Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off
Chapter 19: I Have A Tiger Who Cooks Bitches Alive ?
CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 19: I HAVE A TIGER WHO COOKS BITCHES ALIVE ?
Su Qinglan’s brain short-circuited the moment those golden eyes pinned her.
Shit. Shit. SHIT.
All her brilliant acting, all that honey-dripping nonsense she’d spewed just minutes ago... what if he denied everything in front of everyone? Where would she put her face? On the ground? Under a rock? She’d have to dig herself a grave and bury it along with her pride.
Her lips curved before her mind caught up, and she heard herself chirp sweetly, "Hu~ Yan~."
The tiger’s eyes twitched.
Before he could say anything, Su Qinglan leapt at him like a bashful bride seeing her groom after the wedding night. She latched onto his arm, clinging like her very life depended on it... which, let’s be honest, it did.
Hu Yan stiffened immediately, his entire body screaming to shake her off.
Too bad for him, she wasn’t letting go.
Her nails pressed gently into the hard muscle of his forearm, and she leaned in with a smile that could rival a fox demon. In the softest whisper, warm breath brushing his skin, she murmured, "My dear... don’t talk much. I’ll make you spicy pork strips later. Very delicious food."
Hu Yan froze.
Spicy... pork strips?
What in the hell was a spicy pork strip? Was it another strange delicacy like that roasted meat last night? His throat bobbed unconsciously. His stomach gave the tiniest growl. His mouth watered before he could stop it.
Meanwhile, Su Qinglan’s mind spun like a hamster on a broken wheel. Okay, okay, distract him with food. If he keeps thinking with his stomach, maybe he won’t expose me. Just stall, Qinglan. Stall until you can escape with your face intact.
So there they were, Su Qinglan plastered against him, whispering mysterious sweet nothings about food, and Hu Yan silently drooling while imagining some new delicious dish.
But to everyone else’s eyes?
They looked like a newly mated couple, whispering sweet love words no one else was allowed to hear.
The crowd’s whispers grew hotter than a forest fire.
Xu Meiyan nearly fainted on the spot. Her eyes bulged, her hands shaking with rage. She wanted to rip Su Qinglan off Hu Yan and throw her off the nearest cliff. That beast warrior was hers! Hers! How dare this ugly piglet who only knew how to eat cling to him so shamelessly!
Bai Lianhua’s lips trembled like she’d caught her husband cheating on her wedding night. Her eyes reddened, tears swimming, heart shattering as though she’d been betrayed by her lover.
She took a step forward, her voice quivering with fake sweetness. "Brother Yan... how are you? I... I heard Sister Lan forced you to mate..."
The crowd collectively sucked in a sharp breath.
Su Qinglan’s expression instantly darkened.
Retarded. Absolutely retarded. Did this white lotus just crawl out of a cabbage patch? After I wasted half my saliva spinning the most beautiful opera of lies, this dumb bitch dares to open her mouth and sing another tune?!
Her smile remained plastered on, but her jaw clenched.
Her fingers tightened like claws on Hu Yan’s arm. If he dared nod, if he so much as sneezed in agreement with Bai Lianhua’s words, she swore she’d strangle him on the spot, tiger or not.
Her nails pressed harder. Her hand trembled. Say one wrong word, big cat, and I swear I’ll bury us both.
Hu Yan glanced down at the little female hanging on his arm. Her sweet smile was angelic, but those sharp fingers digging into his skin told another story entirely.
Su Qinglan felt sweat trickle down her back, a thin line of heat tickling her spine. Her heart pounded so loudly it roared in her ears.
She wasn’t the only one holding her breath—everyone’s eyes were glued to Hu Yan, waiting for his answer.
And then it hit her.
That bitch Bai Lianhua had thrown those words on purpose. She wanted him to deny her. To cut her down with his own mouth. If Hu Yan rejected her in front of everyone, Su Qinglan would be ruined beyond saving. Her face would be worth less than dung.
Su Qinglan’s teeth ground together behind her smile. Good. Very good. I was planning to let you off easy, little lotus, but it seems you don’t want an easy life. You’ve just moved yourself to the very top of my blacklist.
This one wasn’t like other brainless females. No, Bai Lianhua was scheming to her bones, a pit of white lotus venom wrapped in soft petals. And right now, her eyes gleamed with triumph, practically glowing as she provocatively glanced at Su Qinglan.
She knew she was the one who was going to win this battle, and Su Qinglan only wanted to curse the entire line of ancestors for ever giving birth to this white lotus.
Hu Yan took his sweet, damn time. His golden eyes swept the crowd, lingering nowhere, and then everywhere, making the silence drag until it became unbearable.
Su Qinglan’s nails almost dug bloody crescents into his arm. Say it. Say one wrong word and I’ll haunt you in the afterlife, you overgrown cat.
Just when her nerves were stretched thinner than silk thread, Bai Lianhua dared to step closer, her steps as delicate as a doe. She lifted her chin, her voice syrupy-sweet, practically dripping with fake benevolence.
"Brother Yan, you don’t have to hide anything. We all know how Sister Lan is... You can tell us the truth. We will support you."
Her words painted her as the gentle savior, the kind female who only wanted to protect him, unlike cruel Su Qinglan who had supposedly forced him. She looked at him with soft, watery eyes like she was ready to cradle his pain.
The crowd stirred, some nodding, some frowning.
Su Qinglan’s stomach dropped. Oh, she’s good. Real good. Playing the saint while stabbing me right in the ribs. This bitch...
But Bai Lianhua didn’t expect that reaction.
Hu Yan’s eyes turned colder than a frozen river. He fixed his gaze on her, and when he spoke, his voice was a blade.
"When," he said slowly, each syllable like claws raking stone, "did I become your brother?"
The words hit like a slap.
"And why," his voice deepened, dangerous, "are you asking about what happens between me and my female? Do you want to peek at us? Do you think it’s proper for a young female to have such a disgusting character?"
The air shattered.
Bai Lianhua’s face went pale, then whiter, lips trembling. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She swayed, as though the ground had been pulled out from under her.
The crowd gasped, whispers breaking like wildfire.
Su Qinglan, meanwhile...
Her jaw almost unhinged from the effort not to whistle aloud. Holy shit. Did my cold tiger just roast her alive?
Her eyes widened, sparkling like stars, admiration practically pouring out of her pores. Damn. Damn! His tongue is sharper than mine. Spicier than my chili peppers. Who needs pork strips when I have a tiger who cooks bitches alive with words?
She gazed up at him, heart beating faster... but this time not from fear. This time, her chest felt light, almost giddy.
Handsome and so ruthless.