How Many Relationships Have You Been In?

No? But this time the man finally made a move. He blocked his hand and said in a hoarse voice, "No, please let me continue watching you."

Since everyone had already offered to treat him, Tao Qiu felt bad about continuing to bully him, so he withdrew his hand.

He turned over and sat in the passenger seat next to him, crossed his arms and looked around the car, but didn't meet the gaze of the man looking at him.

"There's really no one else in your car? I thought you were lying to me."

In fact, Tao Qiu had already seen that there was no one hiding in the car after getting in. Tying the man's hands was just to add an extra layer of protection, so his words were just making conversation.

Lou Yu straightened his legs again, his body and his heart still reluctant to let go of the Snow Bird.

Lou Yu said, "I wouldn't lie to you about something like this."

Tao Qiu leaned closer to him and asked curiously, "To be honest, we've only met a handful of times, you could count them on one hand. Aren't you afraid I'll lose my temper and tear you apart and eat you?"

Lou Yu smiled, his gaze gentle. "Although we've only met a few times, I feel we've already established a certain foundation of trust. Otherwise, you wouldn't have revealed your secrets to me so readily."

After meeting the Snow Bird, Lou Yu's previous questions were all answered.

Snow Bird's words and actions are not like those of a mutated monster who has gained human form and learned human language; rather, he is a human with complete human consciousness and a certain amount of experience. Snow Bird is his second identity.

"Hmph, I'm far more powerful than you. Even if you knew all my secrets, I could easily kill you to silence you."

"If you wanted to silence me, then when I was being chased by the mutated wolves, you wouldn't have saved me, much less escorted me and my teammates back to base."

"I saved you because..." Tao Qiu didn't finish his sentence; after all, he had forced himself on the man that night.

Perhaps guessing what he was thinking, Lou Yu said earnestly, "You saved my life, so it's only right that you ask me for compensation. Besides, that kind of thing didn't harm me at all; on the contrary, I owe you more."

Hearing the man's words, Tao Qiu knew that his previous guess was correct. The man not only didn't blame him, but also regarded him as his savior and always wanted to repay him.

Tao Qiu also voiced his question, "Speaking of which, that night was the first time you saw me in my half-human, half-bird form, and we didn't have much interaction. Why didn't you bring anyone to capture me afterwards, or tell anyone that I could transform into human form? That should be considered a great achievement, right? The research value of a special monster like me is not low."

"Because I have selfish motives." Finally able to confess his feelings to the person he secretly loved, Lou Yu naturally spoke frankly and without reservation.

His gaze never left the Snow Bird, as if he wanted to make up for all the time they had missed.

"I like you. It was love at first sight, or you could call it lust. In short, my heart sided with you at that moment. Rather than being cold and indifferent, which might harm your laboratory, I want you to continue living freely outside."

The Snow Bird is a mutated monster, but it has never shown any malice towards humans. This is the fundamental premise that Lou Yu is willing to help him conceal.

Tao Qiu was surprised that the man admitted his feelings for him so readily. He was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly felt relieved.

He laughed, "While it wasn't love at first sight for me, I certainly couldn't forget you after that night. You could call it lust at first sight... Well, we're both in the same boat."

"Perhaps 'a match made in heaven' would be a more fitting description?"

Tao Qiu looked up upon hearing this and happened to meet the man's gaze.

When their eyes met, the intimate moments they had shared before resurfaced in their minds, and their breathing became heavier.

Both of them looked as if they had been electrocuted, and simultaneously turned their faces away.

Tao Qiu clicked his tongue inwardly: Developing too fast makes it easy for the foundation to become unstable; they're even shy about making eye contact.

"Ahem..." Tao Qiu cleared her throat, trying to change the subject to lighten her mood.

He said, "Why did you come out alone this time? It's so dangerous out there."

Lou Yu explained, "I came here specifically to see you. If there were other people around, you definitely wouldn't be as open and honest with me as you are now."

Tao Qiu thought the man was right; he indeed didn't want to expose his secret to more people for the time being.

Now that things were out in the open, Tao Qiu saw no need to keep the man tied up any longer, so she bent down to untie the data cable for him.

As he untied the clothes, he looked at the man, his eyes now much more open and honest. "There are other mutated monsters out there, more than just me. What if you encountered other powerful, man-eating monsters before you met me?"

Lou Yu realized that Snow Bird was concerned about him, so his smile deepened, "I have the ability to protect myself, you see."

He rubbed his wrists, which were a little numb from being tied up, and then pulled a piece of paper from the cardboard box. He folded it and held it between his fingers. Then a flash of electricity appeared, the paper caught fire, and in the blink of an eye, it turned to ashes.

Tao Qiu's eyes widened, and he said, "You have superpowers? Wait, humanity has finally evolved and become superpowered beings?"

Lou Yu found his expression somewhat endearing and chuckled, saying, "Humanity didn't experience a major evolution. This is the result of human research—by injecting a power -Awakening Reagent, ordinary people can gain supernatural powers. I obtained lightning-type power."

Tao Qiu suddenly realized that it was perfectly normal for humans to take this path in order to deal with the overly powerful mutated monsters.

Or perhaps it's a bit late for people with superpowers to appear now.

"But the number shouldn't be too many." Otherwise, with so many humans going out on missions before, if they all used their superpowers, the news would have spread among the mutated monsters long ago.

Lou Yu nodded. "The development of the reagent is very difficult, and the failure rate of awakening is extremely high. Moreover, most failures are accompanied by death, so the number of superhumans is still very small. I'm the only one in the Yong'an Base."

In the darkness, bloodshed and sacrifice are inevitable when searching for a way out.

The topic was too heavy; the man had experienced awakening, which might remind him of some unpleasant things. So Tao Qiu took the opportunity to ask a slightly lighter question, "Your black pupils have turned purple; is that the effect of your special ability?"

Even when using his superpowers, Lou Yu's pupils are still blackish-purple. Before his identity as a superpower user was made public, whenever someone asked about the change in his pupil color, his answer was always that it was a private matter and he couldn't answer.

Given Lou Yu's status, few people would bother to pry into his background.

Furthermore, ordinary people had never seen someone with superpowers before, so how would they know that this was an external manifestation of superpowers?

Lou Yu's initially serious expression softened considerably, and he replied, "Yes, as my abilities gradually strengthen, the purple color will likely deepen."

"It must be very beautiful." After all, Tao Qiu had already seen how beautiful the Third Cub's eyes were.

"If my eyes turned completely purple, would you like it?" Lou Yu asked directly.

"Of course, with your good looks, any eye color will look good."

"I'm very pleased to receive your praise," Lou Yu said with a smile.

The fact that the person he likes affirms his looks indicates a physical attraction to him, which gives Lou Yu more confidence and makes him believe he can win Snow Bird's heart.

Hearing the man say that, Tao Qiu thought of her three children at home. They also liked being praised by him, so she could only say that he was indeed her own flesh and blood.

Chapter 40 How many relationships have you been in?

Speaking of the kids, Tao Qiu felt it best to get this over with quickly, because if he didn't go back soon, they would definitely worry.

"By the way, you came to see me alone today because you wanted to confess your feelings to me?"

After going around in circles for a while, Tao Qiu still managed to ask the most crucial question.

Lou Yu hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth, "It's spring now, and I'm afraid you'll find a partner and leave me, so I wanted to use this gift to sound out the situation. With the teammates around, some things might be inconvenient."

To be honest, that was Lou Yu's original intention.

The most satisfying outcome he had imagined before coming here was that, after his probing inquiries, the Snow Bird would tell him personally that she hadn't found a mate.

But the outcome was a million times better than he had imagined.

For a few seconds, Lou Yu seriously doubted that this wasn't reality, but rather a dream.

However, he immediately realized this wasn't a dream, because he would never dare to be so bold in his dreams.

Tao Qiu chuckled, squinting at the man like a cunning little fox. "You really like me that much? Afraid I'll find someone else? You risked danger to come and ask me all by yourself."

Lou Yu smiled, a hint of shyness mixed with joy, "Hmm, do you want me to be your only companion?"

"Tsk tsk, you're so good with words. I'm the one who should be worried. How old are you? How many relationships have you had?"

Seeing Tao Qiu's questioning gaze, Lou Yu wasn't panicked; he was only happy.

If you truly like him, you'll want to know about his romantic history.

I'm 26 this year. Before I met you, I had never been in a relationship or liked anyone else.

Tao Qiu raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Really," Lou Yu assured him. "I have no reason to lie. To put it bluntly, I'm a well-known figure at both the Yong'an Base and the former Central Base. You can ask around if you have the chance. If I've told a single lie, you can do whatever you want with me."

"Okay? Fine, I'll reluctantly believe you for now."

Although that's what he said, Tao Qiu actually believed him 99%. The man wasn't even envious of the great achievement of discovering his ability to transform into human form, so there was no need for him to lie to him about something like this.

Furthermore, having been in a relationship is nothing to be ashamed of.

"And you?" Lou Yu countered, "Have you ever been in a relationship? Have you ever liked anyone?"

Tao Qiu was quite honest. "I've never dated, but back in school I had my eye on several handsome guys, but they were all straight, so I was too embarrassed to pursue them."

Lou Yu was a little jealous. "Am I handsome?"

"They each have their own strengths. You're a mature kind of handsome, while they're the kind of youthful, fresh-faced type. They're not in the same league, so there's no way to compare them."