Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Very, Very Much
Li Xingye was stunned for a moment, and before he knew it, Chi Wan had turned around and pinned him against a tree trunk.
Chi Wan stared directly into Li Xingye’s eyes, her tone coaxing. "Brother Xingye, so, why are you always so concerned about the people around me?"
Li Xingye looked at Chi Wan, who was so close. Her charming face was completely serious, and her eyes were filled with his reflection.
This was a scene he had fantasized about countless times ever since he realized he was in love with Chi Wan.
Li Xingye’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice involuntarily grew hoarse. "Wanwan, you know it’s never been about the people around you."
Before Chi Wan could speak again, he reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, and said with the utmost sincerity, "Wanwan, the only one I care about is you. I don’t like Xiahou Yu, and I don’t like Zhou Huaijin, but I hate myself even more for wanting to completely separate you from them.
"I like you. I like you so, so much. But I can’t even appear in your world or stand by your side. I can only watch as they approach you with their own motives. Wanwan, I’m not as noble as you think. Countless dark thoughts have crossed my mind.
"But I don’t dare.
"The moment I imagine putting those dark thoughts into action, I panic at the thought that your gaze would be filled with nothing but disgust.
"Wanwan, I get scared too. I’m scared you won’t be able to accept the real me. I’m scared that after you know how I feel, you’ll cut off the only connection we have."
Chi Wan hadn’t expected Li Xingye to say so much all at once. She murmured, "Then why are you telling me all this now? If you didn’t want me to see what your life is like in the apocalypse, you could have just closed the portal to the space."
Li Xingye smiled, a hint of frankness in his expression. "Because I can’t hold it in anymore. Even if you don’t accept me, even if you come to hate me, I just want to tell you how I feel, and show you the real me behind those feelings. I don’t want you to think everything I do for you is just because you saved me back then.
"Before, because we were separated by an impassable space, I was worried my feelings would be a burden to you. I thought I could bear to watch you end up with someone else, but I quickly realized that it hurts just to hear you praise Xiahou Yu.
"Even though I can’t truly be in the same world as you right now, I just want a fair chance to compete with them. Wanwan, Sister Duan said that when energy erupts to its absolute peak, there might be a way to open a passage between our spaces.
"I’m not asking for an answer right away. I just hope... can you wait for me for a little while, Wanwan? It won’t be too long! Of course, if you think Xiahou Yu or the others are better, then I... I’ll wish you happiness."
You could tell he was finding it hard to say those last few sentences, but he gritted his teeth and finished.
Looking at Li Xingye’s pained and compromising expression, Chi Wan would be lying if she said she wasn’t moved.
But for some reason, she felt like something was off...
Recalling Li Xingye’s numerous attempts to test her recently, Chi Wan narrowed her eyes.
’Is this guy really confessing because he can’t hold back anymore, or... is he also testing my reaction?’
If this were the "Love-Struck War God" she had first met, Li Xingye’s words would have made her heart melt completely.
But now, with this Li Xingye who had slowly "learned to be bad"—who would test her and play games with her—suddenly being so frank...
Chi Wan narrowed her eyes again, slowly closing the distance between them. Watching his earlobes gradually turn red, she asked with a half-smile, "Brother Xingye, really? If I got together with Xiahou Yu, would you really wish us happiness?"
Before Li Xingye could answer, she gave his cheeks a punitive pinch with both hands. "Out with it. You already knew I liked you too, didn’t you? I’ve been meaning to ask, where on earth did you learn all these sly, guilt-tripping lines? Give me back my old Love-Struck War God!"
Li Xingye froze. When he processed what Chi Wan had said, he completely ignored the latter part of her sentence, latching onto the most crucial point.
His pitiful, wronged expression vanished. Li Xingye shot to his feet, still in a position where Chi Wan’s hands were pinching his face, and exclaimed joyfully, "Wanwan, did you just say you like me too?"
Chi Wan had been kneeling on one knee on the grass, pinning Li Xingye against the tree. She was caught completely off guard as he lifted her up with him. Forgetting everything else, she instinctively grabbed his shoulders for support.
But Li Xingye was so tall, the sudden movement left Chi Wan perched on his arm in a kneeling position!
’Wait, he can just stand up from a position like that?!’
Before Chi Wan could even process her surprise, her eyes met Li Xingye’s sparkling gaze.
"Wanwan, I admit it, I was testing you," he said, holding her carefully. "But every word I said was true. So, can you say it again?"
Chi Wan played dumb. "Say what?"
Li Xingye’s smile was blindingly bright. "Say... that you like me."
With that slightly goofy look on his face, who could tell this was the great apocalyptic overlord who could wipe out hordes of zombies with a flick of his finger?
Chi Wan finally couldn’t help but laugh. She hopped off Li Xingye’s arm and beckoned to him with a slight curl of her finger.
As if mesmerized, Li Xingye lowered his head toward her.
The next second, a soft, warm, tingling sensation landed on the side of his face.
Li Xingye: !!!
He whipped his head to look at Chi Wan, who was pretending to have everything under control, though her cheeks were already flushed crimson. He had never felt his heart beat so furiously.
And it was the same for Chi Wan.
Even though she tried to look away, her ever-hotter face and ever-faster heartbeat were undeniable proof that she was just as nervous.
Until she was suddenly pulled into an embrace.
"Wanwan, I’m so... so happy," Li Xingye murmured, hugging Chi Wan tightly and burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Sometimes I wonder if I’m dreaming, if all of this is just a hallucination before death."
Amused, Chi Wan ruffled Li Xingye’s hair, only to find that it was just like him—it looked soft, but was actually a bit prickly to the touch.
She said in a deadpan voice, "So, you’re a taken man now. Remember to strictly adhere to the boyfriend code."
Perhaps the word "home" stirred something in Li Xingye. He tilted his head and placed a soft kiss on the side of her neck. "I’ve never been so desperate to end the apocalypse..."
It tickled, and Chi Wan shrank back, giving his head a little push. "Well, of course. That’s because you hadn’t met me before, so you didn’t have a reason to want it to end~ Brother Xingye, your Crystal Core modification project, is it completely successful now?"
Li Xingye straightened up, his smile full of confidence. "Yes. Which means we can start trying to trade resources with you."
This had been his real reason for asking Chi Wan into the space.
He just hadn’t expected to receive such a huge, wonderful surprise along with it.
