Chapter 52: My Life Is Hers

’I’m the Young Master of the Tiger Clan, worth far more than this guy,’ Yin Zhi thought. He subconsciously moved to nuzzle Wen Qian’s earlobe, only for her to dodge away. "Behave yourself!" she hissed.

’We’re not at home. How can he be so clingy regardless of the time and place?!’

Her sudden harsh tone made Yin Zhi’s pounding heart sink. He glanced sideways, his gaze locking onto the Werewolf. He decided he found the man even more detestable now.

"That’s impossible..." Though he had become a Werewolf, Chi Heng’s mind was clear. He understood what Wen Qian was implying after a moment’s thought. "I clearly saw you that day..."

"Mm, I was there," Wen Qian interrupted with a smile.

The topic left a heavy feeling in her chest, making the smile on her face look somewhat strained.

’Her adoptive parents, sent to prison by her own hand. The Little Black Snake she spent every day with, tricked and taken from her. A rabbit Beastman, dead while protecting her. Then, amnesia... right up until yesterday.’

And it all stemmed from a single promise: she had agreed to get them out.

She *had* rescued them, but she was only a little over ten years old at the time. How could she have distinguished the sincere from the hypocritical?

Besides, given the circumstances, anyone in her shoes would have done the same... No one can offer a guaranteed, perfect solution in a desperate situation.

’She had done everything in her power to secure a path to survival for them... and she was supposed to be responsible for everything that happened to them afterward?’

’And most importantly, this guy right here had almost killed her.’

"So you admit it," the man said with conviction, his eyes darkening.

"Yes, yes, yes, I admit it." Wen Qian laughed in exasperation.

’So, was everything I just said a complete waste of breath?’

’He clearly hadn’t lost his mind, but he was definitely brainless... She’d never met such an obstinate Beastman.’

Wen Qian squeezed her eyes shut, taking a long moment to compose herself. "How do you think my adoptive parents ended up in prison? Were they so offended by your sheer intellect that they got themselves locked up?"

She had been hit by a car on her way back from a prison visit. If he hadn’t been following her the whole time, he must have been deliberately waiting for her.

He even knew her prison visitation schedule, so there’s no way he didn’t know who she was visiting.

"You mean..." The man’s expression froze.

"That’s right." Wen Qian gave a cold smile. Her almond-shaped eyes were still clear and bright, but now they were tinged with a frosty chill. "I did what I promised. I couldn’t control what happened afterward, and you can’t pin the blame on me."

The man’s expression was complicated. He had already recognized the man beside Wen Qian as the Young Master of the Tiger Clan, and he himself would never do anything to harm a fellow Beastman.

’Does that mean... this girl in front of me really is innocent?’

He remembered when they first met. She had ignored the grime on his face and used her pristine white sleeve to wipe the blood from his forehead. Her clear eyes were the only light that had ever shone into his life.

It was why he, a person who believed in nothing, had placed all his hope in one little girl.

And it was also why, when he felt betrayed, he had thrown everything aside to hate her.

Though he already knew the answer in his heart, Chi Heng didn’t want it all to be over. He lowered his gaze, a sudden fear gripping him—the fear that this would be the end. "How can I believe you?"

Wen Qian clearly wasn’t falling for his act. She couldn’t even be bothered to muster a smile. Her tone was flat. "I don’t need to prove anything to you. No matter how much you’ve suffered, at least you’re still alive."

She could have pretended to know nothing and continued living as the great lady of the Wen Family, indulging in the illusion of familial love. She could have remained blissfully ignorant, but she hadn’t... She chose to honor her promise.

’But what was the result? Was this what she had wanted?’

"Let’s go," the girl said softly, tugging on the hems of both Yin Zhi’s and Gu Mian’s clothes.

’I’ve explained everything I can. If he still can’t tell right from wrong, then the next time we meet, I won’t just sit back and wait to be killed, Beastman or not.’

’If it comes down to a fight to the death, so be it. I’ll start carrying a combat knife in my pocket!’

Just as she was thinking this, her cheek was suddenly pinched. A second later, Yin Zhi leaned in. He gazed at her pretty face and said warmly, "My Qianqian, how can you be so fierce and yet so timid?"

"What are you talking about!" Feeling flustered, she slapped his hand away. ’Don’t tell me this guy can read my mind,’ she thought.

She quickly cursed him in her mind, ’Yin Zhi, you pig.’

When a furtive glance confirmed he had no reaction, Wen Qian finally relaxed.

"Wait..." The man behind them watched the heartwarming scene, his heart a tangle of complex emotions.

In the next second, his body deflated like a punctured ball, gradually returning to its original form... except for a pair of gray-white wolf ears that remained on his head.

Too much Transformation Agent had been injected into him, altering his beast state. He could no longer fully transform into a wolf.

However, his human and Beastman forms were still normal.

Wen Qian glanced back, her expression clearly saying, ’If you have something to say, spit it out.’ He might be handsome, but she wasn’t one to fall for just any pretty face.

’Even if he were a flower, he’d be a Cannibal Flower. When it’s a choice between a handsome face and my life, I’ll choose my life every time.’

"Don’t you want to know why I’ve become like this?" The man wore a torn shirt, his abdominal muscles partially visible.

Wen Qian took one look before turning her head away. She looked up at the sky and shook her head firmly. "Not at the moment, no."

’The more you know, the faster you die. Besides, I’m really not in the mood.’

"Why won’t you look at me?" the man frowned.

"Why should she look at you?" Yin Zhi retorted, his brows furrowing.

At his words, both Wen Qian and Gu Mian shot Yin Zhi an appreciative glance. It was like he was their official spokesperson.

"I was talking to her," Chi Heng said, his gaze turning cold.

"Sorry, but I don’t really want to talk to you," Wen Qian chimed in, peeking her head out from behind Yin Zhi. Then she grabbed him and strode toward the door.

’She had no desire to get tangled up with this madman again, much less share a room with him.’

Chi Heng subconsciously started to follow, but Gu Mian blocked his path. Adjusting his glasses, Gu Mian asked, "You don’t want to die here, do you?"

The blatant threat made Chi Heng freeze. He narrowed his eyes. He hated to admit it, but he was at a clear disadvantage.

But what stung more was the feeling of utter powerlessness—the sense that even if the whole world stood against him, there would be no one at his back.

Especially the sight of the charming girl hiding behind the young man...

His gaze fell uncontrollably on her slender back. He couldn’t hear what the young man said, but he saw the girl playfully slap his arm.

In that moment, Chi Heng felt a surge of confusion. ’Is this what I really wanted?’

Hatred had sustained him for so long, but now, he felt like a complete joke.

’Mistaking his benefactor for an enemy, and almost killing her...’

"Can you give her a message for me?" The man lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper. Before Gu Mian could answer, he added quietly, "From now on... my life is hers."

Hearing this, Gu Mian sneered. "It’s such a miserable life. You’d better keep it for yourself."