The sky above the desolate planet looked like it was veiled in a dingy, gray gauze.

Jiang Zheyu felt the room’s intense pinkness was a jarring contrast with the world outside.

The entire room was a single, monotonous shade of pink.

It was visually exhausting.

She couldn’t bring herself to go to Shan Xun and say she wanted to change the furniture for pieces in a different color. ’Wouldn’t that be telling him to his face that I don’t like the room he prepared for me?’

To save face for both of them, Jiang Zheyu decided to find other Beastmen to handle it.

She opened the door and found Beastmen standing guard outside. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Honored female, do you have any instructions for us?" a Beastman asked, placing his right hand over his left breast as he bowed his head slightly.

"Um, is there any other furniture here? I’d like to pick out a few more pieces," Jiang Zheyu asked with a faint smile, starting by saying she wanted to pick out *more* furniture, not that she disliked what was already in the room.

’I’ll just pick out a bunch of stuff, and then I can swap out all this pink furniture.’

"Do you feel you don’t have enough furniture? If there’s anything else you want, we can just go bring it over for you," the Beastman said hurriedly.

"But I’d like to go pick it out myself," Jiang Zheyu said, looking at the Beastman, her clear, tea-colored eyes filled with anticipation.

"W-well, you can come with us to take a look, then." The Beastman’s cheeks flushed slightly, though his wheat-colored skin made the blush hard to see. "Just point out what you like, and we’ll help you carry it back."

"Okay, thank you," Jiang Zheyu said, her lips curling into a gentle smile.

"Y-you’re welcome," the Beastman stammered.

’Are all females like this? It’s been so long since I’ve seen one, I’d forgotten what they were like. I never imagined they could be so gentle and cute.’

The other Beastman was also blushing. ’The female is so beautiful.’

The two Beastmen led Jiang Zheyu to a vacant room. It was quite dusty but filled with new furniture, all of it brand new but covered in a layer of dust.

"There’s a lot of unused furniture here, honored female. What are you missing? We can wash it and wipe it clean before moving it for you." The Beastman opened the door and went inside, but still added a warning, "It’s a bit dusty in here, so you should probably wait outside."

Hearing that, Jiang Zheyu decided not to go in. She stood outside and casually pointed to a few stools and chairs.

They were all light blue.

Soon, Jiang Zheyu was back in her room, directing the two Beastmen to carry out the pink table and chairs and bring in the cleaned, light-blue ones.

A Beastman had just carried a pink stool out when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" a man’s emotionless voice sounded beside him.

The Beastman turned and saw Captain Shan. He quickly put down the stool, placed his right hand over his left breast, and bowed slightly. "Captain Shan, the female said she wanted to pick out some more furniture. When she realized the room couldn’t fit it all, she had us take these stools out."

Shan Xun’s hand dropped from his shoulder, his gaze shifting from the Beastman to the pink stool.

His deep purple eyes darkened slightly.

’Didn’t she say she was satisfied yesterday? Why does she want to change it today?’

Jiang Zheyu noticed the situation outside her door and hurried out. "Captain Shan, is something wrong?"

He must have noticed she was changing the furniture. To tell someone you like it one day and start replacing it the next was pretty embarrassing, but the room was just *too* pink. ’How can anyone be so absurd? The entire room is pink! Seriously, all of it. Even the inside of the wardrobe is pink.’

Jiang Zheyu was at a loss for words.

’Please, for the sake of saving face, don’t just say it out loud.’

But Jiang Zheyu’s actions had already said it all.

"You don’t like this color?" Shan Xun asked, looking down at her. His thick, sharp eyebrows always gave him an aggressive and untamable look.

He had asked her bluntly and directly.

Trying to save face, Jiang Zheyu quickly replied, "That’s not it. I just wanted to pick out a few more pieces, but then I realized the room couldn’t fit them. They had already brought them over, and I didn’t want them to have made the trip for nothing, so I decided to swap for the other set. Really, I can accept furniture of any color."

"If you don’t like it, you can just tell me directly." Shan Xun’s deep-set, monolidded eyes were half-lidded as he looked down at her. "There’s no need to beat around the bush like this."

To Jiang Zheyu’s ears, his words were full of ill will and displeasure.

Jiang Zheyu’s lips moved slightly. ’Why does he have to be so blunt? He just completely shredded any sense of decorum.’

’Or am I just being too sensitive and worrying too much about appearances?’

"Okay." Jiang Zheyu’s long lashes, like butterfly wings, fluttered down, and she lowered her head.

’It must be because my Beast Husbands used to spoil me so much. Being chided like this makes me feel wronged.’

’Pfft, what’s there to feel wronged about?’

Still, nobody liked being told off in such a harsh tone.

Shan Xun saw the female lower her head. She looked hurt, and her spirits seemed to sink.

It was as if he had bullied her.

A wave of annoyance washed over Shan Xun.

The Beastmen who had been moving furniture were now standing by, motionless.

"Keep moving. What are you standing around for?" Shan Xun said, looking at the Beastmen.

"Y-yes, sir!" The Beastmen snapped out of it and quickly resumed moving the furniture out.

Jiang Zheyu kept her head down and said nothing. Shan Xun also stood beside her, neither leaving nor speaking.

The air seemed to grow heavy.

She didn’t see it.

The man standing beside her had his brows furrowed so tightly he could have crushed a mosquito between them. His handsome, sharp features were dark and gloomy, and his deep purple eyes churned with a mix of emotions: irritation, hesitation, and contemplation.

’Did I say something wrong? Did I do something wrong?’

’Why is she upset? What’s with the lowered head?’

"Hey, you..." Shan Xun finally couldn’t help but speak, his tone as commanding as if he were addressing a subordinate.

With her head lowered, Jiang Zheyu could see the man’s fists clenched at his sides. Blue veins stood out on the backs of his sun-tanned hands, as if he was exerting so much force they were about to burst. It looked as if that fist might come flying at her at any second.

The sight terrified her. ’I only changed the furniture,’ she thought. ’He’s not going to hit me, is he?’

Then she heard the man’s low, tense voice.

Jiang Zheyu snapped her head up, her tea-colored eyes flickering nervously. "W-what is it?" she stammered.

"Unhappy?" Shan Xun asked directly.

To Jiang Zheyu’s ears, it sounded just like a threat.