Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 109 - 101: You Don’t Actually Love Me, Do You?
An Jin listened to the beastmen’s report and simply nodded, sending them away to rest. For the time being, she had no intention of tipping their hand.
’It seems the Luoten Tribe has been planning this for a long time.’
However, An Jin wasn’t overly concerned. The fact that Luoten had dared to silently plant spies in their tribe, yet only watched from the sidelines for so long without making a move, suggested he was wary of their strength and afraid to act recklessly.
If the two tribes truly went to war, he stood to gain nothing from it.
’I’d love to see what Luoten is plotting.’
...
"Is the rainy season almost here again?" An Jin asked, leaning on the windowsill with her chin propped on her hand as she gazed at the gradually darkening sky.
The sweltering heat of the blazing season had faded, replaced by a refreshing coolness in the air.
Standing by the half-open window, she felt a surprising chill and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.
"Yes, the rainy season is almost upon us. Another year has passed." Ling Hong came over and draped a soft, heavy beast hide over her shoulders before closing the window tight. He gazed out at the bleak scene of falling leaves, his expression equally wistful.
’To think I’ve already been in the Beast World for a year.’
’Time flies.’
A mix of complex emotions stirred within An Jin. She couldn’t tell if it was nostalgia or something else entirely. It felt as though she had truly become one with this world and its beastmen.
At first, she had constantly thought about returning home, but now, the idea rarely crossed her mind.
Her old world was one of ecological collapse, melting glaciers, radiation-induced sickness, and viruses ravaging vast regions...
That world had long been polluted beyond saving. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have poured so much effort into researching spatial technology, desperately trying to find a new sanctuary for human civilization.
This primitive, pure world was the one An Jin truly longed for and had come to love.
"Has Gu Yin returned yet?" After her musings on ideals and the future, An Jin’s thoughts were pulled back to the present.
Ling Hong shook his head. "Still no word from him."
More than half a month had passed. ’No matter how impulsive and free-spirited Gu Yin is,’ An Jin thought, ’he wouldn’t be gone this long without sending any word, would he?’
At first, An Jin hadn’t been too concerned, chalking it up to his nature as a Wandering Beast. But now, with so much time having passed in complete silence, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
She touched the mate mark on her wrist and sighed. She was both worried and angry. ’Why is Gu Yin starting to act like Ling Hong did?’
As if sensing her touch, the little red snake on her wrist seemed to tighten.
Just as An Jin was about to send out a search party, Gu Yin, who had been missing for days, finally appeared. He returned to the tribe reeking of blood and dampness, walking straight up to An Jin at the door.
He handed her a Beast Skin Bag.
"For you."
An Jin accepted it in a daze, the scene feeling strangely familiar. The Beast Skin Bag was heavy in her hands; she could tell it was filled with some kind of stones even without opening it.
She opened it.
It was full of Crystal Cores, including four Green Crystals.
Being gifted Green Crystals so frequently was starting to give her the false impression that they weren’t precious at all.
"If you like Green Crystals, I can get them for you, too. I’ll find as many as you want." His gaze was deep and intense as he stared at the stunned An Jin. ’She had the same look on her face when the Wolf Beast gave her Green Crystals.’
His tone was calm and casual, but An Jin couldn’t miss the intensely competitive undertone in his words.
’He’s jealous.’
’I’m not an idiot; I can tell he’s jealous. How am I supposed to comfort him? This is giving me a headache.’
She tied the Beast Skin Bag shut and carefully placed it in a drawer before turning to him with a serious expression. "I like Green Crystals because they’re precious, but I don’t want you risking your life to get these Crystal Cores just to one-up someone else."
’The stench of blood on him is so strong,’ she thought. ’It’s the kind that wouldn’t wash away even after rinsing in the river several times.’
She could even see the wounds on his snake tail.
Gu Yin leaned in, cupping her serious face with a look of both deep affection and sorrow. The thick, choking stench of blood instantly enveloped her. "Jin’er, you don’t actually love me, do you?"
"What?" An Jin frowned at him, not understanding why he would suddenly say that.
Gu Yin’s gaze fell to her rigid posture. He suddenly let out a soft laugh, tinged with self-mockery and sadness, as he slowly released her. "I’ve been gone for over half a month, and you won’t even give me a hug?"
’Does she even like me at all?’
’After all this time, I can tell from her body language.’
’She’s just standing there stiffly, hands at her sides. We haven’t seen each other in over half a month, and she doesn’t even show the slightest intention of hugging me.’
’Perhaps she only accepted me reluctantly because of the mate mark. In her heart, she doesn’t like me at all.’
Gu Yin thought sorrowfully.
"..." An Jin suddenly found that she couldn’t answer his question.
She had never loved anyone, so she didn’t know what love was supposed to feel like. Her external expressions were almost perfectly gentle, but her heart was cold and numb to the extreme.
She had indeed shown worry and lost her composure over Ling Hong, but her feelings for Gu Yin were different.
Perhaps it was because Ling Hong was the first beastman she had met in this world, the one she had spent the most time with and relied on the most, that she had instinctively imprinted on him.
Ling Hong’s six-month absence had created an emotional void akin to losing family, which had thrown her into a panic.
As for Gu Yin, she didn’t know if she loved him, but he was the only person whose touch she could tolerate.
’Does that count as liking him?’
An Jin wasn’t sure if it was love or simply a mate’s obligation.
"If you really like me, can you let me see it? Jin’er, your love is too quiet."
"Since I brought you back Green Crystals, will you let me claim a reward?"
As he spoke, his voice took on a pleading quality, and a vulnerability she had never seen before appeared on his proud, handsome face.
At that moment, An Jin realized she was completely unable to refuse the man before her.
She knew what he wanted. Perhaps intending to comfort him, she didn’t resist this time. But he only carried her to the bed; he didn’t pounce on her with his usual fiery impatience.
"You... don’t you want me?" She had already closed her eyes in nervous anticipation, but the man was unusually calm today, as if he were waiting for something.
An Jin opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. He suddenly bent down, his lips tracing a path from her earlobe, nibbling along her neck before finally landing on her lips. "...I want you to be the one to initiate," he said, his voice muffled.
’It’s always me forcing her. She’s never once taken the initiative to want me.’
’If one day I stop being so forceful and domineering, will she forget I even exist?’
’She won’t remember that I, the Wandering Beast, am the one who craves her company the most—craves it to the point of madness.’
’I want to feel what it’s like to be actively wanted and pursued by a female, just once.’
He waited for a long time, but there was no movement. The last embers of hope in Gu Yin’s heart slowly died, plunging him into an icy abyss. In that instant, he suddenly found he could no longer muster his previous passion and desire for her.
He slowly pushed himself up off of her. Just as he was about to turn and get off the bed, a soft, fervent kiss suddenly met his lips.
"I don’t know, Gu Yin..."
An Jin wrapped her arms around his long neck and buried her face in his chest, not wanting him to leave so heartbroken.
The man’s tall, powerful frame completely covered her. She had to crane her neck just to see the shocked, almost frenzied look in his eyes.
An Jin looked directly into his eyes and said softly, "But you’re the only one who’s ever touched me. At the very least, I don’t mind it... and sometimes, I even like it..."
As she finished speaking, her lips met his once more. Gu Yin froze for only an instant, his mind going blank. Then, his large hand tangled in her soft, seaweed-like hair, pulling her closer.
Acting on instinct, Gu Yin seized control, giving her a response that was even more fiery, almost scalding...
