Healing S-Class Beasts Made Me the Empire's Treasure

2:00 PM

Yu Lan arrived right on time at the entrance of the designated café.

Bright, warm light shone through the transparent, floor-to-ceiling windows. As she pushed open the main door, a sophisticated, chic interior came into view.

Soothing, melodious music played inside the café, creating a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere.

Just as Yu Lan looked up to find Jun Lin Yuan, a waiter stepped forward.

"Hello, are you Miss Yu? Mr. Jun is waiting for you in the Wisteria Room. May I have the honor of showing you the way?"

The café was located in the core district of Central Star.

It was a popular spot for many young, beautiful females.

Consequently, some young, handsome males with time on their hands would deliberately take part-time jobs here to win the favor of females and create more opportunities to interact with them.

The moment Yu Lan appeared, she instantly captured the attention of every waiter in the room.

This particular waiter had to fight off several of his colleagues for the chance to approach Yu Lan.

He stood tall with a handsome face. Even in the standard-issue café uniform, he wore it as if it were an expensive formal suit.

Yu Lan gave a slight nod in agreement, her voice sweet and pleasant.

"Thank you."

’Oh my god.’

’How could there be such a polite, beautiful young female? And her smile is gorgeous.’

In that instant, the waiter heard his heart pounding wildly—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. He had to press a hand to his chest to keep his composure.

Excited yet restrained, he led Yu Lan toward the Wisteria Room that Jun Lin Yuan had reserved.

’I’m about to see Lanlan.’

’I’m about to see Lanlan.’

The closer it got to two o’clock, the more excited Jun Lin Yuan became.

The young, handsome man stood there, an excited shell of a person, his heart having long since flown to the beautiful young female’s side.

To Yu Lan’s surprise, Jun Lin Yuan wasn’t inside the private room. Instead, the young, unruly favorite of the heavens stood obediently at the door, waiting for her.

His gaze was fixed on Yu Lan’s slender figure as she approached, drawing nearer until she stood right before him.

"Lanlan, you’re here."

"This way."

Jun Lin Yuan proactively opened the door and guided Yu Lan into the room.

As he turned to close the door, he shot the waiter a look, his eyes carrying a dangerous warning.

’Seriously, how can a male be so petty and jealous? A good male should be helping his Female Master scout for other excellent prospects.’

Seeing Jun Lin Yuan’s warning glare, the waiter grumbled inwardly. Realizing he had no chance today, he departed with regret.

Meanwhile, inside the private room, this was the first time Yu Lan had met with Jun Lin Yuan alone.

A young, beautiful female and a handsome, dashing male, alone together in a room.

The air itself seemed to grow warmer, thick with the subtle scent of burgeoning hormones.

"I thought we’d be meeting in the main hall."

Yu Lan sat down somewhat awkwardly in the seat across from Jun Lin Yuan.

In the adjacent room, Huo Zhanting, Su Xingye, and Li Yucheng had their ears pricked, not missing a single sound.

A flash of anger crossed their faces when they heard her words.

’That damn, shameless Jun Lin Yuan!’

’Does he really think we don’t know his true intentions in asking Yu Lan to meet? If he dares to pull anything, the three of us will charge in there and beat him senseless.’

Hearing this, Jun Lin Yuan just smiled faintly. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The young male put on a slightly aggrieved expression. "I’m sorry. I just thought the main hall would be too crowded, and it might be inconvenient for you."

"Next time, I’ll be sure to book a table in the main hall."

Yu Lan had been a frequent hot topic on the Star Network lately.

Jun Lin Yuan’s explanation was perfectly reasonable.

It made it seem as if Yu Lan was the one who had been overthinking.

Sure enough, as soon as Yu Lan heard his explanation, a guilty look appeared on her beautiful face.

Just as she was about to say something, Jun Lin Yuan swiftly handed her the tablet menu.

A hint of shyness flickered across the young, handsome male’s face as his molten-gold eyes stared intently at Yu Lan.

"Sorry, I wasn’t sure what you liked to drink, so I took the liberty of ordering a few things."

"Take a look and see if there’s anything else you’d like to add."

Being stared at by those eyes, so very similar to Huo Zhanting’s.

A dazed look flickered across Yu Lan’s face.

Huo Zhanting would never look at her like that.

Besides, before the military tournament, Jun Lin Yuan had never treated her this way.

’Is it because I saved him?’

At this thought, Yu Lan spoke.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Are you all right?"

"Thank you for saving me back then. After I woke up in the hospital, I wanted to find you and thank you in person, but one thing after another came up, and I never got the chance."

Of course Yu Lan wouldn’t find a chance.

’It was all thanks to those petty men like Huo Zhanting pulling strings behind the scenes, so easily deceiving the beautiful young female.’

At that moment, Jun Lin Yuan clenched his jaw, suddenly sharing the exact same sentiment as the waiter from earlier.

’How could there be such petty, small-minded males? Everyone wants the beautiful young female, so what’s wrong with letting him join in? It’s just one more person.’

’But in the end, didn’t I find a chance to ask the beautiful young female out?’

At this thought, Jun Lin Yuan’s mood brightened, his disposition quickly changing from cloudy to clear.

The young male’s magnetic voice, as rich as a cello, rang out.

"I’m fine. I was badly injured back then, but after this period of treatment, I’ve almost completely recovered."

Especially now, being the focus of Yu Lan’s worried and caring gaze.

Jun Lin Yuan felt as if his heart were bubbling over with joy.

It was a sweet, sweet feeling.

He wished he could do a backflip right then and there for Yu Lan, just to show her he was truly all better, that his body was in perfect shape, without a single problem.

"Whew... that’s good."

Yu Lan breathed a sigh of relief.

She took a small sip of her tea before speaking again.

"Oh, right. There’s something I’ve been wanting to discuss with you."

"It’s about the marriage contract between us."

Yu Lan tilted her head slightly, her brow furrowed in a troubled expression.

"Her Majesty the Queen decreed the marriage directly, without ever asking for your opinion."

"If you’re not happy about it, we can cancel the engagement."

Yu Lan remembered the scene when they had all met before the military tournament.

Jun Lin Yuan probably didn’t like her very much back then.

’He should be happy that I’m now offering to let him go and give him his freedom.’

Yu Lan looked at Jun Lin Yuan, her eyes full of expectation.

Jun Lin Yuan’s expression began to darken.

He even began to wonder if he had misheard her.