Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration] 10

Chapter 10:

Li An was both stunned and awkward. She tried to console herself for a long time but still couldn’t accept the fact that she had become Ji Yulin’s pet. Then, she dazedly lifted her head and finally realized where she was.

Downstream from the stream, rocks were piled up on the bank. The glass jar containing the little octopus was wedged in a crevice, allowing her to play in the water while remaining within Ji Yulin’s line of sight.

However, this seemingly perfect plan had a problem that made the octopus not know whether to laugh or cry.

As the water flowed downstream, the glass jar wedged between the rocks loosened and began to slowly spin, one circle after another.

The moment Li An looked up, she saw Ji Yulin standing not far away.

The scene she had glimpsed before was now completely unobstructed, appearing before Li An’s eyes once again.

The little octopus instantly flushed a deep red, like a translucent glass ball in the sunlight. She hurriedly raised two tentacles to cover her eyes, constantly muttering to herself that she was a proper, law-abiding little octopus.

Proper, law-abiding, proper, law-abiding.

Just as her body temperature began to drop, the glass jar suddenly bumped against a rock. The proper little octopus was thrown in the opposite direction. Her tentacles accidentally fell, and she happened to see Ji Yulin look over, the corners of her eyes curving into a very faint smile.

The sunlight was bright, the tree shadows swayed, and the water lapped against the glass and rocks, making a splashing sound.

Li An was bewildered and helpless. Although she could see everything more clearly and directly this time, the only thing that remained in her mind was the curve of Ji Yulin’s lips.

It wasn’t a dazzling smile. Ji Yulin’s smiles were always faint, much like the “three-no” girls in Li An’s memory—always silent and reserved, looking very cold, with smiles that were never enthusiastic.

The tentacles pressed against the bottom of the jar curled up, forming little balls.

Although the stream water was cool, Li An felt as if she were being roasted on a hot plate.

The glass jar spun round and round. Her tentacles never fell, but the image in her mind seemed to have frozen, stuck in place.

Does Ji Yulin have dimples?

Li An thought in a daze. A small droplet of water had just slid down her cheek, as if trying to fill the dimple. But on second thought, the memory wasn’t that clear, yet she was certain that Ji Yulin must have a dimple by her lips.

This strange feeling left Li An herself confused. The entire octopus felt as if it had fallen into a vat of wine, muddle-headed and dazed.

After an unknown amount of time, the glass jar was lifted from the water. The little octopus inside swayed a couple of times and looked up blankly.

Ji Yulin was already dressed, her shirt buttoned to the very top again. After covering the red marks, she lowered her head slightly and leaned toward the glass jar.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so red?” she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Li An was dazed and subconsciously shook her head.

Ji Yulin seemed a little worried and muttered to herself, “Was it the seagull that scared you? Why did you even stop playing in the water?”

Li An wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say. So she just flopped into a heap, shrinking to the bottom of the glass jar.

There was one advantage to not being able to speak: no one would press you for an answer.

The little octopus, eager to escape, didn’t see the obscure emotion Ji Yulin concealed as she lowered her eyes, as if…

As if Li An’s entire reaction was within her expectations.

The sound of footsteps started again, the crushed fallen leaves rustling.

Only when Ji Yulin’s voice sounded again did Li An suddenly come to her senses.

“Want a taste?”

A strip of meat had been offered to her. The bonfire in the middle was burning brightly, drying the previously soaked shirt.

Li An couldn’t even remember if she was the one who had started this fire. She only knew that she was no longer in the glass jar but was now lying on a soft cushion that Ji Yulin had made from layers of green leaves.

A raised tentacle pushed away Ji Yulin’s hand. As Ji Yulin looked on in confusion, the little octopus crawled over and pushed the coconut, which was being kept as a reserve, toward her.

“You want to eat the coconut?” Ji Yulin asked.

The little octopus shook her head, pointed at the prepared seagull, then at the coconut, then at Ji Yulin, and then looked up at her.

“Seagull cooked in coconut juice?” Ji Yulin actually understood in an instant.

The little octopus nodded. She remembered that chicken cooked in coconut juice tasted good, so seagull should be the same.

Although the dish sounded strange, Ji Yulin only asked, “You want to eat it? I thought you didn’t like hot food.”

When they had grilled fish the other day, the little octopus had been greedy and had Ji Yulin feed her several pieces. But it tasted just okay, only a little better than the coconut pieces from before. It was edible, but she absorbed very little energy from it, and it wasn’t as good as raw food. So she had developed an aversion to hot food and would shake her head whenever Ji Yulin tried to feed her.

Hearing the question, the little octopus first shook her head, then pointed a chubby tentacle at Ji Yulin.

Only then did Ji Yulin fully understand. She replied, “You want me to have the soup?”

The little octopus nodded emphatically, her clear, sapphire eyes fixed on Ji Yulin. The tentacles behind her weren’t swaying, but she somehow seemed exceptionally well-behaved.

Human, drink soup.

Ji Yulin looked at her, her expression unreadable. She just suddenly lowered her head, her forehead gently touching the little octopus’s head.

Li An, who had just started to feel better, was stunned again.

And Ji Yulin said softly, “You’re not hot anymore.”

Her tone was tinged with concern, as if she were genuinely worried about her.

Did my dazed state just now scare Ji Yulin?

Li An suddenly felt a little guilty and patted Ji Yulin’s head with a tentacle.

Human, Octopus is fine.

Just a little emotionally confused.

Ji Yulin didn’t raise her head, maintaining the same posture as she said warmly, “Are you worried about me?”

“Worried I’ll catch a cold after bathing, so you want me to drink soup?”

Although that was her intention, having Ji Yulin say it out loud still made Li An feel a little embarrassed.

A tentacle patted Ji Yulin’s head again. The little octopus shrank, and in the firelight, she once again became a peach-pink glass ball.

Ji Yulin’s eyes curved, and her voice softened unconsciously, “Don’t be afraid, it’s okay.”

The human and the octopus were very close. Li An could feel Ji Yulin’s breath, which sent a dense itch across the octopus’s overly sensitive nervous system.

The little octopus felt a strange annoyance, not knowing what she was annoyed about. She just raised a tentacle and covered Ji Yulin’s mouth, then pointed at the coconut beside them.

Human, no need for more words.

Drink soup.

Ji Yulin didn’t say much more. She was a woman of few words by nature. After getting up, she rubbed the little octopus’s head, then proceeded to crack open the coconut and cook the soup.

The little octopus was a bit awkward at first, but seeing Ji Yulin’s calm expression, she gradually relaxed. Her tentacles swayed, and she scurried up her pant leg, climbing to Ji Yulin’s shoulder in a few movements and finding a stable spot to lie down.

The woman’s movements were deft, which once again raised Li An’s suspicions. From the very first moment, she had felt that Ji Yulin was more than just a researcher.

After all, in her stereotypical impression, researchers were always physically weak, unable to even truss a chicken, and completely dependent on others for protection. But Ji Yulin was different. Although she looked light and delicate, her physical fitness and skills were not weak, as if she had been trained…

Is everyone in this world like this?

After all, they lived in a world where species had mutated and it was extremely dangerous. It was only natural that they would be trained from a young age.

Li An thought she had found the reason and unconsciously nodded.

Turning to look at Ji Yulin again, the woman had already finished. The coconut, coated in thick mud, had been cut in half. Inside, chunks of mutated seagull meat tumbled in the clear coconut water.

Since that was done, was it time to dry her clothes?

The little octopus poked Ji Yulin’s neck, trying to remind her.

But Ji Yulin just raised her hand and stroked her head, then picked up the pecked-damaged hat. As she lowered her eyes, the nearby bonfire flickered, and the gray shadow of her thick lashes fell on her eyelids, adding a strange sense of tranquility.

While Li An was wondering, the woman picked up the wooden stick again, pressed the knife against the wood, and began to carve downward.

Li An thought Ji Yulin still had things to do, so she obediently shrank onto her shoulder.

Ji Yulin’s collarbone was prominent, forming a triangular hollow with her shoulder and neck. The little octopus curled her tentacles and fit perfectly inside, steadily looking down to see what Ji Yulin was doing.

But as the wooden stick under the knife gradually took shape, Li An found it stranger and stranger. Why did it look like a…

A small knife?

It was much more exquisite than the previous wooden needle, with a complete hilt, blade, and even a blood groove?

Li An was dazed. Only when Ji Yulin handed the wooden knife to her did the little octopus numbly take it.

“Try it, see if it’s comfortable,” Ji Yulin asked, her expression as calm as ever, as if it were a simple matter.

But Li An didn’t know how to respond. Her blue eyes blinked, staring at Ji Yulin.

Ji Yulin seemed not to know what she was thinking and said, “Try swinging it?”

Seeing her motionless, she let out a puff of air, “Hmm?”

Because they were so close, the vibration of her windpipe was caught by the base of her tentacles, sending a dense sensation through them.

The tentacles, already curled into a ball, curled even tighter.

But Ji Yulin misunderstood. She tilted her head slightly, leaning toward the little octopus’s head, and said guiltily, “There are no other materials on the island, so this will have to do for now.”

“I’ll make you a new one when we get back, okay?”

“This one won’t break so easily,” Ji Yulin promised.

Li An was still in a daze, her sapphire-like eyes staring blankly at the other woman.

“You’re not angry anymore, are you?” Ji Yulin asked again.

She rarely spoke such soft words, so her enunciation was a bit stiff and awkward, like watching a cold robot suddenly bow its head and beg.

It was very strange.

“You’re not angry anymore. It was my fault for not being more considerate.”

As she finished speaking, Li An was completely unable to react. She didn’t understand why Ji Yulin was apologizing. How could something like that have been predicted? If anyone was to blame, it was Li An herself for provoking the seagull. Now she was just facing the consequences.

But the more she acted this way, the more Ji Yulin misunderstood, even starting to admit her mistakes and review herself, “If the stick had been sturdier, you could have tapped the glass jar to alert me sooner.”

“It’s my fault you were bullied by the seagull for so long.”

“You’re not angry anymore, are you?”

The rusty gears in her brain finally turned. The stiff little octopus instantly came to her senses, waving her tentacles back and forth.

No, no, I’m not angry about that.

So Ji Yulin had attributed her previous behavior to anger and had been self-recriminating and feeling guilty for so long.

A tentacle swung the wooden knife. The little octopus kept shaking her tentacles, indicating that wasn’t it. Finally, in her desperation, she rubbed her head against the other woman.

“As long as you’re not angry. It won’t happen again,” but Ji Yulin once again interpreted it in her own way.

Li An wanted to speak but couldn’t. In the end, she could only rub her chubby head against Ji Yulin.

A pet is a pet, then.

Human, little octopus is willing to be your pet.

The firelight flickered, and night fell once again. The boiling coconut soup was fragrant, the water on the shirt had evaporated, and the pecked-damaged hat had been repaired, sitting askew on the little octopus’s head. A tentacle holding a cup lifted and clinked against Ji Yulin’s lowered cup, making a crisp sound.