Qin Mo reasoned, "Matriarch, you can't do this. We're all your beast husbands—you have to be fair!"
Xuan Yu pretended to look wronged, "Matriarch, are you really going to dote on just one and abandon the rest of us beast husbands?"
Fu Shiyi took the strategy of retreating to advance, "If this is what the Matriarch wants, and it would make you happy, then you don't need to care about my feelings."
The moment he said that, he immediately got death glares from Qin Mo and Xuan Yu.
Oh, so you just had to show off, didn't you?
And yet, Yunyang fell for it every time.
"Alright, I'm just teasing you."
"As long as you don't commit some unforgivable mistake, I'll be very fair."
She'd transmigrated all the way to the interstellar era where she could openly have her harem—she'd have to be crazy to choose just one. Besides, if she really had to pick, at least among Qin Mo and the other two, she couldn't name a favorite. Even if Fu Shiyi was the most skilled at pleasing her, he still wasn't enough to make her give up her other beast husbands.
All three beast husbands let out a collective sigh of relief.
Qin Mo even said generously, "Matriarch, I'll go bring Rong Jin inside."
"Matriarch, I'll go add another dish." Xuan Yu turned and headed for the kitchen.
Fu Shiyi, meanwhile, reminded Yunyang, "Matriarch, you haven't replied to the message yet."
Oh, right—she'd almost forgotten about that.
Yunyang opened her optical brain and replied with two words: [At home.]
Outside the villa, Rong Jin waited for a while before he saw Yunyang's reply appear on the light screen.
He immediately straightened his clothes and swayed in front of the sensor device.
This time, it didn't take long before the door in front of him swung open.
"Matri—"
Rong Jin had just started speaking when he saw Qin Mo's face behind the door, clearly marked with reluctance.
He froze.
Why was it his rival who opened the door?
Qin Mo looked him up and down with a highly critical eye, and when he found no fault in his rival, he let out a light snort and stepped aside to let him in.
"The Matriarch is having dinner." He bit each word out hard.
If this little red panda had any sense, he'd voluntarily go wait off to the side and not disturb the Matriarch while she ate.
Unfortunately, Rong Jin had no such sense.
He strode straight into the villa, heading directly for the dining table.
Then he sat down in the seat that originally belonged to Qin Mo, and eagerly presented two spatial buttons.
"Matriarch, this is my dowry."
"Matriarch, let me attend to you while you eat."
Seeing his seat taken, Qin Mo's fists clenched. But worried that laying a hand on Rong Jin might upset Yunyang, he held back the urge to punch him.
Yunyang didn't stand on ceremony at all—she accepted the two spatial buttons, then said to Rong Jin, "That's Qin Mo's seat. Move to the side."
That seat was something Qin Mo had earned through his own efforts—there was no reason to give it to Rong Jin. She liked the little red panda, sure, but she couldn't let the tiger cub get wronged either.
Rong Jin looked at her with pitiful eyes, and when he saw that Yunyang wasn't budging, he had no choice but to silently get up and sit down to the side.
Qin Mo was overjoyed. He immediately sat back in his seat and shot Rong Jin a triumphant glance.
Rong Jin: "..."
Hmph!
He had plenty of ways to win the Matriarch's favor!
In the kitchen, Xuan Yu moved quickly—before long, he carried the extra dish over.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Matriarch." He sat back down and picked up a steaming bite of food with his chopsticks, even blowing on it lightly before offering it to her. "It tastes best fresh out of the pan. Give it a try."
As for why Yunyang had been kept waiting...
He glanced at Rong Jin, his meaning unmistakable.
Truth be told, Rong Jin did feel a bit guilty about this. He hadn’t paid attention to the time when he arrived and hadn’t expected to interrupt his mate’s dinner.
“Mate, it’s all my fault. I just missed you too much.” His voice dropped low. “If you’re angry, you can hit me or scold me tonight.”
Qin Mo and Xuan Yu: ?
This little red panda had barely just arrived, and he was already thinking about spending the night with their mate?
Dream on!
Fu Shiyi had already been favored twice. Tonight, it should be one of their turns—what business did this newcomer have asking for anything?
Qin Mo opened his mouth to speak, but Fu Shiyi beat him to it.
Fu Shiyi picked up the chopsticks Yunyang had just set down and handed them to her. “Mate, eat first. We can talk about these matters later.”
Yunyang indeed didn’t want to start any new topics, so she took the chopsticks and continued eating.
Seeing this, the other three beast husbands wisely dropped the subject.
But once dinner was over and they went for a walk, the topic resurfaced.
Rong Jin’s eyes shimmered with moisture. “Mate, today was all my fault. Tonight, you should punish me.”
Yunyang: “…”
“Tonight,” huh? Was that punishment even a real punishment?
Qin Mo shoved him aside. “Mate, I ran out of suppressants yesterday. Tonight, help me out, okay?”
Xuan Yu tugged at the hem of Yunyang’s clothes. “Mate, yesterday you didn’t follow the rotation. Isn’t it my turn today?”
As the only one among the four beast husbands who had been favored twice by Yunyang, Fu Shiyi knew better than to compete at this critical moment.
But even just Qin Mo, Xuan Yu, and Rong Jin were enough to make Yunyang’s choice impossible.
“Mate, I’m the only one you haven’t marked yet.” Rong Jin dragged out his words, and the sound made Yunyang’s heart itch.
She wavered a little.
Maybe she should mark Rong Jin first?
Seeing her thoughts, Qin Mo and Xuan Yu exchanged a glance and jointly shut Rong Jin out.
“We both came before Fu Shiyi, and he’s already had two nights. Xuan Yu and I have only had one each.”
“Mate, you just said you’d be fair. Rong Jin came late, so he should be lined up behind me and Xuan Yu.”
Yunyang was torn again. What Qin Mo and Xuan Yu said did make sense.
She looked at Fu Shiyi, the only one who hadn’t fought for her favor.
He seemed to read her mind and let out a low chuckle. “Mate, you don’t have to be fair, really. As long as you’re happy, that’s enough.”
Qin Mo: Wait, is this guy crazy?
Xuan Yu: Damn bird, you’ve been favored the most, so of course you don’t care about fairness!
Rong Jin: Who the hell said Fu Shiyi was a stiff old traditionalist? He’s obviously full of schemes—just hinting that their mate should pick him again tonight.
Yunyang blinked.
Actually...
No matter which beast husband she chose, she’d be pretty happy.
After all, she didn’t have to do any of the work and still got to enjoy it—and every beast husband felt different.
But Qin Mo’s rut period wasn’t over yet, and marked males who used suppressants during rut found them far less effective.
Yunyang made her decision but still looked around the circle.
As her gaze swept past them, all four beast husbands, including Fu Shiyi, began subtly showing off their charm.
Her eyes finally landed on Qin Mo.
“Qin Mo, I’ll help you tonight.”
Qin Mo froze for a moment, then burst into joy. “Mate, I’ll serve you well!”
He could hardly wait, but he still stayed with his three rivals, accompanying Yunyang on the rest of the walk.
Twenty minutes later, Yunyang was feeling a little tired from walking.
She reached a hand out toward Qin Mo. “Qin Mo, carry me back.”
"Yes, my mistress!"
Qin Mo immediately scooped the person up in his arms, ignoring the glares from his three romantic rivals, and hurried back with eager impatience.
With Fu Shiyi as his "role model," Qin Mo also carried Yunyang back to his own room.
As soon as the door was shut, he lowered his head and began kissing Yunyang feverishly.
