132: Are orcas like this?

"Pearl! Why didn't you send me a message?"

Lance lunged forward as soon as she opened the door, wanting to give her friend a hug.

She was quickly blocked.

Lance felt this scene was somewhat familiar... but before she could think more about it, the person blocking her let go and stepped back behind Pearl.

"My apologies, lady."

Few people recognized her as a Female Beast so quickly; Lance was a little surprised.

Moreover, the voice was like spring water splashing against a stone wall—crisp and clean. The voice alone was attractive enough.

Lance took a step back and glanced.

Bang! The door slammed shut right in Tu Nan's face.

A few breaths later, the door opened again.

Lance muttered as if sleepwalking, "Incredible, I must be seeing things."

Tu Nan was in no mood to respond to her flightiness. She held the door open and asked, "Where are the Children? Ao Ao! Miao Miao!" She shouted while calling out to them in her heart.

After a moment, the Two Children came sliding down the banister, leaping and jumping until they reached the door and threw themselves into their mother's arms.

"Mama!" the two cried in unison. Then, Ao Ao silently tugged at Miao Miao's sleeve, signaling her to look behind them.

Ao Ao had come to know Hain as a sort of teacher through the video homework Miao Miao had shared.

Miao Miao looked up and broke into a wide grin. Although it was her first time meeting Hain in person, she wasn't shy at all.

Stretching out her small, chubby hands, the child called out sweetly to Hain, "Father Hain, why haven't you talked to me for so long?"

Hain, for the first time since landing on Xiuyin Star, showed a hint of a smile. He took the child from Tu Nan's arms, nodded to the dumbfounded Lance, and walked straight into the house.

He hadn't noticed that both Children had just called Tu Nan 'Mama'... Tu Nan decided to just let things go to pieces, instructing the two to keep their mouths shut whenever anything related to 'Mama' was asked.

She simply left the Children to Hain and pulled the still-dazed Lance toward the second floor.

The two of them huddled in the soundproof study.

Lance finally found her tongue and stammered, "Was that... Hain? The one from the Montoya family?"

Tu Nan nodded solemnly.

Lance realized that ever since she met Pearl, her heart's capacity to withstand shocks had been constantly increasing.

Placing a hand on Tu Nan's shoulder, she spoke earnestly, "Babe... how did you have the nerve to pluck such a flower on a high peak? Take my advice, don't challenge this level of difficulty, okay?"

Tu Nan buried her face in her palms and murmured, "It's too late, I've already made my move."

Lance didn't know what to say for a moment. After a long while, she asked Tu Nan, "Did you get to have him too?"

Tu Nan shook her head.

Lance let out a soft sigh of relief, not even knowing which breath she was letting go of.

Suddenly, she remembered that Pearl was supposed to be with Kong Jiamu these past few days—even staying at his house? A simple Female Beast like her really couldn't untangle such a messy web of relationships... "Don't Kong Jiamu and he know each other?"

She didn't even dare say the two were a rare pair of friends in the Empire's upper class, quietly choosing a different word.

Tu Nan sighed. Who was she to say they weren't?

"It's just that coincidental... Kong Jiamu went on a mission and temporarily entrusted me to Hain for my safety."

Lance and Tu Nan looked at each other, and both suddenly understood something.

It was just that coincidental. To keep Tu Nan by Kong Jiamu's side, they had planned extensively, even enlisting the A-rank Green Fox to take action.

Tu Nan finally stayed with Kong Jiamu as a matter of course.

When Kong Jiamu went on his mission, considering the A-rank threat, he called Hain over.

"Inviting the wolf into the house... Kong Jiamu."

Lance found herself uncharacteristically sympathizing with the man who had been so thorough in his considerations this time.

"Do you believe it? Kong Jiamu must have felt that his friend was unmoved by female charms, which is why he was so at ease."

Lance shook her head. This whole situation was more dramatic than anything written in books.

"You're too capable, really. This is the first time I've wanted to advise a Female Beast to settle down a bit..." Lance slapped her own forehead, realizing her words were ambiguous, and quickly added.

"No, no, no, I'm not blaming you. I just feel that with the way you're playing this, as your friend, I don't have enough ability!" Her head was spinning. "I can't cover for you, it's stressing me out."

Even in such a situation, Tu Nan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Thank you," she said, hugging Lance. "And, I'm sorry..."

The tall Lance pulled her into her arms and patted her back. She probably thought Tu Nan was apologizing for provoking so many difficult Male Beasts.

But Tu Nan felt guilty toward Lance's sincerity; she was hiding far too many things.

Lance suddenly pushed Tu Nan away, looking full of energy.

"What 'sorry'! What's wrong with a Female Beast being a bit fickle? You just want to give every excellent Male Beast a child—no, maybe two!"

Ambition overflowed in her eyes.

"Have them! I see that Ao Ao and Miao Miao have limitless futures. If someone could let me have such cute Children, I might even change my principles." She was referring to her safety principle of telling all Male Beasts to get lost.

"At most, you're just making the mistake that all Male Beasts make!" Lance said righteously.

Tu Nan was shocked by her revolutionary statement. It wasn't like she was doing this voluntarily... "And luckily, it's Hain." Lance asked Tu Nan, "Do you know the traditions of the Sea Soul Star?"

Tu Nan didn't know.

"What is it..." Was there some special tradition she didn't know about?

"Ah... of all the planets, I love Sea Soul Star the most. They are a matriarchy. The Male Beasts... they are the ones who marry out."

What? A female-dominated planet... Tu Nan thought of the respect and importance Hain had always shown toward women.

Was this a tradition he had been immersed in locally?

"But Hain's family should be a bit different; they're Orcas, right? It seems their Male Beasts don't marry out, but stay at home forever to help their sisters raise their Children."

Orcas... it was indeed like that on Earth, but had they inherited that trait here too? Was there really no connection between this world and her original one?

She felt more and more that there were a thousand and one links between the two.

"Are you listening?" Lance was anxious.

Tu Nan carefully analyzed the information she had received and asked tentatively, "Are you saying that Hain might not care if I'm with others? And he won't take my Children?"

If it followed the habits of Earth's Orcas, Children belonged to the mother—is that what it meant?

"Logically, it should be so. However, as far as I know, he started working for the White Dragon Emperor very early on... it's not common for Male Beasts from Sea Soul Star to go out and make a career..."

In other words, Hain might not subscribe to these 'traditions'.

But regardless, Tu Nan prepared to try from this direction.

She didn't really expect Hain to willingly be a traditional Sea Soul Star Male Beast, nor did she think Hain should live that kind of life... Shaking her head, Tu Nan didn't want to think further.

She wasn't yet in a position to consider other people's life choices; that was too much of a luxury.

She had to consider her own survival first—coax him, and keep him from exposing everything to Kong Jiamu.

Could she do it?