Qiao Suisui got goosebumps, gently brushed away his hand, and changed the subject.
"How much longer before Ruka comes back? I'd like to leave."
Leberli, of course, wouldn't let her stay to wait for Ruka. Afterward, she was carried onto the Flying Ship. He took her to the busiest shopping district, where he commanded the entire area to be cleared with a single order. Once the area was empty, he took her in to shop. First, he picked out a dozen dresses for her, and having gotten the clothes, he said they needed to buy matching shoes.
While trying on shoes, Leberli spent almost the entire time kneeling on the ground, trying on pairs one by one for her and even providing professional comparative analysis.
"These make you look paler, although our Suisui is already very fair. Buy."
"These are beautiful but not very comfortable to wear, good for occasional use. Buy."
"These are for everyday outdoor wear, perfect with the skirt we just picked. Buy."
"You like these? Buy."
After buying shoes, Leberli said they needed to get a few accessories in different styles. He wanted to take her to buy jewelry next, but Qiao Suisui felt too embarrassed to let him keep paying, so she pretended to be tired and pulled him off to have tea, this time on her. Although Qiao Suisui's Star Coin account was linked to Ruka's, she hypnotized herself into believing that it was the thought and thanks that counted.
The tea place was beautifully decorated, reminiscent of the Amazon jungle, with male Beastmen in Beast Form working around.
"Suisui," Leberli said with a gentle smile, gazing at her intently. "Can I take care of you?"
"Ash, you've already done so much for me."
"No, I want to be your partner."
'Ding—' 'Bang—'
Suisui knocked over the teacup absentmindedly, and Leberli immediately stood up to wipe the tea stains off her skirt.
"I'm sorry, Ash, I..."
"Suisui," Leberli smiled, pinching her slightly flustered hand, "you never have to feel sorry for me."
She stared at Leberli, feeling like he had something he wanted to say. In the pause between breaths, he seemed to swallow his words back down.
"I'll submit the application, but I wanted to let you know first. No matter what you decide, you don't have to feel burdened."
"Why do you suddenly want to be my partner?" she asked, perplexed, especially since their relationship had been so hot and cold before.
"Because I like you," he said.
"What about me do you like?"
Leberli hadn't thought about that question. He felt she was good, a good match for him, not as petulant as other females. Today he found out she was carrying Ruka's child, and his feelings—anger, jealousy, emotion, surprise—were all a tangled mess. He had never lost his composure like he did today, and no other female had ever caused him to feel such emotional turbulence.
Most importantly... Leberli looked toward her stomach.
It was flat as could be. Was there really a little cub inside?
He also wanted her to carry his own child...
Leberli didn't want to put this pressure on her so soon and unconsciously resorted to the methods he used to cajole other females.
"Because you are beautiful, from the moment I saw you, I was moved..."
She was supposed to accept gracefully, so she could utilize the System. But hearing the word 'beautiful,' Qiao Suisui felt unexpectedly stung.
"It's because I'm female and I also have reproductive capabilities," she interrupted.
Leberli froze, not understanding what was wrong with that reason, but seeing that she looked upset, he quickly changed his tune and said, "I don't know how to express it, but I really want to take care of you. When I see you happy, it makes me happy too. I..."
"Ash, you just like my functions, not me. I'm sorry, but I don't want a partner just yet."
She finished speaking quickly, rose to her feet, and walked straight out, ignoring the stunned Leberli standing there.
Her pace quickened, and voices kept surfacing in her mind.
——"Suisui, this is Uncle Wang's son, come on, call him 'Brother'."
——"Qiao Suisui, how's your relationship with Uncle Wang's son? His family are contractors; they're in great condition. Look, Uncle Wang even solved your brother's school issues."
——"Girl, don't be ignorant of the good around you. Let me tell you, a girl ought to marry early to carry on the family line. Do you think our family's money comes from the wind? Doesn't going to university cost money?"
——"Suisui dear, I've accepted their dowry. Your brother really needs money right now. You wouldn't disagree, would you?"
——"Suisui, I've raised you for so many years; you have to be of value."
She covered her ears, the more she tried to hold back, the more the tears refused to stop flowing.
In her life, she never had the experience of being loved simply for being pretty. Instead, because of her beauty, she was ostracized and isolated at school, harassed and bullied by male classmates, and targeted early on to be married off for a good price. If she got slightly close to a boy when she was young, neighbors would tattle to her mother, and what awaited her was humiliation and 'repair'.
She got used to the pain from physical injuries, but those humiliating words would suddenly pop up just when she thought she could attain happiness, becoming an unshakeable curse.
To be useful to others, to earn love.
To make sacrifices for the family, to earn love.
To be diligent, sensible, well-behaved, to excel in schoolwork, to earn love.
To keep running hard without a moment's rest, or else you'd be left behind by others; only excellence could earn you love.
Beauty, to her, was a disaster.
Yet Leberli said he liked her because of her disaster.
If he liked her for being pretty, what if one day she wasn't pretty anymore?
If he liked her now because he wanted to take care of her, what about a year from now? Ten years later?
No one could be relied upon, except for herself.
Worn out from running, Qiao Suisui squatted in front of a fountain, hugging her knees, using the sound of the flowing water to mask her repressed sobs.
As tears fell, she wiped them away, over and over.
Suddenly, she saw a shadow cast on the ground.
She looked up blankly to see Ruka standing in front of her, not knowing when he had arrived.
The two, one tall and one squatting, gazed silently at each other.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she looked up, and she stared dumbly at the bruises around Ruka's eyes and on his cheeks, momentarily forgetting her sorrow.
Suddenly, something heavy landed on her head and a faint scent of tobacco mixed with a mountain spring freshness enveloped her.
Ruka gently placed his military coat over her head. It was a perfect fit on him but looked exceedingly large on her petite frame, completely covering her.
"Now no one can see you. Cry if you want."
Suisui froze, hugging herself and clutching a corner of the coat, her tears flowing with abandon.
She knew that if she really let herself cry, the sadness wouldn't last long; emotions that could be suppressed would overwhelm her if met with kind warmth.
Ruka stood still, hearing her weak sobs, so cautious and delicate, which suddenly gave him a sharp pain in his chest. He exhaled a breath clouded with distress, instinctively reaching for a cigarette but then remembered she was in her pregnancy, so he casually threw the whole pack into the fountain.
She heard a 'plop' and looked up, not knowing what he had discarded, and asked with a voice muffled by tears, "What are you doing?"