Jiang Zheyu waited in the living room until 11:40, but still hadn’t heard the sound of the door opening.

She started to feel a little uneasy. While checking her Light Brain, she slowly walked toward the door, only to stop halfway.

A tall, slender figure was leaning against the iron gate. His head was slightly bowed as he took ragged breaths, trying to calm himself.

Jiang Zheyu couldn’t make out the person’s face. Her heart suddenly began to race, and she froze in her tracks.

’Is that Su Yan? If it is, why didn’t he turn on the lights?’

The figure moved, turning with some difficulty toward the side gate.

Then came a soft CLICK.

The gate opened, and Jiang Zheyu instinctively looked toward it.

The man slowly walked in. In the moonlight, she could gradually make out his short, choppy red hair and those strikingly familiar red eyes.

Jiang Zheyu noticed that Su Yan’s red eyes—perhaps it was the lighting—seemed an even more vivid, blood-like red, filled with the murderous intent of a cold-blooded animal.

But when he looked at her, a veil of warmth seemed to cover his red eyes again, cooling the bloodthirsty chill and making Jiang Zheyu wonder if what she had just seen was a figment of her imagination.

Su Yan glanced at the Light Brain on his wrist before looking at Jiang Zheyu. "Sorry, I’m a minute late."

He slowly walked to Jiang Zheyu’s side.

"It’s fine. It’s only a minute." Jiang Zheyu caught the faint scent of blood. "Are... are you hurt?"

She looked at Su Yan with concern.

Su Yan paused for a moment before replying, "It’s not my blood."

His tone was unreadable as he said this.

’In the end, that white-eyed bug still claimed the lives of several Beastmen.’

Jiang Zheyu didn’t know what had happened, but she could sense the man’s heavy mood. After a moment’s thought, she said softly, "It’s cold out here. Let’s go inside."

The words felt familiar to Su Yan; he had once said the same thing to her. For some reason, something stirred in his heart. His red eyes stared into her warm, tea-colored ones, and he saw that they were filled with concern for him.

He stared into her beautiful eyes for a long moment. For an instant, his pupils seemed to narrow into slits. The serpentine instinct to bite and coil around her made his heart pound in his chest.

Jiang Zheyu faltered, wondering why Su Yan was staring at her so intently. Her skin crawled, as if she were being watched by a cold-blooded predator.

"Are you worried about me?" Su Yan asked slowly.

’Why is he asking that?’ Jiang Zheyu wondered. ’Even if he were just a friend, I’d still be concerned if they came home in the middle of the night in a bad mood and smelling of blood.’

’Without realizing it, she had come to see Su Yan as a friend. It was due to his politeness and restraint, the friendship forged over daily breakfasts and simple chats, that allowed them to interact like any other ordinary friends.’

’Of course, that’s what she thought—that they were just ordinary friends.’

’The other person’s intentions, however, remained a mystery.’

’After all, not every Beastman was willing to spend time eating unpalatable food when they could just have a nutrient solution. Not only did it save time, but it also filled one’s stomach quickly.’

’And yet, Su Yan had already joined her for breakfast several times.’

"Yeah." Jiang Zheyu admitted. She really was a little worried about him.

Her soft reply struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

Looking at the delicate, lovely girl standing before him, Su Yan could no longer ignore the desire and impulse welling up inside him.

"Female Master..." Su Yan murmured, his red eyes fixed on her pale pink lips. He reached out and took Jiang Zheyu’s hand. "Let’s... let’s be like a normal pair of Beast Mates."

For a moment, Jiang Zheyu couldn’t process his words. ’How did the conversation suddenly turn to being Beast Mates?’

"Alright?" Su Yan gently squeezed her hand.

Jiang Zheyu could feel a faint warmth radiating from the large hand holding hers.

A Snake Beastman’s body was normally on the cooler side, yet right now, his palm was slightly warm.

The man looked down at her, his gaze incredibly dark, as if he were desperately restraining some impulse. Su Yan was so close, his tall, slender frame seemed ready to envelop her completely.

Jiang Zheyu felt she had nowhere to run, and a sense of dread washed over her.

She wracked her brain, wondering if she had said something to make him misunderstand. Not daring to look at him, she said in a strained voice, "Su Yan, you... you misunderstood. That’s not what I meant."

"I am worried about you, but it’s just the concern one has for an ordinary friend," Jiang Zheyu hurriedly explained. "I mistreated you so badly before, so caring about you now is just my way of trying to make it up to you. I won’t hold you back anymore. I know you definitely don’t like me, so if you find someone you like in the future, I’ll let you go. I absolutely won’t keep you tied to me."

She finished her long-winded explanation, unsure if Su Yan believed her.

A dark look flashed through Su Yan’s red eyes.

’Ordinary friends? Then why is she always so eager to perform Spiritual Comfort for me?’

’Why couldn’t she just stay thoroughly cruel, completely rotten like before?’

’Now that she’s changed, she’s constantly drawing his attention.’

’Su Yan couldn’t stop himself from being captivated by her.’

’He understood his own feelings now, and his rational mind was fighting to suppress his impulses.’

’He had to be a calm Snake Beastman.’

Su Yan released Jiang Zheyu’s hand and said slowly, "I’m sorry. I misunderstood."

The anxiety that had gripped Jiang Zheyu finally began to subside.

’Su Yan must only want to pursue a relationship with me because he hasn’t met the female lead yet.’

’Once he meets the female lead, everything will be fine. He’ll know who his one true love is then.’

She forced a small, unnatural smile. "Let’s go inside."

The two of them walked inside, and the atmosphere seemed to have changed.

Jiang Zheyu’s mind was reeling. ’Does Su Yan really want to be with me like a proper Beast Mate?’

’In the novel, after his Beastification spiraled out of control and he killed the original owner of this body, Su Yan escaped. But the female lead eventually saved him, using a serum to lower his Beastification Value.’

’At that point, Su Yan went from being a high-ranking interstellar senior commander to a wanted criminal beast. But he still retained his unique charisma and never forgot his original aspiration for becoming a soldier. In the female lead’s motley organization, his sense of justice and kindness was unparalleled.’

Her mind began to wander as she recalled Su Yan’s backstory from the novel. He had clawed his way out of the slums and into the Imperial City on his own merit. As a child, he had witnessed his Snake Beast Father, unable to control his violent rages, beat his mother, who had no spiritual power.

’His father never underwent Beastification, yet he abused his mother to death.’

’Su Yan killed his father and swore that he would never become an irrational Beastman like him, because there was no difference between that and being a mindless, savage animal.’

’He was so restrained and proper that he harbored a secret love for the female lead for years, only ever helping her from the shadows and watching over her from afar, never once overstepping his bounds.’