I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

As dusk deepened, the sky grew darker.

After playing by the Fufeng River all day, Phoebe and Duanmu Yan bid farewell to Banbu and the others and embarked on their journey back to Laguna.

On the path back to Laguna, Phoebe and Duanmu Yan walked side by side, their fingers intertwined.

The girl's steps were as light as a deer in the forest. A cool breeze brushed her flushed cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the sweet smile in her eyes and brows.

Although their relationship had gone beyond friendship, perhaps due to Phoebe's reserved and gentle nature, she dared not make any further requests out of shame, only occasionally creating subtle intimate touches while walking.

Duanmu Yan indulged her little tricks.

He knew Phoebe's personality, so he didn't point it out.

even though……

Shy Phoebe is adorable, but let her relax a little sometimes.

Phoebe would occasionally hum fragments of hymns she had learned from the religious order, her voice soft and dreamlike, drifting into the deepening twilight.

The journey home seemed much shorter than the journey there.

As the lights of Laguna gradually illuminated the distance, Phoebe unconsciously slowed her pace and gripped his hand tighter—as if this would allow this hard-won tenderness to linger a little longer before nightfall.

"Mr. Duanmu."

Duanmu Yan turned his head and saw the girl with her head slightly lowered, her cheeks flushed in the twilight, looking uneasy as if she had done something wrong.

"what happened?"

A brief silence flowed between the two, with only the rustling of footsteps on the path at dusk.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she raised her head, her iris-purple eyes filled with unease and struggle.

"About you and Miss Koleta..." Her voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, fading into the night. "If she finds out... won't she be angry?"

After the happy and joyful times fade, the girl will face a cruel reality.

That sense of guilt, which had been briefly forgotten, now clung to her still-joyful heart like thorns.

She gazed at their clasped hands, the warmth of their touch so real it brought tears to her eyes.

Duanmu Yan's agreement made her heart feel so light it could almost fly away, but after this joy settled, what emerged was a more complex crystallization.

She knew better than anyone else that her later feelings for Duanmu Yan and Miss Coleta inevitably carried the connotation of stealing someone else's love.

A priest who had listened to the teachings of his elder brother since childhood and upheld good intentions should have personally nipped this unwanted sentiment in the bud.

She had indeed told herself countless times in the dead of night: This is the end, Phoebe.

The dam of reason was built and then collapsed.

Every time I resolve to stay away, I always crumble the moment I meet him.

With just a casual glance or a simple greeting from him, all those carefully constructed resolves would melt away like spring snow, crumbling into nothingness.

It no longer matters when this sentiment originated.

The important thing is—she likes him.

This is an indisputable fact.

This feeling was impulsive yet sincere, carrying an undeniable weight that heavily overwhelmed all hesitation and guilt.

“What you’re saying, Miss…” Duanmu Yan raised his head, his gaze fixed on the gradually brightening starry sky, “is indeed a bit tricky. But it’s alright. Since I’ve chosen to take your hand, it means I’m prepared to bear everything. I will not let go of either you or Miss.”

This bold declaration was like a warm current, slightly easing Phoebe's guilt—albeit only a little.

She gently pressed her hand to her chest, as if to soothe her restless heart, her voice still tinged with hesitation: "But... the First Master taught us that a person can only have one partner in their lifetime. Wouldn't what we're doing..."

“Rules are rules, but people are flexible.” Duanmu Yan turned his head, a sly glint in his eyes. “Phoebe, you’ve read chivalric romance novels, haven’t you?”

"Chivalric romance novels?" Phoebe paused slightly, then thought back carefully. "I have indeed read some... What's wrong?"

"Since you've seen it, you should remember that those great knights, besides punishing evil and saving the world, were always surrounded by many beautiful women who admired them, right?"

"Huh? Really?" Phoebe blinked in confusion. "I don't remember any such scene..."

"It must be because you haven't read enough." Duanmu Yan coughed lightly and continued to explain his theory in a serious tone, "In short, the number of girls around a person cannot be the standard for judging him. What really matters is his character. For example, Phoebe, do you think I'm a bad person?"

Phoebe shook her head without hesitation: "Of course not."

“That’s right.” Duanmu Yan spread his hands, his face full of sincerity. “I’m not a bad person at all, and I’ve helped many people. So the Lord of Sui will definitely understand us.”

"Oh? Is that so..."

Phoebe frowned slightly, her fingers unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair. She felt that something was off about this explanation, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

After a long while, she muttered softly.

"But I always feel that doing it this way is wrong."

"It's all just your imagination," Duanmu Yan continued, coaxing. "Or is it that Phoebe wants to break up with me?"

“…Um.” A flicker of panic crossed the girl’s eyes. She tightened her grip on his hand slightly, closed her eyes, shook her head, and answered in a weak voice, “No.”

“That’s right,” Duanmu Yan instructed earnestly. “People should face their desires directly! For example…”

As he spoke, he cupped Phoebe's soft little face in his hands.

"I want to 'bully' Phoebe again now."

"Mr. Duanmu, please don't..." The girl's voice trembled slightly, her gaze frantically sweeping over the city lights in the distance. "We're almost at Laguna City, what if we're seen..."

"It's okay, no one will find out."

"Then, let's kiss, and... no sticking your tongue out! It's dirty!"

“That won’t do. Actually, Phoebe’s saliva tastes sweet.”

……

……

Laguna.

Floro spent the whole day in the quiet room—she was used to being alone.

Duanmu Yan left early in the morning, and as for where she went, she neither knew nor cared.

Where else could he go?

She was simply fixated on redemption that had nothing to do with her, taking the suffering of strangers upon her own shoulders—things that were clearly unrelated to her, yet she placed them upon them as if they were heavier than anything else.

or……

He was dating other girls.

Floro, who had just come out of the bathroom, was only loosely wrapped in a bath towel.

Water droplets slid down her fair skin, shimmering like pearls.

She walked barefoot across the cold floor and made herself a cup of black coffee.

Purple sweet potato pudding (repeated 5 times)

Purple Sweet Potato Pudding Purple Sweet Potato Pudding

Volume 1: Chapter 176 Floro's Temptation

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

He stood frozen in place, unsure where to look.

Flolo, however, remained surprisingly calm. He simply straightened up slowly and said softly as if nothing had happened.

"You've come back just in time."

This emotionless statement acted like a key, finally unlocking the spell that bound Duanmu Yan.

He snapped back to his senses, coughed awkwardly, and forced himself to look away—but the corner of his eye seemed to be automatically searching for the target, still uncontrollably tracing the girl's body that gleamed softly under the lamplight.

"Let me state upfront that I did not do it on purpose."

"Secondly, I would not say something as stupid as that I didn't see anything."

"Finally, if you're still unhappy, I can take all my clothes off right now and let you see them. That way... we'll be even."

This shocking "theory of equality" finally elicited a response from Floro.

She slightly furrowed her willow-leaf eyebrows, tilted her head, and carefully examined Duanmu Yan with an inquisitive gaze, as if scrutinizing a strange object.

After a long while, she asked softly in a tone that remained calm but carried a hint of confirmation: "Are you... a pervert?"

Before you call me a pervert, you should pick up your towel first.

Duanmu Yan's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

Floro followed his gaze and looked down, only then belatedly realizing that she was still standing in front of him completely exposed.

If it were an ordinary young girl, she would have been extremely embarrassed by now.

But Floro simply lowered his eyes calmly, showing no reaction whatsoever.

The long years have worn down many emotions, including a sense of shame.

She glanced at the slightly flustered Duanmu Yan, then a faint smile appeared on her lips as she bent down to pick up the bath towel: "So, does it look good?"

Duanmu Yan was taken aback by her sudden question: "What's good-looking?"

“I mean…” Floro casually draped the towel over her arm, her gaze calmly meeting his, “my body.”

"..."

So the question is, how should we answer this kind of question?

Floro's body...

Although she was very slender, the soft curves that belonged to a young girl were still there, outlining a fragile and unique beauty under the light.

"If I say it looks good, will you call me a pervert?"

"So that's what makes it beautiful?" Floro chuckled softly, a laugh that carried an indescribable meaning.

She stared at Duanmu Yan, at this man who had forgotten his vows and even himself.

Logically speaking, she should hate him.

Yet the emotions surging within me were never related to hatred.

Is that love?

perhaps.

But more accurately, it was a sigh that transcended the long passage of time—a more complex emotion, deeper than love and more enduring than hate.

"If you think it is, then it is."

Duanmu Yan tried to keep his tone normal, and as he turned to close the door, the metal latch made a crisp click.

He walked to the center of the living room and deliberately focused his gaze on the night view outside the window: "Where is Xia Kong?"

"She left shortly after you left."

"Where did she go?"

“How would I know?” Floro shook his head slightly. “He probably went to find Koleta.”

"That's it."

Duanmu Yan's peripheral vision involuntarily swept over her figure, which was only wrapped in a bath towel.

The light cast a soft glow on her damp skin, her slender curves appearing and disappearing beneath the fabric.

Although Duanmu Yan was very confident in his self-control, he still couldn't help but feel a little hot all over.

"No, what's wrong with her? Why isn't she getting dressed?"

"Don't you realize that I'm a healthy, mature man?"

"Wearing a bath towel in front of me as if it were perfectly natural... Do you really think I'm a saint?"

"Sigh, I'm suddenly feeling a bit depressed. Should I go find the Second Miss?"

“I said, Floro…” Duanmu Yan’s tone became more serious, “Have you… forgotten something?”

"Forgot what?" Floro raised his eyelids, a hint of genuine confusion flashing in his eyes. "Shouldn't you be the one who should be remembering something?"