Jiang Xinli remembered that in the book's normal ending, the five Beast Husbands asked the original owner for a divorce. Not only did the original owner refuse, but she also became even more demanding and abusive toward them, even secretly drugging the nutrient liquid they often drank.
In the end, the original owner died a miserable death at the hands of the five Beast Husbands, whose Spiritual Seas were on the verge of collapse as they descended into madness.
There was also an alternate "what if" ending:
The original owner agreed to the Beast Husbands' divorce request, believing she could survive alone on this desolate and dangerous planet.
But just one day after the Beast Husbands left, a Puppet Corpse Army, strongly attracted by her female pheromones, swarmed into her house like a raging tide and devoured her in an instant. In the end, not even a speck of bone was left...
No matter which ending, based on the current timeline, death was just around the corner.
Jiang Xinli fell silent.
Sheng Tianze, who was beside her, gave her a meaningful look. "Female Master, you've not only had a huge change in temperament these past two days, like you're a completely different person, but you also seem to have amnesia..."
Jiang Xinli snapped back to reality. "Maybe... I was frightened..."
"You wouldn't... forget me one day too, would you?" Sheng Tianze leaned down slightly, his gaze fixed on her intently.
The girl shook her head vigorously in denial. "Of course... I... won't..."
Sheng Tianze: "Is that so?"
"Mhm." The girl nodded obediently, wrapped her arms around his waist, and gave him a gentle hug.
A complex look flashed in the man's eyes. He curled a finger and playfully tapped the tip of her nose, smiling as he said, "I guess you have some conscience after all."
"Oh, right. Take this first." After speaking, Sheng Tianze strode over to the coffee table on his long legs, picked up an exquisitely embroidered cloth pouch, and handed it to her.
Jiang Xinli took it, feeling its weight. "What's this?"
"These are the Crystal Cores they left for you. They've all been washed clean." Sheng Tianze said as he pulled open the pouch.
In that instant, a pile of translucent, faintly glowing stones was revealed.
'Judging by the amount, this is way more than yesterday.'
Jiang Xinli understood in her heart. Most likely, the others had turned in all the private "cores" they had secretly stashed away.
"Well, it would be rude to refuse, so I'll take them!" A bright smile bloomed on the girl's face as she clutched the pouch in her hand.
"Mhm." Sheng Tianze took a ring from his own hand, gently took her left hand, and carefully slipped it onto her ring finger.
"This is my personal Space Ring. Its storage is larger than your old one. Wear this for now. You can put all these things inside."
The inner band of the ring was engraved with the character "Sheng." As if it had a spirit of its own, it automatically resized, fitting her slender finger perfectly in an instant.
He held her hand, brought it to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss on it. "From now on, you're not allowed to take this ring off without my permission."
"..." Jiang Xinli was full of questions. "You gave it to me, so what will you do?"
It was important to know that for prisoners exiled to a Deserted Star, there were strict limits on personal belongings and the number of Star Coins they could carry.
At most, they could only bring one Space Ring and one ordinary self-defense weapon in case they encountered Puppet Corpses or Mutant Beasts.
"I'm a Space System superpower user. Besides being able to perform Spatial Teleportation and jumps, I can also temporarily store items." Sheng Tianze patiently explained before taking her hand and leading her toward the kitchen.
Seeing the refrigerator, Jiang Xinli reflexively swallowed, and her stomach chose that moment to rumble.
"Pick a flavor?" Sheng Tianze asked as he opened the refrigerator.
Jiang Xinli's breath caught as she stared at the pile of colorful, jelly-like food before her.
It was all nutrient liquid. Completely full of nutrient liquid.
"I remember our Female Master used to like the raw meat flavor. Because—" Sheng Tianze picked up a crimson-colored packet of nutrient liquid, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, "—its color is a lot like blood. Drinking it excites you."
Jiang Xinli: "..."
She had to admit, the original owner's preferences were a bit... psychologically abnormal.
She pursed her lips, a hesitant look on her face, and asked, "Don't we have any vegetables or meat at home?"
"No." A flash of surprise crossed Sheng Tianze's face. "Our Female Master never liked vegetables or fruit, and she especially hated cooked meat and snacks..."
"As for us..." He paused. "As Male Beastmen, we usually just make do with some nutrient liquid."
Jiang Xinli: "..."
In that moment, she suddenly missed the days of eating instant noodles back on Earth...
Seeing the "life is not worth living" expression on her face, Sheng Tianze's deep eyes narrowed, and he chuckled.
"If our Female Master wants to eat vegetables and fruit, we can go to the Deserted Star Prison Town tomorrow. The interstellar prison runs a large supermarket there where we can buy all of that."
The girl's eyes lit up, and she instantly came back to life. "Really?!"
"Mhm." Sheng Tianze nodded. "It's my turn to go mining this afternoon, or else I could have taken you today."
According to universal interstellar rules, if a female exiled to a Deserted Star brought Beast Husbands with her, they would, in principle, divide the labor.
Whether the Beast Husbands went out for labor reform or to fight off Puppet Corpses and Mutant Beasts, one would always be left behind, solely responsible for protecting the female's safety.
This, Jiang Xinli already knew.
"So for now, pick one?"
"I want this one."
Sheng Tianze took down a light blue packet of nutrient liquid, twisted off the cap, and handed it to her.
A faint ocean scent washed over her. Jiang Xinli tilted her head back and took a sip, immediately feeling her hunger and fatigue recede like a tide.
'The taste is actually pretty good, and the effect is immediate.'
'Still, deep down, I'm craving a normal meal.'
Sheng Tianze was drinking the beef-flavored nutrient liquid.
Jiang Xinli: "By the way, can you cook?"
"I..." Sheng Tianze raised a hand to adjust his gold-rimmed glasses, a trace of embarrassment flashing in his eyes. "I can try."
He considered himself capable of anything, but when it came to cooking, he was completely clueless.
Usually, the extent of his ability was warming up milk or pouring a cup of hot water.
"You little glutton, you've got something on your lip." After speaking, the man's gaze lingered on her lips, where a drop of nutrient liquid remained.
"Huh?" Just as Jiang Xinli raised her hand to wipe it, Sheng Tianze held her by the shoulders, leaned in, and licked it off with the tip of his tongue.
The dense, soft barbs sent an electric, tingling numbness through Jiang Xinli's entire body. Only then did she realize that his...
Jiang Xinli's face suddenly turned red.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! An abrupt knock sounded at the door.
"Sister! Are you home?" A gentle, sweet, and slightly affected girl's voice came from outside the door.
Jiang Xinli froze for a moment. After a brief thought, she decided to open the door.
She had already discovered that to get more information from the book's plot and change her own destiny, she had to keep triggering new plot points.
"I'll get the door."
"Alright, I'll go with you."
"Sister, are you there?" the affectedly sweet voice called out again.
The door slowly opened, and Jiang Xinli's gaze faltered slightly.
The girl standing outside had a delicate and fragile demeanor. She was dressed in luxurious, elegant clothes and was being carefully supported by a Male Beastman whose hand was covered in golden Snake Scales.
Behind her stood seven or eight tall, imposing Wolf Dog Warriors in standard-issue interstellar uniforms.
Jiang Xinli recognized her at a glance. This girl, whose features were eighty percent similar to her own, was none other than the original novel's female lead—the fake young miss her mother had mistakenly raised for five years, who was naturally born with B-level spiritual power:
Jiang Wanwan...