Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Don’t Resist, or You’ll Get Hurt

The Zaizai was exactly as he had imagined—a small, soft little thing. A gentle light filled Lan Yin’s eyes.

This was his own flesh and blood, his only tie to this world.

Recalling that night with Yu An, much of the resentment in Lan Yin’s heart faded.

Although he had been forced that night, Yu An had given birth to such an adorable Zaizai for him. As long as he could successfully break the contract, their grievances would be canceled out.

That was right. Lan Yin had another purpose for coming this time: to break the contract.

Yu An would surely never agree, but fortunately, the Merfolk Clan had a secret technique that allowed the male to dissolve the contract unilaterally.

It just required a bit of the female’s blood, and after the dissolution, the male would be severely injured. In serious cases, his spiritual power could even be damaged.

However, compared to being controlled by a vicious female like Yu An, Lan Yin felt that was a small price to pay.

Thinking of this, Lan Yin asked gently, "Zaizai, what’s your name?"

Xiao Yu blinked his eyes but didn’t answer, his expression remaining wooden.

Lan Yin thought his voice had been too quiet for Xiao Yu to hear. Just as he was about to ask again, he saw Mo Yan stride over and scoop Xiao Yu out of his arms.

Mo Yan said with a stern face, "Since you’re a servant An’an brought back, you should know your place. Don’t go coveting things that don’t belong to you."

Things like the position of Yu An’s Beast Husband.

When had Lan Yin ever been subjected to such disrespect?

But given his current "identity," he decided to endure it for now.

After warning Lan Yin, his tone softened as he said gently to Xiao Yu, "Xiao Yu, Beast Father will carry you to eat."

Xiao Yu’s blank little face instantly broke into a smile. He wrapped his arms around Mo Yan’s neck and whined sweetly, "Beast Father, I’m so hungry. I want to have a big bowl of congee today."

"Alright," Mo Yan said, rubbing his little head. "Beast Father will get it for you."

Witnessing their intimate interaction, Lan Yin felt his composure cracking. He could tolerate it before, but not anymore! 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’The Zaizai is ignoring me, yet he calls Mo Yan, a male with no relation to him whatsoever, Beast Father?!’

"Lan, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and come eat."

Yu An waved him over. Lan Yin took a deep breath and decided to endure it a little longer.

’Once the Zaizai and I acknowledge each other as father and son, he’ll surely be closer to me thanks to our blood ties.’

Mo Yan was learning to cook. He couldn’t make any complex dishes, but simple congee and side dishes were manageable.

Yu An took a bite. It wasn’t bad.

As the Clan Leader of the Merfolk Clan, Lan Yin had his own personal chef to prepare cooked food, but he had never eaten a meal like this before.

He copied Yu An, picked up his chopsticks, and was instantly conquered by a simple bite of stir-fried greens!

’So crisp and refreshing! How can there be such delicious food in the world!’

Mo Yan, however, frowned. "An’an, it’s not as good as yours. We’ll make do for now. I’ll keep practicing."

"It’s already great," Yu An praised. "At least you didn’t burn it."

After all, the one time Han Li had tried to cook alone, he had burned right through one of her pots!

Mo Yan thought of that incident too, feeling quite pleased with himself. ’It seems Yu An and I are a better match. We both have a talent for cooking.’

Lan Yin felt something was off about their interaction. They were acting just like an ordinary, loving couple. ’Doesn’t Mo Yan hate Yu An to death?’

’How strange.’

After seeing Feng Xuan, Lan Yin was even more baffled.

Although Feng Xuan didn’t look pleased with Yu An, he immediately did whatever she ordered him to do.

He didn’t show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction; on the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

"By the way, Yu An, who is he?"

Feng Xuan finally noticed Lan Yin’s presence and frowned. "I think he looks familiar, like someone I know."

It wasn’t his looks, but his overall aura that was similar.

"Oh? Who?"

Yu An deliberately glanced at Lan Yin and asked curiously, "He’s a servant I picked up. He has amnesia and doesn’t remember where his home is."

Their voices weren’t loud, but in the cave, they could be heard crystal clear. Lan Yin’s movements as he washed the dishes faltered for a moment.

"Xiao Yu’s Beast Father. The Clan Leader of the Merfolk Clan."

Feng Xuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, that’s not right. That guy has a perpetual scowl, like the whole world owes him eighty thousand Gold Coins. The aura of this person you brought back is completely different from that fish. It can’t be him."

Yu An’s mouth twitched. ’Is it really okay to talk bad about someone right to their face?’

Feng Xuan didn’t give it much thought. He was even more relieved to learn that Yu An didn’t intend for him to warm her bed tonight.

It was as if Yu An had some kind of demonic charm. When he got too close to her, he couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild. It was better to keep his distance.

With Han Li away, Mo Yan was the happiest of them all. He shoved Xiao Yu into Feng Xuan’s arms, warning him not to let Lan Yin get near, and then went to the adjacent cave to find Yu An.

The small cave that Feng Xuan had originally prepared for himself had been requisitioned by Yu An to use as a private room for intimacy with one of the males. After all, with the Zaizai in the main cave, some things were inconvenient.

But a moment later, Mo Yan returned with a cold expression.

Feng Xuan asked in surprise, "Why are you back?"

’Did Yu An want him to go warm her bed?’

’No way I’m going. Let me think of an excuse to refuse...’

"An’an wants to see you."

Mo Yan’s voice, laced with ice, cut through Feng Xuan’s thoughts. Those words were directed at Lan Yin.

Lan Yin froze. "Me?"

Mo Yan was already in a foul mood and didn’t answer him, simply returning to his own bed to sulk.

Helpless, Lan Yin had no choice but to go.

While Feng Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, he also felt a pang of discomfort.

’A female and a male alone in a room—everyone knew what that meant. And with an ugly male she had just picked up... Heh, she really isn’t picky!’

"You were looking for me?"

Lan Yin stood at the entrance to the cave, not wanting to go in at all. Although his disguised face wasn’t as handsome as his real one, it wasn’t bad either.

’Who knew if Yu An would be desperate enough to do... that sort of thing to him again, just like that night?’

Leaning against the headboard, Yu An beckoned to him with a finger. "Come here. What are you doing standing over there?"

Lan Yin walked in reluctantly, dragging his feet. It took him ages just to get halfway across the room.

Yu An grew impatient. A vine shot out, wrapped around Lan Yin, and threw him onto the bed.

"Wh-what are you doing...?"

Lan Yin instinctively covered his chest, as if Yu An were some kind of terrifying beast about to do something indecent to him.

"What am I going to do? Don’t you know?"

Yu An moved closer, her tone ambiguous. "It’s the middle of the night, and it’s just the two of us. What do you think we should do?"

Lan Yin forced himself to look away from the predatory gleam in Yu An’s eyes. "No, I don’t consent!"

’Even if he and Yu An had already done what a husband and wife do, he had been forced! That time didn’t count, and he would never have anything to do with her again!’

"What does it matter if you don’t consent? It’s not up to you."

Yu An’s hand rested naturally on his leg, tracing light circles. "There now, don’t resist. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee you won’t get hurt a second time."

Lan Yin’s breath caught in his throat.

’That night in the Imperial City was the first time. Tonight would be the second. Could it be that Yu An already knows my identity?’

’In that case, there’s no need to keep acting.’

"Yu An," he said through clenched teeth, "give up on that idea. I will never do that kind of thing with you!"