Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48: Preparing for the Mating Season
Mu Tangfeng pretended to casually lift his head from within his feathers, stretching his wings as if he were stretching his back.
Shi Lan hadn’t been around for the past few days, and he had taken good care of his feathers. He’d even had Chen Xiong buy him a lot of feather-beautifying cream and had finally made it through his molting season.
So, after not seeing him for a few days, Shi Lan found Mu Tangfeng’s beast form to be even more stunning. His tail feathers, once an orange-yellow gradient, had slowly gained hints of red, making the overall look even more harmonious.
The red flame mark between his brows and the red-orange gradient of his tail complemented each other perfectly. Paired with his contrasting, pure black eyes, they held a profound depth that could draw one in.
Mysterious, yet exuding an unimpeachable sanctity.
As expected, Shi Lan was stunned once again. He Hanshi’s gaze fell briefly on Mu Tangfeng’s tail feathers, and his ears began to droop dejectedly.
’Mu Tangfeng has fallen for Shi Lan after all.’
The male Birds of Paradise of the Mu Family had a specific trait: upon meeting a female they liked, they would begin to molt. Eventually, their tail feathers would change color in preparation for mating season. No wonder he had Chen Xiong buy feather-beautifying cream the very day Shi Lan had left.
He unconsciously glanced at the color of his own tail. His fur was a simple, pure white. Compared to the vibrant colors of Mu Tangfeng’s plumage, he stood no chance.
Chen Xiong, standing beside Shi Lan, was also witnessing the entire scene. Watching Mu Tangfeng flap his wings in a preening display, he had a sudden epiphany.
’No wonder he wanted that feather-beautifying cream.’
He looked at Shi Lan, who wore an expression of fascination, and gave a deliberate cough. Shi Lan snapped out of her thoughts and set down the breakfast. Mu Tangfeng discreetly shot him a death glare.
But now that he understood Mu Tangfeng’s intentions, Chen Xiong, emboldened by Shi Lan’s presence, completely ignored the look.
Mu Tangfeng ground his teeth. ’In the past, anyone who provoked me like Chen Xiong would have been unable to get out of bed.’
But now, with Shi Lan here, he had promised not to bully outsiders, so he just let out a cold snort.
Shi Lan glanced at him, and he immediately turned his head away, pretending nothing had happened.
Seeing this, she moved on to Number Three.
Arriving at the Eldest Prince’s cell, Chen Xiong became much more proper. After all, over the past few days, aside from not liking vegetables, the Eldest Prince paid no mind to what he did. Of course, that also meant Chen Xiong couldn’t boss the Prince around in the slightest.
Today, the Black Panther again didn’t approach the light screen to show himself. Shi Lan couldn’t see him and just placed the breakfast at the window. Chen Xiong, also eating a sandwich, remembered the greens inside and immediately said, "The Eldest Prince doesn’t eat greens. He probably won’t like this sandwich."
Shi Lan remembered that he hadn’t eaten it last time. Just as she was hesitating, wondering if she should remove the lettuce leaves, the Black Panther walked forward. His gaze was fixed on Chen Xiong, but his words were for Shi Lan. "I’ll eat it. I like it."
Chen Xiong: "..."
"But, yesterday the Eldest Prince didn’t..."
Before Chen Xiong could say more, the Black Panther’s eyes turned sharp as he repeated, "I like it."
He instantly snapped his mouth shut.
’I get it.’ Chen Xiong understood completely. It had nothing to do with the greens and everything to do with the person who made the food. fгeewebnovёl.com
Chen Xiong couldn’t help but recall an old rumor. The Monarch had long been vexed by the matter of the Eldest Prince’s wife. Even after announcing multiple selection lotteries for a consort, the Eldest Prince was either absent or would wrap himself up tightly in black robes. In short, he shunned all females and refused to choose a consort.
Come to think of it, there weren’t even any photos of the Eldest Prince online because he always wore a mask whenever he appeared in public.
Everyone said the Eldest Prince was probably a female himself and thus could never fall in love with another female. Why else would he not even dare to show his face?
But looking at him now, Chen Xiong was certain the Eldest Prince was a male. Only a fellow male would receive such a murderous glare.
Of course, that rumor had been debunked long ago. After all, females don’t undergo Beastification or suffer from spiritual power collapse.
’As expected, there’s a reason they’re called rumors.’
Chen Xiong didn’t dare make a peep. He kept his head down, and when Shi Lan asked him what had happened with the Eldest Prince yesterday, he just shook his head.
Getting nothing out of him, Shi Lan gave up. She glanced at the Black Panther again, but Ye Ming’s paws silently retreated back into the darkness, once again concealing most of his body.
Come to think of it, in all her time working at the prison, including today, she had only truly seen his full form three times.
’Maybe the Eldest Prince just doesn’t like people looking at him...’
Just as Shi Lan came up with an excuse for him, Jiang Xia, in the opposite cell, saw her lingering at Number Three and grew impatient. He slapped his paws against the protective door. "Shi Lan, I’m hungry! Hurry up and bring my food!"
"I’m hungry! Food, food..."
Hearing this, Shi Lan instinctively looked at Chen Xiong and asked him a soul-searching question, "You didn’t feed him enough when you brought his meals before? He sounds like he’s been starving for ages."
"Huh? You’ve got it all wrong!"
Chen Xiong shook his head. "Young Master Jiang needs two large bowls of meat every meal."
He was also confused. How could Young Master Jiang, who had the smallest beast form in the prison, eat more than anyone else?
"Alright."
Shi Lan walked over helplessly. She knew Jiang Xia had a large appetite and always prepared an extra sandwich for him.
Chen Xiong looked on. "Even with that, Young Master Jiang probably won’t be full. Even though his beast form is short, he insists on two big bowls of meat every meal. That’s just one serving..."
Jiang Xia hated it most when people called him short. He glared fiercely at Chen Xiong. "Who are you calling short?"
"Besides, what am I, a pig? Two sandwiches aren’t enough? I need more meat on top of that?"
Chen Xiong: "..."
’But... aren’t you the one who said all that?’
Chen Xiong felt deeply wronged. Shi Lan also recalled the time Jiang Xia had tried to eat the Eldest Prince’s portion as well, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
Afraid that she might listen to Chen Xiong and not bring him food tomorrow, Jiang Xia stopped baring his teeth and looked aggrieved. "Shi Lan, I still want two sandwiches tomorrow."
"Okay."
"And I’m not short! My beast form is just a little small, but my human form is tall."
He was afraid Shi Lan would look down on him, so he hurried to salvage his pride. Shi Lan nodded. "I know. Lord Jiang is very cute..."
’Oh no!’
Shi Lan was startled. She had accidentally said what she was thinking.
She suddenly remembered what Jiang Yan had said last time—that Jiang Xia hated being called short or cute.
’And both she and Chen Xiong had committed both offenses...’
She glanced cautiously at Jiang Xia, a headache already forming. She worried he would be upset and press the call button all day to torment her. But after waiting for a moment, she saw that he just had his head down with no reaction, staring at the corn soup near his mouth, lost in thought.
’He’s not thinking of how to cause a ruckus, is he?’
Jiang Xia was indeed thinking, but his mind was filled with the fact that Shi Lan had complimented him. ’She thinks I’m cute! She must really like me.’
The more he thought, the hotter his face became. It was unclear if it was from the steam of the corn soup or from shyness. He swished his tail a few times to cool off, then licked the corn soup with the smug air of someone who’s being doted on. "I want this... uh, drink, too."
"Sure. You can have it all. You can have whatever you want to eat."
Shi Lan was surprised by his response and breathed a sigh of relief. ’As long as he wasn’t angry, it’s fine.’
When it came to food, she was very lenient with them. After all, they couldn’t even leave the prison right now, so this was one thing she could do her best to provide for them.
Besides, as a cook, she felt a great sense of accomplishment seeing everyone enjoy her food so much. What’s more, all the tools here were high-tech, and even the most troublesome prep work didn’t require her to do it by hand, so cooking wasn’t tiring at all.
Hearing this, Jiang Xia immediately forgot all his unhappiness. Thinking that Shi Lan must have some feelings for him too, he started eating, his face flushed.
Shi Lan watched this scene, Jiang Yan’s words still echoing in her ears.
’But... isn’t Jiang Xia’s temper actually pretty manageable? He’s so easy to please. A little bit of food is all it takes to win him over.’
She began to doubt the truth of what she’d been told. Only Chen Xiong, who had experienced it all firsthand, understood everything perfectly. With mixed feelings, he glanced between Shi Lan and Jiang Xia and slowly processed it all on his own.
