Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

Chapter 651: Lan Lan, Have You Decided Yet?

It was another day in the beast world. Su Qinglan trudged through the deep snow, pushing her way forward with effort. It seemed like this had become her daily routine.Ever since winter arrived, every morning after a heavy snowfall looked exactly like this.

She looked up at the sky and realized it was already midday. She was just returning from a visit to her parents’ house.

Behind her, the cubs were following in a neat little row. She had wanted to carry them because the snow was so deep, but the little ones clearly wanted to play.

They tumbled and jumped in the white drifts, so she smiled and let them have their fun.

As she finally reached her own stone house, a sudden movement nearby caught her attention. It came from the house right next door, the one An Mo had built and prepared for himself.

Su Qinglan froze. She quickly looked behind her at Shi Feng and asked, "An Mo is back?"

Shi Feng shook his head slightly. "I don’t know," he replied, looking toward the quiet house.

But judging by the sudden shift in her expression and the noise from inside, it really seemed like he had returned.

Excitement surged through Su Qinglan. Without wasting another second, she rushed toward An Mo’s house.

Before stepping across the threshold, she turned and shouted aloud, "Shi Feng, take the cubs back inside our house! I will be back soon!"

Shi Feng nodded obediently. He gathered the playful cubs and led them out of the cold, leaving Su Qinglan to run ahead into the snow toward the neighboring house.

Su Qinglan practically burst through the door, her heart racing with excitement. However, the moment she stepped inside, she stopped dead in her tracks.

The house was filled with curling white steam.

In the middle of the room sat a huge wooden bathtub, and the thick mist was rising steadily from the hot water. Her gaze fell directly on the tub, and her eyes widened when she saw a man submerged inside it.

Suddenly, the man snapped his eyes open. His unique, mixed golden eyes met hers instantly.

Su Qinglan stared, suddenly realizing just how brazen she was being. She had actually barged directly into a male’s house while he was bathing!

Instead of being angry, a slow smile pulled at An Mo’s lips. He looked at her flushed face and said smoothly, "Lan Lan is here. Come, sit."

Su Qinglan nervously waved her hands in front of her. "No, no! I... I’ll wait outside. You finished first," she stammered.

But before she could even turn around, An Mo directly stood up right out of the bathtub.

Su Qinglan almost screamed. She immediately dropped her gaze to the floor, her face burning hot, and whipped her body around to face the wall.

An Mo watched her frantic reaction with pure amusement. He stepped out of the wooden tub, the water dripping from his body, and grabbed a luxurious golden robe. He wrapped it around himself, tying the fabric loosely at his waist.

"I am ready," An Mo said, his voice deep and teasing. "Let’s go talk inside the inner room."

Hearing that he was covered, Su Qinglan finally peeked over her shoulder. She let out a breath and followed him into the inner room.

An Mo looked at her. "You came here looking for me?"

Su Qinglan, who had been so excited just moments ago, suddenly froze under his intense gaze. She whispered, "Yeah... you have been away for more than a month. Did you go to the upper domain?"

An Mo nodded.

"Hmm."

The confirmation made her eager again. She fired off a string of questions without pausing. "Did you meet Xuan Long? How is he? Is he alright?"

An Mo smiled gracefully at her enthusiasm. He sat down on the edge of his bed, patted the empty space right beside him, and said, "Come, sit down first."

Su Qinglan didn’t mind the proximity. She walked over, sat down next to him, and looked at him eagerly, waiting for his answers.

An Mo leaned back against the cold stone wall before whispering, "I did indeed go to the upper domain. But... I did not meet Xuan Long. I went there for something else."

In an instant, Su Qinglan’s excited expression completely vanished. Her shoulders slumped. "Oh. I thought you went to meet Xuan Long," she said, her voice full of disappointment.

An Mo leaned a bit closer to her, his golden eyes locking onto hers. "Should I have gone to meet him?" he asked softly.

Su Qinglan blinked, then shook her head quickly. "No, no need. I just thought you might have run into him."

After that, silence settled over the room.

Time seemed to pass painfully slow as the two of them just sat there. Su Qinglan suddenly found herself at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say.

Ever since their last meaningful conversation before he left, she felt incredibly self-conscious around him. She felt awkward and didn’t even know where to put her hands.

An Mo, on the other hand, didn’t say a single word. He was perfectly content just watching her. His gaze was fixed entirely on her face. He pressed his lips together, his instincts swirling inside him.

Looking at her bright red cheeks, a sudden urge hit him...he wanted to bite those rosy cheeks.

To him, she looked truly beautiful sitting there in the winter chill. Her skin was flushed from the cold outside, and wrapped up against the snow, she looked especially delicious. A small, knowing smile appeared on his face.

Su Qinglan had no idea what kind of thoughts were running through his head.

Realizing that the silence was becoming too heavy and that she truly had nothing left to say, she abruptly stood up from the bed.

"Then... you should rest," she said quickly, her words tumbling out.

"You must be tired from the long journey. I will go back to my house now. You can come over in the evening to join us for dinner."

She practically turned to run, desperate to escape the suffocating tension of the inner room.

But before her foot could clear the doorway, An Mo leaned back against the wall and spoke up, his voice stopping her in her tracks.

"Lan Lan, you didn’t answer my question."

Su Qinglan stopped dead. She turned back slowly, looking at him with deeply questioning eyes.

What question? He hadn’t asked her anything since he got back.

An Mo smiled, his golden eyes flashing with a mix of warmth and anticipation. He whispered, "It was from the last time we met before I left. I asked you something back then. So... have you decided yet?"

Hearing his words, Su Qinglan felt her entire brain completely short-circuit.