76: Intoxicated

In the restaurant, only Lin Mo and Gu Zhixia remained.

The last ray of the setting sun streamed through the porthole, casting long shadows of them on the floor.

In the distant sky, a few scattered stars had begun to twinkle.

Silence permeated the air.

But this silence wasn't awkward; instead, it carried a post-dinner languor and contentment.

Gu Zhixia picked up the glass of red wine, only half-finished, and gently swirled it.

The deep red liquid left beautiful tears tracing down the inside of the glass.

Her cheeks, under the soft lighting, glowed with a faint, captivating blush.

"How's your alcohol tolerance?"

She suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Her phoenix eyes, usually sharp as knives, were now veiled with a layer of mist due to the alcohol, losing some of their keenness and gaining a hazy, alluring charm.

"It's alright."

Lin Mo leaned back in his chair, looking at her, and gave his usual concise answer.

"Heh."

Gu Zhixia chuckled softly, then tilted her head back and downed the remaining red wine in her glass.

The clear liquid traced her beautiful lip line as it slid down her throat.

She put down the glass, and the blush on her fair face became even more pronounced.

"Actually, I..."

She licked her wine-stained lips, her gaze somewhat unfocused as she looked at Lin Mo.

"...have never drunk alcohol before."

This answer surprised Lin Mo a little.

"It feels wonderful," Gu Zhixia said, propping her chin with her hand, her eyes hazy as she gazed at the stars outside the window. "My head feels light, but my body is warm, as if... something has melted."

"Then drink less," Lin Mo said instinctively, reaching out to move the bottle of red wine away.

"Slap."

A soft yet firm hand pressed down on his.

Gu Zhixia had stood up at some point, walked around the table, and now stood beside him.

She looked down at him, her hazy eyes holding an unreasonable stubbornness.

"I don't care."

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet it carried a commanding tone.

"You drink with me."

As she spoke, she directly sat on the armrest next to Lin Mo, leaning slightly towards him. A warm scent, a mix of rich red wine and a young woman's fragrance, instantly enveloped him.

Lin Mo looked at her.

He looked at her glistening lips, so close, and her eyes, no longer cool and distant, but burning with some emotion.

He was silent for a moment.

Finally, he withdrew his hand, picked up the wine bottle, and refilled Gu Zhixia's empty glass.

"Alright, let's drink."

His voice carried an indulgence he himself hadn't noticed.

"It's rare to be able to relax like this since coming to this world."

A triumphant and satisfied curve appeared on Gu Zhixia's lips.

She picked up her glass but didn't drink immediately.

She just looked at Lin Mo, her beautiful phoenix eyes fixed on him, unblinking and focused, as if she wanted to engrave his image deep into her soul.

"Lin Mo."

She suddenly spoke, calling him by his full name.

"You..."

Her voice held a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"You'll be by my side, won't you?"

"You won't... leave Nianqiu and me behind, like others, will you?"

In that moment, her gaze shed all pretense, leaving only the most raw, most primal plea and unease.

It was the fear of a small beast, terrified of being abandoned by the whole world again.

Lin Mo's heart was sharply pierced by that look.

Without the slightest hesitation, meeting her gaze, he uttered a single word with utmost solemnity.

"Yes."

This word, like a stabilizing anchor, instantly calmed all the unease and fear in Gu Zhixia's eyes.

It was also like a spark igniting a fuse, detonating all the suppressed emotions in her heart.

She put down her glass.

The next moment, she leaned forward, and with the hands that always held cold weapons and had been stained with countless blood, she gently, yet incredibly tightly, wrapped her arms around Lin Mo's neck.

Under Lin Mo's astonished gaze.

She closed her eyes and pressed her soft, wine-warmed, and burning lips directly onto his.

There was no probing, no hesitation.

Only a desperate, all-in determination.

The restaurant was very quiet.

Only the stars outside the window silently witnessed it all.

Lin Mo's body stiffened for a moment, then he relaxed, raising his hands to gently encircle her slender waist.

After a long while.

Their lips parted.

Gu Zhixia didn't pull away, but buried her head in Lin Mo's neck, her hot breath fanning his skin, carrying a heart-pounding warmth.

Her body was still trembling slightly.

"Do you know..."

Her voice, thick with emotion, came out muffled.

"My father passed away when I was very young."

"Later, my mother remarried."

"She had a new family, new children... Nianqiu and I became superfluous blemishes in her life that could be easily erased."

"She would send money every month, and then, she never appeared again."

Lin Mo listened quietly, his arms around her tightening slightly.

"Our grandparents raised us. They gave us all the best things, but they themselves couldn't bear to eat well or dress well."

"I started working desperately in high school. I washed dishes in restaurant kitchens, the grease fumes made me unable to eat for days. I also carried bricks on construction sites, my hands were covered in blood blisters."

"I saved every penny and fought for scholarships, just so Nianqiu could have a better life, could continue to study carefree like a little princess, and buy the pretty dresses she liked."

"I swore long ago that my life is for her happiness."

"Anyone who dares to make her suffer even a little, I'll fight them to the death."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried a deep-seated hardness, forged by blood and tears.

She looked up, her reddened eyes meeting Lin Mo's again.

"So..."

"Lin Mo, thank you."

"Thank you for giving us a home."

"A real home... where we don't have to live in fear, don't have to go hungry or cold anymore."

After speaking, she could no longer hold herself up and completely collapsed into Lin Mo's arms, like a small cat that had exhausted all its strength and finally found a Safe Harbor.

Lin Mo didn't speak.

He simply reached out and gently, stroke by stroke, caressed her soft black hair.

Outside the window, the galaxy sparkled brightly.

At this moment, this cold warship named "Natural Selection" had found its warmest interpretation.