Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: An Assist

Jiang Qingli’s eyes lit up when she saw the young man who had suddenly appeared.

"Brother!"

She cried out in delight.

Jiang Youchen seemed to have just noticed their presence and glanced over.

The young man’s military uniform was crisp and straight. His face was still a sickly pale, the tips of his ears an unusual shade of pink. His sharp eyes were slightly furrowed, only relaxing a little when his gaze met hers, revealing a gentleness like snow melting into spring.

It was the same expression Jiang Qingli had always known.

Jiang Qingli felt the tightness in her chest ease a little and gave him a wide smile.

However, she had only taken a couple of steps when she felt the hand holding hers tighten.

Jiang Qingli turned her head, giving Baili Jing a questioning look. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Baili Jing said with a smile, loosening his tight grip and wrapping his arm around her waist instead.

It was a gesture even more intimate than holding hands, one that made their relationship clear to anyone watching.

Jiang Qingli wasn’t quite used to the position, but she didn’t pay it much mind.

But she couldn’t tell if it was her imagination—it seemed like Jiang Youchen frowned for a moment, but when she looked closely, the expression was gone.

Jiang Qingli had wanted to stand next to Jiang Youchen, but Baili Jing, as if he hadn’t seen Youchen in a long time either, squeezed between them and asked with a smile, "Youchen, are you feeling any better?"

The young man’s dark eyes were stern and cold. "Thank you for your concern. I’m fine."

Baili Jing was long accustomed to Jiang Youchen’s dismissive attitude.

He held the girl in his arms, his tone concerned. "Is it something urgent? You’re still in your special period, yet you’re all dressed to go out."

"Yeah, if it’s not urgent, I can help you," Jiang Qingli added, leaning her head closer.

Jiang Youchen’s voice softened slightly. "This afternoon, Song Zhizhou and a few colleagues are returning to the First District. I have some things to discuss with him."

Song Zhizhou was Jiang Youchen’s classmate from military academy. He came from a family of doctors and used to visit their home often.

Later, she heard he’d been sent to the military hospital in the Seventh District for training.

They were always away and rarely had a chance to meet, so they were taking advantage of the holiday to get together.

Although Jiang Qingli really wanted to chat with Jiang Youchen, she didn’t want to disturb his reunion with his friends, so she just nodded. "Okay..."

The disappointment in her voice was a little obvious.

Jiang Youchen’s fingers twitched. In a deep voice, he asked, "Want to go?"

Jiang Qingli shook her head. "I still have to prepare for tomorrow’s ceremony. I don’t have time."

Jiang Youchen grunted in acknowledgment and said no more.

Her words flipped a switch, opening a floodgate of memories.

Jiang Qingli remembered how she used to think of Jiang Youchen as a brother who needed protecting.

When they were in school, the first time he was going out with friends, she—having watched too many school dramas about bullying—was terrified he’d get beaten up. She clung to him like a burr, insisting on going with him no matter what.

Exasperated, Jiang Youchen had no choice but to take her along.

But when they got there, she discovered they were just going to study at the library and have a competition at the shooting range.

Jiang Qingli didn’t know how to shoot, so she just watched from the side, bored.

So Jiang Youchen picked her up and taught her how to hold the gun.

Song Zhizhou, standing nearby, laughed the loudest. One moment he was teasing Jiang Youchen for bringing his "little tail," the next he was calling him a "devoted husband" straight out of a TV drama. He only shut up after being hit by a simulation bullet.

Thinking back on their expressions then, Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but smile.

Downstairs, Old Qin saw her and chuckled along. "What are you smiling so happily about, Miss?"

Jiang Qingli blinked. "Guess."

She skipped over to the dining table.

Old Qin glanced behind her and noticed that Baili Jing, who was usually all smiles, had his lips pressed into a thin line, his expression unreadable. In contrast, their own "iceberg" young master’s gaze followed the girl, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Old Qin: "..."

’Have they swapped scripts?’ he thought.

After breakfast, the three of them walked side-by-side to the garage.

Yi Nuo was waiting by the car.

Old Qin was busy today, so Yi Nuo was in charge of driving Jiang Youchen.

Just as Jiang Youchen settled into the car, he heard Jiang Qingli suddenly say, "Wait."

Before he could react, she suddenly bent over and leaned most of her body into the car, looking left and right.

Jiang Youchen’s body stiffened. He leaned forward slightly, then held himself back and leaned against the seat, a helpless smile on his face. "What are you looking for?"

"I saw on the Star Network that when a Dragon Beastman isn’t feeling well, scales can appear on their neck. I’m checking to see if you have any." Jiang Qingli leaned in to look at his neck, then pulled a silk scarf from her pocket. "If you do, you can use this to cover them."

The distance between them closed without them realizing it.

Jiang Youchen’s gaze slowly roamed over her familiar profile, now so close.

But then, it froze.

His pupils contracted—

There, hidden at the base of the girl’s fair ear, was a mark.

Only this close could he sense the strong aura of a Snake Beastman.

Jiang Youchen’s expression turned icy, and murderous intent churned in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, slowly raised a hand, and smoothed a few strands of hair at the side of her face, covering the suggestive red mark on her ear.

Now it was hidden.

Jiang Youchen’s lips curved into a self-mocking smile.

Feeling his touch, the girl looked up at him, bewildered. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing." Jiang Youchen casually patted her head, the soft texture of her hair making his eyes crinkle. "Thanks for worrying about your big brother, Ah Li. Work hard, and I’ll bring you something good to eat tonight."

"I want that... that pastry from Zone F!" Jiang Qingli requested. "The one we used to eat all the time when we were little!"

"Okay," Jiang Youchen agreed.

Jiang Qingli waved goodbye to him with a grin.

Jiang Youchen watched her leave and throw herself into the arms of another male. Then, he rolled up the window and calmly retracted his gaze.

-

When Jiang Youchen arrived, Song Zhizhou had already been waiting for a long time.

The sterile white room was filled with instruments, and the screen in front was covered in dense rows of Jiang Youchen’s data.

"Look who decided to show up. I thought you’d given up on treatment," Doctor Song said, a cigarette dangling from his lips, clearly vexed. "Look at this pollution value. And you refuse to get close to any females. What are you going to do?"

Jiang Youchen couldn’t be bothered to respond. He skillfully and manually altered the data marked in red.

This way, the data submitted to the Jiang Family would look normal, and no one would pester him about finding a female master.

Song Zhizhou watched him, then suddenly remembered something. "I was bored yesterday, so I ran your profile through the gene-matching database to check your compatibility with females. I didn’t expect to find someone with a ninety-nine percent Match Value with you. Guess who it is?"

Jiang Youchen’s movements paused.

A few seconds later, he denied it in a cold voice, "Impossible."

"You’ve checked it before, haven’t you? You’ve run the match yourself!" Song Zhizhou saw at a glance that something was off and exclaimed, "You really have done it yourself! You know who it is, don’t you!"

Jiang Youchen scoffed. "Ridiculous."

"What’s ridiculous about it?" Song Zhizhou said. "This is about the rest of your life!"

He leaned in, ready to gossip. "Why don’t you go find her? Honestly, with your qualifications, you’re definitely better than her other Beast Husbands. And you two are so close, it would be a natural fit, wouldn’t it?"

Jiang Youchen’s back went rigid. After a long moment, he said, "That’s not a possibility."

He lowered his gaze, his voice softer than usual.

"Why are you so insecure all of a sudden?" Song Zhizhou protested. "What’s not good about you? You’re the heartthrob for tons of females in the First District!"

The young man pressed his lips together, his knuckles tightening unconsciously.

Song Zhizhou recognized this as a sign of nervousness and immediately thought there was a chance.

He chuckled slyly. "How about this? I’ll ask for you?"

"Don’t," Jiang Youchen stopped him in a cold voice.

"What’s the harm in asking!" Song Zhizhou found his conflicted expression amusing. He grabbed his terminal and quickly scrolled through his contacts. "Strike while the iron is hot! Your buddy here is gonna help you seal the deal today!"

Just as he found the number, he felt the flow of time around him slow down. Jiang Youchen reached out and took his terminal. Song Zhizhou yelled in frustration, "Hey, no using your Superpower!"

Jiang Youchen glanced at the contact name on the screen, and his gaze froze.

’Bai Yiyi?’

"Your families are so close. What are you insecure about?" Song Zhizhou said, disappointed. "Just ask her. Though, I heard she ran away from home recently, so we’d have to find her first."

"I’m looking for her."

Jiang Youchen’s demeanor suddenly relaxed a bit, but his voice grew even colder.

Song Zhizhou thought he had finally come to his senses. But when he looked up, he saw Jiang Youchen’s brow was tightly furrowed, his eyes swirling with intense disgust and coldness.

’What’s going on? Wasn’t he just being shy? Why the sudden change?’

Song Zhizhou sensed something was wrong. He swallowed hard and asked weakly, "What... what are you looking for her for?"

Jiang Youchen replied with just two words—

"Kill her."