Chapter 13: The Mermaid Who Pretended to Be Honest

Qin Min shook his head upon hearing this. “You are my female master; my property will be assigned to your name. I won’t receive a single share.”

Yun Fu, recalling the empire’s marriage regulations, felt that the earlier talk of dividing benefits seemed like shuffling star coins from one hand to the other—a deliberate act of bullying.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Yun Fu conveyed with her eyes, silently asking Qin Min what he truly wanted.

Qin Min sat upright, his neck straightened, silver hair loosely flowing, his pale skin exuding the composure of a perfect gentleman.

“How about helping me soothe my mind? At least once every three days, until my contamination level stabilizes within a safe range.”

Not just a single exchange of scales.

Hearing this request, Yun Fu nodded without hesitation.

These few beastmen had dangerously high mental contamination, which posed a threat to her safety.

Yun Fu had already decided to help them reduce their contamination levels; Qin Min’s request was no different from not asking at all.

“Alright, I agree. Let my spirit rest today; we’ll start tomorrow.”

Seeing her agree so quickly, Qin Min retracted his fingers slightly.

Perhaps he wasn’t as inferior to that long-haired fox who seduced females in beast form—did Yun Fu still care about him?

This thought was wildly off base.

With the matter of the materials settled, and after all the fuss, Yun Fu found herself hungry.

No wonder 01 was such an efficient bionic butler—without her saying a word, he had prepared dishes according to her breakfast preferences and brought them out.

Tasting the food, Yun Fu generously praised the man. Qin Min’s hand holding the cutlery paused, glancing at the bionic butler standing behind Yun Fu, whose eyes never left her.

That suspicion—that 01 was a bionic not controlled solely by data—arose again.

When 01 moved to help Yun Fu with her food, Qin Min, without a hint of emotion, placed a plate of boneless, lean beast meat next to her hand, blocking 01’s outstretched hand.

Unfazed, 01 withdrew his hand, his mechanical eyes growing even colder and more mechanical.

Unaware of the subtle changes displayed by the two men, Yun Fu ate while scrolling through the star network on her neural implant.

The neural implant was a chip embedded in her genes, controlled by thought. Once activated, a blue screen appeared before her eyes, integrating all modern social and shopping apps.

The more Yun Fu browsed, the more she realized the high status of females in this world. Every female on the star network was endlessly admired.

Some males, even with lifespans of two to three hundred years, never had a female master their entire lives.

Males with excessively high contamination values and collapsed mental strength could only spend vast sums waiting for a female volunteer from the medical team to treat them.

More often, many males simply succumbed to despair and died amid mental collapse.

Yun Fu increasingly felt that her perfume market had enormous potential.

Moreover, selling perfume and building her reputation would lead more beastmen to trust her—a low mental strength individual capable of soothing others and enhancing the “All-Beasts’ Charm” aura.

If her guess was correct, raising this aura to a certain level could tame even 3S-grade beastmen, making them obedient and docile.

Only then would she truly be safe, no longer fearing when her four beastmen might suffer mental collapse and harm her.

After finishing her meal, Yun Fu returned to her room and released the jellyfish to check its condition.

There were still many unknowns in this world; although she could tell that Lu Shiling’s mental domain was free of the black mist and his contamination had decreased—a good thing for him—she worried about whether the black mist the jellyfish consumed was problematic.

The jellyfish floated out of the mental domain, seeming even more translucent and pure.

It energetically pressed its soft head against Yun Fu’s face, waving its tentacles, which crackled faintly with electricity.

Sensing the jellyfish was trying to show off its strength, Yun Fu cradled it and praised warmly, “Little White, you’re amazing!”

Blushing from the compliment, the jellyfish’s head shifted from white to a faint pink. Its tentacles wrapped around Yun Fu’s hand, dazedly accepting its new name.

After playing with Little White for a while and confirming it was fine, she let it return to the mental domain to rest. After washing up, she prepared to sleep.

The next morning, Yun Fu woke comfortably, free from all fatigue—an unprecedented sensation even better than a full-body massage at a beauty salon.

She realized this must be the benefit of soothing beastmen.

In the living room, Qin Min was already seated, holding a book, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his prominent nose.

Just sitting there, the light cast a golden halo around him, making him look as if he had stepped out of a manga, breaking the dimensional wall.

As Yun Fu descended, Qin Min noticed her, set the book aside, greeted her good morning, and asked when she would go to the research institute.

“I’ll go there after delivering the items to Lu Shiling.”

“If you’re busy, you can go to the institute first; no need to wait for me,” Yun Fu kindly offered.

Qin Min didn’t want to see Yun Fu so enchanted by that shedding fox that she forgot their plan to visit the research institute.

Adjusting his glasses to conceal the dark hues in his eyes, his gaze shifted to the bionic butler.

“It’s just a delivery; it’s more convenient for 01 to go.”

“Besides, the institute houses beastmen whose mental strength has collapsed. Yesterday was a special case—Valen didn’t notify me in time. If a female like you goes there, it could trigger beastmen agitation. It’s better to avoid going.”

Yun Fu, who had been planning to visit the institute to pet the furry fox, furrowed her brow.

“Is it really that dangerous?”

If visiting the institute could provoke beastmen mental agitation, she might be in danger as well.

Petting a furry creature was no comparison to safeguarding her own life. She had to reconsider whether to go.

“Of course. If you don’t believe me, you can check the star network.”

Qin Min’s expression was calm, exuding the air of an honest man.

Yun Fu did check and, after seeing news about females visiting the institute to treat beastmen and nearly having their arms bitten off due to agitation, her fingers trembled slightly as she took a deep breath.

“01, could you pack some of Lu Shiling’s clothes and some food and deliver them to him?”

The tall man in a suit placed a warm cup of milk in front of Yun Fu, gazing at the delicate and beautiful female with a human-like warmth in his eyes.

“Of course, madam. I will ensure the items reach Mr. Lu intact.”

He softened the tone when saying “madam,” subtly different from the rest of the sentence, prompting Yun Fu to glance at him once more.

But she quickly looked away.

It was surely just her imagination. After all, 01 was just a bionic; no matter how human he seemed, his body was merely composed of intricate wires and tubes—how could he possess human emotions?

01 was a very useful butler. Following Yun Fu’s instructions, after the two finished breakfast, he packed the items, boxed up the leftovers, and placed everything into the spatial pocket.

After seeing Yun Fu and Qin Min out the door, 01 boarded the hovering car and headed to the institute.

Inside the institute, Lu Shiling had risen early to groom his fur, frequently checking in the mirror to ensure every detail was perfect.

Hearing noises outside, he quickly hid the mirror behind the cabinet, not wanting Yun Fu to think he was trying to curry favor with her.