CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 201: [IF ONE DAY I DIED...] (LONG CHAPTER)

Chapter Two Hundred and One: If One Day I Died...

There’s an eternal question that circulates among men: how should one placate an angry wife?

The answers are varied and colorful.

One solution, once widely acknowledged by men as highly effective, goes like this:

Ignore whatever she says, go straight up to her like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, lift her up, hold her tight, and give her a big bite!

Kiss her until she’s head over heels, and then the big problems shrink and the small ones disappear!

Rumor has it, this method is quite effective!

But the problem is...

The person who originally gave this answer never said—what if you have two of them, what are you supposed to do then?!

Chen Yanluo’s whole body stiffened; Lu Xixi’s gaze seemed to be all-encompassing.

In front of him, Sun Keke was leaning into his chest, her hands holding his...

A passionate kiss of long-awaited reunion?

Lift her up and throw her onto the sofa?

A little bit of teasing?

"Keke, this handsome young man, he is your boyfriend, right? Ah... I should say... Husband, huh?~"

Sun Keke blushed at these words and instinctively let go of Chen Nuo’s hands, but still leaned against him, coyly grumbling at Empress Lu, "Sister Xiao Lu, what...what husband... you..."

Having steadied her flustered gaze somewhat, Sun Keke then bravely managed to introduce him, albeit with shyness, "This is Chen Nuo, my classmate, and also my, my... my... boyfriend."

The girl lowered her head shyly as she said the last word, "boyfriend."

This was the first time Sun Keke had introduced Chen Nuo to someone else with this term.

Lu Xixi squinted, her smile bright and friendly.

But to Chen Nuo, this sort of smile always felt a bit sinister.

Um... In his past life, he had seen Empress Lu with this smile.

It was during a joint mission to Antarctica, and among them was a notoriously brutal individual from the Underground World known as "King of Killers"...

That time, the guy had offended Lu Xixi, and Lu Xixi had responded with that smile.

As for the outcome...

Well... how should I put it.

In his past life, at the time Chen Yanluo died and was reincarnated, that guy was still entombed beneath a glacier in Antarctica.

Perhaps in a few hundred years, he might be discovered and excavated.

Lu Xixi said, "Your boyfriend is quite handsome, huh."

Sun Keke laughed shyly.

Should I be polite and say something? Chen Yanluo thought.

Sun Keke said, "Sister Xiao Lu, your husband must also be really handsome."

Empress Lu neither agreed nor disagreed.

Should I thank her for the compliment? Chen Yanluo wondered.

Sun Keke’s mood seemed to be very cheerful; this was her first time introducing Chen Nuo as her boyfriend to one of her own friends. This experience was undoubtedly fresh and exciting.

Chen Nuo was pulled by Sun Keke into her home and entered the living room, setting his suitcase down by the door.

Chen Nuo gave Lu Xixi a beaming smile, but she seemed to completely ignore his look.

Sun Keke poured him water from the jug on the table, which helped her calm down from her excited state.

"Chen Nuo, let me introduce you. This is Sister Xiao Lu." School belle Sun seemed very happy. "Do you remember I told you about meeting a very beautiful sister in the mall once? We even exchanged phone numbers, and then..."

"And that’s how we met," Lu Xixi squinted, smiling as she interrupted Sun Keke, racing to say, "But unfortunately, later on, that damn husband of mine soaked my phone in the washing machine, nearly causing me to lose contact with such a cute girl!"

Um, Chen Yanluo got it!

This part, "that damn husband," is going to be on the test!

"So it seems... what a coincidence," Chen Nuo managed a forced smile.

"Right? It’s just so coincidental!" Sun Keke’s face brimmed with a smile, and then, slapping her forehead, she exclaimed, "Ah! And there’s an even bigger coincidence! Let me tell you, Sister Xiao Lu, she..."

"Actually, it’s not that much of a coincidence." Lu Xixi grabbed Sun Keke’s hand, pulling the girl close to herself, and then the two girls became affectionately close.

Chen Nuo’s gaze was fixed on Lu Xixi’s hand.

Empress Lu’s slender fingers gently touched Sun Keke’s equally delicate neck...

GULP.

Chen Nuo swallowed.

"So, you..." Chen Nuo looked at Lu Xixi.

"You can call me Sister Xiao Lu, just like Keke does," Lu Xixi said flatly.

"..."

After all, he was the Holy Hound.

After the initial rush of panic, he had quickly grasped the logic! Lu Xixi knew about Sun Keke’s existence! And clearly, Sun Keke did not yet know Lu Xixi’s true identity and her real relationship with Chen Nuo! Lu Xixi seemed to be hiding the truth on purpose, for reasons unknown, and had chosen not to force a confrontation then and there. Which meant... the key to the current situation was actually... to keep it hidden from Sun Keke.

But... to ask Chen Nuo to address Empress Lu as "Sister Xiao Lu" in front of Sun Keke...

He really couldn’t bring himself to say it, to call out the name! Why? When the two of you are alone, you call her ’wife’! Now, in front of another girl, you switch to calling her ’sister’. If such words really escaped his lips, Chen Nuo wasn’t sure if Lu Xixi would become enraged and tear him apart!

"Sister Xiao Lu is a flight attendant," Sun Keke said with a smile as she introduced her "new friend" to Chen Nuo, before adding, "And, what’s even more coincidental is..."

"Keke, it’s getting late, I have to go," Lu Xixi once again interrupted Sun Keke, shaking her head. "My flight leaves tonight."

"Ah!" Sun Keke blinked, then an expression of disappointment crossed her face. "I almost forgot. That’s really too bad. I didn’t know Chen Nuo would come back so suddenly today. I was thinking we could go out together later, and I’d see you off."

"It’s fine," Lu Xixi smiled lightly. "Don’t bother seeing me off; I can go by myself. You stay and keep your boyfriend company."

As she spoke, Lu Xixi paused, smiling, flashing her white teeth.

"After all, ’Absence makes the heart grow fonder’!"

Chen Yanluo’s body shivered!

Such intense killing intent!

So cold!

Sun Keke, on the other hand, was completely unaware and simply turned red at Lu Xixi’s words.

Despite being full of longing for Chen Nuo, at that moment, she was too shy to continue the conversation.

With a forced resistance to her tender feelings, she said through gritted teeth, "Oh, Sister Xiao Lu! What are you... what are you saying, ’Absence makes the heart grow fonder’?"

Taking a deep breath, Sun Keke insisted, "I should still go with you!"

"That’s not a good idea," Lu Xixi smiled broadly. "Your boyfriend just came back, shouldn’t you spend more time with him?"

"We, we’re fine; we can see each other tomorrow anyway. And... and I also promised my dad I’d have dinner at home tonight. If I don’t go now, he’s going to start calling me."

The girl, in fact, wished desperately to stay and cuddle with her boyfriend, to say many things they hadn’t been able to discuss during their separation...

But with her friend’s teasing, she felt flustered, and her head heated up, making her stubbornly pretend to be strong.

Um... at worst... she’d just go downstairs to send her off, then come back up. This was Sun Keke’s plan in her mind.

"Really?"

"Really!"

"It won’t affect you guys?"

"It won’t, I promise!"

Lu Xixi pursed her lips and smiled, then nodded. "Alright, then..."

Understanding her cue, Sun Keke immediately stood up. "Let’s go now."

"Uh..." Chen Nuo, who had been careful not to speak, couldn’t pretend to be clueless any longer. "We’re leaving now?"

The reason he was silent until now was that Chen Nuo still hadn’t grasped the complex situation. Following the principle of "the more you say, the more mistakes you make; if you say nothing, you make no mistakes," he opted to keep quiet to stay out of trouble.

At this moment, as Sun Keke stood up, she softly said to Chen Nuo, "You see... Chen Nuo, I’ve agreed with Sister Xiao Lu to leave together today. She’s a flight attendant and has a flight mission tonight. We planned to leave together. You just rest well at home. I’ll go back first today, and I’ll call you tomorrow."

"Okay!" Chen Nuo nodded briefly.

But Sun Keke deliberately turned her back to Lu Xixi and mouthed silently to Chen Nuo.

"I’ll be back later."

Chen Nuo sighed in his heart.

He certainly understood what she mouthed. Moreover, not only did he understand, Chen Nuo would bet that even though Sun Keke turned her back to Lu Xixi, Lu Xixi definitely "saw" it too! Since the moment he entered the door, Chen Nuo had felt Empress Lu’s spiritual power enveloping the small living room from all sides! It wasn’t just about Sun Keke turning her back to communicate with him through lip movements, a child’s trick. Even Sun Keke’s current heart rate was something Empress Lu could detect with utmost clarity!

"Let me walk you down," Chen Nuo also stood up.

"No need," Lu Xixi shook her head. "Keke and I will just head down by ourselves. You just got back from out of town, Mr. Chen; you must be tired."

"Uh, it’s no trouble."

"Really, no need." Lu Xixi’s tone was very friendly, but from her position behind Sun Keke, Chen Nuo could look past Sun Keke and see Lu Xixi’s icy gaze.

"...Alright, I won’t see you out then."

Afterward, Lu Xixi pulled a small carry-on suitcase from the corner of the living room, took it in her hand, and called to Sun Keke, "Then... let’s go."

With plans already in mind to send off this new friend and return, Sun Keke cheerfully accompanied Lu Xixi to the door, ready to head downstairs.

Chen Nuo escorted them to the doorstep, watching the two girls leave, with Lu Xixi even turning to wave at him.

GULP. He swallowed hard, forcing down another mouthful of saliva.

Lu Xixi and Sun Keke went downstairs and left the residential complex, standing by the roadside for two minutes before hailing a taxi.

"Sister Xiao Lu, you go to the airport. I’ll just take the bus home," Sun Keke tried to appear calm as she said with a smile.

Lu Xixi, unruffled, instructed the driver to put her suitcase in the car but shook her head. "Why take the bus? I might as well drop you off on my way."

"Ah?"

"Ah what? I’m going to the airport; it just so happens that I can pass by your house on the way. I remember you mentioned your home is near the No. 8 Middle School, right?"

"I’m afraid... afraid it might delay you..." Sun Keke was a little guilty.

"It won’t delay me; it’s on the way. And in this heat, why would you take the bus?" Lu Xixi smiled faintly but spoke in an indisputable tone, opened the car door, then turned to Sun Keke. "Stop dawdling, get in!"

"..."

Chen Nuo sat on the living room couch at home, his mind racing with thoughts as he tried to peel away the layers and analyze any viable clues...

He received a text message on his phone.

"Chen Nuo, I’m really heading home... Sister Xiao Lu is taking a taxi, insisted on dropping me off as it’s on the way. I felt bad refusing..."

No sooner had he finished reading, a second message came through.

"I’ll come to see you tomorrow. Rest well tonight, okay?"

Then came the third one.

"I... have been missing you a lot these days."

In the taxi, Lu Xixi watched Sun Keke next to her, holding her phone and texting. A complex look flashed in her eyes, and she deliberately said with a teasing laugh, "What’s up, texting your boyfriend?"

"...Yes." Sun Keke’s smile was both sweet and shy. "I told him to rest early."

Lu Xixi deliberately sighed. "I think I must have disturbed you two. You should have stayed tonight and spent some quality time with your boyfriend."

"No, that won’t do," Sun Keke’s face flushed, seemingly a bit panicked, quickly shaking her head. "My... my dad absolutely wouldn’t allow me to stay out late."

Seeing Sun Keke’s face turning red, Lu Xixi first paused, then seemed to understand something.

Frowning, she leaned closer to Sun Keke, lowering her voice. "Then your boyfriend... Can he hold back?"

"..." Sun Keke’s face grew even redder, whispering, "He... he respects me a lot. And... and he also promised my dad that he wouldn’t... wouldn’t... bully me."

Lu Xixi heard this and didn’t know quite what to feel, letting out a soft sigh.

It was 2001, and social customs surely weren’t as conservative anymore.

But they were still far from being as liberal as they would be twenty years later.

In this era, there was a term that would often come up in conversation: "premarital sex."

Even occasionally, some media outlets would bring this topic up for discussion: whether premarital sex was right or wrong.

In this era, although many people were already engaging in it, most still tended to conceal it slightly.

Even the media and some traditionally minded people would sometimes bring up this issue to debate its rights and wrongs and its significance.

—If this were more than ten years later, the term would hardly be mentioned by anyone.

Everyone would regard such matters as a normal and implicitly accepted part of existence.

The taxi stopped next to No. 8 Middle School. Sun Keke said farewell to Lu Xixi, got out of the car, and walked into the school’s faculty residential area.

It wasn’t until Sun Keke had entered the school grounds that Lu Xixi told the taxi driver indifferently, "Please, drive back."

"Huh?" The driver was a bit confused. "Aren’t you going to the airport?"

"Not anymore. Head back to where we started."

Before the driver could ask anything more, Lu Xixi had already handed over a hundred-yuan bill.

So, the driver shut up and quickly started the car.

Going there and back would only cost about ten-something yuan on the meter! The customer gave a hundred, which meant making an extra eighty-plus!

Although the trip to the airport would cover a longer distance and bring in more fare, the profit wouldn’t necessarily be as much, and it would also take more time.

Chen Nuo was waiting quietly at home.

He had no doubt that it would be Lu Xixi who came back! Although Empress Lu might not be all that clever, compared to Sun Keke, Chen Nuo still believed that Lu Xixi could easily handle the much more innocent Sun Keke.

Sure enough!

Ten minutes after receiving Sun Keke’s text message saying she had gone home, Chen Nuo, sitting quietly in the living room, heard the sound of his front door being unlocked...

The front door opened, and Lu Xixi slowly walked in, pulling behind her that little trolley suitcase.

Well... that’s a relief... The situation wasn’t too bad. At least, Lu Xixi didn’t resort to violence, didn’t break in by smashing the door...

Chen Nuo quickly went to greet her, his face bearing a kindly and righteous smile. "Uh... you’re back?"

"Did you hope it was me who returned, or Sun Keke?" Empress Lu casually threw her suitcase at the doorstep and closed the door behind her with a backhand.

"Uh... I knew it would be you who came back."

"Scumbag!" Lu Xixi huffed.

"...What if I said Sun Keke?"

"You damned scumbag!"

Well, at least the first one didn’t have "damned" in it.

Chen Nuo wanted to say something else, but Lu Xixi had already walked past him, swaying her slim waist and heading straight into the kitchen.

"Uh, what are you looking for? Thirsty? Shall I pour you a drink?" Chen Nuo hurriedly followed her.

Then, he broke into a sweat!

Lu Xixi picked up a fruit knife from the knife rack and gently brandished it a couple of times in her hand.

"You know, Lu Xixi, I think that if there’s any problem between people, the best way is to communicate through language..."

Empress Lu turned a deaf ear but casually set down the fruit knife and picked up a kitchen knife, again brandishing it gently in her hand.

"GULP... You see, Sima Qian once said, ’Those who rely on virtue prosper; those who rely on force perish.’ This shows that resorting to violence is not..."

Empress Lu then picked up a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, weighing it in her hand.

"...Well, violence might make someone surrender, but it can’t make them truly compliant—that’s what Tolstoy said!" Chen Yanluo managed to continue.

"Oh?" Lu Xixi turned around to look at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo looked back at her... Lu Xixi with a flat pan in her left hand and a kitchen knife in her right.

Chen Yanluo immediately took a step back.

"Why is it that everything I’ve heard about violence means something different from what you’re saying?" Lu Xixi said coldly with a smirk. "What I’ve heard is that violence itself is a form of power!"

"Who, who said that..."

"Marx."

"..."

Chen Nuo took a deep breath and said with a forced smile, "How about you put down the knife first, and we talk this out properly?"

"Put it down for what?" Lu Xixi raised an eyebrow with a cold smirk. "If I put it down, what will I use to chop the vegetables?"

"Chop, chop vegetables?" Chen Nuo’s eyes widened. "Then, this pan..."

"Of course the pan is for stir-frying. What else would it be used for?" Lu Xixi asked indignantly.

Well... it could also be used for taking the blame... Chen Nuo muttered under his breath but still frowned and said, "You’re going to cook here?"

"No." Lu Xixi shook her head. "First, it’s not me who’s going to cook; it’s you! Second, we’re not cooking here; we’re cooking at my place."

Alright, the first point was easy to understand. Chen Nuo didn’t think Lu Xixi might cook for him.

It wasn’t just that Empress Lu couldn’t cook; even if she could, under today’s circumstances, if a woman still had the inclination to cook for a man like himself, she would have to have a very charitable heart!

But the second point...?

"Your place?"

"Yes, my place."

「Two minutes later, in the house across from his.」

Chen Nuo looked around at the furnishings and the clearly clean, tidied room.

"This is... your place?"

"Yeah, I’ve rented it and am planning to buy it," Lu Xixi said icily. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Warily glancing at the kitchen knife in the woman’s hand, Chen Yanluo decisively shook his head!

"No problem at all! From what I know, the real estate market in Huaxia is booming, making it an excellent time to invest! A house like this, bought now, could easily increase two to three times in price in five years."

"Whether I make money or not, do I have to share it with you?"

"...No, that’s not what I meant."

"Then what are you standing around for?" Lu Xixi finally set the knife and pan down—on the table. "Go cook. I want braised pork ribs! The ribs are in the fridge."

"You got it!"

The ribs were top-grade pork spareribs, and the scallions, ginger, and garlic were all freshly bought.

The soy sauce, salt, vinegar, and oil were all new, with the bottles still sealed.

The gas stove and range hood were also new!

Chen Yanluo had put all his culinary skills on the line, cooking with such cautiousness for the first time in his two lifetimes.

The braised pork ribs were perfectly salty with a hint of sweetness, tender but not falling apart.

The rice was cooked to just the right firmness, ensuring each grain was plump and chewy!

Then, at the dining table, Chen Nuo carefully watched Lu Xixi, just watching her as she ate an entire bowl of rice and a plate of braised pork ribs.

When Lu Xixi took her first bite of the ribs, it seemed like she let out a deep breath, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.

"Mmm... this is the flavor. I searched for a long time in London, and not a single Chinese restaurant could replicate this taste."

Chen Nuo didn’t dare to speak, just carefully observing Lu Xixi’s expression.

Tonight, no matter what, he needed to be utterly obedient and couldn’t afford any mistakes, not giving Lu Xixi the slightest reason to blow up! Given today’s circumstances, Chen Nuo was crystal clear that Lu Xixi had more than enough reason to get angry at him beyond any objection! Even if she set fire to this house, she could do it with full justification! She absolutely had the right to be this angry, to throw this temper tantrum! Any overly aggressive act she might commit against him today would be absolutely justified! The only thing he could and should do was to bear it, take it, and defer to her! No matter what she did to him!

With the tip of her chopsticks, Lu Xixi picked up the last grain of rice in her bowl and put it into her mouth before putting down the chopsticks.

Chen Nuo quickly pulled out a paper napkin and handed it over.

Lu Xixi took the napkin, wiped her mouth, and then Chen Nuo immediately offered her a cup of water with both hands.

Empress Lu took the cup and took a few emotionless sips...

Finally, she coldly glanced at Chen Nuo and said, "What are you spacing out for?"

"...Uh, shall I... do the dishes?"

"Leave the dishes; a cleaner will come to take care of them tomorrow." Lu Xixi shook her head, then pointed towards the interior of the house. "Go take a shower."

"Go... huh?"

Chen Nuo was stunned.

Go, go take, a shower?!

What kind of unbelievable move was this?!?

With a mix of emotions, Chen Nuo stepped into the bathroom, and then, he was taken aback by the setup inside!

On the sink counter, a pair of toothbrush cups were neatly placed, one black and one white, brand new but already washed.

A pair of new toothbrushes were also respectively placed in the toothbrush cups.

On the towel rack on the wall, there were also a pair of towels, one brown and one beige.

There was also a set of men’s shaving tools on the table, including a razor, shaving cream, and aftershave...

At the entrance of the shower room, the slippers were also in pairs.

Suddenly, Chen Nuo felt a pang of heartache and a little bit of sourness in his heart.

He could imagine that while a girl was arranging these things, her heart must have been filled with infinite sweetness. And as sweet as it was when she arranged it, that’s how heart-wrenching it became later... And that’s how shameless he was!

Actually, at that moment, Chen Nuo’s first impulse was to turn around, walk out of the bathroom, and hold Lu Xixi in an embrace right there in the living room.

But after a deep breath, Chen Nuo slowly exhaled.

He turned on the tap, picked up the toothbrush, and started brushing his teeth...

「About ten minutes later.」

Chen Nuo wiped his wet hair with a fresh towel before slipping on a brand-new pair of men’s pajamas from the bathroom hook.

As he stepped out of the washroom, the living room lights were already off.

The bedroom door was ajar, faintly revealing a soft glow of light.

Chen Nuo slowly pushed the door open and entered.

Inside the bedroom, both the bed and the bedding were obviously new; the pristine and soft sheets looked so inviting that one might feel the urge to jump on the bed and roll around.

As Chen Nuo stood there, he saw Lu Xixi turn around in front of the large wardrobe mirror to look at him.

Lu Xixi had a peculiar smile on her face.

She looked down at her own outfit—still in that flight attendant uniform.

"Do you like it?"

"...Yeah."

Lu Xixi snorted. "I’ve heard that you men like this kind of thing. So... someone like you must like it too."

"...Er..."

"Then what are you standing there for?"

"..."

During the height of summer, at a little past eight o’clock, the sun had just set, and the sky hadn’t even fully darkened yet.

The room was already in disarray.

On the floor beside the bed, a sky-blue flight attendant uniform had been torn to shreds and tossed aside, along with a pair of stockings that were also ripped and carelessly hung at the edge of the bed...

Chen Yanluo was covered in wounds.

Yes, literally.

Today, Lu Xixi had been extremely wild, scratching and biting like a furious female beast!

Chen Nuo was certain that the woman had bitten his shoulder until it bled, leaving teeth marks where the skin was broken.

His waist and abdomen had been pummeled by this woman with at least two or three punches, leaving them bruised even now.

Next to him, Lu Xixi was breathing softly, and then the woman slowly sat up.

Even though the air conditioner was on, the room still seemed somewhat stuffy after the fierce battle.

Lu Xixi carelessly flipped off the thin blanket and then arched a tiptoe, lightly pressing it against the floor.

Chen Nuo squinted, watching the woman’s near-perfect back, especially the ivory-like color of her skin, and the taut, slender curves of her calves as she stood on tiptoe on the floor...

In Chen Nuo’s gaze, an unconscious look of infatuation emerged.

But Lu Xixi walked over to a cabinet in the room, leaned down, and pulled open a drawer...

This bending posture, from Chen Nuo’s perspective from behind, was simply a visual thrill that could make a man’s blood boil!

Lu Xixi turned around, throwing a newly purchased carton of cigarettes to Chen Nuo.

"I know you like to smoke. I bought some to keep at home," Lu Xixi snorted, then slowly walked back to the bed, gently leaning against Chen Nuo.

After being silent for a moment, Chen Nuo carefully opened the carton, took out a pack, then opened that pack, and drew out a cigarette for himself to light.

Lu Xixi narrowed her eyes but then suddenly turned towards him, wrapping her arms forcefully around Chen Nuo’s neck and pressing her body tightly against his.

Chen Nuo quickly raised his hand holding the cigarette.

He felt Lu Xixi in his embrace, her body trembling ever so slightly, an almost imperceptible shiver that Chen Nuo’s keen senses still picked up.

Lu Xixi’s head was nestled on Chen Nuo’s neck when she softly began to speak.

"Every single thing in this house, I picked out myself. Your mouthwash cup, toothbrush, towel, and even your pajamas."

Lu Xixi whispered, "Although I was in London before, I had everything sent to me by email for selection."

Chen Nuo heard it.

It was only now, after being with Lu Xixi today, that she finally let a suppressed emotion of grievance come through in her tone for the first time.

"I know you met Sun Keke earlier. Before my last trip to Jinling, you’d already been with her," Lu Xixi’s voice was soft, "but still, I can’t help being very angry! Truly, very, very angry!! Yesterday, I came to find you but encountered her here... From yesterday to today, I saw her twice. Especially today, we even had lunch together. In the few hours that I spent with her, there were at least four times when I had terrible thoughts about her! Thoughts about hurting her that I couldn’t suppress! You know that, Chen Nuo!!"

Chen Nuo let out a breath. "She is innocent... and so are you. The bastard in this situation is me."

Chen Nuo felt Lu Xixi bite down on his neck again.

She was still biting hard!

Enduring the pain, Chen Nuo just gently sucked in a breath of cool air.

Finally, Lu Xixi let go and propped herself up.

Her captivating eyes, as if shimmering with tears, silently gazed at Chen Nuo. Then, eventually, that look softened little by little.

Lu Xixi stretched out a finger and tenderly touched the mark she had bitten into Chen Nuo’s neck, going back and forth, gently caressing it with the tip of her finger.

"Does it hurt?"

"You would be right to bite me to death," Chen Nuo sighed.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Nuo cautiously asked, "Why did you set up this house?"

"I’ll occasionally come to Huaxia to find you, so I need a place to stay."

"My home..."

"That’s your home!" Lu Xixi said coldly. "At your home, there will be other women. Do you expect me to share your home with them? Alternating days, allocating time? This place is mine alone! That’s your home, and this, this is my home!"

Chen Nuo didn’t dare to speak anymore.

He could taste a hint of grievance in Lu Xixi’s words and that stubbornness tempered with grievance.

Of course, Lu Xixi was aggrieved, and angry too!

If it were any other woman with that level of power, she probably would have killed Sun Keke with a single slap.

But... Lu Xixi was Lu Xixi, after all.

She wasn’t the kind of woman with a cruel heart.

She was the child who kept cats, dogs, and turtles at home, treating those animals like her disciples, raising them like an innocent fool.

She was the Lu Xixi who, faced with the reprimand of her nine-year-old disciple, would squat on the ground and draw circles with a smile.

She was the Star Sky Empress who looked blazingly gorgeous on the outside, yet inside forever harbored a lonely and naive little girl.

"I can’t always be by your side to live that kind of homey life. If such a life is the greatest and most desired pursuit of your lifetime, and I can’t abandon everything temporarily to live that way with you... I can come to terms with Sun Keke’s existence. Because it seems she’s the companion best suited for the kind of life you desire."

Lu Xixi spoke in a low, gentle voice, as if sharing a secret.

Yet in her heart, there were words still left unsaid.

(If, judging by those words you let slip unintentionally... I’m probably going to die in a few years... Then, I don’t want to be too greedy and monopolize you. I just want to have a few beautiful years in your life. That will be enough. If the day comes when I die... Then, Sun Keke can conveniently be by your side, to live the life you want to lead.)

[Sorry, this may not be the kind of laugh-out-loud fun "Asura Field" that many people want to read. But this is the flavor that I wanted to write.]