Chapter 24 – Boarding the Starship
At six in the evening, Hua Mian accepted the little snack Yan An handed her.
“Thank you for the treat, Yan An.”
Chi Rui was just about to complain that Yan An was being unfair—preparing something for Madam without telling him or Chu Fufeng, making them look insincere by comparison.
But before he could open his mouth, Chu Fufeng stepped forward, holding out a tiny concealed dagger.
“Keep this on you. Protect yourself.”
This time Chi Rui was truly stunned. He looked left, looked right, and finally confirmed that he was, indeed, the only clown here.
Hua Mian was a little surprised, but she truly didn’t have any weapon on her. The small dagger was compact and easy to carry.
Her eyes curved as she accepted it. “Thank you.”
Chu Fufeng’s eyes brightened instantly. She thought for a moment and added, “And… take care of your injuries.”
He nodded with all his strength, his heart full of one thought—Madam is worried about me.
Chi Rui leaned over. “Madam, what about me? What about me?”
She ruffled his curly hair. “You too. Rest and recover properly.”
“Madam, I’ll miss you.” Yan An squeezed between Chi Rui and Chu Fufeng, hugging Hua Mian and whispering into her ear.
Hua Mian saw Chi Rui pout, and next to him Chu Fufeng narrowed his eyes at the sight of Yan An’s hand around her waist.
Suddenly she recalled a line:
Why does the latecomer win? Because he fights and grabs for what he wants.
“Alright.” She patted Yan An’s back, signaling him to let go.
Every planet had its own starport. Because they were on the Imperial Star, the port was especially large, but fortunately there were pre-designated shuttle routes that sent passengers directly to the boarding zone.
Yu Jin’s timing was impeccable. They had barely arrived when the starship opened for boarding, requesting passengers to embark within thirty minutes.
Yu Jin held Hua Mian’s hand as they stepped onto the ramp leading up to the ship.
This was Hua Mian’s first time on a passenger starship. It was nothing like the cargo craft she’d boarded last time—this one was far more comfortable, with facilities designed for actual living.
Since the trip to Planet Illica would take five days, a pleasant environment was very necessary.
They didn’t look any different from the other young couples traveling together.
The interior of the starship was extravagantly luxurious—easily ten times more opulent than the first-class suites of the Titanic in old movies. Unfamiliar gemstones adorned the walls, glowing softly.
Lavish, yet not tacky—elegance executed to perfection.
“These tickets must be pretty expensive, huh?” Hua Mian leaned toward Yu Jin and whispered.
Yu Jin caught a familiar hint of rose scent from her and felt his heart stir.
“Not too bad.”
“How much?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Fifty thousand each.”
Fifty thousand?!
Thinking of the single-digit balance in her account, her heart felt like it was bleeding.
“Is it too late for a refund?” Hua Mian asked sincerely.
Yu Jin hadn’t expected that question. He wanted to laugh and also felt strangely curious. “Madam doesn’t want to go to Illica anymore?”
“No—what I mean is, if it can be refunded, you should go back. I’ll go by myself. Just transfer the money to me.”
Yu Jin froze. Looking down at the top of her head, he began to seriously question why he had bothered asking.
“What do you mean?” Hua Mian looked up at him.
Expressionless, Yu Jin replied, “No refunds.”
“…Alright.”
Hearing the genuine disappointment in her voice, Yu Jin couldn’t help grinding his teeth.
“Hurry up!” Hua Mian urged.
Yu Jin strode over and quickly walked ahead of her.
Hua Mian widened her eyes and tried to catch up, but it wasn’t long before pain tightened in her chest again.
Her expression cooled. She spotted a nearby corner, slipped into it, and hid.
Yu Jin walked several dozen meters before glancing back.
Hua Mian was nowhere in sight.
His heart seized instantly. He scanned the surroundings—nothing.
Within seconds, conspiracy after conspiracy flashed through his mind at rapid speed.
He began searching frantically. His gentle eyes were filled with deep worry and self-blame.
He never should have let go of her hand. How could he, a beastman, be sulking with his own female? She was frail, her health bad—if another beastman grabbed her…
The more he thought about it, the paler he became.
Meanwhile, Hua Mian was in the middle of rejecting the ninth beastman who tried to flirt with her.
“Beautiful lady, are you traveling alone?”
“No.”
“Do you need any help?”
“No.”
The beastman was annoyed but didn’t dare offend an appeaser. Despite his displeasure, he still left her his business card and told her to contact him if she ever needed anything before leaving.
Hua Mian’s palm was now full of seven or eight cards. She waited, expecting Yu Jin to come find her.
After being forced to accept three more cards, she began to regret hiding.
Why wasn’t Yu Jin here yet?
At that moment, Yu Jin walked out of the surveillance room, face cold.
He’d just watched the security footage of beastmen approaching Hua Mian one after another—
and she’d accepted all those cards.
What was she trying to do?
Was she dissatisfied with her beastman husband at home?
“No help needed, not alone, not meeting anyone, not for sale, not bored.”
Hua Mian recited mechanically as she stared at the long legs in front of her.
“…Heh.”
Huh? That sounded familiar.
She wasn’t entirely sure, so she looked up.
The moment she lifted her head, she met Yu Jin’s furious eyes. She immediately shrank.
“Hi…” she waved weakly.
“Are we not enough for Madam? Hm?”
“Huh?” Hua Mian blinked, completely confused.
Yu Jin closed a large hand around the right hand clutching the business cards and tugged her forward.
Hua Mian crashed into his chest.
“Ah!”
Caught off guard, she yelped as the cards scattered all over the floor.
Then Yu Jin lifted her chin and kissed her.
It started clumsy and inexperienced, but within minutes he was kissing her so thoroughly her legs turned weak—showing her exactly how fast a man could go from “doesn’t know how” to “more than knows how”.
Her body softened completely, forced to lean on him, fragile like a newborn vine.
“Will you hide from me again?” Yu Jin’s voice was husky, still gentle, but with an indescribable pull.
“No… no more hiding.”
Hua Mian braced her hands against his chest, panting softly. Her sickly pale face was tinged pink, like a shy rose half-hidden from view.
Yu Jin could feel the gazes of beastmen passing by. He had no intention of letting others watch him get intimate with her.
Even though he wanted to continue, he bent down, slid an arm under her knees, lifted her up, grabbed their luggage with his other hand, and strode toward the room they’d booked.
Despite his refined, gentle appearance, Yu Jin was clearly well-built. Hua Mian could feel the hard muscles in his arms and legs—he seemed very… appetizing.
When she looked up, she spotted his elegant Adam’s apple—and a small red mole sitting on it.
It looked like a plum blossom blooming in the snow—conspicuous and tempting, the kind of beauty that made one want to kiss it.
Hua Mian licked her lips instinctively.
Yu Jin lowered his gaze at that moment and caught the retreating tip of her tongue—pink, soft—and his mind flashed back to the sweetness of the kiss just moments earlier.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. His pace quickened.
Beep.
Yu Jin scanned his wrist-link at the door. It opened instantly.
He carried Hua Mian inside, kicked the door shut, dropped the luggage, and set her down on the solid wooden table—
—and kissed her without restraint.
