The next second, the guard on duty snatched the communicator from Yu Lan's hand and respectfully presented it to Belina.
The very first thing Belina did was check the call history.
Just as she'd expected.
A long list of calls made to several men.
An average of over one hundred a day.
The sight was enough to make Belina's vision go black.
Her expression instantly turned frigid. She shot Yu Lan a cold, scolding look and said:
"Huo Zhanting and Su Xingye are on the battlefield right now. They don't have time for your little puppy love."
"Yu Lan, you need to consider the bigger picture."
"Don't forget, you're a useless female without Healing Power. You can't even perform the most basic task of soothing a male beast through his rut or calming his agitated spiritual power."
"They have the right to refuse you."
"Try not to be so shamefully desperate."
"I will have the butler prepare a new phone for you."
Finished, Belina pressed a hand to her forehead, waving dismissively as if plagued by a headache.
"You're dismissed."
'So much for a nice visit.'
'And all I got was my phone confiscated.'
Yu Lan puffed her cheeks in anger.
Regarding what Belina had said about soothing a male beast through his rut…
Male beasts, with their sturdy physiques and formidable strength, are natural-born warriors, possessing immense power in both their human and beast forms.
However, they also experience ruts, just like animals.
After turning eighteen and coming of age, they experience their first rut. They must be soothed by a female using Healing Power, or else their spiritual power will run rampant and they will die.
The Science Research Institute had once developed a soothing agent that could temporarily suppress the rut, giving a male beast time to find a Female Master.
But suppression was not a solution. The more forcefully a rut was suppressed, the more violent the next one would be, and the flare-ups would grow more and more frequent.
It would start at once a year, then gradually become once every six months, then once a month, and finally once a week.
'Speaking of which…' Yu Lan's gaze drifted.
'I wonder what Su Xingye and Huo Zhanting's situations are like right now?'
'Whatever.'
Yu Lan shook her head, her fists clenched with renewed resolve.
'As long as I have strength, there has to be more to life than just soothing males, being their living pacifier.'
'I will definitely find another way.'
As she was thinking, Yu Lan felt her mouth go dry.
The sun beat down mercilessly on her fair, delicate face, and a fine sheen of sweat had already formed on her smooth forehead.
Her cheeks were flushed, and a glistening bead of sweat hung from the tip of her small, elegantly sloped nose.
'It's so hot.'
And hover cars were forbidden in the core district where the Imperial Palace was located.
As an unloved, "useless" Princess, Yu Lan didn't even get to live in the core district; her residence was in the aristocratic sector, one layer further out.
Now, she had to rely on her own two legs to cross the entire core district.
Under the blazing sun, Yu Lan grew increasingly hot and thirsty. Shielding her forehead with her two small, fair hands did little to block the light.
Beneath the harsh rays, the beautiful girl, with skin so fair it seemed sculpted from snow, looked as if she were about to melt.
'I desperately need some water.'
As she passed a set of wide-open glass doors, a blast of cool, refreshing air washed over her, making her shiver involuntarily.
"This feels so good!"
Yu Lan sighed.
It felt so good she closed her eyes in bliss.
She wished even every strand of her hair could be saturated in the cool air.
Her legs felt rooted to the spot; she didn't want to take another step.
She couldn't resist turning her head, curious about the place that was so generous with its powerful air conditioning.
She peeked inside like a curious kitten.
Yu Lan's eyes widened. It was a convenience store.
'And they have the ice-cold water I'm craving!'
At the checkout counter, several people in uniform were lining up to pay.
If Yu Lan had paid closer attention, she would have noticed that these people all wore ID tags from the First Research Institute.
The place where Yu Lan was standing was, in fact, the entrance to the First Research Institute, and this was their own internal convenience store.
But Yu Lan didn't know that.
Her eyes lit up, fixated on the water bottles fogging up the glass of the cooler. She repeatedly licked her dry, red lips until they were moist and shiny.
She could already imagine the pure bliss of gulping down that ice-cold water.
She rushed straight in, making a beeline for the drinks.
After grabbing a few small snacks, she obediently stood at the very end of the line.
Her face was flushed like a fresh, plump peach.
She looked so docile and well-behaved that the group of tall male beasts in the store were all completely captivated.
"She's so well-behaved!"
"She looks so small."
"She's so polite, she's actually waiting in line. What female ever waits in line?"
"Don't you guys think... she smells amazing?"
"Amazing? I smell it too! So, so good. She smells incredible."
"I want to lick the sweat from her cheek."
"So beautiful, and she smells so good... she must be a High Level female, right? I want her to be my Female Master."
The group of male beasts deliberately lowered their voices, and Yu Lan didn't notice a thing.
She, however, was just confused, her brow furrowed in mild distress.
'Why have I been in line for so long and it's still not my turn?'
'I'm so thirsty.'
She licked her red lips again.
The simple act instantly caused a wave of gasps.
One male beast, overstimulated by the sight, fainted on the spot.
The male beasts around him scrambled to catch him.
The entire convenience store—once quiet, orderly, and even radiating a stern, cold vibe—instantly erupted into a feverish buzz with Yu Lan's arrival. A flirtatious energy now seemed to float in the very air.
News of a sweet, beautiful young female appearing in the Science Research Institute convenience store instantly went viral in the institute's internal group chats.
One bold male beast even secretly snapped a photo of her when she wasn't looking and posted it in the group.
"Such a beautiful female."
"Heavens, is she still in the convenience store? I'm on my way!"
It was currently the Science Research Institute's morning break.
The male beasts who saw the message scrambled to action—spraying cologne, fixing their hair.
They all rushed towards the convenience store.
In this interstellar age, a beautiful female with a good temper was a find so rare you couldn't stumble upon one even if you were searching with a lantern.
The single male beasts were dying to use every trick in the book to woo Yu Lan.
Yu Lan was completely unaware of the commotion she had inadvertently caused.
She was simply overjoyed, her eyes sparkling, thrilled that it was finally her turn.
'Finally, I can gulp down some water and quench this thirst.'
"Next!"
When the male beast at the register saw Yu Lan, he deliberately softened his voice, putting on a gentle tone.
After quickly scanning her items, he announced the total:
"That's 38 Star Coins in total. You can just scan your work ID."
"W-Work ID!"
Yu Lan's pretty little face froze. "I don't have a work ID."
"No problem, just use mine."
The male beast standing behind Yu Lan had been waiting for this moment. He stepped forward with a cheerful smile on his face.
He took his own work ID and placed it on the payment scanner. A "BEEP" sounded.
"There, all set."
He then explained to Yu Lan, "This is our Science Research Institute's internal convenience store. We pay by scanning our work IDs, and it's deducted from our salary later."
"Oh, so that's how it is. I didn't know."
Yu Lan bit her lip. She had been so thirsty that she had rushed into someone else's private convenience store without a second thought.
'How embarrassing.'
Her cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly said, "Let's exchange contact information. I'll transfer the money to you."
This was the moment he was waiting for. The male beast's eyes lit up, and he immediately took out the phone he had at the ready.
"My name is Xue Zhenyu. What's yours?"
"My name is—"
"Yu Lan, what are you doing here?"
Before Yu Lan could finish, she was cut off by a man who had just walked up, his face cold and frosty.
His voice carried a hint of jealousy that even he himself didn't seem to understand.