Chapter 171

At the same time, she thought about Si Lu's other partners. Sure, each of them was fairly tall, but in terms of being muscular and strong? Eh, they were just average.

None of them had as many bulging muscles or that raw, brawny physique like Tata's mate did.

Bai Di started to ponder—could it be that Si Lu was into that kind of man? Super buff, powerful, and packed with muscle?

If that were true, then it looked like they all needed to hit the gym, pronto.

Just then, Ada came over holding apples. He had washed two of them. Naturally, since there were only two females around, he only washed two.

What's more, these apples had been brought over by the other female, so of course, one had to be for her.

And at that moment, Tata caught sight of the big apples in Ada's hands, and her eyes practically lit up.

"Oh my gosh, is that the fruit you were talking about? It looks so pretty!"

"I've never seen such a good-looking fruit before. Are you sure it's not just for decoration? You can actually eat this? Lu Lu, how do you have so many weird and pretty fruits?" Tata asked excitedly as she stared at the apple in Ada's hands.

It looked so good that she didn't even want to eat it. Strawberries were delicious and cute enough—but this fruit? Big, beautiful, and probably just as tasty.

Not to mention, it was massive.

It was about the size of a strong adult male beastman's fist.

"If you like it, I brought plenty for you. You can eat as many as you like. It's called an apple, and it's really good for your body if you eat it often," Si Lu said.

"Of course, we found these fruits in the forest. You know, my mate is a shaman—he knows all kinds of plants and fruits. The forest is full of all sorts of fruit. But since we're near the seaside now, there aren't many forests around, so it makes sense you guys haven't seen these before."

She wasn't lying. There weren't really any forests by the sea. Honestly? Even tiny groves were rare—it was mostly just tall weeds and wild grass. No wonder they hadn't seen fruits like these.

"Wow, that's amazing."

"I'm so jealous! I want a shaman mate too! Then I could make him find me tons of yummy fruits!" Tata said with a big smile.

Si Lu had no idea how to respond to that.

Bai Di scratched his nose awkwardly.

Well then…

Off to the side, Ada glanced at Bai Di a little sourly.

For a second, he really resented not being a shaman.

"Tata, actually… Shamans rarely have the strong, mighty type of beastman body," Ada offered helpfully.

"Forget it, then. I'd rather go for the strong and mighty kind," Tata replied instantly, casting a glance at Bai Di beside Si Lu.

Sure enough, Bai Di's face didn't look too good—definitely offended again.

"Lu Lu, I'll have one apple, and you have the other, okay? Ada washed two just for us," Tata said cheerfully, picking one of the clean apples and handing the other to Si Lu.

"You go ahead; I'm good. I already ate one earlier—I've got more of them at home. These are for you," Si Lu said with a gentle smile.

"I'll just snack on some sunflower seeds."

She pulled out a handful of seeds from a little beast-hide pouch slung at her side. Bai Di had made that pouch for her. She had it with her when she went out earlier.

"Seriously, you even have to bring your own snacks when you're with me?" Tata said playfully.

Truth be told, she wasn't a huge fan of sunflower seeds. Too much effort for too little payoff. And she was a foodie—she liked eating big bites of tasty things, not sitting around cracking shells.

"Oh, right! I brought some for you too. If you're ever bored, you can snack on them to pass the time," Si Lu added.

She'd brought tons of little snacks for Tata, after all.

Si Lu had so much stuff at home, and she couldn't finish it all by herself. Her mates weren't big snackers either—except for fruit—so she'd brought plenty of goodies for Tata to enjoy.

"Oh my gosh, how much stuff did you bring for me?! That's way too much. Don't bring me so much next time—how are you supposed to eat if you keep giving it all to me? Your mates worked so hard to find all this stuff for you, and you're giving it away."

"Lu Lu, you're just too good to me; I'm seriously going to cry," Tata said, moved beyond words as she hugged Si Lu tightly. No other female had ever treated her so kindly—aside from her parents, of course.

From that moment on, she swore she'd become Si Lu's best, best friend. Anyone who dared to bully Si Lu would have to go through her first.

"Alright, alright, it's no big deal. We're friends, aren't we? You guys have helped me out so much too. Friends help each other," Si Lu replied with a smile.

"Exactly! Friends help each other. If anything ever comes up, just come find me. If someone bullies you, let me know—I'll make sure they regret it," Tata declared, shaking her little fist for emphasis.

"Okay." Si Lu chuckled.

By the time they finally headed home, the sun had already set.

Si Lu and Bai Di took the little cub and made their way back.

They came with a big bundle and left with an even bigger one.

All of it was stuff Tata had given her.

Si Lu had said no multiple times, but Tata wouldn't take no for an answer.

Honestly, if she hadn't accepted it, Tata might've gotten mad—or worse, cried.

She might've even thought Si Lu didn't want her gifts because she thought they weren't good enough.

Which couldn't be further from the truth.

There were some really nice, fluffy furs and some tender meat cuts too.

Bai Di carried all the goods while Si Lu held the cub.

"Lu Lu… Do you think I'm not strong or manly enough?" Bai Di suddenly asked out of nowhere.

He looked at her while speaking, his eyes full of cautious hope and a little hurt.

This guy…

Si Lu froze.

When had she ever said Bai Di wasn't manly?

Besides, truthfully… she wasn't even into super muscular guys.

For real!

They might look good, but when a guy's biceps are bigger than your waist? That's a red flag for her.

She was legit scared—what if one of those muscle monsters hugged her and cracked her ribs? Or tried to caress her face and ended up peeling the skin off?

The thought alone gave her chills.

Still, she wouldn't judge others for liking that type.

To each their own. Freedom in fashion, freedom in love—and total freedom in choosing a partner!

As for her, she preferred the kind of tall, lean builds that still had muscle underneath.

Like Heiyao, Cheng Mo, or Song Zhan—super tall, with great posture and an elegant figure.

And of course, Mendi and Nansi weren't bad either.

They had that deceptive look—like pretty boys or gentle scholars. They seemed fragile but were secretly super strong.