Oh My, Chu Zhaoqiu.
Fu Lianxue finished recharging her energy and climbed out of bed.
She scooped Fu Baobao into her arms.
“Alright, I should head home now. Goodbye, Young Master Chu.”
Very heartless, as if this place were just a temporary rest stop.
Chu Zhaoqiu: “?”
She quickly reached out and grabbed Fu Lianxue’s hand, her tone gentle: “Lianxue, stay and keep me company a little longer.”
Fu Lianxue stopped walking and turned back to look at her: “What for? You miss me?”
Chu Zhaoqiu curved her lips into a gentle smile: “Mhm, I miss you.”
Fu Lianxue lifted the kitty in her arms a bit higher: “What about my Baobao?”
Chu Zhaoqiu readily agreed1: “I miss Baobao too.”
Fu Lianxue put the cat down, a look of resignation on her face: “Alright, alright, seeing as you miss us so much, I suppose we can reluctantly stay a little longer!”
After speaking, she very skillfully sat down on Chu Zhaoqiu’s lap, wrapping her arms around her neck, taking care not to sit on the right side.
She suddenly thought of Ye Linlin and asked, “How come your Linlin-meimei hasn’t come looking for you lately? What, is she too embarrassed to see you?”
Chu Zhaoqiu first emphasized, “She’s not my Meimei.”
Only then did she answer: “She encountered something today that conflicts with her beliefs, so she needs some time alone to quietly think things over. We shouldn’t disturb her.”
Fu Lianxue was curious: “What kind of thing?”
Chu Zhaoqiu held her waist with her left hand, her eyes curving slightly.
“She pleaded for a ghost she dislikes.”
A demon hunter who believed all ghosts and monsters were bad things actually took the initiative to plead for one she disliked.
Ye Linlin, realizing it belatedly, was utterly shaken.
She didn’t know why she’d done it, didn’t know if doing so was right or wrong, but she had actually done it. She had never imagined she would plead for a demon ghost2!
And then she shut herself in her room to contemplate life.
Fu Lianxue raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Pleaded?
That kid3 who’s always yelling about how all yaoguai are bad?
Her interest was piqued: “Say, why exactly does she think all yaoguai are definitely bad?”
Chu Zhaoqiu said, “She was captured by yaoguai when she was little. She almost died.”
In this world, it’s not just humans who can become gods.
For humans, gods aren’t all good either.
Yao4 can become gods, and yao can also become malevolent gods. They don’t love humans; it’s best if they don’t cause trouble for humanity, of course.
Some yaoguai, in order to become gods faster, don’t hesitate to walk crooked paths.
Eating people and digging out hearts, or harming their own kind—such things have happened.
Back then, Ye Linlin nearly became a meal in a yaoguai’s mouth. Because of this, she lived under a shadow5 for a long time during her childhood, not daring to leave the house, not daring to leave the side of her elders.
Fu Lianxue was silent for a moment.
Sounds tragic and pitiful, but…
“She should precisely hate the yaoguai that captured her, not blast us all indiscriminately6. You humans have your own practitioners of these crooked paths, so why don’t you say all humans are bad?”
Chu Zhaoqiu smiled and patted her waist: “Don’t be angry. She’s already correcting that mistaken belief. Look, she even pleaded for Fingerless Madam.”
At this moment, she was like Ye Linlin’s own older sister.
Fu Lianxue nonchalantly flicked her hair: “Fine, though I don’t really care much about her business anyway~”
Then she got off her lap and crouched down to play with her little cat.
Just then, there was a knock on Chu Zhaoqiu’s door.
Mother Chu’s voice came from outside: “Zhaoqiu ah, we simmered some soup for you to replenish your strength. Mama’s bringing it in for you, okay?”
Fu Lianxue, holding Baobao up with both hands, shot to her feet reflexively with a swish.
Baobao also looked towards the door.
One yao, one cat, their movements perfectly synchronized.
She wasn’t ready to interact with Chu Zhaoqiu’s parents yet!
Chu Zhaoqiu was amused by her reaction.
Fu Lianxue snapped back to reality and immediately said, “You take your time drinking the soup. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving first!”
Chu Zhaoqiu had no choice but to grab her again: “Stay and keep me company a bit longer. My mom is just bringing soup; she won’t stay in my room the whole time.”
Fu Lianxue: “…”
Seeing she wasn’t moving anymore, Chu Zhaoqiu finally reached out and unlocked the door: “Come in, Mom.”
As soon as Mother Chu opened the door, she saw her daughter holding onto Fu Lianxue.
Fu Lianxue also had a kitty in her hands.
The kitty saw her and let out a milky-sounding meow: “Mew~”
“Wow, what an adorable little cat.”
Mother Chu placed the steaming hot soup on the table, turned to look at Baobao, then looked at Fu Lianxue, her eyes shining.
“Is this your cat?”
Fu Lianxue: “Ah? Ah, yes, this is my cat.”
“May I pet him?” Mother Chu asked amicably.
Fu Lianxue blinked.
Chu Zhaoqiu leaned close to her ear and whispered, “My mom really likes cats.”
Fu Lianxue suddenly understood.
Right, no one could resist the charm of her Baobao!
“You can, go ahead and pet him. You can even hold him. My kid7 is very friendly with people.”
Mother Chu, as if she’d found a priceless treasure8, first petted him, then carefully picked Baobao up in her arms.
Baobao indeed didn’t struggle, just calmly flicked his tail once.
“Aiya, he’s so well-behaved.” The smile in Mother Chu’s eyes deepened.
Chu Zhaoqiu, as if by magic, produced a few cat treat sticks from the bedside table and handed them to her dear mom9.
“Mom, why don’t you take him out to play? Baobao has been to our house before; he’s quite familiar with the place.”
The cat lover nodded repeatedly: “Okay, okay, okay.”
She didn’t forget to look at Fu Lianxue to ask her opinion.
Fu Lianxue didn’t really have any objections.
She hadn’t even expected her girlfriend’s mother to like cats this much.
“I have no problem with it. If you like him, go ahead and play with him.”
“Thank you, Miss Fu.”
Mother Chu’s eyes curved happily as she carried Baobao out. Halfway there, she stopped and turned back to look at her daughter.
“Remember to finish the soup. Also, don’t move your right hand too much. Your wound already split open once; there can’t be a second time, or else Papa and Mama will get angry, okay?”
Chu Zhaoqiu obediently agreed: “I know. I’ll be careful. Don’t worry, Mom.”
Only then did Fu Lianxue learn that her wound had reopened. She slowly turned to look at her, a smile that didn’t reach her eyes10 on her face, while very amiably declining Mother Chu’s enthusiastic offer for her to have a bowl of soup too.
The door closed again.
Inside the room, it was once again just the two of them—one human, one yao.
Fu Lianxue crossed her arms, her aura quite dangerous: “Alright, talk. What did our Young Master Chu do this time? How did the wound split open again?”
Chu Zhaoqiu proactively moved closer to her, confessing in a soft whisper: “Today, before bringing Fingerless Madam back, Fingerless Madam wanted to self-destruct, so I used a magical artifact to stop her…”
Her eyes curved as she smiled apologetically: “It won’t happen next time.”
Fu Lianxue opened her mouth, but hesitated.
She wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say.
Chu Zhaoqiu was a demon hunter, the Young Master Chu, the future person in charge. She would inevitably have to experience such things in the future. How could she possibly guarantee she’d be safe and sound every single time?
She wasn’t happy about it, but Chu Zhaoqiu hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
“Chu Zhaoqiu.”
“Hm?”
“Are you happy?”
“What?”
“You resolved this matter and helped someone. Are you happy or not?”
Hearing this, Chu Zhaoqiu broke into a brilliant smile: “Happy.”
She felt very fortunate that she was the one who encountered this matter, who encountered Fingerless Madam.
Although she was injured, what she gained from this incident far outweighed these wounds. She was very content.
Her sincere, contented smile made it completely impossible for Fu Lianxue to be angry.
Fu Lianxue shook her head and waved her hand magnanimously: “Forget it. Seeing as you’re happy, I won’t be angry with you.”
But she couldn’t resist adding a couple of reminders: “Be more careful next time. Either let someone else handle it, or use your left hand.”
“Is it that you don’t know how to use your left hand? You’re the genius Chu Zhaoqiu, the kind seen once in a hundred years! Practicing with your left hand shouldn’t be difficult for you, right?”
After she finished speaking, Chu Zhaoqiu’s expression suddenly turned very serious, and she corrected her earnestly, “Lianxue, I’m not a genius. I’m just an ordinary person.”
Fu Lianxue couldn’t help but pause for a second, raising a hand to touch her ear as she curiously sized her up: “Back when I first knew you, you wouldn’t have specifically emphasized this kind of thing to people, eh? I thought you were used to hearing it, or maybe you actually kind of liked hearing it?”
Who doesn’t like hearing nice things?
Especially at an age full of youthful spirit11, the best and also the proudest age.
Young people back then would inevitably, with a touch of chuuni12, think they were incredible, feel like they could save the world—not to mention Chu Zhaoqiu truly stood out dazzlingly among her peers.
Talented people inevitably get praised excessively. Liking to hear such things and having a bit of arrogance is also very normal.
Fu Lianxue crossed her arms and leaned closer to Chu Zhaoqiu, full of interest: “What’s wrong? Don’t like hearing it anymore?”
Chu Zhaoqiu nodded lightly, very honestly.
“Being put on too high a pedestal isn’t a good thing. Otherwise, when you discover your abilities don’t match up to what was imagined… it’s easy to break down.”
She understood this principle deeply; ever since she was young, she hadn’t liked hearing others praise her excessively.
Don’t say she’s a genius, don’t say she’ll definitely become a god in the future, don’t press such heavy expectations and the unknown road ahead onto her.
She’s just an ordinary person, an ordinary person who knows a little magic and wants to help as many people as possible, that’s all.
Fu Lianxue straightened up. For some reason, she suddenly felt a sense of gratification, like “the child has grown up.”
That Xuanmen disciple from back then, who had a bit of arrogance, had finally become a steady, mature Young Master Chu who could stand on her own.
“Aiyo,” she couldn’t resist fondly pinching Chu Zhaoqiu’s cheek, “Our little Zhaoqiu has really grown up.”
Then she patted her arm: “Go on, go drink your soup. For the sake of your health, you have to obediently finish it all, okay?”
Chu Zhaoqiu: “…”
The words praised her for growing up, but the tone felt like she was being treated like a child.
She smiled helplessly and took Fu Lianxue’s hand: “Lianxue, I’m not a child.”
“Mhm mhm, I know.”
Fu Lianxue’s expression was absurdly benevolent.
Chu Zhaoqiu sat down by the table, resignation written all over her face.
She glanced at the fragrant, rich soup on the table, then glanced at the great yaoguai who had plopped down onto the chair opposite her.
“Lianxue, are you really not having any?”
Fu Lianxue shook her head firmly: “Nope.”
“Hurry up and drink. It’ll get cold later.”
Chu Zhaoqiu subconsciously lifted her right hand, then put it down and lifted her left, beginning to sip the soup slowly and methodically.
Fu Lianxue started playing on her phone.
After a moment, their gazes inadvertently met.
Fu Lianxue saw Chu Zhaoqiu slowly put down her spoon, looking at her with shimmering eyes: “Lianxue, my hand hurts. Can you feed me?”
She hadn’t been fed by her girlfriend before.
On a whim13, she wanted to try what it felt like to be fed by her girlfriend.
Fu Lianxue: “?”
She reminded her, “Young Master Chu, you’re using your left hand.”
The Young Master Chu glanced at her own left hand: “My left hand is a little tired too.”
Fu Lianxue: “How did it get tired?”
The Young Master Chu didn’t bat an eyelid14: “Got tired from drinking soup.”
Fu Lianxue narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Chu Zhaoqiu.
Oh my, Chu Zhaoqiu, you’ve even learned to make stuff up15 just to get me to feed you…
She stood up briskly: “Tired from drinking, huh? Fine, I’m stepping out for a bit. Don’t drink the soup yet; wait until I get back.”
Chu Zhaoqiu was puzzled: “Where are you going?”
Fu Lianxue: “I’m going to get you a straw.”
Chu Zhaoqiu: “?”
Fu Lianxue: “With a straw, we won’t even need to use hands. Perfect!”
Chu Zhaoqiu: “…”
This development was completely different from what she had imagined…
Chu Zhaoqiu couldn’t help but laugh, getting up to grab Fu Lianxue, admitting defeat.
“Alright, alright, I won’t tease anymore. I can drink it myself.”
It seemed her girlfriend was very good at countering every move.
The next second, she saw Fu Lianxue move, chair and all—shifting right next to her.
Fu Lianxue picked up the spoon, lifted the bowl, scooped up some soup, blew on it gently, and then brought it to her lips: “Careful, it’s hot.”
Chu Zhaoqiu paused, looking at the soup, then at Fu Lianxue.
She had thought Fu Lianxue didn’t want to feed her…
As sharp as Fu Lianxue had been teasing her just moments ago, that’s how embarrassed she felt now being stared at.
She nudged her with her elbow: “Aiya, don’t just stare blankly. My hand will get sore too.”
Chu Zhaoqiu instantly beamed, drinking the soup Fu Lianxue fed her with a happy smile.
Her girlfriend might be good at countering every move, but she liked her too.
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