The Contest Continued

Hu Liena ignored Lu Yuan's fierce gaze and instead tightened her grip even more.

Despite the pain, Lu Yuan couldn't afford to cause trouble for Hu Liena in public. He forced an awkward smile and said, "Grandpa Golden Crocodile, I'd rather share a room with my senior sister!"

"It must be quite inconvenient for you two, a man and a woman, to share a room!" Golden Crocodile Douluo said with a frown. He hadn't expected Hu Liena to be so bold as to dare to contradict his decision. However, this also showed that she had ulterior motives towards Lu Yuan. For Xiao Xue's happiness, Golden Crocodile Douluo said that he absolutely could not compromise easily.

"What's inconvenient about it? My junior brother is still young, and we sleep like this at home without any problems! Venerable Golden Crocodile, you are too worried." Hu Liena spoke with a smile, her words showing no sign of weakness.

Lu Yuan stared at Hu Liena with wide eyes, as if he were seeing her for the first time. How dare she go against Golden Crocodile Douluo? Where did she get such audacity? Golden Crocodile Douluo was already Peak Douluo of Level 98, while Hu Liena was only level thirty-eight. The difference was like heaven and earth.

Hearing their conversation, the waiters nearby were stunned. Looking at Hu Liena, who was speaking eloquently, they thought, "This girl is amazing!"

Wanting to share a room with this young man in front of his elders? He's really not afraid.

Hearing Hu Liena's words, Golden Crocodile Douluo was speechless. After all, Hu Liena had slept with Lu Yuan in Spirit City.

Moreover, Hu Liena was right; Lu Yuan was indeed still young, only nine years old. In this round, Hu Liena had the upper hand.

"Waiter, please give me the key!" Hu Liena said with a smile.

Taking the key from the waiter, Hu Liena pulled Lu Yuan upstairs.

520—this was her and Lu Yuan's room, a number that could easily lead to misunderstandings.

The room was large and the renovation was exquisite, so it was quite nice.

The room had white walls and a sky-blue ceiling, creating a sense of tranquility and comfort.

After entering the room and closing the door, Hu Liena placed her hand on her heart. She hadn't felt it when she was fighting with Golden Crocodile Douluo, but now she was filled with lingering fear. How dare she argue with a peak Level 98 Peak Douluo? Hu Liena, did you have a death wish?

Looking at Hu Liena, who seemed shaken, it was clear that she was still afraid of what she had just done.

A feeling of emotion welled up in Lu Yuan's heart.

What merit or ability does he possess?

Overwhelmed with excitement, Lu Yuan took the initiative to hold Hu Liena's hand.

When Lu Yuan took her hand, Hu Liena was first startled, then delighted. Could it be that this silly junior brother had finally come to his senses? In her excitement, she had completely forgotten what had just happened.

She looked at Lu Yuan with expectant eyes.

"Thank you, senior sister!" Lu Yuan looked directly into Hu Liena's beautiful eyes and said sincerely.

"What?" Hu Liena, who had been full of anticipation, was stunned. I was so excited, and you're thanking me?

Hu Liena stared straight at Lu Yuan, as if she were looking at a fool.

"Senior Sister?" Lu Yuan waved his hand in front of Hu Liena's eyes. What's wrong with Senior Sister?

He was motionless?

Hu Liena slapped Lu Yuan's hand away. Was this idiot really stupid or just pretending?

Lu Yuan was not stupid, of course. He knew what Hu Liena wanted. Originally, before he won over Qian Renxue, he really had no interest in accepting other people's feelings.

Even when Hu Liena confessed her feelings to him and even forcibly kissed him, he still resisted.

However, Hu Liena's feelings for him today also deeply moved him.

Today, Hu Liena's argument with Golden Crocodile Douluo, and Hu Liena's sincerity interrupted his hesitation. Moved by her sincerity, he suddenly had a crazy idea: perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to try to accept Hu Liena.

So what if I'm a scumbag? Fine, I'll be one!

Holding Hu Liena's delicate hand, Hu Liena Lu Yuan gently pulled her into his embrace. With his arms around Hu Liena waist, Lu Yuan held her tightly in his arms.

"Junior brother!" Hu Liena's heart trembled as Lu Yuan embraced her, and she couldn't help but part her lips slightly.

"Don't talk, let me hug you!"

Lu Yuan said softly, gently inhaling the fragrance of Hu Liena's hair.

"Mmm!" Hu Liena responded softly, her voice trembling Sisi. This was the first time Lu Yuan had taken the initiative to hug her.

She knew that Lu Yuan had always had someone in his heart, and it had almost become an obsession. What she didn't tell Lu Yuan was that, a year before Lu Yuan went to the Plum Garden, she had secretly followed him out of curiosity.

Although she couldn't hear what the two were saying because she didn't dare to get close for fear of being discovered, she felt very uncomfortable watching Lu Yuan and Qian Renxue talking and laughing, and behaving quite intimately.

It was from that time that she gradually realized that she did not just treat her junior brother as a younger brother. Spending day and night together, she had unknowingly fallen deeply in love with him.

Because I knew what my junior brother was thinking, I didn't know how to say it until a few days ago when I could no longer hold back.

"Senior Sister!" Lu Yuan said softly.

"Hmm?" Hu Liena responded softly, "What's wrong?"

"I want to be a scumbag!" Lu Yuan said softly.

"What?" Hu Liena was somewhat shocked. What did her junior brother just say?

"It's nothing, Senior Sister, can you give me some time?" Lu Yuan said.

Although he had already made up his mind, Lu Yuan still needed some time to adjust, and he would eventually have to tell Qian Renxue about Hu Liena's situation.

At the same time, pursuing both Qian Renxue and Hu Liena is quite a difficult task. Hu Liena is relatively easy, as Lu Yuan is confident in his ability to win her over, but Qian Renxue is a much more challenging prospect.

Given Qian Renxue's arrogance, the thought of her sharing a man with someone else sent chills down Lu Yuan's spine.

Being a scumbag isn't so easy, and having two relationships at the same time isn't so simple either.

Moreover, he does need some time to completely transform his feelings for Hu Liena from familial affection to romantic love, and this process is destined to take a considerable amount of time.

"Okay!" Hu Liena replied softly, tears streaming down her face. Although her junior brother hadn't accepted her yet, their relationship had clearly made a significant breakthrough, hadn't it?

Besides, there's plenty of time ahead of them. She's only fourteen, and her junior brother is only nine. They have all the time in the world.

Seemingly sensing the tremor in the heart of the person in his arms, Lu Yuan held her even tighter.

In fact, Lu Yuan has always been a rather sentimental person. He usually appears aloof and mature, seemingly very rational, but when his inner softness is touched, he becomes more gentle than anyone else.

Hu Liena's seemingly bold behavior today inadvertently touched a soft spot in Lu Yuan's heart. Looking back, he realized that Hu Liena's feelings for him had already run so deep.

Therefore, he didn't mind giving himself some time and Hu Liena some time as well. If they could eventually get back together and Hu Liena still loved him as always, then even if Qian Renxue chased him all over the world with the Angel Sacred Sword, he would accept it.

Originally, I planned to dedicate more time to developing the relationship between the protagonist and Hu Liena. However, after chapters 81 and 82, some readers commented that they found it difficult to read, feeling that the protagonist's deliberate avoidance of Hu Liena felt like a blatant attempt to deny his feelings. After careful consideration, I've made some changes. I won't elaborate further and will stop here, effectively concluding the story with Hu Liena. This also explains the reasons for the protagonist's previous avoidance. Since this was done hastily, there might be some issues with the romance, so please bear with me. Regarding the next female lead, Zhu Zhuqing, I will dedicate more time and effort to developing their relationship, rather than rushing to a conclusion. This might make some readers impatient, but that's unavoidable, as the ending needs to be reasonable. I also want to depict the gradual changes in the protagonist's emotions during this relationship. I hope that the protagonist and Zhu Zhuqing's eventual union will be a natural progression. What do you all think?