Beauty and the Beasts

Bella, too, turned around and looked at Bai Qingqing, before sputtering in laughter disdainfully.

Only then did Bai Qingqing realize that everyone was looking at her. She awkwardly lowered her head and prepared to leave.

Bella sniffed and asked as she pointed at Bai Qingqing, “Wait a minute, what’s that you’re holding?”

Bai Qingqing halted in her footsteps and looked at the things she was carrying. She replied, “Muir came to look for me just now. I had thought he was here to fetch me away, so I took my luggage with me.”

“I asked you what food you’re holding in your hands?” Bella sniffed again as she spoke and even licked the corners of her lips.

Bai Qingqing smiled and raised the roast meat wrapped in a tree leaf. “Are you talking about this? This is the roast meat I was talking about. Do you want to try?”

“Bring it over to me.” Bella raised her chin and ordered haughtily.

Alva, who had already transformed into a human and put on his skirt, strode over to Bai Qingqing’s side and reached out his hand.

Bai Qingqing opened the tree leaf. She had wanted to share some with Bella. Unexpectedly, Alva reached out and took it all from her.

“Aye!”

Bai Qingqing’s startled cry made Alva turn his head and glance at her. “Is something the matter?”

This is my food for the entire day!

Bai Qingqing thought to herself. Come to think of it, since she was living in someone else’s place, she probably ought to pay some rent. With that, she relented. “Nothing, just take it.”

Forget it, she would just eat pine nuts today; she would just take back more food from Muir tomorrow.

“This roast meat is so fragrant.” Bella took a bite of the meat she was holding, her eyes lighting up instantly.

Alva smiled happily. He even specifically glanced in Bai Qingqing’s direction, yet he only saw her holding a hand to her stomach and leaving in an upset manner.

Bai Qingqing returned to her little nest and took out a pinecone, then tossed two pine nuts into her mouth.

She had never eaten raw pine nuts before. It tasted pretty good. She decided it wasn’t a bad idea to feed some nuts to her unborn babies.

Bai Qingqing consoled herself. But after eating more than ten pine nuts, she started getting sick of it—pine nuts were too oily. Since she had nothing better to do anyway, she helped Bella peel as well.

“Bai Qingqing.”

Alva’s voice rang from the tree trunk. Bai Qingqing didn’t get to her feet, but instead merely shifted towards the entrance as she continued sitting on the ground. “Alva? Is something the matter?”

Alva was holding a yellow animal skin in one hand and a grey ball of fur in the other. Bai Qingqing couldn’t tell what animal that was, but it was kicking its limbs and struggling, looking rather adorable.

“I’m returning your food and animal skin to you.” As Alva spoke, he handed the items to Bai Qingqing.

It was rare to be treated with respect by a peacock male, making Bai Qingqing overwhelmed with honor. She reached out to receive the items with both hands.

The gray ball suddenly started jumping violently. Bai Qingqing let out a shriek and tried to grasp it in her hands in a fluster, yet it still jumped out of her hands.

The gray ball flew one round around the house, before abruptly dashing outside, and was squashed on the ground by Alva’s feet.

“Chirp chirp—” The little gray ball flung its short and fat limbs as it cried out.

Bai Qingqing heaved a sigh of relief. As she looked up, she smiled at Alva embarrassedly. “You’d better take away this little fellow. Even if you give it to me, I don’t know how to kill it either. I won’t be able to eat it.”

“So stupid.” Alva scolded softly. Though, at the thought of how none of the females in his village knew how to do this either, he didn’t go on.

As his gaze fell upon Bai Qingqing’s face, Alva let out an “eh” sound. He bent over and reached out to raise her chin.

Forced to look up, Bai Qingqing’s hair fell behind her head.

Looking at Alva up close, she saw that his blue eyelashes were curly and unbelievably long, like a glamorous fan. The shape of his eyes was exquisite, and his black-blue eyeballs were inexplicably seductive.