Chapter 32

In the following days, Luka came to Qiao Suisui's sleeping quarters almost every day, sometimes during the day, sometimes at night. Instead, Laiboli came less often; every time he came to see her and saw that she was doing well, he would leave in a hurry, seemingly very busy. The two men seemed to have agreed on it, as neither of them ever crossed paths.

Besides this, the Emperor sent people repeatedly to ask what she needed in her daily life, what items needed to be added for the cubs, etc. She understood that this was a side-handed reminder for her to give an answer.

When she had someone convey that she wished to see Lan Ze, the Emperor arranged it very quickly.

The meeting between the two was set in the library of the Huangting, and Qiao Suisui was so surprised she couldn't close her mouth when she was brought in by the servant.

Calling it a library, it was actually more like a museum. Inside, it was restored one-to-one according to the timeline of eras from the dinosaur age, the human age, to the rise of the Interstellar, with each exhibition hall following the timeline. Especially the Ancient Human era; the simulated scenes inside were almost identical to Qiao Suisui's life before she transmigrated.

She stood in front of the huge glass, unconsciously attracted by the layout inside, feeling a sense of intimacy.

"Is this the world you come from?"

A pleasant voice appeared behind her. Qiao Suisui turned around and saw a slender young man walking down slowly on the spiral staircase.

His posture was very upright, but compared to other males, he appeared very thin. His skin was the kind of white that never sees the sun, and his short ink-blue hair was very neat.

Qiao Suisui saw his face and couldn't help but sigh; if this person were to debut in her era, he would probably be a top-tier celebrity, right?

Because that face was truly magnificent.

Different from Luka's handsomeness, and different from Laiboli's elegant roguishness, it was a face that made one unforgettable. The pity was that his eyes were like a pool of stagnant water, completely devoid of focus.

Lan Ze walked down and stopped a few steps away from Qiao Suisui, not coming any closer.

"If you like it, you can come often. There's usually no one here."

Qiao Suisui had heard before she came that Lan Ze didn't like socializing and didn't often associate with people. Usually, he was either in his own sleeping quarters or in the library, which was why she had never seen him despite living in the Huangting for so many days.

"You should have heard about it, right?" She got straight to the point: "I want to know what you think about this?"

Lan Ze was startled, then shook his head and smiled lightly.

"Letting me be your first spouse is really doing you a disservice."

Sui Sui tilted her head, knowing he couldn't see, so she scrutinized his expression without restraint. Seeing that he wasn't being insincere or self-deprecating when he said this, but rather refreshing and honest, she couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably toward him.

"I want you to be my first spouse," she said.

Lan Ze was surprised; he didn't expect her to say that. He thought Qiao Suisui had come to express a refusal, because his father was an elder and the Emperor, and she found it hard to decline, so she specifically sought him out to say it in person.

He knew his father's intentions and understood the importance of offspring to the family, but he didn't like to force anything. Using his own situation to occupy the position of first spouse to this precious viviparous female was truly a waste. He had no senses since he was a child; he couldn't taste sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy, and couldn't smell any scents. However, these were minor matters. At first, he couldn't hear any sounds; it was his father who had someone implant an artificial ear canal for him, and only then did he know that this world had sounds. Later, when he grew up, he could gradually use his mental power to touch the surroundings. Although it could replace part of his visual function, he had never seen colors and could only describe the shapes of people and objects based on his mental tentacles... These were not the most terrifying things; the most terrifying thing was that he had no sense of pain.

This caused him to be unable to dodge or protect himself in time almost every time he encountered danger from childhood to adulthood, and he even nearly died after being injured without realizing it.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise; he awakened his talent—precognition—at the age of ten.

At first, he could only predict some small things, such as that he might get scratched tomorrow, and then because he didn't deal with it in time, it led to complications. After he predicted it, he began to try to avoid it, and sure enough, that rusty iron nail didn't scratch him later. When he realized he could change the future, he was undoubtedly excited.

But he soon couldn't be happy about this talent anymore, because he began to constantly predict the fates of others. Even if it was just passing by, even if it was just standing together breathing, even if it was just someone walking into his mental power range, he would uncontrollably finish watching that person's life in an instant.

He remembered when he first saw the fate of the servant who had accompanied him from childhood to adulthood, he collapsed. He tried every possible way to save his life, to make that day come later, but he discovered a ruthless fact: he could only change his own future through precognition, while the fates of others could not be shaken at all. Even if he gave a warning, it would become a part of the counterproductive chain.

He hated his talent, so he began to avoid contact with people and see as few people as possible. Because he knew what everyone's end was, he dared not develop feelings for anyone, because he feared that sense of powerlessness—the powerlessness of knowing what would happen in your future, yet he could do nothing but watch it happen.

"... So, I want to ask for your thoughts." Qiao Suisui saw him lost in thought and slowly stated the purpose of her visit. "Are you willing?"

"What?"

The look of surprise still lingered on his face. Although he had clearly heard her words, his mind was blank, and he couldn't make any reaction at all. The only female he had come into contact with from childhood to adulthood was Yishabeier, and the number of times could be counted on one hand. Facing the courtship words of the little female in front of him, Lan Ze's ear tips turned red to the point of bleeding in an instant.

"You, are you saying, let me, let me be your spouse?"

"Mm, first spouse," Qiao Suisui emphasized.

"Why?"

"I need a home."

"A home?"

A "home" established by her, where she sets the rules and has absolute control.

Perhaps calling it a base would be more appropriate.

Since coming to this different world, Qiao Suisui had thought it through thoroughly. Relying on anyone has a day when it's unreliable. Living in Luka's secondary palace, Zongfang and the Federation people could take her away at will; living in the birdcage built by Zongfang, she could only do what he said without any freedom; living in the Huangting, even if Laiboli could protect her temporarily, the Emperor would still use Luka's future as a condition to manipulate her... Therefore, only by possessing a world of her own could she obtain relative freedom.

Lan Ze didn't know Qiao Suisui's true thoughts, only murmuring the word "home," his face becoming redder and redder to the naked eye.

Qiao Suisui took the initiative to walk forward, approaching him, and after two steps, she unknowingly entered his mental power range.

Lan Ze paused abruptly, many images flashing before his eyes unexpectedly.

He gasped for air, clutching the clothes on his chest tightly. His azure eyes were as quiet as the sea, but his heart was as turbulent as a storm.

"You..."

(End of chapter)