Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

An Mo’s expression cracked for the first time.

"What is wrong with you?!" he snapped, clutching his hand back like a dragon guarding its last piece of treasure. "Are you a bandit now?! Robbing in broad daylight?!"

Xuan Long remained completely calm, as if none of this concerned him at all.

"I am not robbing," he said seriously. "I am asking."

"You call that asking?!" An Mo almost choked. "You just tried to snatch it off my hand!"

Xuan Long paused, then corrected himself without the slightest embarrassment. "Then I am asking now."

An Mo: "..."

For a second, he genuinely did not know whether to laugh or strangle him.

Meanwhile, Xuan Long’s gaze was still fixed on the ring, unwavering, like a predator locking onto its prey.

"It looks valuable," he added bluntly. "My female will like it."

That sentence hit An Mo like lightning.

"YOUR FEMALE?!" he exploded. "You want to take my ring to please your mate?! Have you completely lost your mind?!"

Without warning, Xuan Long reached out again.

This time, An Mo was prepared.

Smack!

He swatted his hand away again, immediately stepping back two steps and covering the ring like his life depended on it.

"Do not even think about it!" he warned, eyes narrowing. "This is mine!"

Xuan Long frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied.

"You said you have many treasures," he pointed out logically. "This one should not matter."

An Mo almost laughed out of sheer disbelief.

"Oh, so now you are picking which of my treasures to take? Should I also thank you for your consideration?!"

Xuan Long did not reply.

Instead...

He stepped forward.

An Mo stepped back.

He stepped forward again.

An Mo retreated again, his expression turning increasingly horrified.

"Hey... hey... do not come closer! Why are you walking like that?!"

Xuan Long’s tone remained flat. "Give it to me."

"No!"

"Give it."

"NO!"

The two of them ended up circling the stone slab like children fighting over candy... one chasing, the other dodging... except one had a completely expressionless face, and the other looked like he was about to lose his sanity.

At one point, An Mo even climbed onto the bed to create distance.

"Stay there!" he pointed accusingly. "You greedy snake, have some shame!"

Xuan Long stopped, looked at him, then calmly said,

"You called yourself rich."

An Mo: "..."

"I regret everything I said."

On the other side, Su Qinglan had already reached peak embarrassment.

If there were a hole nearby, she would not just dig one... she could probably excavate an entire three story villa with her toes and move in permanently.

This is too shameful... too shameful!

Watching her own husband attempt daylight robbery like it was a perfectly reasonable social interaction, she felt her soul quietly leave her body.

Enough was enough.

She rushed forward and grabbed Xuan Long’s arm, forcefully dragging him back before he could make a third attempt at "asking."

"Who said I want it?!" she burst out, her face burning. "I do not want it at all!"

Xuan Long looked at her.

Then, without a hint of guilt, he calmly raised his hand and...

shh.

He gently pressed a finger near her lips, silencing her mid rant.

"Lan Lan," he said in that same steady tone, as if he was not just caught red handed, "just take it."

Su Qinglan: "???"

"It is definitely good."

She stared at him in disbelief. Definitely good?! What kind of reasoning was that?!

Meanwhile, An Mo, who was still standing on the bed clutching his ring like his last lifeline, completely lost it.

"Are you two planning to rob me as a couple now?!" he shouted.

An Mo finally froze mid step, his fingers still tightly guarding the ring.

A dangerous realization slowly dawned on him. This idiot... once he sets his mind on something, he will definitely take it.

There was no reasoning with Xuan Long.

If he hesitated even a second longer, this greedy snake might actually wrestle him to the ground and pry it off his finger.

An Mo’s expression twisted. Absolutely not. His gaze flickered, then suddenly brightened with a wicked idea.

He wants to give it to her, right?

Then I will be the one to give it.

Before anyone could react, he jumped down from the bed in one swift motion.

"Hey, what are you..." Hu Yan started, but it was already too late.

An Mo moved like a gust of wind, appearing right in front of Su Qinglan. Without hesitation, he slipped the ring off his own finger and caught her hand.

"Since someone is so desperate," he said lightly, though his eyes held something deeper, "I might as well do it properly."

Before she could even process what was happening...

He gently slid the ring onto her finger.

For a brief moment, it seemed slightly loose...

Then, as if it had a will of its own, the ring shimmered faintly and adjusted perfectly to her size.

An Mo’s fingers lingered for just a second longer than necessary.

"This ring," he said softly, his usual teasing tone fading into something unexpectedly sincere, "was given by my mother’s family."

Su Qinglan’s breath hitched.

"They said... it should only be passed to my future female."

An Mo lowered his gaze to her hand, then gently lifted it.

"And now," he murmured, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "it seems fate has already chosen for it."

Before she could react...

He lowered his head and pressed a light kiss against the ring. His lips brushed against her fingers ever so slightly.

Su Qinglan’s entire body trembled.

It was not even a bold action... yet somehow, it felt far too intimate.

An Mo slowly straightened. But he did not step back. Instead, he leaned closer... close enough that she could feel his breath.

Close enough that their lips were only a breath apart.

Su Qinglan’s mind went completely blank.

All she could see... was him.

"Lan Lan..." he whispered, his voice softer than she had ever heard before.

"You are really beautiful."

His gaze dropped unconsciously to her lips, and just as the atmosphere grew dangerously quiet...

"AN. MO."

A thunderous roar exploded through the room. It was Xuan Long.

An Mo blinked.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he suddenly smiled... bright, shameless, and completely unbothered. Gone was the serious expression from his face.

He gave Su Qinglan a quick wink.

"Oh right," he said casually, stepping back as if he had not just stirred chaos, "I suddenly remembered I have something important to do."

Before anyone could stop him... he turned and ran.

Even Hu Yan and the others were left stunned. Only Xuan Long stood there, his expression darkening by the second.

Meanwhile, Su Qinglan remained frozen in place. A few seconds later, she suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Huh...?"

Her hand slowly rose to her chest. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it might jump out at any moment.

"Why... is it beating like this...?" Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the direction An Mo had disappeared.

For some reason... she could not quite remember what he had just said.

But she clearly remembered the way his lips moved and the warmth that lingered on her fingers.

She touched her cheeks, only to realize they were burning hot. What had just happened? Why did it feel like, for a moment, she had been completely bewitched?

She was the fox, not him!!

How could he do that...