He lowered his gaze, his voice sinking slightly. "Very well."
He turned and left, his steps heavy.
Watching Yi Nuo’s dejected back as he walked away, Gu Nian’s lips curled into a smile. He felt like the heavens themselves were on his side!
’None of my rivals can make it. If this isn’t fate, what is?!’
’I won’t let this chance go to waste! I’ll pull out all the stops to please Sister and make this a trip she’ll never forget!’
That night, Gu Nian logged onto certain... unspeakable websites and immersed himself in an ocean of knowledge.
However, on the day of their departure, Gu Nian walked into the garage only to see an unexpected male standing beside Jiang Qingli.
Gu Nian’s face instantly darkened. "What are you doing here?"