Chapter 115: Male Honey Trap

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Male Honey Trap

With Chu Moyuan leaning in so close, his breath brushed against her face, carrying a cool, enchanting, and subtle fragrance. Qiao Suluo’s heart skipped several beats. She had the fleeting illusion that he was using a honey trap on her.

Watching her breath catch and her cheeks flush as he approached, Chu Moyuan realized that she wasn’t completely indifferent to him; she had feelings for him. He used to resent his own face for being overly beautiful, but now he found it quite useful. As long as his wife liked it, that was all that mattered.

Qiao Suluo swallowed hard. As if recalling something, she asked softly, "I treated you so poorly in the past. Do you really not mind?"

Seeing her guilty expression, Chu Moyuan looked at her with a half-smile. "At least you know you treated me poorly. You threw me into the Underground Beast Fighting Arena where I barely survived. I almost didn’t make it back alive."

"I... I’m sorry." She truly felt immense guilt over this.

"So, as long as my wife makes it up to me, I won’t mind."

Although Chu Moyuan possessed elegant, jade-like features and a strictly ascetic aura, there was an enchanting magic in the way he lowered his head to whisper in her ear. His voice was husky, concealing an extreme sense of danger. Qiao Suluo nodded in understanding, offering no refusal.

Seeing her so obedient, Chu Moyuan’s heart softened. He pulled her into a hug, gently patting her back. He was an adult male Beastman; once he fell for someone, he naturally harbored the most primal desires for her.

After Chu Moyuan left the room, Qiao Suluo finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Chu Moyuan’s presence is simply too overwhelming," she murmured.

"That’s to be expected," the system replied. "Don’t let his true form as a Snake Beast fool you. His bloodline is incredibly potent, bearing the Supreme Blood. When he unleashes his aura, let alone you, even the most powerful Beastmen would have to cower in fear.

"Fortunately, he has no intention of hurting you. This proves that your strategy is working. You’ve used your personal charm to win Chu Moyuan over."

Qiao Suluo sighed. "I don’t even know what my so-called personal charm is." Only the system would constantly flatter her like this, singing her praises at every turn. Yet, she kept a clear head. She mused, "I’ve been thinking... Maybe it’s because my cooking is good? Did I capture his stomach first to win his heart?"

Analyzing it this way, she felt it made perfect sense.

After Qiao Suluo finished writing her opera script, she prepared to head to the market for some vegetables. Que Hongjin and the others insisted on going with her. They were terrified that if she went out alone, some other male might try to seduce their wife. Take Tushan Feishang from this morning, for instance—they needed to stay on guard.

Qiao Suluo thought for a moment before agreeing. "Alright, let’s head out together and take a stroll while we’re at it. We’ll make dumplings for dinner tonight. Do you guys have any specific fillings you’d like?"

"Any flavor is fine."

"We don’t have any dietary restrictions. Whatever our wife likes is perfect."

Que Hongjin and Bai Qianluo didn’t care about the flavor, and Chu Moyuan had already shared his thoughts with Qiao Suluo back in the room. Thus, Qiao Suluo decided to choose the fillings herself.

"Then we’ll make two kinds: pork with cabbage, and pork with shiitake mushrooms. Next time, I’ll make a few more flavors for you all to try."

Truthfully, Qiao Suluo thought shepherd’s purse dumplings were the most delicious, but it was too late in the day to go digging for the wild herbs in the mountains or fields. However, the thought of shepherd’s purse sparked an idea. She could set up a stall to sell wontons—shepherd’s purse wontons, to be exact. The wild herb wouldn’t cost her any Silver; she simply needed to forage for it in the mountains, which would greatly reduce her expenses.

Qiao Suluo bought some meat, vegetables, and duck eggs, before heading to the grain store to stock up on flour, soybeans, mung beans, peanuts, and other staples.

"What does my wife plan to make with all of this?" Que Hongjin asked, wanting to find out so he could help out later at home and save her from working too hard.

In reality, Qiao Suluo enjoyed cooking. It brought her joy, and she never found it to be a chore.

"Well, I’m planning to use these to make some pastries," she explained. "Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to the Nanlu Academy to meet the headmaster. We can’t show up empty-handed, and bringing homemade pastries shows more sincerity.

"I’ll also bring a batch to the Nanfeng Building for their boss to taste. If we can negotiate a business partnership, we can earn a lot more Silver."

On their way home after finishing their shopping, Qiao Suluo happened to pass by a general store. With a casual glance inside, she spotted something resting on a shelf. Her expression shifted, and she blinked, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She walked in for a closer look and, to her amazement, saw what looked like melon seeds.

Her eyes lit up. "Shopkeeper, how much for a pound of these melon seeds?"

"You call them melon seeds? These are sun-facing flower seeds. Two copper coins a pound."

Qiao Suluo could hardly believe her ears. Just two coins a pound?

The Shopkeeper found her reaction somewhat strange. Not many people bought these seeds; only a few females from wealthy families liked to plant them as flowers, but the demand was low. Since the seeds cost him practically nothing, he had just dumped them in a corner of the shelf.

Suppressing her excitement, Qiao Suluo declared, "I’ll buy them all."

The Shopkeeper was thrilled. He quickly asked, "Miss, I have another sack of these seeds in the backyard. Would you like to buy those as well?"

Qiao Suluo nodded. "Yes, I’ll take all of them."

The Shopkeeper shot her an odd look. She was buying so much; how many flowers did she intend to plant? She would need a massive estate to sow them all. Still, he was more than happy to make the sale. Although the seeds didn’t cost him much and wouldn’t be a loss if they sat there, selling them meant a bit of extra profit. His shop was small, and every minor transaction counted. Qiao Suluo was equally delighted.

Que Hongjin and the others had no idea what Qiao Suluo planned to do with the seeds, but knowing her, it had to be something good. Otherwise, their wife wouldn’t be so elated. In the end, Qiao Suluo spent thirty copper coins on sixty-three pounds of sunflower seeds, with the Shopkeeper knocking a few coins off the total price.

Without missing a beat, Chu Moyuan stepped up and hoisted the heavy sack of seeds over his shoulder. Naturally, Qiao Suluo didn’t want to expose her spatial storage out in public, so she found it incredibly convenient to have Chu Moyuan and the others around to carry things.

Once all their shopping was done, they headed home, where Qiao Suluo immediately started kneading dough to make dumplings.

Que Hongjin and the others pitched in, washing the vegetables and dicing the meat. Working together in the kitchen brought about a heartwarming, cozy atmosphere. Qiao Suluo had always prided herself on her dumpling-making skills, but to her surprise, Que Hongjin and the others folded them far better and faster than she did. Even while performing such a mundane task, their every movement was graceful and elegant, making them a feast for the eyes.

With everyone helping out, they finished folding the dumplings in no time.

"Let’s make a few extra," Qiao Suluo said. "We can send some over to Young Master Gu later."

The moment the words left her mouth, Que Hongjin and the others froze. They turned to stare at her in unison. Feeling the immense, intimidating pressure of their collective gazes, Qiao Suluo couldn’t help but touch her face. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Does my wife like that Young Master Gu?" Chu Moyuan’s question dripped with underlying danger.

Que Hongjin and Bai Qianluo also wore dark expressions. They definitely didn’t want another Gu Songlan entering the picture.

Qiao Suluo hastily explained, "What are you guys thinking? I just want to thank him for saving Hong Jin! Plus, the herbs he gathered were of excellent quality. I want to ask him where he found them." She also wanted to gather some rare herbs to exchange for points, which would help her finally slim down for good.