The evil female is weak and the males of the whole continent are out of control and fall.

Chapter 725 Do you want to go?

After a long while, only the gradually calming breathing of the two remained in the cave.

Bai Wanwan nestled in Zhu Xiu's arms, feeling the steady heartbeat from his chest, and that familiar sense of security slowly dispelled her unease.

She finally raised her head and looked at his hard jawline, her voice still slightly hoarse: "You're not angry with me anymore, are you?"

A very low response came from above, almost blending into the dim light: "Mm."

A simple monosyllabic word, yet it's like a pardon.

Bai Wan's fingers, which were gripping his collar, loosened slightly. "Then... come back with me."

Zhu Xiu lowered his head and met her bright eyes.

He raised his hand, his slightly rough fingertips gently brushing her soft hair. His movements were unusually gentle, but his words made Bai Wanwan's heart jump again: "We really don't have much game left at home. It's the beginning of the warm season, so we need to stock up more. I'll hunt around here for two more days, and then we'll go back once we have enough."

He paused, then looked towards the door. "Have Yan Lie and Yin Ze escort you back first. This place... is ultimately not as safe as the tribe; you can't stay here for long."

Bai Wanwan's heart, which had just settled, jumped again. "Are you still angry? Is that why you want me to leave first and stay here by yourself?"

Zhu Xiu looked at her face, which instantly tensed up again, and felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He sighed, his voice clearer and more helpless this time: "If I were still angry, I wouldn't be standing here, much less... hugging you. The family does need food, I'll be back in a couple of days."

He rarely explained so much, and although his tone was still a bit unnatural, Bai Wanwan understood this time.

Given his personality, if he were truly angry, he wouldn't say he wasn't angry.

For a cold and hard-hearted man like Zhu Xiu, pushing him too hard might backfire.

She needs to give him space to process things on his own.

She's already made her stance clear; now let's give him some more time...

So she released her grip on his collar, and instead gently took his large hand in hers, lightly scratching his palm with her fingertips, her tone a mix of coquetry and compromise: "Well... alright. But I'll only wait two days."

Her gaze hardened again, even taking on a touch of her unique, gentle stubbornness. "Two days from now, in the evening, I want to see you at home. If you haven't returned, I'll have Yan Lie and Yin Ze bring me here to find you. If you're not here..."

She paused, her voice soft yet undeniable, "No matter where you go, I will find a way to get to you. And if you don't go back, I will stay with you until you want to go back, then we'll go home together."

Her gaze went straight into his deep eyes, which held no resentment, but rather an almost obstinate affection and an unwavering seriousness.

Zhu Xiu listened quietly, watching the light shining in her eyes for him. The last bit of pent-up frustration in his heart seemed to melt away quietly in that gaze.

His voice softened unconsciously: "Okay."

Upon receiving his definite answer, Bai Wanwan finally broke into a relieved and radiant smile.

She leaned back against his chest contentedly and nuzzled against him.

Zhu Xiu glanced at the gradually dimming light at the cave entrance, calculated the time, and prepared to call Yan Lie and the others in to prepare for their return journey.

However, just as he opened his mouth, Bai Wanwan suddenly reached out her finger and gently pressed it against his lips.

"Shh!" She blinked, a hint of mischief and lingering affection on her face. "No rush. Look, it's not completely dark yet, there's still some light. I finally managed to find you, and... it's rare for me to come out like this. Let me stay with you a little longer, okay? Just a little while, we'll call them when it gets darker." Her longing to spend more time alone with him was so obvious that Zhu Xiu swallowed the words he was about to say.

He looked down at her face, which was so close to his. Her eyes were still a little red from the excitement, and the tip of her nose was also red. But as she looked up at him, her eyes were filled with dependence and the joy of something lost and found again.

He couldn't bring himself to refuse.

It was tacit approval. He didn't mention letting her leave first again, nor did he urge her to leave.

But the arm around her slender waist unconsciously tightened its grip a little more.

The two stood quietly in the dim cave, embracing each other.

Without further words, after all the intense emotional waves had subsided, what remained was a deeper and more serene companionship.
Bai Wan secretly glanced at him and found that Zhu Xiu was also looking down at her. In those usually cold and sharp eyes, there was now a complex emotion that she rarely saw, almost gentle.
There is concern, helplessness, and perhaps a lingering sense of melancholy, but more than anything, there is a resigned acceptance and a deep-seated tenderness.

“Zhu Xiu,” she called softly, her voice exceptionally clear in the silence, “thank you.”

She was grateful that despite his aloof and possessive nature, he could tolerate everything about her. She knew how difficult it was to go against her own nature.

Zhu Xiu seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then realized what she was thanking her for.

He didn't speak, but gently rested his chin on the top of her head and lightly stroked it.

After a while, Bai Wanwan felt her legs getting numb from standing, so she moved slightly.

Zhu Xiu immediately noticed. He released her, his gaze sweeping over the cold, rocky ground, his brows furrowing slightly.

He then went to a drier spot further inside the cave, rolled up the thick animal hide he had brought and spread it on the relatively flat spot where they had been standing.

"Sit down," he said succinctly.

Bai Wanwan smiled at him and obediently sat down.

She patted the seat next to her and said, "Come sit here too, I'm cold, hug me."

Without hesitation, Zhu Xiu sat down next to her and opened his arms to embrace her again.

Bai Wanwan smiled contentedly and settled into a comfortable position in his arms.

"Zhu Xiu, I'll tell you a secret. Do you want to hear it?"

Coaxed by the female like this, his hardened heart slowly melted, and it seemed that his previous resentment and anger had become unimportant.

He stroked her arm and whispered, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Bai Wanwan casually stroked his male animal hide. "I told you before, I was able to come to this continent because I was bound to a system."

"Hmm, is there a problem?" His brows furrowed unconsciously, revealing his worry.

"It's not that there's a problem, but I've lived here for so long and accumulated quite a few points. Now... I can take you back to the world I live in. Do you... want to go?"

Zhu Xiu grabbed her mischievous hand. "Can we go with you?"

(End of this chapter)