Chapter 463: Wanting to go home

"What are you looking at?"

Seeing the depth in Wen’s eyes grow increasingly dark, Rory reached out to snatch the clothes from his hands so she could put them on herself.

Wen swiftly dodged her reaching hand. Leaning down instantly, he captured her lips in a kiss.

"Rory, I overestimated my self-control just now."

Wen’s hoarse, low voice sent a tingling sensation straight through Rory’s ears. Her body leaned back involuntarily.

Wen reached around to catch her waist, preventing her from falling back.

Rory looked up at him, her gaze landing on his lips. His lip shape was exceptionally beautiful—soft to kiss and completely intoxicating.

"Didn’t you just say you were going to feed me full first?"

Wen stared at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing heavily. "I definitely need to feed you full first."

She hadn’t eaten lunch, and if she skipped dinner too, how could she possibly hold up through the night?

Taking a deep breath, Wen straightened up and helped Rory get dressed. "Let’s go. We’ll head down for dinner first."

Rory and Wen went downstairs to the dining room.

Downstairs, Nix was setting out the bowls and chopsticks, muttering something under his breath. His brow was furrowed, looking as though something was deeply troubling him.

Rory let go of Wen’s hand and tiptoed over. Taking advantage of Nix’s distraction, she slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Nix!"

"Ah... Rory!" Nix jumped, startled. "Rory, you’re so bad! You scared me."

Rory smiled and asked, "What were you muttering to yourself about?"

"You... you heard?" Panic flashed through Nix’s eyes. "N-nothing, it’s nothing!"

His reaction looked like anything but nothing.

Rory narrowed her eyes and reached out to pinch Nix’s cheek. "Confess and be spared! Hurry up and spit out what you were muttering about. If you don’t tell me, I’m going to get angry."

Little cat-beasts were the easiest to trick—scare him just a little, and he’d panic right away.

Sure enough, as soon as Nix heard that Rory was going to get angry, he panicked instantly.

"Rory, please don’t be angry! I’ll tell you!" Nix held Rory’s hands, his tone laced with a bit of coaxing. "Rory, the Festival is already over. Could you come back with me to the Lion-Tiger Clan tomorrow?"

Nix’s entire face was a portrait of inner conflict. "Rory, if you don’t have time, it’s totally fine not to go back. Actually, I don’t really want to go back that much either."

"It’s all because of my cousins. They keep saying that if you don’t go back with me, it means you don’t like me, and that I’m not favored by your side at all."

"Rory, I don’t care about it. I really don’t care at all!"

Did he really not care? He cared immensely!

Suppressing a smile, Rory asked him, "Nix, do you really not care?"

Nix nodded earnestly. "Rory, you’re so good to me, so I don’t care about that at all. If my cousins want to talk, let them talk!"

"Oh!" Rory nodded along. "Nix, you’re right. If they want to talk, let them talk. Since you don’t want to go back, then we won’t go back."

"Mm!"

"...Huh?"

Nix snapped his head around to look at Rory. "Rory, you..."

"What is it?" Rory looked at Nix with an innocent expression. "Didn’t you say you didn’t want to go back? So we won’t go back then."

"I..." Nix pursed his lips, at a complete loss for words.

He was the one who said he didn’t want to go back, but why did Rory take it seriously?! He was just saying that casually!

The little cat was about to die of grievance.

"What’s ’what about me’?"

Rory teased Nix on purpose. "Nix, do you actually want to go back or not?"

"No."

Nix immediately shook his head. Since Rory already said they weren’t going, then he definitely couldn’t go back.

"I don’t really want to go back. Rory, the food is all ready, go sit down and eat! I’ll go to the kitchen to bring over the soup."

After finishing his sentence, Nix darted straight into the kitchen.

The moment he stepped into the kitchen, he quickly popped open his optical computer and sent a message in that new group chat—the one without Rory in it.

Nix: [Guys, give me a hand here. What do I need to do to get Rory to accompany me back to the Lion-Tiger Clan?]

He really wanted to go back. He wanted to show off to those cousins who mocked him for not knowing how to compete for favor, to let them see just how good his Rory was to him!

Jasper, who was just preparing to head downstairs: [Why don’t you just tell Rory directly?]

Did Nix get kicked in the brain by a mecha? Was there even a need to hesitate over something like this?

Nix: [I told Rory, but Rory didn’t agree.]

Jasper: [?]

Jasper: [How on earth did you phrase it to Rory?]

Over a matter like this, how could Rory possibly disagree?

Nix: [I said that I actually didn’t particularly want to go back, and that not going back was totally fine too. And then...]

Nix explained the whole ordeal in the group chat.

Xarion: [Honestly, I think you not going back is pretty great.]

Vangar: [What’s the point of going back to the Lion-Tiger Clan? Just head back and build your mechas instead. Get those batches of goods the Military Department asked for finished ASAP.]

Nix: [Vangar, I’m already in this state and you’re STILL rushing me to work?! Come over here, look into my eyes, and tell me: does your conscience not hurt at all?!]

He was already feeling terribly heartbroken, alright? How could Vangar have the heart to rush him to do work at a time like this? Didn’t the life of a workhorse count as a life too?!

In the dining room.

Rory looked at Xarion’s optical computer, then glared sharply at Vangar, who was sitting across from them.

"Vangar, no picking on Nix."

What was wrong with the little cat wanting to go home? Rushing him to get back to work at a time like this—it would be a miracle if Nix didn’t break down!

"Rory, you’re really doing me an injustice here. Those batches of goods have been delayed by him for a really long time. I have no choice but to push him."

Rory ignored him, handed the optical computer back to Xarion, and stood up to head over to Nix.

She had originally intended to tease the little cat a bit and tell him after dinner that she would go with him, but looking at things now, she had better stop teasing him. What if she actually drove him to tears?

When Rory walked over, Nix was in the middle of sending a private message to Yuel.

Nix: [Yuel, think of a way to help me out! I slaved away helping you work all day today—even if there’s no glory, there’s at least sweat equity, right?]

Nix: [Yuel, you can’t be this disloyal!]

Yuel, who was still working and unable to come home yet: [Rory will go back with you.]

Nix: [But Rory already said she won’t go back with me!]

Rory stood quietly behind him, watching Nix chat with Yuel.

So, every single time he encountered a problem he couldn’t solve, he ran to Yuel.

And as for that group chat... Jasper had mentioned before that Nix was the one who created it. Out of everyone at home, Nix loved making group chats the most; almost all of those numerous groups were set up by him.

"Yuel is right—I will go back with you."

Rory’s voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Ah..."

The sudden sound frightened Nix so badly he nearly threw his optical computer right out of his hand.

"Rory, you scared me again!"

Rory certainly wasn’t going to take the blame for that. "I didn’t lighten my footsteps when I walked in just now. You were just way too absorbed in messaging Yuel to notice me coming in."

Rory took Nix’s optical computer from him and pinched his chin.

"For something like this, do you really need to ask Yuel? How could I possibly not go back with you?"

Nix’s eyes lit up instantly. "Rory, does that mean you’ll go back with me?! Really?!"

Rory nodded. "Of course! I definitely have to let those cousins of yours see how good I am to you, and make every single one of them green with envy."

"Rory, I knew you were the absolute best!"

Overjoyed, Nix wrapped his arms around Rory in a tight hug. "As soon as we finish dinner, I’m going to go pack our stuff!"

Rory smiled and nodded. "I’ll help you pack."

Going to visit the Lion-Tiger Clan as guests meant they definitely needed to prepare some gifts.

"Packing what stuff?"

Lian’s voice suddenly echoed from the kitchen doorway.