Jiang Qingli was dragged into the classroom. With her back against the door, she found herself staring up at a pair of golden, vertical pupils.
Ye Linyuan stared at her, his thin lips curling in disgust as two words escaped them: "So slow."
Just seeing him gave Jiang Qingli a headache.
When Jiang Qingli received Ye Linyuan's text message telling her to come here, she'd had a bad feeling.
But she never thought Ye Linyuan would be so bold as to come straight here.
Even though his pollution value had dropped, he was still in his estrus period. He could easily be exposed.
If that happened, the best-case scenario was being locked up in the Regulatory Bureau until his instability level dropped.
The worst-case scenario was his identity as the Underground City Lord being discovered. He'd be executed on the spot, and she, his female master, would likely be implicated and punished alongside him.
The more Jiang Qingli thought about it, the more terrified she became. She reached out and pressed a button by the window.
A few seconds later, the clear glass became a one-way mirror, making it impossible for anyone outside to see what was happening inside.
Ye Linyuan glanced up.
Outside the window, a red-haired boy appeared, frowning as he glared into the room, a look of irritation and annoyance on his face.
Farther away, a defiant, silver-haired young man turned and walked away.
Chi Yun circled the classroom before suddenly realizing how bizarre his behavior was. He muttered a few curses and hurried away.
'So many people.'
A cold sneer tugged at Ye Linyuan's thin lips.
"What are you looking at?" Jiang Qingli noticed his gaze wandering and turned to see, but he held the back of her head still.
The young man leaned down, pressing his forehead into the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent. The large hand on her waist tightened its grip.
He was too close. Jiang Qingli reached out to push him away.
Ye Linyuan seemed displeased by her resistance. His tongue flickered across her collarbone and shoulder. "Do it for me."
"The last time I performed Spiritual Healing for you, I was out for a whole night," Jiang Qingli said. "I have a class soon, and this break is only fifteen minutes."
"I know." Ye Linyuan inhaled the scent of her hair, his golden eyes narrowing instinctively.
'Is this the effect of the mark and my estrus period?'
'Whenever I'm near her, my mind goes blank. All I can think about is possessing her gaze, devouring all of her attention…'
But compared to his feverish obsession, Jiang Qingli was far more clear-headed.
Even as he bit her collarbone, she had the presence of mind to glance outside and check the time.
After less than two minutes, she was already rushing him. "Are you done? Hurry up."
Ye Linyuan frowned, clearly displeased. He lingered for another moment before pulling something from his pocket and handing it to Jiang Qingli.
Jiang Qingli took it and saw that it was some kind of chip. "What is this?" she asked, puzzled.
"It's a hidden camera detector." Ye Linyuan tilted his head, nuzzling her hair with the tip of his nose, his voice muffled.
She was surprised he'd taken her concerns to heart. "Wow, thank you!"
When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, sparkling as if filled with starlight.
Ye Linyuan stared for a few seconds before looking away.
'I just don't want to get caught on camera myself.'
'That's all.'
Jiang Qingli rushed Ye Linyuan to help her install the chip.
They had just finished when she saw a black-haired boy approaching in the distance.
Terrified Ye Linyuan would be discovered, she quickly told him to hide before hurrying out of the room.
As she closed the door, the black-haired boy with a golden insignia was just approaching.
The boy's posture was ramrod straight. He had sharp, cool features and wore a crisp black uniform that gave him a stoic air.
"Student council patrol. This is a restricted area, what are you do—" The boy frowned, but his expression twisted into one of disgust when he recognized her. "Jiang Qingli?"
Jiang Qingli stared at his face for a few seconds before a name came to her. "Er... Yuan Shiyao?"
The boy before her was Yuan Shiyao, the twin brother of Yuan Shimo—one of her Beast Husbands.
He was also the one the body's previous owner had passionately pursued, only to be brutally rejected.
A year ago, when Yuan Shiyao rejected her, he'd said he wanted nothing to do with a vicious, useless female like her.
Who knew that the next time they met alone, she would be his sister-in-law.
But Yuan Shiyao showed no respect for his new sister-in-law. He frowned in disgust. "What are you doing, sneaking around here?"
"Wrong classroom." Jiang Qingli put on a dazed expression and scratched the back of her head. "It's been a while since I've been to the Academy. I forgot my way around."
Yuan Shiyao coldly called her bluff. "Your next class is marksmanship. You can't tell the difference between the gymnasium and a lecture hall? If you're that hopeless, you shouldn't even be at the Academy. Why don't you go to the washroom and wash that brain of yours."
Jiang Qingli was speechless.
Ever since her predecessor had failed in her attempt to peep on him while he was showering, he had been nothing but acerbic and cruel.
Jiang Qingli sighed and said in a deliberately plaintive tone, "Yuan, we may have had some misunderstandings in the past, but I'm your sister-in-law now. We're family. There's no need to be so hostile, is there?"
She remembered that the twin brothers of the Yuan Family were very close.
Sure enough, Yuan Shiyao's face instantly darkened, his jade-green eyes filled with rage.
A cutting retort was on the tip of his tongue, but he forced it back down.
'Jiang Qingli is vindictive. If he clashed with her now, she might take it out on Yuan Shimo later.'
'And his brother had been frail and sickly since he was a child…'
Yuan Shiyao gritted his teeth and, suppressing his disgust, said, "Class is about to start. You should go to the gymnasium."
With that, he made to continue on his patrol route.
Afraid he would discover Ye Linyuan, Jiang Qingli grabbed his wrist. "I forgot the way. Can you take me?"
At the touch of the female's warm skin, Yuan Shiyao froze completely.
A few seconds later, he violently snatched his hand back and turned to leave as if fleeing a natural disaster.
After a few steps, he stopped and turned back, urging impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Let's go!"
Yuan Shiyao was silent the entire way, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Probably to avoid being seen, Yuan Shiyao deliberately chose the less crowded paths.
But the Royal Empire College was a crowded place, and as a high-ranking member of the student council, Yuan Shiyao was well-known.
People greeted him everywhere they went.
Every single person would smile upon seeing Yuan Shiyao, but then their greeting would die in their throat and their smile would freeze as soon as they noticed Jiang Qingli beside him, making things awkward.
Yuan Shiyao's jaw was clenched tight, a vein throbbing in his forehead.
Meanwhile, the architect of his misery was completely oblivious, casually striking up a conversation. "You're quite popular, aren't you?"
Yuan Shiyao was speechless.
---
Marksmanship was a general course, so students from all over the Academy attended.
That included students like Bai Yiyi, who was a year below Jiang Qingli, and Qin Muye, who was retaking the class after failing it.
Downstairs, students were trickling into the building.
Yuan Shiyao escorted her to the entrance and said grimly, "We're here. I'm leaving."
"Thanks!" Jiang Qingli waved cheerfully and turned to enter the building.
Yuan Shiyao stood frozen, his brow furrowed.
'What was that? Jiang Qingli just thanked someone?'
'Has she really lost her mind?'
'Or does she really think of herself as his sister-in-law now?'
Yuan Shiyao seethed as he recalled Jiang Qingli's "we're family" comment.
'Hah. "Family," my ass.'
'Give her an inch and she takes a mile.'
'As soon as Yuan Shimo returns to the First District, I'll contact him. I have to get him to find a way to divorce that female immediately!'
Yuan Shiyao turned and strode away.
Behind him, Qin Muye leaned against a wall, his gray-blue eyes scanning Yuan Shiyao from head to toe.
'So that's the guy Jiang Qingli was just doing... unspeakable things with in the classroom?'
'He's nothing special.'