"Who would ever agree to that!" She didn't have a masochistic streak. Getting bitten on the neck for no reason—you'd have to be crazy to be okay with it! That included yesterday. If she'd known this was the reward Yin Zhi wanted, she would have never agreed.
As if a thought struck her, Wen Qian asked, "Why do you Beastmen always bite the neck? Is the blood there better tasting?"
"Personal preference, I guess." Yin Zhi averted his eyes, a bit guiltily. After a pause, he added, "Only special Fuyi Beastmen drink blood."
"Fuyi?" Wen Qian didn't understand, but it sounded vaguely familiar.
"It means bats," Yin Zhi explained.
"Oh, right." It dawned on Wen Qian. A moment later, she raised her hand to touch the back of her neck, overcome with the feeling that she had narrowly escaped disaster.
'Thank goodness the one I ran into today wasn't a Fuyi, or this would be a whole different story...'
"Have a key made for me," Yin Zhi said, his emotions soothed, and he resumed his "good boy" persona. He leaned forward, pressing his face against her leg.
Wen Qian slapped her forehead. No wonder she felt like she'd forgotten something.
Wen Qian said, "There's a spare key under the doormat. If you go out tomorrow, remember to take it."
But it didn't matter if he forgot it. Yin Zhi could just turn into a cat and slip in through the window. He used to sneak out to play like that all the time when he wasn't in human form; Wen Qian had always known.
Yin Zhi nodded, a trace of lingering fear in his heart as he recalled Wen Qian leaving the door unlocked for him. Blue Star was not a friendly place for Beastmen. Likewise, many Beastmen had come to despise humans because of it.
City A hadn't been safe lately, especially Wen Qian's neighborhood.
Aside from the first wave of Beastmen who had arrived, many more had trickled in over the years, accidentally falling into Blue Star because their world hadn't been repaired in time.
They rashly transformed before understanding the rules of this world, which led to many Beastmen being captured by humans the moment they changed.
The better-looking ones would be sold to underground establishments for the amusement of the wealthy. The average-looking ones would be dragged to research institutes and forced to undergo various experiments. As for those who tried to resist, they were shot on the spot.
Because the excessive hunting of Beastmen in the early years had attracted too much public attention, these activities were later carried out in secret. The reason Yin Zhi had been injured before was that he was discovered by Hunters who wanted to sell him to an underground casino.
But the Beastmen were clever. In just ten years, they had established rescue stations exclusively for Beastmen in every city and province on Blue Star. The members, mostly people like Gu Mian, maintained human identities on Blue Star, all for the sake of being able to help newly arrived Beastmen at a moment's notice.
Yin Zhi wasn't a member of these stations, but he had his own human identity and had never stopped helping other Beastmen.
He just never expected that on Blue Star, a world with no place for Beastmen, he would be betrayed by his own kind.
The culprit was a disgrace to the Tiger Clan. Back in the Beast World, Yin Zhi had exiled him from the clan, but he never imagined the man would hold such a grudge. His collaboration with the humans this time was for the sole purpose of eliminating Yin Zhi for good.
Unfortunately for him, Yin Zhi not only denied him that satisfaction but also doubled back after escaping to kill him. This was why Yin Zhi had been covered in blood when Wen Qian first saw him.
His face had already been added to the Hunters' list. This underground organization, created to target Beastmen, possessed the most advanced tracking equipment. Even though Yin Zhi had successfully escaped, he could no longer appear openly in his human form.
"Qianqian..." Looking up at her, Yin Zhi's voice was gentle. "Don't open the door for strangers when I'm not here."
Many Beastmen were used to being loners. They were unwilling to seek help from the Beastman rescue stations, nor were they patient like Gu Mian, willing to spend the time and effort to forge an identity and integrate into this world. They much preferred to hide in the shadows and wait for the right moment to solve problems in more bloody and violent ways.
They despised humans and were unwilling to live in the darkness.
Of course, there were also some inherently problematic Beastmen lurking on Blue Star. They were intelligent, ambitious, and ruthless—troublesome individuals even back in the Beast World.
City A seemed calm on the surface, but beneath it, the undercurrents were already turbulent. Whether it was humans or Beastmen, conflicts were constantly raging in places unseen by ordinary people.
Besides, for the Beastmen, twenty years was enough time to create decent weapons. It would be fine if they were only for self-defense, but Yin Zhi was worried...
The man lowered his gaze. In all of this, he only cared about Wen Qian's safety.
This neighborhood had been targeted by Beastmen long ago, not just because of its remote location, but more importantly, because of the Critical Stone...
The Critical Stone was meant to be a symbol of protection. But if a Beastman discovered that, in addition to providing protection, it could also supply them with energy to accelerate wound healing... the consequences would be unimaginable.
So, until he could find the Critical Stone Fragment, Yin Zhi had to first ensure Wen Qian's safety.
"I know, I know, I'm not a kid anymore..." Wen Qian ruffled Yin Zhi's hair with both hands, messing up his silver locks. Then, as if not quite satisfied, she muttered, "Why'd you hide your ears again..."
Yin Zhi: "..."
In truth, before heading to the bathroom, Wen Qian had specifically pulled back the curtains to make sure Yin Zhi had entered the apartment building before she opened the door. Having lived alone for so long, she still had a strong sense of caution.
"Alright, I'm going to bed!" After ruffling his soft, fluffy hair for a good while, Wen Qian was in a great mood.
"Wait..." As if remembering something, Yin Zhi wrapped one arm around her leg. His voice sounded sullen. "Why am I the 'little brother'?"
"Huh?" Wen Qian was stunned by the question. It took her a moment to recall that he was referring to what she had said when they got out of the car.
"Of course you're the 'little brother.' What else would you be?" Wen Qian was speechless. 'She couldn't just openly tell Gu Mian that the man in front of him was her transformed silver gradient cat, could she?!'
'If Gu Mian were willing to keep a secret, that would be one thing. But what if he wasn't? Her place could be raided overnight.'
"It could be something else..." With a slight exertion of force, he pulled Wen Qian into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder as if sulking playfully.
"What 'something else'?" Wen Qian was done with Yin Zhi's habit of constantly wanting to cuddle and be close. 'Is he really that handsome and unaware of it, or is he deliberately flirting with me?'
"You tell me." He buried his head in the crook of her neck, nuzzling her earlobe with the tip of his nose.
"I've said..." she began, trying to pull his arm off her. "What I've said is 'little brother'."
'The 'little brother' identity is perfect. It's a legitimate cover story and won't arouse suspicion. Besides, it's not like she was actually making him her brother, so what was he so worked up about?'
Yin Zhi had clearly relaxed his grip, and Wen Qian easily pulled him away.
He gave her a reproachful look and, after a long moment, spoke. "But you've already seen my 'bells,' and you've seen my body after I transformed, too."
"???"
'What on earth! What kind of thing is that to say?!'
'She'd admit to seeing the 'bells,' but seeing his body... was that something she'd wanted to see?'
Even if she had wanted to see, he was the one who showed her voluntarily!