Outside, the sky was growing darker and darker.
After working out for nearly another hour in the villa's gym that afternoon, Jiang Zheyu had taken a shower and gone to sleep. When she woke again, the sky outside was already dark, with only the shadows of trees swaying.
She sat on her bed in a daze for a while before something jolted through her mind like an electric current. The mission!
Her tea-colored eyes instantly cleared of their daze, her beautifully curved eyes widening slightly. She shot her wrist up to look at her bracelet—it was already 10:30 PM.
Jiang Zheyu pressed her lips together. She had sent Su Yan a message telling him to be back before eleven, leaving herself only an hour to complete her mission. Now, she couldn't help but worry. 'Will Su Yan even come back? He's not just going to stay away, is he? Is one hour really enough?'
When the original host told him to return immediately, he always came back quickly. 'It can't be that now that it's my turn to call him back, he won't come, right?'
'Su Yan should come back... right?'
As these uncertain thoughts ran through her mind, Jiang Zheyu got out of bed. 'I have to convince him to let me purify him.' With that in mind, she instructed Xiaoyi, "Xiaoyi, please prepare a dinner that Su Yan likes."
"My apologies, Master Yu Yu. Master Su Yan has never had dinner at the villa. Xiaoyi is unable to calculate the types of dinner Master Su Yan enjoys," Xiaoyi's mechanical voice echoed through the villa.
Jiang Zheyu fell silent.
Xiaoyi didn't know, and the original host knew even less. Searching through the original host's memories, she couldn't find a single thing about Su Yan's preferences. All she found were images of the handsome young man, head bowed obediently, following the original host's commands, slowly removing his shirt and kneeling before her.
"What about breakfast or lunch?" Jiang Zheyu asked quietly.
'He couldn't have never eaten even breakfast at the villa, could he?'
Xiaoyi's response confirmed Jiang Zheyu's suspicion.
"Master Su Yan has also never had breakfast or lunch at the villa," Xiaoyi replied.
In the end, the dining table in the main hall was lined with rows of high-grade nutrient solutions. There was every flavor imaginable, and each flavor came in a different color. The neat rows of glass vials on the long table, illuminated by the incandescent light, resembled a cascade of colorful festival lights, creating a beautiful, almost surreal and psychedelic scene.
Jiang Zheyu, wearing a pink, calf-length nightdress and pink bunny slippers, stood at the wide-open front door, glancing down at her bracelet from time to time before looking out into the night.
It was already eleven o'clock, and Su Yan still hadn't returned.
'Is my mission going to fail?'
A hot summer breeze rustled through the tree branches before brushing against her beautiful, delicate face.
She gently pressed her lovely, pale pink lips together, her eyes slightly downcast. The soft wisps of hair on her smooth forehead were gently swept aside by the wind.
Jiang Zheyu was wondering what she would do. 'If Su Yan doesn't come back, where am I supposed to find another Beastman to purify at this time of night?'
'Whatever. If Su Yan isn't back by 11:30, I'll just go out and try my luck.'
The time quickly reached 11:30 PM.
Jiang Zheyu was crying a river on the inside. She slowly made her way to the small wooden door next to the large iron gate and pulled it open. But just as she did, a tall figure loomed over her, blocking the incandescent light from above and making the doorway seem cramped.
Su Yan had been about to open the door himself, but he lowered his hand when he saw it moving.
But as his gaze fell upon Jiang Zheyu, a flash of surprise—and a hint of imperceptible awe—crossed his ruby-like eyes.
Seeing Su Yan, Jiang Zheyu had expected to be afraid. In reality, she was just happy to see him back. 'My mission is saved! Thank goodness!'
"Y-You're back," Jiang Zheyu said haltingly. Her voice was a little soft, but her tea-colored eyes were bright and even joyful as she looked at him.
She stuttered mainly because she didn't feel like she knew him well, making the greeting unavoidably awkward.
The young man wore a loose white shirt, the hem tucked into black trousers, which made his waist look extremely narrow. His shoulders were broad, and his legs were incredibly long.
He had a head of short, neatly-styled red hair. Beneath the fine strands, his handsome face had perfectly sculpted features. His red eyes, looking surprisingly gentle and serene, met Jiang Zheyu's. "My apologies, Female Master. I'm late. I've kept you waiting."
His voice was also remarkably steady and calm.
Jiang Zheyu recalled from the memories that no matter what happened, this man always remained calm—like how he would calmly watch the original host fly into a rage or scream at him.
And yet, Snake Beastmen were supposed to be the most savage...
But he was so calm, it was as if there had never been any conflict between them, as if he hadn't almost strangled her to death just last night.
People like that were often all the more unfathomable, and all the more dangerous.
Seeing that she remained silent, Su Yan watched her with his calm eyes, his cool, thin lips parting slightly. "Let's talk inside the villa. It's getting chilly out here."
As he spoke, he pressed down on the door handle and walked in with an imposing presence.
Standing in the doorway facing him, Jiang Zheyu instinctively backed away as he entered, but she bumped into a flowerpot and started to fall. A large, strong hand gripped her arm, steadying her. A deep voice, smooth as an elegant cello, sounded from above her. "Be careful."
He released her arm as soon as she was steady, acting with extreme propriety and politeness.
The two of them walked into the villa together, with Jiang Zheyu in front and Su Yan behind her. Their shadows, elongated by the moonlight, made them look like a remarkably well-matched pair.
Jiang Zheyu stopped at the entrance to the main hall. She turned sideways as if to welcome Su Yan in, her clear, bright, tea-colored eyes looking at him with a hint of shyness. "This is the nutrient solution feast I had Xiaoyi prepare. Since I don't know what flavors you like, I had Xiaoyi put out one of every kind. See which ones you like and feel free to take them."
She paused for a moment before looking at Su Yan again and adding, "You can take all of them, too."
A flicker of surprise crossed Su Yan's calm red eyes, like a tiny, insignificant ripple disturbing the surface of a tranquil lake.
Under the incandescent light, the translucent, multicolored glass vials of nutrient solution glowed like a field of soft, gentle neon lights. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
It was the first time Su Yan had ever realized that the nutrient solutions he often drank could be so beautiful.
He turned his gaze to Jiang Zheyu, a flicker of not-quite-obvious interest in his red eyes. "Female Master, what is this for?"
As Su Yan looked over, Jiang Zheyu glanced at the time again and saw it was already 11:47. So when Su Yan asked her why she had done all this, she spoke with a sense of urgency, "Um... well, can you let me perform a Spiritual Comfort for you?"
She seemed rather impatient.
But to Su Yan's ears, those words meant something else entirely.
His Female Master wanted to mate with him, and she couldn't wait.