Assumption

Chu He's heart warmed as he looked at Xia Yao's worried expression for him.

He squeezed Xia Yao's cold little hand and smiled, "Yes, I'll work hard too. And you should know, I'm not just a normal human."

He said this with complete confidence.

Hearing this, the worry in Xia Yao's clear, cool eyes slowly faded.

She gently patted Chu He's shoulder, her fingertips brushing against his firm arm. Feeling his steady presence, her eyes held a newfound sense of security.

"I know you're not normal." She withdrew her hand, her tone firm. "The anomalous lion head from noon, its flesh and blood had berserk energy that ordinary people couldn't absorb. Moreover, that anomalous five-headed lion was SS-Class, yet you absorbed it completely, just like my people. Your body has changed, inside and out."

Xia Yao's gaze fell on his face as she continued, "Your abilities... are very domineering. You can forcibly take, no, I should say copy, others' things and make them your own."

Chu He's heart stirred; he hadn't expected her to observe so closely.

However, he hadn't intended to hide it from the start, or rather, he couldn't hide it from these powerful beings from another world!

He puffed out his chest, his muscles becoming more defined, and asked with a hint of playfulness, "What, do you like my muscular physique?"

"Yes! I like it even more now!"

Xia Yao blurted out almost instinctively, wrapping her arms tightly around Chu He's neck. She nuzzled her small face against his chest muscles, like an adorable kitten.

Recalling Chu He's ferocity during their lunch break, she naturally tilted her head up, unashamedly expressing her delight.

"Brother is so amazing, of course I like you more!"

She tilted her head up, unashamedly expressing her delight.

"Hahaha!"

Chu He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This girl's straightforwardness was exactly to his taste!

He cupped the back of Xia Yao's head, gazing at her beautiful face, flushed and close enough to touch. He whispered, "Such a sweet mouth deserves a reward."

With that, he lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

Smack!

Their lips met, and the familiar sweet scent of strawberries instantly enveloped him, more potent than ever before, as if it were melting his very soul.

After a long moment, they parted.

Xia Yao's eyes were slightly hazy, her fair cheeks flushed with a rosy glow. Her face was slightly red, her eyes holding a hint of shyness.

"Brother's reward..."

She looked at Chu He, her eyes filled with a touch of longing.

"Not enough."

These two words were like a spark igniting a fuse, and the air in the living room instantly became heated.

Several hours later, the two were nestled in the lounge. Xia Yao was dozing lightly on Chu He's shoulder, the air filled with a quiet warmth.

Chu He lay on his side, watching Xia Yao sleep peacefully beside him.

Her exquisite face now held a look of exhaustion and satisfaction. Her long eyelashes cast small shadows beneath her eyes, and her breathing was steady and deep.

Chu He could feel a wondrous change occurring within his body through his intimate contact with Xia Yao.

His [Eye of Nirvana] seemed to have improved further, a cool, comfortable sensation in his eye sockets, as if he could more clearly perceive the flow of energy in this world.

He gently pulled Xia Yao closer, letting her rest in his arm.

This movement stirred the light sleeper.

"Hmm?" Xia Yao mumbled, opening her eyes groggily.

"It's nothing, go back to sleep," Chu He said softly.

He watched Xia Yao snuggle into his embrace dependently. His heart stirred, and he decided to seize this delicate moment to defuse the time bomb hanging over his head.

"Yao Yao, I want to ask you something."

"What?" Xia Yao's voice was thick with a nasal tone, clearly not fully awake.

"If, I mean, hypothetically," Chu He chose his words carefully, making his tone sound like he was telling a silly bedtime joke, "if one day, someone insisted on being with me, competing with you for me, what would you do?"

Xia Yao's eyes instantly narrowed to a slit, the light that shone through them cold and dangerous.

"Who would be so bold? Wanting to die?"

"No one, I'm just hypothesizing." Chu He quickly soothed her, gently patting her back like he was calming a startled kitten.

Xia Yao seemed to accept this explanation and closed her eyes again, answering without thinking, "Then I'd duel her. Whoever loses, dies."

Just as he expected.

Chu He understood and continued to cast the real bait, "Then... what if it was someone you were very close to? For example, I'm just saying, what if your best friend... also fell for me?"

"Kachi?" Xia Yao's tone was filled with disbelief and amusement. "Absolutely impossible! That person, although she's incredibly gossipy, has zero interest in men. I'd sooner believe she likes women!"

"Don't speak too definitively. There's always a possibility." Chu He persisted in his guidance.

Xia Yao was getting impatient with his question and just wanted to sleep quickly. Her mind was too lazy to work, and she mumbled vaguely, "Aiya, baby is sleepy and wants to sleep... Stop asking..."

She twisted her body, seemingly trying to find a more comfortable position, then said carelessly in a tone that was almost a sleep-talk:

"If that day really comes... at worst... I'll be the dominant one, and she'll be the submissive one, okay?"

Chu He's heart skipped a beat, then began to pound wildly!

He held his breath, afraid of disturbing this hard-won "imperial decree," and cautiously pressed further, "Hey, hey, what you just said, is it true or false?"

"True, true..." Xia Yao had completely succumbed to sleepiness and waved her hand impatiently, "It's not like it's going to happen anyway. I know my best friend best, understand? We grew up together! Even if she were blind and fell for you, she would absolutely not snatch me away. Our relationship is ironclad!"

"Sleep! Sleep! With your words, I'm relieved," Chu He said with a smile in his voice that he himself didn't notice. "Don't be shocked when the time comes."

"Don't worry, don't worry..."

After Xia Yao mumbled her last sentence, she turned over and casually grabbed Chu He's arm, hugging it tightly.

She seemed to like it this way.

Chu He hugged the warm, fragrant jade, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts. A great sense of joy and control surged within him. It was settled! The biggest potential threat to his future had been resolved just like that!

Xia Yao should keep her word, unlike Kachi.

But wait... grew up together?

He suddenly remembered the trial in the dormitory at the very beginning.

In that door, the memory was almost entirely of Xia Yao alone.

But today, she said they grew up together.

After thinking about it, there was only one possibility: Xia Yao had deliberately hidden other fragments, intentionally creating a lonely atmosphere!

From the very beginning, she had developed a protective instinct towards him, and she had been cautious when designing the dungeon!

Meanwhile, on the other side, at the library information desk.

Several palm-sized sprites were circling Kachi.

These little creatures were not flesh and blood; their bodies seemed to be made of moonlight and stardust, translucent all over, emitting a soft glow. Their wings were not feathers but two pairs of extremely thin, parchment-like wing membranes, on which flowed tiny golden runes.

They massaged Kachi's shoulders and legs.

One of them held a budding Starlight Flower, its pistil holding a drop of crystal-clear nectar, and carefully offered it to her lips.

Kachi simply opened her mouth listlessly, letting the drop of nectar slide down her throat.

"It has no taste."

She frowned, her delicate little face filled with disgust.

The sprite holding the flower was so scared that the runes on its wings dimmed slightly, and it almost fell from the air.

How could it have no taste! This was the sweetest nectar!

"Change it," Kachi waved her hand impatiently.

The sprites dared not delay and quickly flew away in a cluster. A moment later, they returned holding a fruit burning with a faint blue flame.

Kachi took a bite and spat it out again.

"Too bland."

The sprites were about to cry.

This was a Lava Fruit from the Abyssal Flame Prison, with an incredibly potent flavor, how could it be bland!

Little did they know that after tasting Chu He's incomparably sweet and fragrant kiss, all the delicacies in this world had become bland and tasteless.

She irritably ran a hand through her short silver hair, a dangerous glint flashing in her starlike eyes.

No, I really want to go see