Chapter 300: The Bai Family’s Inside Story
"Oh, so it’s them."
Shi Lan nodded. From the sound of it, the Bai Family’s home was indeed quite close to He Hanshi’s. No wonder Jiang Xia had been worried and came over to protect her during the last Insect Clan attack.
’But thinking of the Bai Family, it’s still so strange,’ Shi Lan thought. ’Did I guess wrong? Did Bai Rao not get her Golden Finger?’
"By the way, has there been any news about the Bai Family recently?"
Jiang Yan was more familiar with the gossip of these prominent families, so Shi Lan asked her directly.
She pondered for a moment, then clapped her hands. "You know, now that you mention it, there is something. Even though the Bai Family’s house was so severely damaged, Mrs. Bai has been cheerful all day. She used to always be passive-aggressive and comparing herself to others, but lately, she’s gotten quieter and seems all mysterious. It’s definitely a bit weird."
"Could it be that Lanlan knows some inside information?"
After all, Shi Lan’s Beast Husbands were all extraordinary. At her friend’s words, Jiang Yan’s curiosity was piqued, and she looked over.
Shi Lan didn’t have any concrete evidence, but since this was her good friend, she shared her suspicion. "I suspect the last Insect Clan incident had something to do with the Bai Family."
"Of course, there’s no proof for something like this. I just wanted to tell you."
Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up. "So I’m not the only one who thinks so! That explains it! No wonder the Insect Clan focused their firepower specifically on the Bai Family."
"Tsk, what did the Bai Family do? To actually be able to lure the Insect Clan to the Capital Star... that’s some skill."
Shi Lan shook her head. ’It wasn’t wise to reveal the matter of the Energy Ball, and besides, it was just my own speculation based on the original book’s plot.’
The two chatted briefly about the Bai Family, but since they weren’t close with them, they quickly moved on.
Shi Lan was rich now, and she didn’t hold back while shopping, even buying Jiang Yan a new designer handbag.
Of course, to shop in peace, she had put on a disguise this time as well.
Jiang Yan hugged the handbag and couldn’t help but happily plant a kiss on her friend’s mask. "Lanlan, I love you so much."
Shi Lan noticed the gazes of the surrounding males and, a little embarrassed, tugged on her sleeve. "Ahem, we should be a little more careful outside."
Neither of them had brought their Beast Husbands out today, and they had already fended off and rejected numerous males. But there were simply too many single males—and plenty of rich ones—on the Capital Star, so they kept coming one after another, eager to shower them with gifts.
For example, just as they came out of the handbag store, a male appeared holding a shopping bag from that same store, seemingly wanting to give it to them. He was stunned, however, and stopped in his tracks by Jiang Yan’s sudden kiss.
Jiang Yan shot a dissatisfied glare at the males and grumbled, a rare occurrence, "If I’d known, I would have brought Nan Nuo and the others out. But I think they’re too clingy, so I specifically told them not to follow me and to focus on earning money for the family. If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve brought one along. At least we’d have someone to carry our things."
Although they had Space Chains, seeing all their purchases laid out before them gave a more satisfying sense of a bountiful harvest.
’I should have asked one of them to come along,’ Shi Lan thought. ’But I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to treat them all equally, and the others would get jealous if I only picked one. So I just didn’t bring it up. As for asking all four to come, that just felt too over-the-top.’
Fortunately, these males all knew their boundaries. With guards posted everywhere on the Capital Star, they would only try to get acquainted by offering gifts; they wouldn’t actually do anything.
Their public display of affection unintentionally deterred some of the approaching males. Many of them hesitated, and after the remaining few were rejected one by one, things around the two women finally quieted down.
After their satisfying shopping spree, Jiang Yan took Shi Lan to a luxury restaurant on the Capital Star that was all the rage among females.
Shi Lan had visited this restaurant with Yan Huoshui not long after she first arrived. The food was indeed good. However, there had been a male present last time, so the waiters were more cautious. This time, after confirming it was just two females, a handsome waiter spoke up, "Excuse me, would you two like to order a personal waiter? You can choose the type you want from the display screen here."
Shi Lan glanced over. They were all handsome men in different cosplay outfits. Because of the convenience of the Beastman body type, some of them didn’t even need to wear fake ears and could just show their own fluffy ones.
Shi Lan immediately spotted a Black Cat Detective cosplay, and the two fluffy ears on top would even twitch when selected on the screen.
Her hand trembled guiltily, terrified that her jealous husbands at home would find out. She immediately shook her head. "I don’t need one. A robot server is fine."
Jiang Yan knew that Shi Lan’s husbands were all handsome and exceptionally good-looking; she figured the wild grass couldn’t compare to the grass at home. She didn’t press the issue and chose an ancient-style snake demon for herself. She picked a snake demon because, upon special request, he could reveal his serpentine lower half.
’Shi Lan glanced over. For the time being, she didn’t have much of an interest in snake-type Beastmen.’
’Still, I never thought Yanyan’s tastes were so wild.’
She asked in a low voice, "Aren’t you afraid your Beast Husbands will find out?"
Jiang Yan laughed. "What’s there to be afraid of? It’s normal for us females to find more males we like. Besides, if I really met a male I wanted, I would inform them beforehand. I’m not planning on doing anything right now, and the waiters at these establishments are quite professional."
’Shi Lan still wasn’t quite used to this aspect of their culture, but she wasn’t going to comment on it. Besides, Jiang Yan only had two Beast Husbands. To meet the standard of five, she’d have to marry at least three more. Her current husbands must be mentally prepared for that.’
She nodded and didn’t say any more.
A moment later, the ancient-style waiter entered. He did indeed have the tapered face of a snake Beastman, but his features weren’t sharp or mean; they were more bewitching. Even dressed in a modest, traditional costume, his face exuded a natural, flirtatious charm.
’Shi Lan couldn’t help but reflect on how most of the males in this world were tall and handsome, with perfectly managed physiques.’
’It was just like in the animal kingdom, where males are more brilliantly colored than females—perhaps to increase their competitiveness in courtship.’
She gave him a couple of glances before focusing on her meal. At the table, Jiang Yan’s personal waiter was attentive and gentle, preparing all sorts of food for her—peeling shellfish, slicing steak—handling everything with perfect care. When Jiang Yan asked to see his tail, he revealed it as well.
His tail was pure black and very large. As Shi Lan was concentrating on her food, she felt something brush past her ankle and almost jumped up in fright.
Looking down, she saw that the tip of his unconsciously swaying tail had accidentally brushed against her.
Shi Lan was afraid of that cold, slippery sensation, so she carefully placed her feet on the chair’s footrest, where she finally wouldn’t be touched.
Perhaps it was because there was another male in the room, but even though he was focused solely on serving Jiang Yan, Shi Lan still felt a little ill at ease. She kept glancing at her chip, terrified that Jiang Xia or the others would suddenly find out.
Noticing her discomfort, Jiang Yan, having had her fill of eye candy, dismissed him. Shi Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Yan suddenly propped her chin on her hand and sighed dramatically. "Oh my, Lanlan. I’m starting to think your husbands have you on a tight leash."
Shi Lan knew what she meant and just gave a sheepish smile. "It’s not that bad."
’It wasn’t really like that. I just value our little family and want to give them a greater sense of security.’
’She knew how hard-won everything she had now was, and she cherished her home and family dearly.’