179: Chapter 179: Xiao Wu: They've both become Lu Jing's wives, so what about us?

No! Absolutely not!

She couldn't bring herself to say these words, even if it killed her!

Seeing the Snow Empress looking so shy and embarrassed that she was about to evaporate on the spot, yet unable to speak, the teasing smile in Wang Donger's eyes deepened.

But at the same time, it also carried a trace of an imperceptible emotion—one even she herself hadn't noticed—a subtle mixture of bitterness and relief.

"Donger!" Lu Jing shook his head helplessly, reached out to pull the pushy Wang Donger back a little, his tone carrying a hint of indulgent reproach: "You really are... becoming more and more 'shameless.' Who asks questions like that?"

Wang Donger was pulled away by Lu Jing, and the teasing smile on her face instantly subsided quite a bit.

It was replaced by a look of feigned grievance, filled with reproachful accusation.

She pouted, rolled her eyes at Lu Jing, and said in a resentful tone:

"The reason I've become like this is all because of you, you big lecher! Hmph! I used to be so pure, so innocent, and so naive! And the result? Ever since... ever since we confirmed our relationship on Sea God Island, I've drifted further and further away from the pure and flawless Wang Donger I once was! This is all your 'doing'!"

She sounded increasingly aggrieved, as if she really had been an otherworldly fairy corrupted by Lu Jing into a seasoned veteran.

Lu Jing felt awkward at her words; he touched his nose, coughed twice, and found himself at a loss for words.

Because... to some extent, what Wang Donger said seemed... correct.

After confirming their relationship on Sea God Island, their feelings for each other had heated up rapidly, and their private interactions and 'learning'... had indeed been frequent.

Wang Donger had always been talented in this regard; she was quick to learn and good at drawing inferences. Now that she had surpassed her teacher, it seemed... he couldn't be entirely to blame!

Qian Renxue, listening to Wang Donger's tearful accusation and watching Lu Jing's awkward expression from the side, couldn't help but chuckle.

A faint blush also stained her stunningly beautiful face, as she clearly recalled some impure thoughts.

She picked up her teacup and took a sip to hide her expression, her eyes full of amusement.

As for Xiao Wu, after hearing Wang Donger's words and combining them with the sight of the Snow Empress and Lu Jing holding hands, the Snow Empress blushing, and Wang Donger's bold question, the string in her mind labeled 'gossip' and 'sudden realization' finally went ding and connected!

She widened her large pink eyes, raised a trembling finger to point at Lu Jing and the Snow Empress, and then at Wang Donger.

Her face was filled with shock, disbelief, and the frustration of someone who should have guessed it long ago.

Her mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, and it took a long time before she managed to stammer out an incomplete sentence:

"Y-you... you guys... Snow Empress and Lu Jing... last night... could it be... Heavens! So that's what happened! I knew it! Snow Empress never sleeps in! She actually slept until noon today! So you guys..."

She finally understood!

No wonder the Snow Empress had slept in for the first time ever today, and had come out holding hands with Lu Jing with a flushed face!

So last night, the two of them... were doing those 'naughty' things!

And looking at Wang Donger's reaction, not only did she know, but she had also... agreed to it!

Lu Jing looked at Xiao Wu's fussing, as if she had discovered a new continent, glanced at her crossly, and said with a hint of a 'warning' in his tone: "What 'you, you'? You're just a child, why do you need to know so much? Just drink your tea."

"Who's a child!" Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately puffed out her chest in defiance. Although it wasn't much to speak of in terms of scale, her momentum was strong as she retorted: "In terms of age, I'm old enough to be your ancestor! One hundred thousand years! Do you understand?"

Lu Jing snorted and looked at her with a mocking smile: "Oh? How about we change how we address you now and all call you 'Old Ancestor'? Should we pay our respects every morning and evening and serve you with the finest food and drink?"

"Uh..." Xiao Wu was stumped. Thinking of that scenario, she couldn't help but shiver. She quickly waved her hands and laughed awkwardly: "That... that won't be necessary. Hehe, you guys talk, you guys talk. I'll just drink my tea, I'll drink my tea..." She quickly picked up her teacup, pretending to focus on sipping her tea, though her eyes were still darting around.

But clearly, her spirit of gossip had not been extinguished. Her eyes darted around as she looked at the smiling, teasing Wang Donger, then at the shy yet composed Snow Empress. Finally, her gaze fell upon Qian Renxue, who was sitting beside her with a noble temperament and stunning beauty, but who seemed somewhat absent-minded at the moment.

A bold thought, which to her seemed perfectly logical, began to grow uncontrollably like weeds in spring.

She quietly leaned closer to Qian Renxue and, in a volume she thought was very low but which everyone present could clearly hear, whispered into Qian Renxue's ear: "Sister Xue'er, look... Sister Snow Empress and Sister Donger are now considered... um, Lu Jing's wives, right? Then... what about the two of us? When will we be able to... be like them?"

"Pfft—!" "Cough, cough, cough!" "What?!"

Xiao Wu's earth-shattering words were like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake! Instantly, the four people at the stone table froze!

Lu Jing nearly sprayed out the tea he had just taken into his mouth, choking and coughing repeatedly. The teasing smile on Wang Donger's face instantly froze, replaced by disbelief. The Snow Empress also suddenly lifted her head, her ice-blue eyes filled with astonishment as she looked at Xiao Wu, and then at Qian Renxue, whose face had instantly turned beet red and who was now at a complete loss.

As for Qian Renxue herself, it was as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning from the heavens! Her stunningly beautiful face turned crimson in a flash, the redness spreading all the way to her ears, and even her neck was stained with an alluring shade of pink!

She felt her mind go blank, and her heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to jump out of her throat!

She whipped her head around to glare at the little rabbit beside her who always insisted on saying shocking things. She was so shy and anxious that she wished she could immediately cover Xiao Wu's mouth!

This Xiao Wu! What nonsense was she spouting! What did she mean by 'the two of us'? What did she mean by 'like them'? How, how could she suddenly say something like that? She... when had she ever...

However, Xiao Wu seemed completely unaware of the storm her words had unleashed.

She blinked her large, innocent eyes. Seeing Qian Renxue's expression of dying from shame and anger, she still felt that what she had said was very reasonable and continued to whisper, trying to persuade her: "There's a saying that goes, 'Don't let the fertile water flow into outsiders' fields!' Look at us—we spend our days together, we've faced life and death together, and our bond is so strong! Could it be... Sister Xue'er, do you like other men? I think Lu Jing is quite good. Although he can be annoying sometimes, overall, he's still quite reliable..."

"Xiao Wu! You... stop talking nonsense!" Qian Renxue finally found her voice and interrupted her, anxious and shy, her voice trembling.

She didn't dare look at the shocked, inquisitive, and complex gazes of Lu Jing, Wang Donger, and the Snow Empress opposite her. She could only keep her head lowered, staring fixedly at the teacup in front of her, as if flowers might bloom on it.

Her long, golden eyelashes trembled violently, revealing the earth-shattering waves within her heart that she was completely unable to calm.

Like other men? She... she had never considered that question. Or rather, she had deliberately avoided thinking about it.

But Xiao Wu's sudden, blunt, and almost reckless words acted like a key, violently prying open a corner deep within her heart that she had carefully locked away and even deliberately ignored.

An unprecedented sense of panic, shyness, and confusion, along with a trace of secret, hidden palpitations that she was afraid to even delve into, instantly overwhelmed her completely.

In the courtyard, the afternoon sun remained bright and warm, but the atmosphere at the stone table had become completely strange, subtle, and filled with surging undercurrents because of Xiao Wu's words.

The air seemed to have solidified, leaving only the sounds of the few people's heartbeats—some rapid, some breathless, some confused—silently clamoring in the air.