This... was far more than a simple swap.
"I… I don't know!" Lan Yi shook her head frantically, her eyes filled with genuine bewilderment. "That Beastman… she only said to swap them and guaranteed it wouldn't be discovered. I really don't know what happened after that!"
Jiao Yuan stared intently at Lan Yi for a long time, his gaze a complex storm of emotions: anger, disappointment, heartache, and above all, a profound weariness.
Finally, he slowly straightened up. Without giving her another glance, he turned and started walking out.
"Where are you going?" Lan Yi rushed over in a panic, reaching for his arm.
Coral, who had been hiding just inside the door with a face as pale as a sheet, also rushed over in tears, clinging tightly to Jiao Yuan's leg. "Father Beast! Father Beast! Are you abandoning Mother and me? Are you abandoning Coral?"
Jiao Yuan's body went rigid.
