Chapter 127: Yin Zhi’s Abnormal Behavior

The light in the room dimmed. A corner of the blanket was lifted, revealing a black snake tail.

The moment their fingers intertwined, the man leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I want to invite you to see my world."

...

When Wen Qian woke up, Gu Mian had already left the villa.

Chi Heng had left with him.

Wen Qian didn’t go downstairs. Instead, she lay on the soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She was utterly exhausted. Her fingers were sore and weak, and even her eyelids felt heavy.

Last night, Gu Mian had explained the Beastman heat period to her in detail.

Only then did she learn that once an adult Beastman finds someone they like, they will become... strange, at unpredictable times.

A Beastman in their heat period becomes extremely sensitive and will want to stay by their favored female’s side at all times... If their needs aren’t met, they suffer immense psychological and physiological pain.

She lay in bed until noon. It wasn’t until Yin Zhi came knocking on her door that Wen Qian finally sat up.

She froze for a moment, a sudden feeling of guilt washing over her.

Flustered, she threw on her clothes. Instead of running to open the door, Wen Qian told Yin Zhi to wait for her downstairs.

Surprisingly, the person outside was quiet.

About twenty minutes later, Wen Qian finally dawdled out of her room.

She went downstairs and saw the warm dishes on the dining table. "Where is everyone else?" she asked instinctively.

Only Shen Mqing, the Little Fox, Yin Zhi, and Li Jiu were at the dining table.

"The tiger and the wolf went to investigate the lab," the Little Fox said, placing a chicken drumette on Wen Qian’s plate. He glanced nonchalantly at Yin Zhi before adding, "The snake said he was taking the Mutated Bat Wings back to the laboratory and left first thing in the morning."

Wen Qian nodded. As she looked up, she suddenly noticed a large, dark bruise on Yin Zhi’s cheek. She frowned. "What happened to your face?"

"I ran into something..."

The words were out of his mouth before he could think.

"No way you just ran into something! You got in a fight, didn’t you—"

Before Shen Mqing could finish, Yin Zhi kicked him.

Instantly silenced, the young man grabbed his chopsticks, buried his face in his rice bowl, and didn’t dare utter another word.

Wen Qian shot Yin Zhi a questioning look, but he refused to meet her gaze. He just kept his eyes lowered, focusing on his food, even ignoring the Little Fox who was trying to get on Wen Qian’s good side.

She felt Yin Zhi was acting incredibly strange today, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

’Maybe... he’s too quiet?’

She was so used to him being clingy and playful; this polite, distant version of him was... hard to get used to.

After the meal, Yin Zhi quietly went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Wen Qian took Li Jiu out into the yard to enjoy the sun.

The Little Fox followed Yin Zhi into the kitchen. With his arms crossed, he watched him quietly with his narrow eyes. Seeming to feel uneasy under the stare, Yin Zhi turned his head and said coldly, "What is it?"

"The ones fighting this morning... that was you and the snake, wasn’t it?" The corner of the Little Fox’s mouth curled into a smirk as he spoke, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"What’s it to you?" Yin Zhi’s voice grew colder.

His true nature was cold and indifferent. It was just from being around Wen Qian for so long... he’d almost gotten used to putting on a docile act.

"Nothing, I’m just a little curious..." the Little Fox said, lifting his chin slightly. Then, meeting Yin Zhi’s confused gaze, he drawled lazily, "Didn’t you say you two used to sleep together every day?"

Yin Zhi raised an eyebrow.

Glancing at Yin Zhi’s soapy fingers, the Little Fox quietly took a step back, just in case the guy decided to pounce.

His slender fingers stroked his chin as he considered his words. After a moment, he chuckled. "You’ve slept next to her for so long... and you’ve never been chosen? Is there a... performance issue?"

"..."

That afternoon, the Little Fox learned the true meaning of flying into a rage out of sheer humiliation.

A split second before Yin Zhi could catch him, he transformed into a fox and bolted from the villa.

Leaping into Wen Qian’s arms, the Little Fox blinked his watery eyes and snuggled pitifully against her.

"What’s wrong?" Wen Qian asked, taken aback. The Little Fox rarely acted this way.

Immediately burying his fluffy head in her embrace, the Little Fox whimpered, "The tiger tried to hit me."

Wen Qian immediately looked over her shoulder, only to see Yin Zhi with a cloth in hand, his head bowed as he diligently wiped the table.

"You must be mistaken..." Wen Qian said, her eyes full of doubt.

’Yin Zhi has been so well-behaved and hardworking today, though...’

The Little Fox didn’t say a word, just shook his head insistently and stared up at Wen Qian with those misty eyes.

’He was finally getting it. A forceful approach didn’t work on Wen Qian. Acting proud and aloof only annoyed her. The ’green tea’ strategy—acting cute and pitiful—was the true path to victory.’

"There, there, he’s not going to hurt you..." Wen Qian said softly, resigning herself to stroking the Little Fox’s fur.

The Little Fox immediately flopped back into Wen Qian’s arms, his paws gently clinging to her arm. "I trust you, Qianqian."

In the sunlight, the fox’s pitch-black eyes glittered like the most expensive black diamonds.

Wen Qian watched him quietly, the corners of her lips curving up in an involuntary smile.

What she didn’t see, however, was Yin Zhi staring blankly at her back from a distance. After a long moment, the light in his once-clear eyes dimmed.

...

Shen Mqing’s gaming console had been confiscated, so he could only play games on his phone.

He’d found a restaurant management game somewhere and was now sitting in the living room, happily engrossed.

The Little Fox sauntered over curiously. Then, as if presenting a priceless treasure, he pulled up his own game screen—he was dozens of levels higher than Shen Mqing.

Shen Mqing was not pleased. ’Why is this guy so obnoxious?’ he thought. ’He has to one-up me in every single game.’

Yin Zhi wore the same expression, but for a different reason: the fox was nestled in Wen Qian’s lap as he played.

’That damn snake was gone, but he still wasn’t the one closest to Wen Qian.’

"Yin Zhi, would you like an apple?" Wen Qian asked, deliberately looking up at him as she placed the apple she’d washed for Li Jiu on the table.

Normally, Yin Zhi would have refused, but today he was like a docile pet... silently taking an apple from the plate.

He munched on it quietly, letting the juice bead on his lips.

"What is wrong with you?" Wen Qian frowned.

"Mm... Nothing’s wrong." The young man lowered his eyes, his response distant.

Wen Qian reached out to pinch his cheek, but he turned his head away just before her fingertips could touch his skin.

Her hand froze in midair. Wen Qian frowned, then nonchalantly drew her hand back. She had a pretty good idea why he was acting so strangely, but if he wasn’t going to talk, she wasn’t going to press him.

Neither of them spoke again for the rest of the afternoon. Wen Qian sat on the sofa, quietly playing games with the Little Fox and Shen Mqing.

Yin Zhi sat a short distance away, grooming Li Jiu. He held the palm-sized bird on his knee, combing its feathers over and over, hundreds of times...

Watching its own downy feathers fly everywhere, Li Jiu looked up at Yin Zhi, as if it wanted to say something but held back. It wanted to ask a question, but ultimately couldn’t bring itself to.

’Did I do something wrong?’

’If not... then why is Young Master plucking my feathers?’