She Went on the Offensive!

Qin Wangchuan paused, looking down at her appearance.

The grievance, panic, and the nervousness of regaining what was lost were all clearly written on his face.

He roughly guessed the reason in his mind, and for a moment he was both amused and exasperated.

"I didn't go anywhere," Qin Wangchuan said softly.

That's the truth.

If I had to put it bluntly, were I planning to break a young girl's heart?

But when these words reached Qin Zhaoer's ears, her grievances seemed to be exposed, and she suddenly felt a surge of resentment.

"You didn't go anywhere?" She sniffled, her voice trembling with tears. "You just... you just walked towards her!"

"I saw it all!"

Looking at her anxious and angry expression, with tears welling up in her eyes, Qin Wangchuan felt a strange mix of emotions, neither amused nor amused.

I just feel that...

Sure enough, Eighth Sister is still just a child.

"I just want to go over there and talk things out with her." He softened his voice.

"Explain yourself?" Qin Zhaoer grabbed at those three words, forcefully retorting, "Explain what!"

"Tell her, it's impossible between us," Qin Wangchuan answered frankly. "Tell her to stop waiting."

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhaoer's imposing manner inexplicably faltered for a moment.

Others might not be able to see it, but she knew it very well.

The man surnamed Zhong had been harboring feelings for Qin Wangchuan for a long time, and had indeed been waiting for him for quite some time.

Her expression shifted, and after a long pause, she awkwardly hummed out a sentence.

"... How did you know they were waiting for you?"

"Narcissism."

Qin Wangchuan didn't argue, he just looked up and glanced at the figure in the distance.

"After so many chance encounters, it's hard not to notice."

In the short time it took for the two to finish speaking, Miss Zhong, who was in the distance, had already taken in the whole scene.

The sight of the two people standing together caused the light in her eyes to dim little by little.

Finally, he gave Qin Wangchuan a faint smile.

That smile concealed an undeniable bitterness.

Then, she turned around and disappeared into the bustling crowd, her back view exuding an indescribable loneliness.

This scene unfolded before Qin Wangchuan's eyes.

He withdrew his gaze, glanced at the person beside him, and spoke slowly.

"See? You're bullying her again."

"I bullied her?!" Qin Zhaoer's eyes widened, her face full of Qi Ingestion.

"Then what about me?"

"You--!"

Qin Zhaoer was furious and was about to retort.

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Wangchuan took a step and chased after the departing figure, speaking as he went, as if he knew what she was going to say and had spoken first.

"Miss Zhong is a very good person."

"Seeing us together today, she probably still harbored a sliver of hope."

"Precisely because she's a good person, I shouldn't let her wait like this, without knowing why."

"Therefore, I need to explain it to her in person."

At this point, he stopped and turned around.

Meeting Qin Zhaoer's gaze, the girl's barely concealed panic was laid bare.

Although he saw through it all, Qin Wangchuan's usually calm eyes softened, turning into a rare seriousness and gentleness.

Eighth Sister is still Eighth Sister after all.

"I'll be right back."

"You stay here and wait for me."

Meeting those gentle eyes, Qin Zhaoer opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Until Qin Wangchuan turned and walked away.

She instinctively took half a step forward to chase after him.

But as soon as he took a step, he seemed to remember something, hesitated, and pulled his foot back.

Qin Zhaoer herself couldn't explain where this feeling of uncertainty and anxiety in her chest came from.

This has never happened before...

What she didn't know was...

The reason we didn't have it before was because we never truly possessed it.

But things are different now.

That person was right beside her, so close.

The proximity aroused both her greed and a sense of fear of losing it.

Qin Zhaoer couldn't quite remember what happened after that.

Her mind was a jumbled mess, with only one image stuck in her head—

Against the backdrop of a noisy campfire, the figure walked slowly toward her, the flickering flames casting shadows on half of his face.

Qin Zhaoer was completely mesmerized.

I don't know if it's because of the firelight.

She suddenly realized that the person in front of her was... why was he so good-looking?

It was so beautiful that it dazzled her eyes and captivated her heart.

"Let's take a walk while it's lively," he said.

And so, just like the thousands of young couples in the square, the two walked side by side, slowly around the roaring bonfire.

The firelight reflected on my face, making me feel warm and cozy.

Qin Wangchuan, unusually in a good mood, began to chatter on about trivial matters.

He talked about the neighbors he had become familiar with in the town, about the incident at Broken Tiger Stronghold, about Soaring Tower, about Zhou Heng, and about today's absurd yet lively welcoming of the gods, and commented:

"It's quite interesting."

He gazed at the leaping flames, his tone carrying a gentleness he himself didn't realize, "This place... we didn't make a mistake coming here."

They kept talking over there.

Qin Zhaoer, on the other end, didn't respond much.

She walked quietly beside him, her mind racing, with only one thing on her mind.

That was something she had been planning for a long time, but had never dared to say aloud.

At this moment, warmed by the cozy firelight and stirred by his words, he could no longer suppress his emotions.

Just when Qin Wangchuan thought she was unusually well-behaved tonight—

Qin Zhaoer suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Qin Wangchuan, not understanding why, also stopped and turned to look at her.

The next moment.

She strode forward, stood in front of him, looked up, and gazed at him intently and without blinking.

The panic and grievance from before were gone from those eyes.

All that remained was an unwavering, resolute determination.

"Qin Wangchuan."

Let's get married.

These words sounded somewhat familiar to Qin Wangchuan.

After all, this is the second time.

His reaction was exactly the same as last time.

Almost instinctively, he refused, but as the words were about to come out, his gaze met Qin Zhaoer's eyes.

Those eyes were red, still brimming with tears, and they were staring at him intently.

At first glance, it appears to be full of seriousness.

But what lies beneath is more fear.

She was afraid of him, so she rejected him again.

'... If I were to refuse outright, Eighth Sister would probably burst into tears on the spot.'

Qin Wangchuan had no reason to think this.

Then, another thought came to mind.

Anyway--

It's just a formality, nothing more.

The two of them will have to go back sooner or later.

This marriage in the Mortal World should not be taken seriously, nor should it be taken literally.

If it's fake, then... go along with her, what's the big deal?

As his thoughts turned to this point, Qin Wangchuan's gaze lingered on that face for a moment.

Speaking of which, Eighth Sister has always been unruly and harsh towards others, showing no mercy whatsoever.

But it was never the same with him.

He used to discipline this girl quite a bit, and he never let her off easily when it came to physical punishment.

Therefore, the reason why she treated him with such deference and care was probably because he had been disciplined in his early years and dared not act recklessly.

But now, seeing her so anxious and desperate...

Qin Wangchuan suddenly realized that perhaps, this was not the case.

That already precarious rejection sank even lower.

In the end, even he himself didn't realize when he had quietly sunk to the bottom.