176: Chapter 176 Sleepless Night

"What is it?"

Lu Cheng saw Mei Wushuang's expression suddenly turn serious, and his body, which had been leaning against the back of the chair, straightened slightly.

Tonight's events at the Qian Family had just concluded, and with Mei Wushuang wearing such an expression at this moment, Lu Cheng instinctively felt that there was likely nothing good to follow.

On the light screen, Mei Wushuang had her hands clasped on the table, her silver-blue long hair draped over her shoulders, looking calm and professional.

"In two days, freshmen from the Nordic Union, Sakura Island, and the Eagle Country will come to the Dragon Nation for a friendly exchange."

Lu Cheng blinked.

"Friendly exchange?"

For some reason, hearing these four words from Mei Wushuang's mouth always carried a somewhat unfriendly flavor.

"Mm." Mei Wushuang nodded. "Among those coming this year, there is the Northern European Son of God, as well as top-tier bio-androids from the Eagle Country."

She paused, her gaze landing on Lu Cheng.

"You need to make time for this."

"Receive them well."

"If you receive them well, any resources can be discussed."

The meeting room was quiet for a moment.

Lu Cheng looked at Mei Wushuang.

Mei Wushuang also looked at Lu Cheng.

She clearly said "friendly exchange," but the hint of secret delight emerging in her eyes could hardly be hidden anymore.

Lu Cheng's mouth twitched.

He suddenly realized something.

"Aunt Mei, is this reception... legitimate?"

Mei Wushuang's expression remained unchanged.

"Of course it's legitimate."

"Navigator Academy has always been known for its courtesy."

"Since others are coming to us for an exchange, we must naturally let them fully experience the enthusiasm of the Dragon Nation's younger generation."

She said it with a straight face.

But when she mentioned the word "enthusiasm," her eyes clearly brightened.

Beside her, Shen Guhong gave a light cough, as if trying to remind her to restrain herself.

Mei Wushuang, however, had no intention of restraining herself.

"At this time last year, we sent people to the Nordic Union for an exchange."

She tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her tone still calm, but everyone in the meeting room could hear a hint of grinding teeth.

"At that time, the top three freshmen of Navigator Academy happened to not be at the school."

"So, the people we sent were given a good lesson by them."

Lu Cheng: "..."

Ah~ Understood!

Mei Wushuang narrowed her eyes slightly, and the corners of her mouth finally couldn't help but curl up a little.

"This year, it's time to let them know."

"There are some places that aren't just anywhere you can come as you please, and once you're here, it's not just about how you want to exchange."

She looked at Lu Cheng, the amusement in her eyes becoming increasingly obvious.

"Especially, let them know."

"On our Dragon Nation side, even high school students can crush them."

Lu Cheng was silent for a few seconds.

He looked at Mei Wushuang, whose changing emotions were increasingly written on her face on the light screen, and couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed.

This is too obvious.

At least pretend a little!

However...

Resources are negotiable.

Lu Cheng rubbed his chin; that wasn't something he couldn't receive.

After the meeting ended, Qian Fuyun did not let them stay at the Qian Family Manor, which had already been beaten into a mess, but instead arranged for them to go to another property the Qian Family owned in Nanling City.

It was a detached villa near an inner lake.

It wasn't as exaggerated as the main Qian Family residence, but it had the advantage of being quiet.

The courtyard was planted with a large patch of white magnolias. As the night wind blew, the fragrance of flowers mixed with the humidity from the lakeside drifted into the corridor, as if even the bloody smell, the burnt smell, and the fishy, sweet scent left behind by the Golden Toad from the day were being washed away little by little.

Chu Xiuxiu had been quite frightened.

After arriving at the villa, she insisted on sleeping with Lu Cheng, no matter what.

The little girl stood at the doorway hugging her pillow, her eyes red, her hair still a bit messy, like a kitten just picked up from a rainstorm.

"Brother Lu Cheng..."

Her voice was very soft.

"Can I sleep next to you?"

Looking at her state, how could Lu Cheng refuse? In the end, he could only have someone lay out an extra small bed in the room.

Chu Xiuxiu initially insisted that she wasn't sleepy, but not long after lying down, she curled up in the quilt and fell asleep.

She didn't sleep very soundly.

Her brows would furrow from time to time, and her fingers would tightly clutch the corner of the quilt, as if there was still something chasing her in her dreams.

Lu Cheng sat by the bed for a while, then reached out and gently pulled the quilt up for her.

"It's okay now."

He kept his voice very low.

"It's all over."

Chu Xiuxiu seemed to hear him, and her tense little face slowly relaxed.

The room became quiet again.

But Lu Cheng couldn't sleep.

He lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and his mind was filled with what happened tonight.

Lu Cheng opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and exhaled softly.

Forget it.

Can't sleep.

He simply got up, intending to go to the courtyard to cultivate for a while.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a figure standing at the end of the corridor.

Qian Shuying.

She had changed into a simple black form-fitting training suit, and her long hair was not tied up high as usual, but hung loosely behind her shoulders.

The night was faint, and the lights under the corridor were soft.

That face, which usually carried a bit of sharpness and heroism, was now illuminated by the light, surprisingly possessing a bit of indescribable softness.

She heard the sound of the door opening and looked up.

Their gazes met across the short corridor.

Qian Shuying spoke first.

"Can't sleep?"

Lu Cheng was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"A little."

Qian Shuying looked at him, her eyelashes drooping slightly.

"Go for a walk?"

Lu Cheng glanced at the room behind him; Chu Xiuxiu was sleeping soundly.

He gently closed the door.

"Let's go."

The two walked downstairs one after the other.

The garden in the villa was large.

A bluestone path extended from the main building all the way to the lake. The white magnolias by the roadside were in full bloom, and the moonlight fell on the petals like a layer of shallow frost.

Qian Shuying walked in front.

Her back was very straight, her shoulder lines crisp, and her steps steady.

But Lu Cheng noticed that her fingers hanging by her sides were constantly curling slightly.

Neither of them spoke.

Only the night wind passed through the treetops, bringing up a rustling sound.

After walking for a while, Qian Shuying stopped in front of a bench by the lake.

She did not sit down immediately, but looked at the lake in the distance.

The lake reflected half a moon, and when blown by the wind, it shattered into a piece of silver light.

"I hated the Qian Family when I was a child."

She suddenly spoke.

Lu Cheng stood beside her without interrupting.

Qian Shuying continued.

"Everyone told me that I was the eldest daughter of the main branch, that I had to be steady, powerful, and like the future heir of the Qian Family."

"I couldn't cry, couldn't be afraid, couldn't act spoiled, couldn't say I didn't want to practice anymore."

"When I got hurt, they would praise me for being able to endure."

"When I won a fight, they would say it was expected."

"When I lost, they would tell me that people from the Qian Family cannot lose."

When she said this, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, as if she wanted to smile but couldn't.

"Later, I really thought that I couldn't lose, and I couldn't be soft."

"It seemed that as long as I bowed my head once, the name Qian Shuying would collapse."

Lu Cheng looked at her.

Yes... she rarely showed weakness, and rarely explained herself.

Even when injured, she seemed accustomed to swallowing the blood herself.

But now, she stood by the lake, the moonlight falling on her side profile, her face still a bit pale, but the corners of her eyes were slowly reddening.

"During the time I was tied up there, I actually thought about a lot."

Qian Shuying's voice lowered.

"I thought about my dad, thought about Qian Duoduo, thought about my grandfather."

"And also thought about..."

She paused.

Then she turned her head to look at Lu Cheng.

"Whether you would come."

Lu Cheng's throat moved.

The night wind blew over, and Qian Shuying's hair slipped from her shoulders, with a few strands sticking to the side of her face.

She didn't immediately look away as she usually did.

Instead, she just looked at him like that.

Her eyes were very bright, and also very red.

"When they mentioned the family gathering in May earlier, I knew there was a problem..."

"But I didn't have the qualification to ask you to take risks..."

"Until I was imprisoned... I was... I just thought, if you came, it would be good."

When she said the last word, her voice was so light it was almost blown away by the wind.

Lu Cheng's heart felt like it had been gently bumped by something.

He wanted to say something.

But the words reached his lips, and he suddenly didn't know how to say them.

In the end, he could only speak very earnestly.

"I came."

Very simple two words.

Qian Shuying's eyelashes trembled slightly.

In the next second, the tears in her eyes finally fell.

Very quietly.

No crying sound.

Only tears sliding down her cheeks.

She seemed not to have expected herself to cry, immediately turned her head away, and raised her hand to wipe them off.

But just as her hand was raised, her wrist was gently held by Lu Cheng.

Qian Shuying's body stiffened for a moment.

She didn't pull away.

Lu Cheng pulled her to sit down by the bench.

There was less than a fist's distance between them.

Qian Shuying lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

That was a string that had been stretched to the limit, finally relaxing at some moment.

Lu Cheng didn't say any big comforting truths, just sat quietly beside her.

A long time passed.

Qian Shuying suddenly rested her forehead gently on his shoulder.

Lu Cheng's body stiffened slightly.

Qian Shuying's voice came from the side of her shoulder.

"Lu Cheng."

"Mm."

"I... really can't sleep tonight."

Lu Cheng looked down at her.

Qian Shuying closed her eyes, traces of wetness still at the corners of her eyes.

She leaned very close, so close that Lu Cheng could smell the faint medicinal scent in her hair.

He could also feel the extremely light trembling of her breathing.

"Every time I close my eyes, I think of that altar."

"Think of those chains."

"Think of the feeling of blood being drawn out little by little."

Her fingers slowly tightened.

"I'm not afraid of pain."

"But at that time, I was really a little scared."

Lu Cheng was silent for a while, then raised his hand and gently pressed it on top of her head.

Qian Shuying opened her eyes.

She looked up at him.

The two were too close.

So close that their breathing could fall on each other's faces.

Qian Shuying's gaze was a bit chaotic.

The usual sharp edge, after being soaked by tears, turned into something very soft and very dangerous.

She looked at Lu Cheng for a few seconds.

Suddenly, she leaned forward a little.

Before Lu Cheng could react, he felt a warm touch on his lips.

Very light.

Like a falling feather.

Or like a petal accidentally brushing against skin in the night wind.

Qian Shuying kissed him.

After the kiss, she herself was stunned.

Lu Cheng was also stunned.

The wind by the lake seemed to stop for a moment.

In the distance, tree shadows swayed, moonlight shattered at their feet, and only the faint fragrance of white magnolias remained in the air.

Qian Shuying's ear tips turned red bit by bit.

She was clearly the woman who dared to go head-to-head with people in the arena, but at this moment, she seemed to have done something extremely reckless, her eyes dodging for a rare moment.

She said in a low voice.

"Sorry."

"I..."

Before she finished speaking, Xia Xi's face suddenly flashed in her mind.

Qian Shuying's fingers trembled slightly.

She stepped back a little.

That bit of almost out-of-control emotion was forcefully suppressed by her.

She lowered her eyes, her voice returning to a bit of calmness, but it was hoarser than usual.

"I know, you don't only have me by your side."

"So I won't force you to answer anything."

"And I won't make you give me any promises now."

Lu Cheng looked at her.

Qian Shuying looked up, the corners of her eyes still a bit red, but her gaze was already clear again.

Only in that clarity, there was a bit of rare vulnerability hidden.

"But tonight..."

She paused, as if using all her courage to say the rest.

"Can you let me just lean on you like this and rest for one night?"

"Just one night."

Qian Shuying's fingers slowly tightened, as if she were prepared to be rejected.

Lu Cheng looked at her, and finally nodded.

"Mm."

Qian Shuying's eyelashes trembled.

Lu Cheng moved to the side to make her lean more comfortably.

Qian Shuying didn't speak again, just rested her head on his shoulder again.

The moonlight fell on her side profile, softening her sharp contours a lot.

She closed her eyes, her breathing slowed down bit by bit, and the tension between her brows finally slowly dissipated.

The night grew deeper.

The moonlight on the lake shattered and merged.

The fragrance of white magnolias drifted over in waves.

Occasionally, the lowered footsteps of patrol personnel could be heard in the distance, soon disappearing into the depths of the garden.

Qian Shuying leaned against Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng sat on the bench, motionless.

Neither of them spoke again.

They sat by the lake like this, one leaning, one guarding.

Until the sky began to turn a very faint white.

A sleepless night.