Chapter 153: Chapter 153: The Shuraba of Beast Husbands and Outside Consorts

Jiang Qingli was completely unaware that her Beast Husbands were approaching.

The junior student’s voice was so soft and indistinct that she had to listen carefully to understand him.

After Lu Qian said he had something to tell her, he just scratched his head and stammered, unable to get the words out. His voice grew even quieter.

Jiang Qingli had to take a step forward. "What is it?" she asked, resigned.

As she drew near, the sunlight seemed to burn even hotter.

The junior blinked, his face flushing red as he unconsciously raised his voice. "S-Senior... um... w-what kind of guys do you like?"

At his words, the expressions of the four approaching men darkened.

But none of them stepped forward to interrupt.

Instead, they watched the girl with fiery gazes, waiting for her answer.

’What kind of guy does she like?’

More than one person wanted to know the answer to that question.

Jiang Qingli was taken aback.

’I thought this junior had something important to discuss, like he thought the student council was lacking and wanted to jump ship to our Melt Star Association...’

’But now, it looked like he had... other ideas about me.’

’How strange. We only exchanged a couple of sentences during the meeting earlier.’

Her brow furrowed slightly as she met his evasive gaze. "Why do you ask?" she retorted.

Lu Qian’s hands went from his head to his clothes, his eyes darting everywhere as he spoke incoherently. "I... I... about you..." he stammered. "Senior, it’s just... I saw you speak today. You were so calm and beautiful. I-I think I have those kinds of feelings for you. I-If you think I’m okay, can you give me a chance—"

"Lu Qian."

A youth’s refined voice suddenly cut in from behind.

Lu Qian turned to see Yuan Shiyao strolling toward him, his green eyes radiating an immense pressure.

His pupils contracted. He instinctively took a step back, lowering his head in a flustered, guilty rush. "S-Secretary-General..."

Yuan Shiyao didn’t even look at him. His eyes were on the girl as he spoke. "There’s a dinner party tonight. The others are waiting for you at the North Gate. Go join them."

"But..." Lu Qian glanced back reluctantly at Jiang Qingli.

But he couldn’t see a thing.

Yuan Shimo had appeared at Jiang Qingli’s side at some point, completely blocking her from view.

All he could hear was the youth’s sweet, clear voice. "Sister~ I made you a delicious treat in my dessert class! Can you guess what it is?"

Followed by a man’s gentle, low, and magnetic voice. "Gu Nian, we’re in public. Don’t cling to our female master’s arm. It’s unseemly."

The youth’s voice turned petulant. "I’m sorry, Sister... But Uncle Baili, you shouldn’t be holding her hand either. Your being here is going to cause a commotion. It’ll be a problem if someone takes a picture."

"Oh, and by the way, Sister, Uncle Baili is super popular. All the females in our department love him. They say he’s a real ladies’ man..."

"..."

As the group of males swarmed around Jiang Qingli, Lu Qian lowered his head. After a few seconds of silence, he mumbled a goodbye to Yuan Shiyao and left.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qingli had just finished mediating the bickering between the fox and the rabbit. When she turned around, the junior was already gone.

"He had to leave for something urgent," Yuan Shiyao said, stepping forward. "Sister-in-law, there’s something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Jiang Qingli asked.

The young man glanced at the other Beast Husbands before lowering his voice. "It’s a private matter. We should talk alone."

"Sure."

Jiang Qingli, not sensing any ulterior motive, readily agreed with a nod.

’During the meeting that morning, Yuan Shiyao had encouraged her and even offered to help. As a friend, he was pretty decent.’

Yuan Shimo, standing to one side, narrowed his eyes, a flicker of displeasure in their depths. "Female master, people are starting to stare. Let’s go to the parking garage first."

Jiang Qingli agreed. She turned and looked around, spotting Lin Xiyue already seated on a nearby bench, chin in her hands, watching them as if she were watching a TV show. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

’Even though being swarmed by her Beast Husbands was a daily occurrence, it was still a little embarrassing to be seen by her friend.’

’Jiang Qingli didn’t want Lin Xiyue to think she only had eyes for her Beast Husbands and was ignoring her friend.’

She shook off the Beast Husbands, ran over, and took her friend’s hand, giving it a little shake.

"Don’t worry, I’m not upset," Lin Xiyue said with a grin, patting the top of her head. "This is my favorite kind of drama!"

Jiang Qingli feigned anger and pinched her arm. "You were just enjoying the show! You’re terrible! You didn’t even try to stop that guy!"

’That guy.’

’She hadn’t even remembered the junior’s name.’

The four men behind her realized this instantly.

The sunlight seemed to grow a little brighter, warming their skin until it was faintly hot.

Under the shade of a tree, Lin Xiyue pleaded for mercy. "I didn’t know if he was your type! What if I ruined your shot at romance?"

Jiang Qingli stated unequivocally, "He’s not my type!"

"Alright, alright, I was wrong. Next time I’ll help you fend them off."

After a few more lines of banter, they were back to their usual affectionate selves, walking arm in arm to the parking garage.

As they were waving goodbye, Gu Nian suddenly spoke up.

"Miss Lin, I made some macarons in my dessert class. Would you mind accepting them?" The youth smiled politely. "You and Sister are good friends, so I made a portion for you, too."

Jiang Qingli chimed in from the side, "Gu Nian’s cooking is super delicious!"

’Wow, he even knows to give a gift to the female master’s friend.’

’This kid really gets it!’

Lin Xiyue accepted it gleefully.

Once in her car, she opened it. The ribbon-tied gift box was exquisite. Inside, macarons of different hues were arranged in the order of the rainbow, a picture of perfection.

She took a bite and nearly jumped high enough to hit the car roof.

’This is unbelievably good!’

The shell was fragrant and crisp, and the filling was soft and delicately sweet.

A dessert like this looks simple but is incredibly difficult to make well. Gu Nian’s skill surpassed that of a professional pastry chef; it was hard to believe he’d only taken a few classes.

Back in the parking garage, Jiang Qingli had the other Beast Husbands get in the car first while she and Yuan Shiyao walked over to a load-bearing pillar.

The moment she turned her head, a car window rolled down. Three Beast Husbands, along with Yi Nuo in the driver’s seat, made for four pairs of eyes staring intently at her.

’They were afraid that if they blinked, another man would snatch her away.’

Yuan Shiyao raised an eyebrow. He deliberately fell a few steps behind the girl, turning his body to block her from their view.

He was shielding her from those prying eyes.

Jiang Qingli, completely oblivious, tilted her head up to look at him. "So, what’s up?"

Remembering his words about it being a "private matter," she grew nervous. Her voice softened unconsciously as she glanced up several times at the security camera overhead.

’Was it just my imagination, or did the camera seem to shift a little in my direction...?’

Seeing this rare, conspiratorial look on her face, Yuan Shiyao felt a strange sense of being her partner in crime.

The butterflies hidden in his chest seemed to flutter their wings again.

Composing himself, Yuan Shiyao opened his terminal, tapped the screen a few times, and showed it to her.

Jiang Qingli took it and saw several posts from other schools. The titles were all warnings about Lu Qian, the guy who had just approached her.

In several of the posts, females accused Lu Qian of being a fickle two-timer who liked to cheat on his partners. They said he pretended to be innocent, but he was far from being a virgin...

"Lu Qian’s father is the Minister of Transportation, so these posts were all deleted not long after they went up. They didn’t circulate widely."

Yuan Shiyao watched the girl’s expression, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke in a slower, softer voice. "I don’t like to speak ill of other guys, but this is the truth."

’He knew he was overstepping his bounds, but that kind of filthy guy...’

’Forget about becoming her Beast Husband, he wasn’t even worthy of carrying her shoes—no, he wasn’t even worthy of kneeling and licking the ground she walked on.’

’The mere thought of a man like that daring to have designs on her made Yuan Shiyao want to hang him upside down from a lamppost.’

’But... he didn’t have the right to do that. Not yet.’

Yuan Shiyao lowered his gaze, his voice unconsciously taking on a coaxing tone. "Speaking as a friend, Sister-in-law, he’s not a good match for you."

After he spoke, he pressed his lips together nervously, afraid she’d think he was being meddlesome.

But the girl seemed oblivious to the deeper meaning behind his words.

Jiang Qingli lit up in agreement. "I knew it!" she exclaimed, clenching her fist. "He was obviously lying when he was blushing earlier!"

The tension in Yuan Shiyao’s chest eased. His eyes curved into a smile as he praised her for being so sharp.

Jiang Qingli smiled, a little embarrassed, then said earnestly, "Thank you, Yuan Shiyao. You’re incredibly reliable! I’m really happy to be your friend!"

Watching her sparkling eyes, Yuan Shiyao’s lips curled into a smile, his green eyes swirling with intense, scalding emotions.

’She really thinks of me as just a friend.’

’She would probably never know.’

’That this reliable friend of hers would toss and turn late at night, whispering her name, consumed by so many improper, shameful desires.’

’Even now, standing right here...’

’All he could think about was how he wanted to torment her.’