The Smut-Novel Heroine in the Beast World - Chapter 6

Xu Bai was a diplomat.

Whenever beastfolk from the sea came to visit, he welcomed them.

But most aquatic beastfolk couldn’t leave the water and hardly ever came.

As a result, his days were unbelievably quiet.

Whenever he came home, he carried bag after bag of daily necessities, clothes, jewelry, and other things he’d picked out for me.

Every time, he handed them over as though it were nothing and smiled gently. “Saw these on my way home, so I picked them up.”

Then he would return to his bedroom with spectacular nonchalance and secretly watch me.

I didn’t have the heart to disappoint him.

I would pull out a reasonably nice dress, hold it up, and exclaim at the top of my lungs,

“Wow! What a gorgeous dress!”

For the rest of the day, Xu Bai’s hair would remain peach-pink.

Luckily, his skin was pale and his looks could carry anything.

No matter how vivid the color, it never looked strange. Instead, he dazzled me again, and again, and again.

Of all the odd things he bought me, a phone was the most useful.

I signed up for social media.

Xu Bai looked astonished. “Were you the one who just sent me a friend request?”

“Yes.”

I glanced at his dumbstruck face. “Is that strange?”

“A little. Humans here can only communicate in simple sentences. I can’t believe you can read.”

He looked overwhelmed. “Just imagining my little human having her own social media account is… so adorable.”

I stared. “…”

If my cat registered for WeChat and added me as a friend, it really would be adorable.

That evening, I wore my new dress and posted a selfie.

Fu Yan liked it instantly.

Xu Bai, sitting in the living room on his phone, was one step behind.

His hair turned pure black again. Even his tentacles drooped listlessly.

“Um…”

I looked up. “Mm?”

He hesitated. “You and Fu Yan… When did you start following each other?”

“He left me his contact information last time,” I answered frankly.

“Oh.” He pursed his lips. “You seem to like him quite a bit. Do you like beastfolk with scales?”

“Scales don’t actually feel very nice. They’re quite rough.”

“That’s not it.”

I told him what I had seen on the panel.

“Two of them…”

His face flushed. He sat a little closer to me.

“Actually…”

I glanced sideways at him. “?”

He gathered his courage. “If you’re comparing quantity, I actually have a great many tentacles…”

“They’re all very flexible… They can grow or shrink… And they have little suckers…”

With that harmless face of his, Xu Bai spoke in his slow, measured way.

“That’s enough.” I covered his mouth.

I knew it.

How innocent could a man with ninety-eight-percent compatibility with me possibly be?

A few days later, Fu Yan asked me on a date.

I asked Xu Bai what he thought.

He sat like a stone statue, silent for half a minute. Finally, he said, “You’re free.”

“Even after we register, you’ll still be free. I will never restrict you.”

That was what he said.

But his hair… had turned green.

An outrageous green.

Sitting quietly in the living room, he looked like a wilted rapeseed flower.

“Really?”

I tried not to look at his hair. “If I go, will you stay home and cosplay a teru teru bozu?”

The rapeseed flower tilted his head in confusion. “What does it mean to cosplay a teru teru bozu?”

“I mean… will you do what you did the other night, when you went swinging?”

He paused, then promised, “No.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I’m going back to my room.”

That green was blinding.

“Yueyue.” Xu Bai caught my wrist.

“Is that why you chose to come home with me last time?”

“Because you were afraid I would kill myself?”

I stopped. I didn’t hide it from him. “Yes.”

Most of the reason I had followed him in the first place was that the peculiar numbers on his stat panel made me curious.

The same reason made me curious about Fu Yan.

But Xu Bai needed me more, and I liked him more.

He fed me and gave me a home. I could not stand by and watch him die.

For all those reasons, I chose him.

But I didn’t dislike Fu Yan. I was even curious about him.

“I understand.” Xu Bai lowered his eyes. “Thank you for caring whether I live or die.”

I couldn’t tell whether he was being sarcastic, so all I could say was, “You’re welcome.”

Back in my room, I casually replied to Fu Yan and accepted the date.

Fu Yan: [Does Xu Bai know? He probably won’t agree.]

[If he restricts your freedom, I can find a way to sneak you out.]

[Also, an owner who restricts your personal freedom is no good. I strongly suggest you think this through.]

Me: […]

[He knows, and he agreed.]

[He even picked the dress I’m wearing for the date. /wink]

Fu Yan: [Oh.]

[How generous of him.]

[An owner without a strong possessive streak is no good at all.]

Me: […]