Chapter 68: Changing for Love

Ka'er stopped smiling, raised his chin slightly, and watched her quietly.

"Did you not hear clearly? I said, if I leave, this place will collapse."

He told her almost word for word, but Qiao Suisui just nodded slightly, her expression unchanged.

"I know." She looked at Ka'er, her clear eyes extremely calm. "Your injuries are severe; you shouldn't stay here and drag it out any longer. I will persuade Zongfang for the last time tonight. After tonight, whether he and I are leaving or not, you should go."

Hearing this, Ka'er's heart was a mix of emotions, and a sense of unwillingness coiled in his heart.

Was she going to accompany that man to his death now?

If you called her ruthless, she clearly didn't need to come and treat his wounds, nor did she need to urge him to leave quickly so as not to delay his treatment. But if you called her affectionate?

Her affection seemed indifferent, and it wasn't directed at him.

Ka'er's nameless fire surged again; he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, making it impossible for her to break free.

"Are you addicted to playing his lover? Don't move, I'm taking you out now."

Qiao Suisui frowned and pushed him away, not understanding why this man's dog-like temper had suddenly flared up.

"Ka'er, I can go out myself. Zongfang gave this space to me; as long as I want to, I can go out." She looked up at the sky anxiously, feeling that Zongfang might return at any moment, and tried to shake off his hand, but the man wouldn't let go no matter what. "If you want to go, go yourself; I'm going back."

Ka'er lost his usual relaxed playfulness, his face showing a rare seriousness. He gripped Qiao Suisui's wrist, his voice almost a low roar as he questioned her: "Are you going back to continue being his kept pet? Or as a tool for bearing children?"

Qiao Suisui was stunned.

She had always been aware of her situation, but being told this by someone else so abruptly felt like a slap in the face. Ka'er had torn away the fig leaf she had been unwilling to touch all along.

Her shoulders slumped, and she stopped struggling, just lowering her head and asking quietly: "Then tell me, how should I survive?"

She raised her face, looking straight up at him, her eyes filled with tears she was desperately trying to hold back, her expression stubborn enough to make one's heart ache. Ka'er looked at her, feeling as if his heart had been struck by a hammer, so much so that he couldn't even feel the pain of his own wounds.

"Not rely on him, rely on you?"

"Or rely on some random male on the side of the road?"

"Whether it's the Imperial Court or this space, they are all cages. Tell me, what's the difference?"

Ka'er knew he had said the wrong thing. He moved his lips, looking at her reddened eyes, and couldn't find a single word of rebuttal.

He felt he was incredibly stupid; although he wanted to do what was best for her, the words that came out were still high and mighty. Yes, he was also a male; what right did he have to criticize her for the means she used to survive? Being able to reproduce in this world seemed like an amazing ability, making every male yearn for it and flock to it, but this undoubtedly increased her pressure, keeping her in a state of being fought over while unable to choose freely.

Seeing Ka'er frozen in place as if speechless, Qiao Suisui flicked his hand away. The force was as light as a feather, yet it pushed Ka'er so far away that he actually felt fear—fear that he wouldn't be able to get close to her again.

He wanted to open his mouth to explain, but saw Qiao Suisui had already lowered her eyes and turned to leave, her petite body suddenly lacking its usual vitality.

Ka'er couldn't help but take a step forward, but stopped when he saw the man standing opposite.

Zongfang stood opposite them, his gaze fixed on Qiao Suisui; he had clearly been listening for a long time.

Both of them thought Zongfang was about to go crazy and kill someone in the next second, but they saw him slowly walk up and hold her tightly.

"Qiaoqiao, don't be sad, let's go out."

Qiao Suisui was stunned, looking up from his arms to check his expression, confirming he wasn't trying to trick her.

Zongfang saw the doubt in her eyes and gently stroked the stray hair at her temple. "You want to ask why I changed my mind, right?"

She nodded.

"Why didn't you go with him just now, but chose to stay with me?"

"Because I don't want you to be alone."

Zongfang's eyes reddened, and he looked down at her, revealing a gentleness he had never shown before.

"Having those words from you is enough."

He pulled her tighter, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed the top of her hair.

"I also want everyone to know that you are not my pet, nor my tool for reproduction. Qiaoqiao, you are my gift."

So, love really can make people soft.

If it weren't for Ka'er's words waking him up, he probably still wouldn't have understood why Qiaoqiao tried to escape him time and time again.

He had only thought she didn't like being locked up and was indecisive between him and the other males, not realizing that she had always been carefully protecting her own self-esteem, which was why she wrapped herself in an attitude of loving no one and caring for no one.

Zongfang's venomous fangs and hardness had completely melted upon meeting Qiao Suisui. If she didn't want to change, he would change; if she didn't want to compromise, he would compromise. In any case, he was willing.

Ka'er stood to the side, stiff as a stone dried by the wind for years. He suddenly felt his mouth become incredibly bitter, his heart like a shriveled apple, wrinkled and shrunken. He didn't understand what this emotion was or where it came from. He looked blankly at Qiao Suisui, who was clutching the corner of that man's clothes...

Clearly, she was so fragile, so timid, that she would vomit for half a day just from being teased. Yet at a time like this, she chose without hesitation not to give up on someone who had once hurt her.

Wasn't she ruthless?

Why not be ruthless to the end?

Why... be soft-hearted toward others?

Sensing Ka'er's gaze, Zongfang looked at him with a warning. He didn't demonstrate any mental pressure; just one look, and the killing intent within it made Ka'er's back tighten uncontrollably.

Zongfang didn't finish him off immediately because he valued Ka'er's talent. "Break" was one of the rarest talents currently remaining; in a state of peak energy, one could even draw a black hole out of thin air during group combat, using the properties of "Break" to transfer attacks to another space. He had wanted to study it properly, but now that he dared to make his Qiaoqiao sad, no matter how capable the person was, they couldn't stay.

Holding Qiao Suisui with one hand, before the person in his arms could react, he used his other hand to gather strength and attack Ka'er, sending him flying.

Qiao Suisui turned back upon hearing the sound, only to see Ka'er kneeling on the ground in a sorry state, spitting out a large mouthful of blood, and the next moment, he actually reverted to his beast form.

She saw a leopard with grayish-white fur, black spots, and black rings, with a long and thick tail, lying on the ground.

She hurriedly hugged Zongfang's arm and shook her head at him.

"Don't kill him. If he dies, what if this space collapses?"

Zongfang touched her hair, said "Okay," and then directly hoisted the snow leopard up, held Qiao Suisui's hand, closed his eyes, and the two of them left the space together. ===== CHAPTER 69 =====