Surprise filled Noah’s face when he saw this. He quickly took a step forward. "What’s wrong?"

He stared intently at Mingye, trying to read his expression for an answer.

Mingye frantically covered his mouth as a low, hoarse sound escaped his throat. He struggled to calm his breathing, and after a long moment, he barely managed to force out two words: "I’m fine."

But his voice was impossibly hoarse and held an undisguisable tremor, which only made Noah more suspicious.

Mingye took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand up calmly. He straightened his slightly messy clothes, trying to cover up his earlier loss of composure.

He reached out to push open the door, and the moment it swung open, he collided squarely with Su Yaoyao, who was just about to step out.

Su Yaoyao was completely unprepared. Her body instantly lost its balance, and just as she was about to fall, Mingye subconsciously reached out and wrapped his arm tightly around her waist.

Their gazes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

Su Yaoyao’s eyes were wide with panic and shock, while a complex emotion flickered in Mingye’s—surprise, and an indescribable hint of fluster.

"Sister!" Noah cried out, his voice startlingly loud in the quiet hallway.

Snapping back to reality, Su Yaoyao’s face flushed red. She shoved Mingye away, her movements frantic and rushed.

’I can’t believe this,’ she fumed internally. ’After all that effort to coax that snake to let go, I was going to use the chance to scout things out. Of all the people to run into the second I open the door... My luck is the absolute worst.’

She turned to look at Noah, a hint of displeasure on her face, and said irritably, "Don’t call me sister. We’re not that close." Her voice was tinged with coldness, an attempt to keep her distance from Noah.

At her words, Noah’s eyelids lowered, his thick lashes casting shadows on his cheeks.

The corners of his mouth turned down as he deliberately put on a heartbroken expression. "But we’ve slept in each other’s arms every night for the past few days. You were always feeling me up all over, too. Are we really not that close?"

His voice was laced with a hurt, accusatory tone, as if he were a wronged maiden scolding her for using him and then tossing him aside.

For a moment, Su Yaoyao was speechless. Her face flushed, then paled. ’This is all my fault for being so weak to a pretty face,’ she thought, mortified and furious.

"You... You’re spouting nonsense!" she denied instinctively, her voice trembling with agitation.

Mingye stood to the side, watching this scene. His brow furrowed unconsciously, and a complex emotion flickered in his eyes—a bit of displeasure, and also an imperceptible trace of jealousy.

He cleared his throat, trying to break the awkward and delicate atmosphere. "Alright, that’s enough fooling around." His voice was low, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Noah, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard Mingye. He pressed on, taking another step closer to Su Yaoyao.

"Sister, how can you just turn on me like this? Have you forgotten the warmth of those nights?"

While his face still wore that pitifully wronged expression, his eyes held a sly glint. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her discomfort.

Su Yaoyao retreated a step until her back hit the wall. She was trapped.

She was both angry and anxious, the rims of her eyes turning slightly red. "That’s only because you tricked me by pretending to be a child!"

Mingye stepped forward, yanked Noah away, and stood in front of Su Yaoyao. "That’s enough, Noah. Don’t go too far." He shot Noah a cold look, full of warning.

Noah pouted, a look of defiance on his face. "I was just flirting with my sister, and I was only telling the truth." But under Mingye’s gaze, he still reluctantly stepped aside.

Su Yaoyao leaned against the wall, panting heavily as she tried to compose herself. ’This is not my idea of flirting.’

She looked at the two men before her, feeling both angry and helpless. "Let me out."

Mingye looked at Su Yaoyao, a complex look in his eyes, and said softly, "You can’t escape."

His voice was low and calm, but it held an undeniable force.

He knew all about her escape attempts by monitoring her through his Spiritual Body.

Su Yaoyao’s anger flared, and all her pent-up frustration and rage erupted like a volcano:

"If I stay alive, I’ll just be tortured by you two anyway! One of you threatens me with a knife at the drop of a hat, and the other injects me with who-knows-what kind of drugs. I’d rather die! At least then I can be reunited with Bai Lian and the others."

As she spoke, Su Yaoyao completely broke down. Tears streamed down her face as she slid weakly to the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.

She missed Bai Lian and the others so, so much. Beautiful memories of their time together flooded her mind, making the pain of her grief almost unbearable.

Guilt flickered across Mingye and Noah’s faces. When they heard Su Yaoyao talk about wanting to die, Mingye’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Are you insane?!" Mingye’s voice was filled with unprecedented panic and rage. He stared at Su Yaoyao, his gaze burning as if to see right through her. "Is it worth it? To throw away your own life for a few males?!"

His voice was hoarse with agitation, his throat feeling as if it were being scorched by fire.

Su Yaoyao gasped for breath, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes, which were filled with despair and indignation.

"You don’t understand. They were the most important people to me..." Her voice was choked with sobs, her throat feeling as if it were blocked, making every word a struggle.

Noah stood frozen in place, the easy smile long gone from his face, replaced by deep shock.

His eyes were vacant and bewildered. He stared blankly at Su Yaoyao, as if he were seeing a completely alien world.

’He had never imagined a female would be willing to die for her males. In his experience, there were so many males. For the arrogant females he knew, weren’t males just toys to be replaced at will?’

He was utterly bewildered, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration for the depth of her devotion.

Su Yaoyao closed her eyes tightly, tears sliding down her cheeks. Her body trembled continuously as she murmured, "Leon... Reg... Pani..." Her voice grew quieter and quieter, as if calling to distant souls.

Mingye watched Su Yaoyao, the curiosity and doubt in his heart growing stronger. "Who exactly are those people to you?"

"They’re my family! They’re my Beast Husbands!" Su Yaoyao shouted, her voice laced with finality and conviction.

She lifted her head and looked directly into Mingye’s eyes, her own gaze filled with longing for her family—and hatred for him.

Mingye and Noah’s eyes widened in shock, a complex emotion welling up inside them.

They actually felt a pang of envy for Bai Lian and the others, who had a wife like Su Yaoyao, one who cherished her Beast Husbands so deeply.