A pair of sly eyes flickered with a mix of fear and unease. Charming, but not girly. Seductive, but not flashy—he was utterly captivating. Emma could almost hear her heartbeat racing. "Ahem!" She cleared her throat and quickly looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's not that I don't like you. I just feel bad for how hard you've worked and want you to rest first." From the start, she had doubted that this guy had come to be her partner. Sure, he was handsome—but beauty meant nothing if survival wasn't guaranteed. Five years in the interstellar had taught her caution. She'd been tricked too many times to be careless. Until she knew Damian's true motives, she needed to keep her distance. "Really?"Damian's eyes lit up, as if her words had soothed him. He looked as happy as a child. "You really don't hate me? But I'm only Rank 5, my talent is weak, my family doesn't care about me, and I have no assets. I won't be able to help you in the future." He was actually Rank 8, but had used drugs to suppress himself to Rank 5—just to appear useless. Emma studied Damian's pitiful, anxious face. His acting had improved a lot—almost flawless. Yet beneath his words, he was subtly implying he was broke and incompetent, planning to mooch off her. Mooching was fine. He was so good-looking that even as decoration, she could happily eat an extra sandwich just looking at him. She just hoped there were no other hidden motives. She smiled faintly, keeping her composure. "I don't mind at all. Once we're together, I'll earn star coins and take care of you."No partnership, no deal. Damian was left speechless, unable to respond. She's really selling me a dream. Take care of me once we're together? That means if it doesn't happen, I don't get a single star coin. Ha! I'm used to handing out dreams, not getting them. Damian stepped closer, touched, and took Emma's hand. Her scent was intoxicating, and her soft hand felt incredible. "You're amazing. I'm so grateful the Beast God matched me with you. I'm thrilled and wish we could be together right now. Too bad I'm still injured. I can't be with you yet. You won't be mad, right?" He sighed. "Of course not. I feel terrible about your injuries. Just rest these days—no rush for us to get together." Emma replied. Acting, huh? I can play that game too. Let's see who's better. Just as Emma finished speaking, her lightcore buzzed with a message from Laura, asking her to come over.Emma glanced at Damian. "Damian, you came all the way from Central Planet while injured. You must be tired. In the villa, aside from the biggest rooms on the second and third floors, you can pick any other room as your bedroom." Damian's crafty eyes scanned the villa. Judging by the modest setup, she probably doesn't own much else.Ha! Definitely broke.With so many empty rooms, the other matches probably haven't arrived yet. He hooked his finger around Emma's, shyly asking, "If I pick a room, I won't be taking someone else's, right? Even though we'll all be like brothers, it doesn't feel right." Emma smoothly withdrew her hand. "Most of them haven't arrived yet. Just pick whichever you like." Damian chuckled to himself. Just as he thought, the others hadn't shown up. Maybe they, too, didn't want this broken partner. That won't do!He still planned to get star coins from them. They had to show up. "Can I take a room on the second floor? I want to be closer to you." He grabbed her hand again, puppy-eyed and hopeful. "Sure," Emma said. "All the rooms are clean. Pick one and rest. I've got something to do and need to head out." Damian was about to pick a room, but froze when he heard she was leaving. "Where are you going? I'll come with you." Emma didn't hesitate. "I'm visiting another female. It's not appropriate for you to come along. Stay home and rest." Males were territorial—they hated other males in their space. Since Emma was female, visiting Laura was fine—but if Damian came along, he'd have to wait outside. Hearing this, Damian didn't insist. No way he was standing outside in the heat. "Alright, be safe. I'll wait for you to come back."