The Scumbag Ran Away

The moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and the night was silent.

Stillness—a deathly stillness.

A pin could be heard dropping in the room. A night breeze slipped through the open window, producing the flapping rustle of robes being stirred by the wind.

Ye Shu stood rigid, cold sweat drenching his back, one foot still half-off the bed.

But he didn't dare move a muscle.

He swept his gaze across the four pairs of eyes in the room and saw the same emotion in each one—betrayal.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple.

Ye Shu's face twisted with discomfort, like a schoolkid caught peeking at the answers on the desk behind him during an exam.

What... what did I do?

How did so many people suddenly end up in his room?

Since when did catching a cheater become a group activity?

Whoosh—

Some expert must have made a move, because the candle in the room suddenly flared to life with a lick of purple flame, illuminating the space in a wash of violet light and revealing the scene within.

Ye Shu rolled his eyes, scanning each figure one by one.

First in view: Jiang Xin—crouched under the bed, a blade of grass dangling from her lips, hair a tangled mess like a bird's nest—with the adorable Jiang Mingyue perched on her waist, clutching a tattered rag doll, both staring at him with the look reserved for a heartless scoundrel.

Then came the most "normal" one of the bunch—

Near the doorway, standing on all fours, star-shaped tail perked up like an antenna, covered in fluff from head to toe, looking absolutely adorable—a small beast—glaring at him ferociously, its big violet eyes brimming with the hurt and fury of being wronged.

And as for the last one...

Ye Shu stiffly turned his head toward the windowsill.

The window had been forced wide open, with a brilliant moon hanging just beyond it. Seated beneath that moon was a woman in a bright red wedding dress, her hems swaying gently in the night breeze, one leg crossed over the other, watching him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Wait—Liu Ruyi, why the hell are you here?

Ye Shu racked his brain in utter confusion.

Why?

He'd brought Xia Hanmo to Wanshou City for fun, run into the Little Beast—it should've been a happy occasion.

But looking at the expressions on all these women...

"Gulp!"

Ye Shu swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

As for Xia Hanmo, she'd been in the middle of taking off her clothes, one snow-white shoulder already exposed, still clinging to Ye Shu's body. Seeing this spectacle, she froze on the spot.

She'd known Ye Shu had many female admirers.

But she hadn't expected this many.

After all, based on what Feng Mengli had hinted at before, shouldn't everyone hate heartless men?

Jiang Xin she could accept, but

what the heck were the furry little thing and the Demon Sect's Holy Maiden doing here?

While she was sizing them up, they were sizing her up too.

The women exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with scrutiny, wariness, but mostly astonishment.

Clearly, they'd all come to catch a cheater.

But there were a few too many catchers.

The atmosphere in the room turned stifling. The women locked eyes, hostility radiating from every glance.

Ye Shu could practically smell the gunpowder in the air.

Right now, this room was like a powder keg stuffed full of explosives, just one spark away from blasting him straight into orbit.

But he knew standing there doing nothing wouldn't solve anything.

"Um... that..."

He forced the corner of his mouth upward into a strained smile: "If I said things aren't what you think they are, would you believe me?"

"Do you really think so?!"

All the women snapped their heads toward him in unison, their voices sweet but sharp.

The suffocating silence shattered as every gaze refocused on Ye Shu.

Jiang Xin was the first to puff out her cheeks, face flushed red, pointing a finger at his nose and scolding: "You heartless liar! You told me you had important business to handle, and instead you sneak off to rendezvous with this wicked woman!"

"I saw everything! Don't you dare try to weasel out of it!"

And not just her—even Jiang Mingyue, standing on top of her head, raised her tiny little hand and pointed at Ye Shu, scolding in her baby voice: "Daddy bad! Daddy lies!"

"No, no! I really did come here for business!"

Ye Shu scrambled to defend himself.

Before he could even explain, the Little Beast by the door let out a series of aggrieved cries.

"Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!"

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!"

"Chirp chirp!"

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!"

As she cried, glistening tears welled up in her big eyes. She spun around and bolted out the door, leaving behind a single heartbroken teardrop before disappearing into the depths of the corridor.

"Wait, can't you say something I actually understand?"

Ye Shu stared blankly at the Little Beast as she fled in tears, his mind still struggling to catch up, when Liu Ruyi, seated on the windowsill, raised a slender hand and fixed him with that same half-smile.

"Oh? So Young Master Ye has such... exotic tastes?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, not even sparing the wild beasts. I can't decide if that makes you uniquely discerning, or just exceptionally broad-minded."

"Heiyi, you witch!" Ye Shu gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at the woman.

Everyone else was manageable—surprising, yes, but not entirely unexpected. But Liu Ruyi, this demonic seductress, he'd shown no crack in his facade, kept his whereabouts beyond secret. How in the world did she track him here?

Liu Ruyi seemed to read his mind, smoothing the folds of her red wedding dress with a gentle smile: "It's only natural for husband and wife to share a heart that beats in sync, isn't it?"

As if she'd ever tell him the truth—that the forbidden demonic art she'd used to resurrect him hadn't just consumed rare materials, but also half of her own lifespan.

If he fell, she'd die along with him.

That was also why she'd been so certain Ye Shu was alive.

Ye Shu's mouth twitched. This woman truly was a demoness.

But the priority right now wasn't her—it was the Little Beast who'd run off.

He couldn't understand how she'd recognized him, couldn't understand a word she said, but he could tell that hurt was real.

Everyone else had at least some idea of one another's existence.

But the Little Beast had waited with sixteen years of hope, only to be met with this.

With that thought, Ye Shu stopped hesitating.

He straightened up, gently set down the baffled Xia Hanmo, drew her collar back over her exposed shoulder, and left behind only one sentence.

"Whatever you ladies want to talk about, feel free to discuss. I'll be back later."

Then, without so much as a backward glance, he walked out the door and chased after the direction the Little Beast had vanished.

Leaving the women inside staring at one another in stunned silence.

"He... he just left us here like that?"

Jiang Xin stood frozen, utterly incredulous.

"And what choice did he have?" Liu Ruyi chuckled softly behind her hand. "The child who cries the loudest gets the milk."

"Might as well use this time to get acquainted."

She swung her long leg, perched atop the windowsill, gazing down with lofty disdain at Jiang Mingyue and the others below, a red-lipstick smile curling at the edge of her mouth.

"Allow me to introduce myself first. This humble one is Liu Ruyi."

"I am your fine husband's properly wedded, ceremoniously married, heaven-and-earth-sworn rightful wife."