Qian Yuan initially thought Zhou Zeyuan had recovered, but when he saw the expression on Zhou Zeyuan's face and how his movements and demeanor were exactly the same as Zhou Qiujiu's before, he was stunned.

Moreover, Zhou Zeyuan was quite handsome. His face was exceptionally beautiful, and he looked like a noble young master with an extraordinary demeanor. Yet, he was now helplessly relying on Qianyuan, his eyes as innocent as a child's.

Qian Yuan would no longer be on guard against Zhou Zeyuan.

It can be said that Zhou Zeyuan fully understands Qianyuan and her weaknesses.

As expected, when Qianyuan saw him like this, she quickly came over, stood on tiptoe, cupped Zhou Zeyuan's face in her hands, and looked him over from left to right:

"Where does it hurt? Do you have a headache?"

Zhou Zeyuan immediately buried his head in Qian Yuan's neck, pressing his entire body against hers and pulling her into his arms.

Qianyuan felt as if he had been hugged by a large dog that was bigger than him, its warm embrace and fur covering his face and body.

Zhou Qiuqiu didn't like Qian Yuan hugging him before, so why is he hugging him so readily now that he's an adult?

Qian Yuan couldn't figure it out. It was because when Zhou Qiujiu hugged him, he could only be held in Qian Yuan's arms in a humiliating way, while the adult version of Zhou Zeyuan could almost easily take the little person into his arms.

It wasn't just that Zhou Qiuqiu lacked ambition; his previous conditions also made it difficult for Qian Yuan to see him as a man. Now, he has finally met the standard of being able to protect Qian Yuan.

Zhou Zeyuan has grown incredibly tall since he was a child.

Qianyuan also clearly sensed this.

Previously, Zhou Qiuqiu suffered from malnutrition and long-term hunger, making her even more fragile and thin than ordinary children. Later, she was found by Little Fatty Qiu and, after being well-fed and cared for in the Tianyan Sect, she grew taller and taller at an astonishing rate.

However, the rapid growth also brought side effects. In fact, Zhou Zeyuan could not fall asleep every night because of growing pains.

And then there was his belated adolescence.

Every night he would wake up from a snow-white, beautiful dream and secretly wash the quilt behind everyone's back.

Zhou Zeyuan changed like this, without Qian Yuan's knowledge or awareness, to the point that Qian Yuan felt it was too much.

The little guy arched his back nervously as Zhou Zeyuan approached, completely unaware that Zhou Zeyuan could easily cover his waist with one hand, making it the perfect time to seize and possess him.

However, Zhou Zeyuan took a deep breath.

Not wanting to alert the enemy, Zhou Zeyuan maintained his naive demeanor, which made Qian Yuan lower her guard. Sure enough, even though the little guy was firmly held in his arms, he could only obediently reach out and pat his back.

What a good baby.

Zhou Zeyuan smelled the fragrance from Qian Yuan's hair and neck, opened his mouth, and unconsciously revealed his fangs, wanting to bite through the tender skin in front of him, but in the end, he only used his teeth to make a small indentation on it, and then gently licked it.

"It's so itchy..."

The little guy chuckled and reached out to ruffle Zhou Zeyuan's hair.

"Are you a dog? Are you teething?"

Zhou Zeyuan raised his head and looked innocently at Qian Yuan. After a while, he barked.

Qianyuan said helplessly, "I didn't tell you to bark like a dog..."

But Zhou Zeyuan did it on purpose. He deliberately acted as if he were completely subservient to Qian Yuan, humbling himself into the dust, as if he were a tool for Qian Yuan to decide his life and death.

"I thought you wanted me to be your dog."

Zhou Zeyuan's heterochromatic eyes locked onto Qian Yuan: "I can lick your fur, and your original form, the Vermilion Bird, can too."

It was clearly just a healthy act of grooming, something Zhou Zeyuan had done for Qianyuan before. But when Zhou Zeyuan said it like that, everything felt different. The atmosphere became strange and ambiguous, making Qianyuan's legs go weak for no reason.

"I don't need you to do it, I can groom my feathers myself now."

Qian Yuan pushed Zhou Zeyuan away, but in reality, when he turned into his original form, he lazily lowered his head to tidy up the feathers on his chest; the feathers on the rest of his body were still groomed by his father.

"I don't want a dog either. You are my friend, my apprentice, and my family."

"You are very important to me."

Qian Yuan patted Zhou Zeyuan's head and said, as if coaxing a child:

"It's my fault for not paying attention to your feelings. Don't be angry with me anymore. I apologize. It was wrong of me to die like that last time."

So Zhou Zeyuan leaned closer and asked, "What gift are you going to give me to make up for it?"

Faced with this question, Qianyuan could only say, "Father said the palace will be making milk cakes this afternoon, and he'll treat you to some, okay?"

Zhou Zeyuan's eyes darkened as he looked at Qian Yuan's exposed skin, whiter than milk, and her slender shoulders and wrists, as delicate as frozen branches.

"good."

...

In the afternoon, Qianyuan used pillows, plates, and bamboo slips—anything at hand—to throw at Zhou Zeyuan repeatedly.

He shakily wrapped himself in his clothes, pointed at Zhou Zeyuan's nose, and cursed:

"I told you to eat, not to bite anything you shouldn't!"

Qianyuan felt uncomfortable even wrapped in clothes, and the more she scolded herself, the angrier she became: "It's all swollen, are you a cow in disguise? How can you be so strong!"

Zhou Zeyuan still pretended to be honest and obedient:

"sorry."

Qianyuan: QQ

Qianyuan crossed her arms, looking like she was about to have a cold war with Zhou Zeyuan.

Although the little guy's cold war had no effect, he still lived with Zhou Zeyuan, ate with him, and even asked Zhou Zeyuan to take care of him, dress him, wash his hands, and wipe his mouth. Qianyuan just stopped talking.

However, Zhou Zeyuan seemed unable to tolerate even this attitude. He needed to hear Qianyuan speak to him in a soft, chattering voice, and he also needed the little one to approach him gently.

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