Chapter 62: The Setting Sun

Zongfang carried the person who had gone limp in his arms into the bathtub, washed her clean, and then dried her hair; throughout the entire process, Qiao Suisui remained in a deep sleep, presumably exhausted.

Time did not flow in the space, so Zongfang placed a series of furniture and ornaments she liked—such as a carpet, curtains, a vanity, and a sofa—into the originally empty room, truly turning this place into a warm home.

When Qiao Suisui opened her eyes again, she saw the European-style gauze canopy on the top of the bed and thought she had changed locations once more.

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"It's time to eat something." Zongfang carried her to the dining table, and Sui Sui sat on his lap like a doll.

He supervised her until she had eaten more than half the food on her plate, only then picking up the utensils to quickly finish her leftovers.

After the meal, the two left the house and went for a walk along the river; the sky, which was usually clear and bright, now showed the afterglow of the setting sun.

The entire sky turned into a blend of pink-purple and warm orange, with the evening glow and the setting sun spilling over the earth, causing the river water to shimmer with sunlight.

Qiao Suisui was somewhat mesmerized, looking up at the sky, the entire expanse reflected in her black pupils. Zongfang, however, only looked at her, feeling that this was the most beautiful scenery of all.

He held her hand and walked slowly along the riverbank, the two of them looking just like a real couple digesting after a meal, leisurely and without worries.

"Zongfang, come out with me."

The man, who had been smiling the whole time, felt his expression turn cold upon hearing her words; Zongfang lowered his eyes and remained silent, his fingers interlaced with hers.

Qiao Suisui withdrew her gaze from the sunset and looked at the person beside her. She bit her lip nervously, as the words that followed were ones she had finally mustered the courage to say.

"I know we had some unpleasantness before, but that is all in the past. Will you return to reality with me?"

This sentence was actually asking: Are you willing to live with me?

Zongfang looked into her eyes; the sincerity and earnestness within them were exactly the same as every time she had deceived him before. His heart tightened, thinking she was once again plotting to get rid of him.

"Do you want to go back because of Laiboli or Xikesaisi? Or both?"

Qiao Suisui did not expect him to respond this way and felt somewhat disappointed, but she still sincerely stated her thoughts: "Neither. It's because the sun here never sets."

Zongfang did not understand what the problem was. She liked watching the sunset, so he could make the sunset stay fixed here forever, letting her see it every day. The space was the safest place, and he could give her everything she wanted. Most importantly, there were no other people here, none of those damn males, only them. Sui Sui belonged only to him.

"If you want a sun that sets, I can—"

"That's not it."

Qiao Suisui lowered her head, not knowing how to make him understand that what she wanted was to create her own life, not to live in an illusion and a greenhouse manufactured by someone else. The two had actually touched upon this topic before, but it was clear they could not reach an agreement. Zongfang's love was too overbearing, like a net; she could not deny that she was indeed moved by his burning affection, but the temperature of this love could easily scorch her.

She was a timid and cautious person, and her upbringing had made her habitually observant of others' expressions, always catering to them. Coming to this world, from her initial discomfort to her gradual change in mindset, she thought, perhaps, in this absurd world, a world where no one knew her, perhaps she could live for herself for once? Perhaps she could create a life of her own?

Luka was gentle and reliable, someone she did not want to wrong; Laiboli was considerate but also sharp-minded, someone she did not want to make an enemy of; the only one she felt comfortable being around, Lan Ze, was now missing; looking back at these males around her, Qiao Suisui felt she did not want to rely on any of them, yet Zongfang, who always made her feel afraid and troubled, paradoxically made her feel a desire to rely on him. It was just that he was too uncontrollable.

She did not know when he would go crazy and kill someone, or if she didn't follow his lead, she might get hurt herself.

Thinking of this, the courage Qiao Suisui had just mustered became somewhat uneasy, but she still gripped the edge of her skirt and took a deep breath, wanting to strive to find a balance point for the two of them.

"Zongfang, can you stop locking me up in the future? Even if something makes you unhappy, can you try to communicate and solve it with me? I will listen to your thoughts seriously."

The man frowned as he listened to this, focusing on the "unhappy things."

The only things that could make him unhappy were those two eyesores of males; did she mean for him to coexist harmoniously with them? Hah.

Zongfang raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath, restraining his anger. Just thinking about having to share her with others, having others take away her attention, made his blood boil. When he saw those nine cubs on the Flying Ship, he had wanted to strangle them, but thinking of how hard her pregnancy had been, and that half of these cubs' blood came from her, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.

He was strong enough to possess a mate all on his own; the Federation's rules were nothing to him.

Qiao Suisui waited anxiously for his answer, only to see the man press his brow, suppressing his emotions so as not to scare her, and then pull her hand as they walked back. "It's dark, let's go home."

Regarding his evasive attitude, Qiao Suisui felt her heart sink heavily, and she instantly lost the desire to communicate, so she remained silent and let him lead her.

Outside the space.

The atmosphere in the two-story Xiaolou was tense.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Luka gave Laiboli a heavy shove. "Did I not tell you Zongfang was cunning? Did I not tell you not to leave her? Ash Laiboli, where is your brain?"

Laiboli lowered his head, his hands balled into fists, his whole body stiff. His guards, seeing Luka being disrespectful to him, drew their swords one by one, aiming them at Luka.

Sang Yan and the other two were also in the living room at this time, all with grave expressions. Sang Yan had been in the room at the time, yet he hadn't sensed that male's mental power at all; he blamed himself deeply for this. If—if only he had gone out to check at the time, he might have been able to stop her from being taken away.

Gaimailun did not want to waste time here; he was about to go out to look for Qiao Suisui, but was pulled back by A Yao. The two whispered to each other.

"What are you doing? I'm going to help."

"The little female disappeared suddenly from the room. You don't even know where to look or how to look, so what are you going to do?"

"Then—then are we just going to do nothing?" Gaimailun tugged at Sang Yan and said, "Brother Yan, what should we do? Think of a plan."

Sang Yan's black pupils were very calm, only his slightly trembling fingertips betraying his anxiety and worry. He looked composedly at A Yao and Gaimailun and said in a low voice, "Do you still remember the Beastman on the Huangxing who had the talent of 'breaking'?"

Gaimailun suddenly realized, "You mean the one who was lying on the side of the road with heavy injuries?"

(End of chapter)