Fu Shiyi looked at him calmly, his eyes behind his glasses completely unruffled.
Xuan Yu stared at him for a long while, then gave up. "Fine, you win. You'll attend to our mistress tonight."
Qin Mo added reluctantly, "The mistress didn't eat much at dinner. Remember to wake her later for a midnight snack."
Fu Shiyi nodded in acknowledgment, then carried Yunyang past his two rivals, walking steadily toward the stairs.
As for whether he had actually done anything—aside from himself, even Yunyang, the one involved, couldn't say for certain.
Second floor, Fu Shiyi's room.
Yunyang only woke up when she was placed into the bathtub.
She let out a slow yawn, still not fully conscious, and found herself staring into a familiar pair of reddish-gold eyes.
Yunyang blinked and instinctively reached out a hand.
"Fu Shiyi, carry me up."
The motion of extending her arm made a splash, and only then did Yunyang realize she was already lying in the bathtub, wearing next to nothing.
Her hand froze, and she immediately withdrew it into the water. "I wasn't fully awake just now. I didn't mean that."
Fu Shiyi took off his glasses and tossed them into a dimensional storage button without a second thought.
Then, without caring whether his clothes would get soaked, he bent down and—just as Yunyang had asked—lifted her out of the tub.
"Splash—"
Coming out of the warm water, Yunyang shivered slightly from the cooler air.
The subtle movement didn't escape Fu Shiyi's notice. Holding her steady with one arm, he reached out with the other to adjust the temperature panel on the wall, raising the heat.
His clothes, now drenched, were pressed between them, but they barely registered anymore.
Yunyang could clearly feel the broad planes of his chest and the fine lines of his abs.
Maybe the bathroom temperature had been turned up too high—she felt oddly parched.
Of her three beast-husbands, Fu Shiyi was the most skilled at this.
Right now, all she could think about was the night before last.
"Fu Shiyi."
She spoke up first.
He, having finished adjusting the temperature, looked down at her, holding her securely in both arms.
"Hmm?"
Yunyang looped her arms around his neck, her legs dangling over his forearm and swinging lightly.
"Have you showered yet?"
Fu Shiyi caught the subtle invitation in her words, a flicker of amusement passing through his eyes. "Not yet. If the mistress doesn't mind, I could shower now."
She didn't need to guess what he meant by that.
She blushed and nodded.
It wasn't as if it would be their first time in a bathroom.
Fu Shiyi refilled the tub with fresh water and gently placed Yunyang back inside.
At first, it was only the bathwater splashing everywhere.
Then, the items on the vanity scattered to the floor.
In the waist-high mirror, Yunyang's pale, smooth back was reflected.
Along with the wild, near-feral glint in the male's reddish-gold eyes.
And then... Yunyang didn't want to recall any more.
This time, Fu Shiyi was relatively restrained—he didn't keep her up all night, but the bathroom light stayed on well past midnight.
If not for the raised temperature, she really would have worried about catching a cold.
As for the midnight snack Qin Mo and Xuan Yu had carefully prepared—she had no energy left to eat any of it.
In the morning, Yunyang woke up to find herself lying in Fu Shiyi's arms.
She tilted her head slightly, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "Fu Shiyi, are you sure you never had another mistress before me?"
There was no way that technique belonged to someone with zero experience!
Fu Shiyi had woken up before her. Hearing her question, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Mistress."
"The Federal Marriage Center would never permit such a thing."
"And neither would I."
In all these years, she was the only female whose genetic compatibility matched his so highly.
Seeing the displeasure in his gaze, Yunyang quietly inched toward the edge of the bed. "I-It's like that, huh? Well, that's great then. I-I'm a little hungry, I'll go eat first—"
She didn't manage to reach the edge of the bed before a large hand pulled her right back.
"Mistress, questioning someone without cause comes with consequences."
Yunyang's voice rose a notch. "Fu Shiyi, I'm actually really hungry!"
She hadn't eaten enough last night anyway.
Fu Shiyi gave her a long, weighty look, and a pouch of colorful nutrient gel suddenly appeared in his hand.
Yunyang: "..."
Right, she forgot the interstellar era had that.
Fu Shiyi bit open the pouch and brought it to her lips.
Yunyang tried to play the pitiful card, but it didn't work.
·
At noon, Qin Mo and Xuan Yu, who had been waiting impatiently on the first floor all morning, finally couldn't take it anymore and went upstairs to knock on Fu Shiyi's door.
"Mistress, it's time for lunch."
"Fu Shiyi, the mistress didn't have breakfast! If she skips lunch too, her body won't hold up!"
That damned Fu Shiyi—hogging the mistress for this long every single time!
Xuan Yu silently cursed in his heart, hoping Fu Shiyi would be so startled by him and Qin Mo that he'd never be able to get close to the mistress again.
Though he was fully aware that, given beast-kin talents, the odds of that happening were essentially zero.
Inside the room, the sudden knock made Yunyang jolt in surprise.
"Fu Shiyi... outside..."
Even though she knew the soundproofing system was on, she couldn't help but feel tense.
And when she was tense, Fu Shiyi was the one who suffered.
His hand, intertwined with hers, slowly tightened. After a deep breath, he gently soothed her. "Don't be afraid."
"They can't hear us."
Fu Shiyi wasn't satisfied with just this, honestly.
Like Qin Mo, he had long entered his rut period—he just never showed it.
But Qin Mo and Xuan Yu did remind him of one thing: it was already noon.
He deliberately left a mark on Yunyang's neck before carrying her off to clean up.
Yunyang didn't even have the strength to lift her arm anymore, letting Fu Shiyi handle her washing and grooming.
The tightly shut door finally opened. Seeing her two other beast-husbands waiting outside, Yunyang quietly buried her face into Fu Shiyi's chest.
They'd been in there that long—Qin Mo and Xuan Yu definitely knew what had happened.
Seeing her reaction, both of them silently glared daggers at Fu Shiyi.
Dead bird!
Fu Shiyi ignored them completely, carrying Yunyang downstairs, feeding her lunch, and then taking her back to her room to rest.
Of course, he didn't follow her inside this time.
Qin Mo and Xuan Yu wouldn't allow it anyway.
Yunyang lay on her own bed, barely able to move her fingers, and messaged Lao Wei to schedule a purification session for the evening—
She wasn't sure she'd recover before then.
Lao Wei replied quickly: [Madam Yunyang, are you sure your body can handle it? If not, we can cancel today's purification as well.]
Yunyang: !
Wait—how did Lao Wei know what she'd been through today?
That... that—
She figured it probably wasn't possible, but she asked anyway: [Mr. Lao Wei, why would you ask that?]
[Didn't you purify Commander Lei Ou yesterday? His ability is S-rank. Restoring his sanity must have consumed a great deal of your mental energy.]
[The pollution levels of the males in the purification tower won't rise much in a short time. Please prioritize your own health.]
[You are a treasure of the Federation.]
Huh?
How did Lao Wei know about that?
Yunyang blinked in confusion and tentatively opened the Star Net—only to see the most discussed trending topic:
#Commander Lei Ou Loses Control in the Central Star#
