244: Chapter 244 The Leopard's Thoughts

The Male, who usually had a smile dancing in his eyes and on his lips, now had his mouth set in a tight line, his sparkling golden eyes clearly avoiding her gaze.

Bai Wanwan narrowed her eyes and poked his firm abdominal muscles with a bit more force. "The person has already come to our door. Do you think you can get away with playing dumb?"

"Wan Wan."

Yan Lie's Adam's apple bobbed as his large palm enveloped her mischievous fingers, his brow furrowed into a knot.

His eyes, usually brimming with spirit, were now clouded with a layer of gloom, and even his voice had dropped a few octaves.

Bai Wanwan stopped pressing him and simply watched him quietly.

The afterglow of the setting sun leaked through the cracks in the window, casting a small shadow beneath her eyelashes.

Yan Lie felt uneasy under her focused gaze.

After a long moment, he slumped his shoulders dejectedly. "It's my elder brother. I don't want to see him."

A warm sensation spread through his palm as Bai Wanwan turned her hand over to interlock her fingers with his.

"Why?"

She tilted her head, her suspicious gaze scanning his face, but her tone was soft. "Is our relationship something that can't be seen in the light?"

"No!"

Yan Lie explained quickly, his tone urgent and his eyes sincere, as if he were terrified Bai Wanwan wouldn't believe him.

He unconsciously rubbed her knuckles, his voice dropping lower without him realizing it. "Wan Wan, don't be angry when I tell you..."

Bai Wanwan suddenly leaned in, her nose almost touching his.

Her beautiful eyes were as clear as a spring, reflecting Yan Lie's face.

"It couldn't be..." She intentionally dragged out her words. "That you've actually already had a Pairing Ceremony with another Female?"

"How could that be!"

Yan Lie nearly jumped three feet into the air, his sturdy chest heaving.

He tightly grabbed Bai Wanwan's hand and pressed it against his heart, where a rapid and powerful heartbeat pulsed beneath her palm.

"Before I met you, I never even looked closely at other Females." His amber eyes grew moist and bright with anxiety. "Wan Wan, I like you. I only like you."

Seeing him so anxious that the corners of his eyes were turning red, Bai Wanwan finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

She flicked his burning earlobe with her finger. "I was just teasing you..."

Her fingertip slid along the curve of his ear to his tense nape, gently kneading it. "Hurry up and tell me the truth, or I'll start overthinking."

Yan Lie's eyes were full of her; he had even managed to restrain himself and leave after being affected by a poisonous flower.

Moreover... Zhuo Ling was considered a great beauty among the Females of the Beast World.

He had been able to resist such temptation.

Bai Wanwan had no reason not to trust him.

Yan Lie was truly afraid she would overthink things, so he immediately spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube: "I told you before that I ran away. My Mother and the others wanted me to have a Pairing Ceremony. My elder brother has a violent temper, and I was afraid he would do something impulsive if he found me, which would make you unhappy."

So that was it...

Bai Wanwan smiled at him. "Since you're family, you should meet. He wouldn't actually raise a hand against a Female like me just because he has a bad temper, right?"

"He wouldn't dare. If he ever laid a hand on you, I would disown him as my brother."

"Don't worry. This is the Golden Lion Tribe. Even if he wanted to do something, he'd have to consider the consequences."

"Wan Wan, I don't want to see him right now."

He and Wan Wan hadn't officially engaged in mating yet, so he wasn't even considered her official Beast Husband. At this critical juncture, he didn't want his elder brother coming around to cause trouble.

Bai Wanwan thought about it and decided to go along with his wishes.

"Alright, then you rest. I'll go outside and tell Jin Yue."

The emotions in Yan Lie's eyes finally began to dissipate.

Under his watchful gaze, Bai Wanwan slowly walked out of the Stone House.

Jin Yue was still waiting at the door. "My Beast Husband suffered quite a few injuries during the beast tide and needs to recover. Please tell that person for me that once my Beast Husband's injuries have healed, he will go to see him."

Jin Yue was only there to deliver a message; whether Bai Wanwan and the others chose to see the person or not had nothing to do with him.

He immediately agreed and went back to report.

After Jin Yue left, Bai Wanwan didn't rush back inside. She stood at the door, staring blankly outside.

Xin Feng walked up to her side and raised his hand to put an arm around her shoulder.

Bai Wanwan turned her eyes to look at him and explained, "It's Yan Lie's brother. Yan Lie doesn't want to see him right now."

"It's Yan Lie's family... then it's nothing urgent."

"Mhm, that's what I thought too, so I wanted to persuade Yan Lie to meet him. But since he doesn't want to, I didn't force him..."

"Then don't worry about it. If Yan Lie's family really wants to see him, they'll find their way here themselves."

The two of them stood at the door chatting for a while. When Xin Feng saw The Cubs running far away, he immediately pulled his hand back from Bai Wanwan's shoulder. "Wan Wan, you go inside first. I'll go bring The Cubs back."

"Okay, then I'll go check on Shi Hua."

Knowing that Yan Lie was faking his illness, Bai Wanwan walked straight across the small courtyard toward Shi Hua's house.

She didn't tell him about her plan to engage in mating with Yan Lie tonight, lest he remain in a state of constant excitement.

The system had already urged her repeatedly, and she also felt bad about her points.

Since everyone's condition had recovered today, she had to get pregnant with Cubs to save her points.

To Bai Wanwan's surprise, when she stepped through the door of Shi Hua's house, she saw Zhuo Ling holding Shi Hua's hand intimately and saying something.

Shi Hua looked dazed and distracted.

Hearing the movement, both of them looked up together.

Their expressions were quite different. Shi Hua's eyes immediately lit up. She broke away from Zhuo Ling's hand with a smile, stood up, and walked quickly toward Bai Wanwan.

"Sister, you're here." Her voice was upbeat, revealing her joyful mood.

Zhuo Ling also stood up, maintaining her smile. "Wan Wan, you're here too."

Bai Wanwan pretended not to be puzzled by her presence. Holding Shi Hua's hand, she walked over and sat directly in front of her.

"Zhuo Ling, are you bringing things for Shi Hua again?"

These words made Zhuo Ling's face stiffen.

To curry favor with Shi Hua, she had already given her many good things, but she couldn't keep giving them every single day.

This silly Female, Shi Hua, just said "mhm" and "oh" no matter what she said. She didn't know if Shi Hua even understood, and she hadn't managed to get any useful information out of her.

"In a few days, when my Beast Husband goes into the mountains and gets something good, I'll bring it to Shi Hua."

"Alright, then I'll thank you on Shi Hua's behalf."

Bai Wanwan looked at her with a smile.

Zhuo Ling had originally wanted to test the waters, but when she thought about how Bai Wanwan had previously caused the Females of the Golden Lion Tribe to drink manure water, she felt a bit guilty.

"No need for thanks. Shi Hua and you are both my friends. I just remembered I have some things to do at home, so I'll be heading back now."

"Go ahead, go ahead. Remember to bring more things next time."

As Zhuo Ling was walking out of the Stone House, she stumbled.

Her intuition told her to stay far away from Bai Wanwan.

Once Zhuo Ling left, Bai Wanwan's smile faded. She turned to ask Shi Hua, "Does she come to see you every day?"

Shi Hua's misery was hard to express. She didn't like Zhuo Ling, but Zhuo Ling always hung around and wouldn't leave.

She was thin-skinned and found it hard to drive her away, so it was a torment every day.

"Mhm, she says strange things every day. I don't want to listen to her at all."

"If you don't want to listen, just close the door the next time you see her coming. Don't be afraid."

While the two were talking, some slight movement came from behind...