Let me explain, it's not what you think.

Jiang Huaiyu's cheeks burned, not from shyness, but from shame.

She, a cultivator at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, and once a proud daughter of heaven, unknowingly developed a dependence on a junior brother in the Foundation Establishment stage, and even... even began to expect something.

But he only thought about taking responsibility for his daughter, never about taking responsibility for her.

"Are you... trying to kick me out?" she asked, her voice colder than usual.

Lu Chen quickly denied it: "No, Senior Sister, I didn't mean that..."

"So what do you mean? You keep saying we can't get too close and we need to keep our distance, but aren't you just trying to get me to move out?"

"I really didn't mean that!" Lu Chen said anxiously.

"I just feel that we should..."

"Should be what?"

"We should keep our distance."

Jiang Huaiyu fell silent.

She looked at Lu Chen, and a sudden surge of inexplicable anger welled up inside her.

Keep your distance? She's been so good to him these past few days, cooking him different meals every day, cleaning his cave, and celebrating with him when he comes out of seclusion!

He's so shameless. Lin Tian and Zhuang Jingbai came all this way, and he wants to kick her out?

What, is she really that unattractive? Do you, Lu Chen, dislike me that much?

Jiang Huaiyu, the universally acknowledged fairy of the Xuantian Sect, was once the object of admiration for countless male cultivators. Now, she has taken the initiative to move into a man's cave, doing his laundry and cooking for him, yet he wants to keep his distance from her.

Today, she's determined to go against the grain!

"Senior sister?"

Seeing her silence, Lu Chen assumed she had agreed and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Jiang Huaiyu suddenly took a step forward.

Lu Chen instinctively stepped back.

Jiang Huaiyu took another step forward.

Lu Chen retreated again.

"Senior sister, you..."

Jiang Huaiyu didn't speak, but just stared at him and walked forward step by step.

Lu Chen retreated to the wall, with nowhere left to go.

Jiang Huaiyu stopped in front of him and looked up at him.

The two were very close, so close that Lu Chen could see the curve of her eyelashes and smell the faint fragrance of orchids on her body.

"Senior sister, what's wrong...?"

"Didn't you want to keep your distance?" Jiang Huaiyu looked at him, a hint of provocation in her eyes.

"Then I won't."

As she spoke, she took another half step forward.

Lu Chen was pressed against the wall, stiff as a piece of wood.

He could feel the rhythm of her breathing, he could feel her...

"Senior sister..." His voice changed.

Seeing his flustered state, Jiang Huaiyu felt most of her shame and indignation dissipate, replaced by an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Make him keep his distance.

Make him responsible for the daughter, not for her.

Make him ignore her charm.

"What?" She tilted her head slightly, a smile curving her lips.

"Aren't we supposed to keep our distance? Is this distance close enough?"

Lu Chen: "!!!"

Faced with this familiar scene, he felt his mind go blank, and then only one thought remained: This woman is crazy!

"Enough, enough! Senior sister, I didn't mean that, don't misunderstand!"

"Hmph, that's for the best!"

Seeing that Lu Chen was sensible, Jiang Huaiyu didn't dare to get too close to him and let go of him.

"Senior sister, I have something to take care of, so I'll head out now."

"Okay, come back soon."

With Jiang Huaiyu's consent, Lu Chen immediately fled his cave.

"Ugh."

Seeing that Lu Chen was avoiding her like the plague, Jiang Huaiyu sighed inwardly.

She was just being presumptuous. She didn't discuss it with Lu Chen; she just wanted to take care of him and serve him so that he would gradually get used to it. She thought that then they wouldn't need to say anything, and things would just happen naturally.

But she didn't expect that Lu Chen was so sensitive that he would confront her when he sensed something was wrong, and then try to persuade her instead.

But Lu Chen didn't know that she didn't want to be with Wang Feng at all right now.

She was the biggest victim in this whole affair, but what did Wang Feng do during this time? He abandoned his wife and children like a scumbag, and divorced her without hesitation. So why did she still cling to him?

Her family has considerable influence in the Xuantian Sect, so why should she suffer such a great injustice?

Because of this experience, she felt particularly uneasy.

She believed that no one would be kind to her and her daughter anymore, except for Lu Chen.

Because there is no better bond than this.

Therefore, her motives were impure from the very beginning; she was after Lu Chen.

Of course, she didn't have deep feelings for Lu Chen at first, but she wanted to find someone who truly loved her for her daughter, so that she could have a happy childhood.

This is her responsibility.

But after getting to know him, she discovered that Lu Chen was a perfect man, and she... really liked him!

So, since naturally integrating into his life from the beginning didn't work, the only option was...

……

On the other side, Lu Chen, who had been frightened out of his house, had nowhere to go for a while, so he went to find his junior brother Zhang Fan.

At that moment, Zhang Fan was taking a walk with his son in his arms. Yu Ning followed beside them, holding a bunch of freshly picked wildflowers, and occasionally teasing the child.

"Senior brother? What brings you here?"

Lu Chen strode closer, forcing a smile: "I came out for a walk and just happened to run into you."

Yu Ning looked at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment before casually looking away.

"Senior brother, you've come at the perfect time!" Zhang Fan casually handed the child in his arms to Lu Chen.

"Come here, give your nephew a hug. This kid has gained a lot of weight recently, my arms are sore."

"Get lost! You're almost at the Golden Core stage and you still can't lift him?"

As Lu Chen spoke, he subconsciously reached out and took it.

The baby was a soft, cuddly ball, smelling of milk and Yu Ning's natural fragrance, staring at him with wide, round eyes. Instead of crying while being held by a stranger, he grinned, revealing two tiny baby teeth.

"His name is Zhang Bao, and his nickname is Bao'er."

"Bao'er..." Lu Chen looked down at the child in his arms, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

"Your senior brother looks quite convincing holding him," Zhang Fan laughed. "I'll definitely hold him when I have my own kids."

Lu Chen twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't reply.

Yu Ning stood to the side, her gaze fixed on Lu Chen's profile as he held the child.

The sunlight shone from the side, outlining his clear silhouette.

Yu Ning's heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously looked at Lu Chen's nose and found that it was exactly the same as Bao'er's.

Yu Ning was stunned.

She stared at Lu Chen's nose, then looked at Bao'er's nose, examining it repeatedly.

The same.

Not just similar, but almost identical, Yu Ning's heart skipped a beat.

She thought about what had happened these past few days.

That mysterious person left behind countless descendants in the Righteous Alliance.

The one from Wang Feng's house belongs to that person.

Furthermore, given the problems with her husband Zhang Fan, she took a desperate gamble...

Yu Ning took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart.

"Senior brother," she said, her voice softer than usual.

Lu Chen looked up at her.

"Baby is still too small, let me hold him."

Lu Chen nodded and carefully handed the child over.

In the instant of the handover, Yu Ning's fingers inadvertently brushed against his nose.

It was very light, very fast, as if unintentional.

But in that instant, she knew.

The curve, the feel, it's exactly the same as Bao'er's.

"Bao'er is such a good girl," she said softly, her tone as gentle as if nothing had happened.