I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

Even the usually silent Bronya took the initiative to discuss with Gu Ye the tactical choices at several key points in the battle just now.

As night deepened, when the last skewer of grilled meat was finished and the drink in the ice bucket was empty, Theresa stood up.

"Alright, kids, that's enough for today."

She cleared her throat and announced, "I've had Hyperion prepare a seaside villa nearby, with enough rooms for all of us. Everyone, pack up and get ready to rest."

The group began to pack up their belongings, sort and pack the trash, and extinguish the campfire with seawater.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward the villa that Theresa had mentioned.

The villa is not far from the beach; it can be seen by walking through a small patch of windbreak forest.

Gu Ye walked at the very back of the group, still savoring the battle he had just fought with Durandal.

Just as he was about to step into the woods, a soft yet powerful hand suddenly grabbed his arm tightly from behind.

He felt a chill run down his spine, and just as he was about to speak, another small hand, carrying the sweet fragrance of a young girl, quickly covered his mouth, preventing him from making any sound.

Gu Ye turned around and met a pair of eyes that shone exceptionally brightly in the moonlight. It was Kiana.

She didn't give him any time to react. Grabbing his arm, she forcefully dragged him away from the crowd and pulled him into the depths of the dark, dense forest beside them.

Kiana grabbed Gu Ye's arm and practically dragged him through the dark windbreak forest.

The chirping of insects in the forest and the sound of distant waves intertwined, becoming the only background noise in this silence.

She finally stopped in a small clearing, where there was no tree canopy to block the light, and the cool moonlight poured down without reservation, illuminating their faces as if it were daytime.

Kiana's chest heaved violently from running. She let go of his hand but didn't speak immediately. Instead, she lowered her head and unconsciously ground the fallen leaves with her toes.

A faint blush rose on her cheeks, but under the silvery moonlight, the blush was not obvious and instead made her look somewhat pale.

"What's up?"

Gu Ye's calm voice broke the silence.

His question was like a needle, piercing the courage she had finally mustered.

She bit her lower lip tightly, then, as if making a decision, she suddenly raised her head, her blue eyes meeting Gu Ye's gaze directly, and said loudly in a reckless tone, "Gu Ye, I like you!"

After he finished speaking, the forest seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Gu Ye looked at her, paused for a moment, and then couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"impossible,"

He shook his head, his tone resolute, "You could never like me."

"you!"

Kiana instantly flew into a rage. She rushed forward and pounded on Gu Ye's solid chest with her weak fists, her voice trembling with urgency, "I've risked my dignity to say these things, and you don't believe me!"

Gu Ye let her hit him without flinching or dodging.

"That's precisely because you are Kiana that this statement has no credibility whatsoever."

"Then why did you believe Mei when she said so?"

Kiana became even more dissatisfied and blurted out.

"Because she is Mei, nothing more."

Gu Ye's answer was simple and direct, yet it was like an insurmountable wall, blocking all of Kiana's words.

Kiana's anger flared up instantly when she saw Gu Ye acting so nonchalantly, as if he had everything under control.

Damn it! Why does this guy act like he knows me inside and out?!

"I just like you!"

She shouted defiantly, then did something that surprised even Gu Ye.

She suddenly stood on tiptoe, grabbed Gu Ye's collar with both hands, pulled him down, then closed her eyes and used all her strength.

Instantly separate.

Kiana blushed and was panting, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, full of provocation.

"Look! This is proof that I like you!"

Gu Ye raised her hand and gently wiped her lips with her thumb, where the soft touch of her lips still lingered.

He looked at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"You're taking advantage of me,"

He said slowly, "You know what? I just kissed Mei."

"real?!"

Kiana's eyes lit up instantly, the light even outshining the moonlight. She subconsciously licked her lips and blurted out, "I was wondering why it tasted so familiar!"

"fake."

Gu Ye uttered two words expressionlessly.

"fraud!"

Kiana's face fell instantly. She waved her little fists again, pounding his chest again and again, this time with significantly more force than before.

"look,"

Gu Ye grabbed her misbehaving wrist and calmly looked into her eyes. "Whom do you care about more? I don't need to say anymore, do I?"

Kiana froze, as if her secret had been exposed, and her eyes began to dart away.

Gu Ye released his hand and did not continue the topic. Instead, he changed the subject. His voice was calm, but it was like a scalpel, precisely cutting to the core of the problem.

"Did you see anything?"

He asked, "Why did you suddenly have the idea to confess your feelings to me?"

These words were like a spell, instantly pulling Kiana back to that moment during the day.

The shadows of the reef, the intertwined figures, Mei's expression of ecstasy—something she had never seen before—flashed back into her mind, making her feel burning up, her cheeks burning hot.

"No! I didn't see anything!"

She almost screamed in denial, and that violent reaction became a disguised form of admission.

Looking at her like this, Gu Ye understood what was going on.

I'm pretty sure I saw it all.

He sighed inwardly, because everyone present was an acquaintance, so he didn't use a stand-in to scout out the surroundings beforehand.

We can't be so careless next time.

Looking at Kiana, who was at a loss for what to do, he decided to stop beating around the bush.

There is absolutely no conflict between me and Mei becoming a couple and you and Mei becoming good friends.

Gu Ye spoke calmly.

She lowered her head, her long white braid hanging down her chest, and suddenly fell silent.

A breeze blew through the woods, swirling up a few fallen leaves and making a rustling sound.

A long time passed, perhaps only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

Kiana spoke again, her voice low and trembling slightly.

“You know,”

She said, "I don't want to be just friends with Mei."

She finally tore off all her pretenses, exposing her deepest, most unspeakable emotions to the moonlight.

Gu Ye watched her quietly, watching this girl who was rushing headlong through the maze of emotions, only to end up leaving herself battered and bruised.

He offered no comfort or sympathy, but simply stated a simple, even cruel, fact.

"But you are all women."

Without pausing for another second, he turned around, took a step, and walked towards the warm lights of the villa outside the woods.

Kiana was left alone, standing blankly in the cold moonlight, as if she had been completely frozen.

But the expected collapse did not happen. Just as Gu Ye was about to step out of the moonlit open space, a force suddenly came from behind and pushed him to the ground. The soft sand cushioned most of the impact.

He lay on his back on the ground, looking at Kiana.

The confusion and pain that had been on her face were gone, replaced by a strange smile that was a mixture of cunning and determination.

"so,"

She leaned down, her warm breath brushing against his cheek, her voice clear and calm, "That's also my advantage."

At this moment, Kiana was so calm that she was nothing like the boisterous, talkative paramecium she usually was.

When it comes to Mei, she seems to transform into a brilliant strategist in an instant.

Once again, she said to Gu Ye, word by word, "I like you."

After saying that, she didn't give Gu Ye any more chance to speak and pressed down.

Was it really necessary to go this far?

Gu Ye's voice came from beneath her, calm and without a trace of emotion.

Kiana stopped moving, looked into his eyes, and nodded seriously.

"Is necessary."

"Gu Ye, I like you, and that's no lie."

Kiana's eyes were more sincere than ever before. She organized her thoughts and laid bare her complex emotions, which she herself could hardly understand, for him, "Similarly, I also like Mei."

"If it weren't for you, Mei might have lived with self-blame and pain for the rest of her life because of the destruction of Changkong City; if it weren't for you, I might never have known that I had an older sister; if it weren't for you, I would probably have been manipulated by that old fox Otto and become a monster who didn't even know who I was."

Her voice was soft.

"So, I like you, and this gratitude and dependence are genuine."

She paused for a moment, then added the most crucial sentence, even raising the corners of her mouth slightly, "But I prefer Mei."

She bent down, said nothing more, and began her carefully planned transaction, using herself as the bargaining chip.

However, after smelling Mei's scent, she cleaned her mouth first.

When it all ended, only the sound of waves and insects remained in the forest.

Kiana nestled against Gu Ye's chest and whispered, "If you touch me, you can't touch Mei, okay?"

Hehehe...

The two sat in the forest for a long time until Kiana's wrist communicator beeped.

It was a message from Theresa, asking where she had gone and that she was about to be locked out if she didn't go back soon.

Kiana casually replied, "Taking a walk with Gu Ye," and then turned off the communicator.

She tried to stand up, but as soon as she put any effort into her legs, they went limp like noodles, and she fell back down.

"Hey,"

She nudged Gu Ye beside her, her voice carrying a hint of weakness and complaint that she herself didn't even realize, "Aren't you tired at all? I can barely stand up."

"What do you think was my initial purpose in cultivating Ripple?"

Gu Ye asked a question in return, then placed his palm on her lower back.

A warm and gentle golden energy flowed slowly into his palm, nourishing her tired body and dispelling her soreness and weakness.

A few minutes later, Kiana felt she had regained some strength and was at least able to stand up.

Gu Ye naturally took her arm and led her toward the villa.

The two walked along a quiet forest path, chatting about everything from the food at St. Freya to the newly released Houmu game.

Halfway there, Kiana suddenly stopped.

She turned around to face Gu Ye, her face showing unprecedented sincerity and earnestness.

"Gu Ye,"

She looked up at him, moonlight streaming into her eyes. "I have a favor to ask of you. From now on, could you touch Mei less and me more?"