Of course, there were still some beasts in the tribe who showed sympathy.
Just as Mia finished speaking, a tall figure stepped out from the crowd, holding a piece of roasted meat, and walked straight toward Su Xiyue.
The man was tall and slender, his features exquisitely beautiful—more beautiful than many women. His lips were red as blood, his eyes slightly upturned at the corners, carrying a hint of seduction.
Yet he did not appear effeminate; a strip of animal hide wrapped around his waist added a wild, primal allure.
He was incredibly captivating, impossible to look away from, and was one of the tribe's most admired males among the females.
This was the original owner's third beast mate, Bai Qi—a Nine-Tailed White Fox, a fifth-rank beastman.
Su Xiyue recalled that the Nine-Tailed Fox clan was very powerful on this continent, even ruling over the entire Beast King City, regarded as nobility.
She didn't know if Bai Qi had any connection with Beast King City, nor why he had come to the Wolf Tribe.
All she knew was that whenever the tribe's beastmen went to Beast King City to trade for salt, Bai Qi never went.
While Su Xiyue was pondering these things, Bai Qi had already stopped in front of her. He handed her the roasted meat with an indifferent expression and said, "Take it."
There was no emotion in his voice.
This scene stunned everyone present—beastmen and females alike.
Even Mia looked at Bai Qi in disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend why he would do such a thing.
Wasn't he supposed to dislike Su Xiyue just as much?
But then she remembered that Bai Qi was the one who always provided meat for Su Xiyue, which made her chest tighten with frustration.
Indeed, Bai Qi disliked Su Xiyue, but he never withheld meat from her, showing a rare sense of responsibility as a beast mate.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten this fat.
Su Xiyue glanced at him with a bright smile and reached out to accept the meat. "Thank you."
Her voice was clear and pleasant, like a lark's song—utterly at odds with the acne and pustules covering her face.
Bai Qi found it strange; it was the first time he had heard her say "thank you."
Every time he gave her meat before, she took it as if it were owed to her and never expressed gratitude.
If the meat was insufficient or of poor quality, she would even scold him angrily.
Though he found her behavior odd today, he didn't take it to heart.
He was about to turn and leave, but then, thinking of her usual attitude, he quickly added, "I just don't want anyone to misunderstand—I can't even support a female."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Mia burst out laughing at his words, eyes dripping with mockery.
Before she could say anything snide, several pieces of meat flew toward Su Xiyue from different directions and landed at her feet as if they were trash.
There were three pieces in total, from different animals.
Her gaze followed the flying meat and found they had been thrown by Mo Lin, Qing Zhu, and Xuan Ming.
Ye Ling hadn't given any; he sat alone eating roasted meat, looking calm and collected. No one knew how the effects of the love-fruit had been dealt with.
Su Xiyue knew Ye Ling despised her and didn't even bother with the pretense of generosity.
She didn't care. After all, she had slipped him the love-fruit and kicked him—how could she expect kindness?
Though the love-fruit was the original owner's doing, it was no different coming from her.
Mia watched the scene, her jealousy barely concealed, sneering coldly, "It's just charity from them."
Su Xiyue gave her a cold look but said nothing.
Mia was right. Those three pieces of meat were exactly that—their charity.
Throwing meat at her like garbage—did they think she was a beggar?
Her expression darkened as she wanted to throw the meat back at those men's faces.
But having endured the harsh world of the apocalypse, she valued food too much to waste it.
Though the action felt humiliating, the meat was clearly fresh and good quality.
Those who have ever been truly hungry understood how unbearable the feeling was.
Just as she bent down to pick up the meat, a man's voice rang out angrily by her ear, "Don't pick it up."
Su Xiyue froze, turning her head to see a man approaching with a furious expression.
His features were ordinary but carried a resolute look. He was tall, wearing only a strip of animal hide at his waist, barefoot, with healthy wheat-colored skin.
This was Su Mu, the original owner's older brother, a fourth-rank beastman.
He was also quite powerful in the Wolf Tribe, second only to her five beast mates.
He, too, disliked the original owner and rarely interacted with her—but now, for some reason, he seemed agitated.
He reached Su Xiyue, saw the three pieces of meat on the ground, and scowled deeply before glaring at the three men.
"What do you three think you're doing? Treating your own female like this?"
Although he hated Su Xiyue, she was still his sister. Seeing her humiliated like this made him ashamed.
If their father and mother were here, they'd feel the same.
Mo Lin, Qing Zhu, and Xuan Ming said nothing, pretending not to hear.
Their silence only angered Su Mu more.
He turned his anger toward Ye Ling, who was sitting alone eating, his face darkening. "Ye Ling, don't forget she's your female. As her male, you have a responsibility to care for her. You're giving her no food at all—is that your plan, to starve her to death?"
Su Mu's voice was loud enough to draw the attention of every beastman present.
Ye Ling paused, his silver eyes meeting Su Mu's. His handsome face was cold as frost, voice icy. "What? Do I need to report to you when I feed my own female?"
Su Mu stiffened under that icy glare, his momentum instantly cut in half.
Still, he forced out, "You don't need to report when you feed her, but giving her nothing—is that not trying to starve her? Don't forget, no matter how bad she is, she's still your female."
Ye Ling curled his lips in a mocking sneer, his silver eyes landing on Su Xiyue with blatant disgust. "Look at her size—ugly enough, and fat like a sow. Going hungry will do her good, help her lose weight."
"Hahaha!"
Laughter erupted all around the square, everyone agreeing with Ye Ling's words.
Especially the females, their eyes filled with jealousy as they stared at Su Xiyue.
Jealous of the fact that she had five such outstanding and powerful beast mates, yet still remained unsatisfied and constantly brought trouble upon herself.
Now she was even as fat as a pig. Coupled with that ugly face, she was downright repulsive to look at. No wonder she had to secretly slip love-fruit—who in their right mind would want to sleep with someone that hideous?
In the beast world, females were admired for their strength and robustness, but being fat was a completely different matter.
Su Xiyue listened to the surrounding laughter and the strange, judgmental glances. Even with her thick skin, she felt a flicker of embarrassment now.
Her gaze flicked to Ye Ling, eyes flashing with fury. That damned man—his words were venomous.
Was this payback for her slipping him the love-fruit and then kicking him?
She also resolved firmly to lose weight. Forget what others thought—she couldn't even bear to look at herself in the mirror.
Su Mu's expression turned awkward. He opened his mouth to argue, but when he looked at his sister's acne-covered, pockmarked face and her weight—well over 300 pounds—his mouth twitched hard.
Not even he, let alone Ye Ling, could stand to look at her.
At least she had taken a bath today, so there was some improvement.