The weather was clear, and a soft, dry breeze caressed their faces.

"We already have a driver." Feng Qi gestured with a slight lift of his chin toward the two subordinates behind him.

The two Beastmen gave Su Yan a slight nod in greeting, then walked over to the Hovercar and settled into the driver’s and front passenger seats.

Su Yan glanced over, then slowly guided Jiang Zheyu to the Hovercar, helping her into one of the back seats first.

The Hovercar had only four seats. Feng Qi arched an eyebrow. Like a gust of wind, he moved with incredible speed to the other rear door. But just as his hand touched the handle and he pulled the door open, before he could even get in, his entire body froze in place, still as a statue.

After helping his Female Master close her door, Su Yan slowly walked over to Feng Qi’s side, calmly removed Feng Qi’s hand from the door handle, and sat down in the other back seat himself.

And so, Feng Qi could only watch as the car door slammed shut right in front of him.

The moment the door closed, his body finally broke free from the suppression of Su Yan’s spiritual power. He slammed his palm against the window, his dark eyes glaring coldly at Su Yan inside. "Commander Su, how dare you do that to someone whose spiritual power is unstable?"

Su Yan ignored him and looked toward the two Beastmen up front. "Let’s go," he said calmly.

The Beastman in the driver’s seat hesitated. He couldn’t afford to offend either man, and for a moment, he was caught in a difficult spot, unsure of what to do.

Feng Qi walked straight to the front passenger door, yanked it open, and pulled the Beastman out of the seat. "You’re off patrol for today. Go get some rest."

The bewildered Beastman stumbled out of the Hovercar, watching as Captain Qi took his place in the front passenger seat.

"Xiao Yuan, didn’t you hear what Commander Su said? Let’s go." After settling into the passenger seat, Feng Qi spoke, his tone dripping with an unreadable and mocking air.

The Beastman in the driver’s seat, Xiao Yuan, hurriedly started the Hovercar.

Patrols often involved unexpected incidents, so even though the Hovercar had an autopilot function, the Beastmen always drove it manually. This was to prevent them from becoming too reliant on the system’s sensors and letting their own reconnaissance skills atrophy.

"I’d like to go to the mall to buy some gifts first," Jiang Zheyu said, looking toward Xiao Yuan in the driver’s seat as the Hovercar lifted off. "Could you please take me to the largest one nearby?"

Xiao Yuan glanced at Feng Qi first. When Feng Qi heard that Jiang Zheyu was actually going to buy gifts to apologize, he paused, a strange feeling washing over him. ’This female is even more sincere than I thought.’ He gave Xiao Yuan a slight nod and said languidly, "Go ahead."

Seeing that his captain had agreed, he turned and steered the Hovercar toward the largest mall. "Of course, esteemed female," he replied to Jiang Zheyu.

The Hovercar soon came to a stop.

Jiang Zheyu walked into the mall with Su Yan and Feng Qi trailing behind her like a pair of bodyguards.

The mall was huge, spanning seven or eight floors. Bright, massive lights illuminated the bustling space, where the crowd was predominantly male.

Jiang Zheyu did spot a few other females, however. They were usually accompanied by several Male Beastmen, all of whom wore different styles of collars around their necks to monitor their Beastification Value.

The implication was clear: Male Beastmen who already had a Female Master generally wore such collars. It seemed that putting a collar on one’s Beast Husband had become a trend among females.

Jiang Zheyu was surprised to find that the collars came in butterfly, dragonfly, and even puppy-pendant designs. ’Looking at them now, they don’t seem so much like dog leashes after all. They’re actually quite nice.’

She glanced at them for a moment before looking away. Following the directory, she first headed to the fruit section. For fifteen families, she bought fifteen portions of fruit.

She noticed the fruit selection was rather limited, and from what she recalled, they weren’t particularly delicious. Still, she decided to buy apples. Her memories told her that interstellar apples were tartly sweet. While they had a sour kick, that didn’t detract from their nutritional value, making them an acceptable gift in this era—especially since most other fruits were either bitter or astringent.

The clerk bagged the fruit, and after Su Yan paid, both men dutifully took the bags.

For families with children, Jiang Zheyu also bought some stationery and candy. For those with elderly members, she picked up some nutritious instant congee.

"I’m all set. Let’s go." Jiang Zheyu gave the two men a small smile. "Thank you both for your hard work carrying everything."

"There’s no need for thanks between us," Su Yan said, gazing at her adoringly, his red eyes filled with warmth.

"It *is* hard work. You should remember to treat me to a meal sometime," Feng Qi shot back, seizing the opportunity.

"You could have chosen not to carry them," Su Yan said, giving Feng Qi a cold look.

A moment ago, when Su Yan had reached for the bags, Feng Qi had practically snatched the other bags of fruit from his side.

"I couldn’t do that. If I didn’t carry them, how would I get a chance to have the female treat me to dinner?" Feng Qi retorted with a smirk.

"Captain Qi, watch yourself."

"You’re the one who needs to watch himself, Commander Su. She isn’t your Female Master alone. She has every right to enjoy special treatment from other males."

"I don’t think you’re qualified."

"Whether I’m qualified or not isn’t up to you."

"Feng Qi, that’s enough."

"I am pursuing Miss Jiang openly and honorably. The one who should know when to stop is you, for trying to block other males from approaching your Female Master."

...

It was as if sparks were flying from their eyes. If not for their official positions, they would have already come to blows.

Jiang Zheyu quietly interjected, "I’m done shopping. Let’s go."

Su Yan paused, then fell silent as he walked beside Jiang Zheyu. ’Feng Qi’s words made it clear... my Female Master won’t be mine alone.’ The realization made him ache. He knew the interstellar culture accepted that a female could have multiple partners as a matter of course, but his possessiveness was gnawing at him. He just wanted to have his Yu Yu all to himself.

When Feng Qi saw Jiang Zheyu look his way, his brow furrowed slightly. ’I lost my temper and blurted out that I like her, ruining my plan to approach her slowly.’

He fell silent for a moment, then, seemingly deciding to just throw caution to the wind, he laid his cards on the table. "Yes, Miss Jiang, I like you. So, for your next choice of Beast Husband... how about considering me?"

His tone might have sounded casual, but his dark eyes were fixed on her with utter seriousness.

He knew Jiang Zheyu had to find a new partner within the month, and because of that, Feng Qi couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

If things had gone according to plan, he would have boosted Jiang Zheyu to third on the list and then slowly worked his way into her life.