Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Cat and Fox Shuraba, the Kitty Wants a Taste

It was already embarrassing enough to accidentally kiss someone while trying to express gratitude. What was even more embarrassing was being seen by someone else.

And of all people, that "someone else" had to be Baili Jing.

’Why does Baili Jing always show up whenever something happens with one of my other Beast Husbands!’

Jiang Qingli was shocked, but part of her was already used to it.

She turned around, blinked, and said nonchalantly, "You’re here early."

It was as if nothing had happened at all.

Baili Jing looked up, his gaze sweeping over the faint, crimson lip print on the side of Yuan Shimo’s face. By the time his eyes landed on Jiang Qingli, they were brimming with a smile. "I just wanted to see my darling sooner."

She knew Baili Actor had eyes that could look at a wooden post with tender affection and that sweet nothings were his second nature. She’d heard them countless times, but his words still made her ears burn.

She pinched her earlobe. "I’m not going home right now. Yueyue and Ai Li invited me to dinner."

"Are plus-ones allowed?" Baili Jing asked with a smile, quite straightforwardly.

Jiang Qingli hesitated. "It’s a private room, but there will be people coming and going. I’m afraid you’ll be seen and people will start rumors..."

"I’ll do whatever Xiao Li says." The young man hooked her finger with his own long, slender ones, his eyes curving into a smile. "If anyone sees us, they can just say I’m the one corrupting Xiao Li."

A faint, ticklish sensation spread across her palm as Baili Jing gently grazed it with his fingertip.

It was a familiar, clingy gesture of his.

Since he’d put it that way, Jiang Qingli couldn’t bring herself to refuse and agreed.

A gentle smile graced Baili Jing’s lips.

Beside him, Yuan Shimo’s brow furrowed, his cool eyes fixed on the other man’s flawless profile.

Using his shadow perception, Yuan Shimo knew Baili Jing had arrived at least five minutes ago.

’With a fox’s hearing, he must have clearly heard what Jiang Qingli said to me.’

’Yet he only revealed himself after our female master touched me, pretending he didn’t know a thing and tricking her into letting him join.’

’Insidious. Cunning.’

-

Five minutes later, the three of them were sitting side by side in the back seat.

The moment they were in the car, Baili Jing took Jiang Qingli’s hand and began speaking to her in a soft, gentle voice.

As Jiang Qingli spoke with Baili Jing, she didn’t forget that Yuan Shimo was sitting beside them, and she made sure to bring up topics everyone could participate in.

But Yuan Shimo felt as if there was a Barrier between him and the other two.

He was so close to Jiang Qingli, and yet, unlike Baili Jing, he couldn’t seem to truly reach her.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been ostracized.

In his own family, he was overlooked for being frail and sickly. After his Superpower was discovered, he was shunned by his mother, father, and even the servants.

At the academy, he skipped so many grades and had such a cold personality that, despite being polite, he never grew close to any of his peers.

Yuan Shimo had grown used to it, really.

He’d always been a loner, finding social interaction troublesome and disliking forming connections with others.

But now, hearing the girl speak to another male in such a soft, sweet, and intimate tone, a strange emotion welled up inside Yuan Shimo.

It was as if an invisible hand had clenched around his heart, squeezing out a bitter liquid.

An unbearable, bitter ache.

The strange ache only subsided when she looked his way.

Yuan Shimo found it strange and turned his head to look out the window, hoping the passing scenery would soothe his unusual state.

He didn’t want to care what Jiang Qingli and the other man were talking about.

But his ears couldn’t help but gather her every word.

His fingers, resting on the seat beside him, shifted in her direction. Gently, something touched her hand, which hung by her side.

It was an insubstantial shadow, carefully winding around the girl’s slender fingers.

In a place unknown to anyone, it interlocked its fingers with hers.

-

The club Lin Xiyue had chosen was in a bustling downtown area. It was members-only, but still quite crowded.

The private room was spacious and luxurious, filled with a dazzling, hazy dance of scattered lights and shadows.

Lin Xiyue was crouched in front of the coffee table, completely engrossed in building a champagne tower.

On the way over, Jiang Qingli had received a message from her. To celebrate Jiang Qingli passing her first assessment, Xiyue was going to build a champagne tower by hand.

Although Jiang Qingli suspected the main reason was that Lin Xiyue just wanted to play with it herself, she still happily said she was looking forward to it.

She had already stacked it six layers high.

Hearing a noise behind her, she turned in delight. "You’re here!"

But as she turned, the glass in her hand bumped the tower. A nearby champagne bottle toppled, falling straight toward the stack—

Lin Xiyue’s eyes flew wide. A scream was about to escape her lips but got caught in her throat.

Because in the instant before the bottle could crash down, it suddenly stopped, then was gently set upright by something.

’It seemed like... a shadow?’

Lin Xiyue looked gratefully at Jiang Qingli’s two Beast Husbands. "Thank you! Was that Senior Yuan’s Superpower?" She frowned. "No, that’s not right. Why didn’t I feel any wind?"

Yuan Shimo instinctively glanced down at his own shadow.

His thin lips pursed, and he frowned in embarrassment.

Just as Jiang Qingli was trying to figure out how to smooth things over, the young man beside her spoke up. "I caught it with my ’Barrier’."

"It can be used for that too?!" Lin Xiyue said in shock.

Baili Jing walked over to the coffee table, a gentle smile on his face. "Building a champagne tower? Need any help?"

Her attention successfully diverted, Lin Xiyue quickly waved her hands. "No, no, I’m almost done! You guys go ahead and sit down!"

She went back to her champagne tower, the little incident already forgotten.

The two males sat down with Jiang Qingli between them, neither sparing the other a glance.

A waiter opened the door and asked for their drink orders.

Baili Jing smoothly ordered a red wine for himself and a fruit wine for Jiang Qingli.

Yuan Shimo ordered mineral water.

Jiang Qingli asked, "You don’t like drinking?"

The music was a little loud, so she leaned in to ask by his ear.

Her warm breath tickled his ear.

Yuan Shimo felt his mind begin to wander. He paused for a moment before mirroring her posture and replying by her ear, "I’ve never had it before."

Jiang Qingli nodded, full of camaraderie. "Then I’ll run interference for you later!"

He knew there wouldn’t be any "drink-forcing" at a friendly get-together like this, but a smile touched his lips nonetheless.

Before long, Lin Xiyue finished the champagne tower and excitedly beckoned to her friend. "Quick, come over here! Take a picture with the first champagne tower I’ve ever built by hand!"

Jiang Qingli went over, and the two of them snuggled up for the camera.

Watching the two girls strike various intimate poses for their photos, Yuan Shimo frowned. That bitter ache surged up inside him again.

"You should rein in that jealous stare. You’ll scare her."

Baili Jing’s voice cut in from a short distance away.

Yuan Shimo shot him a cool glance. "You helped me just now, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to thank you."

Baili Jing chuckled. "I had no intention of helping you."

The young man held his glass, watching the liquid swirl within before taking an elegant sip. "I just didn’t want her to have to lie to her friend on your account."

A soft huff escaped the youth’s throat, and he fell silent.

-

After the selfies were done, Ai Li made her belated entrance.

She was sighing the moment she walked through the door.

Jiang Qingli asked, "What’s wrong? You don’t seem to be in a very good mood."

Ai Li’s shoulders slumped. "Don’t even ask. I just passed my A+ assessment, and before I even had a chance to celebrate, the damn association assigned me a Black Tiger Beastman... He’s handsome, sure, but I don’t want to go to the supervision bureau! The place sounds terrifying!"

Jiang Qingli rubbed her back soothingly, which seemed to improve her mood slightly. Ai Li leaned into her friend’s arms and whimpered pitifully.

After she finished venting, Ai Li suddenly felt a prickle on the back of her neck, as if she were being watched.

She turned to look, but no one was watching her.

Yuan Shimo, who was sitting diagonally behind her, had his head down, taking an elegant sip of his mineral water.

Ai Li: ...?

’Was I just imagining things?’

Now that everyone was there, Lin Xiyue raised a glass of champagne for a toast.

After the toast, Ai Li said she wanted to play a game and started browsing through options on the screen.

Jiang Qingli turned her head and saw Yuan Shimo still sipping his mineral water, his posture looking strangely timid and reserved.

’With his personality, this might be his first time in a place like this.’

’It felt strangely like I was corrupting a good student.’

Jiang Qingli leaned closer. "Are you getting bored?"

The scent of wine mingled with her own unique fragrance, enveloping his senses.

Yuan Shimo lowered his gaze to look at the girl.

’Alcohol makes people irrational, and I prefer to stay clear-headed at all times.’

’I’ve never had alcohol, and I’m not interested in it.’

’But right now, looking at her glistening, moist lips as she spoke...’

The youth’s Adam’s apple bobbed. An unprecedented thought surfaced in his mind—

’I want a taste.’