Zhu Zhuqing's worries

Hearing this, Tang San glared at Chen Jue.

You shameless fucking bastard.

You think you're fit to be my father?

You've already sealed your own death warrant!!!

Only Hu Liena had caught that fleeting moment and understood why Tang San had accidentally kowtowed.

Chen Jue was simply too wicked!

With effortless ease, he had used his soul power to guide an inconspicuous pebble, turning it into an invisible arrow that struck the crown of Tang San's head with unerring precision.

Watching Tang San suffer this humiliation, Chen Jue wore a teasing smile as he raised a hand and gently brushed Tang San's slightly disheveled hair.

A pat on the head!

"Tang San! Forget being your dad. Being your dad would be too embarrassing! Haha!"

His words brimmed with mockery and reckless swagger.

The moment he spoke, the air around them seemed to ignite, erupting in waves of laughter.

Even Tang San's good brother Dai Mubai couldn't help laughing.

At that moment, Tang San was the ultimate clown!

"You..."

Tang San was so furious his nose practically twisted out of shape!

His expression shifted unpredictably, the tip of his nose trembling with rage. Like a cat being toyed with, he looked utterly helpless and humiliated.

You're even being picky about it?

I...

He felt he had already lost every last scrap of dignity!

After apologizing, all he wanted was to have a proper talk with Xiao Wu and resolve the conflict between them as brother and sister.

At last, the farce came to an end. Seeing that it was almost noon, Flender announced that everyone would resume training that afternoon.

Only then did Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun remember that Oscar was still unconscious, and they immediately carried him back to the dormitory to rest.

Holding the Soul Bone, Chen Jue slowly walked up to Zhu Zhuqing and spoke softly.

"Zhu Zhuqing, this is for you!"

Zhu Zhuqing gazed at the Soul Bone, a flash of disbelief crossing her eyes before giving way to a tangled mix of emotions.

Ripples stirred in her heart, and she silently wondered.

He's actually giving me something as important as a Soul Bone?

Isn't Nana the most important person to him?

Why isn't he giving it to her?

And me... am I really worth treating this well?

After graduation, we'll be strangers...

Chen Jue's gentle gaze caught the glimmer of disbelief in her eyes. Almost instinctively, he opened his arms and wrapped them softly around her.

"I haven't spent much time with you these past few days. I'm sorry!"

His voice was low and resonant, carrying a faint trace of guilt.

Zhu Zhuqing gently shook her head and nestled against his chest, savoring the warmth and security she hadn't felt in so long.

"It's all right. You have things of your own to do. As long as there's a place for me in your heart, that's enough!"

At her words, Chen Jue unconsciously threaded his fingers through her silky hair, his eyes smiling with affection.

"Of course there's a place for you in my heart!"

"Really?"

Zhu Zhuqing's doubtful voice rang out, and Chen Jue nodded.

He really had neglected her these past few days. It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to spend some proper time with her.

Although Chen Jue was a womanizer, he never abandoned any of his women halfway through.

Zhu Zhuqing stared at the Soul Bone in her hands. As its radiance shimmered, her eyes reddened despite herself, and crystal-clear tears quietly slipped down her cheeks.

Noticing the faint trembling of her body, Chen Jue felt an inexplicable unease rise in his heart and asked gently.

"What's wrong?"

Zhu Zhuqing didn't answer directly. She merely handed the Soul Bone back to him.

A complicated light flickered in her eyes, holding resolve alongside deep guilt and reluctance.

"Brother Chen, take this back. I... I'm not worth it!"

With that, she left without looking back!

Having spoken, she abruptly turned away, her steps firm and decisive, as though fleeing some emotional entanglement she couldn't put into words.

The breeze gently lifted her hair, carrying away the last trace of warmth she had left behind.

Watching Zhu Zhuqing's retreating figure, Chen Jue felt a jumble of emotions.

Then he couldn't help turning his gaze toward Hu Liena beside him, trying to find some hint of an answer in her eyes.

After all, they had been together last night and shared a dormitory. She ought to know something.

But Hu Liena shook her head.

"I'm not really sure either, but I remember she seemed to cry last night!"

"I thought she'd had a nightmare, so I left her alone!"

"Something must have happened to her!"

Hearing this, Chen Jue frowned slightly and nodded.

"I'll go ask her. You girls go have lunch first!"

With that, he raced after her as fast as he could.

Afterward, Hu Liena cast a suspicious glance at Ning Rongrong with her beautiful eyes.

The state of her mouth, in particular, seemed oddly familiar.

It seemed... she had experienced that feeling herself.

But hadn't they encountered a ten-thousand-year soul beast?

Reason told her that Chen Jue and Ning Rongrong hadn't done anything.

But instinct told her that Chen Jue and Ning Rongrong had done something.

When Chen Jue hurried over, he found Zhu Zhuqing alone, curled up beneath the shade of a tree. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks, crystalline and sorrowful as morning dew.

His heart tightened, as though invisible threads had wound around it, bringing a dull ache.

Chen Jue frowned. The sight made his heart ache.

He couldn't understand what had happened that Zhu Zhuqing couldn't tell him.

"What's wrong?"

His voice was gentle and low.

Hearing him, Zhu Zhuqing quickly raised a hand and lightly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. A flicker of panic crossed her gaze as she looked up at that familiar, concerned figure.

"Why did you come?"

Her voice carried a barely perceptible tremor, as though even she hadn't expected him to find her so quickly.

A faint smile curved Chen Jue's lips, and he slowly sat down beside her.

"My woman is crying. Can't I come check on her?"

"Can't you tell me why?"

Zhu Zhuqing lightly bit her red lip and lowered her eyes, as though invisible shackles had bound all her words tight, unwilling to let even one escape.

"Are you afraid of burdening me?"

At last, Zhu Zhuqing lifted her eyes. A complicated emotion flashed through them before she quickly lowered them again, answering with only a tiny nod.

Seeing this, Chen Jue felt a tangle of emotions. He slowly leaned closer and gently wrapped his arms around her slender body.

"Zhu Zhuqing! I'm your man. You're not alone, understand? Whatever happens, we'll face it together!"

"I know you're afraid of burdening me, but you have to trust your Brother Chen. There's nothing your Brother Chen can't solve!"

"You've never been alone!"

His words held sternness, yet every one of them was filled with warmth.

At his words, the tears that had long gathered in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes finally broke through the dam, slipping down silently as the emotions in her heart poured out unchecked.

She had never felt such warmth. In the palace, where everyone schemed against everyone else, there had been nothing but endless deception and arrows loosed from the shadows.

Although they were her birth parents, they had never cared for her, treating her only as a tool for a political marriage.

The moment she lost her value, she would inevitably be replaced.

So she had fled, hoping to leave that den of trouble behind, only to be caught by her own elder sister.

If not for Brother Chen, she might already have died.

This was the first time she had felt warmth.

If she had initially gotten together with Chen Jue because he had saved her, and because she had seen Dai Mubai's true nature...

Then today, Chen Jue had deeply touched that tender place within her heart.

Only now had she truly fallen in love with him.

No...

I loved him before, too.

Now I love him even more.

The kind of love I'd die for.

Then Zhu Zhuqing parted her red lips and slowly poured out the burden in her heart to Chen Jue, every word carrying an almost imperceptible tremor.

"You're saying your family sent a letter yesterday, demanding that you return to marry Dai Mubai after graduating from Shrek Academy!"

"And if you refuse, your family will send people to take you back themselves?" Chen Jue asked.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly and pressed a little closer to him, as though seeking warmth and someone to lean on.

Complicated emotions flickered in her eyes: worry, reluctance to part, and uncertainty about the future.

"I don't want to leave you, but I don't want you to get hurt either!"

"That's why I didn't want to tell you. My family is actually a noble family of the Star Luo Empire-the Zhu Family!"

"Our family has powerful backing. They might send a Soul Douluo, or even a Titled Douluo, because this involves Dai Mubai. He's the Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire."

"The Third Prince? Haha!"

Chen Jue laughed when he heard that.

Titled Douluos from the Star Luo Empire?

They only have one or two, don't they?

But what about my backing?

Even setting aside the Worship Hall, one of the Spirit Hall's three halls, the Elder Hall alone has seven Titled Douluos.

Honestly, they could flatten the entire Star Luo Empire.

"You're still laughing? What could you possibly do? We're talking about Titled Douluos, experts at the very peak of the pyramid! There aren't more than a dozen or so on the entire continent!"

Hearing this, Chen Jue's smile widened. He gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and spoke softly.

"I'll handle this. Let them send whoever they want. Trust me!"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded gently. Though countless questions remained in her heart and she had no idea where his confidence came from, her trust was like the warm spring sun, comforting and unwavering.

Perhaps this was the highest realm of love: no need for questions, no need for words. Simply because it was you, I would trust without reservation.

Then Chen Jue casually raised his eyes and unexpectedly caught sight of a familiar figure!

A thin figure was pacing outside the girls' dormitory.

It was Tang San!

Judging by his anxious expression, he seemed unable to coax Xiao Wu into forgiving him!

Looks like I'll have to set an example for him to learn from!

Watch and learn.

Tang San!