Animal-eared Girl Era: Start by Forming a Contract with an SSS-Class School Belle

Mu Qingxue followed the road signs and asked around, eventually finding Lakeside Villa District No. 3.

She tossed a Great Venerable Realm crystal core to the old gatekeeper, and the gatekeeper, without even asking anything, just grinned and let her in.

Outside of Villa No. 10, Mu Qingxue took a deep breath twice, then resolutely raised her slender hand and knocked on the door.

Knock knock knock!

No one came to open the door.

Knock knock knock!

She knocked again.

A few seconds passed, and still no one showed up.

"Xiao Ye's not here?" Mu Qingxue frowned, turning to go look somewhere else.

Just then, the villa door cracked open a bit, and a ponytailed head poked out from within—it was Cheng Bingxi.

She had just been cultivating in the underground cultivation room, only a step away from entering the Great Venerable Realm.

"Hey, Miss Rich Girl, what do you want?"

Cheng Bingxi gave Mu Qingxue a weird look. *Wasn't this the cute tsundere girl who'd been chasing after Xiao Ye? What is she doing here, chasing him all the way to his house?*

Mu Qingxue's pretty face lit up and she hurried back, saying excitedly, "I'm looking for Xiao Ye, is Xiao Ye here?"

"!" Cheng Bingxi's eyes widened. *As expected, a little fangirl of Xiao Ye.*

*No way, I can't let her see Xiao Ye! He already has enough beast girls, three to be exact, and that's more than enough!*

"Him? He's not here, hasn't been here for a few days. Don't bother looking for him," Cheng Bingxi said warily, her face full of defense.

"Uh." Mu Qingxue was a bit speechless. *I'm not here to steal your man—what's with that 'rival in love' glare of yours?*

"Where did he go? I have something urgent to talk to him about. It's really important, super important!" Mu Qingxue said solemnly.

She didn't look like she was lying; it really did seem urgent. Cheng Bingxi explained, "Xiao Ye is handling something really important now, it'll take him a few days, you won't be able to find him."

After saying this, she added, "He's not in Devil City."

*Not in Devil City? He went to another base city?*

Mu Qingxue looked completely disappointed and sighed, "Alright then, I'll come back in a few days to look for Xiao Ye. Bye."

Her steps were a bit stiff as she walked out, one step at a time.

*Without Xiao Ye, she really couldn't imagine how miserable life would be after getting engaged to some Ye Family guy.* This chapter was originally posted on M^VLEMPYR.

*She was honestly a bit scared to face reality.*

Watching the somber, slender figure slowly leaving, Cheng Bingxi bit her lower lip tightly. *Back when Xiao Ye and Xie Mengxuan were a couple, she herself had felt the same way—loving someone she couldn't have.*

*Sorry, but you fell for the wrong person.*

*Staring at that figure, Cheng Bingxi silently recited in her heart.*

Suddenly, a voice came from behind Cheng Bingxi, and she was pulled into an embrace.

"Bingxi, what are you sneakily looking at? Let me have a peek too," It was Xiao Ye, who'd just returned from the Holy Spirit Secret Realm.

He opened the door, which was barely ajar, and saw Mu Qingxue's figure not far away, still lingering nearby.

"Uh, why is it that girl? What's she doing here?" Xiao Ye was surprised.

Cheng Bingxi snorted coldly, "Nothing much."

Xiao Ye called out, "Hey, little cutie over there, you need something?"

Xiao Ye immediately guessed Mu Qingxue was here for him. After all, in this area, he and Mu Qingxue definitely had a connection—quite a deep one at that.

Cheng Bingxi's pretty face froze. *Not fair! I'd finally made her leave, and here you go calling her back.*

In the distance, hearing that familiar voice, Mu Qingxue's steps halted instantly, and she looked back abruptly.

Xiao Ye—it was Xiao Ye!

He's here!

Mu Qingxue was overjoyed, hurrying back to the entrance. Her delicate face was full of excitement as she bounced up and said,

"Xiao Ye, I need to talk to you. It's really important!"

Xiao Ye ushered her in and told Cheng Bingxi to go prepare some tea and fruit.

Cheng Bingxi, however, ran straight downstairs to the underground cultivation room, and huffed, "Get it yourself! Hmph."

Xiao Ye scratched his head awkwardly. He casually took out some Longjing tea leaves Cheng Yi had given him from the system's storage, cut up twenty thumb-sized pieces of crystal essence from a giant block the size of a hundred meters, and arranged them on a fruit plate. Then, he placed twenty of the brightest red, most potent fruits on the plate.

After that, using Life Control and Water Element Control, he directly transformed the boiling water in the kettle into life essence liquid.

He brewed the Longjing tea and poured them each a cup.

Xiao Ye signaled for her to drink, and asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Mu Qingxue was shocked by the sight of the fruit plate and tea on the table. As the City Lord's daughter, she'd seen a lot, and she recognized all of this.

One piece of essence could sell for a Great Venerable Crystal Core, the red fruit was basically a super vitality booster—one could fetch a Great Venerable Crystal Core too. The life essence liquid wasn't simple either; a pound went for a Great Venerable Crystal Core.

*These two fruit plates plus the tea were worth more than a full Great Venerable Realm!*

Xiao Ye looked a little embarrassed and said, "Sorry, I'm just an ordinary student, so I only have these low-level things to serve you. Nothing compared to the City Lord's Mansion."

Mu Qingxue's mouth twitched. *Give me a break.*

*The City Lord's Mansion is rich, but not this extravagant. If the City Lord's Mansion served guests like this, it'd be bankrupt in no time!*

She picked up a piece of essence and popped it in her pocket, joking, "I only gave you a Great Venerable Crystal Core last time. Looks like I'm getting my money's worth back for free—don't you feel bad?"

Xiao Ye shrugged carelessly and said, "That was different, last time was a payment, and you owed it. Payment must be paid. But I'm not stingy."

"So, what exactly is it you need? Didn't you say it was really important?"

*Mu Qingxue felt like she was starting to learn more about Xiao Ye.*

*He wasn't stingy at all, even generous, but he definitely hated losing out!*

"I want to ask you for a favor!" she said seriously.

Xiao Ye replied, "As long as you can pay, that's fine."

Mu Qingxue's face lit up. "Someone is coming to propose to me the day after tomorrow. I want you to pretend to be my... my boyfriend, so that Ye Family guy will give up."

Xiao Ye popped a red fruit in his mouth and said, "Go on."

Mu Qingxue figured he'd probably help her, so she smiled happily, "You have to deal with my parents first, convince them we're a couple. Then, the day after tomorrow, show your Great Venerable Realm strength and beat the Ye Family guy. My parents will refuse their betrothal gifts and call off the engagement and marriage."

Xiao Ye got it—she wanted to use him as a human shield.

"Ye Family? Which Ye Family?" he asked expressionlessly.

Mu Qingxue answered directly, "The Ye Family, number one of the four great families in the Imperial Capital. I'm engaged to their Young Master. I came to you to cancel the engagement."

Xiao Ye shook his head and said, "I refuse!"

"You and I are just fake dating, not the real deal. Even if we fool them for a while, they'll eventually see through us. By then, you'll be out of trouble, but what about me?"

"I'd offend not just the City Lord and Lady, but the Ye Family of the Imperial Capital, too."

"You're the City Lord's daughter—they won't mess with you. But I'm different. I'm just a regular guy from a low-level base city. Who knows if the City Lord's Mansion or the Ye Family might come after me!"

Mu Qingxue's delicate face tensed, but she said firmly, "Then let's just pretend to be a couple forever!"

"Anyway, in this life, I'm never going to make a contract with any man."