The worse you are, the stronger you become: My summoned beast is a photographer.

"This is a gift my father asked me to give you. I hope you won't find it offensive." Tigris took the exquisite gift box handed to her by the servant behind her and presented it to Aura with both hands. "It's an S-grade stamina enhancement stone that can permanently add ten points to your stamina."

"This is too valuable, I can't accept it." Aura refused outright, without the slightest hesitation. This kind of four-dimensional gem is extremely rare; there are only a handful in the entire city of Herma. It's something that's priceless and unavailable for purchase. Accepting it would mean owing someone a favor.

Tigris's hand froze in mid-air, her smile momentarily paused, but she quickly regained her composure.

Ming Luochen sat to one side, but his thoughts wandered further and further away, and his face grew increasingly somber.

Suddenly, he realized that he had nothing in this world. Compared to the centaurs, he was utterly useless—no fighting ability, no family fortune, no social status, and even his food came from his wife's family. If one day his wife betrayed him or despised him, he would truly have no place to stand.

Now past thirty, a wave of panic washed over him, growing stronger with each passing day. In his previous life, he at least owned a house and a car, and had even saved for his funeral; even if he lost his job, he wouldn't starve. But now? He was still living off his wife—wasn't he just a useless piece of trash?

Ming Luochen shook his head restlessly, but his panic only made his reason clearer—the more sober he became, the more worthless he felt.

"Miss Tigris, really, there's no need. I appreciate the sentiment, but the S-grade stamina enhancement stone is far too precious. I would be happy if you could attend my wedding; I really can't accept this gift." Aura grew anxious, her voice tinged with urgency, no longer wanting to be polite with Tigris. She sensed that Ming Luochen had developed a distance and wariness towards her; that sense of alienation was like a thorn, pricking her painfully.

"Alright, I'll definitely attend your wedding." Tigris readily agreed, handing the gift box back to the servant behind her. At the same time, she noticed that the cute summoned beast beside Aura seemed unhappy, staring blankly out the window, its eyes filled with indescribable emotions, which made her wonder.

"Your husband seems unhappy. Did something happen?" Tigris asked with concern, tilting her head slightly to look at Ming Luochen.

She had a nagging feeling that Aura's blessing from the goddess was related to this summoned beast. Her family had analyzed it; it was unlikely that an F-rank summoned beast could trigger an SSR-rank awakening beam. Furthermore, its awakened skills weren't F-rank; it was probably a hidden SSS-rank summoned beast. The intelligence it displayed completely surpassed the value of an SSS-rank summoned beast. If she could win over such a humanoid summoned beast…

"It's nothing, I'm the one who upset him." Aura felt guilty and lowered her voice.

She hadn't expected Ming Luochen to be so sensitive. She should have rejected Rurik immediately and defended him, much less pinch him. But she only did that because she considered him one of her own; she had no other intentions. Who could have imagined that the short dramas Ming Luochen had watched, filled with regret, were so disgusting, even portraying this kind of favoritism as bias? Every single point was a scathing critique of her own behavior and identity.

The female CEO from the cuckold's tale has now become a countess's daughter; the unrequited love has become the treacherous Rurik—Aura simply can't explain it. The crucial point is that Ming Luochen is still creating his own character persona, trying to fit himself into the role of a tragic male protagonist.

Ugly, penniless, yet deeply in love with his wife, he abandoned his original world, only to end up feeding a dog, possessing wisdom beyond his own, rising through the ranks to the pinnacle of life, and marrying Shen Youyu…

Aura was speechless. He not only talked nonsense, but he also started belittling himself and becoming narcissistic.

"I see." Tigris smiled gently, stepped closer to the chubby Ming Luochen, bent down, and spoke in a soft voice as if coaxing a child, "Eating something sweet when you're angry will make you feel better."

She straightened up and said gently to the maid behind her, "Go and get some of my desserts."

Ming Luochen looked up at Tigris, who had a gentle smile on her face. She looked just like a kind older sister next door.

"Ah—" Aura pinched Ming Luochen, who was lost in thought, hard, her nails digging into his flesh. She glared at him warningly, her eyes saying, "Try thinking nonsense again."

If you ever think about Shen Youyu again, believe me, I'll deal with you!

Ming Luochen immediately became obedient, like a cat whose neck had been pinched.

Faced with the fierce Aura, he realized he had indeed misjudged the situation. Tigris wasn't exactly a saint either; her title was even higher than Aura's, making her even more troublesome—what good could a duke's daughter possibly be up to by sending gifts out of the blue?

Moreover, Aura was his first woman and her first man, and with their telepathic connection, he knew she disliked Rurik; she was just angry that her stance had been questionable. He admitted that he was being too sensitive.

Ming Luochen looked honestly at Tigris, his tone stiff as if he were trying to keep her at arm's length: "No, I don't like sweets."

"Alright then, what do you like to eat?" Tigris thought this summoned beast was really intelligent, able to speak in such a short time, and it was so cute, chubby and white, like a well-fermented dough. The more she looked at it, the more interesting it became.

"I don't like anything, and I have a wife who will buy it for me." Ming Luochen said firmly, and even looked at Aura with a hint of pride in his eyes - see, this is a firm attitude, not those half-hearted hypocrites.

Aura gave a bitter smile, a helpless curve to her lips. She genuinely didn't have that many thoughts; looking at this petty man, she felt both angry and amused.

"Oh, I see. Then remember to come find me when your wife doesn't buy it for you." Tigris smiled with interest, reaching out to ruffle Ming Luochen's hair, the gesture as natural as petting a pet.

"Miss Tigris, please don't act rashly." Aura grabbed Ming Luochen, rescuing him from Tigris's grasp, her tone genuinely angry. The crucial point was that Ming Luochen had just been wondering if Tigris was Shen Youyu—who was Shen Youyu? And what did Shen Youyu mean? She had read Ming Luochen's memories and knew perfectly well.

"Alright, then you two can take your time to develop your relationship. I'll be going now." Tigris smiled politely, winked at Ming Luochen before turning around, that glance was meaningful, and then she turned and left gracefully, her skirt drawing a beautiful arc in the morning light.

The school bell dispelled the noise in the classroom, its clear sound echoing down the corridor. All the students returned to their seats to await class, and the sounds of footsteps and chairs being moved gradually subsided.

After the commotion, Ming Luochen lay listlessly on the table, his chin resting on his crossed arms, staring blankly at the wood grain on the surface.

Although Aura treated her very well, everyone needs to have a backup plan. Not to mention great wealth and personal independence, she needed at least a place to stay—a guarantee that she could survive on her own even if abandoned.

"Baby, don't think like that. I will never abandon you." Aura anxiously comforted Ming Luochen, her voice trembling slightly.

He seemed prepared to leave at any moment. What kind of marriage can be dissolved at any time? Love without material support is just a pile of loose sand. People who are not well-matched in social status and have incompatible values ​​are better off each having their own family... Aura couldn't understand how the emotions in Ming Luochen's world could be so complicated, so calculating, so guarded. No wonder he preferred to be single for more than 30 years.

Honey, believe me, you're my one and only. I've never looked down on you, and we have a contract.

The old professor walked into the classroom, looked around at the students, and his gaze swept across each of their faces. He cleared his throat and said, "Today's lesson is divided into two parts. The first part is for Beast Tamers to understand the basics of summoned beasts; the second part is to actually test the abilities of your summoned beasts on the playground. So, you can bring your summoned beasts to the test during the second period this morning, and then we'll have a group competition this afternoon."

A competition? Ming Luochen sensed something was wrong, frowned, and listened carefully to the old professor's lesson plan.

"The competition consists of five events: 100-meter sprint, 5,000-meter long-distance run, standing high jump, long jump, and weightlifting. These events also contribute to the final exam results."

Ming Luochen panicked.

A 5,000-meter run—isn't that asking for trouble? If he could run 5,000 meters, he would have already lost weight. With his weight, he'd be panting like a dog after running 200 meters, let alone 5,000? He'd probably end up in the emergency room halfway through.

The key is the summoned beast ability test. Ming Luochen looked around the classroom. There were chickens, ducks, dogs, rabbits, pigs, and birds, all squatting next to their owners. Some were dozing off, some were gnawing on the corners of the tables, and some were licking their paws.

Why would you put yourself in a competition with a bunch of mindless idiots?

Racing a dog in a long-distance race? He'd be chased by the dog, or chasing it! That's outrageous, downright humiliating. A living, breathing human being competing against an animal—how could he possibly save face?

"Professor, I don't want to compete," Ming Luochen retorted, standing up as his chair creaked backward. "What am I, a human, supposed to do, compete with a bunch of beasts? I won't do it."

The old professor's face instantly darkened, and his white ram's horns seemed to tremble with anger. How dare someone contradict him in public! He had taught at this school for decades and had never seen such an unruly summoned beast.

"Aura, keep your summoned beast under control! This is a school, not a market. If you don't obey the school's arrangements, you'll either drop out or fail your courses." The old professor's voice was as stern as if he were reprimanding a new recruit, and he slammed the chalk down heavily on the podium.

"Fine, I'll drop out!" Ming Luochen shouted, stubbornly insisting on going all in. "What kind of rubbish does this crappy school teach? I don't even have time to learn that."

He'd already read the textbooks; they were all elementary school level questions. He didn't see anything worth learning; he could teach Aura himself. What was this about a 5000-meter race? Competing against animals? Wasn't that an insult?

No, these beasts have never even considered themselves human!

Aura was terrified and quickly grabbed Ming Luochen, her hand tightly gripping his sleeve, her fingertips trembling.

[Stop messing around, I beg you, behave yourself!] Her heart was racing with anxiety and panic, like a frightened deer pounding in its chest.