Gu Yuena's Plea!

"Don't touch me." Su Ling released his hand, his voice a little hoarse.

Xiao Wu dejectedly withdrew her hand, muttering softly, "Good intentions mistaken for a donkey's liver and lungs..."

Su Ling ignored her complaints and walked towards the dining table.

He saw that the food on the table was a strange green and burnt black, and wisps of poisonous smoke, symbolizing death, occasionally rose from it.

"The toxicity is not bad, but next time don't make it so obvious."

Su Ling felt a bit speechless in his heart, but his face showed no expression. He simply turned and walked towards the kitchen after speaking.

"Hey! What do you mean? I spent a full two hours making this!"

Xiao Wu was so angry that her Rabbit Ears trembled, and she put her hands on her hips, blocking his path.

"Do you know I cut my fingers in three places for this meal? And you call what I made poison?!"

She puffed out her chest and extended her slender fingers, which were indeed covered with a few band-aids.

"Then do you dare to eat what you made yourself?"

Su Ling stopped, looking down at her from above.

Xiao Wu was momentarily speechless, her gaze guiltily drifting towards the "delicacy" bubbling strangely on the plate. Her throat involuntarily bobbed.

"Who says I don't dare? I'll eat it for you right now."

Saying that, she petulantly grabbed her chopsticks, picked up a piece of burnt black "unidentifiable object," and stuffed it into her mouth.

However, the moment it entered her mouth, her face instantly turned deathly pale, her Rabbit Ears stiffened abruptly, and her pink eyes became unfocused.

With a "bang!", Xiao Wu fell straight to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

Her Rabbit Ears drooped powerlessly, and her limbs twitched slightly, clearly poisoned quite badly.

Su Ling watched this scene with a blank expression and sighed, "Idiot."

He bent down, picked up Xiao Wu, and walked towards the sofa.

The young girl's body was as light as if she had no weight. Her slender hair fell into his arms, carrying a faint, subtle fragrance.

"Mmm..." Xiao Wu unconsciously snuggled into his embrace in her unconscious state, like a small animal seeking warmth.

In the kitchen, Su Ling skillfully stir-fried, sautéed, deep-fried, braised, stewed, and simmered, almost single-handedly creating eight dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

After all, the Heroines in his previous lives were all bosses. To gain their trust, culinary skills were one of the essential courses.

As the aroma of the dishes filled the entire room, Xiao Wu's nostrils twitched slightly, her rabbit ears instinctively perked up, and she groggily opened her eyes.

"So fragrant..." She rubbed her throbbing temples, got up unsteadily, and stared blankly at the dining table.

The braised pork ribs were bright red, the sweet and sour fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the stir-fried seasonal vegetables were emerald green and dewy.

There was also a steaming bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, which made one's mouth water just by looking at it.

Xiao Wu's stomach rumbled uncontrollably. She swallowed, but stubbornly turned her head away, "Hmph! I'm not eating anything you made!"

Su Ling didn't even lift his eyelids, he just continued packing the food by himself.

"Awake?" After a while, he glanced at the sulking rabbit girl on the sofa, "Come and eat."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu hesitantly moved to the dining table, staring at the delicious-looking dishes with suspicion in her eyes.

"You didn't poison it, did you?" she asked warily.

"Eat it or don't." Su Ling put the packed food into his Soul Tool and turned to leave.

"Wait, I'll eat, I'll eat, okay?"

Seeing him about to leave, a hint of panic flashed in Xiao Wu's eyes, and she quickly reached out to grab his hand.

"Let go!" Su Ling coldly shook off her hand, "The chopsticks are on the table, get them yourself."

"Aren't you eating together?" Xiao Wu bit her lips, a hint of disappointment flashing in her pink eyes.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't resort to such despicable means."

Su Ling walked towards the door without looking back, his voice as indifferent as if he were discussing the weather, "Wash the bowls after you finish eating."

Xiao Wu looked at his departing back, her eyes turning slightly red.

"What is it? What was I expecting..."

Xiao Wu muttered softly, her ears drooping unconsciously.

"He likes Rongrong, Xiao San also likes Rongrong, why does everyone like her? She's just a pretentious bitch..."

She jabbed forcefully at the rice in her bowl, but tears dripped onto the tabletop uncontrollably.

Deep in the dungeon, it was dark and damp, and the air was filled with the smell of decay and blood.

Gu Yuena curled up in the corner of the cold stone wall, her small body trembling uncontrollably.

Her silver hair was stained with dirt and hung limply, covering half of her pale little face.

The cold from the floor seeped through her thin clothes and into her bone marrow, but it was far from the chill in her heart.

She didn't know what meaning her life held anymore.

Shengyan no longer recognized her. The hatred was gone, the love was gone, and even her main body had abandoned her—it was as if a person named Gu Yuena should never have existed.

The young girl gazed into the darkness ahead with a pair of hollow purple eyes, her consciousness gradually blurring.

So cold...

So hungry...

Why... why was I abandoned...

Did I do something wrong...

Shengyan... you don't want me anymore either...

In a daze, a tall, slender figure seemed to appear in the darkness.

Gu Yuena struggled to lift her heavy eyelids, her gaze unfocused as she looked over.

Against the faint light from the dungeon entrance, she glimpsed the familiar black robe and felt the eyes beneath the cold mask gazing at her.

In her previous life, Shengyan also loved to disguise himself as a mysterious man in a black robe to hunt her down. That had been her nightmare.

But she always managed to find a fortuitous encounter in desperate situations and turn the tables.

Was it an illusion... another one of those warm yet cruel dreams... Am I dying...

She weakly reached out, her fingertips scrabbling feebly in the air. Her voice, like a dying thread, was choked with sobs, "Shengyan... is that you... I'm dreaming again..."

Tears silently slid from the corners of her eyes, mixing with the dirt on her face.

"This time... don't disappear... so quickly... okay... I'm so scared... so hungry... I really miss you..." Her fingers drooped powerlessly, her consciousness fading.

After Su Ling left, the young girl seemed to have suffered even more brutal torture. Her slender wrists were covered in bruises, and bloodstains from the chains' friction remained on her ankles.

Su Ling's heart felt as if it were being fiercely gripped by a hand, causing him pain so intense he couldn't breathe.

But he could only feign indifference, his eyes beneath the mask already red-rimmed.

He walked closer, and the bars imprisoning Gu Yuena passed through him without obstruction, like an insubstantial phantom.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Gu Yuena murmured weakly, tears streaming uncontrollably, "I really didn't know that human woman was your mother... If I had known... I never would have..."

"If the war hadn't started... if I hadn't listened to Di Tian... would we not be like this..."

"Shengyan... kill me... take me back to your home... please... don't leave me alone anymore..."

"Don't speak, you'll be alright." Su Ling's voice was deep and hoarse, filled with suppressed pain.

He came before Gu Yuena and gently caressed her tear-streaked cheek with a trembling hand, simultaneously healing her injuries.

The Flame of Life, warm as spring, slowly seeped into Gu Yuena's cold skin. The bruises and bloodstains healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.