Baili Jing had a gentle demeanor and was famous in their circle for his good temper.
But the moment Qin Muye saw him, he knew the man was trouble.
"I don't give a damn who you are!" Qin Muye swaggered forward and stressed, "I was here first, so she's leaving with me!"
"According to the Interstellar Marriage Law, a Beast Husband cannot defy his female master's wishes."
Baili Jing ignored him and steadied the girl in his arms. "Qingli, you choose. Who are you leaving with?"
As he moved, his fingers stealthily brushed across Jiang Qingli's palm, leaving a faint, ticklish sensation.
It felt like a seduction, yet as practiced as if he'd done it countless times.
Jiang Qingli froze. Just as she was about to speak, a chilling voice cut in—
"How much longer are you going to pester her?"
The group turned to look.
Ye Linyuan approached at a slow pace, his expression dark as he stared at them.
The other two men glared back at Ye Linyuan with equal hostility.
'It's rare for all three of them to be here. Might as well make some introductions,' Jiang Qingli thought. She turned to the other two. "This is another one of my Beast Husbands. I guess... that makes him the senior among you?"
'The villain still bears my mark, and he's the oldest of the bunch.'
At her words, the tight furrow in Ye Linyuan's brow eased slightly.
"And who the hell is this supposed to be?" Qin Muye refused to play along, pinching his nose in disgust. "He reeks of snake. And he's supposed to be *my* senior?"
Ye Linyuan's expression instantly turned sinister. "You have a death wish?"
"You and what army?" Qin Muye cracked his knuckles loudly. SNAP. SNAP. With a reckless lift of his brow, he taunted, "Bring it on. Let's see who dies!"
"Alright, stop fighting! You can't kill each other just by talking!" Jiang Qingli raised a hand to cut them off. "Besides, you're all F Level newbies. What's there to even fight about!"
Qin Muye: "..."
Ye Linyuan: "..."
After Jiang Qingli had made her stance clear, Baili Jing stepped in with a smile to smooth things over. "Gentlemen, as Beast Husbands, we should listen to our female master."
"Who said anything about 'we'?" Qin Muye scoffed.
Ye Linyuan glanced at the other two men, then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, a cold, murderous intent swirling in his eyes. At least they had quieted down.
Jiang Qingli said to Ye Linyuan, "Go wait for me over there. I'll be right with you."
Then, to Qin Muye, "You head back to the flyer. I'll come find you after I talk with Baili Jing."
"Why should I?!" Qin Muye's grey-blue eyes glared at Jiang Qingli, his teeth clenched. "I was obviously here first!"
Facing Qin Muye's fury, Jiang Qingli simply replied with composure, "I hope you haven't forgotten that we were bound via the system an hour ago. I am now your female master."
The girl's voice was crisp and pleasant, and her almond-shaped eyes were clean and bright.
She looked pure and gentle, but her tone was unquestionable.
The words "female master" set Qin Muye's temper flaring, but when his eyes met hers, he felt as if he'd been burned and hastily looked away.
His initial fury vanished, replaced by a strange, new vexation.
Qin Muye clicked his tongue in frustration. "Fine. I'll wait."
After spitting out the words, he stormed back to the flyer.
After dealing with the difficult one, Jiang Qingli turned to look for Ye Linyuan, only to find he had already disappeared.
Jiang Qingli asked Baili Jing, "Should we talk here or find somewhere more private?"
Her tone was so natural that a flash of surprise crossed Baili Jing's eyes. "Have you forgiven me?"
Jiang Qingli froze.
'That's right,' she suddenly recalled. 'The Jiang Family and the Baili family have been friends for generations. She and Baili Jing were practically childhood friends.'
'But in her fuzzy memories, because Ling Qing and Baili Jing were archrivals in the entertainment industry, Baili Jing always had the upper hand.'
'Back when she had just acquired her five Beast Husbands, the original owner had demanded Baili Jing give up a role for Ling Qing. Baili Jing refused, and the original owner had thrown a fit, cursing him out and then ignoring him for a full year.'
'And now Baili Jing was her Beast Husband...'
"Don't be angry anymore, Qingli."
Baili Jing took her hand and pressed it to his cheek. His long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice took on a seductive lilt. "I'm sorry. I'll never make you unhappy again... Can we go back to how we were before?"
'Jiang Qingli only had the original owner's memories from the last three years, and they were extremely fragmented.'
'Baili Jing was the original owner's childhood friend. He must have known her inside and out. If she wasn't careful, he would discover that she had transmigrated into this book.'
'What if... he decided to kill her?'
At that thought, a chill ran down Jiang Qingli's spine.
The girl pursed her lips, observing him impassively.
'Was it her imagination, or was the way Baili Jing looked at her incredibly strange?'
'His gaze was so complex, and the rims of his eyes were a little red, as if he were about to cry.'
'Were their feelings really that deep?'
'She had thought Baili Jing would be the easiest one to handle, which was why she chose to speak with him first. It turned out he was the hardest one to fool.'
Jiang Qingli was starting to regret her decision.
'Was it too late to get a divorce?'
'Oh, right. Too late. There was a mandatory three-year cooling-off period after marriage.'
'That damned Interstellar Marriage Law!'
Jiang Qingli sighed inwardly. She pulled her hand back and, mimicking the original owner's tone, said coldly, "Did you come find me just to say this?"
"Of course not." Baili Jing took a small gift box from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Qingli. "I left in such a hurry, I only managed to bring this small gift."
Jiang Qingli opened it and saw a ring.
"It's a Space Ring," Baili Jing said. "I got it ready last year. I was going to give it to you then..."
'Space Rings were extremely rare. Baili Jing certainly was generous.'
Feeling obligated after accepting the gift, Jiang Qingli gave him a polite smile. "Thank you."
Before the word was even fully out, he suddenly pulled her into his arms.
The young man's embrace was unexpectedly warm, carrying the fresh scent of spring.
His deep, magnetic voice trembled beside her ear. "Qingli, I thought I'd never see you again..."
For some reason, hearing the tremor in his voice made Jiang Qingli's own heart feel heavy.
She couldn't help but sigh internally. 'Childhood friends really do have a deep bond.'
'Looks like I'll have to keep my distance from this guy, or I'll be found out.'
Jiang Qingli slipped out of his embrace. "Qin Muye is waiting for me. I should go."
With that, she hurried toward the flyer.
Baili Jing watched her retreating figure, the redness at the corners of his eyes deepening as he murmured to himself, "You're finally back..."
-
The moment Jiang Qingli sat down in the flyer, Baili Jing's almost palpable gaze finally vanished.
Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, a cold sneer sounded from beside her. "Took you long enough."
"None of your business." Faced with this rude Prince who had no connection to the original owner, Jiang Qingli didn't feel like coddling him. "If you have something to say, spit it out."
Snapped at like that, Qin Muye was quite displeased.
'Just a moment ago she was all lovey-dovey with that sly fox, hugging him right there on the street, but with him, she has *this* attitude!'
'Figures. Females always fall for the flashy types.'
'So tacky.'
"I'm not interested in you, and I don't want to be married," Qin Muye said, getting straight to the point. "Once the three-year cooling-off period is over, we're getting a divorce. In the meantime, you are not to touch me! And you are not to forcibly mark me! As long as you agree to this, you can name your price."
As he said this, he was fully prepared for Jiang Qingli to chew him out.
He didn't expect Jiang Qingli to turn and look at him with sparkling eyes.
She almost blurted out, 'An offer this good?'
Jiang Qingli took a moment to think calmly.
'Qin Muye is a Prince, so whatever he offers is bound to be generous. This is the perfect chance to drive up the price.'
Jiang Qingli shot Qin Muye a sideways glance, adopting an "I'll reluctantly consider it" expression. "What are you offering?"
Qin Muye said, "Whatever you want, I can provide."
'Whoa, big talk!'
Jiang Qingli did a tactical lean-back. "In that case... how about you transfer me fifty to prove you're serious?"
Qin Muye scoffed and picked up his terminal.
A few seconds later, Jiang Qingli's terminal buzzed twice.
Imperial First Central Bank: [User from account ending in 0007 has transferred to you the sum of fifty million credits.]
"That's the down payment," Qin Muye said. "From now on, I'll transfer fifty million to you every month. After the divorce, everything I own—aside from a single house—will be yours."