The bedroom curtains were drawn, dimming the room even further after the door closed.

Lan Qi lay motionless on the carpet, only able to feel the soft touch of the cotton fabric against his back.

Although he wouldn't feel much emotional turbulence due to shame, he could sense the explosive feelings of Hyperion and Talia.

Lan Qi didn't react for a long time, apart from his heartbeat quickening a little. Mostly, he was just dumbfounded.

He never expected things to turn out this way.

He had no idea what Talia would do next.

If Talia had a moment of irrationality, it was entirely possible that the three of them would die together like this.

Lan Qi's mouth was covered, and he couldn't even speak. He could only resign himself to fate.

"Tata, can you give Lan Qi a chance to explain?"

Hyperion lay on top of Lan Qi, her voice trembling as she suppressed the shame that was about to overwhelm her, and appealed to reason as quickly as possible.

Even just being caught between Lan Qi and Tata, she could feel that all three of their heartbeats were chaotic.

Hyperion couldn't see Tata's expression. All she knew was that Tata's emotions were even more unstable than hers. Even now, Tata hadn't let go of Lan Qi, causing the three of them to be locked together, unable to move.

There was no response for a long time.

Then Hyperion, without further ado, steeled herself, enduring the shame that was about to burst her heart, and buried her head, hugging Lan Qi tighter.

She knew her cheeks were burning hot because she could feel the coldness of Lan Qi's ears and Talia's hand.

But she could only use her actions and attitude to show that if Tata were to die with Lan Qi, she, caught in the middle, wouldn't want to live either.

She didn't know how many seconds passed.

"..."

Finally, Talia, with a gaze intertwined with resentment and pain, slowly released the hand that was holding Lan Qi's cheek.

She looked at Hyperion's slender but resolute back, feeling that Hyperion was so far away from her in that instant. Even though she was her favorite Hyperion, at that moment, she seemed to have become a stranger.

But Talia still didn't move. She seemed to have lost her strength for a moment and didn't know what to do.

Or perhaps letting go of Lan Qi was not her intention at all. She had only released Lan Qi because of Hyperion's call, even though she was reluctant and had come back to her senses.

Lan Qi lay on the ground, finally able to breathe smoothly. Black and silver strands of hair were mixed together beside his ears, and there was also a gray strand hanging down that hadn't been moved away, making it difficult for him to distinguish whose hair was tickling him.

He barely breathed a sigh of relief, while also feeling that Hyperion's breathing had also calmed down a lot, and her tense nerves had relaxed.

However, when his vision refocused.

Talia was still looking at him.

Her eyes, filled with resentment, confusion, and unwillingness, seemed to demand an answer from him.

Even knowing that he might lie, she needed Lan Qi to tell her a lie that could deceive her.

On one side of the bedroom.

Boss Cat hid in the corner of the bed, secretly watching the three people on the ground.

It was actually the most nervous!

It was afraid that the three humans it raised would explode together.

Earlier, at Boss Cat's restaurant, it was curious why these three could stay together so harmoniously in winter without any signs of a shura field (a scene of carnage or intense conflict, often used in romantic contexts), but it turned out that they were only playing for big stakes!

It was now afraid that after returning to Boss Cat's restaurant, these three would routinely stage an explosive shura field, which its small restaurant really couldn't handle! It would also involve Antanas, Sinnora, and Planae!

Boss Cat timidly hid behind the bed, afraid of being discovered by the three of them and then silenced.

It knew it should have run away just now, but it was just curious. Even though it kept shaking, it couldn't help but want to see what would happen today!

On the carpet on the other side.

Talia's gaze towards Lan Qi gradually became disappointed.

"So you've always hated me."

Talia seemed to have finally come to a conclusion and stated the question in a declarative tone.

That's right.

During the peaceful year she lived in the Hutton Kingdom, she met humans who could be called friends and gradually understood that women with her personality were difficult to get along with.

Only gentle people like Hyperion and Asina could accept her.

Lan Qi had always been good to her, and she knew that too.

But she was too stingy with the tenderness she should have had, and most of the time her attitude towards him was quite resistant.

It was only reasonable for him to hate her.

From the beginning, the two of them were just a mutually beneficial transactional relationship. They had just accidentally become friends who could still get used to each other.

"When I first saw the figure under the gray cloak, I thought it was a poor, pitiful old lady, until I took a closer look and realized it was a beautiful lady. When I was painting, this contrast made me laugh involuntarily. When I came back to my senses, I realized that it was actually me who was deeply attracted. I had accidentally created this painting..."

Lan Qi spoke slowly, his emerald eyes showing a hint of guilt as he looked away.

"..."

Talia's golden eyes reflected Lan Qi's appearance, gradually brightening a little.

This was the first time she had seen this guy sound like he was telling a half-truth, without his usual confidence.

But what she identified was the truth.

"...Beautiful?"

Talia murmured.

"Yes..."

Lan Qi said in a complaining tone.

Although it was the truth, saying it like this always made him feel a little embarrassed.

In the end, he still couldn't predict Talia's behavior pattern. It was like he couldn't avoid this nemesis, and he could only admit that he had lost.

Talia's aura obviously softened, and she also looked away.

She now felt a sense of guilt.

Although Lan Qi and Hyperion were smart, she wasn't stupid either.

She could see that the relationship between Hyperion and Lan Qi was different after these six months.

Hyperion had already found someone special.

She shouldn't be fighting with Hyperion for anything, but Talia felt sincerely happy because of Lan Qi's praise just now. This happiness then gave rise to more guilt, but perhaps because of her nature, this guilt made her feel a vaguely inexplicable excitement.

Shouldn't be.

Really shouldn't be.

"..."

After struggling.

"You're not allowed to say things like that in the future."

Talia said softly.

What she meant was that she hoped Lan Qi could be devoted to Hyperion.

"..."

Hyperion finally felt relieved after hearing this.

She was sure that Tata's emotions had stabilized.

However...

Although she was acting just now.

Hyperion heard Lan Qi admit that Tata was beautiful, and she should have been very happy because she thought so too.

But for some reason, she had a strange feeling in her heart since just now. She couldn't see Lan Qi and Tata's expressions, but she felt from the bottom of her heart that the air between them was a bit unduly ambiguous. When she recalled Lan Qi's seriously drawn Tata portrait, the unknown emotions in her heart began to magnify again.

(End of chapter)