Chapter 404 - 400: Words Belie the Heart

Chapter 404: Chapter 400: Words Belie the Heart

"Alright, let’s not talk about that for now. Can I ask you about it some other day, when you’re willing to tell me the details?" Luo Hongyi saw she was unhappy and quickly dropped the subject. He switched to looking at her with a pitiful expression. "Nuannuan, do you really not understand? I’m afraid of the ’what ifs.’ I’m so, so scared. So scared that the mere thought of it makes me break out in a cold sweat and lose all composure."

Luo Hongyi’s face grew paler. Gu Nuan Nuan could even hear his heart thumping erratically. He looked at her, mustering his courage, and said cautiously, "Even if it’s as foolproof as you say, I don’t want you in that kind of danger. I can’t bear the thought of you seeing a bloodbath, of seeing people forced to rely on the most brutal slaughter just for a chance to survive. It’s the ugliest, most cruel side of this world, but it’s a side of it I have to face."

He sighed. "I don’t even want you to see it, let alone have you be a part of it..."

The deep pain on his face showed itself once more. "Honestly, if I could, I wouldn’t want you to see me like this at all. I wouldn’t even want you to hear about the things I’ve been through. It has nothing to do with trust. Even if there weren’t strict confidentiality rules, I would still want to keep you away from all of this."

Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but be moved. She bit her lower lip, staring at him as she continued to argue, "But I can help you. If I go with you, I can alert you to things nearby that you can’t see for yourselves."

"I know your abilities probably go far beyond what you’ve told me, and I completely believe you when you say you can help me, no strings attached. I know. I know all of it. With you, this mission, which was originally dange—uh, quite difficult, would become much easier. But..." Luo Hongyi looked at her resolutely, coaxing her with the patience one would use on a child. "Staying somewhere safe is the best way you can help me. Besides, our situation is already so much better than in our last life. I now have these life-saving medicines you gave me, all with incredibly special effects. Trust me, with their help, I will definitely bring everyone back safely. I promise."

Seeing the hesitation still on Gu Nuan Nuan’s face, Luo Hongyi summoned even more patience and said softly, "I know you wouldn’t want me to be distracted by worrying about your safety at a critical moment, accidentally giving the enemy an opening, right?

’Can your promise really be trusted?’

’Or are you planning to come back the same way as last time, nearly in a state to be sent to the crematorium?’

Gu Nuan Nuan opened her mouth, but the sarcastic retorts on the tip of her tongue wouldn’t come out when she saw the anticipation in Luo Hongyi’s eyes. ’At a time like this, there’s no need to be so vicious, not even to an enemy, let alone him.’

’He’s playing pitiful and giving this whole emotional speech, but the main point is just one thing: he doesn’t want me to go. Even knowing I would only be a help to them, he’d rather risk it himself than let me see all that ugly business...’

She felt a wave of emotions pressing down on her—frustration, dissatisfaction, and a strange urge to lash out that she couldn’t quite define. She opened her mouth again, but ultimately said nothing, instead taking a sharp breath and exhaling heavily in exasperation. She secretly took out the un-bonded ring she had on her, hiding it in her palm so he couldn’t see. She covertly stuffed it with a jumble of things she thought he might need, then shot him a fierce glare. "Hold out your hand."

Luo Hongyi didn’t ask any questions. He obediently extended his right hand first. Then, seeing Gu Nuan Nuan glaring at him with a blank expression, he quickly offered up his left hand as well, flashing a fawning, obsequious smile and looking utterly innocent.

Gu Nuan Nuan smacked his left hand away with a "SMACK." Ignoring his instantaneous pout and hurt expression, she produced a Flying Sword and, gripping his right index finger, made a vicious motion to stab down. Luo Hongyi’s pupils dilated. He stared, wide-eyed, at her fierce expression, his own face looking even more aggrieved. But he didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch. After the initial hurt, his expression shifted to one of resignation, as if to say: ’Go ahead and stab me. As long as you like it, as long as it makes you happy—’

"So brave. Aren’t you afraid I might actually cut your finger off?"

The Flying Sword in her hand didn’t actually come down. Just as it was about to touch the tip of Luo Hongyi’s finger, it vanished without a trace. In its place, Gu Nuan Nuan’s own finger lightly pricked his fingertip, drawing a single drop of blood.

"Not afraid," Luo Hongyi answered without a second thought. "You wouldn’t have the heart."

"Hmph." This time, Gu Nuan Nuan didn’t hold back. She pressed the ring firmly onto the drop of blood, even giving it a vindictive twist. Completely ignoring Luo Hongyi’s exaggerated yelps and howls of pain, she tossed the ring into his palm. She gave him another cold snort. "Focus your attention on this ring. Look inside. You can take things out and put things in just by thinking about it." With that, she turned and walked away.

Seeing the ring Gu Nuan Nuan had produced, a sweet feeling washed over him so suddenly that his heart was completely filled. How could he spare a thought for why Gu Nuan Nuan had pressed the ring into his blood? He said gleefully, "It’s more appropriate for me to be the one buying you an engagement or wedding ring..." Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a peculiar ripple emanate from the ring in his palm.

He instinctively followed Gu Nuan Nuan’s instructions. He watched as the same Flying Sword she had used to scare him appeared and then vanished in his hand. Then, he looked inside the ring and saw a space several hundred square meters large, piled with all sorts of things. He was completely dumbfounded, frozen on the spot. It wasn’t until Gu Nuan Nuan was several steps away that he snapped out of it. He quickly chased after her and grabbed her arm, his tone becoming frantic. "If you give this to me, what will you do? Won’t it be inconvenient for you? Take it back. It’s better if you have it. It’s not appropriate for me to suddenly pull things out of thin air, and I’ll barely have a chance to use it anyway."

’How could he not have a chance to use it? Not every mission is with a partner. Even when they’re in a group, aren’t there times when he’ll be alone?’

’This guy...’

Gu Nuan Nuan glared at him, exasperated. Seeing his insistence was both amusing and stirred an indescribable feeling in her. Right in front of him, she produced a large Jade Bowl full of strawberries, held it out, and asked, "Want some?"

Luo Hongyi’s mouth fell open, and it took him a long moment to close it. Overjoyed, he took the bowl, cradling it with both hands as if it were a treasure. He stared at her face, a dopey grin spreading across his own. "...Yes." He lowered his head and took a deep, intoxicating sniff of the fresh strawberry scent. "Nuannuan, I knew it. You always say one thing but mean another. You’re actually the best to me. You can’t bear to part with me."