A gentle yet charming voice, tinged with masculinity, reached Ji Ge's ears.
What the… a cross-dresser? Ji Ge froze on the spot.
The flowers in his hand instantly withered…
He snapped back to reality and reprimanded with a touch of exasperation, "Brother, this is where you're wrong. Why are you, a grown man, wearing women's clothing?"
"Do you think I want to?" the Gentleman Monkey retorted, giving Ji Ge a look of complaint. "It's this brat who insisted on dressing me like this."
Ji Ge seemed to understand something.
"So, you decided to go on a hunger strike to threaten them?"
"I do eat a couple of bites occasionally. I can't actually starve to death," the Gentleman Monkey replied earnestly.
Hmm… he does have some intelligence… Ji Ge mused inwardly.
After a brief exchange, Ji Ge grasped the full story. This was a monkey with backbone!
He then relayed this information to Lu Fei.
Lu Fei pondered for a moment.
Stroking his chin, he summarized, "So, it's all this little kid's doing?" He eyed the short-pantsed boy, his gaze peculiar. He thought, This little thing has such girlish tendencies, could he be gay…
Immediately, he instructed Ji Ge, "Ji Ge, go negotiate with this monkey. As long as he agrees to cooperate with us, I'll guarantee he'll never have to be a cross-dressing big shot again!"
Ji Ge nodded and approached the Gentleman Monkey, saying a few words.
The previously listless Gentleman Monkey suddenly perked up and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Because of this attire, he had long become a disgrace to his monkey family. What was most detestable was that the short-pantsed boy frequently took him to various high-end events like banquets and salons. He dared not approach any desirable female contracted beasts to strike up a conversation.
Occasionally, he would even encounter male contracted beasts trying to chat him up. Even after clarifying his gender, the other party felt it was still possible and intended to pursue him!
He felt life was not worth living, and his existence was shrouded in darkness.
Now, a turning point had finally arrived, and he felt as if he had come back to life.
Ji Ge gave Lu Fei an OK gesture, and Lu Fei understood.
Meanwhile, the short-pantsed boy couldn't wait any longer and urged, "Hey, do you guys have a way to cure him or not!"
Lu Fei replied unhurriedly, "Your contracted beast has already told us why it's not eating."
"Oh!" The short-pantsed boy exclaimed in surprise, but then felt something was amiss. He questioned, "Are you trying to trick me? How could you possibly communicate with contracted beasts?" He added, "Don't think I'm young; I'm already a Junior Beastmaster!"
Lu Fei was somewhat surprised. He thought, Could this be a result of spending money…
He couldn't tolerate someone being a Junior Beastmaster at such a young age; it made him feel like a complete failure…
After a moment of thought, Lu Fei retorted with a cold smile, "You don't believe me?"
"I don't!"
"Alright, then I'll prove it to you." Saying this, Lu Fei looked at Ji Ge and instructed, "Ji Ge, get some beast-raising rations for the monkey to eat."
Ji Ge displayed the obedience expected of a contracted beast, holding a bag of beast-raising rations and walking towards the Gentleman Monkey.
Upon seeing this.
The short-pantsed boy scoffed, "Little Red doesn't even eat my top-tier beast-raising rations, so why would he eat your inferior ones!"
He turned around and sat on the sofa, knowing the outcome without looking. As the Gentleman Monkey's Beastmaster, and with his family possessing top-tier beast-raising rations and all sorts of rare ingredients, the Gentleman Monkey refused to eat anything.
If someone else could accomplish what he, as the Beastmaster, could not, then he should just give up being a Beastmaster and go home to raise pigs!
The short-pantsed boy was dismissive.
He was just waiting to see the other party crawl between his legs!
"Gentleman~ Gentleman~"
Suddenly, a joyful cry echoed.
The short-pantsed boy turned to look, and he was stunned!
The Gentleman Monkey, who hadn't eaten or drunk for days, was wolfing down a bag of inferior beast-raising rations!
"Little Red! You're finally willing to eat something!" The short-pantsed boy, overjoyed, hugged the Gentleman Monkey tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
After all, he was still a child, and his thoughts were rather simple… Lu Fei signaled to Ji Ge, and Ji Ge understood.
The Gentleman Monkey received Ji Ge's instruction.
He immediately changed his demeanor and pushed the short-pantsed boy away.
The Gentleman Monkey's sudden action left him stunned.
With a hint of tears in his voice, he said, "Gentleman Monkey, don't you recognize me? I'm Xiao Hao!"
A fleeting struggle crossed the Gentleman Monkey's face. He had promised Ji Ge to follow its instructions, so even though he felt unbearable sympathy, he had to continue the act.
Seeing that the Gentleman Monkey was ignoring him, the short-pantsed boy turned to Lu Fei for help, "If you can make the Gentleman Monkey eat, then you can also make him remember me, right?"
Lu Fei clasped his hands behind his back, everything under his control.
The short-pantsed boy gritted his teeth, "What conditions must be met for you to agree to treat the Gentleman Monkey?"
Lu Fei raised his eyebrows slightly, "Any conditions?"
The short-pantsed boy agreed without a second thought. He's just a kid; where would he have any rationality at this moment?
Lu Fei twisted his neck and said leisurely, "Hmm… my neck is a bit stiff, help me give it a massage first."
"Give you a massage?" The short-pantsed boy was stunned, then angrily exclaimed, "I'm a noble! Think carefully before you speak!"
In his eyes, let alone massaging someone else's back, even carrying something himself when going out was considered demeaning. If he wasn't relying on the other party, he would have tied Lu Fei up and beaten him right now.
Noble, heh, I just love doing business with you nobles… thinking this, Lu Fei called out towards the sofa, "Ji Ge, let's go!"
Lu Fei took a step forward, mentally counting.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Wait!" a voice calling for him to stop rang out again.
It never failed!
The short-pantsed boy gritted his teeth and said, "I'll only massage for a hundred times!"
Lu Fei raised his eyebrows, "Hmm, alright."
"One…"
"Two…"
The short-pantsed boy counted earnestly. After about fifty-something hits, Lu Fei stopped him, not out of pity, but because it was truly too painful… it was simply torture.
Lu Fei also kept his promise. Under Ji Ge's communication, the Gentleman Monkey and the short-pantsed boy reconciled, but there was no smile on the latter's face.
A moment later, the short-pantsed boy reluctantly let go of his hands wrapped around the Gentleman Monkey's neck, and asked doubtfully, "Did you really cure the Gentleman Monkey?"
Lu Fei shook his head, "This is only temporary. To cure him, there's still a most important step."
A hint of gloom reappeared on the short-pantsed boy's face, and he anxiously asked, "What step?"
Lu Fei walked to the Gentleman Monkey's side and pulled off all its strange clothing and accessories.
"What are you doing!" The short-pantsed boy raised his small fist and angrily rebuked.
Lu Fei ignored him until he had removed all the obstructive clothing from the Gentleman Monkey. He said solemnly, "It doesn't like these things at all." Then, with a look of disdain, he glanced at the short-pantsed boy, "As its Beastmaster, can't you see that?"
With the "shackles" finally removed, a long-lost smile appeared on the Gentleman Monkey's face.
The short-pantsed boy stood there, stunned and expressionless.
Lu Fei launched into his lecture mode, "In this world, contracted beasts are human companions. Since they have chosen to form a contract with you, you must cherish them even more."
He spoke these words from the heart. Whether in the past or now, he always cherished animals. Although they couldn't be missing from his meals, that was a separate matter…
Lu Fei continued in a serious tone, "I hope you will shed its shackles from now on and stop selfishly imposing your own preferences on your contracted beast. Otherwise, you are truly unworthy of being a Beastmaster."
He felt he had delivered every high moral ground argument. In fact, the core idea was this: the guy was a grown man, in the prime of his youth, and you insisted on dressing him in women's clothing! He immediately lost his right to a partner, his right to mate… would you agree if you were him!
As he listened, the short-pantsed boy suddenly knelt on the ground.
He broke down and cried…