Su Qinglan dragged her feet behind Han Jue. The man walked too fast, and his back looked even colder than the wind slicing through the trees. She sulked silently, while the plant swayed lazily on her shoulder like a spoiled child.
They had already walked a good distance when a sudden voice broke through the silence.
"Su Qinglan! Are you all right?"
Her steps halted. Her head shot up.
That voice...
Before she could even answer, the voice rang out again, full of worry.
"And what are you doing with her?"
Su Qinglan’s eyes widened. Her big tiger!
Hu Yan was standing a little ahead, his tall figure tense, his golden eyes blazing with worry. He looked like he had run here without stopping, and his chest heaved as if he had been holding his breath the whole time.
Su Qinglan blinked, she was stunned. For a second, her chest warmed. He had... come for her?
But before she could say anything, a rough voice beside her replied coldly.
"Why can’t I be here?"
Han Jue’s tone was as unpleasant as always, filled with challenge.
Hu Yan froze. His golden eyes narrowed, then shifted back to Su Qinglan. "I’m not asking why you’re here," he said stiffly, his voice dropping lower. "I’m asking what you’re doing with her."
Then, without hesitation, his gaze sharpened like blade. "Han Jue, I’m warning you. You are not allowed to hurt my female."
Su Qinglan’s jaw dropped. "..."
Wait. What?!
Her brain blanked. Did this tiger just... call her his female?!
Hu Yan didn’t even notice her shocked expression. His gaze was locked firmly on Han Jue, his tall figure standing protectively in front of her.
When he couldn’t find Su Qinglan earlier, panic had clawed at his chest in a way he didn’t understand. He had searched everywhere, and when he finally saw her here with Han Jue of all people, his heart nearly leapt out of his throat.
Knowing Han Jue’s bad temper, Hu Yan’s worry doubled. His fists clenched. "Did he bully you?"
Su Qinglan opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
She looked... sad. At least, that’s what Hu Yan thought. And the sight stabbed at his chest.
When had he started caring this much? He didn’t even realize it himself. But from the day she had brought him food, something inside him had shifted.
He had seen her try, indeed she was clumsy and awkward but determined, she wants to change herself into someone better. And she really was doing it. She was no longer the same female as before.
And most importantly... she was his.
His female.
There was no way he would let anyone bully her. And definitely not Han Jue, who was second only to Su Qinglan herself when it came to bad temper.
Han Jue’s lip curled in irritation. A deep growl rumbled from his throat, low and dangerous.
How dare this tiger look at him like that? Like he was some bully who went around making females cry.
His icy blue eyes narrowed, his voice sharp as a blade. "Your female? Since when?"
The air froze.
Hu Yan’s eyes widened, stunned by his own words being thrown back at him. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Even Su Qinglan’s brain exploded into white noise.
Your female?!
Since when did she become anyone’s female? She was just standing here!
Her round eyes darted between the two beastmen, utterly speechless.
And then, as if to make things even worse, Han Jue’s lips curled further, spitting the question like venom.
"Is she really only yours?"
Both Hu Yan and Su Qinglan froze on the spot.
Stunned.
Su Qinglan’s mind went blank.
Han Jue’s words were still echoing in the air.
"Your female? Since when? Is she your female?"
Her round eyes blinked, her mouth hanging open.
What the hell did that even mean?
Only female? Was she some kind of... public property that everyone could share? Did these beastmen not know what privacy was? What relationships were?
Her cheeks puffed up in outrage.
Crazy! Completely crazy!
But just as she was about to open her mouth and yell at both of them, something else hit her.
Something far more shocking.
Wait.
Did Hy Yan just call him Han Jue?
Her ears buzzed.
Han Jue.
Han Jue.
Her pupils shrank.
Holy crap! Wasn’t that the name of her second beast husband?! The Arctic wolf! The one she had saved!
Her breath caught in her throat. She snapped her head toward him, staring hard.
Icy blue eyes. Check. Sharp, cold, like frozen lakes in winter. Check.
That low, rough growl that made her scalp prickle. Check.
His posture—tense, proud, and full of restrained violence. Check... Check.
She gulped.
Damn it. It really matched.
And then she remembered. Just moments ago, when the evil, ferocious beast had appeared, she had been too busy staring at the monster to even notice how Han Jue fought. She had only caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eyes—a white blur flashing through the trees.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it. Just some beastman moving too fast.
But now...
Her eyes widened even more.
A white blur. White fur.
A fur ball.
Holy hell. That was him! The Arctic wolf.
Han Jue: "..." Who was being compared in her mind to a white fur ball.
Her lips twitched.
So he was actually her second beast husband this whole time... And she didn’t even realize?!
Her shoulders slumped. What kind of transmigrator was she? She hadn’t even recognized her own supposed man!
She buried her face in her hands.
The original owner really left her a mess.
Su Qinglan sifted through the memories again, trying to double-check. But, as always, the original owner’s mind was like a broken mirror—fragmented, foggy, and refusing to give her clear answers. She could only pick out scattered pieces of scenes. That was it. Nothing useful.
She sighed heavily.
The original owner really had been too lazy to remember important things. No wonder Su Qinglan had been stumbling around blind this whole time.
She peeked at Han Jue again from between her fingers.
Han Jue, sensing her stare, turned his head slowly. His cold eyes landed on her.
"..."
Su Qinglan coughed awkwardly, yanking her gaze away as fast as she could.