196: Chapter 196 Assessment Period

Sure enough, a moment later.

The curtain to the private room was rudely pushed aside.

Bai Song walked in, with his arms around two women who were dressed gaudily, their temperament far inferior to Yun Zhiyao's.

It looked like he had come to this teahouse to pick up girls and show off.

Bai Song spotted Chen Yi and Yun Zhiyao sitting by the window at a glance.

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred!

The smug smile on his face instantly froze, then twisted into rage, his fists clenching tightly.

That scoundrel Chen Yi!

That cheap woman Yun Zhiyao!

How could the two of them be drinking tea here alone?

Chen Yi merely glanced at him indifferently, as if seeing some insignificant fly.

He casually picked up his teacup, blew on it, took a sip, and acted completely at ease, paying him absolutely no mind.

"Chen Yi!"

Bai Song squeezed these two words through his teeth.

That carefree appearance of his made him even angrier than any mockery could!

However, just as he was about to lash out, he suddenly remembered that Red Snake had stayed behind in the Bai Family compound today under the pretext of consolidating her power, which was why he was free to come out and pick up girls.

With Red Snake not by his side, and remembering the experience of having his spear shattered by Chen Yi's punch last time, a chill instantly extinguished his impulse.

The angry curses that had reached his lips were forcefully swallowed back down, and his face flushed a liver-colored purple.

He glared fiercely at Chen Yi, but in the end, could only utter a few harmless threats: "Hmph! What bad luck, running into annoying flies everywhere! You two continue! This young master won't keep you company!"

After speaking, he put his arms around his two bewildered female companions and turned to leave, looking dejected.

His retreating figure appeared exceptionally disheveled and comical.

Watching Bai Song's retreating figure, the disdain in Yun Zhiyao's beautiful eyes almost materialized.

Flying into a useless rage when encountering trouble, then spouting harsh words to compensate when retreating—he lacked any demeanor or sense of responsibility!

In contrast, Chen Yi was calm and composed from beginning to end, his steadiness and confidence making it seem as if everything was under his control.

Comparing the two, the difference was immediately apparent!

No!

Or rather, comparing Chen Yi to Bai Song was simply an insult to Chen Yi.

At this moment, after Bai Song left, Chen Yi's brow furrowed slightly.

He gently stroked the rim of his teacup, lost in thought.

"Come to think of it, it's a bit strange. Bai Song's Contracted Spirit Beast... I don't seem to have ever gotten a good look at it. It was the same at the association before; it always seemed to deliberately hide behind the crowd, as if it were... avoiding me?"

However, now was not the time to delve into this matter.

He immediately put this doubt aside, smiled at Yun Zhiyao, and naturally reached out to wrap his arm around her slender, soft waist: "Let's go, don't let irrelevant people ruin our mood. Let's go inside and talk."

Feeling Chen Yi's sudden action, Yun Zhiyao's body stiffened slightly; she clearly hadn't expected Chen Yi to be so bold.

But she quickly relaxed, even leaning closer to Chen Yi cooperatively, her cheeks slightly flushed, with no thought of resisting.

This scene was seen by other customers in the teahouse, instantly drawing countless envious and jealous gazes, as well as hushed discussions.

"Hiss... Is that the Yun Family heiress, Yun Zhiyao? She's actually that intimate with Chen Yi?"

"It seems that between Bai Song and Chen Yi, Chen Yi has ultimately won!"

"It's over, it's over. It seems my goddess really has an owner now!"

"But then again, if it's Chen Yi... it actually seems like a good match? After all, he is Yi Chen!"

---

Chen Yi and Yun Zhiyao ignored the discussions and went directly into the pre-booked private room.

Yun Zhiyao took a deep breath and decided to get straight to the point.

She refilled Chen Yi's tea and looked at him with clear eyes: "Chen Yi, I invited you out today because I actually want to formally make a request to you! I hope... to establish a contract with you!"

"The resources and support our Yun Family can provide you will never be inferior to any other family!"

"I wonder what you think?"

Chen Yi sipped his tea while quietly listening to Yun Zhiyao's request.

He didn't expect that he would successfully woo Yun Zhiyao in the end.

Unintentionally planting a willow that grew into shade—truly a universal truth!

However, Chen Yi did not immediately agree to Yun Zhiyao's request.

He tapped his fingers gently on the table, and after a long while, responded: "Miss Yun, I have seen your sincerity and conditions, and they are very attractive!"

"However, a contract is not a simple transaction; it requires deep trust between both parties!"

"Not long ago, you were still Bai Song's pre-Contracted Spirit Beast; this matter can be said to be known to everyone."

"I am not doubting your sincerity, but for the sake of team harmony and future stability, I believe we need a probation period!"

Of course, in the system interface, Yun Zhiyao's favorability had already reached 60 points.

This actually already proved her sincerity.

No one could deceive the system's investigation!

The reason he said this was that Chen Yi had actually thought about it deeply last night.

Yun Zhiyao's personality was obviously rather domineering, and coming from a noble background, she had been comfortably served by attendants right up until now.

Now that she needed something from him, her personality would naturally be much more restrained.

But once they were truly contracted, it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't have minor frictions with the other girls due to differences in background, habits, or upbringing.

Among his current Contracted Spirit Beasts, there were a campus belle, a fallen heiress, an internet celebrity loli, a bewitching royal sister, twin fairies, and a phoenix childhood sweetheart—all with different identities!

The reason they could get along harmoniously now was because they had been through a lot together and had deep feelings.

Now, suddenly adding a top-tier heiress—he still had to temper her temperament first to let her truly integrate into the group!

After all, if he was going to take in a new girl, he had to consider the feelings of the treasures already in his bowl, didn't he?

Upon hearing that there needed to be a probation period to contract with Chen Yi, Yun Zhiyao was slightly stunned.

Given her status and bloodline, this was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing as a probation period.

But on second thought, Chen Yi was no ordinary person, and his team was indeed extraordinary; having some threshold was only normal!

Moreover, the status of being pre-contracted, in a sense, could be considered as achieving her initial goal!

At least she had obtained the qualification to stay by Chen Yi's side.

To show her sincerity, Yun Zhiyao suppressed a trace of subtle disappointment in her heart and nodded readily: "Okay, I accept the probation! I will prove to you that my choice is serious and that I am worthy of your trust!"

Chen Yi nodded slightly and drained his teacup in one gulp: "It's still early, why don't we talk about our business? For example, what kind of dowry will you provide after we contract?"

Hearing this, Yun Zhiyao immediately burst into laughter.

Sometimes, she really couldn't understand which family Chen Yi actually came from.

Under these circumstances, he actually wanted to talk about the dowry first?

Shouldn't it be like a blind date, talking about hobbies or something first?

Besides, under normal circumstances, when a guy wants to contract a girl, shouldn't they talk about the bride price first?

But you, on the other hand, turned around and talked about the dowry first...

Can only say, worthy of being an unparalleled genius!

His thinking is truly unconventional!

But then again, it was precisely because of this that she had taken a fancy to Chen Yi, wasn't it?