The evil female is weak and the males of the whole continent are out of control and fall.

Chapter 652 Is his mouth just for show?
Inside the cave, the flickering firelight illuminated Roger's pale and lifeless face even more clearly.

That calculating or obsessive expression had been replaced by a deathly stillness.

Bai Wanwan's gaze lingered on that face for a long time.

After the chaos of the previous escape and the fear brought by the Beast God subsided slightly, a more complex emotion, like a calm tide, slowly washed over his heart.

She looked at his bloodless skin, his tightly closed eyes, and the lingering trace of worry and resentment at the corner of his mouth...

They are truly gone.

This realization, like a pebble thrown into a lake, stirred up layers upon layers of indescribable ripples.

Those memories that once annoyed her surged up uncontrollably.

His forceful abduction, his obsessive entanglement, his ruthless scheming, and those eyes that always held a burning possessiveness that suffocated and disgusted her...

The image remains clear, but looking back now, the intense, almost tangible sense of disgust seems to have been quietly diluted and diluted by something.

It's like a painting, rich in color and full of gloomy hues, suddenly splashed with a pale stroke called "death".

All the intensity, all the entanglement, all the love and hate, lose their original vividness in the face of this absolute paleness, becoming blurred and... insignificant.

Death is like a lamp going out.

Those past grudges and resentments seem to have quietly turned into smoke as this "lamp" went out, eventually dissipating into nothingness.

She will no longer feel angry, troubled, or afraid because of him.

The story of Roger, the man who had stirred up quite a storm in her life, has come to an abrupt end.

A sense of emptiness, tinged with a touch of melancholy, replaced the previous fear and complexity.

She couldn't tell whether it was forgiveness or relief.

Perhaps it is just a most instinctive reaction to the passing of life, an understanding that all turmoil will eventually return to silence.

She gently shifted her gaze away, no longer looking at him.

Regardless of his past, he ultimately risked his life to give her a chance at survival, a fact that cannot be denied or erased.

Jin Ying worked silently, carefully checking the camouflage set up at the cave entrance to ensure it was foolproof.

Then, he walked to Bai Wanwan's side, his movements slightly stiff but firm, and took off his still-intact outer robe, gently draping it over her shoulders.

His warm clothes enveloped her slightly cool body. Bai Wanwan noticed this but didn't look up, only whispering, "Thank you."

Jin Ying (Fu Jinshen) felt a tightness in his throat.

He wanted to say, "You never have to thank me," but he knew he would never be able to say it.

He could only give a soft "hmm" and sit down not far from her, maintaining a distance that wouldn't make her feel pressured, yet would allow him to protect her at any time.

He took out his water pouch, uncorked it, and handed it to her, saying, "Have some water."

The voice was deliberately kept steady.

Bai Wanwan then raised her head, took the water pouch, and drank it in small sips.

In the firelight, her face was somewhat pale, and she remained silent, lost in thought.

Ember Shadow's gaze uncontrollably fell on her face. His focused and deep eyes almost pierced through the skin of "Ember Shadow," revealing the tenderness and greed belonging to another soul.

After Bai Wanwan finished drinking the water, she handed the water pouch back to him. The moment her eyes met his, she was momentarily stunned.

That look in her eyes... was so complicated.

She felt concern and worry, but deep down there seemed to be an intense, overwhelming emotion that she couldn't understand, one that felt strangely familiar and...heart palpitations.

"You should rest too. Thank you so much for today," Bai Wanwan said softly, looking away.

Ember Shadow did not answer, but got up and walked to the fire.

He took out the dried meat he carried with him, wrapped in clean leaves, carefully skewered it on a twig, and slowly roasted it over a fire.

He was very skilled at flipping the jerky, but there would occasionally be a slight pause, or a small habit of adjusting the heat—for example, he would quickly test the softness of the edge of the meat with his fingertips, instead of roughly flipping it over like most orcs.

His focused expression, occasionally punctuated by pursed lips and furrowed brows...

Bai Wanwan's gaze unconsciously followed his movements.

These subtle details gradually overlapped with a figure she had deliberately buried in her memory…

Jin Ying keenly sensed her gaze, and his heart suddenly pounded erratically, like a drumbeat.

He could almost hear the sound of his blood rushing through his veins.

He forced himself to remain calm and handed her the fragrant, crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside jerky, his voice slightly tense: "What are you looking at? Eat something and regain your strength."

Bai Wanwan took the dried meat, but didn't eat it immediately. Instead, she looked at him with a somewhat dazed expression and said softly, "Seeing some of your habits... reminds me of an... old friend."

"An old friend?" Jin Ying (Fu Jinshen)'s heart sank suddenly. He asked almost subconsciously, his voice carrying an urgency and... a hint of fear that he himself did not realize.

"Is it someone you...hate?" He held his breath, awaiting her judgment.

Bai Wanwan was silent for a moment, then shook her head, her tone carrying a detached indifference: "It's irrelevant now. I don't dislike it."

The three words "I don't dislike it" were like a needle, piercing through the panic that had been building up in Fu Jinshen's heart, but also allowing a deeper despair to spread.

Is it unimportant?
He would rather she hate him, at least that would mean she still had strong emotions and would always remember him.

He couldn't help himself, as if torturing himself, with the last glimmer of hope, he asked in a trembling voice, "Was that... a male you loved?"

Bai Wanwan seemed taken aback by the direct question. She looked up at him, her brows furrowing slightly, and then decisively denied it: "I don't love you."

These two words, like icicles, pierced Fu Jinshen's soul in an instant.

He felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly, his breath suddenly stopped, and a chilling coldness spread from his limbs and bones, almost freezing him.

So, in her heart, he didn't even have the right to "have loved" her?
He is not willing!

“What if… he has his reasons?” he blurted out, his voice filled with suppressed pain and struggle.

Bai Wanwan frowned even more, feeling that Jin Ying's attitude was a little strange.

She had no intention of mentioning that person, but the matter had been weighing on her mind, and she had never confided in anyone about it.

After being mentioned by Jin Ying, her expression turned impatient and cold, like a boil that had been punctured: "Difficulties? I think as long as you have a mouth, you don't have difficulties."

It wasn't just a day or two, but a full six months.

Is his mouth just for show? If he has a reason for not speaking up for half a year, why hasn't he said anything?
(End of this chapter)