"No, that... Qin Lan, don't cry. I'm Chen Fei. What could possibly happen to me? I'm standing right in front of you, perfectly normal." Following the line of her collarbone, I could clearly picture the rest of the scene. Her trembling body moved closer and closer to me, and the closer she touched me, the hotter I felt. I suddenly understood what that feeling was like. I frantically pushed her away, feigning composure. Looking back, I felt incredibly childish and foolish.

"Qin Lan, calm down first. Let's talk it over, okay?" At that moment, I seemed to have endless patience with Qin Lan. I wiped the tears from her face. I could clearly feel her jade-like, delicate skin between our skins. It was truly alluring. But I also knew clearly that this was Qin Lan. Even though she was a little girl at heart, I couldn't ignore her side, capable of taking up arms and entering the battlefield. Qin Lan was a little girl who needed care, but also a companion who demanded respect. That was how I defined her.

Finally, Qin Lan's uneasy mood was calmed down to a certain extent by the passage of time and the quiet forest environment.

"Fade Chen, go ahead and talk. I'm ready. I'm listening."

I carefully considered my words and spoke cautiously. "Qin Lan, we've reached a cooperation agreement with them on the surface, but none of us can guarantee what will happen in the future. We must always be extremely vigilant and protect ourselves. Especially since you're a girl, you must learn to protect yourself even more, understand?" You can't blame me for being long-winded, nor is it that I don't realize Qin Lan has her own self-protection awareness. I just feel that I need to be fully prepared. I need to remind her again, let this self-protection idea penetrate deep into her heart, let her always remember that protecting herself is more important than anything else, and always put her own safety first.

"Tsk, Chen Fei, who are you looking down on? Don't think you can look down on me just because you're so powerful now. I'm not someone those puny soldiers and crab generals can easily deal with." Qin Lan still spoke to me with her usual infuriating tone, as if she hadn't been the one who threw herself into my arms and cried pitifully at me at the beginning. I had finally seen through Qin Lan's timid nature. We'd been together for so long, what else could I do? Just be more tolerant. It wasn't a big deal.

"Just remember it. I won't say much else, I'll make it short. I have mutated, I am not the Chen Fei before, in short, I have gained more powerful strength, I have gained the power of the strong. I went to the underground palace once with the help of a map before, and I got my weapon from there. I have hidden that place, and ordinary people can't find it. And, Qin Lan, I also got a mysterious weapon, which is evolutionary liquid." I stopped here and waited for her to ask, but I didn't expect that this young lady would change her previous demeanor and just look at me calmly.

I felt a little uncomfortable being looked at, so I had to continue. "I'm only telling you this, and I have complete trust in you. You're not the type to tell others about this. Qin Lan, we're people who can trust each other. No matter what others do, at least we have to learn to trust each other. Do you understand?"

As we talked, I began to feel real affection for her. My body couldn't help but react accordingly. I put my hands on her shoulders and looked at her with cherished eyes.

"Okay." That one word was enough to establish our relationship. I felt relieved.