A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 178 Come to my room tonight
Upon hearing that he wouldn't have to do any dirty or strenuous work, Shen Li readily agreed. It was just a matter of checking the accounts, which was a simple task for him.

"What I said in the palace was just to appease the Emperor and his wife. You don't need to take this competition to heart. Losing won't affect us anyway." Seeing Shen Tang working so diligently, Shen Li thought that her words had put too much pressure on her.

Shen Tang shook his head and said, "It's not just about the competition..."

What worries her more is the future expansion of the contaminated area.

She needs to prepare while there's still time.

"Besides, I don't want to lose to Shen Qingli in the competition. I have to give it my all. What if I win?" Shen Tang smiled.

The system's main task is still pending; she must obtain the qualification to be the heir.

This competition is also an opportunity for her.

Shen Tang didn't want to be someone else's stepping stone; she wanted Shen Qingli to be her springboard to success!

The woman's long, jet-black hair was like a galaxy, her face was exquisite and beautiful, her captivating cat-like eyes flashed with a cunning light, her red lips curved into a smile, and the sunlight fell on Shen Tang, making her indescribably charming and dazzling.

Shen Li stared in amazement for a moment, then raised his hand to gently stroke her eyebrows and eyes, chuckling softly, "...Xiao Tang's confident and beautiful appearance truly makes her seem like the future heir of the empire, it's quite captivating."

He wasn't lying this time.

A system announcement echoed in my mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, Shen Li's favorability has increased by 5!]

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow. It seemed this cunning fox didn't like unambitious, innocent girls; he preferred males who wanted to be king.

Shen Li also led a group of orcs out of the city.

The initial preparation phase is the busiest.

Fearing something might go wrong, Shen Tang went over to check as well.

When she and Shen Li arrived outside the city, they found that Xiao Jin had already led the orcs to set up a temporary thatched hut as a place to rest for the night.

They must build the quarry and logging camp as quickly as possible in order to start the project soon, so they probably won't have time to go back during this period.

Under the scorching sun in the desolate wilderness, it was destined to be a tough time.

Shen Tang initially felt a little guilty about arranging for Xiao Jin, a former major general of the Empire, to do this dirty and tiring work. However, seeing that he was not unhappy at all and worked very enthusiastically, leading his teams to dig holes, cut down trees, and move stones, his work efficiency was incredibly fast.

Shen Tang sighed inwardly, knowing that sending Xiao Jin over was indeed the wisest decision.

This guy is full of energy and always causes trouble for her at home. It's better to let him go out and do some work so he can vent his pent-up energy properly instead of taking it out on her.

After walking around, Shen Tang was sweating profusely from the heat, so she sat down to rest in the shade by the thatched shed.

Shen Li took a bottle of water and walked over.

Seeing that her face was all red from the sun, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Whose noble princess would come all the way here to supervise the construction?

Putting everything else aside, his hard-working and resilient nature is far superior to that of the one in the capital.

Shen Li handed the water to Shen Tang, took out a wet wipe to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and smiled gently, "It's so hot, you should go back and rest first. I'll take care of things here, Xiao Tang, don't worry."

"Okay." Shen Tang took the water and drank a sip; it was sweet and refreshing.

Just as she was about to get up and leave, the system's voice suddenly sounded in her mind.
[Ding! A new side quest is now issued to the host: Complete mating with Xue Yinzhou. Quest deadline: three days! Reward: Factory construction blueprints!] Shen Tang almost spat out her water. Her forehead twitched slightly. She knew this damn system wouldn't stay still for long before it remembered its original job again.

But why is the deadline only three days this time?

"Weren't your previous missions all scheduled for a month?"

The system chuckled, "[Your previous beast husbands didn't have high affection levels, so the success rate of inviting them to mate was low. This gives you a chance to cultivate your relationship. This snake beast is deeply in love with you. As long as you take the initiative to find him, you two can finish tonight!]"

Shen Tang blushed even more. What he said made sense, but Xue Yinzhou's cold and indifferent demeanor made it hard to imagine what he would be like when he was passionate in bed.

Although the two cleared up their misunderstanding, they hadn't spent enough time together. She was far less familiar with Xue Yinzhou than Xiao Jin and the others, and things quickly escalated to the point where they were in bed...

Shen Tang swallowed hard, instinctively feeling a little nervous.

Shen Li felt that her face was even redder, and when she touched it, it was burning hot. She asked worriedly, "Xiao Tang, are you suffering from heatstroke? I'll take you back to the city to the hospital to get checked out."

"No, no, I'm fine, I'm just a little hot, I'll go back now!"

After Shen Tang finished speaking, she quickly left, her retreating figure resembling a hasty escape.

Shen Li watched the direction she left in, raising an eyebrow slightly. Why did she seem more like...shy?
He shook his head, turned and went to the truck to check on the newly delivered batch of stones.

Meanwhile, Shen Tang had only taken a few steps when she bumped into a broad embrace.

The man's body was cool and smooth, radiating a chill that instantly soothed her burning sensation, making her feel incredibly comfortable.

Shen Tang instinctively wrapped her arms around his lean waist, greedily inhaling his cold aura as if she were hugging a block of ice.

Xue Yinzhou stiffened slightly, seemingly surprised that the female would be so proactive. He looked down at Shen Tang, touched her flushed face, and whispered, "Are you sick?"

"It's okay, I've been out in the sun for too long. Let me hug you for a while!" Shen Tang felt comfortable hugging him and didn't want to let go.

Xue Yinzhou relaxed, letting her hold him to cool him down. He glanced up at the thatched hut not far away and asked in a low voice, "Is there anything I can do?"

The system, oblivious to the situation, quickly chimed in, "[Hehe, what else can we do? Of course, we should do something fun! Host, hurry up and get involved! They've already taken the initiative to ask us questions; seize this opportunity that's practically offered to you!]"

Shen Tang remembered the system task, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly let go of his hand. "Why did you come here?"

Seeing Shen Tang release him, Xue Yinzhou felt a pang of regret. His cold face remained expressionless as he looked down at her with his long, narrow phoenix eyes and asked earnestly, "I heard from the city lord that you plan to build a city. Xiao Jin and Shen Li have been sent here to work. I am also your beast husband. If you need anything, you can call me."

Shen Tang was stunned. She didn't expect that Xue Yinzhou, who was always elusive, would take the initiative to come to her today and ask for work.

Thinking about it carefully, she verbally agreed to treat him as her true lover, but the two of them hadn't made any real progress, so he must feel uneasy.

Seeing that she didn't think of him while she was working, he probably felt even more uneasy, fearing that what he said that day was just a mirage.

Seeing that Shen Tang remained silent, Xue Yinzhou pursed his lips and asked in a low voice, "What kind of work do you need me to do?"

"You, you don't need to do those jobs..."

Shen Tang's face turned even redder.

She gently hooked her fingers around his belt, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "Come to my room tonight."

"Do something else."

(End of this chapter)