96: Intertwined Fates

Li held in his hand what Tu Nan had left for him.

It was the ruby he had once gifted, but now, no matter how he looked at it, the red of the gem seemed full of ominous portents.

How could he have thought this was suitable for Tu Nan back then?

Li leaned against the porthole of the starship as the brilliant fireworks outside died out.

Their warship swept past a massive luxury flight.

His eyesight was excellent; after the Breakthrough during the chaos the day before yesterday, it had reached an astonishing level.

For instance, he previously wouldn't have been able to see the starship opposite them clearly from such a distance.

A top-tier flight from Hongtu Aviation.

Unlike their warship, which held nothing but weapons and soldiers, through the transparent windows one could see various luxurious lights and figures inside, and there was even a lush forest planted within the small dome at the top.

A figure flashed by, with black hair.

Just like Tu Nan... Li thought despondently.

Would he still be able to see her alive? Or if he died, would Tu Nan accept his pension?

He thought back to the scene when he received the ruby.

After choosing to join the Suicide Squad and head to the front lines, Karl dragged him out of the confinement room and told him to prepare to leave with the troop transport departing in the afternoon.

Only by becoming a member of the Suicide Squad on the front lines before the entire process reached a military tribunal would all of this be overlooked.

After all, everyone in Mata City would show leniency to those on the front lines, let alone the Suicide Squad.

Gaia was notified to come see him off, and he brought Lisa.

The Female Beast handed over a beautifully wrapped box, along with words that pierced his heart.

"The 'gift' Tu Nan asked me to give you that day; she said it was a birthday gift and asked me to give it to you at the ceremony site." Seeing he didn't take it, Lisa unceremoniously shoved the item into his hands.

"She said I wouldn't get the timing wrong for giving it to you. That's right, it's now." She said, huffing with anger.

Li always felt that inside lay something that would cause his life to completely collapse, yet he also hoped it was some instruction from Tu Nan, something that would allow him to still catch a scent of her.

When he lightly untied the ribbon on top and opened the box.

A ruby lay quietly on top of a squarely folded letter—the gift he had brought out that day to appease Tu Nan.

The handwriting on the letter was neat and earnest, without any messy traces; it was clear that Tu Nan's mood had been quite calm when she wrote it.

"By the time you see this letter, you will already be someone else's husband."

Tu Nan didn't even write his name, pointing this out right from the start.

"Thank you for paying to buy me back then, but since this was a transaction, from the moment I gave birth to the Two Children, we are square."

"You see, you have indeed gained a cat and a dog. I have fulfilled the service content you purchased."

"As for me as a person, I'm sorry, but I am not an object."

"A Foster Mother should not be an object either; I have always believed this, and Ji Yu's death only made me more firm in this belief. It's a pity you and I see things differently."

"I have taken the Children with me; I asked for their opinion. Rest assured, as long as I am alive, I will raise them well."

Gaia, uncharacteristically irritable, snatched the letter from his hand, and Lisa leaned over; the two finished reading it together. Lisa immediately jumped up.

"Foster Mother, Foster Mother! What do you think you are, huh! You're so noble, truly the kind of dog valued by families like the Sheng Family!" She pointed at Li and cursed.

"In what way is Tu Nan not good enough for you? She didn't want to be a Foster Mother, couldn't you tell at all, huh! You had to force her away! She is the mother of your Children!"

Li's lips trembled; he wanted to say he didn't look down on Tu Nan, that he truly had never thought about what was wrong with this system that had always existed.

He thought it was just like how he made a living through force; Tu Nan could also live quietly by his side.

Gaia pulled Lisa back; he understood Li's thoughts better, because he had once been the same as Li, only he had forgotten Tu Nan's status earlier, while Li, for some reason, persisted in this matter.

"Tu Nan is a person..." Gaia had spent time with Tu Nan and with Ji Yu; he struggled to try to voice his feelings. "She wanted to be treated equally, not to be bought, sold, or killed at any moment; it's that simple."

Gaia thought of the ruthlessness and decisiveness Tu Nan displayed when facing crises, "Why can't you get it through your head? She just wanted to survive... that's all."

Li felt as if his brain had been struck by a heavy hammer, his mind dazed; in that chaos, he suddenly grasped a clue. That was him, back when he struggled to survive.

Yes, he too had always wondered why he was a Chaotic Beast, why he was abandoned. Being born this way wasn't his fault; he had gritted his teeth and grown up, finally able to survive through force.

And then he had forgotten all of this? Did he think that Tu Nan, also born a Foster Mother, would naturally accept such an identity?

By what right?

Hahahaha, Li gripped the ruby, finally understanding what Tu Nan had been telling him all along.

She said she didn't want to be a Foster Mother.

She said she wanted to be a wife, a mother by his side, building a home.

A home.

How could a Foster Mother have a home? He had ignored Tu Nan's risks, Tu Nan's calls for help; he left Tu Nan without a home, and he... he had lost Tu Nan, and thus had no home either.

He clutched his head, crouched on the ground, and roared, his voice sounding nothing like a human's.

His hands seemed to switch between wolf claws and human hands; Gaia's expression changed drastically, and he threw open the door and shouted: "Call someone quickly, Li's gene chain is collapsing!"

Karl only came in to take one look before rushing off to grab the military doctor; after an injection of a sedative, Li collapsed, and his hands gradually stabilized into human form.

Several people let out a collective sigh of relief; Karl harshly grabbed his own hair, feeling helpless.

"Things have already happened; what's the point of waking him up now." Karl paused. He actually didn't have the right to say this, as he had also mocked him once, "Forget it, such is fate. Let him stay on the front lines; if he returns alive, his mind will naturally clear up."

"If you have any news of Tu Nan... just let me know; no need to tell Li for now."

He can't afford to go crazy like this on the battlefield, sigh.

Li and Tu Nan's fates had thus intertwined, and then separated again.

It was both the beast god's mercy and its mockery; when Li's gaze turned toward the Botanical Garden, Tu Nan was... in a passionate kiss with Kong Jiamu.

Of course, these two could only look at each other awkwardly now.

After a long while, Tu Nan pressed down the front of her skirt, pointing at Kong Jiamu and laughing until she doubled over.

"So there is someone who can keep you in check." She was amused; this peacock, who always looked arrogant and dissolute, actually had a time when he was as docile as a Little Bird.

"Hey, save me some Face." Kong Jiamu scratched his chin, speechless.

This was the first time he had lost so much Face in front of a female companion, which made him quite uncomfortable, but Tu Nan's direct attitude made him feel a unique intimacy.

Tsk.

He flicked Tu Nan's nose and snorted. "Alright, today's luck must be bad; come on, where are your little cubs? I'll take them to train."

Tu Nan eyed him sideways; Kong Jiamu's attitude had changed, becoming more genuine and intimate.

This could also be considered a good thing.

The bracelet vibrated slightly, and Tu Nan took a look.

That number... it was Hain.

Kong Jiamu raised an eyebrow and asked: "Not answering?"

Tu Nan shook her head gently, smiling bitterly.

No, how could she answer this?