Naxiu's Kindness

The man still looked the same as An Yao remembered, young, vibrant, tall, with a wheat-colored complexion.

He had a well-built and muscular body, his broad shoulders narrowing to a trim waist. His body was powerful and lithe, with a high arch in his feet that indicated impressive jumping ability.

His slightly curled, golden hair flowed behind him, with a few strands cascading onto his shoulders and over his broad collarbones.

His amber eyes, with their vertical pupils like those of a wild beast, shone in the sunlight. His facial features were deep and attractive, reminiscent of the sharp beauty of Western Europeans.

As he smiled at her, An Yao was reminded of the small Samoyed she used to have at home.

He exuded both handsomeness and a sunny disposition, with a hint of cuteness.

“Little female, have this fruit. It's delicious,” he repeated, extending his arm toward her when she didn't respond.

An Yao hesitated for a moment, glancing around and realizing that he had only offered the fruit to her. This gesture was a common way for male beastmen to express interest in a female – it was a way of showing that he wanted to pursue her.

“Well, I don't want to eat it right now.”

Naxiu looked surprised, seemingly caught off guard by the rejection. His expression showed a hint of hurt. “You said you were thirsty just now.”

“I suddenly don't feel that thirsty anymore.”

An Yao's words were firm, and she immediately hopped off the rock, leaving him behind. She went back to digging up the earth and finding the underground fruits.

The people around them noticed the commotion and first looked surprised, then whispered and gossiped among themselves.

A few male beastmen spoke up, “Strange, did I just witness Naxiu pursuing a female? Did I see it right?”

They seemed to be witnessing something incredible, and their jaws almost dropped to the ground.

Then, a few females with unkind expressions chimed in, “What kind of taste does Naxiu have? He actually took a liking to An Yao, that lazy and infamous female. I used to think he was pretty good; I wanted him to be my first partner. Hmph, I was really blind!”

These words carried a touch of sour grapes.

“Oh my goodness, did I see it right? Naxiu, that proud leopard, actually made an advance toward you, and you rejected him?” Micao walked over with an astonished look on her face.

“What's going on?”

An Yao looked puzzled, not understanding why such a big fuss was being made about rejecting someone.

Seeing that An Yao hadn't realized the significance of the situation, Micao sighed in a 'helpless' manner and continued, “Naxiu has just come of age. He's young, powerful, and about the same age as your slave, Jin. But their strengths are worlds apart. When Naxiu was still underage, he hunted down a 300-pound wild boar by himself!”

“And he's one of only two third-tier beastmen in our tribe. He's two years younger than Hu Lie, our first warrior.”

“Many females have tried to make him their first partner, but he refused them all. Yet today, he actually made a move toward you, and you rejected him!”

Micao felt regretful, but only for a moment, because she liked Naxiu too.

“Since you don't like Naxiu, could you give him to me? I'm really into his type!”

“Unfortunately, I already have Xionghu as my protector. I can only make him my second partner, which is quite a sacrifice.”

She looked as if she had already added Naxiu to her harem and was now deciding whose card to flip over next.

An Yao, “…”

She felt a bit embarrassed. Then, she turned her head to look at Naxiu, who was a little downcast not far away.

Her gaze fell on the three beast marks on his arm, realizing that he was actually quite formidable.

But how could such a young, handsome, and powerful male beastman be interested in her?

According to common sense, he should be a part of the harem of the female protagonist, Bai Yaoyao.

But she had already read more than half of the original story and hadn't seen this character appear yet.

Could he be introduced later, or was he simply a background character who was just a little bit more outstanding than others?

An Yao shook her head and continued digging up the underground fruits, unknowingly filling an entire basket. The sunset glow painted the sky with hues of fire and clouds, creating a breathtaking sight.

As the day was coming to an end, Naxiu transformed into a sleek and agile leopard, gathering the scattered tribe members in the soft soil nearby. After counting everyone, he led them back to the tribe before nightfall.

An Yao initially thought that the matter had blown over, but she had underestimated it.

From that point on, every time she left the house in the morning, she would find a basket of fruits, food, or even animal skins and teeth waiting at her doorstep.

She noticed the paw prints of a plum blossom not far away in the soft soil, indicating that these gifts were from Naxiu.

An Yao had no intention of accepting them, so she ignored them.

However, when she returned with a basket of fish later, she found the food still waiting for her.

Wasting food was a big taboo in the beast world.

After some consideration, she decided to accept the food, and she thought she could compensate him by giving him something else in return. It was like trading goods for goods.

Not far away, the leopard hidden in the trees saw this scene. His amber eyes brightened, his flat ears turned upright, and he thought the female had accepted his gesture of goodwill.

So, the next moment, he slid down the tree and dashed into the forest, seemingly determined to find more fruits and food.

And so, on the second day, An Yao found another basket of food waiting for her at her doorstep.

On the third day, the fourth day, and the fifth day, it was the same routine: a basket full of food every morning.

An Yao, “…”

On the sixth day, An Yao intentionally woke up early before dawn, placing the food outside her door. Just as Naxiu was about to leave, she stopped him and said, “Wait, there's something we need to talk about!”

Naxiu turned back, his eyes lighting up with the hope that she was going to accept his pursuit.

However, he was taken aback when she placed the basket of food into his arms.

Then, she raised her chin and spoke firmly, “You don't need to bring me food anymore. Don't waste so much effort on me. I don't like you, and I won't accept your pursuit.”

Then, An Yao walked into the house, but she soon reappeared and returned the food he had given her in the previous days.

“Here, I'm returning these to you. You don't need to come here anymore. You can use this food to pursue other females.”

“You… you don't like it?” He bit his lip, his face wounded. “Then what kind of meat and fruits do you like? I can go fetch them for you.”

An Yao shook her head. “It's not that I don't like meat and fruits. It's just…”

She felt the next words might hurt him, so she softened her tone and changed her wording, “You see, I already have Jin, so I won't accept other males. You don't need to waste your efforts on me.”

Sorry, Jin. I'm using you as a shield in this special case.

Naxiu looked stunned. Jin? The well-known useless slave in the tribe? But didn’t everyone say that this female didn't like him?

She's probably just making up an excuse to reject me.

Naxiu looked downcast. His ears and tail drooped, and his handsome face clearly displayed his disappointment. An Yao felt a sense of inexplicable guilt for turning him down.

She bit her lip, appearing a bit hesitant, then asked, “But why do you like me? Why did you suddenly want to pursue me?”

There had been almost no interaction between them before.

An Yao couldn't find anything related to Naxiu in the original host's memories.