"No, no, no. Kiana, you're so innocent. You should cherish yourself. How can you just because of such a small thing..."
Before Su Moqian could finish, Kiana punched him squarely in the chest.
"What are you thinking?! What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not that careless with myself, okay!"
After punching him, Kiana pouted and turned away, grumbling:
"Hmph, that jerk of a dad of mine was right. No matter how proper a man seems, deep down he still yearns for naughty stuff!"
Hearing Kiana say that, Su Moqian realized he'd completely misunderstood what she meant. He was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do.
"Huh? No, Kiana, listen to me."
Completely flustered, Su Moqian racked his brain for something to say.
But Kiana suddenly raised a finger and pressed it to his lips.
The beautiful white-haired girl gazed straight at him, her eyes shining with such charm that they were hard to resist.
"Moqian, actually, Mei and Bronya are both interested in you, aren't they?"
Kiana parted her lips and revealed something that startled Su Moqian.
"Kiana, how did you..."
Su Moqian was surprised. He couldn't figure out how she'd realized it.
Kiana smiled faintly, took his hand, and said:
"Don't always treat me like I'm stupid, okay? I'm pretty smart, you know! So don't keep trying to hide things from me."
"Besides, after I found out they were my love rivals, I found it even harder to suppress this little urge to get back at them."
"Kiana, what do you mean?"
Su Moqian had no idea what Kiana was trying to do.
"Sorry, Moqian. I know people shouldn't be too greedy."
Kiana's cheeks gradually flushed. She spoke softly:
"But I can't help wanting you all to myself... So I want to get ahead of them."
As soon as she finished speaking, Kiana slowly closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled gently, and her soft, pink lips puckered slightly.
At that moment, moonlight streamed through the window and fell across Kiana's face, giving her a hazy, ethereal beauty.
Seeing the girl's shy yet expectant expression, Su Moqian heard a sound.
The whole world seemed to grow noisy.
Was it the wind blowing into the room?
No. It was the sound of his heart pounding, because the girl before him meant more than anything else.
Beneath the moonlight, the young man finally made up his mind. Their silhouettes drew together, and they embraced tightly.
Their lips and tongues met, their throats quivering as they seemed to greedily take something from each other.
After a long while, they parted.
They both breathed softly, their faces flushed.
Just then, Kiana's eyes reddened slightly. She reached out to caress Su Moqian's face and slowly said:
"Moqian, please don't leave me, okay? Promise you'll never leave me."
Kiana's words sent a jolt through Su Moqian.
After a kiss, a couple would normally share their feelings for each other.
He hadn't expected Kiana to ask him not to leave her.
Then he noticed the vulnerability spilling from her eyes.
How sensitive and frightened must this girl be to ask, almost pleadingly, not to be abandoned right after a kiss?
"Maybe she's already come to think of this place as her refuge."
The thought made Su Moqian's heart ache.
He pulled Kiana into his arms and softly reassured her:
"Don't worry. I won't leave you. Wherever I am, that's your home."
Held tightly in his arms, Kiana felt a rare sense of security and couldn't help saying:
"Moqian, you have to keep your promise."
"I will. I promise."
"Then let's seal it with a pinky swear!"
"Sure. Whatever you say."
"Um, Moqian, could you maybe stop spoiling me so much?"
Kiana blinked and suddenly blurted out the question.
"Hm? Why would you say that?" Confusion appeared in Su Moqian's eyes.
Kiana fidgeted as she spoke. "Because everyone says you can't keep spending your feelings forever."
"I'm afraid that if you keep spoiling me like this, you'll get tired of me before long..."
Kiana Was the Best at Sneaking Snacks!
"This..." Su Moqian was a little surprised.
He hadn't expected the silly Kiana to think about so many things.
But soon, he felt genuinely happy.
Because someone would only consider things like this if they truly wanted a wonderful future with you.
Su Moqian reached out and ruffled Kiana's hair, speaking gently:
"I'm really happy you're thinking about this, Kiana, but you don't need to worry too much."
"As long as we both make an effort, care for each other, and move toward each other, there's nothing wrong with spoiling one another."
Kiana nodded thoughtfully.
"I see. We both make an effort and care for each other... I understand."
Then Kiana lay down on the bed too and said to Su Moqian:
"Then let's go to sleep. Can I hold you while we sleep?"
"Uh, sure." Su Moqian nodded, then helped Kiana lie down beside him.
Since this wasn't the first time he'd shared a bed with Kiana, Su Moqian wasn't nervous.
As soon as she lay down, Kiana eagerly wrapped her arms around him.
"Sure enough, I feel safer this way. But I get the feeling you're not very fond of hugging me first, Moqian?"
Hearing Kiana's question, Su Moqian replied awkwardly:
"It's not that. I'm just not used to sleeping while hugging someone."
It was a flimsy excuse, but he was too embarrassed to admit that he was afraid of poking Kiana, which was why he didn't want to hold her while they slept.
Feeling the warmth of the girl's embrace, Su Moqian felt himself relaxing.
He'd been worried that Kiana might develop some kind of stress response and become a yandere, but it didn't look like that was going to happen at all.
She was still a sweet, caring girl, after all.
Just as Su Moqian was thinking that, Kiana's voice suddenly rang out:
"All right, go to sleep. Wake me up early tomorrow and take me back to my room. That way, nobody will find out about us."
"Huh?" Su Moqian froze.
Seeing him stunned, Kiana smiled and said:
"Moqian, you want to keep our relationship a secret for now, don't you?"
Kiana's question made Su Moqian's heart tighten. He hurriedly explained:
"Kiana, listen, it's just that..."
Su Moqian had barely started when Kiana interrupted him:
"It's okay, you don't have to explain. I want to keep it a secret for now too."
"Huh?" Su Moqian stared at her, completely taken aback.
He'd thought that someone as insecure as Kiana would be eager to make their relationship public.
Su Moqian understood why she might feel that way.
But because he was worried Cocolia might launch a surprise attack on Changkong City, he had to keep it under wraps for now.
He'd even thought up a long speech to comfort Kiana. But now she was saying she wanted to keep it secret too?
Kiana noticed Su Moqian's utterly puzzled look. The corners of her lips lifted, and excitement glimmered in her eyes.
"I told you that even I sometimes get the urge to get back at people."
"Since Bronya and Raiden Mei want to take you from me, it's only fair for me to keep sneaking around behind their backs, right?"
Hearing Kiana's bold words, Su Moqian's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Sure enough, he was still too young.
Feelings didn't disappear. They just changed.
Kiana's stress response hadn't made her more yandere, but had it awakened some other strange trait instead?
Su Moqian swallowed, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
Things might not be peaceful from now on.
Inside Cocolia's base at Anti-Entropy Headquarters.
Cocolia reclined in her chair, quietly listening to her daughter's report.
"Mother, half of the Honkai Energy devices we openly placed in Changkong City have already been dismantled by people from Shenzhou Headquarters. What should we do?"
"Oh? So someone finally made a move?" Cocolia raised an eyebrow and spoke softly:
"Never mind. Those devices out in the open are only bait. Their purpose is to find out who our enemies are."
"By the looks of it, Shenzhou Headquarters must have ties to the conservative faction... Hmph, I knew the Anti-Entropy conservatives were behind this!"
The black-clad girl listened to Cocolia and pursed her lips without saying anything.
She'd heard her mother say the same thing so often that she was sick of it.
The plan hit a snag? Hmph, the conservatives must be behind it!
Short on funds? Hmph, the conservatives must be behind it!
The experiment failed? Hmph, the conservatives must be behind it!
Even if Cocolia tripped while walking down the street, she'd mutter:
"Hmph, the Anti-Entropy conservatives must be behind it!"
Cocolia had finally exploited a loophole to become Anti-Entropy's acting leader, but she had no interest in fighting Schicksal or developing technology.
All she cared about was how to target the conservative faction. Wasn't she basically a champion of internal strife?
Though, as her daughter, she knew her mother was wrong, she had to obey her mother's orders without question.
After all, she didn't have the courage to risk her life to oppose her.
"Enough. Natasha, prepare to go to Changkong City with Walter." Cocolia waved a hand and ordered:
"Even though the devices in the open are bait, you still need to put up a token resistance. Don't let them realize we have secret sentries or backup plans. I'm leaving this mission to you. Keep it confidential."
Natasha nodded immediately. "Don't worry, Mother. I won't let anyone outside learn any of this!"
Before you continue