Bibi Dong: Am I Really a Love-Struck Fool?

That matter had remained unresolved to this day, and she herself had never pressed for an answer.

Thinking of this, Bibi Dong pressed her lips into a thin line, a flicker of hesitation flashing through her eyes that even she failed to notice.

"He never tells me what he is thinking." Bibi Dong spoke suddenly, her voice carrying a trace of grievance she hadn't realized was there.

The moment the words left her lips, she froze.

She had never said such things to anyone.

As the Saintess of Spirit Hall, she had always remained aloof and composed; how could she harbor such petty, feminine emotions?

Yet, in front of Deng Tianxin, under the barrage of his relentless questioning, those things she had buried deep in her heart surfaced uncontrollably.

It wasn't that she didn't know certain things; she simply refused to think about them.

For instance, she was always the one to initiate their meetings; whenever she brought up her struggles with cultivation, Yu Xiaogang would always shift the topic to his own research; and whenever she asked for his opinion on Spirit Hall, he would always be vague and evasive.

Bibi Dong suddenly felt as if she were truly a fool in love.

Deng Tianxin watched the changes in Bibi Dong's expression and knew his words had taken effect.

He had never intended to change Bibi Dong's fate through these words; he merely wanted to obtain the fragment inside her.

Once he had the fragment, he didn't care what happened to her.

What he had seen and heard on Earth in his past life had taught him a few truths.

Good people don't get rewarded; respect the fate of others.

Sometimes, being a little selfish is fine; at the very least, it protects you from being hurt by others.

The vast majority of people are kind at heart, but seeing the bizarre things online made everyone realize that one shouldn't easily play the hero—it was better to be a bit selfish.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be going. Farewell."

"Stop right there."

Bibi Dong's voice came from behind him, her tone calm, yet it caused the step Deng Tianxin had just taken to come to an abrupt halt.

He turned his head mechanically to see that Bibi Dong had stood up at some point, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked down at him.

"Little brat," Bibi Dong tilted her head, a half-smile playing on her lips, "you stir up my mood and now you want to just turn tail and run?"

Deng Tianxin's mouth twitched.

Great, this woman was starting again.

"Big sister," Deng Tianxin turned around, trying his best to make his expression look sincere, "everything I said just now was for your own good, really. Even if the words were harsh, they came from the bottom of my heart—"

"Didn't you say you were a bandit just a moment ago?" Bibi Dong interrupted him unhurriedly, walking toward him with elegant steps before leaning down to get close to his face. "A bandit who doesn't focus on robbing, but instead concerns himself with my love life?"

Deng Tianxin was left speechless by her retort.

"Besides," Bibi Dong extended a finger and tapped Deng Tianxin's forehead lightly, "you little shrimp, do you even know what 'liking' someone means? Do you know what it means to be together? Do you know what a 'love life' is?"

"I..."

"How old are you? Six? Seven?"

"I..."

"A little brat acting all grown up, spouting grand principles," Bibi Dong poked his forehead with her finger, saying a word with every poke. Her tone held three parts mockery, three parts annoyance, and four parts of an indescribable, complex emotion.

Deng Tianxin retreated repeatedly under her pokes, finally covering his forehead and glaring at Bibi Dong with a face full of indignation.

What did he say? No good deed goes unpunished! He had kindly tried to warn her, and not only was she ungrateful, but she was also poking his head!

Sure enough, it was better to be selfish.

"Big sister," Deng Tianxin took a deep breath, his small face set in a serious expression, "I admit I'm young, but everything I said was the truth. If you don't like hearing it, just pretend I never said it. Anyway, I—"

"Who told you that you could leave?" Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow.

"Then what do you want?" Deng Tianxin spread his hands helplessly. "I've been hit, I've been scolded; if you're still unhappy, isn't an apology enough?"

Bibi Dong looked at Deng Tianxin's "I give up" attitude and suddenly burst into laughter.

Strange.

It was truly strange.

Clearly, his words had made her feel stifled just moments ago, digging up all the issues she had deliberately avoided and leaving her in a foul mood.

But seeing him act like a little adult made her unable to help but laugh.

This little brat, clearly still a nursing child, yet always wearing an expression that suggested he had seen through the world.

Clearly terrified of her, yet still daring to say such heart-piercing things.

"An apology won't be necessary," Bibi Dong stopped smiling and looked at him earnestly. "What you said just now, although harsh, but..."

She paused, as if weighing her words.

"But there were indeed some things I hadn't considered."

Deng Tianxin was stunned.

This was certainly beyond his expectations.

He had expected Bibi Dong to continue bickering with him or even resort to violence, but he never imagined she would actually concede.

Bibi Dong crouched back down in front of him, her expression devoid of its previous mockery, replaced by a rare, genuine seriousness.

"You're right; I truly have no evidence to prove that Xiaogang isn't a failure," Bibi Dong murmured, as if speaking to herself. "And I truly don't know what he's thinking. Every time I ask him, he tells me I don't understand, and that he'll tell me once he succeeds."

She offered a bitter smile.

"But when will he ever succeed? Even he can't say for sure."

Watching Bibi Dong in this state, Deng Tianxin didn't know what to say.

This wasn't right; he was here to collect fragments, not to act as a relationship counselor.

Besides, he had just declared that he would never play the good guy, that he would respect the fate of others, and that he would let Bibi Dong do whatever she pleased.

However...

Looking at her bowed head, Deng Tianxin realized he couldn't just turn around and walk away.

Damn it, this cursed kindness.

"Ahem," Deng Tianxin cleared his throat, crossing his arms and putting on an impatient facade. "Big sister, I'm just going to ask you one thing."

Bibi Dong looked up.

"Do you like him as a person, or do you just like the feeling of liking him?"

Bibi Dong froze.

"What I mean is," Deng Tianxin held up his short hands, counting off on his fingers one by one, "do you truly believe he is worth your affection, or are you just clinging to him because he was the only one who cared about you and understood you?"

Bibi Dong opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Seeing this, Deng Tianxin added, "If someone else appeared now—someone who cared for you more, understood you better, and was more powerful and talented than him—would you stop liking him?"

Bibi Dong's brows furrowed slightly as she fell into deep thought.

She had never considered this question before.

All this time, she had believed that Yu Xiaogang was the only person who understood her.

The people of Spirit Hall respected her because she was the Saintess, fawned over her because of her status, and feared her because of her strength.