He Sizhao's gaze on Jiang Chuyi's face was warm and deep.

"You're the first person to say something like this to me." There was no extra emotion in his voice; he was just repeating a fact. "Do you really think so?"

"What good would it do me to lie to you?" Jiang Chuyi wrinkled his nose. "He Sizhao, I haven't learned many things yet, including lying. I might not tell you at most, but I don't have the time to lie to you."

He Sizhao didn't say anything else, just stared at her for a long time.

Jiang Chuyi felt that since things had come to this point, he might as well say a few more words.

"You're strong, I admit, but I also feel like you're not living the way you want to. You have too much stuff piled up inside you, like an invisible rope binding you, and you don't seem to want to break free."

From the very first moment they met, she discovered that He Sizhaoyuan was not as calm and composed as he appeared.

The first time they met was in that underground base. He Sizhao was very calm from beginning to end. He calmly rescued people, calmly attacked, calmly faced the powerful enemy, and finally even calmly requested the explosion.

Even when facing death, he didn't react in any other way, as if it was normal for him to die to protect others, and he didn't intend to do anything to save himself or struggle for it.

And when he encountered the zombie horde later, he still did the same.

Jiang Chuyi knew that He Sizhao always thought she was a weak and pitiful person for some inexplicable reasons, but she didn't know that in her eyes, he was the truly pitiful one.

He is perfect in the eyes of outsiders, which is precisely his most imperfect aspect.

No living thing is perfect.

Unconsciously, the scenes since she met He Sizhao flashed through her mind, and the look she gave He Sizhao was unconsciously mixed with a bit of pity.

This was the softest emotion she could express.

"You can live for yourself, and no one can stop you from being your true self," she said. "This is your first time as a human being, so why should you give in to others?"

He Sizhao slowly leaned down, his eyes level with Jiang Chuyi's.

His voice had changed. It was no longer the clear and magnetic voice of the past. When he lowered his voice, it had a seductively low and hoarse tone.

"Would it scare you if I were to be myself?"

Jiang Chuyi shook his head decisively.

Just kidding, anything that would scare her probably hasn't even been born in this world yet.

He Sizhao's eyes darkened, but a light gradually appeared in his eyes.

He smiled bitterly and tried to straighten himself up: "Xiaoyi, I am more than what you see. If you knew something else, you might not look at me this way."

He forcibly suppressed the light and wanted to continue washing the rose petals.

However, Jiang Chuyi's next words froze him on the spot.

"If you're talking about your strange talent, then I already knew about it." Jiang Chuyi said leisurely, "I've never seen such a talent before. It's quite special."

He Sizhao turned around abruptly, his eyes gleaming like lightning, even tinged with a hint of fear: "You... know?"

"The last time you rushed into the zombie horde to find me, you used wind energy," Jiang Chuyi said. "You had never used this kind of energy before. It's obvious that you acquired it later through other means."

He Sizhao looked at her blankly, as if he had never known her before.

"If I'm not mistaken, the talent you awakened should be a copy of some kind, not just a single one." Jiang Chuyi pretended not to notice his expression and continued, "Can you gain the talents of anyone you fight?"

She had seen He Shizhao fighting with the wind-type awakener, and this was her guess after she clearly sensed that he had wind-type energy last time.

"Xiaoyi, maybe I was wrong before." He Sizhao said softly, "You seem to care nothing about anything, but in fact, nothing can escape your observation."

"I'm too lazy to observe you." Jiang Chuyi immediately retorted, "It's just that you're too close to me. I can't help but see you."

Seeing her awkward expression, He Sizhao bent down and moved closer to her.

The clear amber eyes were now as deep as a dark sea.

"My talent isn't 'copy,' but 'plunder.'" He Sizhao's voice was filled with suppressed fear and self-loathing. "Anyone who fights me and I harbor hostility towards, I will plunder their energy. Once they die in my hands, I will gain all of their energy. I can't control it, and I can't stop it."

"I'm like a wild beast, a machine out of control. I can't stop myself at all." He Sizhao's voice suddenly fell silent. "Even so, aren't you afraid?"

He stared at Jiang Chuyi's face closely, not missing any subtle expression on her face.

What expression did he expect to see on her face? He didn't know.

Fear or disgust, this is the reaction that a normal person would have. He couldn't imagine what he would do after seeing this look on Jiang Chuyi's face, but he still said it.

He waited for her reaction, just like waiting for the guillotine of death to fall.

Jiang Chuyi blinked, a look of realization on his face.

This solves a lot of seemingly strange problems.

For example, why He Sizhao never does anything himself unless it is necessary.

For example, why He Sizhao's energy growth has always been a mystery, and even she cannot accurately detect how fast he is growing.

It turns out that this is the truth.

"That's even better." She blinked and said innocently, "This way you'll level up much faster than others. You've been hiding your talent and not using it. What a waste."

He Sizhao was stunned.

"I said you were stupid, but you really aren't that smart." Jiang Chuyi couldn't bear to watch any longer and reached out to touch his stunned face. His expression made her think he was about to cry. "You are the strongest, so what are you afraid of? Are you afraid that others will be afraid of you? If you are afraid, then be afraid. It's because they are not good enough."

To confirm her words, she nodded: "Anyway, I'm not afraid."

He Sizhao reached out and covered her hand on his cheek, and the corners of his lips formed a difficult arc.

Something was crumbling in those amber eyes.

The next second, a pair of strong arms hugged Jiang Chuyi tightly.

The protruding veins and scars on his arms were as hard as steel, locking her into his breath.

Starting from his arms and spreading, He Sizhao's entire body erupted with astonishing heat, making him like a fiercely burning fireball, staining Jiang Chuyi's cold and pale skin.

Jiang Chuyi did not struggle. After meeting He Sizhao, she began to like human body temperature.

However, this time it was more than just a hug. She felt something soft falling on the top of her head, and a drop of hot liquid.

Are those He Sizhao's lips and...tears?

After realizing this, she felt a little uncomfortable.

Tears didn't matter, but as for the kiss... Although she had taken the initiative to touch He Sizhao with her lips before, it was a special situation at that time and she needed to pass energy to him.

Now that He Sizhao is not giving her energy, why would he touch her?

So Jiang Chuyi pushed him away.

There was emotion in He Sizhao's eyes, and the emotion on his face was half-frozen. Perhaps it was because they were soaked in water, the light in his eyes became brighter and clearer.

He no longer brought up the previous topic, but continued to act as if he was being pushed away, blinking innocently, as if asking why.

"Have you washed your face and mouth before you kiss me?" Jiang Chuyi showed disdain on his face. He turned around and saw the rose petals soaking in the basin. "Why haven't you washed the roses in such a long time? What were you doing in there just now?"

He Sizhao looked at her steadily, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"You mean, after I wash my face and mouth, I can kiss you, right?"

His voice was still a little hoarse, but it no longer had the previous suppressed feeling. Instead, it exuded a brightness that dispelled the clouds and mist.

He looked at Jiang Chuyi as if he was looking at a piece of driftwood in the waves, the only oasis in the desert.

It was a look that concealed caution and a desire for redemption.

Jiang Chuyi didn't notice his eyes. Thinking about what he had just said, she felt that something seemed wrong, but after thinking about it, it seemed that there was nothing wrong.

"Of course you can..." She nodded hesitantly, then looked at him suspiciously, "But why kiss? What's so good about kissing?"

"It's very kissable, especially kissable." He Sizhao said seriously, "As for why we kiss..."

In Jiang Chuyi's perception, the water in the bathtub next to her was gurgling, and the roses immersed in the water were rippling softly.

The moon was dim outside the window, and the hot wind blew up the curtains by the window. A string of wind chimes that someone had hung earlier made crisp jingling sounds.

The whole world is clearly visible.

He Sizhao's eyes were clear and soft, like the sun in this small world, emitting scorching warmth and making all the unrelated things stick together.

Jiang Chuyi's heart moved. She watched He Sizhao take a step forward and slowly lean down.

A kiss fell on her forehead, and another kiss fell on her eyelashes.

"Because I like you."

With a loud crash, a hurricane arose in her world.

Wherever the hot wind blows, silence disappears and noise arises.

Tender buds broke through the soil, and lush green hills stretched out. Green, gold, red, and blue, these fiery and warm colors instantly filled her entire world.

Jiang Chuyi's eyes were filled with astonishment.

This short sentence was difficult for her to understand.

"like?"

She asked.

"Do you like me as much as I like white dresses?"

"I like it more than that." He Sizhao whispered, "You can change into countless white dresses, but I only like you."

"That sounds really nice." Jiang Chuyi nodded, still a little confused on his face.

There were so few things she liked, and it was a foreign word to her.

Seeing her like this, He Sizhao laughed instead: "You don't understand, right?"

Jiang Chuyi shook his head honestly.

"So do you hate the fact that I like you?" He Sizhao asked.

Jiang Chuyi shook his head again.

After He Sizhao told her that he liked her, she felt as if the world had changed immediately. She didn't understand this change, but she didn't feel uncomfortable either.

On the contrary, she seemed to be inexplicably in a better mood.

"That's all." He Sizhao touched her head, an action they were both very accustomed to. "I will wait for you until I can't wait any longer."

Jiang Chuyi subconsciously felt a little repulsed by the last sentence.

But she couldn't organize the words to say, so she watched He Sizhao turn around and soak the washed roses in the bathtub, and said to her: "Okay, I'll be in the room, call me if you need anything."

Jiang Chuyi: "Oh."

He Sizhao smiled again before turning around and leaving.

He rarely showed such a pure smile, but he had smiled several times in just a few minutes.

After he left, Jiang Chuyi slowly unzipped her skirt and kicked it to the ground casually, knowing that He Sizhao would come in and clean it up later.

She immersed herself in the hot water, floating on the surface with only her eyes exposed.

He Shizhao said that he liked her more than she liked the white dress.

Her mind was full of these words.

Her world was originally very simple. Before she met He Sizhao, it was just chaos and paleness. She understood nothing and was too lazy to think about anything.

Now she has become accustomed to the presence of a guy named He Si Zhao around her. As long as she has him, she has everything. He Si Zhao will give her whatever she wants.

Because of He Sizhao, she gradually saw more colors.

But is this love?

Jiang Chuyi put He Sizhao and the white dress together. If she liked He Sizhao, she couldn't wear the white dress...

Then she chose the white dress.

Yes, how could she possibly like humans?

Now He Sizhao just took good care of her and made her feel comfortable, that's all.

She is not her original self, so how could she have feelings of liking and looking forward to humans?

She just gave He Sizhao some kind advice out of pity for him, telling him not to go too far and compare himself with the white dress.

Jiang Chuyi thought she had figured it out. She snorted coldly, threw He Sizhao aside, and began to wash her body.

However, when she lowered her head, she saw a rose petal with yellow and black spots.

Jiang Chuyi's face suddenly turned dark.

She washed herself hastily, and when she came out of the water she felt a little cold, so she grabbed a bath towel to wrap herself and rushed out the door angrily.

"He Sizhao, are you just trying to fool me with this inferior stuff?"

He Sizhao was making the bed. He had taken off his outer clothes and was only wearing a simple I-shaped vest, which outlined his slender and strong body with extremely seductive lines.

As soon as he looked up and saw Jiang Chuyi, his face changed immediately and he turned his head subconsciously.

However, Jiang Chuyi was even more angry: "You still ignore me? Go in and see how withered and yellow those petals are. How dare you give them to me?"

Although He Sizhao didn't look back, Jiang Chuyi felt that he seemed to sigh.

Then he suddenly strode over, grabbed the towel that had slipped off her body, and wrapped her tightly.

"Come here first, I'll wipe your hair." He Sizhao's voice became natural at this point. "Your hair is still dripping wet. You'll catch a cold."

"I won't catch a cold. He Sizhao, keep trying to be perfunctory with me..."

"Okay, okay, I won't give you a hard time."

Seeing that Jiang Chuyi refused to cooperate, He Sizhao simply picked up the whole ball.

It was not the usual sideways princess carry, but he held Jiang Chuyi's back and legs and picked her up like a baby.

There is a significant height difference between them, but hugging each other like this doesn't seem awkward at all.

Jiang Chuyi was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he was put on the soft big bed.

While holding her, He Sizhao took out a towel from the space and was now gently and patiently wiping her long hair.

The strength of his fingers was just right, and Jiang Chuyi felt very comfortable being pressed. She couldn't help but squint her eyes, and forgot what she had just said.

A smile crossed He Sizhao's lips. "This is already the best quality rose they can find. If you are not satisfied, I will go find some rose seeds and plant them for you after we get out."

After hearing this, Jiang Chuyi remembered that he was losing his temper.

She snorted, "The best qualities of human beings are just like this. What else can we expect?"

"The situation is different now. If it were before the end of the world, the quality would probably be better." He Sizhao said slowly, "Don't worry, I'll plant it for you."

He Sizhao's cooking skills are good, and to be honest, she doesn't dare to expect too much from him in terms of flower-growing skills.

Moreover, roses were only the first step in getting what she wanted. Even if He Sizhao was very capable, she didn't think he could be so omnipotent.

"I want a yard dedicated to roses."

Jiang Chuyi had just finished saying this when something suddenly occurred to him.

We can’t expect humans to be as good as us because they are too few in number and not very obedient.

Then... why not go find those guys who are more numerous and obedient enough?

The author has something to say:

This chapter was difficult to write, sorry for the late update.