The next second, the communication device in Yulan's hand was directly taken by the guard on duty and respectfully handed to Belina.
The very first thing Belina did upon getting it was to check the call history.
Sure enough, there was a string of calls made to several men.
An average of over a hundred calls a day.
It was enough to make Belina's vision go dark just looking at it.
Her expression instantly turned cold as she looked at Yulan, her gaze full of icy reprimand.
"Right now, Huo Zhanting and Suxing Ye are on the battlefield. When would they have time to bother with your petty romantic nonsense?"
"Yulan, you must put the overall situation first."
"Don't forget, you are a useless female without any healing power, unable to do even the most basic things like soothing male beasts through their rutting period or easing their mental instability."
"They have the right to reject you."
"Don't make yourself look so pathetic throwing yourself at them."
"I'll have the housekeeper prepare a new phone for you."
With that, Belina propped her forehead with one hand and waved dismissively, looking somewhat headachy.
"Leave us."
She had come here for a pleasant visit, only to have her phone confiscated.
Yulan puffed up her cheeks in anger.
Regarding what Belina had said about soothing male beasts through their rutting period:
The physically robust and powerfully skilled male beasts were natural warriors, possessing formidable strength in both human and beast forms.
However, at the same time, they were subject to an animalistic rutting season.
After turning eighteen and reaching adulthood, they would enter their rutting periods, which required a female to use healing powers to pacify them; otherwise, they would die from mental turbulence.
The First Research Institute had once introduced Palliative Serum to temporarily suppress the rutting period, giving male beasts time to find a Female Master.
However, suppression was not relief. The harder the rutting period was suppressed, the more ferocious the next outbreak would be, and the faster the frequency would become.
Gradually escalating from once a year at the very beginning to once every six months, once a month, and once a week.
Speaking of which, Yulan's gaze drifted away for a moment.
What kind of situation were people like Suxing Ye and Huo Zhanting in right now?
Never mind.
Yulan shook her head, clenching her fists tightly in her heart.
As long as she had strength, soothing males and acting as a mere soothing tool was definitely not the only path to take.
She would surely find another way.
Just as she was thinking this, Yulan felt a wave of dry-mouthed thirst.
The sun beat down mercilessly on her fair, tender face, and a fine layer of sweat now covered her delicate forehead.
Her cheeks were flushed red, and crystal-clear beads of sweat hung on the tip of her cute, pert nose.
It was simply too hot.
Hovercars were banned from entering the core area where the imperial palace was located.
As an unloved and useless princess, Yulan couldn't even live in the core area and had to reside in the outer aristocratic district.
At this moment, she had to rely entirely on her own two legs to walk across the entire core area.
Under the blazing sun, Yulan grew hotter and thirstier by the minute. Her two fair, delicate hands shielding her forehead were completely useless against the sun.
Bathed in the sunlight, her skin was as white as snow, and this pretty little figure looked as though she was truly about to melt.
She urgently needed to replenish her fluids.
As she passed by a pair of wide-open glass doors, the crisp, cool air drifting out from inside made Yulan involuntarily shiver.
"How wonderful!"
Yulan sighed in admiration.
She closed her eyes happily, feeling so comfortable that even every single strand of hair yearned to soak in this cool breeze.
Her legs stood frozen right there, refusing to walk another step.
Unable to help herself, she turned her head to curiously look at a place so generous with its air conditioning.
*Cat carefully poking its head out.jpg*
Yulan's eyes widened slightly. What was that she saw? A convenience store.
And inside was her most longed-for ice water!
At that moment, several people wearing identical uniforms were standing in line to check out at the cash register.
Had Yulan been a bit more observant, she would have noticed that all of these people wore badges from the First Research Institute.
As it happened, the spot where Yulan was standing was right at the entrance of the First Research Institute, outside their own internal convenience store.
However, Yulan knew nothing of the sort.Her eyes lit up as she spotted the steaming, chilled water in the refrigerator. She repeatedly licked her dry red lips until they were glossy and moist.
She could already imagine how blissfully happy she would feel taking a large gulp of that ice-cold water.
She rushed straight in, making a beeline for the ice water.
Then, grabbing a few small snacks along the way, she obediently went to the back of the queue to wait her turn.
Her cheeks were flushed and round, looking remarkably like fresh, plump red peaches.
Her demeanor was so well-behaved that a group of tall males inside the convenience store were completely dumbfounded.
"She's so well-behaved!"
"She looks so tiny."
"And so polite, she's even waiting in line. Which female ever waits in line?"
"Don't you guys think she smells amazing?"
"Fragrant? I smell it too. So fragrant, really so fragrant."
"I'd love to lick the sweat off her cheek."
"So pretty, and so fragrant—she must be a high-ranking female. I wish she could be my Female Master."
The group of males kept their voices purposely low, completely unnoticed by Yulan.
She only felt puzzled, her brows slightly furrowed in distress.
Why had she been waiting in line for so long, and it still wasn't her turn?
She was so thirsty.
She licked her red lips once more.
Instantly, it triggered a chorus of gasps.
Unable to handle the stimulation of this sight, one male passed out on the spot.
Several males nearby scrambled in a panic to catch him.The convenience store, originally quiet, orderly, and even harsh, instantly became bustling with excitement upon Yulan's arrival, with an air of rippling excitement floating even in the atmosphere.
The news that a sweet, soft, and pretty little female had come to the First Research Institute convenience store instantly exploded across the entire internal chat group of the research institute.
Some daring males even secretly snapped photos of Yulan while she wasn't looking and posted them in the group.
"Such a pretty female."
"Goodness, is she still at the convenience store? I'm coming right now."
It was currently the morning break time at the research institute.
Upon seeing the message, the males sprayed on perfume, fussed over their hairstyles, and hurried as fast as they could toward the convenience store.
In the interstellar era, a pretty female with a good temper was practically impossible to find even with a lantern.
All the single males were desperate to pull out all the stops to win Yulan over.
Yulan was completely oblivious to the commotion she was unwittingly causing.
Her gaze was bright with anticipation, her eyes sparkling, and she was overjoyed that it was finally her turn in line.
She could finally drink deeply and quench her thirst.
"Next!"
When the male standing before the cashier saw Yulan, he intentionally lowered and softened his voice.
After quickly scanning the items Yulan wished to purchase, he tallied the total:
"That comes to 38 Star Coins in total. You can just swipe your work ID here."
"W-Work ID?"
Yulan's pretty little face froze in a daze. "I don't have a work ID."
"It doesn't matter, just swipe mine."
The male standing right behind Yulan had been waiting precisely for this moment, stepping forward with a bright, hearty smile.
He tapped his own work ID against the payment scanner, and a clear "beep" rang out.
"There, all set."
He explained to Yulan, "This is our research institute's internal convenience store. You swipe your work ID directly, and it's deducted from our salary later."
"So that's how it works. I didn't know."
Yulan bit her lip. She had been too thirsty and had run into someone else's internal convenience store without looking properly.
How embarrassing.
Her cheeks flushed red as she hurriedly spoke, "Let's add each other on comms, and I'll transfer the money for just now back to you."
This was the moment he had been waiting for. The male's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled out his comms device, which he had already prepared in advance.
"My name is Xue Zhenyu. What's your name?"
"My name is—"
"Yulan, what are you doing here?"
Before Yulan could finish her sentence, she was interrupted straight-on by a cold-faced man striding toward them, carrying a trace of jealousy even he himself didn't understand.