"Annul the engagement?!"
Ling Qing repeated the words in shock, as if he no longer understood their meaning.
Jiang Qingli had him put the call on speaker before repeating herself. "That's right. I'm annulling the marriage—with all five of you."
As her voice filled the room, the other four Beast Husbands exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
A year ago, Jiang Qingli had stolen them from Bai Yiyi.
The Empire's laws stipulated that a marriage could only be dissolved by the female.
The five of them had wanted a divorce, trying everything from threats to enticements, but Jiang Qingli refused. She had even tried to win them over with clumsy imitations of Bai Yiyi's affection, which was utterly nauseating.
They had been left with no other choice but to secretly lure Jiang Qingli into the Underground City the day before the wedding.
They had expected to be collecting Jiang Qingli's corpse today, which they would have considered the most benevolent of gestures.
Who would have thought that not only was Jiang Qingli not dead, but she also wanted to annul the engagement?
'How could she have such a sudden change of heart? Did a beast from the Underground City eat her brain?'
After the call ended, Chi Yun, the youngest of the five and a Red Fox Beastman, suspected a trap. "Impossible! Jiang Qingli would never be this kind!"
Ling Qing frowned. "Her voice was hoarse. Maybe she was tortured to the brink of death yesterday and now wants to lure us in to take her anger out on us."
A sense of caution rose among them.
They had been discreet about what happened last night, so there was no way Jiang Qingli could know. She should have woken up and continued fawning over them. Why the sudden change in personality?
'Could she have found something out?'
As they were reeling in suspicion, a terminal suddenly vibrated.
Ling Qing glanced at it, his eyes lighting up. "It's a message from Yiyi."
Chi Yun, who had been fuming just a moment ago, immediately leaned in. "What did she send?"
"She's asking where we are." Ling Qing's arrogant expression softened. "She says she's already at the Marriage and Birthing Center, waiting for us."
Someone suggested, "Let's go see Jiang Qingli first. There are five of us. Even if we can't raise a hand against a female, it's not like she can do anything to us."
The others thought it made sense. They were all S Level High Level Beastmen. What was there to fear from a female with no Superpower?
Led by an attendant, they entered the Underground City.
Meanwhile, in the City Lord's bedroom.
The system had vanished after speaking, and now it wasn't responding at all.
Jiang Qingli clutched the blanket and asked tactfully, "Are there any clothes here?"
Her clothes from last night had been torn to shreds, leaving her with nothing to wear.
Leaning against the headboard, Ye Linyuan lifted a strand of her hair, twirling it around his knuckle as he nonchalantly changed the subject. "You want to break the engagement?"
"Can't I?" Jiang Qingli retorted.
Ye Linyuan's gaze traveled over her face as if it had physical weight, his scrutiny intense. "Everyone in the Upper City District knows you're head over heels in love with them."
'Didn't I already die once because of it?' Jiang Qingli thought to herself.
Jiang Qingli said with a straight face, "I've seen the light. I'm done being a simp."
'If I keep simping, I'll lose my life.'
"Annul the engagement, and then what?" Ye Linyuan asked coldly. "Who do you plan on stealing next?"
Jiang Qingli froze for a moment.
She suddenly recalled that in this era of rapid technological advancement, natural disasters ravaged the areas outside Central City. With the male population undergoing Beastification and birth rates critically low, the Empire had decreed that every female must have at least three Beast Husbands by the age of twenty to increase the population.
The original owner of this body was the same age as her, and today was not only her birthday but also her wedding day.
"Speak."
His deep voice broke her train of thought. Ye Linyuan seemed to be losing his patience. His snake tail restlessly coiled around her calf, slowly tightening its grip.
Jiang Qingli said, "I remember the marriage system matches Beast Husbands based on genetic compatibility. I'll see what happens then."
Ye Linyuan sneered.
Jiang Qingli paid no mind to his attitude.
'After all, I did forcefully take the chastity of this twenty-five-year-old virgin Beastman last night and even marked him. It's understandable that he's emotional.'
Recalling his words about taking responsibility, Jiang Qingli suggested in a small voice, "How about you become one of my husbands too?"
Ye Linyuan gave her a glacial look, his thin lips pressed into a tight line. A dense, hostile aura emanated from him, cold enough to feel like being devoured.
Jiang Qingli faltered. "It's fine if you don't want to... But what about the mark?"
Ye Linyuan glanced at her. "I will find a way."
He retracted his snake tail and had someone bring in a set of clothes.
Throughout the process, his expression returned to one of cold indifference, as if the killing intent from before had been an illusion.
Jiang Qingli understood. "Got it. We'll just pretend it never happened."
She looked visibly relieved.
The gloom in his vertical golden pupils deepened.
-
The five Beast Husbands had been prepared to see Jiang Qingli grievously injured and in despair.
They never expected that, shortly after entering, they would find Jiang Qingli standing and waiting for them under the eaves of a building.
She was wearing a long white dress, her black hair cascading over her shoulders. A breeze blew past, causing the hem of her dress to ripple in beautiful waves, a sight completely at odds with the perpetual, oppressive gloom of the Underground City.
More importantly, she looked completely unscathed.
As if sensing their approach, Jiang Qingli turned around, her pretty face holding an unfamiliar distance and indifference.
All five of them were stunned.
In the past, whenever Jiang Qingli saw them, she was always exceedingly attentive. This was the first time she had ever looked at them with such cold eyes.
It was like she was a different person.
"What a copycat. Wearing a white dress doesn't mean she can compare to Yiyi," Chi Yun muttered unhappily. "Why didn't they just kill her last night?"
They weren't far away, so Jiang Qingli easily heard Chi Yun's muttered curse.
The young woman swept her long hair back and said with a smile, "The reason I'm not dead is that someone else deserves to be."
Chi Yun's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that!"
"Shut up." Jiang Qingli frowned slightly. "I am still your female master. Does a female master's speech permit your interruption?"
Her voice was lovely, as crisp as jade beads, but the disgust in her words was utterly foreign.
Chi Yun was instantly taken aback. Jiang Qingli had always put him on a pedestal; she had never taken this tone with him before.
He was about to say more, but Ling Qing cut him off with a frown. "Let's get to business. Is it true you're annulling the engagement with us?"
Jiang Qingli's lips curved. "Before I do, I have some conditions."
Hearing this, scornful expressions flashed across the five Beast Husbands' faces, conveying thoughts like, 'I knew it,' 'What a vicious, evil woman,' and 'Has she no shame?'
Jiang Qingli pretended not to see.
'The five Beast Husbands were ruthless and loyal only to Bai Yiyi. Their infidelity meant there was no need to keep them. Besides, who knows what other trouble they might stir up in the future? For the sake of her life and her sanity, Jiang Qingli decided she had to stay far away from them to avoid a deadly end.'
They had left no evidence when they sent the original owner of her body into the Underground City, so she couldn't get any retribution for that at the moment.
But she could still make them squirm.
Jiang Qingli began to tick off her fingers as she settled the accounts—
To Ling Qing, the award-winning actor and White Flood Dragon Beastman: "When you debuted, I cast millions of votes for you. When you were acting, I paid for the private firework shows, the haute couture gowns, and all the other expenses. You will pay me back with interest."
To Chi Yun, who trained at the Warrior Training Camp: "The sparring partners you fought against were hired by me, billed by the hour. And the nutritional juices I made for you by hand—the cost of materials and labor…"
Before she could say more, Ling Qing interrupted impatiently.
"Enough. In the end, it's all about money. How tacky." Ling Qing lifted his chin arrogantly. "After the annulment, I'll pay you back double."
Jiang Qingli recalled the system's words and said slowly, "There's more. You must all sign a contract with me, guaranteeing you will never harm me. Otherwise, you will suffer the backlash."