CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN HER?

Su Qinglan finally snapped back to reality.

Her whole body trembled, her lips still tingling, but her brain roared like thunder.

She shoved him back with all her strength and pointed a shaking finger right at his smug face.

"Rong Ye—!!" She shouted, her voice cracking. "How dare you—how dare you kiss me like that?!"

Her chest heaved as she glared at him, her lips quivering from both rage and leftover shock.

The Sly Fox stood there, utterly unbothered. His violet eyes sparkling in the firelight, his expression was calm and almost lazy.

That only made her blood boil even more.

"You... you dare take advantage of me?!" she screeched.

Her tiny fists clenched tight, her body shaking with indignation.

Before he could even respond, Su Qinglan swung her arm back and...

SMACK!

Her fist crashed right into his perfect, handsome face.

The sound rang out sharp and clear, echoing over the square like a drumbeat.

For one glorious moment, the entire feast froze.

Rong Ye staggered back half a step, his smugness wiped off in an instant. He blinked, too stunned to speak, touching his jaw with wide eyes.

"...You hit me?" he asked, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Su Qinglan’s eyes burned. "Of course I hit you! Bastard! Who told you you could kiss me?!"

Rong Ye’s dazed expression slowly morphed into something pitiful. His fox-like beauty, usually arrogant and sharp, now looked wounded as if she’d just crushed his little fox tail.

"Why can’t I kiss you...?" he muttered, his tone soft and aggrieved.

Su Qinglan gawked at him, almost choking on her own spit. Is this guy for real?

But he wasn’t finished. His violet eyes shimmered with an unexplainable sadness as he spoke again.

"I... I also want little foxes running around me."

"..."

The world went silent.

Su Qinglan’s jaw dropped so wide she was afraid it might hit the ground. Her entire brain flatlined.

"...WHAT?!"

She almost screamed.

Little foxes? Little... fox cubs??

"You—you—you!!!" she stammered, her finger stabbing at him repeatedly as her face burned crimson. "You crazy fox! Who the hell wants to give you cubs?! You—you absolute lunatic!!"

But before she could explode further, the background noise hit her ears again.

The entire tribe.

Every single beastman and every single female was looking in their direction.

The noisy cheers and laughter had died down, leaving only whispers and murmurs rolling through the crowd.

Su Qinglan’s soul nearly left her body.

"...Oh no."

Her face went pale, then red, then pale again. She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

Meanwhile, Rong Ye just stood there, rubbing his sore jaw pitifully, his violet eyes still locked on her like a kicked puppy.

And just like that, the feast had found its new spectacle.

The sacred bonfire blazed bright. The kissing tradition was forgotten.

Now, all eyes were on Su Qinglan and the sly fox who dared to steal a kiss.

The murmurs started low, like a ripple in a pond.

But within seconds, it spread through the crowd like wildfire.

"Isn’t that Rong Ye? The white fox?"

"Yes! He is five stripes! Such a powerful beastman!"

"But...why is his female not favoring him?"

"Poor thing. So strong, so handsome, yet rejected by the female... what terrible luck."

"She even beat him... Does she not want to give him cubs?"

"Evil female! Who would refuse a beastman like that?"

The whispers swelled louder and louder, mixing with pitying sighs and disappointed tuts.

Su Qinglan’s eyes went round. Her jaw dropped.

"...Excuse me?!"

She whipped her head back and forth, staring at the gossiping beastmen and females like they had all lost their minds.

What are they even talking about?!

Her gaze darted to Rong Ye.

The Fox, usually so smug and proud, now stood there looking like the world’s most pitiful abandoned puppy. His violet eyes shimmered with wronged grievance, his lips slightly swollen from her punch, his tall figure drooping under the weight of the tribe’s sympathy.

Su Qinglan’s blood pressure spiked.

Wronged? Pitiful?? Don’t you dare play the victim, you shameless fox!

Her fists clenched so hard her knuckles cracked.

And then she heard another voice from the crowd:

"Poor Rong Ye... He only wanted cubs, yet his female is so heartless."

"..."

Su Qinglan nearly fainted on the spot.

Her face twisted, her temples throbbing.

What the hell?! Why the hell would I give him cubs?! I don’t even know him! If he wants cubs so badly, go court a female properly! Who told him to grab me, kiss me, and demand them like some kind of market bargain?!

She threw her arms up in frustration. "Isn’t he simply asking for a beating?!"

But of course, nobody listened to her. The whispers continued, some shaking their heads at her cruelty, others sighing over Rong Ye’s tragic fate.

Su Qinglan stared at the crowd, her mouth twitching violently.

Her mind screamed.

Why am I the evil one here?! Can someone, anyone, explain this logic to me?!

Just when Su Qinglan was about to explode at the crowd, a calm, all-too-familiar voice rang in her head.

[Host.]

Her whole body stiffened.

Xuyu’s soft tone continued, dripping with fake innocence.

[Host, if you don’t give him cubs, then who will? Surely he wouldn’t go to other females when his mate is very much alive and kicking... and perfectly round.]

Su Qinglan’s mind went blank.

"...WHAT?!" she screamed in her head. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull.

Her lips trembled violently. Perfectly round? Who the hell is perfectly round?! I’ll strangle you, system!

She gritted her teeth, her anger boiling over.

"What do you mean by mate?!" she raged inwardly. "When did he become my mate?! Answer me, Xuyu! Don’t you dare go silent now!"

Xuyu coughed weakly in her mind, clearly flinching.

[...Ehem. Correct, host.]

Su Qinglan’s pupils shrank.

Xuyu’s tone turned smug—almost like it had been waiting for this moment.

[Congratulations! You’ve just realized you have another beast-husband. And it is none other than... Rong Ye.]

"..."

Su Qinglan’s soul left her body.

Her knees wobbled, her heart cracked, and her entire worldview collapsed into dust.

"...Another...beast-husband?" She croaked silently.

Her horrified gaze slowly lifted... toward the violet-eyed fox still standing there, basking in pity and sympathy from the crowd.

Rong Ye’s lips curled into the faintest smile, as if he knew.

Su Qinglan’s mind screamed louder than the bonfire crackling behind her.