But very quickly, Su Yuan realized that the Zhongli who appeared here wasn't looking at him at all—his gaze was fixed on the remains of Madame Ping lying on the ground.
Moreover, there wasn't any sign of eerie power emanating from him...
"I'm sorry, Su Yuan…"
Zhongli took a deep breath and slowly spoke:
"According to our agreement, I wasn't supposed to show up here…"
"But Adeptus Streetward Rambler… after all, she has followed me and guarded Liyue for over a thousand years. She was my comrade-in-arms and also a dear friend…"
"Even if I no longer have the power to save her, I can't bear to see her corpse left exposed in the wilderness…"
"This is the last thing I can do for her…"
As Zhongli spoke, he took out a finely embroidered golden silk pouch, crouched down, and began gently gathering Madame Ping's remains into it, piece by piece…
Su Yuan finally understood—Zhongli had not been corrupted or controlled by eerie power at all.
That meant the plan to destroy the Archon's Throne had indeed succeeded.
And Zhongli's appearance here was simply to collect Madame Ping's remains…
But even so, with the eerie version of "Furina" still present, it was an extremely dangerous move.
Why act so hastily?
Wouldn't it have been much safer to wait until tomorrow morning, when the sun rises and "Furina" returns to normal, before coming to collect the body?
Still, Su Yuan knew deep down that he hadn't spent much time with Madame Ping or Zhongli, and naturally, he couldn't truly empathize with their millennia-old friendship—nor did he have any right to criticize Zhongli for his actions…
Zhongli didn't say much more.
Carrying Madame Ping's remains, he prepared to leave...
But in the next moment, a displeased look appeared on "Furina's" face.
"You think this is a market? You can come and go as you please?"
"Morax, you took away a decoration from this room and interrupted the time I was spending with my darling. I must make you pay for that!!"
The very thing Su Yuan had feared most still happened—"Furina" had been angered by Zhongli's actions…
Su Yuan couldn't help but mentally complain: Old man Zhong, why did you have to do this...
Not only did you scare the hell out of me when you suddenly showed up, now you've thrown me into danger as well…
As "Furina" spoke, she was about to rush forward to attack Zhongli.
Su Yuan instinctively wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to stop her…
By all logic, Su Yuan's strength shouldn't have been enough to restrain "Furina" in any way.
But surprisingly, "Furina" didn't forcefully break free from his grasp.
Instead, she looked coldly at Su Yuan and asked:
"Darling… what do you mean by this?"
"Why are you stopping me? Is your heart… siding with that outsider?"
Faced with Furina's cold questioning, Su Yuan quickly improvised.
He put on a sobbing expression and teary eyes and said:
"Don't… don't leave me… sob sob ┭┮﹏┭┮…"
Seeing Su Yuan like this and hearing those words, "Furina's" expression immediately softened.
A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she spoke:
"So that's what it was… darling, you were just worried and scared about that…"
"Even though it wouldn't take me long to deal with Morax—I'd be back quickly…"
"But since you said that… I can't bear to go now."
"I won't go, okay? Don't cry, don't cry…"
As she spoke, "Furina" gently stroked Su Yuan's head.
Su Yuan looked toward the doorway where Zhongli had just disappeared and finally felt a bit of relief…
"It used to always be me who feared and worried you'd suddenly leave me…"
"Furina" murmured:
"But I didn't expect that now… darling, you'd feel the same way. This feeling—of being needed—is wonderful…"
"It's getting late, darling. Let's go to sleep early, shall we?"
Seeing "Furina" getting ready for bed, Su Yuan couldn't help but ask, "My darling Fufu, aren't we having a late-night snack tonight?"
"Oh! Darling, if you hadn't mentioned it, I almost completely forgot!"
Hearing Su Yuan bring it up, "Furina" suddenly had a realization, as if it had just dawned on her:
"So many things happened tonight—if you hadn't reminded me, I really would've forgotten all about it!"
Seeing her reaction, Su Yuan instantly regretted it.
Why did I have to open my big mouth? he thought.
She had clearly forgotten, but I just had to bring it up and remind her...
Even though the bug was said to improve his strength, the process of eating it was just too tormenting…
And honestly, Su Yuan hadn't really felt much of an improvement in power either.
Could it be that the boy—Youngtore—had tricked him just to see how pathetic he looked eating a bug?
Regardless, now that "Furina" had remembered, it seemed there was no avoiding tonight's bug meal…
The only question now was—what form would tonight's bug take, and what would it taste like?
But something felt strange to Su Yuan.
He'd waited a while now, and "Furina" still hadn't shown any signs of bringing out a bug.
He looked at her and noticed that she, too, was quietly observing him…
"My darling Fufu… tonight's… snack?" Su Yuan asked.
"Darling, I've been pondering something…" "Furina" said slowly, word by word:
"Just now, when you hugged me and didn't want me to leave, it made me realize something deeply—that the devotion between lovers isn't one-sided or unreciprocated… It's a journey we both make toward each other."
"I love you. And you love me… I need you. And you need me…"
"My darling Fufu, what… do you mean by that?" A sense of unease crept into Su Yuan's heart.
"Up until now, I've always been the one preparing our midnight snacks. But tonight… I want to eat the one you prepared for us!"
"…What…" That bad feeling had come true.
Su Yuan was left speechless.
How was Su Yuan supposed to know he had to prepare a late-night snack himself?
And what exactly was he supposed to prepare?
Was regular food acceptable, or did it have to be something grotesque—like bugs?
"Darling," Furina continued, "no matter what kind of midnight snack you prepare for us, I will gladly accept it…"
"But," she added, "I do have a few simple requirements."
"The midnight snacks I've given you before were all parts of my body…"
"So, the snack you prepare for me must also be a part of your body, okay?"
"And don't even think about brushing it off lightly—you need to show me your sincerity."
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