Chapter 85: Let go of me!
The moment the eager female shouted, "I will do it! I will do it for you!" Lin Huahua looked over in surprise, and when she saw the three women pushing through the crowd, her eyes widened because she recognized them immediately.
These three had once been her closest friends in the village.
Lin Huahua’s fluffy white rat tail gave one surprised little flick behind her, her big brown eyes widening even more because seeing them again after so long made a strange mix of guilt and warmth bloom in her chest, her little white rat ears twitching nervously as she wondered if they still hated her or if they had come only because they finally had a chance to get even with the old her.
That realization hit her almost as hard as the memory of what happened between them, because back when the placeholder was still foolishly chasing after Wei Ranshu like she had lost her mind, these were the very same females who had tried to pull her back and talk sense into her.
They had told her again and again that the peacock was not worth it, that her own males were stronger, better-looking, and far more loyal, and that no proper female in the beast world would throw away such powerful males just to chase one overconfident bird.
But instead of listening, the old Lin Huahua had lashed out at them, broken ties with them, and turned their concern into an insult.
Now they were here.
Still angry, probably.
Still hurt too.
Yet the moment there was a chance to drag Su Yanrong to the ground, all three of them had come running as if the heavens had finally answered years of frustration.
The one who shouted first was Tu Xiaotao, a rabbit beastwoman with long reddish-brown ears, bright round eyes, and a small lively face that looked born to talk, laugh, and cause trouble at the same time.
Tu Xiaotao’s reddish-brown rabbit ears stood straight up with pure excitement, her fluffy little tail shaking so hard it looked ready to fly off, and she bounced on her toes like she could not wait one more second to finally do something she had been dreaming about for years, her lively face flushed with the kind of cheerful aggression that made Lin Huahua feel both amused and a little scared.
She had always been the most fiery one, the quickest to speak, the quickest to laugh, and the quickest to start a fight if she felt it was justified.
Right now her rabbit ears were standing straight up with excitement, and her fluffy little tail behind her was shaking so hard it looked ready to fall off.
The second was Mao Qingyue, a civet cat beastwoman with narrow eyes, soft gray ears, and a long tail that moved only when she truly felt something.
Out of the three, she was the coldest and most reserved, and even now her face stayed calm, but there was a sharpness in her gaze that made it very clear she had not forgotten the pain of being cast aside by a friend over a male.
The third was Lang Yinzhi, a wolf beastwoman with strong shoulders, sharp brows, and a dark tail that swayed in slow dangerous motions behind her.
Lang Yinzhi’s dark wolf tail swayed in slow, dangerous motions behind her strong shoulders, her sharp brows furrowed in the kind of open fury that had always made people step aside, and even though she looked ready to bite someone, there was still a flicker of old loyalty in her eyes that made Lin Huahua’s heart squeeze because these females had once cared enough to try saving her from her own foolishness.
She had never been the gentle type, and she had always spoken her mind without caring who got offended.
Even before this, she had been the most openly furious with the old Lin Huahua, because she simply could not stand watching a female throw away good males for a peacock with more feathers than sense.
The moment these three arrived, they did not waste a single breath.
Tu Xiaotao darted in first with all the cheerful aggression of a rabbit that had waited her whole life for a legal excuse to cause trouble. "Move, move, let me do it!" she cried, and before Su Yanrong could fully understand what was happening, Tu Xiaotao had already grabbed one of her arms.
Lang Yinzhi was even faster and rougher.
She stepped in with the kind of hard force only a wolf beastwoman like her could bring and pushed Su Yanrong down from the other side without even pretending to be gentle.
Mao Qingyue did not say a word at all. She simply moved in quietly, caught Su Yanrong’s wrists together, and pinned them down with a cold efficiency that somehow made the whole thing even scarier.
Su Yanrong screamed at once.
"Let go of me!"
Mu Qingyi’s broad bare chest rose sharply as he stepped half a pace closer to Lin Huahua, one big warm hand resting lightly on her small shoulder in that calm protective way he always had, his large antlers catching the light while his deer tail brushed softly against her leg like he was silently promising nothing bad would touch her.
Hu Baiyu’s lion ears flattened in quiet tension, his massive muscular shoulders tensing as he moved to stand right behind her, close enough that the heat of his bare chest warmed her back without crowding her.
Feng Yiren’s red fox tail lashed once in sharp annoyance, but his lean muscular body shifted to her other side, one arm folding across his chest while his red eyes stayed locked on Su Yanrong like he was one wrong word away from showing exactly how dangerous a crazy fox could be when his female was involved.
She thrashed hard, her face twisted in rage and disbelief, because this had gone far beyond the ugly little scene she had planned in her head.
Her own males immediately looked panicked and stepped forward on instinct, but then froze halfway because what could they do?
If males had been the ones pinning her down, then maybe things could still be argued or bargained through force or words. But these were females.
Females from the same tribe. Females acting on the princess’s order. There was no easy way to snatch Su Yanrong back without making the whole matter even worse.
They could only grit their teeth and look ready to explode.
Su Yanrong looked over at them with eyes full of command and panic, clearly expecting them to do something, anything, but even they were not stupid enough to challenge this situation head on.
Not when Lin Huahua’s own males were standing behind her like three walking disasters wearing nothing but hide beast skirts and anger.
And what males they were.
Mu Qingyi stood there with his broad bare chest rising slowly, his handsome face calm but cold, his antlers catching the light in a way that made him look too noble for the amount of violence building inside him.
Hu Baiyu’s lion ears were tense, his shoulders looked even wider than before, and his entire body had that frightening stillness of a beast who only needed one excuse to tear someone apart.
Feng Yiren, with his red hair wild and his bee marks still visible, looked almost too pleased with life now that the tables had turned, and that only made him seem even more dangerous.
The whole area had become electric.