Chapter 3: with translation of chapter title

A male about 1.8 meters tall was carried on the shoulder of a thin female only 1.68 meters tall; the scene was indescribably comical.

By the time Bao Jing reacted, Ye Xi'an had already set him down on the bed.

Called a bed, it was actually just a plank with bricks propping up the four corners, and the sole blanket was pitifully thin.

Bao Jing struggled to sit up, but the wound in his abdomen sapped his strength, and he flopped back down in embarrassment; he could only feign ferocity to threaten Ye Xi'an, though his hand was actually trembling with fear—he was afraid Ye Xi'an would take advantage of his weakness: 'What are you trying to do?!'

Ye Xi'an didn't dare look at Bao Jing; although beastfolk aren't human, they resemble humans too closely, which left this social‑anxiety sufferer still somewhat on edge: 'Anyway, it's not your concern.'

Afraid he might misunderstand her intentions as wanting to mate, Ye Xi'an immediately went to the corner of the room farthest from the bed and sat down.

'I just want you to rest and heal properly.'

Bao Jing didn't believe Ye Xi'an at all; he clutched the blanket, his eyes glazed as he stared at her, unwilling to let her leave his sight, fearing that this female might pounce on him the moment she let her guard down.

'Gur—'

No one knew whose stomach had growled.

Bao Jing immediately clutched his belly, his stomach protesting nonstop.

He hadn't eaten in two days; males naturally have high energy needs, and after Ye Xi'an gave him a beating today, he could barely hold out.

'You're hungry? Where is there food? I'll get it for you to eat.'

Ye Xi'an glanced around; in the room under twenty square meters, aside from the makeshift bed, there was nothing but holes in the walls.

She couldn't see anywhere to hide food.

'Come on, do you want to starve to death?'

Bao Jing twitched the corner of his mouth: 'What food? Didn't you just finish it all off in one go?'

The four of them take turns: each week one person stays to protect Ye Xi'an and attend to her daily needs, while the other three go out to earn money.

Before each outing to work, they pool all their money, buy food, and store it in Ye Xi'an's space.

But it's not much—at most enough for two people to have three full meals. To ensure Ye Xi'an has food all week, he eats only a mouthful each meal.

One could say, as long as he keeps his life hanging on, that's enough.

Yet Ye Xi'an gave no thought to life's hardships; the day before yesterday she ate all the food at once.

When hunger struck, she realized there was nothing left to eat and clamored for him to go buy bread.

But he had no money; Ye Xi'an didn't care about that, she thought it was his fault for not buying her food, picked up a whip, and lashed him.

Now she asks him again where there's food to eat, and he too wonders where he can find something to eat.

Ye Xi'an extended her right index finger to point at her own face: 'Me?'

She thought back carefully and realized that, indeed, such a thing had happened.

The Original Owner's memories are too jumbled; without thinking hard, one simply wouldn't know.

'Fine.'

Ye Xi'an was somewhat speechless; she hadn't been here long, yet she already had so many pots to carry.

'Since it's my fault, I'll go out to find something to eat.'

Anyway, there are no humans outside, so she has nothing to fear.

Just then, the makeshift door curtain of torn cloth was lifted, and a two‑meter‑tall, sturdy man strode in, followed by four slightly weaker lackeys.

His curly hair enveloped his whole head, hiding two brown bear ears within it.

His mouth was full of black, rotting teeth.

He shot a sideways glare at Bao Jing, his face a mask of menace: 'If you want food, you first have to pay the protection fee!'

Shifting his tone, he lecherously glanced at Ye Xi'an, his voice light and teasing: 'Hehe, of course, if this little female can spend the night with me, the protection fee counts as paid.'

Although Ye Xi'an's appearance was somewhat disheveled, to these low‑capability males she was still an unattainable existence.

Know that on Zhu Shen Xing the female‑to‑male ratio is close to 200:1; even if a female took ten males, there would still be a huge number of bachelor males left.

What's more, males like them who live in the slums never even see a female's face in their lifetime; the only place they can catch a glimpse of a female is on billboards.

No one knows why Ye Xi'an's family ended up like this, but to them it's a good thing.

Bao Jing read the male's expression and knew what he was thinking; he couldn't help but spit, and although he didn't like Ye Xi'an, her female wasn't something just anyone could covet.

Especially since the males here are utterly lecherous.

On the surrounding streets, any poster advertising a female disappears within a minute.

It's this bunch tearing them down to go home and do some shady business.

Bao Jing hid the fragility on his face, naturally placed his hand on the bed, and pretended he wasn't injured: 'Xiong Da, what are you up to again? Didn't the lesson I gave you last time fill you up?'

Xiong Da withdrew his greedy look at the female, his gaze dark as he scanned the immobile Bao Jing on the bed.

He still thought he was that high‑quality male of before, but isn't he just as down in the slums as Bao Jing? Putting on that lofty attitude is truly disgusting.

Don't think he doesn't know—those four males get beaten by females every day, and they're even less useful than he is.

'You still dare bring up last time? If it weren't for the four of you ganging up on me, could I have lost?' he said, chest puffed with pride, having deliberately chosen a time when the other three males weren't around.

Bao Jing was still in this state after being beaten by the little female; who could stop him now?

'Come on, get up—let's fight again. If I lose, I'll roll out. If you lose, heh heh, tonight that little female will be mine.'

Ye Xi'an, standing aside, finally figured out the situation: this Xiong Da‑turned‑spirit man was trying to take advantage of someone's weakness.

'That.'

Ye Xi'an spoke, her voice still soft, and it made Xiong Da's heart feel like it was melting.

Although the little female's appearance isn't much to look at, her voice is truly pleasant—listening to it made him aroused.

He leered, rubbing his palms together as he faced Ye Xi'an: 'Little female, what do you want to say, huh?'

Ye Xi'an pursed her lips, a little nervous—she really hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time—and spoke gently: 'Um, you're so shameless; do your parents know about this?'

'Huh?'

Xiong Da dug at his own ear, thinking he had misheard.

After all, the little female looked soft and squishy, which was a stark contrast to what he had heard.

Xiong Da nudged the lackey behind him: "What did the little female say?"

The lackey stammered, not daring to speak.

Bao Jing repeated: "Heh, she said you're shameless, you idiot."

After saying that, he also showed a mocking smile; he hadn't expected Ye Xi'an to dare say such a thing.

Normally she only dares to be a bully in her nest; when she encounters other males, she doesn't even dare to fart.

Ye Xi'an pressed her index fingers together, not daring to look up; it was the kind of posture that invokes protectiveness at first glance, but as soon as she spoke, the image shattered: "What Bao Jing said is right—it seems you're not only shameless, your hearing isn't great either."

Ye Xi'an's words were already unpleasant, and seeing the two of them echoing each other like a loving couple only made Xiong Da furious.

You!