An Bei's reason was instantly yanked back.
He calmly withdrew his fingers from Ruan Fu's mouth, then turned to look at An Rui behind him. "What are you doing walking around with your hair in such a mess?"
An Rui curled his lips. He turned to Ruan Fu and took out his wooden hairpin. "A fu, help me tie my hair up."
"Sure."
Seeing Ruan Fu take the wooden hairpin, An Rui turned around in satisfaction.
He didn't know that in the very next second, An Bei would snatch the wooden hairpin from Ruan Fu's hand and swiftly tie up his hair for him.
When An Rui turned his head and saw a cold-faced An Bei standing behind him, his own expression chilled. "An Bei, what are you doing?"
"Don't you have hands? Why are you having someone else tie your hair?"
An Bei reached out and pulled Ruan Fu to his side. He then lowered his head and bit her neck, leaving behind two distinct snake fang marks. Satisfied, An Bei curled his lips and looked up at An Rui provocatively. "She is my female."
An Rui sneered at the words. "An Bei, the marriage contract only states an engagement to the Snake Clan. That person could just as easily be me. Besides, you should have already noticed that she helped me shed my skin. According to Snake Clan rules, she..."
An Bei's expression changed. In the blink of an eye, a snake tail violently whipped out, drawing a sharp boundary line between them.
"Are you trying to steal her from me?"
"An Bei..."
Looking at the deadlocked duo, Ruan Fu realized she had never expected to so quickly experience the kind of treatment reserved for Ruan Ning in the original book.
However, she tilted her head to glance at An Bei and reached down to pinch her own thigh.
"You two... please don't fight over me. I..."
Her tearful voice finally drew the attention of both men to her.
An Bei retracted his snake tail. "Why don't you ask her who she actually wants to be engaged to?"
Ruan Fu tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her small face. She timidly glanced at An Bei, then at An Rui. Then, as if she had made a firm decision, she closed her eyes. Her body trembled slightly, her eyelashes fluttering.
"I..."
Ruan Fu's gaze wandered incessantly between the two of them. In her fear, her rabbit ears popped out and trembled gently. After a long while, she squeezed out a few words. "I choose An Bei."
An Bei chuckled softly. He raised an eyebrow at An Rui, assuming the posture of a victor. "An Rui, you lose."
An Rui ignored him, staring straight at Ruan Fu. She looked as though she was being coerced, and one didn't need to guess to know who the culprit was.
An Rui smirked and turned his head toward An Bei.
"Fine, I'll head back first. A fu, I'll see you another day."
An Rui deliberately pronounced the name 'A fu' with exceptional intimacy. Completely ignoring An Bei's icy glare beside him, he reached out and gently pinched Ruan Fu's rabbit ear before striding away.
Ruan Fu looked up only to see An Bei staring at her with sharp eyes. "Why didn't you choose my stupid brother this time?"
An Bei's cold fingertips gently pinched her chin. The touch of his finger pads was completely different from his snake tail. The smooth, warm texture of her skin made him want to devour her whole. "You're quite smart. It's just a pity that you're useless."
Useless.
On the Tianbei Continent, whether a female could bear children was the sole criterion for judging her usefulness.
Ruan Fu chuckled softly. "Since you look down on me so much, An Bei, why not give me to An Rui and let me be his female—"
Before she could even finish her sentence, his large hand clamped around Ruan Fu's slender neck.
"I think you've got a death wish."
Ruan Fu wasn't afraid. Instead, she reached out and grasped his wrist. "Then kill me, An Bei."
They confronted each other in a stalemate until An Bei finally released his grip.
"As long as you stay away from An Rui, I can guarantee you a lifetime of peace in the Snake Clan." An Bei paused. "Otherwise, even if you marry into the Snake Clan, your lack of fertility means it will always lead to a dead end."
Ruan Fu offered a sweet smile. "You should have said that earlier, An Bei. I'll behave appropriately."
As she spoke, she suddenly leaned close to An Bei. Her fingertips glided across his cheek, trailing down his Adam's apple little by little. "After all, I am your female, An Bei."
An Bei's Adam's apple bobbed. He could clearly feel the changes in his lower body; his snake tail seemed unable to be suppressed and was on the verge of manifesting.
He grabbed Ruan Fu's mischievous hand.
"What are you doing?"
Ruan Fu lowered her head and pressed her lips to An Bei's Adam's apple, his heavy breathing echoing in her ears.
"An Bei, I heard you haven't shed your skin either. It must be agonizing to endure it like this all the time. Why don't I help you..."
In the book, to avoid being controlled by females, An Bei had always endured the pain and refused to shed his skin. He hadn't even completed the process after mating with the original owner of this body. It wasn't until an accident where the female lead encountered An Bei in heat and helped him shed his skin. From then on, An Bei had become unconditionally devoted to the female lead, and upon discovering that the original owner wanted to harm her, he executed the original owner without hesitation.
What a pity that the person helping him shed his skin right now was her.
Ruan Fu looked up at An Bei, whose eyes were tightly shut in an effort to restrain himself. A smile touched the corners of her mouth as she leaned in again, her lips tracing slowly upward from his Adam's apple...
The moment she touched his lips, An Bei opened his eyes.
His blue pupils narrowed into vertical slits, and his fangs were exposed. In the very next instant, he bit her lip. Before she even had time to register the pain, she was overwhelmed by a deep kiss.
His cold, large hand, now carrying a rare trace of body heat, grabbed her hand and slowly guided it toward the snake tail beneath him.
...
After a long time, An Bei finally released Ruan Fu's slightly swollen lips. The snake tail on his lower body had also finally transformed back into human legs.
He narrowed his eyes to scrutinize Ruan Fu and let out a soft chuckle. "You've got guts."
Ruan Fu gave a sweet smile. She broke free from his large grasp and extended her hand in front of An Bei. Her slender, long fingers were still coated with the lingering sticky fluid from moments ago.
"An Bei, my hand is dirty. Can you help me wipe it?"
She fluttered her eyelashes, looking at him with sparkling eyes that held not a single trace of lust.
An Bei scoffed coldly, but he still tore a piece of fabric from his own clothes to meticulously wipe her hand clean.
After wiping it, An Bei tried to stand up, but Ruan Fu grabbed the corner of his clothes.
"An Bei, the fabric of your clothes is cotton and linen, isn't it? It feels so comfortable. Can you bring me some next time? I don't want to wear sackcloth anymore."
An Bei originally wanted to refuse, but the word 'no' simply couldn't make it past his lips. He had no choice but to nod with a cold expression.
He truly despised how he was feeling right now, and he hurried away without even saying goodbye.
Ruan Fu watched his flustered, retreating back, the smile on her face growing ever more radiant. It seemed that lending a hand truly was a rewarding endeavor.
She sat down at the table and looked through the gifts An Bei had brought. The animal skins were quite nice. She could try to find someone who knew how to sew and have a few dresses made. Otherwise, if she kept wearing these rough sackcloth garments, her skin would be completely chafed.
As for the pearls...
Ruan Fu picked out a few and stood up, heading toward Ruan Ning's cave. After all, since she had already stolen something from her sister, she ought to give a little something back.
"Ruan Ning, I specifically picked out these high-quality ones for you. See if you like them?"
Before Ruan Fu could even hand the items over, Ruan Ning shoved her hard, sending the pearls scattering all over the floor.
Ruan Ning slightly raised her chin, looking at Ruan Fu with disdain. They had such similar faces, yet Ruan Fu insisted on putting on this hypocritical, pitiful act. It was a true disgrace to the Rabbit Clan.
Ruan Ning's tone was icy. "What right does a useless female like you have to show off in front of me? Do you really think everyone is as ignorant as you?"
"Ruan Ning, I didn't... I just thought you might like some of them."
Ruan Ning swept a glance over the items on the floor. "As the Holy Female, what could I possibly lack? Let me tell you, if I wanted to, the Snake Clan's marriage partner could become me in an instant. And you are only fit to pick up my scraps. Do you understand?"