130: Exposed

Waiting for him... for a long time?

Hain looked down, watching Tu Nan's black hair swaying before his eyes like deep-sea seaweed.

"Aren't you hot?" Tu Nan's body was boiling, yet Kong Jiamu was being far too much of a gentleman tonight.

What was he still worried about?

Tu Nan didn't give him any more chances to think, nor could she think for herself anymore; her hand fumbled downward from the lean lines of his waist.

"Mm~"

At that muffled groan, Tu Nan finally curled her lips in triumph.

Why hold back?

Go mad, sink deep, dance with her, and surrender... everything she wanted.

But in the darkness, the man only kissed her incessantly and piously.

Her hair, face, nose, and even her fingertips were treated gently. It was as if she were a fragile item to be handled with care, or a precious collectible on a curio shelf being meticulously played with.

"I don't want..."

She wanted to say, don't be so meticulous, don't bother with the presentation; she was ready to be tasted directly.

Those words forced the person hovering above her to stop all movement.

A drop of sweat fell onto her face, slowly sliding down to the side of her ear, then another... the man reached out to wipe it away for her.

Tu Nan felt his fingers trembling slightly.

That restraint and forbearance puzzled her, yet made her heart ache for some reason.

"I mean... don't be so light."

The man didn't listen to her; his large palm stopped by her ear and, as usual, rubbed her cat ears.

That was the most sensitive part of her senses; every hair on her cat ears was connected to a nerve. This was one of the few parts that reminded her she was also a Beastman.

She folded her ears back to avoid him, but he was relentless.

Tu Nan finally got angry; she grabbed his hand, brought it to her mouth, and bit down hard.

"Hurry up, why are you being so slow!" she complained.

Hain was already struggling immensely to hold back; he had still hoped to let Tu Nan calm down and clarify her relationship with Kong Jiamu, as well as her feelings for him.

But Tu Nan's words completely ignited him.

His grace and concessions had already caused him to miss out on Tu Nan once, and now... it was happening again.

Hain also grew angry.

The slight pain in his hand only served to remind him of his failure; he lifted Tu Nan's waist, hesitating for only a moment.

His Battle Intent finally blazed.

Then, he triumphed in every bout.

Tu Nan... was utterly defeated.

That damn Peacock, he's only been holding back for a few days, and he's already this starved—before her reason slipped away, Tu Nan complained like this.

And then she no longer had the strength to think.

***

Tu Nan didn't understand what kind of madness Kong Jiamu was going through. Looking at the bruises all over her body in the mirror, she grimaced while applying medicine to herself.

Fine... did this guy realize he was too rough and flee to avoid the consequences?

Leaving her to deal with this mess all by herself?

And to think she vaguely remembered him being unusually tentative at the start; it was clearly an illusion.

Fortunately, she had top-tier Healing Fluid. Using it on this kind of "injury" was indeed a bit of overkill, but since it was Kong Jiamu's doing, it was only right to use the medicine he provided.

She had done everything she could; surely she would be able to conceive this time.

[...]

["System? What are you trying to say? Can you detect it now?"] The System's sudden appearance for no reason made Tu Nan feel uneasy.

Could it be that it wasn't so useless and had finally updated with some new feature?

["No."] The System was still as useless as ever.

Tu Nan always felt like the System wanted to say something, but since it remained silent, there was nothing she could do.

If you were to ask who the hardest to win over was, in Tu Nan's opinion, it had to be the System.

No communication, no reaction, and only silence when Tu Nan went crazy—it was like punching cotton, leaving absolutely no room for manipulation.

Tu Nan slowly moved downstairs, only to be loudly greeted once again by several young men.

"...Why are you still here?" Tu Nan felt helpless. "Didn't Kong Jiamu tell you to go back?"

She tentatively asked, "Where is he?"

The few men were confused and looked at each other. "Colonel Kong... hasn't returned," one of them replied.

Tu Nan thought about how Kong Jiamu had crazily jumped in through the window last night; could he have run out through the window again afterward?

What is wrong with him? Tu Nan bit her lip.

Her goal was achieved, and she hadn't seen her Children for three days. No matter what, she had to go to Lance's place today. Tu Nan dialed Kong Jiamu's communicator.

But surprisingly... no one answered?

Without Kong Jiamu's orders, these soldiers refused to let Tu Nan leave, no matter what.

Tu Nan was helpless against these single-minded soldiers. She was as angry as a trapped beast, but could only daze in the living room, waiting for that Peacock with the sudden bout of insanity to return.

Until the afternoon, when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Tu Nan looked up in confusion... It shouldn't be Kong Jiamu, right? He wouldn't be so polite coming back to his own home.

But the soldiers suddenly became as if facing a great enemy. Two immediately stood up to shield her behind them, while the other four used hand signals to cover each other as they advanced toward the door.

"What's going on?" Tu Nan didn't quite understand what was happening.

The man protecting her in front whispered very softly, "Be careful, it's a master. None of us sensed him."

His gaze was still fixed firmly ahead, and Tu Nan also became nervous.

The Fox wouldn't walk into a trap, but Kong Jiamu did indeed have the possibility of having other enemies.

The door was suddenly pulled open, and all weapons were pointed at the person at the doorway.

Hain. He stood quietly at the door, remaining motionless as everyone stared at him.

Tu Nan peeked out from behind the soldiers, and with just one glance, she felt like her world was collapsing.

How could Hain suddenly appear at Kong Jiamu's place? What did he know? Did he know she had deceived him and his friend?

The soldiers relaxed; the relationship between Hain and their superior, Kong Jiamu, was well known to everyone.

"Lord Hain... what brings you here?" one of them asked.

Hain looked up slightly, his expression melancholy, as if some difficult problem was weighing on his mind.

"He went on a temporary mission and asked me to help look after... Pearl."

The soldiers suddenly understood; this was indeed a secure arrangement. They didn't expect Colonel Kong to be so attentive this time—not trusting them to guard alone and even asking his close friend to take charge while he was away.

"A mission," Tu Nan repeated, her expression somewhere between a cry and a smile. So that was it; no wonder no one was there when she woke up this morning.

But she was still nearly fuming at that idiot bird.

Just how was his brain wired? How on earth did he come up with such a ridiculous idea?

"Tu Nan..." Hain spoke, but he didn't look at her.

Tu Nan didn't dare look at him either; she just jolted at being called and blurted out.

"My name is Pearl."

Hain paused and slowly nodded.

"That's right, you are Pearl."

This was the name he had given her; he had harbored selfish desires, hoping that Tu Nan was a dusty Pearl he had discovered.

But it turned out that a Pearl wouldn't stay dusty forever; she would always be discovered by someone.

"I'll stay here and accompany you... until Kong Jiamu returns."

Hain walked into the room.

The soldiers hurriedly served him tea and water, feeling deeply reassured.

Tu Nan was about to lose it. What exactly did Hain mean by this? Was he going to expose everything in front of Kong Jiamu?

She wanted to ask, but didn't dare.

Hain, however, simply brought up another topic. "Where is Huai En? Why isn't she here?"