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

Lu Chen's hand recoiled as if burned.

Chen Xuejiao's hand stopped in mid-air, her palm empty, and she slowly closed her five fingers, hiding them in her sleeve.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Lu Chen stood up and took a few steps back.

"No...please don't do this."

Chen Xuejiao didn't move, but instead looked up at his face with a gentle gaze, so gentle that it didn't seem like the look one would give to someone looking at someone else.

"What's wrong with me?"

"I……"

Lu Chen looked at her fingers crossed on her knees, at her straightforward gaze, and at her bare feet on the wooden floor.

Everything was wrong, everything crossed the line, but he just couldn't bring himself to say anything to her because of her status.

"Please sit down."

Lu Chen didn't sit down, nor did he dare to.

Upon seeing this, Chen Xuejiao stood up, walked around the table, and stood in front of him.

Since Lu Chen is so rule-abiding, then it's her turn to go against the grain.

She wasn't wearing shoes; her bare feet were on the wooden floor. She wasn't as tall as him, and she looked up into his eyes.

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of me...?"

Lu Chen dared not speak and took a step back.

But Chen Xuejiao took a step forward.

Lu Chen retreated again.

Chen Xuejiao advanced again until his back was against the wall, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

Lu Chen felt that the scene was somewhat familiar, as if he had experienced the same thing there.

She stood before him, so close that Lu Chen could smell her faint fragrance, her unique scent.

"I... I'm really not scared, I just wanted to ask how the baby is doing?" Lu Chen had no choice but to change the subject.

He felt that ever since they left the capital, Chen Xuejiao had developed a kind of... inexplicable dependence on him!

Now, his feeling was even stronger, because the light flashing in Chen Xuejiao's eyes at this moment was not normal!

"He found out about the child," she said calmly.

Lu Chen suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.

"Don't worry, he didn't know it was you. He just discovered his own problem and then realized... it wasn't his."

Lu Chen leaned against the wall, feeling all the strength drain from his body in an instant.

Where is Master now?

He said he was going to find a magic elixir.

"I know he wasn't looking for the elixir, but rather... he didn't know how to face me."

"When did he discover it?"

"Last time, after returning from the capital, he went for a checkup himself, and the result was... he has no ability whatsoever!"

"Then, he confronted me directly, asking if my child was a demon, and I admitted it."

Lu Chen's legs went weak and he couldn't even stand up, so Chen Xuejiao quickly supported him.

He had been so incredibly kind to me, and now, for this very reason…

No wonder he looked like that when I saw him in the demon realm last time.

"How is my master...?"

"I explained everything. Because he was infertile, I took the risk. I'll accept whatever he wants to do!"

"But he..."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He didn't say anything, just that he needed to calm down and think it over, because many people he knew regretted their divorces, so he needed more time to consider it!"

"And then, he left and never came back!"

Lu Chen: "..."

Feeling Lu Chen trembling, Chen Xuejiao released him, then reached out and cupped his face in her hands.

"I don't know what to do, Xiao Chen. I really don't know. It's all my fault, so... don't feel pressured! Otherwise, I... I really won't forgive myself! I won't have the courage to live on..."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened.

Looking at Chen Xuejiao's reddened eyes, Lu Chen finally couldn't bear it.

He reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulder, just like the last time in the capital.

Chen Xuejiao did not struggle, but leaned quietly in Lu Chen's arms.

She gripped his clothes tightly, as if afraid he would leave.

The cave was very quiet.

In the distance, the faint shouts of disciples practicing swordsmanship drifted over, but they were too far away to hear clearly, sounding like they came from another world.

Nearby, only the breaths of two people could be heard.

Chen Xuejiao's face was pressed against his chest, and she could hear his heartbeat, steady and strong.

She could feel his body temperature seeping through her clothes—warm and dry.

At that moment, she felt as if something was filling her chest with a soreness.

But Lu Chen could only sense the vitality of ( ).

She didn't know what she was thinking.

Her mind was a jumbled mess. One moment she saw Hu Wei's departing figure, and the next she saw Lu Chen standing at the door, being called in by her, behaving like a complete stranger.

She wanted Lu Chen to stop, but she couldn't bring herself to say those words. Her status required her to be reserved and dignified, suppressing all those messy thoughts deep in her heart, never to see the light of day again!

Lu Chen removed his hand from her shoulder and gently patted her back, as if coaxing a child.

Chen Xuejiao's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

Finally, Chen Xuejiao lifted her face from his chest and looked up at his face.

Handsome, strong, and exuding a captivating aura, most importantly... they share something in common!

But Lu Chen's eyes didn't look at her; instead, his gaze was empty, devoid of any emotion, as if he had been too numb from the blow.

Looking into his empty eyes and at his face, which was clearly comforting others but was itself more distressed than anyone else, Chen Xuejiao felt a sudden, sharp pang in her heart.

Seemingly sensing the change in the person in his arms, Lu Chen lowered his head and met her gaze.

"Don't overthink it. He'll see. He just needs time. If all else fails, I'll come to his aid..."

Chen Xuejiao stood barefoot on her tiptoes.

She moved very quickly, as if she was afraid she would change her mind at any moment.

In an instant, her lips were pressed against his.

Her lips were soft and a little cool, like freshly picked flower petals, still glistening with morning dew.

Lu Chen froze, as if he had been frozen in place, unable to move.

His pupils dilated suddenly as he looked at the pretty face so close to his.

But Chen Xuejiao remained unmoved, her lips still pressed against his.

She didn't know what she was doing; she only knew that she wanted to do it.

She thought about it for a long time, so long that she almost forgot when she started thinking about it.

Perhaps it was when she first saw him holding their child, or perhaps it was when she learned that he was a demon, and that she...

And she also knew that at this moment, with her lips pressed against his, her heart had never felt so full, nor so empty.

Lu Chen was numb.

His original plan was to do the same as last time in the capital, simply comfort her and stop there.

But he didn't expect Chen Xuejiao to do this to him.

For a moment, he didn't know whether he should move or not, and just stood there blankly.