The last trace of warmth in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes shattered completely, turning into towering ice.
She swept Dai Mubai with a cold glance, as though looking at a heap of stinking garbage, then turned and left, utterly resolute, without the slightest lingering attachment.
"Zhu Zhuqing, listen to my explanation."
Dai Mubai's shout came from behind her. Zhu Zhuqing turned a deaf ear and charged straight out of the Rose Hotel, plunging into the swirling snow.
The freezing wind struck her face, yet she felt clearer-headed than ever before.
Dai Mubai's hypocrisy and depravity only threw the candor and deep affection of that man she had never met into sharper relief.
That man named Xiong Shaoqing saw through all of this long ago. He even lamented how unfair it was to me in his diary.
Emotion surged through Zhu Zhuqing, and an unprecedented gratitude and intense curiosity instantly filled the sea of her heart.
All she wanted now was to find the man who understood her pain and see for herself just what sort of person he was.
Inside the Flavor-Seeking Tower.
[Ding! Detected that Zhu Zhuqing personally witnessed her fiancé's betrayal. Her illusions have been completely shattered, and she feels extreme gratitude and intense curiosity toward the host. Her fortune has shifted significantly.] [Host reward: Soul Power has broken through two level barriers in succession.] [Current Soul Power: level 13.]
The hot tea Xiong Shaoqing had just sipped nearly went down his windpipe.
Level thirteen.
Soul Power surged through his body like rushing rivers, and the violent power forcibly widened his meridians by another considerable margin.
Well, damn. This little wildcat moved fast. She actually caught him in bed.
Xiong Shaoqing was ecstatic inside. This round of unwitting assistance had been beautifully played.
Since the fish has taken the bait, I'll cast the net now and scoop you straight into my basket.
His expression remained unchanged as he rose with the packed food containers and led Xiao Wu out of the restaurant.
Amid the wind and snow, he began planning.
To make Zhu Zhuqing seek him out of her own accord, he had to reveal his whereabouts in the diary.
But he knew perfectly well that he absolutely could not act as though he knew Zhu Zhuqing had already arrived in Suotuo City, much less what she had just experienced. Otherwise, the authenticity of their eavesdropping on his thoughts would be greatly diminished.
He had to cast his bait without leaving a trace, using a helpless tone of "recalling his previous life and working out the timeline."
After returning to the inn, he summoned the Destiny Diary in his mind and, using the falling snow as his pretext, began writing:
[After dinner, I brought our packed food and settled into the Listening Snow Inn in the south of the city with Xiao Wu.]
[This inn may not be in a bustling neighborhood, but its quiet makes up for that. Open the window, and you can see the wind and snow sweeping through the whole city.]
[Watching the snow fill the sky, I don't know why, but that girl Zhu Zhuqing came to mind again. Judging by the key events I remember from my previous life, if fate's course hasn't shifted too far, she should probably arrive in Suotuo City within the next few days.]
[Whenever I think of a woman as proud and pure-hearted as her, who cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in her eyes, traveling a thousand miles full of hope, only to be destined to uncover Dai Mubai's disgusting face with a woman in each arm at that filthy Rose Hotel, I feel that heaven is truly unfair.]
[That girl has such a fierce temperament. If she really faces a betrayal that brings her sky crashing down, how hopeless will she feel?]
[Unfortunately, with my current strength, even protecting myself is a problem. Nor do I know which snowbound road she has reached, so I have no way to stop this tragedy beforehand.]
[I only hope that if she really arrives in Suotuo City in the next few days and witnesses that heart-piercing scene, she can stay strong and not do anything foolish in the snow. If only someone could hand her a cup of hot tea when she is at her most shattered and helpless.]
Finishing the last stroke, Xiong Shaoqing put away the diary with satisfaction.
Perfect. This deduction was entirely reasonable.
On the surface, he was lamenting fate's helplessness and worrying about her future suffering, but in reality, he had struck precisely at her present, most vulnerable wound.
I've got that hot tea ready for you at the Listening Snow Inn in the south of the city.
Chapter 25: First Meeting with Zhu Zhuqing
Next door, Xiao Wu read the diary in her mind. Though she felt a little jealous that her big brother cared so much about another girl, she thought of how that girl named Zhu Zhuqing was destined to suffer such misery.
Most of the jealousy in her heart dissipated, and instead, she felt all the more that her big brother was cold outside but warm within, gentle to his very bones.
Meanwhile, on the freezing streets of Suotuo City.
Zhu Zhuqing, who had run out of the Rose Hotel and was wandering aimlessly through the snow, stopped abruptly.
Reading the tender words appearing in her mind, her eyes, which had been dry with anger, instantly blurred with tears.
She had not shed a single tear when facing Dai Mubai, yet now the line in the diary, "If only someone could hand her a cup of hot tea when she is at her most shattered," sent the floodgates crashing open.
The timing was far too perfect, so perfect that Zhu Zhuqing felt a shiver of destiny.
This man did not know she had arrived in Suotuo City tonight, nor that she had only just escaped that filthy Rose Hotel.
He was merely far away, relying on that mysterious foreknowledge, worrying about her alone by a snow-swept window, afraid she might do something foolish, regretting that he could not offer her a cup of hot tea.
Such pure concern, offered in complete ignorance, was a hundred times more devastating than any deliberate comfort.
He knows nothing, yet understands everything...
So there really is someone in this world who understands my suffering, someone whose heart aches for me.
Zhu Zhuqing wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her gaze becoming utterly resolute.
The dead end at the Rose Hotel had been broken, but at the Listening Snow Inn in the south of the city, a lamp was burning for her.
She checked her direction and, without further hesitation, braved the wind and snow like a Hell Spirit Cat returning to its nest, heading straight for the Listening Snow Inn in the south of the city.
On that winter night of raging wind and snow, the door of the Listening Snow Inn in the south of the city was gently pushed open.
Freezing wind mixed with shards of ice swept into the lobby, making the candle flame at the counter flicker.
Wrapped in a thin black cloak, Zhu Zhuqing stepped into the inn.
She shook the snow from her shoulders. Her pale, cold face showed no expression, but her dark eyes concealed the resolve left by the devastating blow she had just suffered.
She did not blindly knock on every room's door in search of him. That would be too deliberate and might even put him on guard.
"Innkeeper, a superior room." Zhu Zhuqing forcibly steadied her voice, which trembled slightly from the cold and her violently fluctuating emotions, and placed a Silver Soul Coin on the counter.
While the innkeeper lowered his head to register her, soft footsteps came from the wooden staircase leading down from the inn's second floor.
"Big brother, slow down. I could just ask the kitchen to warm up the food we brought back. Why did you have to come down yourself?" Xiao Wu's sweet, lively voice sounded from the staircase.
"The food needs to be warmed slowly over a gentle flame. The inn's staff are clumsy and could easily ruin the ingredients."
A cool, deep male voice followed.
Zhu Zhuqing's grip on her room token abruptly tightened. Almost holding her breath, she slowly turned toward the bend in the staircase.
It was the first time she had truly seen, in reality, this man who had grieved so deeply for her in his diary.
Xiong Shaoqing wore a heavy, somewhat worn cloak, his figure as straight as a pine.
His angular face held a depth tempered by life's vicissitudes, especially those pitch-black eyes, cold and tranquil, which seemed capable of seeing through every falsehood in the world.
As Xiong Shaoqing descended the stairs, his gaze casually swept across the lobby and instantly settled on Zhu Zhuqing.
Outwardly, Xiong Shaoqing's face was ice, but inside, towering waves surged.
Holy shit, what a visual impact.
He sucked in a cold breath inwardly. In his previous life, watching the animation through a screen, he had marveled at Zhu Zhuqing's figure, but that could not compare to even a ten-thousandth of seeing her standing before him now.
With her cloak no longer concealing her, the tight black leather outfit outlined every inch of her scorching curves, so utterly at odds with her age and so exaggerated they could make a person spurt blood.
Yet in stark contrast to that devilish figure was her exquisite face, cool and stubborn, with a touch of unapproachability.
Especially now, with her eyes slightly red and unmelted snow still clinging to her, the shattered quality unique to an icy beauty could instantly drive a person's protective instincts to their peak.
Stay steady. The God King persona absolutely cannot collapse. Right now, he's just some random passerby.
Xiong Shaoqing forcibly suppressed his amazement. His gaze lingered on Zhu Zhuqing for only half a second before he coldly looked away, as though she were a lifeless block of wood, and headed straight toward the inn's kitchen.
The two passed each other.
At the very instant the distance between them closed to within ten feet.
[Ding!]
A crisp system notification suddenly rang out deep within both Xiao Wu's and Zhu Zhuqing's minds.
[Social System triggered: detected goddesses possessing copies meeting within ten feet of each other. Would you like to add each other as friends?]
Xiao Wu stopped short, her eyes widening as she stared fixedly at the name that appeared on the system panel: Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing? That woman from the Star Luo Empire in the diary, the one betrayed by her fiancé, whom big brother was just worrying about by the window?
Xiao Wu's heart pounded. Without the slightest hesitation, before they had formally faced each other, she immediately channeled her Soul Power, sending a secret voice transmission directly into Zhu Zhuqing's mind.
"Are you little sister Zhu Zhuqing? I'm Xiao Wu. Big brother doesn't know we can read the diary right now, so whatever you do, don't let it slip. Quick, let's pretend we're old friends who haven't seen each other in ages, so he won't get suspicious."
A flicker of astonishment passed through Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes.
Having just suffered betrayal, her mind was in turmoil, but she had not expected the diary's other holder to be so alert.
She quickly suppressed her shock and replied by voice transmission, "Understood."
With a shift of thought, both quickly selected [Accept] in their seas of consciousness.
[Ding! Copy holders Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing have successfully added each other as friends!] [Both parties receive a permanent buff: Soul Power purity +5%!]
Both women trembled at once. An invisible, sacred power instantly coursed through their bodies, forcibly cleansing their impurities. As their Soul Power circulated, it became increasingly concentrated and pure.
Zhu Zhuqing was filled with shock. Just what sort of heaven-defying divine treasure was this mysterious diary? Not only could it let them peer into that man's thoughts, but merely adding a friend could directly improve a Soul Master's fundamental aptitude.
The instant she cut off the voice transmission, the shock on Xiao Wu's face vanished, replaced by a radiant smile of overwhelming delight.
She bounded over like a cheerful little bird and caught Zhu Zhuqing's icy hand.
"Oh, little sister Zhu Zhuqing, it really is you! It's been so long. I've missed you to death!"
Zhu Zhuqing stiffened slightly, but under the cover of Xiao Wu's enthusiasm, she followed along, revealing a faint joy at their reunion and nodding gently. "Big sister Xiao Wu, it's been a long time."
Chapter 26: The Prettier the Woman, the Better She Lies
"Big brother, look!" Xiao Wu turned and called loudly to Xiong Shaoqing's retreating back. "This is an old friend of mine, Zhu Zhuqing."
"We haven't seen each other in ages. I never thought we'd meet here. What a coincidence!"
Xiong Shaoqing stopped and slowly turned around.
Hearing Xiao Wu's emotionally convincing performance of an "old friends' reunion," Xiong Shaoqing remained icy-faced on the surface, while towering waves surged within him and inward complaints flew.
Holy shit. Old friends? Haven't seen each other in ages?
The corner of Xiong Shaoqing's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. As a transmigrator familiar with the original plot, he knew the truth perfectly well.
One was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit from the Star Dou Great Forest, the other a noble young lady raised in the secluded chambers of the Star Luo Empire. Their lives were so far apart that even eight poles laid end to end could not connect them. Before this, they had never even met.
Their first meeting had clearly taken place at Shrek Academy.
This rabbit is far too good at acting, isn't she? She doesn't even need to draft her lies or blink an eye.
Xiong Shaoqing's heart was full of shock, followed immediately by an indescribable, secret delight.
No wonder they say the prettier a woman is, the better she lies. Still, it looks like that innocent, obedient manner this rabbit usually shows me is an exclusive offering reserved just for me.
To help cover for me, she's even improvised the script herself. She really has gone to a lot of trouble.
Though his heart bloomed with delight, Xiong Shaoqing's control over his expression was flawless.
His gaze swept over Zhu Zhuqing's face. With her cloak no longer concealing her, her tight black leather outfit outlined her exaggerated, scorching curves to the fullest.
Yet in stark contrast to that devilish figure was her exquisite, cold face, with a touch of unapproachability.
Especially now, with her eyes slightly red and unmelted snow still clinging to her, the shattered quality unique to an icy beauty struck straight at the soul.
Stay steady. Right now, he's merely a cold-hearted God King who knows nothing.
Xiong Shaoqing forcibly suppressed his amazement. His gaze lingered on her for only half a second before becoming a pool of stagnant water.
His brows furrowed slightly, as though he were looking at a passerby who had nothing whatsoever to do with him.
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