Chapter 440 - 438: May the Best Man Win

Chapter 440: Chapter 438: May the Best Man Win

"Hua Han?" Bai Wanwan instinctively reached out to steady him. "What’s wrong?"

The moment her hand touched Hua Han’s arm, his body seemed to lose all strength, and he collapsed toward Bai Wanwan!

"Ugh... It hurts... Maybe from the struggle just now... My old wound is acting up..." Hua Han’s voice was incredibly weak, punctuated by pained gasps.

His entire body leaned almost completely against Bai Wanwan. His "weak" arms precisely wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her halfway into his embrace.

His chin rested gently in the crook of her neck, his hot breath fanning across her sensitive skin.

"Wanwan, let me lean on you for a bit. Just a little while..." Hua Han’s voice had a deliberate, pitiable breathiness to it, but his arms only tightened, greedily soaking in her warmth and sweet scent.

His "weak" performance was worthy of a master actor, making it impossible to tell if it was real or fake.

Hua Han knew full well that he had to use every trick in the book to win a place in the heart of an outstanding female like Bai Wanwan.

He wasn’t asking for much. Just a small space for himself, a chance to stay by her side forever.

Held in his arms, Bai Wanwan’s body instantly went rigid.

She could clearly feel the rise and fall of his chest and the scorching heat of his body through their clothes. The damp, hot breath on her neck made her skin crawl.

She tried to push him away. "Hua Han! You... Let go first! Let me take a look at you."

"Don’t move, Wanwan. Just like this... Let me lean on you. It’ll be fine in a moment."

Hua Han’s voice held a "fragile" plea, but his arms didn’t budge. Instead, he pulled her even tighter. The pain in his foxy eyes had vanished, replaced by the smug satisfaction of success and a deep infatuation.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the atmosphere thick with awkward intimacy.

CREAK. The wooden door of the stone house was pushed open.

Jiao Yin appeared at the doorway, carrying the biting chill of the damp air, caked in mud, and reeking of thick blood. He was shouldering a massive, thorny-horned wild boar.

His ice-blue eyes immediately swept the room, landing precisely on the male and female who were nearly embracing by the fire.

Hua Han was holding Bai Wanwan tightly, his chin resting intimately in the crook of her neck, while Bai Wanwan was trapped in his embrace—a posture reeking of possessiveness and intimacy.

Jiao Yin froze on the spot.

The trace of exhaustion and relief on his face from the successful hunt was instantly swept away by an arctic blast, freezing solid the moment he saw the scene.

The prey on his shoulder fell to the ground with a heavy THUD, splattering mud and water.

The air inside the house seemed to completely solidify in that instant.

Bai Wanwan awkwardly tried to push Hua Han away, but she was completely overpowered by his towering six-foot-plus frame and couldn’t budge him.

"Jiao Yin, hurry up and help me."

Hearing this, Jiao Yin crossed the room in a few strides. The grip that Bai Wanwan couldn’t break was effortlessly loosened by Jiao Yin.

"Hiss... That hurts."

This time, Hua Han was in real pain. Jiao Yin had used force when he pried his hands away.

Seeing this, Bai Wanwan couldn’t help but add, "He might have been injured fighting the Wandering Beasts a few days ago. You should check on him later. If it’s serious, we’ll have to treat it."

’If it’s serious, I’ll have to use Points to redeem some medicine.’

’I have plenty of Points now. I need to ensure both males are healthy; that’s the only way my cubs and I will be safe.’

’If I still had my laser gun, I’d at least have an ace up my sleeve.’

’I have no idea what that Roger went through to get so strong.’

’Two Orange Rank fighters working together couldn’t even wound him.’

"Alright, Wanwan. You go sit down. I’ll help him inside."

Jiao Yin half-supported, half-dragged Hua Han over to a simple bed in the corner of the stone house, which was covered with thick animal hides.

Just then, the cubs started to fuss, so Bai Wanwan bent down to soothe them.

Once he confirmed that Bai Wanwan’s attention was elsewhere, Hua Han immediately dropped his "weak" facade, his foxy eyes darting toward Jiao Yin beside him.

"Weren’t we supposed to be working together? Why did you pull me off just now?"

Jiao Yin’s brow was tightly furrowed, his ice-blue eyes calm and unwavering. He also kept his voice low, but his tone was firm with an insistence that brooked no argument. "Working together is one thing, but you can’t force Wanwan or go against her will."

He had seen with his own eyes how stiff and uncomfortable Bai Wanwan was when Hua Han held her.

"Force? You call that forcing her?" Hua Han almost laughed in exasperation. He lowered his voice even more, his tone dripping with frustration at Jiao Yin’s incompetence. "If Wanwan truly resisted me or hated me, I would try a different approach. I’m just trying to get her used to my presence, to slowly close the distance between us. If you keep acting so tepid and quiet, how long will it take for Wanwan to understand your feelings? Are you going to wait until her Beast Husbands show up and kick the two of us aside like a couple of inconvenient rocks?"

Hua Han’s words stabbed at Jiao Yin’s heart like needles. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

Hua Han pressed his advantage, his voice filled with urgency. "Snap out of it! Wanwan’s Beast Husbands—Chou Rong, Zhu Xiu, Xin Feng... They’re all elites among the Land Beasts. It’s only a matter of time before they find this place. Our time is extremely limited. We have to secure a place in her heart, get her used to our presence, and even... make her rely on us, before they find her!"

He paused, then continued, "Only then will we have a chance in the future to fight for a spot in her heart and become her Beast Husbands. Otherwise, the moment her mates arrive, we ’temporary partners’ will be nothing! Are you okay with that, Jiao Yin?"

Jiao Yin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Hua Han’s words had struck at his deepest worries and desires.

He had to admit Hua Han was right. Time was short.

He looked over at Bai Wanwan gently cooing at the cubs, at the focused, tender profile of her face. The deep affection hidden in his heart grew wildly, like a creeping vine.

He wanted to protect her forever, and not just as an ally or a friend.

’But I’m not qualified right now. I have to go back and get my revenge before I can even think about the future.’

"You have your way, and I have mine."

Jiao Yin finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse. "But, Hua Han,"

He turned his ice-blue eyes to Hua Han, and in their depths was a warning as deep as the ocean. "Don’t force Wanwan. That’s my bottom line."

Hua Han tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing an unreadable smile. "Fine, Jiao Yin. Remember what you said today. May the best man win. Just don’t get in my way."

Jiao Yin chose a more silent, more reserved method of protection.

And in Hua Han’s eyes, that method was far too inefficient.

***

In the stone dungeons beneath the Clan Leader’s council hall in the Tiger Clan Tribe, the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood and despair.

Chou Rong’s tall figure stood in the center of the dungeon like a dormant, brooding volcano.

A cold fire burned in his gold-red eyes, and the veins on his clenched fists bulged.

On the ground before him lay several Beastmen, tortured beyond recognition. They were the very traitors who had participated in the attack and tried to take Bai Wanwan away.