Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Financial Crisis

The Little Butterfly died on the spot.

Its wings gave a sudden shiver, and its whole body shook violently.

"Stop talking!!"

"Which family has the female on top! Ah ah ah! I don’t mean that, I mean... ah ah ah, I can’t live anymore!"

It flipped its belly up and lay on the pillow with all four legs in the air.

If only its head wasn’t too small to stick out its tongue.

It should really roll its eyes and play dead, to show that shame had reached the peak of its life.

At this point, how could Selene Kane have any sleepiness left?

The scene just now was too magical, and thinking back on it still felt absurd and unbelievable.

She shuffled out of bed in her fluffy slippers, slowly getting up.

Sleepily, she pushed open the door, and the hallway light spilled in, projecting the cartoon bears on her pajamas.

In the living room, Zane was sitting alone, quietly.

He gently stroked the Little Fox Alza in his arms, one hand at a time.

Selene felt her heart skip a beat, making it void.

Her face flushed instantly, even her ears turned red, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

"Why are you guys still up?"

Zane lifted his head, his eyes calm.

His legs were casually open, his posture relaxed.

Alza leaped agilely from his lap, making almost no sound as it landed.

"Waiting for you."

Selene was stunned, her gaze fixed on Zane’s face.

His expression remained calm, but his eyes held some indescribable emotion.

This look of his made her heart tighten, as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

"Next time, if you knock, I’ll definitely open."

Selene hastily spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

She didn’t want him to wait outside anymore.

Zane said nothing, merely lowered his eyes slightly.

Yet that stifled sense of dependence spread like a rising tide, silently flooding the floor.

The more silent he became, the stronger the emotion, crushing her breathlessly.

When he was silent, he was colder than Caleb Shaw, lonelier than a winter night.

Yet in that silence lay a kind of softness that couldn’t be ignored.

It felt like a slight prick to Selene’s heart, both painful and tender.

She felt like a jerk, guilty even for breathing.

She obviously loved him, cared about him the most.

But her actions pushed him away time and again.

She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but didn’t know where to start.

"You were with another Beast Husband..."

She finally heard the question she feared the most, lightly escaping his lips.

"I shouldn’t have disturbed you."

She knew he wasn’t blaming her, but facilitating.

That painful facilitation was the most heartbreaking.

Cold sweat appeared on her forehead, the chill crawling up her spine, and she almost instinctively threw herself forward to hug him tightly.

"How could that be! You’re the most special one in my heart, the one I love the most is you!"

Her voice trembling with sobs, almost shouted out.

Her arms encircled his waist tightly, afraid that if she let go, he would disappear.

These words had always worked like magic, instantly melting his coldness.

But today, it was like a stone dropped into water.

Sinking without a splash, with no echo whatsoever.

The air froze, even breathing seemed superfluous.

Zane looked up at her, his gaze light as a leaf.

"This is the second time you’ve said this, but I, this is the third time I’m hearing this."

"Huh?"

Selene froze, her mind momentarily not catching up.

She blinked, trying to understand the meaning behind the statement.

But before she could react, reality hit her like a blow to the head.

The Sea King was bound to crash eventually?

Without a second thought, Selene dashed downstairs in two strides.

She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck like vines.

Pressing herself against him, her head nuzzled against his warm chest, inhaling all of his scent.

"But you’re different, you understand me the most."

She murmured, her voice so soft it was almost melting.

Zane wanted to stay in his brooding mood for a bit longer, to fully embody the role of an abandoned cold protagonist.

But she nuzzled him, and all his aloofness crumbled instantly.

He wrapped his arms around her decisively, sweeping her entirely into his embrace.

Lowering his head, his lips pressed against hers.

Kissing her breathless, lips tingling, seeing stars in front of her eyes.

He finally pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against hers, and asked breathlessly, "Why do I smell fish?"

"Huh?"

Selene’s mind was still fuzzy, her lips still burning.

The system immediately popped up a window, with cold text appearing.

"Host, last time’s prenatal education environment was unqualified, the system automatically used your savings to send an urgent reminder to the baby’s father."

Selene: "???"

Her face instantly collapsed, her pupils quaking.

For free?

Who authorized it?

She abruptly lowered her head to look at her wrist, where the photon screen displayed the balance.

Four digits, stuck at starting with a nine.

Originally five-figured savings now reduced to less than ten thousand.

Her vision darkened, nearly fainting on the spot, her knees giving in.

If not for Zane holding her, she might have collapsed.

"I didn’t agree to this!"

It was her hard-earned money!

"Avoid inverted sentences."

The system remained frustratingly composed.

"The system detected Ethan Sinclair’s unusual spending, records have been retrieved, please check."

Selene shrunk into his arms, tentatively opening the records.

Her fingers shook so much she almost couldn’t swipe the screen.

But as soon as the screen lit up, she was petrified.

So that’s what happened... she finally understood.

Zane had been sullen for so long, not because she cheated.

But because the system used her money to send an urgent reminder to Ethan Sinclair?

And Ethan Sinclair, the Abyssal Mate, actually used her money to buy an entire cabin of "prenatal soothing supplies."

Including glowing Deep Sea Pearls, a Constant Temperature Child Care Cabin, even a singing Mechanical Jellyfish...

This was... too wild!

She twitched, her mind in chaos.

This wasn’t a romantic crisis; it was a financial one!

The little yellow fish from the deep sea cluelessly swiped the screen, pointing at a glowing orb, innocently asking, "What’s this pearl for? Does the Female Master like Luminous Pearls? We have plenty in the sea."

He even blinked, seriously suggesting.

"Want me to dig up a basket more?"

Selene promptly shut off the screen, raised her hand to cough, her ear tips red.

"No, that’s not what it is."

She wished the ground would swallow her up.

Great, now her money’s gone, her dignity’s gone, and the system’s even started managing her "child"...

How could she explain that human couples...

Could have so many tricks up their sleeves?

The ways of this world were truly strange and unpredictable beyond reason.

She had thought herself well-traveled, familiar with various cultures, and considered herself experienced.

But right now, facing this scene, her mind buzzed and roared.

"So... about this thing..."

She took a deep breath, lifting her foot, and kicked open Ethan Sinclair’s door harshly.

The wooden door exploded with a loud "bang."

Dim light spilled out from inside, casting over the two little figures on the bed.

On the bed, two little tigers were snuggled together, drooling in sleep, with glistening tear beads on their whiskers.

Their furry tails entwined, breathing steadily, cheeks flushed rosy.