Yu Zhizhi hadn’t expected Lou to ask this question. A slight pain bloomed where he held her chin captive. She parted her lips, not knowing how to answer.
Lou’s voice trembled slightly, laced with simmering anger. "Tell me. How did you kiss him? Where did you kiss him?"
"He..." Yu Zhizhi sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. Her eyes quickly began to well up with tears.
Just thinking about Lou’s questions made her feel mortified.
’Louis, that night...’
Seeing the blush gradually spread across her face, Lou’s expression tightened. He clenched his jaw so hard it felt like his teeth would break. "Do you need me to help you remember?"
Lou’s other hand clamped down on her shoulder.
He lowered his head and bit her.
A sharp pain shot through her collarbone. Yu Zhizhi’s face scrunched up, and she let out a soft, muffled whimper.
Pressed into the sofa, she trembled uncontrollably and couldn’t stop herself from wrapping her arms around the man before her. "Lou... please be gentle. It hurts."
Her body was soft, and her voice was softer still. Her faint gasps made the air grow heavy and intimate.
Lou held her, and what began as a retaliatory bite slowly softened into something gentle.
’She smells so good.’
She always carried a faint, sweet fragrance, like she had just stepped out of a milk bath.
Lou slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes holding an unfathomable, deep-seated resentment.
"Did you kiss him?"
Lou had no intention of letting this little liar off so easily.
’He knew he shouldn’t be asking this. No matter what she said, he’d be furious enough to explode.’
’But he just couldn’t control himself.’
’He cared so much it was driving him insane.’
’What were they like together? What did they say? What did they do?’
Lou wanted to know everything there was to know about the young female before him.
Yu Zhizhi’s face flushed. "I... I kissed him."
She stammered.
Lou’s gaze was terrifying, and Yu Zhizhi didn’t dare to look at him. Her eyes darted away, but he suddenly grabbed her by the waist. "However you kissed him is how you’re going to kiss me now."
The young man’s low voice was laced with anger, sounding very much like a threat, yet underneath it all, one could almost hear a hint of hurt.
Yu Zhizhi froze for a moment. She lifted her gaze and met Lou’s deep, emerald eyes. Her heart fluttered, and she grasped his wrist with one hand.
Her hand was warm, and Lou tensed at her touch.
The next second, the sweet fragrance grew stronger.
Yu Zhizhi leaned up and placed a fleeting kiss on the corner of Lou’s lips.
It was over in an instant.
"Lou..." Yu Zhizhi called to him softly. "Don’t be angry anymore, okay?"
’That day, she had mistaken him for someone else and called out the wrong name.’
The girl’s voice was soft and gentle, almost a cajoling purr. Her eyes were pools of innocence. Her pupils were sharp and distinct in her round eyes, the corners of which drooped slightly, giving her a charmingly naive look.
Yu Zhizhi hadn’t had a proper conversation with Lou since then.
The next time they met, Lou had been drunk.
’He probably didn’t even remember the things he’d said...’
’But the drunken Lou was easier to deal with than the one in front of her now. The alcohol seemed to soften all his sharp edges.’
But Yu Zhizhi didn’t think the current Lou was bad at all. Perhaps because her relationship with Louis had grown, she now felt an immense sense of closeness when facing Lou as well.
She looked at the young man before her with hopeful eyes, wishing he would stop being angry. It would be even better if things could go back to the way they were.
The anger in Lou’s heart receded somewhat, but this only made the sour feeling of jealousy more pronounced.
He glared sullenly at her, as if he could burn a hole right through her face with his gaze.
An idea suddenly occurred to Yu Zhizhi.
She pursed her lips slightly and silently called upon her Beast Form.
The next second, the young woman transformed into a small turtle and landed on the armchair.
She slowly raised her little claws, grabbed onto the armrest, and used it to pull herself up. Her tiny tail drooped behind her as her glittering, black-bean-like eyes gazed "lovingly" at Lou. At least, in the young man’s eyes, the little turtle looked so charmingly innocent, so adorable, brimming with affection and reliance—as if he were her only anchor in all of Paradise.
’And he was.’
It had always been Lou who took care of and protected the little turtle.
’His little turtle.’
Lou stared at her Beast Form. In the dim room, the emotion in his eyes was unreadable.
Yu Zhizhi wagged her little turtle tail. She had no idea what Lou was thinking. ’Has his mood improved at all?’
After a moment’s hesitation, she slowly lowered her two front legs and began to spin slowly on the sofa, as if she were dancing.
She only managed two spins before she got dizzy.
She flopped onto the sofa, whimpering softly. In that instant, Lou’s heart melted like snow in early spring. He scooped the little turtle up in both hands, leaned in, and placed a kiss on her tiny head.
’His little turtle was trying to cheer him up.’
’How could he not know?’
Yu Zhizhi was still dizzy. Cradled in the young man’s palms, she felt a cool touch on her forehead. As she looked up, he gave her a light peck on the mouth.
She froze.
’Huh? ...But I’m still a little turtle.’
Seeing the little turtle staring blankly, Lou pressed a finger to its forehead. "I’ll let it slide this time. But if you ever dare mistake me for another male again, I’ll peel off your shell and make turtle soup!"
He said it viciously.
And yet, a hint of laughter could be heard in his voice.
Yu Zhizhi nodded frantically.
’She wouldn’t make that mistake again.’
’Lou and Louis were actually very easy to tell apart. If she hadn’t been so groggy from sleep that day, there’s no way she would have mixed them up.’
"Lou, I want to go see him."
Yu Zhizhi was worried about the White-eyed Young Boy and didn’t know what condition he was in.
Lou stood up, holding the little turtle in one hand, and walked out.
"He was lucky. After falling into the Red Pond, he managed to hide in a blind spot. Right now he’s in a state of mental confusion, but his wounds have been given basic treatment. His life isn’t in danger."
CLICK.
The door swung open.
The few people sitting outside all stood up.
The entire base was quiet, save for the BUBBLE BUBBLE of hot soup boiling in a pot.
"Miss Healer," the brown bear male began slowly. "The food’s almost ready. Will you eat with us in a little while?"
He looked around for a long moment.
It took him a moment to realize that Miss Healer was currently in her turtle form, held in the hand of Number 91.
Yu Zhizhi nodded.
The Leopard quickly said, "The little mantis is in the room over there."
Lou headed inside.
Inside the room, a small, thin figure lay on a simple mattress.
As they got closer, Yu Zhizhi could clearly see the wounds covering his body. They were of all sizes—some from falls, others from weapons. The most severe was on his right leg, where a large area of the wound was festering. Thankfully, it had been given basic treatment; otherwise, it was uncertain if the leg could even be saved.
"You’ve already healed one person today. You shouldn’t use your Healing Skill again," Lou said, knowing exactly what she was thinking and forbidding it outright.
"It won’t be too late to heal him after you’ve rested for a couple of days."
Hearing Lou’s words, Yu Zhizhi was silent for a moment. "...Okay. But don’t you have to return to the Holy Temple Center soon?"
’Lou can’t stay here forever, can he?’
’Four hours at most.’
’He’ll have to leave.’
And when Lou thought about how Louis might be the one to appear after he left, a sour feeling churned in his gut.
"What, do you miss Louis already? You want to see him right away, don’t you?"
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