Beast World: From Villainess to Cub-Raising Chef

Bai Xue didn’t understand what he meant. Her mind was consumed with the exhilarating thought that Lu Tingyan was about to become disgusted with Bai Su. "Major General Lu, you have no idea. Her private life has always been a mess."

"Look at what she wears every day! She deliberately releases her scent to attract those males."

"For a female to debase herself by opening a shop in these desolate outskirts, flirting with males every single day."

"Who knows if she’s really just running a shop, or if she’s using it as a cover for some shady business?"

"So I started investigating. Sure enough, I followed her outside the city last night and found her having a group orgy with four Bear Beastmen in a cave!"

"Major General, you know this. Although females are protected by Federation law and a female can have multiple Beast Husbands, engaging in that sort of group activity while unmarried is not protected by the law. Not only is it unprotected, a female who doesn’t respect herself like that should be thrown into the Female Cave!"

The Female Cave was for punishing females who had committed heinous crimes. A female in the Female Cave was required to use her body to pacify any male who came to visit.

The existence of the Female Cave also largely served to give males who couldn’t find a female a place to vent their spiritual power, preventing them from going berserk.

Upon hearing this, the minds of everyone present began to wander.

Bai Su’s charm was well-known.

They had never seen such a dazzlingly beautiful female.

If she were to end up in the Female Cave...

Lu Tingyan’s cold gaze swept over the crowd.

The kneeling crowd felt a chill run down their spines and quickly bowed their heads even lower, not daring to entertain any other ideas.

As Bai Xue watched with an expectant gaze, Lu Tingyan slowly began to speak. "Last night, as far as I know, you didn’t leave the house at all. How would you know what happened in that cave?"

Hearing this, a flash of panic crossed Bai Xue’s face. "I did... I-I did go out. Maybe you just didn’t see me, Major General."

Lu Tingyan was unmoved. "To slander someone without even leaving your house... Do you know that in the Federation, if you dare to persecute a female—even if you’re a female yourself—you can’t escape punishment?"

Bai Xue grew flustered under his gaze. ’How is this different from what I imagined?’

’Shouldn’t Major General Lu be grilling Bai Su about whether it’s true, while I take the chance to rip her clothes open so he can see the marks on her body with his own eyes?’

’With so many people watching, once Bai Su’s crime is confirmed, who cares if she’s a female? No male will ever want her again.’

’And if the charge of using a banned substance is also confirmed today, no one will ever believe she has a superpower again.’

Bai Xue mustered her courage and looked at Lu Tingyan. "Major General, you can’t just because you’re on good terms with her..."

Lu Tingyan cut her off impatiently, his presence overbearing. "You hired those four Bear Beastmen, didn’t you? They sent you a message before they died."

Bai Xue hadn’t expected him to mention the message so precisely. A guilty conscience pricked her, and she hurriedly denied it. "No... No..."

She was young, after all, and couldn’t quite withstand Lu Tingyan’s interrogation. The guilt on her face was all too obvious.

Seeing things were going wrong, Mrs. Bai quickly pulled Bai Xue behind her. "Major Gen—... Leader, I think our focus today should be on whether Bai Su used a banned substance and engaged in a group orgy. Where Xue’er went last night isn’t the point, is it?"

Lu Tingyan couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. Bai Xue’s terrified, guilty expression was all the confirmation he needed.

He beckoned with his hand. "Yodel, have this mother and daughter from the Bai family detained. Suspected of trafficking a banned substance for a frame-up, persecution of a female Beastman, repeatedly inciting public disturbances, and mobilizing military soldiers without an order. With so many charges, they’ll be on trial for a while."

Even for Mrs. Bai, who had navigated aristocratic circles for years and was exceptionally slick at handling any situation, she couldn’t withstand Lu Tingyan’s domineering power, which left absolutely no room for negotiation.

Behind her, Bai Xue was so scared she was on the verge of tears.

Her heart aching for her daughter, Mrs. Bai mustered her courage and faced Lu Tingyan. "Leader, on the very first day you’ve reassumed power, you’re going to publicly abuse your authority to shield someone and persecute us? The inferior female you’re protecting is a female, but are we not?"

"Excellent." A sneer flashed in Lu Tingyan’s eyes. "Contradicting the Leader and questioning authority. Add another charge. Lock them up. Detain them for a month before trial."

Yodel didn’t even look up. "Yes, sir!"

They were truly courting death. Everyone in the military knew that the one thing Lu Tingyan couldn’t stand was having his decisions questioned.

Back when he was in power, he had been tyrannical and domineering enough. But because Lu Tingyan’s judgment had never once been wrong, everyone had gradually come to trust him and never dared to question him.

Mrs. Bai had enjoyed the flattery of aristocratic circles for too long. She’d forgotten that the man standing before her wasn’t some useless male from the Federation, but the famously brutal, iron-fisted, and autocratic Leader of the past.

It was the first time Mrs. Bai had ever been treated so crudely in public.

She panicked and tried to shield Bai Xue, but she couldn’t even protect herself. The two of them were forcefully dragged away.

Bai Su frowned slightly, a little worried.

’Bai Xue’s character is a bit one-dimensional, with the kind of self-centered yet sanctimonious foolishness typical of an old-school romance heroine. But she’s still the female lead, after all.’

’Besides...’

’Isn’t Lu Tingyan the male lead of the novel? Why would he treat the female lead like this?’

Bai Su couldn’t help but touch her chin. ’Could it be that Lu Tingyan and the female lead have an enemies-to-lovers storyline?’

’Does he personally knock her from her pedestal, only to secretly swoop in and imprison her by his side, forcing her to be his and his alone?’

Gasp...

Lu Tingyan turned his head to meet her gaze, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh... nothing," Bai Su said.

Lu Tingyan’s brow furrowed, his eyes holding a warning. "Bai Su."

The corner of Bai Su’s mouth twitched, and she had no choice but to confess. "I was just worried you’d be swayed by fate, take pity on Bai Xue, and then turn around and blame me, saying I instigated you into hurting her."

This time, it was Lu Tingyan’s turn to be speechless. "That’s ridiculous."

Bai Su cleared her throat. "Alright, well, I still have to thank you for arriving in time, Major General Lu. Otherwise, they would have been the death of me."

Lu Tingyan gave his assistant a look.

The assistant nodded, led the head officer out, and then returned to clarify to everyone, "We have investigated the matter of the banned substance. There are no fingerprints from Miss Bai Su on the substance at all."

"Therefore, this whole incident was just a clumsy frame-up. We will investigate the matter thoroughly later and give everyone a full account."

"The food safety at this restaurant is not an issue. Please rest assured."

As soon as he said this, the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They were customers here every day. Their palates had long since been spoiled by Bai Su’s cooking.

If this restaurant suddenly disappeared and they had to find another place to eat, they probably wouldn’t be able to get used to it.

Lu Tingyan looked at Bai Su again, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Did you think I only came here today to get you out of trouble?"