After learning that Fu Ye was a Title Douluo, Doudou had completely abandoned any hope of pursuing a romantic relationship with him. To her, the gap in their status was simply an impassable chasm; a humble Spirit Elder and a pinnacle powerhouse of the continent were destined to be two parallel lines that would never meet.
Half an hour later.
"Fu... Big Brother Fu Ye... Doudou is... Doudou is unhappy."
Doudou was currently slumped over the dining table, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural, deep crimson. It turned out the little dove had a remarkably low tolerance for alcohol. In her despair over their perceived impossibility, she had decided to drown her sorrows, not realizing that a single glass would be enough to send her world spinning.
Watching the young girl drink herself into such a state, Fu Ye could only sigh with a touch of helplessness. He could easily guess what was swirling through her mind. Under the influence of the wine, she had blurted out secrets that even Auntie Qin hadn't mentioned, yet he could feel her consciously trying to push him away through her drunken rambles.
In Fu Ye's eyes, Doudou was a very rational girl. She knew what she wanted and worked hard to achieve it, but she also knew the limits of reality. A Title Douluo and a Spirit Ancestor... the distance was too vast for her to even dream of crossing.
"Sigh, this girl has had a hard life, Your Excellency," Auntie Qin said, stepping out from behind the bar as she saw Doudou pass out. "If you have other matters to attend to, please feel free to head back. Doudou is safe here with me."
Fu Ye looked at the sleeping girl and shook his head gently.
"From now on, she will follow me. I won't let her suffer anymore," he declared.
Under Auntie Qin's incredulous gaze, Fu Ye stood up and walked over to Doudou. He reached down and gathered her into his arms, his movements steady and careful. "She is beautiful, rational, and decisive enough when it counts. Isn't that more than enough?"
He cradled her against his chest. Doudou was clearly a novice when it came to alcohol; only a complete amateur would gulp down high-proof spirits like they were water.
"There are twenty million Gold Spirit Coins on this card. Auntie Qin, you don't need to run this shop anymore," Fu Ye said, placing a gold-rimmed card on the table. "I'll bring Doudou back to visit you when we have the time."
Before the old woman could find her voice, Fu Ye vanished into the night, leaving behind a fortune and a life-changing promise. Auntie Qin's eyes welled with tears as she clutched the card. "Doudou... you've finally found your place in the sun."
Meanwhile, lurking in the shadows outside the restaurant, the Tianshui Academy team was in the middle of a heated debate.
"Sister Doudou's back story is actually quite pitiful," one of the girls whispered.
"True, but that's no excuse for her to hog Brother Fu Ye all to herself!" Shui Yue'er pouted, her arms crossed tightly.
"Should we wait another night?"
"No! I'm the eldest sister here," Shui Bing'er interjected, adopting a commanding, big-sisterly stance that brooked no argument. "Tomorrow night, Yue'er and I go first. The rest of you will have to wait your turn in line."
Yu Hairou looked at her with a frail, wronged expression. "Big sister, you're being a bully..."
"Waaaah! In the end, it's always me, Xue Wu, and Hairou who get the short end of the stick," Shen Liuyu sniffled, her face contorting into the perfect expression of a 'little green tea' victim.
Xue Wu, however, suddenly smirked with a look of immense smugness. "Well, if we're talking about 'turns,' I already... ahem, a few months ago... and even the day before yesterday, I..."
"YOU WHAT?!" the rest of the girls hissed in unison, their eyes widening in shock.
While the "window paper" of their relationship hadn't been fully torn yet in a formal sense, their affection for Fu Ye had long since reached the 100% mark. To them, it wasn't a matter of if, but when they would finally settle the matter of their "practical duties" as members of his harem.
Soto City, The Rose Hotel.
The "Dream-Starting" spot remained as beautiful as ever, and the staff were the same as before.
"The best suite. Money is no object. Understand?" Fu Ye commanded.
"Understood!" the clerk chirped, bowing low.
Late at night, in the super-suite at the top of the Rose Hotel, known as the Moonlight Lake. It was a night of the full moon, and the top floor was designed to perfectly capture the silver radiance of the sky.
After finishing his own bath and helping the unconscious Doudou clean up, Fu Ye lay down on the soft, silver bed. With a wave of his hand, he activated a Time Boundary. Inside the barrier, the world outside seemed to freeze; the clouds moved with agonizing slowness, giving them all the time in the world.
Fu Ye wasn't the type to take advantage of someone while they were incapacitated—except for perhaps Ah Wu. For a girl as rational and spirited as Doudou, he wanted her to be fully aware when they took that final step.
However, "not taking advantage" didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the view. After a bit of "creative styling," he had replaced Doudou's work clothes with pure white silk stockings and a white-gold mini-skirt. He even took the liberty of drawing small golden hearts at the corners of her eyes. Lying there in the moonlight, she looked less like an announcer and more like a celestial lunar angel.
Satisfied with his masterpiece, Fu Ye pulled the fragrant beauty into his arms and drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Eight hours... perhaps ten hours passed before Doudou's eyes fluttered open.
Staring at an unfamiliar, luxurious ceiling, she felt a strange weight on her body. When she tried to move, she realized someone was holding her tightly!
The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. She remembered being at Auntie Qin's... drinking... and then nothing. But where was she now? And who was—
She turned her head and froze. Her brain completely stalled. Wait... Fu Ye?!
Fu Ye, disturbed by the squirming in his arms, slowly opened his deep, shimmering golden eyes. He looked down at the panicked girl with a lazy, amused smile.
"Doudou, you're awake?"
"Fu... Fu Ye... I mean, Your Excellency! I... I really don't know anything! I swear!" Doudou was on the verge of tears. Waking up in the same bed as a Title Douluo after a blackout? This was the kind of thing that only happened in scandalous novels!
"Oh? So you're going to eat me up and then claim you don't remember a thing?" Fu Ye decided to have a little fun with her.
"No! Your Excellency, I... I really can't remember! I was so drunk!" She was spiraling. She could believe she could fly, but she couldn't believe she had managed to "bed" a Title Douluo.
"I... I really didn't..."
Seeing her frantic state, Fu Ye decided that "physical therapy" was the best cure for her panic. He leaned in, his lips meeting hers in a deep, warm kiss. Doudou's wide eyes went from terrified to completely bewildered. She hadn't expected the handsome legend to actually kiss her.
As the old saying goes: No resistance is a form of acceptance.
Since the beginning had been made, the rest followed naturally. In that bed drenched in moonlight, a splash of primal crimson quietly bloomed.