Chapter 155: There Is Affection, but Not Much

"No."

Ji Xuan frowned as he said, "The females of their family also got into trouble today."

At first, when he heard that something had happened again to Lan Xiang's family, he suspected Leng Xiu was responsible, but after learning the truth, Ji Xuan thought that however Leng Xiu might plot, he still couldn't have Lan Xiang, following his own design, seize another family's male in plain sight, could he?

So this must just be a coincidence.

"Huh?"

Hearing that, Yun Li, who knew that Leng Xiu had gone out this morning to take revenge for her, instinctively wanted to look toward Leng Xiu, but she held back and instead pressed, "What happened? What kind of trouble did she get into?"

She won't have been beaten by Leng Xiu with a sack, right? And then discovered by the Tribe's beastmen, she and her Beast Husband are now at home forming a victims' alliance.

"…"

Ji Xuan remained silent for a while this time, then said, "She tangled with another family's male during the day, was caught red‑handed by that family's female and Beast Husband, and then was beaten."

Yun Li's eyes widened after hearing that, and she was momentarily stunned—do beastmen also have scenes of catching cheating?

Thinking of Jichenamu, and then recalling what Miduo had done before, it doesn't seem surprising that something like what happened to Lan Xiang could occur.

But perhaps she's just inexperienced, which is why she makes such a fuss.

Otherwise, why do Mu Qing, Chang Yue and the others look at it with a flash of surprise on their faces, yet quickly return to calm, as if there's nothing about this they can't understand.

"So how is she now, and what was her Beast Husband's reaction when he heard about this?"

As soon as his words left his mouth, Chang Yue, sitting beside Ji Xuan, showed a strange expression on his face, as if mocking and as if disdainful.

Yun Li's brows twitched twice sharply; she seemed able to anticipate Chang Yue's next reaction.

Sure enough, the next moment, Chang Yue let out a cold laugh and said:

"What reaction? Their females steal mates; could they possibly just discard that female?"

"Besides thinking they're unlucky and cleaning up this mess for her, what else can they do?"

"A male who has formed a Mate Bond, in their females' eyes, is probably just a tool that can be tossed away at will."

Yun Li: ……She feels as if she's also being scolded.

"Lan Xiang is Lan Xiang; don't drag other females into this."

Yun Li doesn't know where Chang Yue got that final conclusion, but she thinks he's overgeneralizing.

Like her, like Gong Mei and A Yu, when did they start treating their own males as tools that can be tossed away at will?

Even Xin, though she's a bit opportunistic, still protects her own male fiercely.

"A Li isn't Lan Xiang; watch your words."

Leng Xiu frowned, looked at Chang Yue and said, "Since you're so averse to Mate Bonds, if you later meet a female willing to form a Mate Bond with you, are you planning to never form a Mate Bond with that female for life?"

Chang Yue fell silent for a moment, looked at Yun Li, and said, "Of course not. It's just that …"

"Just what?"

Seeing him stop halfway, Leng Xiu's brows furrowed even tighter.

After all, Chang Yue's attempts to court A Li these past few days have been obvious; if A Li developed thoughts of forming a Mate Bond with him, but he has never entertained the idea of a Mate Bond with a female, A Li would probably feel used.

"If you've never considered forming a Mate Bond with anyone, then don't make moves that could be misunderstood."

Yun Li said, as if for the first time she were seriously assessing Chang Yue, the male—does he really like her?

His gaze at her might not be as deeply affectionate as Mu Qing and the others look at themselves, but at least with her he always has a smiling expression, and his eyes are unreasonably gentle when he looks at her, making her feel that she is different in front of him.

But when he pursues her, does he truly ever think about spending a lifetime with her?

When Chang Yue heard Yun Li's words, his face immediately turned sour, "A Li, what do you mean by that?"

She's doubting his sincerity!

Ridiculous! Truly absurd!

The things he did for her, she seemed never to have taken to heart; otherwise, why would she so easily utter those words?

If he never intended to form a Mate Bond with her, why would he, after being used as a tool once, foolishly come back to pursue her?

Chang Yue chuckled inwardly repeatedly; in the end, he simply never entered her eyes.

"Absurd!"

Ke Si looked at Yun Li with a hint of coldness, "You doubt him? Why, just because of that off‑hand remark he made just now?"

"Of course not, but did A Xiu's question just now have a problem?"

Yun Li furrowed her brows and retorted, "He does indeed have reservations about Mate Bonds; since he has reservations, is it too much for me to let him think it through carefully before considering other matters?"

She had seriously considered the possibility of being with Chang Yue, which is why she said that.

"Not excessive."

Chang Yue suddenly laughed again, though the laugh looked rather cold, "But it's unnecessary."

He does have reservations about Mate Bonds, fearing that after forming one he would meet the same fate as his father.

But if the female in the Mate Bond were Yun Li, he thinks he could take a gamble.

However now, there's nothing left to say.

Leng Xiao's attitude, Leng Xiu's questioning, and Yun Li's indifference all brought Chang Yue back to his senses.

Their family actually doesn't welcome him.

How did things develop to this point?

Looking at Chang Yue's silhouette behind Ke Si, Yun Li reached out to rub her forehead and asked helplessly, "Did I just say something wrong?"

Mu Qing shook his head, "If he likes you, even if you say something harsh, he won't leave."

Yun Li's mouth twitched, "I'm not the type of female who would casually insult anyone; only if I truly don't like someone and they keep pestering me would I possibly speak harshly."

"He might think you don't like him, which is why you said not to do anything that could be misunderstood."

As someone who's been through it, Ji Xuan still somewhat understands Chang Yue's feelings.

Yun Li's affection is hard to read from her words; she seems ashamed to state plainly that she likes someone, preferring instead to express her fondness through intimate gestures.

Yun Li was truly stunned, and she said with a hint of distress, "But I really have thought about it seriously. If he truly has any concerns about the Mate Bond, I should ask in advance, right?"

"Don't let me have any ideas later…"

After speaking, she realized the words weren't appropriate in front of Ji Xuan, pursed her lips and said, "Forget it, pretend I said nothing. That's it!"

She was still considering it, and now Chang Yue gave up on his own, so she simply pretended nothing had happened before.

Ji Xuan watched Yun Li's back as she turned and entered the house, and a sudden sense of urgency flashed in his mind.

Does her remark mean she seriously considered forming a Mate Bond with Chang Yue?

"She likes Chang Yue?"

When Ji Xuan asked that, he was merely trying to confirm the speculation in his heart.

"Chang Yue's looks and strength are decent, his temperament also suits A Li's taste, so he probably likes her a bit."

Leng Xiu knows that, being female, she is not proactive, and the males who have been allowed by her to visit many times generally have qualities she admires.

So likes? Just a little, but not much.