After Pampering Her 5 Beast Husbands, the Villainess Struck It Rich

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Can I Sleep with You?

The moment Bai Zhi walked in, she saw Sang Mo lounging on the recliner she had bought, with Yue Junxiao and Yan Yichen on the sofa. Lang Qiu was nowhere to be seen; she figured he was in his room, still recovering his spiritual power.

Upon hearing them return, Yue Junxiao was the first to his feet, practically leaping up to walk over to them. Yan Yichen was a step behind, a little puzzled. ’Why is he so proactive all of a sudden?’

In the past, he’d always looked impatient and disgusted whenever Bai Zhi spoke, desperate to get as far away from her as possible. This was the first time he’d ever been this eager.

Strange or not, he still went to greet them.

Yue Junxiao immediately sidled up to Bai Zhi, while Yan Yichen looked curiously at the box in Hu Yan’s arms. "What goodies did you buy today?"

Bai Zhi gestured with her chin toward the box in Hu Yan’s hands. "Go on, open it."

The moment he opened it, a warm, comforting energy washed over him.

She had a robot pour her a glass of water and spoke as she drank. "I’m planning to make a little something for each of you. There’s also a companion stone, but I haven’t decided what to make with it yet. Oh, right, give this Beast Core to Lang Qiu. It’ll restore his spiritual power."

As she spoke, Bai Zhi took the Beast Core that Xing Lang had gifted her out of the box.

She then remembered the Comfort Upgrade Pill the system had given her and wanted to test its effects. "Or maybe tonight, in my room..."

Before Bai Zhi could finish, Yue Junxiao cut in. "Just use the Beast Core. Isn’t that what you got it for? I’ll take it to him."

With that, he took the Beast Core right from Bai Zhi’s hand and headed for Lang Qiu’s room.

Yue Junxiao’s sudden initiative took Bai Zhi by surprise for a second before she nodded. "All right."

Hu Yan, however, watched him go, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Yan Yichen also felt that Yue Junxiao was acting strangely, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. In the end, he just chalked it up to him wanting Lang Qiu to recover quickly.

After using the Beast Core, Lang Qiu’s spiritual power quickly recovered, and he emerged from his room.

That evening, just as Bai Zhi was getting ready for bed, she heard a faint knock at the door. It was so light she barely registered it at first. A moment later, the knocking grew a little louder, and she realized someone was definitely there.

Bai Zhi opened the door to find Yue Junxiao standing outside, clutching a pillow. He looked awkward, the tips of his ears were faintly red, and he bit his lip, his eyes darting around. "I can’t sleep..."

Bai Zhi found this odd. ’If he can’t sleep, why come knocking on my door?’

Those usually defiant eyes of his were now fixed on her with a hopeful, pleading look as he finally stated his purpose. "Can I... sleep with you?"

Bai Zhi’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’???’

’Did I hear him right?!’

’He’s asking if he can sleep with me?!’

’Is this really Yue Junxiao?’

When Bai Zhi didn’t answer after a long moment, Yue Junxiao’s fingers tightened on his pillow. He bit his lip, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Is that... not okay?"

Seeing him like this, she was inexplicably reminded of his fluffy ears from the night before, and the way his tail had swayed back and forth when he was in a good mood. She licked her lips, a sudden itch in her palms. Her body moved faster than her brain. "Come in."

By the time she realized what she’d said, Yue Junxiao was already inside.

It was too late to kick him out.

Last night had been different; his spiritual power had been unstable, making it impossible for him to fully retract his beast form. But considering Yue Junxiao’s past attitude, Bai Zhi ultimately decided against revealing her little... quirk.

The two of them lay stiff as boards all night. Yue Junxiao’s feelings were a complicated mess. On one hand, he wanted to be closer to Bai Zhi; on the other, he couldn’t stop thinking about her past behavior. It left him feeling conflicted. And yet, surrounded by her faint, sweet scent, he slept exceptionally well.

The next morning, Yue Junxiao ran into Hu Yan as he was leaving Bai Zhi’s room. Even though nothing had happened, he felt flustered in front of Hu Yan and stammered, "Hu Yan."

Hu Yan glanced at him and gave a cool, "Mm."

Under Hu Yan’s all-seeing gaze, Yue Junxiao quickly retreated to his own room.

He didn’t dare try going to Bai Zhi’s room like that again after that.

Hu Yan stared at Bai Zhi’s closed door, his mind replaying the moment her finger had accidentally brushed against his lips the day before.

After a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbed. He picked up his glass and took a large gulp of water.

Bai Zhi, still lost in sweet dreams, knew nothing of the encounter in the living room.

Nor did she notice the complicated atmosphere that morning.

What had happened was this: Lang Qiu had planned on thanking Bai Zhi before bed last night, only to see Yue Junxiao entering her room.

He found it strange, but since Yue Junxiao had gone, he decided not to go himself.

When Bai Zhi woke up, she took a moment to check herself. It seemed the Comfort Upgrade Pill she’d taken last night hadn’t had any effect on her body.

’Maybe it needs... something else... before it activates?’

Lately, Bai Zhi had been purifying the plants and doing all the cooking herself, though Hu Yan often came to the kitchen to help.

Today, Hu Yan suddenly said, "Let me give it a try."

Bai Zhi glanced at him and, without refusing, stepped aside to make room.

She watched as Hu Yan, with a slightly unpracticed hand, tossed the contents of the wok, stir-fried them, added seasonings, and finally plated the dish.

Soon, a fragrant dish was placed before her. Hu Yan leaned against the counter, his light-blue eyes fixed on her. "How is it? Have a taste."

Bai Zhi took a bite with her chopsticks, and her eyes widened.

’If I hadn’t seen him make it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed it. Who can cook something this delicious on their very first try, just from watching a few times?’

’Back in the modern world, he’d be prime chef material!’

’If this keeps up, I can just leave all the cooking to Hu Yan from now on.’

The moment that thought crossed her mind, the system’s voice suddenly rang out.

[System Quest: Spend 50,000,000.00 Star Coins on your five Beast Husbands within twelve hours.]

[Quest Reward: Unlock a tenfold reward—a commercial building valued at 500 million—plus 50,000,000.00 Star Coins.]

Seeing the reward, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’It’s been a while since I’ve unlocked a tenfold reward. The system is being pretty generous this time.’

’Could it be...?’

’Is it because of the thought I just had?’

Bai Zhi felt as though she had just seen through the system’s rules. A sudden eagerness washed over her, and she decided she would have to test her theory next time.

At this thought, her gaze on Hu Yan grew brighter. ’My Beast Husbands really are treasures, every one of them!’

’A little bit of "tormenting the men" is all it takes to make the system cough up cash.’

’Isn’t that way more satisfying than some boring little quest?!’

Hu Yan felt a little uneasy under her startlingly bright gaze. "What is it?"

Bai Zhi gave him a gentle smile. "It’s nothing. I was just thinking you worked so hard cooking. We can just program the steps into the housekeeping robot and have it cook from now on."