His eyes were slightly moist, and his voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

The Little Fox buried his head in her shoulder, continuously nuzzling her neck with the tip of his nose. The sensation tickled Wen Qian, and she raised a hand to gently pat his slightly arched back.

"Is it... gone?"

"What?"

Wen Qian didn’t quite hear him.

The Little Fox buried his head even deeper, the tips of his ears growing hot. "Is your period... over?"

"..."

Wen Qian fell silent, mentally chanting a calming mantra.

’Hey... Stop tempting me!’

"Um, I still have things to do, so why don’t you..."

"Things to do this late? Are you planning to cheat on me?"

"..."

Wen Qian lowered her head, not daring to look at the Little Fox’s gorgeous face, but he took her hand and pressed it against his abs. She had to admit, at that moment, suppressing the smile on her lips was harder than controlling an AK-47.

In the cold wind, the young man looked as beautiful and fragile as shattered jade porcelain.

His half-open shirt revealed faintly flushed skin, making him look like a mysterious painting under the moonlight. The rims of his eyes were a little red, glistening with a thin sheen of moisture...

His hair was slightly disheveled. He squinted and bit his lip, a blush creeping all the way to his ears.

A good night’s sleep followed.

「Soon, the day of her appointment with Fan Shang arrived.」

Qi Ke, wearing a face mask, and Chi Heng sat in a corner of the coffee shop. Not far away, at a window table, Wen Qian held a coffee cup in both hands, her expression serene.

She gazed at the scene outside the clear glass window, waiting for the unfamiliar woman to appear.

Wen Qian had seen Fan Shang’s photo in an online encyclopedia. She was beautiful and gentle, and would be easy to recognize.

After a little while, a black sedan slowly pulled over to the curb. A woman wearing sunglasses then emerged from the car.

The woman was dressed smartly in black trousers and high heels, which accentuated the long, straight lines of her legs. She carried a small handbag, her head turned as she spoke to the person beside her.

After a moment, a man in a dark blue suit lowered his head and lightly kissed her cheek.

Soon, the pair entered the coffee shop, one after the other.

Seeing a man and a woman enter, Chi Heng immediately stood up.

The Little Fox couldn’t show his face given his identity, so he could only chew on his spoon and watch helplessly as Chi Heng walked over to Wen Qian’s side.

He pulled out the chair next to Wen Qian before the newcomers could get close.

Chi Heng’s aura was incredibly intimidating, and the moment they looked up, they stopped in their tracks.

Wen Qian glanced at Chi Heng and noticed something was off about his expression, so she immediately tugged on his sleeve. The man, who had been scowling, froze for a second. When he looked at her, his features softened.

He lowered his voice, confirming Wen Qian’s suspicion. "He’s a Beastman."

After spending so much time with everyone recently, Wen Qian found she could now perceive the difference between Beastmen and humans.

She didn’t know how to describe the sensation. It wasn’t about their auras, but rather a scent they carried that was different from that of humans.

It was very subtle, and quite pleasant...

For instance, Li Jiu carried the faint scent of sunshine, while Chi Heng had an extremely faint tobacco smell. Chi Ye smelled of mint, and Yin Zhi of winter snow. The Little Fox was hazelnut, and Gu Mian had a light, woody fragrance.

And Shen Mqing... his scent was very similar to pistachios.

As for Ling Xuan, hers was something like... the scent of oolong tea.

Wen Qian wasn’t sure if her descriptions were accurate; she was simply associating the scents with ones she already knew. For all she knew, they might have different names for them in the Beast World.

At first, Wen Qian thought there was something wrong with her own nose, but after it happened repeatedly, she was finally certain... these scents were indeed emanating from the Beastmen.

’When did I start noticing it?’

’I think it was after I woke up with Gu Mian that day...’

Wen Qian couldn’t tell if the woman in front of her was wearing perfume, but she was certain that the sickly sweet almond scent was coming from the man beside her.

"It seems you can smell them too. Hello, I’m Fan Shang." A smile touched the woman’s lips as she took off her sunglasses. After the man pulled out a chair for her, she calmly sat down across from Wen Qian. Then, she glanced at Chi Heng. "A very distinctive tobacco scent."

Wen Qian immediately understood what she meant.

She didn’t know why Fan Shang wanted to see her, but judging by the attitude of the Beastman at her side, Fan Shang likely posed no threat to her.

"Young lady, I don’t have any ill intentions." As she spoke, Fan Shang pushed a velvet box toward Wen Qian. Her voice was calm. "I just want to confirm one thing with you..."

Wen Qian’s gaze fell on the wedding ring on Fan Shang’s hand, her expression turning complex. The Beastman beside her was wearing a matching men’s version of the same ring.

"If the Critical Stone is restored, will the Beastmen be able to remain on Blue Star?" The woman lowered her gaze, her slender fingers tapping twice on the tabletop.

But Wen Qian could still see her anxiety. Her gaze flickered to the handsome man by Fan Shang’s side, and she gently pursed her lips.

Wen Qian had pondered this question for a long time. But before it all came to pass, no one could be certain their guesses were the absolute truth.

Perhaps humans and Beastmen would be able to choose whether to stay on Blue Star or travel to the Beast World, but the chances of that were incredibly slim.

It was just like the cataclysm many years ago: everything was destroyed in an instant, and the Beastmen suddenly appeared on Blue Star... It all happened without any warning, completely unforeseen.

So Wen Qian had prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Once the Critical Stone was reassembled, either all the Beastmen would be teleported back to the Beast World, or the portal would simply be sealed, trapping them here forever.

Without the power of the Critical Stone, the untransformed Beastmen left on Blue Star would surely face immense hardship. And as for those who had successfully transformed, could they truly continue to live safely on Blue Star?

’When humans discover that the number of Beastmen is dwindling, would they treat them like endangered animals—round them up and keep them in captivity? Or force them to breed as research subjects...?’ Wen Qian dared not think about it.

"I don’t know," Wen Qian answered honestly.

It was because of this uncertainty that she cherished every moment she spent with the Beastmen.

She followed her heart and prioritized happiness.

No one could say for sure whether the day the Critical Stone was completed would be the last time they would ever see each other.

At this thought, Wen Qian’s hand tightened around her coffee cup, her knuckles turning white.

"I don’t know how many fragments you’ve found, but I have a request." Fan Shang gave a bitter laugh. "If possible, I hope you can wait until the middle of next month before..."

She seemed unable to continue, and the man beside her immediately took her hand. He lowered his head, whispering something in her ear, his eyes full of resolve.

"The 16th of next month is our wedding anniversary. Even if we have to part ways, we want to spend that day together." The man offered a gentlemanly smile. Despite his expensive suit, he still struck Wen Qian as sincere and down-to-earth.

Only then did Wen Qian remember the velvet box Fan Shang had pushed toward her. She opened it to find, sure enough, a blue fragment inside.

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