This empire of mine

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Xiao Yan's teeth ached listening to her.

How demeaning.

Fang Xinlei had put her lust-addled judgment on full display.

Frivolous and heartless.

"Wife." Xavier knew when to stop and looked at Xiao Yan with a delicate, vulnerable air. "Someone wants to steal me away in public and make me her husband. What should I do?"

Xiao Yan cleared her throat. "Steal someone from me? Fang Xinlei, you've gone too far. Do you want my mother to have a word with yours?"

Xavier's face darkened. Partner, is this all you can say? Something so lukewarm it neither infuriates her nor hits where it hurts?

What Xavier had actually been thinking was this.

Fang Xinlei wanted him and Rafayel so badly.

If Xiao Yan could publicly throw her weight around as their wife, order Xavier and Rafayel over, and have them act obedient and tamed together...

That would make Fang Xinlei furious enough to cough up blood.

There was no helping it. Since his little wife didn't know how to rile people up...

Xavier would have to do it himself.

He stood and gave Rafayel a meaningful look.

The two walked over to Xiao Yan, one on either side, and crouched beside her legs.

Rafayel tilted his head and smiled sweetly at Xiao Yan. "My lady wife, nobody could ever steal your Little Fish away. Little Fish wants to be yours for a lifetime~"

Xavier also pledged his loyalty in a timid voice. "Little Xavier won't go to anyone else. I'll willingly be your husband for the rest of my life."

Oh, these two cuties!

Xiao Yan patted their heads, one on either side. "Don't worry. I'll protect you and cherish you."

"Okay~" Xavier and Rafayel replied in unison, a sweet, soft duet.

A thought abruptly popped into Xiao Yan's mind:

This is my empire! Bwahahaha!

Fang Xinlei trembled all over with rage!

She had done plenty of research on Xavier and Rafayel.

One was cold and aloof, the other proud of his talent.

Yet they had obediently fallen at Xiao Yan's feet just like that? What exactly had that Xiao woman given them?

But trading a few barbs over men was one thing. Fang Xinlei truly didn't dare escalate the conflict any further. If she really angered Xiao Yan, her Fang Family couldn't afford to offend the Xiao Family.

Even with her teeth knocked out, she could only swallow them.

The five husbands beside her all looked thunderous.

Fang Xinlei had tried to steal a chicken only to lose her rice. If her five husbands joined forces to make trouble for her once they got home, she'd have plenty to deal with.

Xavier and Rafayel returned to their seats.

Zayne was dumbfounded. He looked Xavier up and down several times before asking quietly, "Is acting part of the tactical police unit's daily training too?"

Xavier cleared his throat. "Never you mind."

Sylus also saw Rafayel in a new light. He leaned closer and murmured, "You really know when to bend and when to stand tall."

"I can bend and bend and bend and keep on bending, but not for outsiders." Rafayel waved a hand. "No need to admire me so much. If you want to learn, I can give you private lessons later."

"I'll pass." Sylus laughed. "I'd like to let things settle a little longer."

At last, it was Xiao Yan's turn to introduce her five husbands.

Fresh from her string of victories, she was in high spirits.

"Caleb, Xavier, Rafayel, Zayne, Sylus. Say hello to everyone."

The five men stood up.

But with the Xiao Family's standing, they didn't need to be overly respectful toward anyone else.

All they needed to do was glance around at everyone, smile a little, and say, "A pleasure."

Xiao Yan had no interest whatsoever in the small talk that followed.

She took the five men to the main venue, found Jiang Zhao, and helped fill out the numbers as they ran through the planned husband-selection procedure and walking routes several times.

Then she sat in the main venue and chatted with Jiang Zhao about everyday matters for a while.

After that, she went to sit in the little garden behind the venue and bask in the sun.

Just after five in the afternoon, the invited guests began arriving.

Xiao Yan didn't stand on ceremony and volunteered to take her husbands outside to welcome the guests and direct them inside.

Jiang Zhao was deeply touched.

The Xiao Family's young lady really couldn't have treated their Jiang Family better.

The five husbands Xiao Yan had chosen were also extremely organized and knew exactly how to conduct themselves.

Truly, the more Jiang Zhao saw, the more she appreciated Xiao Yan.

She silently resolved to support Jiang Miao in remaining Xiao Yan's best friend for life.

As for Jiang Miao, she was still enthusiastically leading Xing Xiaowan and Tang Qi in battle against Fang One and Tang Two.

They stayed in the smaller venue until Jiang Zhao sent someone to fetch them, only then filing into the main venue, still wanting more.

Jiang Miao's husband selection went very smoothly afterward.

A looks-obsessed believer in happiness above all, Jiang Miao chose five handsome beastman husbands and completed the registration on the spot.

With Jiang Miao's husband selection a success, Xiao Yan couldn't very well stay and interrupt their "wedding night."

She took her five husbands and headed home~

Since Sylus had drunk wine during the day, he rode in Rafayel's car.

Zayne once again invited Xavier into his car.

All four took it for granted that Xiao Yan would still ride with Caleb.

On the drive back, Xiao Yan once again endured an atmosphere as oppressive as Mount Tai bearing down on her.

She really wanted to ask more about Evol.

But Caleb was already suspicious of Xiao Yan's origins and motives.

Asking even one more word would surely deepen his suspicions.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

Caleb's sudden question startled Xiao Yan.

Now that he'd brought it up, Xiao Yan thought gloomily that once they got home, the men would probably each leave for their own homes again.

She didn't know whether Zayne and Xavier would stay another night.

Rafayel and Sylus would definitely leave.

As for Caleb...

"If you don't have plans, give me tomorrow. Come to the fleet with me to submit my marriage leave application. Having you there in person will make the process easier."

"But tomorrow's Sunday," Xiao Yan said.

"The fleet's administrative support department operates year-round. They take rotating days off."

"Oh." Xiao Yan understood. "I'll ask the others when we get home. If nothing's going on with any of them, I'll go with you tomorrow."

They fell silent for a while, with only the engine of Caleb's sports car audible.

Soon, while waiting at a red light, Caleb turned to look at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan tensed and turned to look at him too. "What?"

Those puppy-dog eyes looked so melancholy and affectionate when he was serious, so why were they so cold every time he looked at her?

"You seem very afraid of me," he said.

Xiao Yan was truly speechless. "Isn't that exactly what you wanted? To make me afraid of you and keep my distance?"

Caleb raised his eyebrows slightly. "But I didn't embarrass you tonight, did I?"

Xiao Yan scoffed. "No, you didn't. But the distance I meant wasn't physical."

"If you don't mean physical distance, are you saying you want emotional closeness?" he asked.

He sounded so calm, slightly guarded, and Xiao Yan could even hear a trace of mockery.

She threw caution to the wind. "Yes~ That's right~ You refuse to form any emotional connection with me. I can feel that without you telling me. And you know perfectly well how much I long to... with you."

"Why?" Though Caleb knew he probably wouldn't get an answer, he couldn't help asking. "Because I'm your 'big brother'?"

But who would ask to have sex with their own brother right off the bat?

What kind of brother was he to her, exactly?

Xiao Yan pointed at the traffic light. "It's green, Mr. Caleb."

Caleb could only look ahead again and resume driving.

But he didn't fall silent again.

As though talking to himself, he told Xiao Yan quietly.

"After I left your bed that day, Zayne told me you'd cried. In that instant, I experienced an intense emotional fluctuation. The way you called me 'big brother' kept surfacing in my mind. I really wanted to turn the car around and comfort you. But if I actually did that, it would have been far too unlike me. In the end, I held back."

Xiao Yan listened with deeply mixed feelings, her sadness and inner turmoil stirred up again.

Other than pressing her lips together and saying nothing, she couldn't offer any response.

"Since university, I've been educated and trained as a future fleet commander. Maintaining emotional stability was a required course for me, and I always got full marks. It's very difficult for any external stimulus to cause major changes in my emotions."

"..."

"Why do I waver when it comes to you? Is it pity, guilt, concern, or self-reproach? I can't distinguish them that clearly."

"..."

"When I came back this time and saw you again, I realized you were very afraid of me, and I started acting unlike myself again. I thought about trying to mend things. But what was I supposed to mend? After all that confusion, I still couldn't find any way out."

"..."

"Since you call me your brother, and you seem to care about me very much, why do you refuse to answer me? What are your concerns, and what do you have to feel guilty about?"