I don't want to come up with a funny book title anymore.

There was a brief silence in the room.

"Don't be like this..." Xie Fengnan didn't know what to say.

It is clearly oneself who is imprisoned, but it seems that someone else is locked up.

“What do you mean?” Zhongli Zhuo’s tone remained stubborn. “I’m just telling the truth.”

"In my eyes, you are the best. No one can compare to you. You were before, you are now, and you will always be."

"You just... haven't met enough people." Xie Fengnan turned his head slightly, avoiding the other person's gaze that seemed to ignite him.

In Xie Fengnan's view, Zhong Lizhuo was the kind of person who would always remember others if they treated him well.

To be honest, he didn't really think he was that good to Zhongli Zhuo.

If Xie Fengnan knew exactly how the other person fell in love with him, he wouldn't be so at a loss.

"Haven't you seen enough people?"

Do you think I'm the kind of person who's easily moved?

“I’ve met many people, good and bad, hypocritical and sincere... but no one has made me feel like you are... worthwhile.”

Despite Xie Fengnan's goodwill, it seemed rather ordinary once one became familiar with the environment of the Imperial Star.

But at that time, it undoubtedly made Zhongli Zhuo feel very warm.

For the first time in his life, he offended a nobleman but was not scolded or beaten. Instead, he received two small ice sculptures related to his origins.

Even if the people of the Garbage Planet have plenty of food, they won't give anyone a single thing. Xie Fengnan treated him to meal after meal.

Later, he bit Xie Fengnan again and again, and Zhong Lizhuo remembered every detail.

“Do you know?” Zhong Lizhuo’s hand covered Xie Fengnan’s scarred hand, “Every time I bit you, I thought, if you push me away, I will let go.”

Xie Fengnan's eyelashes trembled, and he really wanted to say that he was wronged.

I wanted to push you away, but you're so stubborn that you've used all your strength on me. What am I supposed to do?

They can't just kill you because you were bitten, can they? It's not a capital offense.

“But you never did,” Zhongli Zhuo said softly. “Even when I bit you hard, you never held it against me.”

Xie Fengnan wasn't that petty to argue with a sick person.

Moreover, Zhongli Zhuo is very good at choosing the right time, specifically when he is reluctant to do it or when he is soft-hearted.

Looking at it this way, it seems I really have been quite indulgent towards him...

Let's not talk about the distant past, let's talk about the present.

If it were someone else acting crazy towards Xie Fengnan, playing ball games with him, he would definitely teach that person a lesson about what it means to have found a powerful father figure.

However, after thinking about it, Xie Fengnan chose to remain silent when facing Zhongli Zhuo.

He couldn't say he was completely unaware of Zhongli Zhuo's little schemes, but sometimes he found these "minor squabbles" quite amusing.

Just, kind of cute.

When this thought crossed Xie Fengnan's mind, he began to realize that he was probably doomed.

Zhong Lizhuo is such a masculine man, he shouldn't be associated with cuteness at all.

He never found Chu Jiaoyang and the others cute, not even when they were together.

But when he thought of how Zhongli Zhuo would carefully lick his wounds after each bite, as if he were repenting or marking him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

She would look at him with innocent eyes, as if to say, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't control myself."

Who can withstand this?

What is Zhongli Zhuo like in front of other people?

Cold, powerful, unsmiling, and decisive.

What about in front of Xie Fengnan?

Calling it a large dog is already being generous.

In fact, Xie Fengnan finds it hard to resist this unexpected charm.

Who wouldn't like to be treated specially and favored?

Moreover, this side of Zhongli Zhuo is only shown to him, and it's hard not to feel secretly pleased about this.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhong Lizhuo asked, his voice slightly muffled as he bit Xie Fengnan's earlobe.

"It's nothing." Xie Fengnan tilted his head, only becoming more certain that his feelings for Zhong Lizhuo weren't entirely innocent the more he thought about it.

"You're always like this, clearly having something on your mind but refusing to say it." Zhong Lizhuo's voice was filled with dissatisfaction as he bit the ear cartilage as if punishing someone.

The slight stinging pain made Xie Fengnan sigh, "I told you, but you wouldn't listen."

Zhongli Zhuo released his earlobe. "Because no matter what I do, you will not be satisfied, so I will do it my own way."

Zhong Lizhuo could guess most of what Xie Fengnan was thinking, even if he didn't know it perfectly well.

It's simply that they felt they were immature, hadn't considered anything else, and had rashly decided on their future based solely on a youthful infatuation.

"You think I won't listen? What do you want me to hear? To hear you say we're not right for each other? That we can't be together? That we won't have a future?"

Xie Fengnan was speechless; he had no way to refute it.

"If that's the case, why do you always make me feel like I can do it?"

Xie Fengnan felt a mix of emotions; how could he not understand his own inner conflict?

"I admit that I have feelings for you, but... the future is too complicated. We might both be acting on impulse. If... we regret it, we will both be hurt."

Between a short-lived romance and a long-lasting friendship, Xie Fengnan would undoubtedly choose the latter.

He wasn't afraid of getting hurt, but some paths, once embarked upon, offer no turning back.

He was afraid that they wouldn't even be able to remain friends in the end.

When Zhong Lizhuo heard that Xie Fengnan wasn't indifferent to her, she was visibly delighted.

A tail with a hooked tip appeared behind him.

It clung to Xie Fengnan's calf, silently declaring its sovereignty.

"Then tell me, what does it mean to not be impulsive, and what do you really want?"

Xie Fengnan looked at Zhong Lizhuo, who had a serious expression on his face, and said, "You... give me some time."

wait until……

"Will we wait until the country is peaceful and prosperous, the people are happy, and everything is settled?"

Zhongli Zhuo's tail suddenly tightened, and the scales brushed against the fabric, making a soft rustling sound.

Xie Fengnan tried to create some distance, but the warm tail wrapped around him even tighter, the hooked tip of the tail rubbing against his knee through his trouser leg, like some kind of subtle teasing.

“I can’t wait until then, and I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Zhong Lizhuo's irises glowed with a dark gold as his knuckles traced the throbbing pulse on Xie Fengnan's neck.