Chapter 635: Chapter 635: An Mo’s Mysterious Invitation
An Mo did not answer immediately. His thoughts were still trapped in what he had just witnessed.
For a moment, he simply stared at Xuan Long.
Then something strange stirred within his heart.
A realization.
So this was what love looked like.
This was what it meant to truly care for someone.
His gaze lingered on Xuan Long’s face. He could clearly see the vulnerability hidden beneath the powerful serpent’s calm exterior. The reluctance. The unwillingness to leave. The quiet pain that he was trying so hard to conceal.
For a brief moment, An Mo found it difficult to reconcile the man standing before him with the Xuan Long he had once known.
This was the feared tyrant of the Teng Serpent Clan.
The beast whose heart had once been colder than stone.
Yet now he looked no different from any ordinary male deeply and hopelessly in love.
Life truly was remarkable.
And love...
Love was perhaps even more remarkable.
It could change a person completely.
Xuan Long frowned slightly when An Mo failed to respond.
"An Mo?"
The voice finally pulled him back to reality. A faint smile appeared on An Mo’s face.
"I will."
The simple promise immediately eased some of the tension within Xuan Long’s heart. He nodded once before turning toward Su Qinglan again.
Neither of them moved, yet countless emotions passed silently between them. Everything that words could never fully express.
After what felt like an eternity, Xuan Long finally smiled.
"Lanlan... Wait for me."
The next moment, his figure vanished. Just like that he was gone.
The room suddenly felt empty. Su Qinglan stared at the place where he had been standing only seconds earlier.
A sharp pain squeezed her heart. So painful that it almost stole her breath away. She did not want him to leave.
But she also knew he had to go.
If she wanted her plans to succeed...
If she wanted to secure a safe future for their family...
Then Xuan Long has to go...
A warm tear suddenly slid down her cheek. Yet she barely noticed. Her thoughts were elsewhere.
Slowly lowering her head, she whispered so softly that the words almost disappeared into the silence.
"I’m sorry."
"I’m sorry, my dear Xuan Long."
A dangerous light flickered deep within her eyes.
"But this is necessary."
Her voice gradually hardened.
"For us."
"For our cub."
The gentleness that usually filled her expression slowly disappeared. In its place remained only cold determination.
"I won’t allow anyone who harmed my cub to continue living peacefully."
"If it hurts this much, why did you ask him to leave?"
Su Qinglan nearly jumped out of her skin. Her heart skipped several beats as she spun around.
An Mo stood there quietly. His eyes remained fixed on her. The gaze was calm and steady. Yet somehow it felt as though he could see directly through every wall she had carefully built around herself.
Su Qinglan’s fingers tightened involuntarily.
How did he know?
How could he tell it hurt this much?
Before she could respond, An Mo slowly stepped closer. His eyes lowered toward her face. Then his thumb gently brushed across her cheek.
The movement caused her to freeze completely.
When An Mo pulled his hand away, a small glimmer of moisture remained on his fingertip.
A tear.
Only then did Su Qinglan realize she had been crying. Quickly, she wiped her face, feeling unexpectedly embarrassed.
The sight caused something in An Mo’s gaze to soften. "Why?" he asked again. His voice was quieter this time.
"Why ask him to leave when you clearly don’t want him to?"
Su Qinglan lowered her eyes. For a long moment, she remained silent. Then she finally answered. "Because it’s necessary."
An Mo studied her quietly. Something unreadable flashed through his eyes.
For a brief moment, he seemed lost in thoughts known only to himself. Then a genuine smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Do you want to become stronger?"
The unexpected question caused Su Qinglan to blink. Her heart skipped a beat. Confusion filled her eyes as she stared at him.
How did he know?
Why did he always seem capable of seeing exactly what she was thinking?
An Mo looked directly into her eyes. The smile on his lips deepened slightly.
"The opportunity is standing right in front of you." His voice lowered, becoming almost mysterious. "It simply depends on whether you’re brave enough to take it."
Su Qinglan’s eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
Countless questions instantly exploded within her mind. Yet before she could ask anything else, An Mo suddenly leaned down.
Far closer than before. His warm breath brushed lightly against her ear.
Instantly, her entire body froze. Heat rushed straight to her face. Even her ears turned completely red.
Of course, An Mo noticed. The faintest chuckle escaped him. It was dangerously pleasant.
Then he finally straightened.
The warmth surrounding her disappeared just as suddenly as it had come, leaving only the frantic beating of her heart behind.
An Mo looked at her one last time. His eyes held emotions she could not understand. Then he quietly said, "Some opportunities only appear once, Qinglan."
His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer.
"And some people..."
The smile in his eyes deepened ever so slightly.
"...are worth trusting."
For reasons she could not understand, that look unsettled her far more than his earlier actions.
There was a trace of amusement hidden within An Mo’s eyes, a quiet mirth that seemed to appear whenever he looked at her. It felt as though he had discovered a secret that only he knew and was enjoying watching her struggle to figure it out.
The realization made Su Qinglan’s cheeks grow even warmer.
When she finally forced herself to glance up again, she caught the faint curve at the corner of his lips.
The smile was gone almost as quickly as it appeared, but she had seen it.
Before Su Qinglan could ask what he meant, he turned and walked away.
Soon his figure disappeared through the doorway. Just like Xuan Long before him.
Leaving Su Qinglan standing alone in the room completely stunned.
Countless questions swirled through her mind.
What opportunity?
What exactly had he been talking about?
And why did it feel as though his words carried another meaning hidden beneath the surface?
The room gradually returned to silence. Only Su Qinglan and the little white egg remained behind.
One was lost in confusion.
The other quietly glowed within the incubator.
