Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Thank you to the amazing verifications from 【黎幽居士】【爱莉希雅扣爆我】!

Thank you for the great massage from [Five Spirits King - Changmen]!

……

The passionate kiss gradually came to an end.

Hei Ta's breathing became slightly rapid. Instead of letting go immediately, she used the lingering intimacy to lean her upper body into Qi Zhimu's arms.

Qi Zhimu was familiar with the intention behind her action, so he naturally picked her up in a princess carry.

A gentle evening breeze ruffled a few strands of hair near Black Tower's ear.

Comfortably leaning against Qi Zhimu's chest, from this angle, her gaze was fixed on a spot not far in front of her.

In the shadows where the streetlights met, a familiar figure stood quietly.

With that figure and demeanor, Black Tower immediately recognized his identity.

Black Tower raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across his face, and waved his hand toward the shadows.

"Oh, are you here to welcome me back, Ruan Mei? I really didn't expect that."

Lighthearted words spread through the quiet street.

From the shadows, Ruan Mei walked out slowly, her expression calm and her steps composed.

With his keen observation skills, Qi Zhimu noticed that the area around his eyes seemed to be red.

The streetlights were rather dim, so some visual errors were inevitable, and he didn't think much of it.

It's likely that Ruan Mei witnessed him being intimate with Hei Ta, but so what if she saw it?

We're all adults, it's not a big deal.

Moreover, geniuses who dedicate their time and energy to the truth of the universe are unlikely to gossip about other people's private lives.

Ruan Mei stopped a few steps away from the two of them, her hands naturally folded in front of her lower abdomen, her gaze calmly sweeping over Qi Zhimu before finally landing on Hei Ta.

"It was just a coincidence."

His tone was calm and indifferent, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Hei Ta's smile deepened, one hand encircling Qi Zhimu's neck, the other pointing at his face.

"Although you two have met before, he probably hasn't told you about his relationship with me. Let me formally introduce you today—"

"My man, Qi Zhimu, do you two need to shake hands? Don't worry, I'm not that petty, I won't get jealous just because he shakes hands with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Black Tower realized that his words seemed somewhat inappropriate.

She knew Ruan Mei fairly well; this girl was immersed in her research all year round, and her interpersonal interactions were practically nonexistent.

She showed absolutely no interest in men, and she also suspected that Ruan Mei might have a mild case of mysophobia.

Shaking hands with a man?

Hmm...this might make things awkward.

Qi Zhimu wanted to say that he had a brief, polite social interaction with Ruan Mei.

Before he could finish speaking, he heard Ruan Mei reply in a subtly off-key tone.

"I never expected Mr. Zhimu to have such a relationship with the Black Tower. It's truly...unexpected."

Before Qi Zhimu could react, Heita got down from Qi Zhimu's arms and stared directly at Ruan Mei.

"I must remind you, Ruan Mei, Zhi Mu is by no means trying to climb the social ladder by marrying me. Our relationship transcends that kind of vulgar comparison."

The atmosphere became quieter.

Ruan Mei knew, of course, that Hei Ta's words were directed at her, reminding her not to put on airs of a genius and not to make things difficult for others.

Don't make things difficult for others... Ha...

She couldn't help but let out a soft sneer.

Her emotions were not reflected on her face; on the contrary, Ruan Mei displayed impeccable manners.

Under the slightly surprised gaze of the Black Tower, Da Da took half a step forward and proactively extended her slender, white hand.

However, what he said carried a somewhat intriguing and profound meaning.

"...It's a pleasure to see another side of you, Mr. Jimo."

Ruan Mei's gaze lingered on Qi Zhimu's face, her tone carrying a perfectly timed realization.

"No wonder Estelle is usually so polite to you; it turns out you and the Black Tower are so... in love."

Qi Zhimu glanced at the Black Tower, then at Ruan Mei, whose demeanor was elegant and flawless.

The atmosphere was peaceful and harmonious.

But his keen intuition told him that there was an inexplicable strangeness between the two of them.

There's no time to overthink things right now. Black Tower has put it this way; if he doesn't lend a hand, it would be disrespectful to both of them.

He couldn't bring himself to do something so foolish.

"Our relationship is pretty good..."

Qi Zhimu raised his hand and reached out towards Ruan Mei.

I thought this time would be like last time, just a fleeting interaction without any additional meaning.

However, before he could even touch Nguyen Mai's fingers, things took an unexpected turn.

Ruan Mei took his hand tightly.

Qi Zhimu was slightly taken aback, and swallowed back the words he hadn't finished saying.

The skin against skin felt incredibly soft and delicate, and he instinctively let go, preparing to pull his hand back.

Unexpectedly, Ruan Mei showed no signs of loosening her grip; instead, she tightened her fingers even more.

Under the astonished gaze of the Black Tower, Ruan Mei surprisingly raised the corners of her mouth.

They throw out gossip-like content in a relaxed, casual tone, as if chatting casually.

"When are you planning to invite me to your wedding? Are you planning to have children?"

The question caught not only Qi Zhimu off guard, but even Hei Ta was momentarily stunned.

But Black Tower is Black Tower after all. It immediately came to its senses and gave an answer before Qi Zhimu could speak.

"If you want to attend a wedding banquet, tonight is fine. Zhi Mu told me not long ago that he's going to host a banquet for you tonight."

"As for children, although we haven't used any contraception, we agree that we don't plan to have children at the moment."

She didn't think there was anything wrong with saying these things to Ruan Mei, and continued:

"As you know, we busy people are not yet ready to take on the role of parents with peace of mind."

For something as trivial as contraception, both she and Qi Zhimu have numerous harmless methods.

Afterwards, she doesn't like to rewind to the time before new players tried creating accounts.

That would feel weird.

It felt like all that hard work she and Qi Zhimu had put in for so long hadn't really been enjoyable in the end.

Thus, the initial form of the prospective player can only desperately hope to complete the starting number, but can never cross the finish line.

"..."

Nguyen Mai maintained a dignified and elegant smile, seemingly genuinely happy for her partner's happiness.

As for what they are thinking, no one knows.

After nodding slightly, she finally released Qi Zhimu's hand without making any hidden moves.

"Oh dear, I've been rushing around so much that my brain hasn't caught up. What am I doing standing here at the door like an idiot? Come on in."

Hei Ta naturally took Qi Zhimu's arm and gestured to Ruan Mei.

"This is your first time visiting my home on Azure Star, so I must treat you well."

"It was Mr. Zhi Mu who treated me, I remember you can't cook." Ruan Mei said in a flat tone.

"It doesn't matter who cooks, what matters is that we all sincerely want you to have a good meal, right, darling?" Black Tower smiled.

"right."

"..."

Ruan Mei almost lost her balance because she didn't lift her high heels completely.

The sight of the two people embracing intimately in front of her caused her pupils to light up for a fleeting moment.

……

Do you remember COVID-19, family? Haki Huan coughed up his throat today after a long time and tested positive.

Man! What can I say?