"Why?" Chu Lian spoke, asking Li Xiu'er, who lay beside her. She couldn't quite understand why Xiu'er would do something like this.
If the last time at the hotel had been due to stirred emotions or being provoked, leading her to do that in the bathroom, then it could still be somewhat understandable.
But this time, the two of them had only just woken up from unconsciousness. They probably hadn't even figured out the situation yet, and she had already done this.
That was completely beyond Chu Lian's expectations. She truly wanted to know what the girl was thinking—why she would do something like this.
Burying her face in Chu Lian's chest, even though it was flat, Li Xiu'er still closed her eyes. The lingering blush on her cheeks had yet to fade.
Hearing Chu Lian's question, she bit her lower lip, a little shy but more resolute. "Because I want you to know... that I belong to you. And from now on, I will only ever be yours."
"Xiu'er... you should understand what doing this means..." Chu Lian's heart tightened slightly. She hadn't expected such an answer.
Even though she had vaguely imagined it before, she hadn't expected Li Xiu'er to say it so directly. Shouldn't she have hesitated, dodged the question, and only answered after being pressed?
Could it be that after reaching that peak just now, Xiu'er had suddenly become bold? That seemed very possible. Otherwise, how could she have done something like this to her?
"Do you know? Chu Lian... if it weren't for what happened last night, I wouldn't have realized what it feels like to lose you."
Li Xiu'er gently turned her face. Their skin brushed together, making Chu Lian's cheeks flush even more.
But she ignored the strange sensations in her body and simply listened to what Xiu'er was saying.
If this was what she wanted to say, then Chu Lian already understood why she had done this.
"Yes... you probably think it's just that. But you have to know—my parents abandoned me, Ruoxue has disappeared, and the people I care about most are all gone. When I was at my most desperate, it was you who risked almost certain death to save me."
"That feeling... of being protected, of being treated as someone important, of someone risking their life to save me... do you know how wonderful that is to me?"
"Last time, in that canyon, when I was attacked by several powerful figures from the Otherside and nearly died, it was because of Sister Ayase that I survived."
"What I was thinking at the time... you definitely wouldn't have known."
"I wanted to just die like that, without disturbing anyone. I felt that I shouldn't exist in this world, that I shouldn't cause trouble for anyone. I should leave alone, die alone, and then be buried in some unknown corner."
"Maybe that was the end of my life—the least worthless ending I could think of. A very simple wish. Even though it didn't come true, the thought itself never changed."
"But last night, you didn't care what would happen to you after coming in here. You didn't even know if you could succeed—you just wanted to bring me out of that world. That made me... made me realize that there really is someone in this world who cares about me so much."
"Maybe I've always been too pessimistic. Because of my life and my family, I never believed I was someone worth anything. So even when I lived with you all, during those days together, I kept suppressing my feelings."
"But this time, I couldn't suppress them anymore. Last time, when I did this to you, it was because I was provoked. I wanted to know if anyone cared about me... if you cared about me..."
"This time, it's because I was truly moved. I finally understand that there really is someone in this world who treats me this well—so well that even when I was on the verge of despair, wanting to die, she still refused to abandon me and came to save me."
"This kind of feeling... this kind of action... I can't deceive myself anymore, can't keep hiding what's in my heart."
"I'm sorry... but I really can't hold back this overwhelming, overflowing emotion anymore. Even if the future will..."
As Li Xiu'er spoke, clear tears streamed from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and falling onto Chu Lian's skin. The hot tears quickly turned cold, yet they made Chu Lian's heart soften like water.
When she reached this point, Chu Lian already knew what she was about to say next—and didn't let her continue.
Instead, she pulled her in front of her, rolled over, pinned her beneath her, and kissed her fiercely, sealing her lips so that those words would never be spoken.
Tears still flowed from the corners of her eyes, yet she opened her mouth, accepting Chu Lian's small tongue.
Their tongues entwined within her mouth, the sensation like tasting the most delicious delicacy, or like accepting each other's essence, blending together.
The kiss lasted longer and longer. It was as if Chu Lian was declaring her claim, and also as if the two girls, lost in emotion, had become addicted to this feeling.
Their naked bodies overlapped, skin touching like warm water, comforting and intoxicating. That desire—to knead the other into one's own body—was conveyed through the entanglement of their limbs.
"Xiu'er..." Releasing her lips, Chu Lian lifted her head, looking at her tearless face now, and called softly.
Then she lowered herself again, gently extending her tongue, starting from the corner of her lips, licking and teasing downward—across her slender neck, across her delicate collarbone, across her soft, snow-like fullness, across her small navel, moving further down...
"Mmh..." A soft moan escaped. The girl's hands gripped the bedsheet tightly, her head tilted back, her body arching as she enjoyed the tenderness given to her.
"Chu Lian..." After a long, long while, in a soft, uncontrollable whimper, the girl called her name.
As if prepared, Chu Lian leaned forward. Her glistening lips once again covered Li Xiu'er's slightly parted mouth, their tongues tangling once more.
This entanglement, lasting who knew how long, finally ended as the two girls embraced each other.
"Now... you should understand how I feel about you, right?" Chu Lian kissed her forehead and murmured softly.
"Mhm... I understand. I'll remember it from now on... remember the way you make me feel..." Having let go of her burdens, Li Xiu'er no longer showed any shyness in front of her.
This was a girl who had completely opened her heart, showing her truest self before her, letting her see what lay within.
"So from now on, never think that no one could love you like this again. You have to remember—even if the whole world abandons you, I will still stay by your side."
"I know, I know, I know..." She bit her lower lip slightly, repeating the words before lifting her head to look into Chu Lian's eyes. "Chu Lian, I still have one wish left to fulfill. Once I do, I'll be able to stay with you."
"Is it that girl named Ruoxue? I'm sorry... it seems we couldn't find her. That means she might have met with misfortune, or perhaps the Li family hid her somewhere even we couldn't find... or she may have already left."
The moment Chu Lian heard her say this, she understood what was weighing on her heart. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to help with it.
She had already asked the other girls earlier, but none of them knew where Ruoxue had gone.
That girl, whom the Li family had used to threaten Li Xiu'er, seemed like someone who had never existed at all. Even after they had reduced the Li family to its current state, they still couldn't find any trace of her.
Whether it was Li Xiu'er or the others, they all cared about her situation. Even if the chances of finding her were slim, at the very least, they hoped to know where she was.
"I see... then it doesn't matter..." Upon hearing Chu Lian's answer, Li Xiu'er's eyes suddenly grew distant, as if recalling something. After a long silence, she gave up the idea of pursuing it further.
"What's wrong?" Chu Lian was startled. Li Xiu'er wasn't the type to give up so easily—why would she stop asking after hearing that?
"Because Ruoxue once told me that if one day I were in danger, and someone else rushed in to save me without hesitation, then she would no longer appear. She said she would go to a very distant place, and when she felt she could come back, she would return."
Li Xiu'er's voice was distant and slightly hoarse. Over the past few years, it had always been her taking care of her. Before meeting Chu Lian and the others, Ruoxue had been her only support and her only friend.
Now, after receiving Chu Lian's feelings and gaining new friends, the person she had once cared about most was leaving. It was only natural that her emotions were tangled and difficult to untangle.
Perhaps everyone is this greedy—greedy enough to want everything they desire, which is why such inner conflict exists.
"So that's how it is... it seems she's not simple." Chu Lian nodded thoughtfully. There were always people in this world who were shrouded in mystery. Whether it was their origins or their background, they were impossible to fully grasp.
"Yes. Ruoxue... although our families were said to be old acquaintances, I've never seen her parents. My father... they never talked about it either. It was as if it was something they deliberately avoided."
As Li Xiu'er spoke, the topic once again drifted to her family, making her uncomfortable. Hearing it, Chu Lian felt a pang of sympathy.
Could she even bring herself to call them father or mother anymore? For the sake of themselves and her younger brother, they had not only abandoned her, but also discarded the entire Li family, changing their identities and disappearing, waiting for some unknown chance to rise again.
Such coldness... such parents. How could she still call them that? If not for what happened tonight, she might never have realized just how unwanted she truly was.
"From now on, you have us. You don't need to think about those things anymore." Chu Lian tightened her arms around her waist, using her body warmth to comfort her, not letting her thoughts spiral.
"I know. From now on, I only have you all. Ruoxue... she's probably gone to pursue her own path. After all, she's already delayed so much for my sake."
Breathing in her scent, Li Xiu'er's voice became distant, as if reaching out to someone far away.
"I believe you'll definitely meet her again in the future. A girl with such a mysterious background—if she didn't have great ambitions or dreams, that wouldn't make sense, would it?"
Chu Lian's words were both a comfort and reassurance—that Ruoxue wouldn't abandon her so easily.
"I know she'll come back. So before that, I need to become someone who won't be seen as a burden."
After saying this, Li Xiu'er lifted her head and looked directly into Chu Lian's eyes, speaking seriously. "Chu Lian, teach me how to use my talent to become strong, alright?"
"You're already in the middle of awakening. Trust me—soon, you'll understand what your power is." Chu Lian chuckled softly, stroking her hair as she spoke.
"Awakening? Then why don't I know?" Li Xiu'er was confused. If she had awakened, shouldn't she be able to use her ability? Even if she couldn't use it, she should at least feel something—but she felt nothing at all.
"Yes. When your soul left your body and personally experienced the energies of the world and the boundary between life and death, your talent had already begun to awaken. This kind of self-awakening is even better than guidance from me."
"You just need a bit more time now before it fully completes. Once it does, you'll feel the difference."
"I told you before—your talent is second only to mine. That means it's an incredibly powerful ability that others would envy but never obtain."
"What you need to do now is stop overthinking and focus on resting. Your body must recover to its previous condition before your awakening completes. So for now... no more of that, understood?"
Chu Lian's blunt final remark made Li Xiu'er bury her face into her neck in embarrassment. She opened her mouth and lightly bit her neck before saying, "I get it, just stop talking about it!"
"You were so bold just now, but you get shy when it comes to this. I really don't understand you." Chu Lian teased her, amused by her reaction.
Still, seeing Li Xiu'er return to normal finally eased the tension in her heart. It seemed she was fine now—she just needed proper rest.
"Tell me, Chu Lian... what kind of ability will I awaken?" Li Xiu'er still didn't understand her own power and wanted Chu Lian to tell her.
"Spiritual Illusion Body... Before awakening, anyone who sleeps beside you will fall into a dream. That dream could be something from the past, the future, or something long forgotten."
"No one can escape that dream's grasp... and the Spiritual Illusion Body is also one of the most suitable talents for cultivating mental-type techniques and abilities."
Chu Lian elaborated further on Ayase's earlier explanation. "And most importantly, once the Spiritual Illusion Body awakens, it will come with a very powerful innate ability. What exactly that ability is... depends on the individual."
"Spiritual Illusion Body..." Li Xiu'er murmured, carefully pondering Chu Lian's words.
Just as the two of them remained intertwined, their bodies still bare and their flushed expressions yet to fade, the door to Chu Chu's room was suddenly opened. A girl stood at the doorway, staring blankly at the scene before her...