154: What is love?

Ignoring the "Do you even need to think about that?" expression on Kong Jiamu's face, Tu Nan left him in the study without a shred of guilt and pulled the door open.

She then walked straight into a solid chest.

"Oof."

Her forehead... having been struck for the second time, Tu Nan shot a slightly resentful glance at the person in front of her.

Seeing Tu Nan's slightly moist red lips and the tears in the corners of her eyes, Hain, who had been about to reach out to rub her forehead, pulled his hand back and pressed it tightly against his trouser seam.

"Pearl? Did you bump into something?" Kong Jiamu exclaimed.

"It's nothing, you two go ahead and talk." Tu Nan pushed Hain inside and thoughtfully closed the door for them.

In the living room, the three servants were gone, and the soldiers who had been guarding the place had also withdrawn—something Kong Jiamu had arranged on the way.

The living room of this house was rarely this quiet, and Tu Nan let out a sigh of relief.

Sigh... Her mental fortitude still needed work; whenever she saw those two standing together, Tu Nan always had an indescribable feeling.

Her gaze drifted casually, and through the window, she saw Gu Lvhai outside.

Staring blankly in the garden all by herself?

Recalling the conflict that had just broken out so rapidly and her behavior from beginning to end, Tu Nan's feet moved toward her of their own accord.

"Miss Gu." Her voice clearly wasn't loud, yet it almost made Gu Lvhai jump out of her skin.

"Ah... sorry, I startled you." Tu Nan stepped back.

"No, no, it's fine." Gu Lvhai waved her hands repeatedly. Upon discovering that Kong Jiamu wasn't there, she let out a sigh of relief.

Tu Nan's mind turned briefly, and she decided to use her status as a "Noble Female" to get straight to the point and talk to her.

She felt that she could give Hain a hand.

"I was a bit harsh earlier." Tu Nan started by lowering her guard. "I just can't stand seeing you all insult people so casually."

Gu Lvhai shook her head with a bitter smile.

"I don't blame you. Black Spade, Red Spade, and the others... they really did go too far."

As expected.

"I saw you didn't stop your maids, so I thought you felt the same way. Hearing you say that now..." Tu Nan used this as an opening to continue.

"They are indeed too harsh on Male Beasts; there's no need for it... Hain has it tough too, and they don't understand him."

"Is that so? Then how do you view Hain? You should know that on every planet other than your Sea Soul Star, he is exceptionally noble. He's good-looking, capable, and has a great personality. I doubt anyone would curse at him like your maids do."

"He's very noble on Sea Soul Star, too. He is the eldest son of the Montoya Family, with an exceptional background and upbringing, and is deeply favored by the Goddess."

Tu Nan twitched the corner of her mouth.

"Do you love him?" she asked the person in front of her.

"Of course! When I was five, my parents brought the ten-year-old him to me, and I've been looking forward to the day I could marry him ever since."

...You were quite precocious, Tu Nan thought.

"And then, not two years later, he went to the Capital Star, and after that, he fought his way to the top in the outside world, while you just stayed in the countryside with the old fossils at home, achieving nothing?"

Tu Nan eyed her askance.

Gu Lvhai wanted to say that it wasn't quite like that, but after calculating for a long time, she realized it was indeed hard to name any achievements that could truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hain's.

She had no choice but to shut her mouth in chagrin.

Based solely on the subtle behavior of her disapproving of her maids' actions but being completely unable to control them, Tu Nan guessed that this was... in a certain sense, a rather naive second-generation heir.

And quite kind-hearted, too.

She let out a deep sigh.

"I heard that you were the one who helped Hain leave Sea Soul Star? Can you tell me what you were thinking at the time?" Seeing her confused eyes, Tu Nan paused before trying to coax her.

"Hain did me a huge favor. I wanted to repay him, and I hope he is happy."

Upstairs, two S-Rank Male Beasts noticed the two of them meeting in the garden and had long since opened a crack in the soundproof window to observe them.

As soon as those words were spoken, Kong Jiamu gave his friend a light punch on the chest.

He was full of vanity, his eyebrows practically flying off his face with smugness.

This was the Female he had set his sights on; even if they had entrusted Hain to help, she still knew how to repay kindness. She really made him look good.

Hain, however, remained expressionless.

He didn't need Tu Nan to repay him; everything he did for her was done willingly, and besides... his happiness...

Gu Lvhai suddenly realized.

"That's right, Hain is just like that. Back then... he said he wanted to continue going to school with his sisters after his adolescence, but my mother didn't agree." She scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"My mother, she's a bit exceptionally old-fashioned."

"I couldn't bear it, so I said I would find a way. Hain said he had a way, as long as I helped him with a small favor."

Hmm... Tu Nan knew what happened next; Hain then boarded a starship, crossed the sea of stars, and went to seek refuge with His Majesty the Emperor.

The two chatted a few more sentences, mostly about how Gu Lvhai was 24 this year and thought it was too late if she didn't get married, which was why she chased Hain out of Sea Soul Star.

...Hard to comment on that.

"Lvhai!" Tu Nan solemnly placed her hands on her shoulders.

She was a bit too tall, so she gave up.

"Hain has stayed outside for so long, he won't accept the ideas of Sea Soul Star anymore. If you really want to get close to him, I think you need to learn more about the outside world."

Gu Lvhai thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"You're right; on the way here, I discovered that we really are very different from the outside world."

"Mm, I see you're a good Female, and you don't believe that Male Beasts are inherently inferior, right? Is a Male Beast like Hain worse than just any random Female?"

"Of course not!" Gu Lvhai immediately spoke up.

"Does Hain feel like he is worse than them?"

"No, he's very proud." Gu Lvhai affirmed.

Tu Nan smiled slightly.

"You know, I can't judge whether you love Hain or not. Because love... has a principle."

Tu Nan said earnestly, "The highest level of love is not possession, and it is absolutely not self-indulgence. Love is dedication and moving forward without hesitation. If you love someone, your greatest wish is to hope that they are happy."

"Is that so?" Gu Lvhai murmured.

Is that so? The two Male Beasts upstairs frowned simultaneously.

"It is," Tu Nan nodded affirmatively, adding leisurely, "You might even endure being unhappy yourself for the sake of his happiness."

This was a perspective Tu Nan had occasionally seen in her past life, where countless people debated whether selfless, dedicated love or competitive, aggressive love was better.

Tu Nan had no experience and made no judgment on it.

Gu Lvhai frowned deeply. "That's so hard..."

Tu Nan looked at her encouragingly. She swallowed and nodded with difficulty.

"...Then I'll give it a try?"

Kong Jiamu closed the window and pulled the curtains shut, then shook his head, sighing with emotion.

"What a little liar."

She almost led him astray too.

What dedication... how can there be results if you don't strive to fight for them? Isn't this just like war? If you don't fight, it's absolutely impossible to win.

To fight a satisfying battle, even if one dies on the battlefield, it is a death worth dying. Soldiers never avoid battle.

He smiled confidently and said to Hain,

"Forget it, I don't believe her nonsense. Anyway, I already proposed to her earlier; I won't be using any of her theories."

Hain looked up abruptly.

His emotions had fluctuated too much today.

Tu Nan's attention, appreciation, consideration, and understanding were like a rising tide, crashing against him wave after wave.

Gradually soaking him in that gentle dream, until he was doused with a bucket of cold water by Kong Jiamu.

Finally, it made him remember that what he possessed was only that unspeakable accident.

"Proposed? Did she agree?" He was afraid to hear the answer.

"Hehe, it's about the same. Who am I? Kong Jiamu! I'm telling you, I'm already thinking about how to handle the wedding... it's really strange."

Kong Jiamu tilted his head, twisting the ends of his hair in a conflicted manner.

Hain's chest rose and fell; the words he wanted to say,

seemed to have no reason to be spoken anymore...

"Love is dedication, it is hoping she is happy."

He whispered.

"Stop!" Kong Jiamu felt a headache coming on. "It's impossible to talk to a novice like you. Don't listen to Pearl's nonsense; just wait until another day when I can give you a lesson and teach you some real experience."

Hain shook his head imperceptibly.

You don't understand.