Anda rolled her eyes. "Not a delusional protagonist like Mr. Bison... a real one! No, wait, I'm not saying he's the protagonist of our world either. I'm just trying to describe the feeling I got from him."
"Oh, I see. Then what about me?" Leyvi asked, curiosity sparking in his voice. "I have the Talent Bead. Can you sense if I've got some kind of huge secret too?"
Anda blinked, caught off guard. She had never actually considered this. It had never crossed her mind. Strictly speaking, given how heaven-defying the Talent Bead was—granting people extraordinary talents—Leyvi should exude some kind of mysterious aura. Yet, she felt nothing of the sort from him.
Could the Talent Bead itself be masking his presence since her own talent originated from it? Or was the Bead truly just a toy crafted by some higher power, disconnected from the world's deeper truths?
"Don't be disappointed when I say this…" Anda hesitated before speaking honestly. "I don't sense anything special about you in that way."
"Fuh… thank goodness." Leyvi exhaled, relief evident in his tone. "That means I won't be targeted by some evil villains. Let me live my peaceful life, please. Hahaha!"
Anda smiled at his reaction. Her husband really didn't seem to care about such things. "Are you implying Lin Wei will be targeted by an evil villain?"
"Didn't he already get kidnapped by one?" Leyvi reminded her with a straight face.
Anda blinked, her thoughts quietly organizing themselves. That was true. She had just listened to Lin Wei sharing his story about being kidnapped by a Soul Formation villain, missing an important event, and ultimately escaping the villain's hideout without any outside help. The whole thing sounded like it had been pulled straight from the pages of a novel.
Could he really be a protagonist? Anda wondered. Even if he wasn't exactly like the protagonists from cultivation novels, it was hard to deny that Lin Wei might have a significant role tied to the world's fate based on what she felt. Was something bigger about to unfold? Did this mean something was going to happen to the world soon? Anda couldn't help but speculate.
"Leyvi," she began hesitantly, "if Lin Wei really is a protagonist, someone deeply tied to the world's destiny somehow...what should we do?"
Leyvi rubbed his chin, thinking it over. "Hmm… if he's really a protagonist… maybe we should stay away from him."
"Eh? Why?" Anda stared at him in surprise, completely taken aback. She'd assumed Leyvi would suggest helping Lin Wei, not avoiding him.
Leyvi leaned back, folding his arms as he explained. "If he's a protagonist, that means trouble will follow him everywhere. Protagonists always find themselves in dangerous situations. Why should we risk getting caught up in that? If he's meant to save the world, that's his role. My role is to keep my family safe."
"Hehe." Anda giggled softly. "I thought you wanted to join in and be the hero, like you did last time."
Leyvi shook his head, dismissing the idea. "How is that the same? Back then, we were directly caught up in the disaster. I stepped in because only my ability could get us out of the bad situation as soon as possible. Suppose there was someone else who could do that I wouldn't bother. In the end, I only did it to save us. I'm not interested in playing hero for the rest of the world."
Anda tilted her head, a playful challenge in her eyes. "Then isn't it the same thing? If the world is in danger, wouldn't we be in danger too?"
Leyvi shrugged. "That's the difference. Right now, we're not in that situation. Who knows how things will turn out in the future? For all we know, Lin Wei might not need help at all. Why should we stick our noses in someone else's problems? Or have you forgotten our family motto?"
Anda blinked, momentarily thrown off. Then a memory resurfaced. A phrase Layla once told them, almost like a joke. "Wait… are you talking about 'Don't Be A Busybody'? That random motto you made up?"
"Sigh…" Leyvi shook his head dramatically, lamenting the fact that because he liked to joke around too much, sometimes his serious words were regarded as such too.
"It's not just a random motto, it came straight from my heart. It seemed I hadn't been saying it enough. Everyone didn't take it seriously."
He straightened up, acting serious. "Alright! From now on, I'll remind everyone in the family about our motto more often. Mind our business, don't get into someone else's problem. If the world became unsafe, we escape the world!"
Leyvi nodded to his statement.
Anda chuckled softly. "Good luck with that."
Leyvi fixed his gaze on her, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"What is it now? Why are you staring at me?" Anda asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what? I actually have a better idea," Leyvi said, his lips curling into a copy of Anda's trademark mischievous smile.
"Oh?" Anda shifted her posture, clearly amused. "Alright, let's hear this genius idea of yours."
"Hahaha!" Leyvi laughed. "It's simple. You can help me brainwash them with the motto. Pandawash is the best way to spread my motto. It's super effective! My lovely wife, I'm counting on you!" With that, he sneakily moved closer, resting his head on Anda's smooth lap.
"Hmph, you only know how to use me," Anda said with mock annoyance, pinching his cheek. "My Pandawash isn't free, you know. I want compensation!"
"Sure, what compensation do you want? A date? I'll do anything my panda wife wants." Leyvi asked.
"Anything? You must be lying." Anda acted like she didn't believe him.
"Heh, when did your husband ever lie? If it's anything I can do, I'll do it!" Leyvi declared confidently.
Anda looked down at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she smiled.
Gulp. Leyvi had a bad feeling about the smile. He might have fallen into a trap.
"Let me see your most handsome face," Anda stated firmly, her condition clear.
"Ugh... I knew this was coming." Leyvi sighed.
He had previously told Anda about all of his Talent Bead's new benefits, but he refused to show her or the other ladies the Handsomeness Slider because they might not want him to return to looking normal again. He hadn't expected Anda to demand it as payment for her Pandawash services. What a villainous plan!
"Ho ho ho~ Are you planning to renege on your promise?" Anda chuckled in her best villainous tone, clearly savoring the moment. "I've been waiting for a chance like this!"
"Noooo… I shouldn't have let my guard down!" Leyvi groaned dramatically. "I always forget that my wife is an Evil Panda Mastermind!"
"Come on, show me! Let me see the most handsome husband!" Anda grabbed his shoulders and shook him with playful determination.
"Fine, fine. I'll do it," Leyvi relented, throwing his hands up in defeat. "But only for five minutes."
"Only five minutes? That's too short! One hour!" Anda bargained, pouting.
"Nope. Five minutes. Any longer would be way too risky." Leyvi held his ground, crossing his arms in defiance.
Anda puffed her cheeks in faking her frustration but ultimately gave in. "Okay," she said, pulling a timer out of her space ring.
Apart from buying new airships, Anda had also purchased space rings for every member of the Leyan Family from the Treasure Pavilion. She even managed to secure a slight discount since she didn't need their array master service to bond the rings. Sawi had taken care of that for them.
"What's that timer for?" Leyvi asked, lifting his head from Anda's lap.
"Obviously, I'm making sure I get my full five minutes. I'm not missing even a second!" Anda said, finishing her setup with a determined glint in her eye.
"Alright, get ready," Leyvi said. Anda nodded eagerly.
"Change my handsomeness to 100," he commanded. The Talent Bead complied, and once he felt the transformation complete, Leyvi quickly pressed the timer himself—because he knew this was coming.
Anda froze. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the man before her. It wasn't just his face, even the eye color changed.
His chiseled jawline looked like it had been sculpted by the gods, perfectly symmetrical and strong yet refined. His skin was flawless, glowing faintly as though kissed by divine light. His deep-set eyes shimmered with a piercing, otherworldly allure, their color an impossible blend of liquid gold and sapphire that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe. His perfectly tousled hair gleamed like the softest silk, framing a face that radiated charisma so potent it felt almost hypnotic.
Is this my husband? Am I dreaming? How can someone this handsome exist? I want to kidnap him and keep him by my side forever. Wait—he's already mine! Is he a God of Handsomeness? My husband is a god? Why would a man this perfect marry me? No, I can't share him. He's mine and mine alone. What a holy being. I'm scared that I would dirty him if touched him. Oh...what am I supposed to do?
Her thoughts spiraled incoherently as Leyvi's absurdly perfect appearance rendered her completely motionless.
"Change my handsomeness to 42 again," Leyvi said casually after five minutes.
The timer beeped, and Anda snapped out of her daze just as his face returned to its normal, average self.
"What? Leyvi, what are you doing? Change it back to that face!" Anda demanded with a high voice, grabbing his sleeve.
"Five minutes are up." Leyvi pointed at the timer smugly.
"Eh? No way! You must be cheating! That was only a few seconds! I want to see more! Now!" Anda protested, utterly convinced she'd been wronged.
Leyvi stared at her, dumbfounded.