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Xu Nuan ultimately took off the garment herself, allowing Gu Ze to clearly see her current state.
She was filled with anxiety.
Her hair, disheveled from the earlier fight and the tension, clung to her forehead and cheeks, while her large, light brown almond-shaped eyes were wide open, their pupils slightly unfocused, filled with unease. Her nostrils flared from rapid breathing, trembling violently, and she had unconsciously bitten her lip in distress, drawing blood.
She looked quite disheveled as well; aside from minor abrasions, the wound on her arm was still bleeding profusely, the blood mingling with the torn fabric of her clothes in a gruesome sight. There were many such wounds on her body. However, the most severe injury this time was the long gash on her back, intersecting with older scars that had long since healed, creating a haunting beauty. Both of them knew that the deepest wound she bore was the one in her heart.
In this state, Xu Nuan gazed at Gu Ze with wide eyes, filled with fear and anxiety.
It was a look that expressed her fear of being abandoned. Throughout her journey, she had been cast aside repeatedly; even just moments ago, she hadn’t heard any words of defense from He Min on her behalf. But then again, the established facts could not be excused.
“Gu Ze.”
Please don’t leave her.
She dared only to complete that thought in her heart.
She looked at Gu Ze with pleading eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Gu Ze felt an overwhelming regret for being one step too late once again as he embraced Xu Nuan tightly.
“I’ll take you with me wherever I go from now on; I will never leave you alone again.”
The sudden attack from Zhang Hui and Fan Beibei caught everyone off guard; no one anticipated that these two would crazily assault Xu Nuan and Deng Yinyin. He didn’t take Xu Nuan to intercept that person out of fear that she might lose control or be targeted by others. Ironically, leaving Xu Nuan behind made her vulnerable to being watched.
“Gu Ze.”
The fear that had been gathering in her eyes finally fell like tears. Gently pushing away from Gu Ze, Xu Nuan looked at him through a veil of haze. At that moment, all the emotions in her heart could no longer find words. She finally understood that he comprehended everything about her; he understood what she couldn’t express, and there was no need for more.
All she could do was call out his name over and over again—the name of the person she had ultimately fallen in love with.
“Gu Ze.”
The days of her wounds in the game came to an end after encountering this person. Yet, filled with rage and a desire for revenge, she never realized this. Whether she stumbled and crawled or charged forward with vigor, she remained unaware that it was because this person walked beside her that she felt less afraid of the road ahead.
Only then did she understand that it was this person who prevented her from stepping onto a lonely path that would accumulate countless corpses. While she wandered in search of vengeance, this person always guided her toward a warm future, ultimately placing her between two paths.
It was because of this that she grew into a Player, rather than a mere avenger. She should have resented this person for making her feel warmth in moments of despair, causing her to hesitate during her quest for revenge and miss opportunities. Yet, she also felt grateful that she could still reach out to this person, instead of descending into hell and being unable to stand by his side or see him again.
Was there still a future for these late-blooming feelings?
“Gu Ze.”
As fear threatened to overwhelm her, Xu Nuan's hand reached up to Gu Ze's face. He always looked at her with such warm and affectionate eyes, yet she often thought his intentions were difficult to fathom, as if he had ulterior motives. Was this divine compassion? Sending such a person to her side?
“Can I still touch you?”
Her hands were stained with blood, having taken lives, now filthy beyond measure.
“Of course you can, always welcome.”
Gu Ze took her hand and placed it on his face, rubbing it gently.
“Warmth, try to believe me. I will not abandon you; I will protect you with my life in this game.”
Tears seemed to form in her eyes once more, emotions spilling over as Xu Nuan's hand brushed against Gu Ze's lips—everything related to this man was warm.
She pressed her blood-stained lips against his, leaving a sincere mark.
If he treated her sincerely, she would respond in kind.
Time flowed within this game, back to the beginning at ‘Thousand-Faced Lake’, where this man kissed her with sincerity in his eyes.
Why did she insist on seeking the truth back then, wasting so much time in a reckless pursuit, only to regret not cherishing those around her when faced with uncertainty about the future?
Yet, realizing her feelings at this moment was not too late.
This was the answer the man before her conveyed in response.
She had spent nearly a year in this game, and only now did she truly understand the gentle passage of time. Her past was filled with brutal bloodshed, her future shrouded in White Mist, but only the present was warm and tender.
As her brain began to suffer from oxygen deprivation, she found it hard to breathe. All her strength was spent clinging to this man. As she was slowly laid down, she did not close her eyes because she couldn't bear to.
She had always been losing; the once vibrant world around her gradually dimmed until only black and white remained—two pure and extreme colors. Could she believe that at this moment, she was gaining something? Gaining a companion to walk with her through this uncertain world, ready to face whatever ending awaited them with a smile?
She did not know the answer, but she believed this man would provide it in due time; all she needed to do was wait.
Waiting was a beautiful yet cruel word.
When Gu Ze woke up, it was still raining outside the cave. The light had brightened slightly, indicating that it would soon be day. It marked the third day since they reached this stage. Because Zhou Long had given the wrong name, the rain would continue until the fourth or fifth day before clearing up.
Last night had felt long for him. From Xu Nuan's proactive decision to lower her defenses and discuss Zhou Long's death while revealing everything about the secret passage, to He Min's confession that led to a strange love quadrangle, and finally Xu Hang's unexpected gains that resulted in capturing several key figures but losing one due to an unforeseen appearance. Then came Xu Nuan's fight with Zhang Hui, which led to Zhang Hui's unintentional death at Xu Nuan's hands, culminating in Xu Nuan's unspoken yet heartfelt response through her actions.
A long night filled with significant developments.
Gu Ze withdrew his sharp gaze from the heavy rain outside and turned to look at Xu Nuan, who lay curled up beside him under a blanket. Her pale right shoulder revealed remnants of intimacy, while her left shoulder bore a butterfly poised for flight along with a faint scar.
Seeing Xu Nuan curled into a ball made Gu Ze unable to resist reaching out to spread her limbs and tuck them back into the slightly thin blanket. He thought his expression must look foolish at that moment; he wasn't thinking about urgently finding the Secret Missioner or considering where the escaped person might have gone. His mind was entirely filled with the woman lying beside him.
He wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability; initially, he suspected that Xu Nuan had become emotionally fragile due to immense trauma. But soon enough, Xu Nuan demonstrated through her actions that he wasn't just a pitiful man yearning for an impossible love. In fact, when Qin Yaojie died, seeing Xu Nuan suffer such a blow made him think his hopes had turned into despair. What he overlooked was how quickly Xu Nuan had managed to pull herself together after that incident. Could he then believe that even before encountering Qin Yaojie in the game, Xu Nuan's heart had already begun leaning toward him?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Gu Ze couldn't help but break into a wider smile. Seeing Xu Nuan's serene face beside him made him lean over and plant a kiss on her lips—one kiss wasn't enough, so he kissed her again. This unabashed display of affection quickly roused Xu Nuan from her slumber.
Xu Nuan blinked her still-drowsy eyes at the silly-looking man beside her who bore no trace of yesterday's gloominess. She wiped her face with her hand and found it covered in drool before blinking again in surprise.
Gradually regaining her consciousness, she began to piece together what had happened before and what was currently unfolding.
When she saw Gu Ze smiling and leaning closer, Xu Nuan raised a hand and pushed his face away gently.
"You’re not a golden retriever, so stop being so clingy."
She had no regrets about her actions from the previous night. Expressing her inability to come out through her behavior was the best choice. This way, even if there were no opportunities to reveal her true feelings later, she wouldn’t feel regret; instead, she would leave this world with a smile. She didn’t want to think about Gu Ze at that moment; she just wanted to stop his clingy behavior.
"Even if Nuan is shy, you can’t compare me to a golden retriever."
Gu Ze wore a joyful expression, his deep brown eyes—once described by Xu Nuan as capable of blooming into a sea of flowers—now reflected her figure.
Xu Nuan smiled lightly, showing no signs of shyness. Such a smile would only encourage Gu Ze to come closer. When he leaned in again, the smile on Xu Nuan's face hadn’t faded. However, when she realized what Gu Ze was doing, her smile vanished completely.
She raised her hand in front of her, feeling quite helpless as she reminded him.
"Don’t forget I’m still injured; my back wound has reopened."
Thinking about how they had neglected to treat the wound on her back after their impulsive actions last night made Xu Nuan want to facepalm and sigh. The anxiety stemming from accidentally killing Zhang Hui gradually faded amidst their increasingly intimate gestures.
After being calmed down, she finally recognized the oddity of the situation at that moment. Deng Yinyin, standing opposite her, must have seen something—the reason why Zhang Hui had collapsed—and how Fan Beibei had pressed down on her with a certain expression that led to the accidental death of Zhang Hui. She would confront all of this eventually, but for now, she needed to soothe Gu Ze, who was nuzzling against her side.
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