Stepping out of Shrek Academy's oppressive, gloomy dungeon and bathing once more in the warm sunlight outside, Lan Fozi felt as though a lifetime had passed. Her mother's cold, despairing gaze in the dungeon still lingered in her heart, leaving her with a profound sense of helplessness.
Just then, Gu Yue, who had been walking beside her, suddenly stopped. She turned, her deep purple eyes resting quietly on Lan Fozi. Though her voice remained cool, it held less of its usual distance and a barely perceptible note of solemnity.
"Lan Fozi, I'll give you a chance." Gu Yue spoke slowly, every word reaching Lan Fozi's ears clearly. "You can keep trying to persuade her. Rest assured, we won't kill her. As long as she stops clinging blindly to her convictions and no longer makes an enemy of humanity, Shrek Academy will give her a place to call home."
Lan Fozi abruptly raised her head, staring at Gu Yue in disbelief. She had assumed that, as Tang Wulin's partner and the supreme Silver Dragon King of the human camp, Gu Yue would hate her mother to the bone and want nothing more than to see her dead. Never had she dared hope that Gu Yue would take the initiative to offer such forgiving words.
Looking at Gu Yue's stunning yet earnest face, Lan Fozi felt an indescribable warmth well up inside her. For an instant, time seemed to turn backward, and she remembered joining Shrek to gather intelligence and meeting Gu Yue for the first time. Back then, Gu Yue's otherworldly bearing and breathtaking beauty had captivated her at first sight.
Lan Fozi silently mocked herself. *Perhaps my feelings for Gu Yue really did begin with a little lust at first sight. After all, who wouldn't be moved by such a