Page 132

Even when he's with the kids, he remains the same optimistic and enthusiastic person, practicing hunting with them and cooking them delicious meals.

Are the kids willing to pretend they know nothing and continue to play along, acting as if nothing happened?

That afternoon, while they were watching TV together, a scene of war between two countries happened to appear in the show.

Female supporting role

The plot revolves around the protagonist's lover being drafted into the army, only to die on the battlefield.

The female supporting character was heartbroken when she received the news of the death, and the accompanying mournful music made for a very touching scene.

If it were before, the kids would definitely have been crying their eyes out.

Dad cries too, but he wipes their tears and tries to cheer them up while he cries.

But the three kids were staring blankly at the screen, sitting beside Tao Qiu, not daring to move, let alone cry.

Because they heard their father sobbing, and tears were dripping onto his hands.

And unlike the previous times, Dad didn't cry openly. Instead, he comforted them, saying it was all fake and they shouldn't cry themselves sick.

He only shed tears silently, and sometimes when he couldn't control himself, he would let out a few soft sobs.

The children all understood that their father was projecting the plot of a TV drama onto himself. He was afraid of ending up like the female supporting character, waiting for years only to receive news of his lover's death, or even never seeing her remains.

Tao Qiu cried for hours, his eyes were swollen from crying. Even when the kids tried to comfort him, they could only pretend they didn't know the truth, just like he had before, saying that the plot was all fake and it wasn't worth crying your eyes out over.

By the end of May, they still hadn't seen the human. Red Fox even came to ask Tao Qiu when the human would come to collect the materials.

Although Tao Qiu and her son maintained a facade of warmth, Tao Qiu's mood was becoming increasingly depressed, a fact that was obvious to everyone.

Even the Green Python mother and her cub, along with the Black Rabbit, sensed Tao Qiu's sadness. "Something's wrong," they thought, "So I'll ask him directly, and then I'll inquire with the cubs."

The kids certainly couldn't tell the truth; they could only lie and say they didn't know either.

In early June, a light rain began to fall. After lunch, the children, wanting to cool off, transformed into human form and lay down on the mats for a nap.

Tao Qiu was worried that their stomachs would get cold, so she covered them all with a thin sheet.

The children slept peacefully, Tao Qiu wasn't sleepy. She sat on the edge of the bed reading a book, but what she was actually looking at were a few photos tucked inside.

He had looked at the photo countless times; he could recall every detail even with his eyes closed.

But how could he endure this endless worry and longing if he didn't look at it?

Suddenly, as if sensing something, Tao Qiu's heart skipped a beat. He looked up at the outside of the cave, his eyes widening.

Was it his imagination? He seemed to hear the sound of wheels rolling over the ground amidst the pattering rain.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, the long wait made Tao Qiu unwilling to give up any hope.

He threw down his book and stood up, his mind solely focused on going out to check on his children. He completely forgot about the sleeping creatures and quickly ran out of the cave, transforming into a bird and flying out of the valley.

As soon as Tao Qiu left, the three kids sat up in unison.

Actually, they weren't asleep at all; they were just pretending so their dad wouldn't worry.

The Second Cub asked, "Dad, did he go out? Did that human come?"

Third Cub: "Dad's so excited, it must be!"

The Second Cub asked again, "Brother, are we going out to see it this time?"

The Eldest Cub didn't reply, but the Second Cub and Third Cub turned their heads and found him looking down at the book his father had dropped on the bed—or rather, at the scraps of paper that had slipped out of the book.

The Second Cub's heart suddenly started pounding wildly.

Is this what Dad has been looking at?

The Second Cub and Third Cub were sitting in a spot where they couldn't see what was on the piece of paper. The Third Cub swallowed hard and nervously asked the Eldest Cub, "Brother, what's that?"

The Eldest Cub's eyes widened in surprise, as if he were stunned.

When the Second Cub and Third Cub still didn't get a reply, they simply crawled over on their own.

After seeing the image on the paper, Third Cub's emotions fluctuated the most because what she noticed first was the person's eyes on the paper.

Although the overall appearance is jet black, there is a noticeable purple tinge around the pupils.

And her eyes are purple...

As soon as Tao Qiu flew out of the valley, he indeed saw that familiar black car not far away.

This was the closest Lou Yu had ever parked his car to the valley, but he didn't honk the horn or get out to call Tao Qiu. He just stood there quietly, like a silent stone.

Lou Yu sat in the car, head down, his haggard face filled with pain and struggle.

He came; he finally came.

He didn't know how to face Tao Qiu, so even after arriving here, he dared not take the next step.

She both wanted to see Tao Qiu and was afraid to see Tao Qiu.

Lou Yu, you're such a coward!

"Bang bang!"

Lou Yu was cursing himself in his heart when he suddenly heard the sound of a car door being banged on. He subconsciously opened his eyes and saw that Tao Qiu had already transformed into human form and was standing outside. Her sharp gaze fell on him through the glass window, as if she were real.

Before my mind could even process it, my hand instinctively reached out and opened the car door.

Tao Qiu rushed up like a gust of wind, grabbed Lou Yu by the collar and pulled him to the more spacious back seat. She then tackled him to the middle aisle, straddled his waist, and tore at his clothes with red eyes.

He was very strong and in a fit of rage; he tore Lou Yu's outer garment and inner lining to shreds.

Lou Yu struggled a few times as he fell, but then he remained motionless, staring straight at Tao Qiu, his eyes gradually reddening.

When Tao Qiu saw the numerous scars on Lou Yu's body, especially the hideous new wound on his abdomen, she could no longer hold back. After a sob, tears streamed down her face like the rain outside.

Tao Qiu didn't say a word, he just kept crying, his long, wet hair hanging down his shoulders, making him look even more pitiful.

Lou Yu also started crying. He sat up, pulled Tao Qiu into his arms, wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, and buried his head in his chest.

"Qiuqiu, my Qiuqiu..." Lou Yu's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Tao Qiu hugged Lou Yu, originally intending to punch him a few times, but thinking of his injuries, she ultimately chose to wrap her arms around his back.

Their skin touched, feeling each other's body temperature. Lou Yu kissed Tao Qiu's damp hair, inhaling his familiar scent. His heart, which had been wandering for so long, slowly settled down without him realizing it.

After an unknown amount of time, until both of them were exhausted from crying, Tao Qiu finally separated herself from Lou Yu by a little distance. Staring at his face, she said in a voice still trembling with tears, "More than half a year, we haven't argued or broken up, yet we've been separated for so long. Lou Yu, do you know? If I had torn open your clothes and hadn't seen any injuries on your body, I really would have bitten you to death."

Lou Yu reached out to wipe away the tears on Tao Qiu's cheeks, his voice trembling as he said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Qiuqiu, bite me if you want. I'd be willing to die in your hands."

Tao Qiu slapped his hand away and said fiercely, "What nonsense are you spouting! I've been living in fear for half a year, just afraid you'd die, okay? It's so hard to see you, and you say you want to die? Are you asking for a beating?!"

Lou Yu didn't retort, "Didn't you say you were going to bite me to death first?", but instead went along with him, saying, "It was my fault. I didn't know how to speak properly. Qiuqiu, please forgive me, okay?"

"Forgive you? If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I'll cripple your leg, and you'll forgive me?"

Lou Yu said softly, "Yes, I'll tell Qiuqiu everything, I won't hide anything from her."

As he spoke, Lou Yu first helped Tao Qiu up and sat him down in his seat. Then he went to the front to close the car door to prevent the wind and rain from blowing in. He then took some tissues and went back to hug Tao Qiu back into his arms.

As he wiped Tao Qiu 'Tao Qiu face and dried her wet hair with tissues, he softly told her everything he had done since he got back.

This includes the successful development of the reagent, the entire process and results of the awakening experiment, the invasion of the mutated monster, his hospitalization, and his selfishness and inner conflict after meeting Zhao Tao.

"I could have come out in mid-May, but I was too scared. I was afraid that you would find out about my greed and despise me, thinking that my approach to you and my declarations of love were all for ulterior motives. So I kept putting it off until last night, when I had a dream and woke up, I finally made up my mind to come see you."

"I dreamt that I died after being stabbed in the abdomen by a mutated plant. My soul drifted out of my body and came here. I saw you still waiting for me, all alone, gazing in the direction of the base, your eyes full of longing. I called out to you desperately, but you couldn't hear me."

"I was startled awake, thinking that you must have been waiting for me just like in my dream, so I impulsively came out without thinking."

"But once we reached the outside of the valley, I hesitated again. I wanted to see you, but I was afraid to see you... Qiuqiu, I'm a cowardly and weak man, I'm sorry."

Lou Yu had thought it would be difficult to speak, but once he opened his mouth, he found that it wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.

He was used to being honest with Tao Qiu, even when it came to revealing his own selfishness and cowardice, he made no attempt to embellish or conceal anything.

After saying that, Lou Yu lowered his head, like a big dog that had made a mistake, resignedly waiting for its master to punish it.

Tao Qiu gently ruffled Lou Yu's hair, lifted his face, leaned in and kissed his swollen, burning eyelids, and said in a deep voice, "My Little Fishy? You made me wait for half a month just because you were afraid your selfishness would be exposed and you would abandon me?"

Lou Yu said again, "I'm sorry..."

Tao Qiu gently stroked his brow, her warm breath falling on his face, and asked calmly, "So what are you thinking now? Do you want me to give you crops to take back to that person named Zhao Tao and see if it works?"

Lou Yu honestly replied, "I do want the crops, but I want you to be safe and sound even more."