Chapter 536: Chapter 535: But She Just Couldn’t Bear To...

Si Shuo couldn’t help but swallow. Gong You was already exceptionally handsome, with a refined, androgynous beauty. He had cool, pale skin, curly navy-blue hair, and dark green eyes. Compared to him, those other male mermaids looked like cheap imitations. How could any of them match his class?

She had always been a sucker for his looks, and now that he was turning the tables to charm her, Si Shuo’s heart began to pound. Her cheeks flushed, and her gaze, as if scalded, darted away, only to reluctantly drift back for another peek.

Seeing the young female looking so captivated, Gong You breathed a small sigh of relief. He had been genuinely afraid that even after pulling out all the stops, he wouldn’t get so much as a single glance from her.

He pretended not to have noticed her. After scrubbing himself down, he stood up, calmly wrapped a Beast Skin around his waist, and lazily towel-dried his hair. Only then, as if just noticing her, did he finally look over. The corner of his lip curled up. "Good girl, why are you just standing there? Come on in."

Si Shuo gave a soft cough and said drily, "Don’t you have Dust Cleaning Talismans? The weather is getting chilly. Why are you taking a cold bath?"

To her surprise, Gong You shot her a reproachful glance and said flatly, "I have no choice. I’m on watch duty for you tonight, so I had to take a cold bath beforehand to cool myself down. Does a Dust Cleaning Talisman do that?

Besides," he added, "I’m a Fish Beastman. Being here, I need to soak in water every now and then..."

Si Shuo pressed her lips together and lowered her head slightly. Every word was a stab to the heart. ’He doesn’t actually have to take cold baths,’ she thought.

Seeing her so quiet, a dark glint flashed in Gong You’s eyes. ’In the past, she would have laughed and thrown her arms around me, not acted so distant.’

Gong You clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said stiffly, "I’ll go stand guard outside!"

He knew the young female’s situation was unique; pushing her too hard could cause problems. ’But she’s right here,’ he thought, ’and I can’t do a single thing. This restraint is killing me.’

As he walked past Si Shuo, she suddenly grabbed one of his fingers.

A tremor ran through Gong You. The frustration that had been weighing on his heart seemed to vanish in an instant. He gave a helpless chuckle, squeezed her hand, and whispered, "Good girl, I’m fine. Just make it up to me properly once you’re all better."

Si Shuo chuckled and gave a light tug, and he turned to follow her gentle pull. She leaned in and kissed his Adam’s apple, feeling his entire body tense. Then, she retrieved a silk scarf from her personal storage space, rose onto her tiptoes, and tied it around the back of his head, completely covering his beautiful, dark green eyes.

"Yichu only made me hate you all," she explained. "He never said I had to hate *all* males. So, as long as I can’t see your face, and for now you’re not ’Gong You,’ everything else can be just like it was before."

There were seven males in the house, and every day they would find time to be affectionate with the young female. It had become a deeply ingrained habit. Now that they could suddenly only look but not touch, how could they possibly bear it?

With the young female finally back in his arms, Gong You was beside himself with excitement, even if his world was pitch-black. He let her have her fill.

The more his vision was obscured, the more sensitive Gong You’s other senses became. It wasn’t long before he took the lead, transforming all his longing and grievances into a turbulent, surging sea...

「At the crack of dawn.」

He pulled off the silk scarf and looked at the young female, who had passed out from exhaustion. He gave her a loving kiss, holding her tight, just feeling her presence in his arms.

Gong You was a Fish Beastman, a type of cold-blooded beastman, and he had always been relatively detached when it came to emotions. Growing up, the number of people who had truly entered his heart could be counted on one hand. He had assumed that by competing in the Nanye City arenas, he would at most find an all-around excellent female—someone he didn’t dislike and who could bear him fish cubs. He had never imagined his own feelings could burn so hot, hot enough to feel like they might melt his very chest.

He didn’t even know what he could do to show her just how much he adored her.

The sky was oppressively gloomy. In the distance, dark clouds seemed to swallow both heaven and earth, and the feeling of an impending storm weighed heavily on everyone’s mood.

The Beastmen of the household, young and old, were already awake. The table was laden with all sorts of dishes, every single one of them being one of Si Shuo’s favorites.

When Gong You emerged looking refreshed and cheerful, his expression no longer gloomy like it had been for the past two days, the other guys’ brows furrowed. And just as they suspected, they saw him tilt his neck slightly, revealing several scratch marks that even his thin, fleecy Beast Skin couldn’t hide??!!

"You were with her last night?" Ji Liang’s eyes narrowed, a soft hiss escaping his lips. His eyes were tinged red with jealousy.

Gong You nodded nonchalantly and sighed. "Couldn’t be helped. My good girl just craves my body too much."

As he spoke, he lifted his arm, rolled up his sleeve, and revealed a row of bite marks he had preserved with his Spiritual Power. "Alas, I told her my Beast Form is huge, so one little bite wouldn’t even be noticeable, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it..."

Little Hong watched in horror. ’That’s not how Father shows love for Mother,’ she thought. ’That’s the obsession of a total creep! He actually let Mother feed on his body! What a hero... an absolute hero!’

She felt an ache just looking at it. ’Why doesn’t Mother hold back at all when she bites? And I think Cat Beastmen like to eat birds, too...’ She glanced worriedly at her other father, debating whether she should share her thoughts about Father Gong You with him.

Right now, the other males wanted to pounce on Gong You and bite him too!

This was especially true for Zhi Le and Xu Chi. Out of consideration for Si Shuo, they had stood guard over her all night and hadn’t gotten so much as a single glance. Their hearts were already cold with disappointment, and now, they felt like they’d been frozen solid.

Yin Jiang glanced at Gong You. ’Tsk,’ he thought, ’don’t tell me the little female’s... appetite can be satisfied with a substitute?’

But jealousy aside, the males were all having their own ideas. If Gong You could win over the young female, then so could they!

「When Si Shuo woke up, it was already noon.」

She almost couldn’t get out of bed. Pressing a hand to her aching lower back, she cast a Spring Breeze Technique on herself. Only then did she start to feel refreshed and comfortable.

’That Big Fish Beast is just way, way too enthusiastic,’ she thought, her cheeks flushing. ’And I have to admit, with this mental block I have, the whole thing became strangely wonderful... It felt like I was cheating on my husband right in front of him...’

Hearing the noise, Xiao Cheng pushed the door open. He didn’t come close, stopping a short distance away with his gaze lowered. "Sister, how does roasted rabbit sound today? We can brush the outside with honey and stuff it with carrots, mushrooms, wild onions, wild garlic, and potatoes..."

Si Shuo’s stomach rumbled before she could even answer. She nodded eagerly. "Yes."

’The old Xiao Cheng would have pounced on me by now,’ she thought. ’Even if he didn’t hug me, his tail would pop out and start wagging like crazy whenever I was around.’

’Now he’s like an abandoned puppy, and it makes my heart ache. The others are like older brothers, but he’s my little brother. I always enjoyed doting on him and messing around with him.’

’Yichu has tampered with my memories, but he only had a brief window of time. He couldn’t have altered that much. We have so many wonderful memories together—how could he erase all of that with just a few words?’

For now, however, Si Shuo discreetly chewed on a Dust Cleaning Talisman and walked out into the main room. The table was laden with delicious food, with a large platter of roasted rabbit meat right in the center.

"Sister, I’m going to go smoke the meat. Just call if you need anything," Xiao Cheng said. Yin Jiang had clearly instructed him, but he still looked back reluctantly with every step he took.

Ali waved to him. "Go on, Father, you can go work! I’ll eat with Mother!"