Chapter 36: There’s No Shame in Pursuing Your Wife

Valen looked at Lu Shiling with a complicated expression, feeling deeply concerned for his commanding officer.

It wasn't just the Snow Wolf beastman who had vanished to parts unknown; at home, there were already powerful beast-husbands like Commander Gu and Mr. Lu. On the outside, there were beastmen like Qing Ze and Xiao Yi who had caught Miss Yun’s eye. Furthermore, Miss Yun was beautiful, talented, and seemed dedicated to providing a home for powerful beastmen. His own commander, whose temperament was not exactly gentle and who was currently locked away in a detention center, truly had no competitive edge.

Valen worried that by the time Lu Shiling was released, Miss Yun would have surrounded herself with a second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth beast-husband, leaving absolutely no room for his commander. With this in mind, Valen gave Lu Shiling an encouraging look. There was no point in infighting now; forget about cursing Commander Gu—dealing with the beastmen on the outside was the top priority.

When Lu Shiling heard that Yun Fu had gone to work, potentially for the sake of another beastman, his head began to buzz, and his claws dug a deep hole into the floor.

"Those shameless beastmen! Do they not know that Yun Fu already has beast-husbands? How dare they try to seduce her!" The fox was filled with murderous intent, and the pit in the detention cell grew deeper. There was no doubt that if Xiao Yi were standing in front of him, he would be pressed to the ground and given a severe beating.

Valen’s mouth twitched. If he recalled correctly, he had just said that it was Miss Yun who was pursuing Xiao Yi, not the other way around. His commander was certainly an expert in bias. "Ahem, so what does the commander intend to do?"

Knowing Lu Shiling’s temper, he would likely want to "remind" Xiao Yi of his place. Valen was a bit conflicted; the request was unreasonable, and he wasn't sure if he should help. Before Valen could finish agonizing over it, Lu Shiling jumped into the water basin to wash his paws, speaking with haughty, teeth-gritted determination.

"What else can I do? I have to win Yun Fu back! Those beastmen over there look so mediocre. Once Yun Fu has experienced someone as handsome as me, she will never look at those sorry excuses for men again."

Valen dared not speak. In truth, Miss Yun had excellent taste. Regardless of anything else, both the previous Qing Ze and the current Xiao Yi were, aside from Gu Lin and the others, quite famous and talented young men in the Interstellar Alliance.

After his commander finished speaking, he actually began to execute his seduction plan. He transferred a large sum of star credits, ordering Valen to buy shampoo that would make his fur fluffy, and even requested the soothing perfume that Yun Fu had previously sold to the detention center to be sprayed on him. Finally, he groomed his fur and even trimmed his claws.

Everything was prepared. He had a robot set up a fill light and then proceeded to take a flurry of photos with his smart terminal. Valen and the other beastmen watched in stunned silence. Was this really the legendary, imposing Commander Lu of the Empire? He looked just like a tamed fox, and his tricks for seducing a female were terrifyingly practiced.

As they stood there in a daze, Lu Shiling finished his photoshoot, instantly switched back to a serious demeanor, jumped onto a chair, and held his head high, sweeping a gaze over Valen and the others. The look still carried full, intimidating authority. They quickly looked away, pretending they hadn't just seen Lu Shiling’s photo session. They understood now: Lu Shiling’s fawning, charming act was reserved only for his female master; to them, he was still the cold and ruthless Commander Lu.

After scaring off their gazes, Lu Shiling lay on the chair, cradling his smart terminal to select the best photos and videos based on the barrage of comments, then sent them to Yun Fu. Once sent, he lost interest in everything else, his eyes fixed intently on the device, waiting for Yun Fu’s response.

"The fox is so willing to humble himself; he’ll surely succeed in whatever he does, so why worry?"
"I want to laugh just thinking about the fox's sultry posing; he’s really going all out to seduce the female lead."
"The fox is so funny. He used to be so high and mighty, but once he knew the female lead liked other beastmen, he threw his pride away and went through a whole beauty regimen, just snapping photos with his smart terminal."
"Chasing his wife—nothing shameful about that."
"I have to say, the fox has good taste. The photos and videos he selected for the female lead were the best ones. When she received them, she was completely mesmerized; she didn't even show them to the Black Dragon, choosing to look at them alone in her room instead."

Lu Shiling’s eyes lit up. *Does she like them that much? She’s even showing possessiveness! Should I take more? I must win back all of Yun Fu’s heart that has wandered outside.*

Lu Shiling mused that since the Black Dragon and the Mermaid had failed to win Yun Fu’s heart, but he had succeeded, it was clear that Yun Fu still loved him the most! Lu Shiling felt smug and proud, jumping up and down on the shelf, eager to roll around in excitement.

Elsewhere, Yun Fu had just returned to the villa when she saw the photos. She had initially thought Lu Shiling had some urgent matter, but when she tapped them open, they were all photos and videos of the fox acting cute and making soft, whimpering sounds. The smart terminal had powerful functions, including the transmission of scent and tactile sensations, and Yun Fu could even smell the soothing perfume on the red-haired fox. Looking at them, how should she put it—it was like an animal version of a pin-up, intended for one person’s eyes only.

For the sake of Lu Shiling’s image—and because she didn't actually have that kind of preference—she brushed it off when Gu Lin looked over. She returned to her room to finish watching the photos and videos. She stroked the fox’s smooth fur in the videos and sent a message to praise Lu Shiling, while tactfully suggesting he shouldn't send such photos and videos anymore. She loved him for who he was, not for any strange gimmicks.

Lu Shiling ignored the latter half of her message and was coaxed into a state of pure bliss by her praise. After leaping around in joy, he cupped his blushing face with his paws and initiated a video call. After Yun Fu gave the fox a thorough petting, her love for all things fluffy prompted her to say she would come to see him in a couple of days. Lu Shiling was so happy he forgot to even ask about Xiao Yi.

After the call ended, once she was out of sight, his mind cleared and he remembered the rival. But Lu Shiling decided that since Yun Fu liked him so much, Xiao Yi was no threat, and he didn't press the issue, lest he accidentally make Yun Fu feel something for that beastman.

Over the next few days, Yun Fu only visited Lu Shiling at the detention center once, spending the rest of her time working at the medical center. Once the center confirmed she possessed spiritual power and could soothe beastmen, she was promoted to a soothing doctor, assigned to care for lower-level beastmen. Given her spiritual power rank, the center wouldn't approve of her soothing anyone above A-rank, but Yun Fu had no objections; as long as she could raise her purification value, it was fine.

Yun Fu adapted well to her work life, though Gu Lin began picking her up after work every day once he spotted Xiao Yi. In contrast, Xiao Yi would watch her from afar each time, his eyes growing increasingly gloomy, like a beastman abandoned by a fickle female.

That day, after finishing work, Yun Fu received an invitation to attend a banquet with her beast-husbands. The banquet looked promising, and since it was her day off, Yun Fu felt a spark of interest.

As Yun Fu walked out of the soothing room, Gu Lin was already waiting outside in the hallway. The tall, imposing man stood straight, dressed in the Empire’s black military uniform, a trench coat draped over his shoulders, his feet clad in polished black leather boots. His dragon tail brushed the floor, his dragon horns rose from his head, and his gaze was icy. Yet, the moment he heard her footsteps, his eyes softened instantly. He walked over, took her small bag into his hand, and grasped her hand with his other.