Chapter 175: A Little Clingy

Moreover, the Blue Star where they were was remote from the Main Star and mostly populated by people who could barely make ends meet. Those ingredients, in particular, were far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.

After all, a single meal could easily cost hundreds, if not thousands, of Star Coins. For a large family, one meal could cost over a thousand Star Coins, and a full day’s worth of food would amount to several thousand. On Blue Star, where the average monthly income was only a few thousand Star Coins, the ingredients for one day could eat up more than half a month’s income for an ordinary family. That was simply impossible.

Furthermore, their family had no money, and Bai Zhi was a notoriously lazy female. How could she suddenly know how to cook such delicious meals?

The Bai Zhi from before always wore a gloomy expression, but the Bai Zhi who came after always had a smile on her face.

Moreover, she had suddenly become incredibly wealthy. Although Bai Zhi explained that she had won a prize, she hadn’t even left the house for several days, so it was obviously just an excuse.

In the past, if she had even a little bit of money, she would have immediately spent it on gambling or shopping. But now, she had actually bought them clothes, replaced his Light Computer, and purchased healing salves.

Then there was the way she was always producing strange and inexplicable items, things he had never even heard of.

The mounting inconsistencies made him suspect that this Bai Zhi might not be the original Bai Zhi at all.

As it turned out, he was right.

In truth, after Bai Zhi retrieved the Blue Soul Stone, he had thought about leaving. But Bai Zhi turned out to be an S-Class Purification Master, and staying with her meant he could upgrade his superpower. That made him decide to wait a bit longer.

He just hadn’t expected a series of incidents to force him to postpone that decision.

And as their interactions deepened, he grew to care for her more.

Then came the day he told Bai Zhi to go to the Main Star. The moment he said it, he himself was stunned for a few seconds.

But what was said, was said.

If her previous attempts to make amends had been too insignificant for him to take seriously...

...then it was the things Bai Zhi did for him in secret that slowly, piece by piece, earned her a place in his heart, even if he didn’t realize it himself.

He had considered the possibility that Bai Zhi, like the females from the Main Star, was only fawning over him because of his identity.

But when he offered her his mark, her first reaction wasn’t elation. Instead, she thought it should be given to a female who could be of more help to him.

It was then that Hu Yan finally understood. From the moment she learned his identity, Bai Zhi had likely been preparing to leave.

But even so, she continued to do so much for him, quietly and without expectation.

That was when Bai Zhi truly took root in his heart; he just hadn’t realized it yet.

This was especially true when he was about to leave for the battlefield. No one had ever shown such concern for him, preparing everything he might need. From a combat Mecha to healing salves, she had even managed to get him something to deal with the Insect Clan’s Evolution Species.

These were items that even Federation researchers hadn’t managed to develop. Yet, Bai Zhi gave these incredibly important things to him without hesitation, asking for only one thing in return: for him to come home safely.

He wasn’t a fool. In fact, since he was a child, he’d been known as the most talented and intelligent Beastman. Precisely because of that, in that instant, Hu Yan almost didn’t want to leave.

He wasn’t actually a gentle person. One could even say he was a bit cold and detached. Most things weren’t significant enough for him to take to heart, which gave people the impression that he was good-tempered and mild.

Many people had been kind to him, but almost all of them had ulterior motives, hoping to get something from him.

At first, Bai Zhi had a motive too: to make it up to him. Although her so-called amends meant little in his eyes, he could feel that later on—perhaps because he’d saved her life—she favored him more than her other Beast Husbands.

Zelda had told him to vie for her favor, but he didn’t have to. Bai Zhi already showed him preference, so he didn’t give it much thought.

At the time, he still hadn’t realized just how important Bai Zhi was to him.

But the moment he learned that Bai Zhi had been captured by the Insect Mother, he almost abandoned his long-held principles. He couldn’t, though. He forced himself to endure until he had led everyone out of the Insect Cave and arranged matters, only then did he head back to the Main Star.

With Sates in command and him assisting via constant communication, there would be no major issues for the time being, even with him gone.

When he made countless video calls with no answer, when he tried to enter Bai Zhi’s spirit sea again and again only to be blocked, the panic that flooded him at being unable to reach her was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He had never felt that way, not even when he had faced the Insect Clan and nearly died.

He returned to their private residence and looked at the empty rooms, yet he saw her shadow everywhere. That was when he knew. He had fallen for her, completely and utterly.

As long as she could come back, he was willing to do anything she wanted—even transform into his beast form and let her carry him around.

So, when he finally managed to enter Bai Zhi’s spirit sea and saw that she was safe, he couldn’t hold back and immediately pulled her into his arms.

Bai Zhi was completely stunned. "Hu Yan?"

Her hands hung rigidly at her sides.

Not until Hu Yan gave a muffled, "Mm," in response.

Bai Zhi vaguely felt the body holding her... was it trembling?

Bai Zhi, who hadn’t been fully awake, was instantly sobered. Looking at the man holding her, she wrapped her arms around him and stammered, "Y-You... what’s wrong?"

Hu Yan didn’t look up, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Why couldn’t I enter your spirit sea?"

His warm breath tickled her neck, making it tingle. She shifted uncomfortably, but the moment she did, Hu Yan held her even tighter.

Bai Zhi didn’t know what had happened. ’Today’s Hu Yan is different from before,’ she thought. ’A little clingy?’

When she didn’t answer, Hu Yan prompted her. "Hm?"

Remembering his question, she said, "You couldn’t get in? I don’t know why."

Then she asked again, "What’s wrong with you?"

The System had gone silent and hidden itself away the moment Hu Yan appeared.

She shouldn’t have asked. The question had barely left her lips when Hu Yan suddenly crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with an unprecedented force, as if trying to meld her into his own body.

"Mmph..."

After a long moment, once Bai Zhi’s limbs had gone soft, Hu Yan finally let her go. He tilted her chin up so their eyes met and said, word by word, "From now on, no matter what happens, you can never let me lose contact with you. Understand?"

Bai Zhi wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she thought his light-blue eyes looked a little red. The intensity in his gaze made her nod subconsciously.

Hu Yan seemed to notice her staring at his eyes. He looked away, a bit self-conscious, and began to survey her surroundings.

Just then, there was a sudden knock on her door.

Bai Zhi and Hu Yan both turned toward the door at the same time.