Chapter 255

Luka watched her shake her head continuously, tears falling with her movements, making her look even more pitiful.

"I killed the leader because in different timelines, he repeatedly tried to wipe out the rebels and Bi. I killed Li because Sang Yan discovered in the first timeline that he was a traitor who kept leaking information, and he was also indirectly responsible for the deaths of Bi and his father."

As she spoke, she lowered her head slightly, not daring to meet their eyes, and whispered, "I killed them. If you are disappointed in me, I accept it, but I don't regret it."

"How could we be disappointed in you?" Laiboli stepped forward to hold her hands, then lifted her chin to make her look up: "Sui Sui, you made the best decision, and it is because of your decision that we have today, isn't it?"

Luka stroked her hair and gave her a gentle smile, his eyes full of guilt: "I am only disappointed in myself for letting you go through all this alone."

Zongfang had been suppressing his surging emotions since just now; his voice was hoarse and weary, his expression full of heartache and anger over her concealment, but his words carried a sense of helplessness: "If anyone should be disappointed, it should be you being disappointed in me first. I should have thought of it in advance; at the very least, I should have handled the matter regarding Zong Yan properly."

Anubis had been standing by her side the whole time, his head bowed, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I should have realized it sooner... Why didn't I notice?" He and his father had even spent a long time grieving after Dr. Li was shot. "Sui Sui, it's my fault for being useless."

Seeing them comforting her one after another, Qiao Suisui's tear-dampened eyelashes fluttered, and she then asked calmly: "Do you really have no other thoughts about this? For example, that I... am no longer the simple and fragile person you remember, nor am I entirely the 'me' who has lived with you for these past ten-plus years."

Although both are indeed her, how could their states be exactly the same?

The Qiao Suisui of this timeline has not experienced life-and-death separations and has always been well-protected; she is confident and cherished. Her attitude and way of dealing with things are different from the 'me' who has fought time and again and constantly experienced loss.

She has integrated her memories well, and now she wouldn't dwell on which version of herself they love more, but some things must be made clear.

"I am no longer the person you originally thought needed protection. I can protect myself, and I have managed to protect the people I love. If you feel that my methods or actions make you no longer lik—mmph!"

Zongfang fiercely sealed her lips to stop what she was about to say, using his tongue to pry open her teeth and tease her tongue tip. When the kiss ended, he deliberately bit her lower lip just as they were about to pull apart.

"Don't even think about using such an excuse to leave me," Zongfang said, breathing heavily.

Qiao Suisui's lips were flushed red, and she was stunned by his sudden kiss, "That's not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" Karl leaned against the wall, his expression slightly angry, glaring at her: "Your wings have hardened, and you look down on us now?"

Qiao Suisui rubbed her forehead, "No."

A low laugh came from the man's chest. Qiao Suisui turned to look at the smiling Luka and heard him say: "Sui Sui, don't say such things again." His fingers gently touched her cheek and then brushed over her eyelashes, wiping away that tear, "I know very well who I love and what kind of person she is; I just wish you could grow up more slowly, and preferably not have to experience that pain."

Qiao Suisui looked at Luka, a smile slowly spreading across her face, and she couldn't help but hug his neck; Luka also took the opportunity to pull her into his arms.

In the time that followed, under the "interrogation" of the men, Qiao Suisui basically confessed everything.

This included what happened in each timeline, what occurred after she fell asleep in the first timeline, everything she witnessed upon returning, and even the fact that this is a game world. However, each man had a different focus: Luka was more concerned about why she died because of Anubis's death, feeling it was a major hidden danger, so he insisted on getting to the bottom of it; Karl, after learning everything, kept asking what happened in those 30 minutes and how she managed it. Then, hearing that this wasn't her first time killing—that she had already killed Wei Shou in another timeline using an M40—he immediately perked up, exclaiming that his bedtime story was well-told.

Anubis was the quietest of them all; throughout the process, he said things like: "That's enough," "Don't ask anymore," "Let her rest," and "She's already said a lot." He kept trying to signal Zongfang with his eyes: She's still pregnant, you should stop them.

Laiboli's approach was: "They care about how high you fly, only I care about how tired you are." Every time the other men finished asking, he would interject: "The baby must have been very sad then," "Were you scared?" "Look, only I make you the least worried." However, upon hearing that he had gone mad and attacked other countries after she fell asleep, his face turned black and blue, especially when he learned that Zongfang had killed him directly in other timelines; his expression was exceptionally "spectacular."

But Qiao Suisui could barely handle all of this; the most terrifying one was Zongfang.

"So you also met Lan Ze?"

"And then what? Knowing that Sang Yan guarded you for so long, you were moved?"

"What happened after you left this world?"

"Oh, you also have a younger brother..."

"Besides that, were there no other men in your world?"

By the time Zongfang finished questioning her, Qiao Suisui's forehead was sweating. She pulled on Anubis, pretending to be somewhat exhausted, and said: "I don't know if it's because of the pregnancy, but I always feel sleepy."

Anubis became very nervous upon hearing this and refused to let Zongfang continue asking. Finally, Luka spoke up, and the others, including Zongfang, stopped saying anything.

After they all left, Qiao Suisui finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She began to carefully examine the bedchamber she was currently living in; it had changed slightly from when she was at the Imperial Court, but the preferences were consistent. She wandered aimlessly, familiarizing herself with everything in the room, and when she passed a vintage carved wooden cabinet, she remembered something.

Following her memory, she opened the third drawer from the bottom, took out a thick picture album, and opened it with care.

Page after page fluttered in the breeze, as if the people on the paper were coming to life.

She stroked the figures in the drawings, and suddenly, with a "click," a letter fell out of the album onto the floor.

Qiao Suisui picked it up and saw written on the envelope—

To my future self.

(End of chapter)