The freezing winter wind whistled softly as An Mo gently guided Su Qinglan forward. A soft, thick silk ribbon was wrapped securely around her eyes, completely blocking her view.
Su Qinglan giggled, leaning back against his chest as her small feet trudged through the soft snow. "An Mo, where on earth are you taking me? It’s still snowing outside! There’s literally nothing to see except white snow!"
An Mo chuckled warmly against her ear, his hot breath fanning across her skin. "Patience, my precious Lanlan. Just wait a little longer. Trust me, it will be worth it."
Before she could ask another question, An Mo’s strong arms wrapped securely around her waist, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.
In a flash of golden light, he soared high into the sky, carrying her all the way to the highest peak of the surrounding snowy mountains.
The icy, biting mountain wind slapped against her face. Bracing against the sudden chill, Su Qinglan didn’t ask any more questions.
She simply buried her small face deep into his warm, firm chest, letting his natural body heat shield her from the freeze.
Bored and waiting in the quiet dark of her blindfold, she suddenly called out in her mind:
’Hey, Xuyu? Are you online?’
A dramatically offended electronic beep echoed inside her brain as her old, long-forgotten system interface flickered to life.
"Ding! Oh, look who finally remembered I exist!" Xuyu’s robotic voice dripped with pure, petty sarcasm.
"I thought you had completely forgotten about me! After all, Host, you have a massive family now, multiple beast husbands, and a small army of chaotic cubs. Why on earth would you remember a broken, lonely system like me?"
Su Qinglan couldn’t help but roll her eyes behind her blindfold. ’Come on, Xuyu! Don’t be so dramatic. I’ve just been super busy lately!’
"Busy? Busy being spoiled rotten!" Xuyu snorted electronically.
"Do you know how boring it is sitting in your consciousness space watching you eat wild yams and play with fox tails all day? I am a grand System of the Higher Realms, not a spectator for your domestic life!"
’Hey, you get front-row seats to all the drama!’ Su Qinglan argued back in her mind, giggling secretly. ’Besides, you’re the one who went into power-saving sleep mode during the winter feast!’
"Anyway, why are you calling me out now? Did you finally decide to check your task rewards, or do you just need a distraction because your golden husband is kidnapping you into the clouds?"
Su Qinglan’s heart suddenly fluttered a little faster. She felt the steady, heavy thud of An Mo’s heartbeat beneath her cheek and the gentle way his arms held her tight against the freezing mountain air.
’Xuyu...’ Su Qinglan whispered in her thoughts, her voice carrying a sudden, nervous flutter. ’I have a very, very strong feeling that... I’m about to be proposed to.’
"...A proposal?" Xuyu’s system interface glitched for a second, emitting a shocked static noise.
"Wait, wait, wait! A proposal?! Host, are you out of your mind? Something like a formal proposal even exists in the primitive Beast World?!"
’How should I know?!’ Su Qinglan retorted, her mind racing.
’Back in the modern world, guys take girls to nice dinners or mountain peaks with blindfolds when they’re about to pop the question! But here in the Beast World, beastmen usually just bring a dead wild boar to your door and say, "Be my female!"’
"Pfft! A dead wild boar!" Xuyu burst into laughter.
"Imagine if An Mo pulls off your blindfold and there’s just a giant frozen pig sitting in the snow with a ribbon on it! "Lanlan, marry me, I hunted this fresh pig for you!""
’Shut up, Xuyu!’ Su Qinglan laughed internally, her face flushing pink.
’An Mo is from the Upper Domain! He’s super flashy and dramatic! There’s no way he brought me to a snowy mountain peak just to show me a pig!’
"Well, whatever it is, your heart rate is spiking to 120 BPM," Xuyu teased mercilessly. "Look at you, getting all red and flustered! My cold, logical host is actually blushing like a maiden in love!"
’I am not blushing! It’s just cold up here!’
"Sure, sure, blame the wind!" Xuyu cackled. "I’m grabbing popcorn. Let’s see if this golden peacock actually knows how to be romantic or if he’s going to present you with a mountain of shiny rocks like his snake brother!"
Before Su Qinglan could snap back at her sarcastic system, the biting wind suddenly died down.


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