"So you want to sleep on the sofa?" Que Zelian asked.
"Can I?" Xiao Jinsheng looked up at him. "I'm scared to sleep in the tent by myself."
"Then you can sleep on the inside," Que Zelian moved over. The sofa had enough space for one person, but it would be a bit cramped for two. However, Xiao Jinsheng's aim wasn't just the sofa. Seeing Que Zelian yield, she kicked off her shoes and immediately flipped over to lie on the inner side of the sofa.
Que Zelian tilted his head, seeing her settled, but he didn't lie down himself. "Aren't you tired?" Xiao Jinsheng lay on the sofa, her gaze fixed on his face. When she saw Que Zelian blush again, her lips curved slightly. She reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Que Zelian's thin, silky pajamas. "If you don't lie down, I'm scared to sleep alone."
"Really?" Que Zelian's eyes curved in a smile as he retorted. But Xiao Jinsheng noticed his blush had spread all the way to his ears. Her smile deepened. "Yes." With that, she lowered her gaze and sighed. "Even though I have five beast-husbands, I trust you the most."
"Hmm?" Que Zelian chuckled softly at this, but he complied with her gentle tugging on his clothes and lay down beside her.
"Que Zelian, do you know what your score is now?" Xiao Jinsheng turned onto her side, resting her head on a makeshift pillow made from folded clothes, gazing at the superior profile of the man beside her.
"No, I haven't paid attention," Que Zelian replied.
"I said before that whoever reaches one hundred points, I'll agree to divorce them."
"Among the five of you, your score is currently the highest, already at 66 points."
"I believe you'll also reach the full score very soon."
"But…" At this, Xiao Jinsheng's voice choked, laced with a sob. "Que Zelian, will you really divorce me?"
Hearing her sniffles, Que Zelian turned his head and saw Xiao Jinsheng's eyes red-rimmed, trying hard to hold back her tears. But because she was lying on her side, tears still trickled from the corners of her eyes, falling like glistening drops.
"Xiao Jinsheng."
Que Zelian gently called her name, but he didn't reach out to wipe her tears. Instead, he said, "I remember you said you would change."
Looking at Que Zelian's unmoved expression, Xiao Jinsheng propped herself up on her arm and sat up from the sofa, biting her red lip tightly to suppress her tears. "I… I understand."
"When we go back this time, I'll divorce you—"
A force from behind pulled Xiao Jinsheng into a warm embrace. Before she could finish her sentence, she was lifted and seated onto a pair of thighs, her lips tightly sealed, her words swallowed whole by a kiss. Que Zelian only briefly pressed his lips to hers before pulling away. He noticed Xiao Jinsheng's lipstick, smudged by his kiss, and his eyes flickered. He lowered his head again, gently kissing away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
"I remember I also said I wouldn't divorce you."
"You said that when you dragged us into that scoring group," Que Zelian reminded her with a chuckle.
Xiao Jinsheng blinked in confusion, then said plaintively, "I thought you were just being threatened by me at the time."
"You've only changed for a few days, and I'm already being threatened by you?" Que Zelian chuckled softly.
"So, you mean you won't divorce me?" Xiao Jinsheng, still red-eyed, sought confirmation. Seeing her looking utterly insecure, Que Zelian gently pulled her into his embrace, saying meaningfully, "I won't divorce you, not from the moment you changed."
Xiao Jinsheng buried her face in his embrace, her lips curving into a triumphant smile, momentarily missing the details in his words. Her voice was still choked, and she said softly and pitifully, "I mean what I say; I'll change for the better."
"Mm, I see it," Que Zelian held her, gently stroking Xiao Jinsheng's smooth hair. He lowered his gaze to check, but he didn't see the expected contract totem glowing on Xiao Jinsheng's neck. He placed his hands on Xiao Jinsheng's shoulders, steadying her on his lap, and took out a clean handkerchief to gently wipe her face. "I said I wouldn't divorce you, so please don't cry anymore, okay?"
"Okay," Xiao Jinsheng allowed a few more tears to fall before nodding, her face flushed. A tear trickled down her cheek. Que Zelian was about to wipe it away, but as he lowered his head, he noticed an orange-red glowing cloud-bird totem on Xiao Jinsheng's right collarbone.
Xiao Jinsheng also noticed the totem, her expression surprised and a little nervous. "What is this?" Since arriving in the Misty Continent, her physical condition had always been different from other females. The fog corpses that chased her could yield star stones 100% of the time. Even the star map tasks she accepted through the terminal provided higher item durability than those of females at the same level. Now, a strange, glowing totem had appeared on her body. Xiao Jinsheng was afraid she might actually have a problem.
"Don't be afraid, this is a contract totem," Que Zelian reassured her.
"What does that mean?" Xiao Jinsheng asked, confused. Seeing that she genuinely didn't know, Que Zelian patiently explained, "In the Misty Continent, when females and transformed beings have intimate contact, they successfully contract, and a unique contract totem belonging to both parties appears on their respective bodies."
With that, Que Zelian slowly unbuttoned his pajamas. To Xiao Jinsheng's expectant gaze, he only unbuttoned one button, revealing his collarbone area. He chuckled, glancing at Xiao Jinsheng's disappointed expression, and gestured for her to look below his collarbone. In the same spot, an orange-red cloud-bird totem glowed, just like Xiao Jinsheng's.
"Even a simple kiss will keep the contract on both parties for twenty-four hours," Que Zelian explained. As he spoke, he noticed Xiao Jinsheng's somewhat flustered expression and gently caressed her face to comfort her. "Don't worry, the location of this totem is covered by clothing; outsiders won't see it."
Xiao Jinsheng, however, didn't seem to hear his comfort. She nervously tugged at her clothes. She thought of her contact with Li; it had clearly been less than twenty-four hours. Perhaps she also had a contract totem belonging to her and Li. She feigned curiosity, exclaiming, "Then a female with many beast-husbands would have many totems glowing on her body, wouldn't she?"
"That's right," Que Zelian nodded, his voice still gentle. "The contract totems of different beast-husbands and females are different. If a female has contact with two or more beast-husbands in a short period, their respective contract totems will naturally light up on her." As he spoke, Que Zelian's hand, which had been gently embracing Xiao Jinsheng's arm, shifted to her slender waist. Feeling the person in his arms tremble slightly, he lowered his gaze, puzzled. "You seem to be shaking. Are you a little cold?" With that, he controlled the wind to bring over another blanket from the corner of the sofa.
"Not cold," Xiao Jinsheng shifted her position on his lap. "I'm just a little unsteady."
"Then I'll hold you more steadily," Que Zelian replied with a smile, pulling her closer into his embrace with the hand around Xiao Jinsheng's waist.
"Um..." Xiao Jinsheng leaned into his embrace, her face pressed close to his chest, which was only separated by thin fabric. She wasn't even in the mood to pay attention to his pectoral and abdominal muscles. She pretended to be curious: "Does this kind of contract only take effect with spouses bound through the terminal?"
"If you have contact with someone who isn't your spouse, will there also be such a contract?"
"I'm very curious, why would you ask that?" Que Zelian lowered his head, scrutinizing Xiao Jinsheng.