The vast living room fell silent at that sentence. You could have heard a pin drop.

In the awkward atmosphere, someone tugged on Qin Muye’s clothes.

The girl seemed to have been disturbed by the sound of their conversation. She frowned and turned, burrowing her face into his chest and mumbling softly, "Puppy, I’m so sleepy..."

Hearing the word "Puppy," Jiang Youchen’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening.

As for Qin Muye, the moment Jiang Qingli tugged on his clothes, the sharp edge to his expression instantly melted away.

As if he hadn’t noticed the others’ displeasure, he lowered his head and kissed Jiang Qingli’s forehead as though they were the only two people in the room. His voice softened. "We’re home now. If you’re sleepy, go ahead and sleep."

It was unclear if Jiang Qingli understood. She just hummed, her face pressed against the Prince’s impressive chest muscles, the corners of her lips curling up slightly.

Her restless hands even gave him a couple of squeezes.

This intimacy filled Qin Muye with a victor’s pride.

Yi Nuo pursed his lips and stepped forward to lead the way. "Prince, this way, please."

Qin Muye followed, but not before shooting Baili Jing a provocative arch of his brow.

Seeing this, the smile on Baili Jing’s lips deepened. "Yes, thank you for taking such good care of Xiao Li today."

When Baili Jing didn’t show the flustered, angry reaction he was hoping for, Qin Muye clicked his tongue.

He also grew warier.

’That sly fox is so bold about acting like the primary consort, even in front of Jiang Youchen. The rumors about them being on good terms must be true. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on Jiang Qingli from now on, or that fox will use his connection to Jiang Youchen to vie for her affection.’

The sound of quickening footsteps gradually faded away.

Only the two of them remained in the living room.

A moment later, the sound of a door closing came from upstairs, signaling that the couple was now in a world of their own.

"Do you regret it?"

Baili Jing suddenly broke the silence. He still had that refined scoundrel look about him, and his smile was incredibly punchable.

Jiang Youchen scoffed. "Why would I regret it?"

"Choosing a male who’s so good at winning her over, and you really don’t regret it?" Baili Jing sat on the sofa and opened a bottle of red wine. "When you made your deal with His Majesty, I doubt you ever imagined they’d get along this well, did you?"

The aroma of wine filled the air.

Watching him, Jiang Youchen let out a derisive snort. "You should be more worried about your own situation than mine."

"Your rivals all have a higher Match Value than you. You can never be marked in this life, let alone have children."

"No matter how many tricks you use to flatter and seduce her, you’re just a toy who’ll be thrown away sooner or later."

Having grown up together, each knew exactly where to stick the knife to draw the most blood. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Baili Jing’s eyes narrowed.

Jiang Youchen arched a brow, his gaze turning frigid.

As their gazes met, you could almost hear the CRACKLE of electricity in the air.

After a moment, Baili Jing lowered his gaze and poured himself a glass of wine.

He lifted the stemmed glass, swirling the scarlet liquid inside. The rich bouquet of the wine drifted through the air.

Draining the glass in one go, Baili Jing began to speak. His low, smooth voice was gentle and pleasing to the ear, but his words were like needles wrapped in cotton.

"I don’t know when I might be cast aside, but I do know one thing—"

"Some people, even with the highest Match Value, were never even qualified to enter the competition... right from the start."

"She’s grown up now. You should learn to rein in your control issues."

"Or perhaps, you should just face reality a little sooner."

Jiang Youchen glared at him, a crimson glint churning in his dark eyes. "Is the person who instigated the Yuan Family to change their Beast Husband, then hacked the system to alter the results, really in any position to say that to me?"

He took a step forward, his aura terrifyingly menacing.

It was the precursor to his rage.

Baili Jing was long accustomed to this.

The young white fox stood up and patted the other man’s shoulder. "No need to get so worked up," he said considerately. "Your wounds haven’t healed yet."

He smiled gently. "I assume you don’t know yet, but our female master has already healed my injuries. If you were to fight me now, you’d lose badly."

With that, Baili Jing turned and left.

The sound of a shattering wine bottle echoed behind him.

A sharp, piercing noise, unheard by anyone.

-

The rain had passed and the sky had cleared.

Sunlight streamed through the clear glass, illuminating three figures in the mirror.

"This dress is ugly. It makes my waist look so thick. Their designers get worse every year. And I’m supposed to be a VVIP..."

In the mirror, Ai Li, standing to the left, tugged at the fabric in distaste.

"Light colors make you look bigger. Try on a darker one," Lin Xiyue said. She turned to admire the back of her own dress in the mirror, then frowned. "Is mine a bit too revealing? Qingli, what do you think?"

When she got no response, Lin Xiyue turned to the girl beside her and snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Hello? Are you just stunned by your own beauty or something?"

Jiang Qingli snapped out of it, looking a little dazed. "Huh? What did you just say?"

Lin Xiyue leaned in, stroking her chin. "You’re being very suspicious..."

Ai Li bounced over, mimicking Lin Xiyue by stroking her chin and leaning in from the other side. She narrowed her eyes. "Right? I think so too. Suspicious. Very suspicious..."

Jiang Qingli retorted stubbornly, "What’s so suspicious? You two have been watching too many detective movies."

"No, we haven’t!" Lin Xiyue laid out her case. "You were spacing out this morning at the theater when we were picking an actress to replace Bai Yiyi. Now, this afternoon, while trying on gowns for your family banquet, you’re spacing out again... That’s obviously suspicious!"

She was worried. "What’s wrong? Did you get in a fight with those Beast Husbands? Oh, wait, they probably wouldn’t argue with you. Did their infighting finally spill over in front of you?"

Jiang Qingli shook her head. "No, they’re getting along pretty harmoniously."

Ai Li asked, "Don’t tell me Bai Yiyi went to cause trouble for you again?"

Yesterday, the student council announced that Bai Yiyi was feeling unwell and would no longer be participating in the performance of *Miracle*.

This outcome was mainly because Jiang Qingli had taken a recording of that day to the school administration, proving that Bai Yiyi had started the confrontation.

Qin Shu had also called from the Lower District to apply pressure.

To smooth things over, Xie Guanqi had removed Bai Yiyi from the role and suspended her duties.

For the sake of the student council’s reputation, the matter wasn’t widely publicized.

But anyone with eyes could see that after the Moon Festival, Bai Yiyi’s position as student council vice president would almost certainly be revoked.

The strange thing was, Bai Yiyi hadn’t made a fuss when she heard the news.

Normally, she would have already been posting vague, passive-aggressive updates about it on the Star Network.

Her uncharacteristic silence made Ai Li feel like something was off, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Bai Yiyi had gone to confront Jiang Qingli privately.

She said adamantly, "You can’t go soft on her! She only got that vice president position by switching with you in the first place, and as for those guys..."

Lin Xiyue quickly shot Ai Li a warning look. "Those castoffs are in the past. Don’t bring them up."

Ai Li quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.

Jiang Qingli smiled. "It’s fine. I’d forgotten all about those guys until you mentioned them... I’m not upset because of them."

"Then why are you?"

Looking at her friends’ concerned expressions, Jiang Qingli felt a warmth spread through her chest.

’She didn’t know how long she would be able to stay in this world. But the care and love she was receiving felt real and gentle. None of it was fake.’

Jiang Qingli thought for a moment before answering honestly, "Maybe... it’s because I’m going to see them at the banquet."

’This body’s parents.’

’And... the major villain who’s destined to fall in love with the heroine, Jiang Youchen.’