Bai Lian walked slowly toward Su Yaoyao, a hint of anticipation growing with every step.
When Bai Lian finally reached the bedside, Su Yaoyao reached out, grabbed the front of his clothes, and tugged gently, making him bend down.
Bai Lian obediently lowered his head. He could feel Yaoyao's breath, so close its warmth brushed against his face, making his heart race.
Su Yaoyao's fingers gently touched the strip of cloth and slowly untied it.
The moment the blindfold came off, Bai Lian's vision flooded with light, dispelling the darkness.
His gaze fell upon Su Yaoyao's face. Her eyes were lively, and the corners of her mouth were turned up slightly in a gentle, playful smile.
His eyes finally fixed on her soft pink lips, which were parted slightly. 'I can't even imagine how sweet they would taste...'
Bai Lian clenched his fists, trying hard to restrain the impulse welling up inside him.
He longed to kiss Su Yaoyao right then and there, to pull her into a tight embrace, but he was afraid his impulsiveness would frighten her.
'A precious female should be cherished and protected.'
Su Yaoyao seemed to notice something was off with Bai Lian and tugged on the hem of his clothes with her small hand.
She asked softly, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Bai Lian's throat tightened as he gazed at Yaoyao's face, so close to his. "No, it's just... you're exceptionally beautiful."
Hearing this, Su Yaoyao's smile grew even brighter. "Really? You're too good with compliments."
The two of them just stared at each other quietly, and it felt as if time had stopped in that moment.
A sweet, intimate atmosphere filled the room, causing both of their hearts to beat faster.
Bai Lian's breathing grew unsteady, the emotions in his heart becoming harder and harder to suppress.
Finally unable to hold back, he gently raised a hand to caress Yaoyao's cheek.
A faint blush crept onto Su Yaoyao's face. She shyly lowered her gaze, not daring to look at Bai Lian.
As his large hand stroked her cheek, Su Yaoyao felt both nervous and excited.
Bai Lian slowly lowered his head. His lips drew closer and closer to Su Yaoyao's, and he could feel her breathing grow ragged.
Just as his lips were about to touch Su Yaoyao's, he suddenly stopped.
'No, I can't do this.'
'Su Yaoyao hasn't chosen me as her Beast Husband. How can I tarnish a young female's innocence on a momentary impulse? If I really did that, what would be the difference between me and Reg?' (This refers to Reg's impulsive words during the meeting.)
He looked at Su Yaoyao, his eyes filled with love and restraint, then slowly straightened up, putting some distance between them and dispelling the intimacy.
He said softly, "It's getting late. Yaoyao should get some sleep."
"Mm-hm!"
Su Yaoyao, face flushed, quickly turned and scrambled under the covers. Her heart was still pounding. 'Did Bai Lian just try to kiss me?'
Bai Lian sat down gently on the edge of the bed, and Su Yaoyao felt the mattress dip.
"I'll wait until you're asleep before I leave."
"Mm."
'With Bai Lian here, I feel an inexplicable sense of security. I can finally sleep peacefully.'
But there was one question that kept bothering her.
'Will Leon give me away to other males...?'
The very thought terrified Su Yaoyao.
"Why would you think that?"
Bai Lian's deep voice pulled Su Yaoyao back from her thoughts.
Su Yaoyao was startled. She had accidentally said what she was thinking out loud.
"It was Reg. He said you were in a meeting discussing matching me with other males to increase the Empire's population."
As she spoke, tiny pearl-like tears welled in the corners of Su Yaoyao's eyes. She looked utterly wronged.
'If that's really true, I'll just run away and never see Bai Lian again.'
Hearing this, Bai Lian sighed, a headache coming on. 'What nonsense is that kid Reg spouting?'
"All females in the interstellar community are protected by the Female Protection Act. It's illegal to go against a female's wishes and force her to match with a male."
"Besides, with our Beastman genes, females have very strong fertility. They can give birth to many offspring at once and live for 800 to 1,000 years on average. There's no population shortage."
Su Yaoyao blinked. "So Reg was just trying to scare me on purpose?"
Bai Lian smiled and ruffled Su Yaoyao's hair. 'The little female is so endearingly clueless.'
"He just likes to tease people, but he's not a bad person."
Su Yaoyao pouted, a little angry. She punched the blanket with her small fist. He'd made her cry for so long.
'But he did get me some nutrient liquid to fill my stomach and let me play with the Leopard, so I'm not that angry anymore.'
Bai Lian took Su Yaoyao's hand, uncurling her small fist, and placed a devout kiss on the back of it.
"I, Bai Lian, Admiral of the First Military Base, will be forever loyal to Su Yaoyao and protect her for the rest of my life."
Su Yaoyao's face flushed. 'Why is he suddenly so serious?'
Bai Lian continued, "So... I hope that when you're choosing your Beast Husbands, Yaoyao, you'll consider me." A blush crept up his handsome face as he finished, but his gaze remained resolute.
Su Yaoyao was stunned. "Choosing Beast Husbands?"
Bai Lian explained, "Because females are so rare, they are key to procreation and hold an extremely high status."
"Therefore, they can match with multiple males at the same time to form a family. But a male can only follow one wife in his entire life."
And Su Yaoyao was the wife he had chosen. Whether she had spiritual power or not, his heart had been captured from the very first moment he saw her.
Beastmen follow their instincts. Liking someone is as simple as that.
'After listening, I finally remember that in interstellar beast world literature, it's always a matriarchal society with polyandry.'
'Wow, this world is a gold mine! Does this mean I can collect a bunch of handsome guys?'
Su Yaoyao was starting to get curious about this world. "Leon, tell me more stories about your planet."
"Okay." Bai Lian smiled. 'This means Su Yaoyao is starting to accept this world.'
"Hundreds of millions of years ago, an unprecedented interstellar catastrophe struck without warning. A massive meteor shower, carrying terrifying radiation and unknown viruses, rained down upon us."
"In that disaster, the female Beastmen, having weaker resistance, fell in droves, bringing them to the brink of extinction."
"And while the males were physically stronger, they became extremely prone to rampaging. Once in a berserk state, they would completely lose their minds, attack all surrounding lifeforms, and suffer severe internal damage from being unable to withstand the powerful energy."
"At this critical juncture, the females gradually awakened a powerful spiritual power."
"They could release gentle spiritual waves to enter a male's Spirit World, soothe his Spiritual Body, calm his disordered nerves, and dispel his berserk emotions..."
The little female had gone quiet. Bai Lian looked down at Su Yaoyao, who had fallen asleep at some point, and smiled gently as he tucked her in.
Just as he was about to leave, a virtual screen suddenly projected from his Light Computer bracelet.
It was a video call, and one with the highest authority in the Star Shining Empire—it didn't wait for anyone to answer, and no one had the right to refuse it.
It was His Majesty!!!