The warm sun on the deck made her feel completely lethargic. She couldn’t help but yawn and lie down in the salty sea breeze.

She let out a comfortable sigh, not even noticing when Li Chenlin lay down beside her.

"Susu, do you like this stretch of sea?" Li Chenlin asked suddenly.

Bai Su opened her eyes and looked at the man lying next to her. For some reason, he looked especially pleasing to the eye today, and even some of the dissatisfaction in her heart had dissipated. "It’s alright." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Li Chenlin’s lips curved. "How about I give you this stretch of sea?"

Bai Su rolled her eyes. "What use would I have for this sea?"

Li Chenlin said, "If this sea belongs to you, it becomes your territory. You can do with it as you please."

Bai Su waved her hand lazily. "No, no..."

’I just like minding my little restaurant.’

Li Chenlin let out a low chuckle and said no more.

*

For the next few days, Bai Su and Li Chenlin got along exceptionally well.

Not only did she not reject his physical touch, but she even felt particularly joyful when he touched her.

Bai Su realized something was wrong when Li Chenlin pushed her down onto the bed and asked her if she wanted to "go down the slide."

An image of Lu Tingyan’s face flashed through her mind, and she suddenly snapped out of it. She shoved Li Chenlin away, her mind buzzing.

’When did we get so intimate?’

’Didn’t I hate Li Chenlin the most?’

’Didn’t I hate snakes the most?’

’Why am I craving his touch so much?’

Li Chenlin’s eyes flickered, and he propped himself up slightly. "What’s wrong?"

Bai Su looked awkward and quickly buried herself under the covers. "It’s broad daylight, I don’t want to! Get out..."

Li Chenlin let out a muffled laugh. "Yesterday, in broad daylight, you helped me take care of it with your hand on the deck. Why not in the room today?"

Bai Su’s face flushed beet red with embarrassment. "Just get out, get out!"

Li Chenlin nodded, amused. "Alright, alright, I’ll go. I have some things to take care of anyway. I’ll come find you later."

From under the covers, Bai Su gave a muffled nod. "Mhm..."

Li Chenlin left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Only Bai Su remained in the room.

She shot up, all traces of shyness gone from her eyes. Her expression was terrifyingly cold.

[System, get out here!] she suppressed her fury, her face dark.

The System meekly peeked out. [Host...]

Bai Su’s face was cold. [You knew something was wrong all along, didn’t you? There’s no way you didn’t know Li Chenlin did something to me!]

The System looked at her guiltily. [I’m sorry, I thought the Healing Ability in your body could heal you.]

Bai Su sneered. [You were just playing dumb, hoping something would happen between him and me, weren’t you?]

Having been called out, the System immediately softened its tone. [I’m sorry, Host... I shouldn’t have tried to influence your decisions.]

Bai Su was actually very easy to appease.

If it had tried to give some high-and-mighty excuse about doing it for her own good, to help her earn more points, her anger would have instantly flared.

But it frankly admitted its mistake and lowered its head in apology.

She was easily placated. [Since you know you shouldn’t influence my decisions, don’t pull something like this again!]

The System nodded like a bobblehead. [Okay, I get it! From now on, no matter what happens, I’ll tell you right away. I’m sorry...]

Bai Su’s expression softened considerably. [So what exactly is wrong with me? Why am I acting so strange?]

System: [It seems Li Chenlin injected you with Snake Cleansing Essence. He wants to transform you into a Snake Beastman.]

Hearing this, a flash of disgust crossed Bai Su’s eyes.

The thought that she had almost become a snake, the very thing she hated most, made her skin crawl with goosebumps.

System: [Also... someone has their eyes on you.]

Bai Su: [Who?]

The System sounded a bit embarrassed: [I don’t know either. His Level is too high, so I can’t break through his disguise. But he’s been watching you.]

Bai Su frowned slightly. [Where? What is he using to watch me?]

System: [I don’t know how he did it, but he left a message for you by your bed.]

Bai Su turned to look at her headboard. At first glance, there was nothing, but when she looked closely, a line of small words glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window.

*If you need help, pull this spider silk. I will come to save you in three days.*

The words were made of spider silk.

They were almost impossible to see normally, only visible for half an hour in the morning when the sunlight streamed in.

She curiously tugged at the silk. The material was very unusual, soft and delicate, and seemed to carry the faint, crisp scent of cedar.

She leaned in, sniffed it, and then stuck out her tongue to lick the silk.

The spider silk suddenly seemed to react, collapsing and curling into a ball.

Far away, lurking at the bottom of the sea, Yelias was distractedly manipulating the spider silk weaving between his fingers. His long, jade-white fingers were as slender and perfect as a specimen preserved in formaldehyde. The white lab coat he wore stood in stark contrast to the long lock of hair tied back behind his head.

A simulated whale submarine was on autopilot, evading the scans from Li Chenlin’s ship.

He lazily glanced at the sea creatures swimming past the transparent submarine. He possessed a stunningly sharp and beautiful face, dazzling as a jewel, yet his aura was as cold and aloof as a snow-laden cedar on a towering mountain.

Suddenly, his body tensed. He touched his own lips in disbelief as the spider silk in his hand rapidly contracted, as if being withdrawn from some unknown place.

A damp section of spider silk lay in his palm, blushing red all over with embarrassment, glowing with a faint crimson hue.

*

Bai Su stared in amazement as the spider silk vanished before her. After a moment of thought, she said, [Could it be... Grandpa Yarco’s grandson, the legendary third male lead, Yelias?]

System: [It’s possible. I can only fail to see through the disguises of Beastmen who are Level 9 or higher.]

Bai Su: [How long until my heat starts?]

System: [Tonight.]

Bai Su: [So soon? How many golden points do I have in the System Mall?]

System: [After finding the two cubs, plus your multiple efforts with Lu Tingyan, you now have 3,498 golden points.]

Bai Su glanced at the Skills category. She was still over 100 points short for the Skill she wanted.

Bai Su asked again: [I also get golden points when Lu Tingyan and I... you know?]

The System nodded. [It’s part of the baby-making process, so a small amount of golden points will drop.]

Bai Su: [About how many per time?]

System: [That’s hard to say for sure. But the male leads have excellent genes, so you get over ten points each time.]

Bai Su stared at the Skills in the mall, a flicker in her eyes.

She activated her Healing Superpower and began to scan her body.

Sure enough, the changes weren’t just on the surface; her internal organs and bones were shifting and deforming.

If it weren’t for her Healing Superpower and her body’s natural self-healing ability, she would have probably been transformed into a Snake Beastman by Li Chenlin on the very first night.

Bai Su mobilized the Healing Power within her and began to search for and purge the snake venom.

She had never intended to provoke this Snake Beastman male lead, as she had a natural aversion to snakes.

But since he had gone this far, he couldn’t blame her for being ruthless!

’First, I’ll use him to get through my heat.’

The System looked at her, a little scared. [Host, if you really don’t like him, I can help you contact male lead number three and have him rescue you.]

Bai Su: [Of course I’m going to ask him for help. But before I escape, I’m going to teach Li Chenlin a lesson first. I’ll let him know that even a cornered rabbit will bite!]

「That night.」

Bai Su’s body began to heat up. She was like a cooked shrimp, tossing and turning on the bed, curling into a ball.