Married by Paper, Loved by Fate 43

43: Sly Fox!

Shen Tang yawned, genuinely tired. “I’m going to rest. If you have nothing else, you can leave. Don’t bother seeing me out!”

“Little Tang, I almost lost you once. I will never let that happen again. Come sleep in my tent tonight. I will definitely protect you.” Shen Li’s gaze fell gently on her face, his deep, pleasant voice laced with a hint of guilt and affection, as if he truly wanted to compensate her.

Shen Tang looked at the red-haired man’s gentle and charming smile and almost fell under a spell. If it weren’t for the fact that the System’s affection points hadn’t budged at all, she might have truly believed this sly fox liked her!

What an act with such an affectionate demeanor. So good at pretending!

Shen Tang’s lips twitched slightly, but she didn’t refuse. After all, this sly fox had the highest affection level among the five male leads, and his personality was gentle and considerate. Having a handsome guy by her side to sleep with was not only safe, but also a feast for the eyes. Why wouldn’t she?

Shen Tang then followed Shen Li to his fox den.

Xiao Jin and Jia Lan wore strange expressions.

Jia Lan looked in the direction they had left and frowned slightly. “Why has this seductive fox become so attentive? Isn’t he a germaphobe? He used to hate interacting with Shen Tang, wishing he could escape far away. Today, he actually brought her back to his den himself.”

“Who cares? It’s good that someone is watching that fat woman, so she doesn’t come bothering me when she has nothing to do.” Xiao Jin crossed his arms, his posture languid, his eyes deep and wicked. He shrugged indifferently and returned to his tent to rest.

Seeing this, Jia Lan said no more and turned to go back.

On the way back, the military rations were all eaten. Since the beastmen had tasted the sweetness last time, they went out to hunt on their own without Shen Tang needing to say anything.

Shen Tang taught them the method of barbecuing. These beastmen had strong learning abilities, and the females also quickly got the hang of it, but she was the one who made the most authentic-tasting dishes! Shen Tang was also happy to use barbecuing as an excuse to gain affection from the Beast Husbands.

Xue Yinzhou returned at night and happened to see the beastmen in groups of five or six, barbecuing around a bonfire.

From afar, he smelled the aroma of meat wafting through the air. Xue Yinzhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his snake tongue flickered out, trembling slightly.

Xue Yinzhou knew that the beastmen had been hunting and barbecuing meat frequently these past few days, but as a Serpent Beast, he preferred to devour his prey raw. He thought they were just idle and wasting energy and hadn’t paid much attention. Tonight, he suddenly found the smell of barbecued meat surprisingly enticing.

He glanced at Shen Tang, who was surrounded by many beastmen and several females not far away, humbly asking her for barbecuing tips, laughing and chatting.

He frowned slightly. When did this “fat woman” become so popular?

Xue Yinzhou’s gaze deepened. He spotted Xiao Jin, Lu Xiao, Jia Lan, and Shen Li among them. Usually, they avoided this “fat woman,” but now they were sitting around her, even diligently helping to cut meat and wash vegetables. It was truly… absurd! What kind of bewitching soup did that “fat female” feed them?

Xue Yinzhou sneered, a mocking expression on his face. His snake tail swayed, and he was about to leave, but the aroma of the meat clung to him, making him unable to move. He couldn’t help but swallow, a flicker of irritability flashing in his eyes.

Although Shen Tang was pretending to be on a diet and couldn’t eat much barbecued meat, most of it went into the stomachs of the four men beside her. She fed them very attentively, even asking Shen Li what they wanted to eat, her face beaming with smiles. In the flickering firelight, she appeared exceptionally gentle, with a hint of clear, delicate prettiness.

This warm and harmonious scene somewhat stung Xue Yinzhou’s eyes, and an indescribable frustration arose in his heart. He was an outsider.

Xue Yinzhou’s expression turned cold, his jaw clenched, and the oppressive aura around him exuded a chilling cold, invisible black mist spreading out from within him. The nearby beastmen all steered clear of him in fear.

A dark, cold gaze fell upon her. Shen Tang felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was. She puffed out her cheeks, but her smile became even more radiant. She chatted and laughed with Shen Li beside her, deliberately treating a certain snake as if he were invisible. Hmph! That stinking snake dared to push her off a cliff! Even a sycophant has dignity. She couldn’t be bothered to fawn over him.

Shen Li’s beautiful, narrow fox eyes rippled with light. He glanced at Xue Yinzhou, who was radiating coldness from not far away, and then looked at the female beside him. He could clearly sense that the atmosphere between the two was not right. Did something really happen between them? A playful smirk graced Shen Li’s crimson lips. He smiled and asked, “Little Tang, Yin Zhou is standing over there all alone, looking so lonely and pitiful. Do you want to call him over to eat something?”

Shen Tang’s face stiffened. Why was this sly fox deliberately stirring up trouble? With this sudden move, she couldn’t pretend anymore. She replied dryly, “Don’t mind him…”

[Beep! Detected a downward trend in male lead Xue Yinzhou’s affection level! Please, Host, do not act on impulse. Please initiate your攻略 action immediately!]

The System in her mind suddenly let out an urgent alert. Shen Tang’s heart trembled, and she tried her best to maintain a calm expression. No way, she hadn’t done anything, and this snake was going to lose affection again?! Compared to his wicked act of throwing her off the cliff, she had been kind enough not to retaliate! Shen Tang’s face darkened with anger, and she gritted her teeth. “System, can’t you really choose another target for攻略?”

[Male leads of S-rank and above are rare. His genes are extremely excellent. It would be too wasteful for the Host to give up.]

Shen Tang rolled her eyes, utterly speechless. Thinking that he was her攻略 target after all, it wasn’t good to keep ignoring him and let things get too tense, or she would be the one getting hurt in the end. Shen Tang barbecued a few skewers of meat and was about to get up to take them to Xue Yinzhou, but when she looked up, the silver-haired man’s figure had long since disappeared. Tsk, he left quite quickly. It just saved her the trouble of putting on a warm smile only to be met with a cold shoulder.

Shen Tang didn’t hear any news of her dislike level rising, so she sat back down, took a bite of the crispy yet tender grilled meat in her hand, and couldn’t be bothered to think about him anymore.

Seven days later, upon returning to the city, the first thing Shen Tang did upon arriving home was to take the slimming pill.

[Beep! Congratulations, Host, for losing 33 jin. You now weigh 163 jin. Charm value +5!]

Shen Tang stared at her reflection in the mirror, amazed. She had to admit, the slimming pills produced by this System truly understood women’s hearts. No fat was lost in vain; she lost weight where she should, and gained curves where she should, with large breasts, plump hips, and a slender waist. Although a weight of over 160 jin still sounded fat, beastmen had large bone structures, and the flesh was distributed in the right places. The exaggerated hourglass figure had a subtle allure!

“System, view personal information page!” Shen Tang said eagerly.

[Okay, opening the personal information page for the Host.]

[Host: Shen Tang

Age: 19

Appearance: 51 (Ordinary and pretty)

Skin: Normal

Physique: 163 jin, moderately obese

Skills: Mental Power (5%)

Overall Charm Rating: Below Average

Recommendation: Optimize physique, refine facial features.]

Her appearance score improved to 51, and the System’s evaluation was updated from “plain” to “ordinary and pretty.” Her overall charm rating also rose from “low grade” to “below average.” Although these evaluations weren’t particularly flattering, at least she wasn’t at the level of being universally disliked!

Before Shen Tang could rejoice, the System issued a new quest.

[Beep! A new side quest is now being issued to the Host: Obtain Xue Yinzhou’s Serpent Shedding. Reward: Inhibitor Production Manual!]

Dylan