No one expected Qin Muye to leave in the middle of the event. They were all startled, staring at the two in shock.

The Prince was becoming more and more unruly, acting as he pleased even at a female master’s banquet.

Qin Muye couldn’t care less about rules.

He saw that Jiang Qingli wanted to leave, so he took her away. He didn’t care what anyone else thought.

He took Jiang Qingli’s hand and left the dance floor, heading toward the side door of the banquet hall where Jiang Yi and Bai Yiyi had gone. But all they saw were the attendants standing there.

Qin Muye asked the two attendants if they had seen anyone.

They both shook their heads, saying they hadn’t seen anyone pass by.

Just as Qin Muye was about to lead Jiang Qingli outside, a cold, deep voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

"Muye."

The moment he heard the voice, Qin Muye immediately stepped in front of Jiang Qingli.

Jiang Qingli turned around and saw a woman with black hair and golden eyes slowly approaching. The crisp sound of her high heels on the floor was filled with an oppressive aura.

This was Qin Muye’s older half-sister from the same mother, Qin Yu.

She was one of the top contenders for the throne. With her noble bloodline, she looked down on Qin Muye, a Prince with a "lowly" bloodline from the Lower District. When Qin Muye had first returned to the Imperial Family, they often made the news for their public spats.

Previously, when Jiang Qingli had casually searched Qin Muye’s name, half the results were gossip about his arguments with Qin Yu.

Now, Qin Yu’s critical gaze circled Jiang Qingli’s face before landing on Qin Muye. "Mother saw your application form. She wants you to go find her."

’What application form?’

Jiang Qingli glanced at the young man beside her, only to see him glaring viciously at Qin Yu, his expression grim.

"Miss Jiang doesn’t know?" Seeing the confusion on Jiang Qingli’s face, Qin Yu gave a meaningful smile. "It’s nothing, really. Muye submitted an application to Mother, volunteering to go to the front lines to fight Mutant Beasts."

She smiled at Jiang Qingli. "Actually, this child wanted to go to the military academy before, but he didn’t succeed. Then, who knows where he got a pile of recommendation forms from the Marshal, but he kept applying to have his Superpower re-tested and to go to the front lines... Aiya, I don’t know how long he’s been preparing. Seeing how determined he was, Mother agreed. Don’t misunderstand, he must have kept it from you because he was afraid he wouldn’t succeed."

"Shut up!" Qin Muye roared.

"So crude. Females won’t like your type." Qin Yu had only wanted to annoy Qin Muye. Her goal achieved, she turned to leave. "Mother is waiting for you on the second floor."

As soon as she was gone, Qin Muye frantically looked at the girl. "Don’t believe Qin Yu’s nonsense! It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you! I applied for that before we got married! I had it set to send automatically once a month! It was always rejected, so I stopped paying attention to it..."

He squeezed her hand, hung his head, and adopted an attitude of swift and sincere apology. "I’m sorry. You can hit me or yell at me, just please don’t be upset."

"You’re just looking for another reward, aren’t you? I’m not falling for it."

She patted the top of his head.

Qin Muye’s head shot up, meeting the girl’s smiling eyes. "I’m just kidding. You go find Her Majesty the Emperor first. I’ll be fine here by myself. Let’s meet at home after the banquet, and we can talk about the other stuff then."

Qin Muye’s eyes lit up. He nodded vigorously and turned to walk away.

After a few steps, he strode back, cupped her face, and planted a firm kiss on her lips.

Jiang Qingli pushed him away. "Hey, you’re going to smudge my makeup!"

Her tone was annoyed, but the corners of her mouth curled up.

Jiang Qingli turned back to look outside the side door. ’Wandering around aimlessly isn’t going to work,’ she thought. ’I should check the security footage.’

She had just lifted her foot when she suddenly heard a cough behind her.

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’Not again.’

She turned her head, and her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Leaning against a marble pillar was Baili Jing, dressed in a silver suit. His collar was slightly open, revealing a stretch of warm, jade-like collarbone, a silver necklace faintly visible—an elegant look with a hint of hidden allure.

And the brown-haired man beside him, who looked to be just past thirty, was handsome and refined. This was Jiang Yi’s third Beast Husband, Zhou Yanli.

’This should be our first time meeting.’

Yet Jiang Qingli blurted out, "Third... Dad..."

Zhou Yanli froze for a moment and exchanged a look with Baili Jing before his eyes curved into a smile at her. "Xiao Li, long time no see."

He walked over to the girl, his amber eyes full of warmth. His voice was as soft as if he were talking to a small child. "What are you looking for?"

"I’m looking for Mom." Thinking of the earlier scene, Jiang Qingli’s eyes reddened as she complained, aggrieved, "I don’t know where she went. She’s ignoring me..."

Zhou Yanli sighed. "How could they be so mean? Third Dad will take you to her."

Jiang Qingli had been searching anxiously just a moment ago, but now, hearing Zhou Yanli offer to take her to see Jiang Yi, she felt a surge of nervousness and apprehension, like a traveler hesitant to return home. She instinctively looked toward Baili Jing.

Baili Jing was still standing there, his expression somewhat indistinct.

Zhou Yanli chuckled. "Jing, don’t be jealous. Xiao Li can’t bear to be apart from you."

’What does he mean, jealous...’

Jiang Qingli’s scalp tingled. ’Don’t tell me they saw that little interaction between me and Qin Muye just now, did they?’

As if sensing her thoughts, Zhou Yanli pointed to his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled at her. "You know, Third Dad is nearsighted, so I can’t see clearly what you’re doing."

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’Those are clearly non-prescription glasses!’

For some reason, she had the distinct feeling that this "Third Dad" was a smiling fox.

She silently shuffled closer to Baili Jing and linked her arm through his.

Baili Jing grasped her hand in return and said in a very soft voice, "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

Though he said that, the young man bit his lip with some apprehension.

He hadn’t been able to tell Jiang Qingli about the past, and he didn’t know if this meeting with her family would be permitted by that mysterious force.

During the dance just now, she seemed to have exchanged a few words with Jiang Youchen without any apparent change. That had allowed Baili Jing to relax a little, but he still watched her every subtle expression with vigilance.

If she showed even the slightest hint of pain, this meeting would have to end.

Jiang Yi was in a lounge on the second floor.

The group walked over slowly.

Zhou Yanli made casual conversation with her. "Why haven’t I seen Xiao Li’s other Beast Husbands? Where are they?"

Jiang Qingli said, "Yuan Shimo and Gu Nian both came, but I haven’t seen them yet. They’re probably talking with other people."

Zhou Yanli spoke as if it were an offhand comment. "I heard Xiao Li has a Beast Husband who’s a professor at the academy. Why isn’t he here? We sent an invitation to the Ye Family as well."

Jiang Qingli’s scalp tingled. "..."

’What am I supposed to say? I can’t just tell him that Ye Linyuan is off killing traitors in the Twelve Cities, can I?’

’Associating those words with a professor is just too terrifying.’

She stammered for a moment before Baili Jing finally spoke up. "Uncle Zhou, Professor Ye is on a business trip in another district."

"Oh, is that so? He must work hard," Zhou Yanli said with a smile.

Jiang Qingli wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like Zhou Yanli’s smile had deepened...

Reaching the second floor, they had just rounded a corner when a figure in white, with a graceful, swaying posture, carried a glass of wine into one of the lounges.

It was Bai Yiyi.

Jiang Qingli thought she was going to have a drink with Jiang Yi and anxiously hurried to follow.

But the arm she was holding tightened slightly.

Jiang Qingli looked up in confusion.

Beside her, Zhou Yanli raised an eyebrow slightly. "Xiao Li, if I recall correctly, that lounge belongs to your brother."

"It seems Yiyi has some business with Youchen. Let’s go find your mother first."