[Don't expect a detailed description, it would lead to a 404 error. That's it, the description in the last chapter was already treading on the red line, and I was terrified. Let's call for monthly tickets~]

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Seven: Lethal Question

Early morning.

The sky outside was beginning to lighten.

Because the curtains had been torn down last night, the faint morning light, though not strong, fell unreservedly into the bedroom.

The hotel suite's bedroom was a complete mess.

Torn clothes were strewn across the floor, along with ripped sheets, blankets, and broken curtain cords.

Suddenly, a snow-white toe stretched out by the wooden floor beside the bed, touched the ground, and lightly kicked away a high-heeled shoe.

Then, another snow-white toe touched down.

Tiptoeing lightly away for a couple of steps, this posture made her pair of white, rounded calves taut and straight.

With movements as light as a civet cat, she quickly crossed the bedroom and slipped into the bathroom.

The sound of rushing water soon came from the shower. On the bed, Chen Nuo squinted his eyes open, glanced out the window, then turned to look towards the bathroom.

Chen Nuo sighed softly and sat up, leaning against the headboard.

His young and sturdy torso was bare.

He had exercised consistently for over half a year since his rebirth, and his muscles now showed modest development.

Listening to the sound of water from the bathroom, Chen Nuo leaned over, picked up the trousers lying on the floor beside the bed, and fished out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

He lit one, took a few drags, and then exhaled a long stream of smoke.

He had finally reached this point...

He hadn't expected it to be so fast, nor so sudden. Though a bit annoyed and somewhat helpless, overall, he still felt exhilarated.

Having been reborn... after all, it was a regret from his previous life, and in this life, he had taken this step.

The water in the bathroom stopped. Chen Nuo quickly grabbed a cup from the bedside and stubbed out the cigarette in it.

The bathroom door slid open, and Lu Xixi, her figure voluptuous and enchanting, returned to the room.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, both seemed at a loss for words.

Lu Xixi seemed somewhat shy. She lowered her head first, then walked back to the bed. Slipping under the covers, she lay down and, on her own initiative, moved closer, snuggling into Chen Nuo's embrace and pressing her entire body against his.

Her slightly curly long hair spread over Chen Nuo's chest and shoulders.

Feeling the surprising fullness and softness of her body, Chen Nuo wrapped an arm around Lu Xixi. His other hand slipped under the covers, rested on the Empress's lower back, and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

Lu Xixi raised an eyebrow and looked up at Chen Nuo.

"I'm asking you, what are we now? What am I to you?"

"My wife!" Chen Yanluo answered, not daring to jest, his tone firm and resolute.

"Then how will you treat me in the future?"

"Through thick and thin, devotedly!"

"Last time I took all your money, will you hate me for that?"

"Absolutely not! Providing for my wife is only right and proper!" Chen Yanluo declared with great integrity.

"Then..."

Lu Xixi's eyes shifted, as if she wanted to ask more, but Chen Nuo suddenly gripped her shoulders. "Wait, I have a question for you too."

"Okay, ask."

Excitement lit up Chen Nuo's face as he bellowed, "Come on! Tell me! Am I really soft and short?! Have I really been underperforming?!"

"Huh?! What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on! Never mind what it means! Just tell me! Hurry up and say it!"

"No way! How can I say such embarrassing things?!"

"You must! Tell me!"

"No! Are you some kind of pervert, making me say this?!"

In the room, amidst laughter, the two young bodies once again tangled together.

「An hour or so later.」

When the panting in the room had once again subsided...

Lu Xixi gently touched Chen Nuo's sweaty back, where several distinct scratch marks were visible.

"HISS... It hurts!" Chen Nuo grunted.

Lu Xixi swatted away Chen Nuo's hand as it tried to reach her chest again. She frowned. "No more."

Oh, come on! Counting my previous life, I've been celibate for over eight years!

Lu Xixi laughed as she pushed Chen Nuo away, but then she proactively hugged him, whispering softly, "Stop fidgeting... I'm a bit tired. Let's... let's just hold each other and talk for a while, okay?"

"...Alright."

She gently nestled her head against Chen Nuo's chest and whispered, "When did you start to like me?"

"...Uh..."

That question was hard to answer.

My previous life, perhaps...

"I can't remember clearly," Chen Nuo muttered vaguely.

"What?" Lu Xixi sounded somewhat dissatisfied.

"Then can you tell me when you started having feelings for me?"

"..." Lu Xixi thought for a moment. "Guess?"

Chen Nuo chuckled. "The first time I touched your butt?"

"..." Lu Xixi glared and bit Chen Nuo hard.

After a moment of silence, Lu Xixi whispered softly, "Actually, I don't know either... I don't know why I fell for you. I also don't know when these feelings developed. Actually... that day we woke up in the mountains, I had already regained my memories. By the time I sent you home, I was remembering more and more. At that time, I really wanted to kick you to death!"

"Then why didn't you?"

Lu Xixi shot him a sidelong glance. "You're asking despite knowing the answer!"

"So you've been playing me all this time?"

"Partly playing you. And partly... I can't quite explain it myself. I always felt a bit too embarrassed to settle scores with you, especially after all the humiliating things you tricked me into. Later one evening, I was watching *The Return of the Condor Heroes* on TV in my hotel room, and I remembered more things—how you lied to me, with all that about 'auntie,' 'Nuonuo,' and so on. Back then, I really wanted to rush to your house and break your legs."

Chen Nuo snickered.

Lu Xixi sighed, then suddenly propped herself up, looking quietly at Chen Nuo.

"Chen Nuo."

"..." Chen Xiaoguo's eyes glazed over.

"Chen Nuo!" Lu Xixi called out again, dissatisfied.

Chen Nuo sighed and came back to his senses.

"Hmm?" Don't you know? The view when a woman lies on top of a man like this is incredibly captivating!

"I..." The Empress seemed a bit hesitant. She paused for a moment, then said softly, "This is the first time in my life that I've liked someone."

"Mmm."

"I'm twenty-five this year. Do you think I'm too much older than you?"

"Not at all. You look so young and petite. Without makeup, people would believe you're only sixteen."

"...So you *do* care about age, don't you!" Lu Xixi fumed.

Damn it! Women are really too much! Always with these trap questions, always with these lethal questions!

His survival instincts kicking in, Chen Nuo quickly flipped over, pinning Lu Xixi beneath him. He rained kisses all over her face, then laughed. "Reassured now? Don't worry! With your looks, you'll still have me completely captivated even eighty years from now!"

Rule number one in the scumbag's handbook: When a woman worriedly asks if you'll stop liking her if she gets old and ugly.

How do you answer that question?

In these situations, never say something like, "Even if you get old and ugly, I'll still like you."

That's not the answer women want, you idiot!

The correct answer should be: "How could you ever get old or ugly? You're so beautiful, you'll still be just as captivating decades from now!"

Sure enough, Lu Xixi giggled with delight upon hearing this.

However...

Lu Xixi, though her eyes were still a little hazy, suddenly asked a question.

"Then... what about Sun Keke? And Li Yingwan?"

Damn! Chen Nuo instantly broke out in a cold sweat again!

The warm room suddenly felt a bit cold...

The soft body beside him suddenly didn't seem as sweet...

Chen Nuo's mouth went dry as he struggled for a response.

"Then let me ask you a different question." A peculiar glint flashed in Lu Xixi's eyes as she spoke calmly, "You don't dare answer that one, do you? Fine, we won't talk about it. But I have something else to ask, and you can surely answer this."

"Hmm... you ask first."

Lu Xixi's gaze grew serious as she stared into Chen Nuo's eyes.

"That night in the mountains, you were holding me. You thought I hadn't woken up, but I actually had... You said so many things to me then. You talked about... this life, the previous life... What did those words mean?"

"..." Chen Nuo fell silent again.

This question... damn it, this one isn't easy to answer either.

[First day of the month, asking for monthly tickets!]