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TOSDAG Chapter 14: Xiao Ning'er's Determination and the Sweet Vixen Known as Huyan Lanruo
🕑 Added 2024-12-26 06:39:36 +0000 UTCLeek P.O.V
“I see.” Was all I said, nodding with my arms crossed as Ning’er finished explaining her entire situation.
I opened my eyes and took a deep breath before looking at Lanruo at the side, who had been silent since Ning’er started talking. “And I guess you knew all this, right?”
“Well.” She smiled a little shyly. “I did push Ning’er to tell me about it yesterday at our sleepover, but only a little.” She assured, separating her index finger from her thumb a little to give her statement more weight.
That sounded like something Lanruo would do, I hadn’t known her for long, but I had a good understanding of her general personality, and I was sure she wasn’t all flowers, smiles, and good deeds.
I had no doubt that, given the right situation, she could be mean, cruel, and the like.
But it is not that I disliked that.
“Ah, I don’t mind, if I was really sure about not telling anyone, then I wouldn’t have said it, it’s not Lanruo’s fault.” Ning’er hurriedly spoke up on behalf of the pink-haired girl, perhaps thinking that I wouldn’t like what she had done.
“Don’t worry, it’s just that I’m a little surprised, and I would like some time to think about everything you’ve told me.” I excused myself with a half-truth.
It was true that I still wanted to think about some things, but I also wanted to say and ask some other things right now, but I couldn't do that, at least not with Lanruo present.
She and her father had shown me nothing but kindness, so I didn't want to say anything that would harm them or tarnish their family's image, doing what I wanted would be inconsiderate to them, so I would wait until I had time to talk to Ning'er alone.
"I… I see." Ning'er smiled with a bit of resignation, as if she was waiting for my words.
The atmosphere felt a bit more gloomy, but before everything reached the limit of awkwardness, Lanruo intervened.
"Come on, what's with those faces? We went out today to have fun and relax, are we really going to let an encounter with someone unpleasant like Shen Fei ruin our day? Leek will meet the city lord tomorrow and become a permanent resident of Glory City, going to the meeting in a sad mood is bad luck, shouldn't we be happy?!" She said, raising her glass. "Let's drink some!"
"Yes, sister Lanruo is right, I don't want this to ruin how enjoyable this day was." Ning'er nodded as well, raising the hand holding her glass, and although it only lasted for a second, I saw a flash of surprise in Lanruo's eyes before she smiled again.
With both of them looking at me, smiling while holding their glasses, I nodded before raising my glass as well, smiling at them and drinking it all in one gulp before slamming it against the table, hard enough to show my excitement, but not hard enough to damage the object.
And so, the lively late lunch began.
#####
Third Person P.O.V
"Wow, the sun is already setting." Lanruo said, looking at the sky dyed a reddish-orange. "Time really flies when you're having fun." She said in a mocking tone as she turned to see Leek with slightly red cheeks and Ning'er watching him with a slightly worried smile.
"I'm sure it was very funny for you that I didn't know that what we drank was alcohol." Leek replied.
"Well, you never asked, besides, it took effect because you drank quite a bit, the liquor from the flaming cherry tree is moderately smooth and sweet, that's why it's served at family gatherings where there are people of all ages, both Ning'er and I are fine because we only drank 3 or 4 glasses"
"Next time I'll have to make sure that what I drink isn't alcohol." Said the Saiyan taking a couple of deep breaths to try to leave behind the slight dizziness he felt.
"Oh!" Lanruo seemed to think of something, startling slightly, catching Leek and Ning'er's attention. "Did you forget? The clothing store should be closing soon, Xien Chen said she'd only have the first set of clothes ready today, so we need to get there or you won't be able to wear the clothes tomorrow at your meeting with the city lord." She said with a worried expression.
Leek blinked a few times before raising his hands and slapping his cheeks, the clapping sound was loud enough for the girls to know the boy had felt it, but besides the fact that the slight redness on his face deepened a bit, there was nothing else that caught attention.
"Okay, let's go then." He said, shaking his head and blinking a few times, but before he could take a step, a pair of hands placed themselves on his chest, stopping his advance.
"Wait a moment." Lanruo said. "You're still a little dizzy, if for some reason you trip, we'll lose time"
Leek's eyebrow raised a little, he had fought with that pack of apes even while receiving blows to the head or after spilling enough blood to feel much more dizzy than he was now, and that's not counting that the ground was much more uneven than the paved ground in this city, so he seriously doubted he would trip and fall even if he ran at full speed.
Lanruo noticed his disbelief, so she added. "Let's not risk it, I'll go, you two wait for me here, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes." She insisted before turning to look at Ning'er, giving her a look that she seemed to understand.
"Take care of Leek until I get back, okay?" She said, and before either of the other two could say anything else, she turned around and walked away at full speed.
Both Leek and Ning'er blinked a few times as they watched her walk away, and after a couple more seconds, the saiyan sighed and leaned his back against the wall, shaking his head with a small smile. "She really does what she wants"
Ning'er alternated her gaze between the direction Lanruo had gone and the Leek beside her, as if she was hesitating, but before deciding whether or not she should speak, Leek did so.
"So, since Lanruo decided to give us space to converse properly in such a "subtle" way, I think we should take advantage of it, right?"
Ning'er was startled a little, looking at Leek with an unsure expression. "I-"
"Don't worry." Leek, seeing that she seemed unsure, interrupted her. "I know you didn't tell me everything, not because I'm particularly good at reading between the lines or anything, after you finished telling me about the marriage that your family council members decided to put you in, you looked at me guiltily from time to time, so I can only assume that you lied about some part of the story or left something out." The saiyan explained before pointing at the girl's face, who had lowered her gaze.
"Yes, that expression is what I'm talking about." He added, causing Ning'er to jump and look at him again.
"Do you remember what I said at the restaurant? If you're willing to tell me how things are, I want you to know that I'm ready to listen, I guess what you didn't tell me was because you were ashamed to do it in front of Lanruo, right?"
Ning'er just nodded a few times. "Well, it's obvious that she noticed it too, that's why she gave us space, so, if you still want to tell me, I can listen to you"
Ning'er hesitated a little, she didn't want to hide this from Leek, because she didn't know how he would take it when he found out later from someone else, but saying it was also incredibly embarrassing, and above all, she was scared by the possibility that even if she explained him, he might think badly of her.
But when she saw his eyes, looking at her without judging her, but simply wanting to listen to her, in order to understand her, she made her decision, she wouldn't lie to him or hide anything else, and if after listening to her he didn't want to have anything to do with her again… then she would accept it and never appear in front of him again.
"Shortly after you helped me with what was wrong with my body and I reached the first bronze star, I spoke to my family." She began with one of the last parts he knew.
"Yes, I remember you telling me that they made a bit of a fuss when they found out about your new power level." Leek nodded still with his arms crossed.
"They did." She confirmed. "But, even though they wanted to know how I achieved it, I never mentioned anything about your existence to them." She quickly added. "Not even my father knows that I met with you or that you exist"
"I see." Was all he replied.
"And yesterday, before I went to find you, my father told me that he had discussed with the council and that if I wanted everyone to support the decision to undo the engagement with Shen Fei, I would have to prove to them that I was worth supporting, and that the only way to do that would be to reach the third star of the bronze rank in a test that will take place in 2 months"
Once again, Leek just nodded, showing that he understood, but he had nothing to say.
"So, I thought that with your help, I could achieve it, but after meeting Shen Fei today and hearing his words, I thought about my previous actions"
This time, Leek raised an eyebrow, a little intrigued, what could that guy have said that would shake Ning'er so much?
"After the great favor my family does by associating with yours, isn't this a sign of how much they are taking advantage of us?" Ning'er repeated the redhead's words.
And then Leek understood.
"Those words." She began. "Couldn't they apply to our situation?" She said in a low voice.
"…"
"Not only did you save me, but it was thanks to you that I reached the first bronze star and that I now have a real chance of breaking free from my chains, and yet, I still expect more help from you without giving anything in return, taking advantage of you, I… I am really no different than Shen Fei." Ning'er said those words through gritted teeth, lowering her gaze again, the mere idea that she was like him displeased her too much.
"Ning'er." She heard him call her, and although she tried to identify the emotions in his tone of voice, she didn't pick up anything, it was neutral, completely blank.
So she tried hard, raising her gaze to look him in the eyes, but when she did, she saw his hand extended in front of her, and his index finger hit her forehead.
"Ouch." She took a step back while holding her forehead with her eyes wide open, much more surprised than hurt.
"'Dirty woman, you're a profiteer, I never want to see you again.' Is that what you expected me to say?" Leek said with a small smile, as if witnessing a mistake made by the innocence of a child or a person too pure for their own good.
"What?" Was all Ning'er could say upon hearing his words, his tone, and seeing his expression.
"It seems you have an overly positive opinion of me, do you really think I don't gain anything from all this? Do you remember when I healed you? That was the first time I tried so hard to control my ki, do you know how much I improved after that because of that? I've explored and had ideas on how to improve my ki control after that night because of what happened"
"But I-" Ning'er tried to say.
"Also." But Leek didn't let her speak. "What's all this talk about taking advantage of me? Do you really think I'm so gullible that I wouldn't notice when someone tried to do it? I mean, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but believe me Ning'er, I'm not trying to offend you, but you don't know how to lie or cheat, at least not as far as I've seen, and even if you really tried, I doubt you could pull it off, so let me ask you, do you want me to beat up and scare that Shen Fei guy away so he never comes near you again?"
"NO!" She answered almost panicked, as if she couldn't accept that something like that could happen. "I would never ask you for something like that, you're already helping me, how could I do something so shameless, I want to be the one to break free." Ning'er said as if trying to make her intentions completely clear.
For someone else to free her from her chains? Perhaps before she would have happily accepted something like that, but now? After hearing those words from Shen Fei?
NEVER!
She was more than aware that even if the entirety of her family council supported her in breaking off the marriage, the sacred family and Shen Fei would refuse to let her go, not because they truly wanted her, but because they would never allow their pride to be hurt by her or her family.
So she would resort to the only form of communication that everyone in this and all worlds understood, power, she would strengthen herself, gain the support of her family, and challenge Shen Fei himself if necessary.
So, now that she had this thought, even though Leek was already helping her improve her cultivation, if she also let him solve her problem, what would she be? A helpless burden? An ornament? A prize?
That couldn't be allowed, she knew that even if that happened, Leek wouldn't see her like that, but even if that was the case, she didn't want to feel or see herself that way.
She wanted to show that she wasn't a leech, that she could support him not only because of what he had done for her, but because that was what she sincerely wanted to do.
Ning'er still had doubts, she had insecurities and conflicts, but she put them all aside and told Leek what she felt, what she feared, and what she wanted to do.
Because, in her opinion, that was the least she owed him.
And what did Leek reply after that?
She received another tap on the forehead.
She couldn't believe it, was this some kind of intimidation that she didn't know about?
"I was always told that girls could be complicated, but I have to say that you take the prize in that category." Leek said with a short laugh.
"Even after saying everything you said, you still think you're like that guy?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.
"The desire to be free, the ambition to pursue power but with the control to not let it consume you, the stubbornness to want to solve your problems with your own hands, in my opinion, all of that is wonderful, and the only thing missing is for you to realize it." Leek said before putting his hands on her shoulders, startling the girl.
"Ning'er, you are not a bad person or a profiteer, and it is not wrong to want help or receive it, it is not right to repress what one feels, I thought I told you the day we met, right? You can laugh if you are happy, you can cry if you are sad, I would never judge anyone for expressing what makes us human." He finished saying with a smile.
Xiao Ning'er's eyes widened in surprise, she did not know what to say, she wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry, she wanted to tell him how much she appreciated his words, but she did not know what words to use, so she took the only option that occurred to her, the same one that Leek himself suggested.
She hugged him, burying her face in his neck as she laughed and her eyes shed tears, just like she did the first time they met, Ning'er felt ashamed and relieved at the same time, but she also scolded herself, letting out her feelings like this relieved her heart, but she couldn't allow herself to continue like this, she would get stronger, improve and learn, so that in the future she could offer many more smiles than tears to the one who had given her hope.
They both stayed there for a few minutes before Ning'er finally calmed down, the girl, still hugging Leek, looked up and looked at him with glassy eyes.
Leek saw her eyes, and it was as if she was speaking to him telepathically, for a moment, he felt as if she was giving him a loud and clear message.
The girl's arms still around him tightened just a little bit more, as if she didn't want to let him go, while her height rose a little, standing on her tiptoes so she could reach the saiyan's height, her lips pursed slightly, and her sweet breath tickled Leek's nose.
It was completely obvious what she wanted to any onlooker, and if Leek was honest, he wasn't against the idea, as the red that grew on his face and the increasingly rapid beating of his heart made evident.
His gaze was drawn to her lips, his arms wrapped around her, placing his palms on the top of her back, hugging her, though less tightly than she did, and when he was about to give in, a small rock fell from the sky and hit him on the head.
"Ouch!" Leek whined, his voice and expression snapping Ning'er out of her reverie and the fog in her eyes clearing.
They both looked up, to see a cat that had just jumped from one roof to the other.
Both Leek and Ning'er blinked a few times, and then…
"Pff Hahahaha!"
They both let out a heartfelt laugh at the cliché event they had just experienced, after all, for Leek, this was something he had seen repeated a thousand and one times in romance and comedy series, while Ning'er remembered that when she was younger, and her mother was still alive, she was a fan of romance novels, and she always complained that something like this happened at the most inopportune times.
Once they both stopped laughing, Ning'er stopped hugging Leek, and he removed his hands from her back, then she took a couple of steps back.
"I think I should go now." She said, both of them felt a little reluctant to let go, but they both knew that the ideal moment for what they wanted to do had passed, although, there would be more in the future, so they decided to wait a little more for that moment.
"Are you sure? You wouldn't like to spend the night at Lanruo's house?" Leek asked, it might seem a bit cheeky to offer someone else's house for this, but he was sure that the pink-haired girl wouldn't object, and in fact, she would surely enjoy Ning'er's company.
The girl shook her head a couple of times with a slightly resigned smile. "I can't, I was already out of my house yesterday, besides, after what happened today, I'm sure the elders in my family will surely want to bother me, but I promise I'll solve it"
Leek sighed and nodded. "Tomorrow, after meeting with the city lord, I will ask Lanruo to look for you, I know you want to solve the problems you have, and although I promise not to intervene directly, I will help you get as strong as possible so you can kick that guy's ass, I promise." He said with a smile while clenching his fist.
Ning'er smiled at him again, only this time it was a much more sincere one, one that contained tranquility, happiness, appreciation, and gratitude, she took a deep breath and nodded before speaking. "Thank you very much, can I tell you one last secret?"
Leek blinked in surprise a few times. "Sure." He replied.
Ning'er moved forward again and motioned for him to lower his head a little so she could speak into his ear, but when he did, instead of hearing her words, he felt a soft sensation on his cheek, the kiss lasted just a couple of seconds, but that was enough to convey everything she wanted to tell him without needing to say a single word.
Leek looked at her in surprise, holding his cheek while he was a little flushed.
At that moment, Ning'er's smile seemed even more beautiful than it was before. "Thank you, for helping me, for giving me hope, for having crossed my path." She said with a healthy blush on her cheeks before turning around and walking away with a light trot.
Leek stood there, watching her go, and without realizing it, the corners of his lips moved upwards, and the affectionate smile remained until the Saiyan lost sight of the girl.
#####
Third Person P.O.V
Lanruo found herself lying on her back, looking up at the starry sky on the roof of the small building next to where Ning'er and Leek had been talking.
Although her eyes were fixed on the glowing points in the sky, her concentration was on what she had heard.
The truth was that Lanruo understood where Ning'er's insecurities came from, after all, she had told her story herself up to the part where the elders of her family imposed the condition of reaching the third bronze star in exchange for supporting her in canceling her marriage with Shen Fei.
And although Lanruo trusted her a lot more thanks to that, she was also left with a small thorn, a tiny sliver of doubt, the idea that Ning'er was trying to be close to Leek only because she saw him as the key to freeing the chains that bound her.
She really wouldn't blame her if this was the case, after all, her future husband was Shen Fei.
If she had been the one in Ning'er's position? Well, things probably wouldn't have escalated to that extent, mainly because with her personality, she would have kicked Shen Fei in the crotch with all her might the moment he tried one of his nasty wordplays with her, but obviously, that wasn't the case with Ning'er.
Because of this, she wouldn't judge Ning'er harshly if she really followed Leek just to get his help, but she wouldn't allow her to advance further with Leek, at least until she was free, or confirmed definitively how she felt and what she really wanted.
Well, at least that had been her line of thought until now, because after hearing that conversation, questioning the veracity of Ning'er's feelings would be like asking if fire burned or if water wet, complete nonsense.
BUT!
That didn't mean Lanruo would let her get ahead of her in this race, yes, the younger girl was obviously in love, yes, it was obvious that Leek was also attracted to her, and yes, it was also obvious that they both wanted to externalize those feelings.
BUT!!
Lanruo wouldn't allow it! She had arrived first, and she would become his fiancée first! After hearing how, thanks to him, Ning'er advanced in her cultivation and that he had an idea to boost the strength of both even more, Lanruo knew that Leek would cause a considerable wave in Glory City, there would be no shortage of spiritualists who wanted to get an extra increase in the speed of their cultivation, so it was obvious that some spiritualists and families might be willing to make some sudden or direct moves in order to win Leek's favor, and that's without counting the attractiveness of his lineage.
Offers of alliances, invitations to be adopted by taking the role of heir son of some influential noble, marriage proposals, blackmail, threats, and so on.
Once Leek's existence was announced, the higher-ranking nobles would demand information, and after obtaining it, they would pounce like a hungry pack hoping to get a juicy morsel.
And as much as Lanruo would like to trust her family, she knew that she alone could not prevent a good number of opportunistic women from throwing themselves at him, so she would need help.
And that's where Ning'er would come in, Lanruo had confirmed that the girl was sincere, and if she herself was honest, she had found the younger girl quite nice, so she would be happy to be her older sister, that way, once she was free, they could both scare away all the annoying flies that would flutter around Leek.
BUT!!!
Once again, she had arrived first! So Lanruo was willing to fight for the first place no matter if she had to play a little dirty.
She obviously wouldn't do anything too rough that could hurt anyone, but, blaming a cat for hitting Leek in the head with a small rock for being too flirtatious with Ning'er even though he hadn't even kissed her?
That wasn't being cruel, that was just karma biting her future fiancé in the ass for being so flirtatious.
"You know? You went too far with the force you used when throwing that rock." A male voice caught her attention, and Lanruo, who was lying down, suddenly sat up, seeing Leek standing in front of her with his arms crossed and a look that was somewhere between accusatory and amused.
"How did you find me?"
"Are you forgetting that I'm able to sense people's energies? It's not something I'm too proficient at, but ever since you left, I focused on not losing track of you, and since you didn't stray too far before sneaking back, I was able to follow your entire path." He said, smiling a little mockingly.
"Ugh." Lanruo made a sound of complaint as she stood up.
"Don't be like that, if you had gone 20 or 30 meters further then I would have lost track of you, and when you came back, I wouldn't be able to properly sense if it was you or not, plus it was also possible that I would simply stop trying to sense your presence thinking that you had really left." Leek said with a smile.
"You're a cheater." Lanruo complained with a pout.
Leek blinked a few times and then let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I guess Saiyans are a race of cheaters themselves"
At that moment, Lanruo came in front of Leek, standing with her hands on her hips as she looked directly at him. "So, are you going to apologize now?"
Leek wasn't blind nor an idiot, usually, so he knew what Lanruo was talking about, but the question was, how to respond.
He saw that Lanruo and Ning'er got along well, it was also clear that they both knew each other's feelings, after all, Lanruo had openly declared that he would be her fiancé in front of Ning'er, while the latter had tried to kiss him even though, for all she knew, the older girl could have come back at any moment and seen them.
Besides that, there was also the conversation they had that night in the clearing and the one they must have had later at their sleepover, he didn't have to be a genius to be sure they had come to some sort of agreement on that topic, but, what could it be?
Be friends and compete honestly?
Let "the best" win?
Ask him directly who he would choose?
Leek didn't know anything about that, and it was clear that Lanruo was a little annoyed that he was about to kiss Ning'er.
But that was precisely what Leek found most strange, Lanruo seemed JUST a little annoyed, as if this was nothing more than a minor annoyance that she would forget in a few minutes.
"I know it's going to sound incredibly silly for me to say this myself, as if I were placing a noose around my own neck, but… shouldn't you be… you know, more annoyed?"
A fleeting, small, predatory smile graced Lanruo's face, making Leek shudder.
"Ho? Then, would you like me to get a little violent with you?" The girl took a step forward with each word, making Leek back off, but when the path ended and she cornered him, she took the opportunity to place two fingers on his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes.
Her pretty pink eyes shone like a cat that was playing with a scared little mouse, debating whether to eat it or play with it some more.
"Tell me Leek, do you have any idea what Ning'er and I talked about yesterday?"
"No"
"Well, let's just say we came to some sort of agreement, I like her, and Shen Fei is an idiot, so that just helped me make up my mind, and I don't really blame her for what you two almost did just now, I think you know that if it had been me, I would have been a lot more… forceful"
"What kind of agreement are you talking about?" He dared to ask.
"I'll tell you later." But she deflected the question, redirecting the topic to what mattered to her. "What matters now is that I'm still a little upset, so I'll blame you, my naughty fiancé"
Leek didn't dare to say that he wasn't her fiancé yet.
"You are mine, I know very well how real and strong Ning'er's feelings are, but I found you first, so I'm going to make sure you know it well"
At that moment, something inside Leek's head clicked, and his look changed, pure Saiyans, by nature, always compete to decide who is the one who dominates, of course, this normally happens when two strong personalities clash, like when Vegeta stayed at Bulma's house when he returned to Earth, he was the one in a position of need, he needed her machines to get stronger and heal, which ended with both creating a situation of equality between them in the future, one was strong, and the prince of his race, the other was one of the most intelligent people in the universe, and probably the most important and influential woman on the planet, which made the proud prince see her as a worthy partner.
But with Leek it was different for several reasons, first, he was a teenager, a pure-blood SAIYAN teenager to be more specific, and if the adults of his race were already considered impulsive, proud, and hot-blooded despite learning to "control" themselves a little, then a teenager who did not have that control was several times worse.
Until now this had been leveled because although Leek's body was that of a Saiyan, his mind was not, it had limits, but little by little one was affecting the other, and just like when two different colors were mixed, the result would have traces and hints of the parts that formed it, but it would also be different.
He did not feel remorse or hesitate when killing the beasts that attacked him, but he did not rejoice in destruction or conquest just because, he felt the primary desire to get stronger, but he appreciated more things than just fight, he would fight to the death against the enemy if he had to, but he also knew that his life was the most precious thing he had.
Perhaps that's why until now his behavior was more like that of a human than a Saiyan, but when Lanruo said that last line, trying to establish her dominance over him, his instincts kicked in.
He was attracted to the girl in front of him, that was 100% true, not only because of her appearance, but also because of her character, but he wouldn't let himself be dominated without a fight.
Lanruo, unaware of any of Leek's thoughts, was going to continue with her plan, using what had happened with Ning'er as leverage to push Leek a bit before kissing him, drawing more of his attention to her and taking the lead in this relationship, but before she could do or say anything else the hand that was on Leek's chin was taken, and Leek intertwined his fingers with hers while his other hand circled around her lower back and pulled her towards him, pressing their bodies together.
"Eh?" Lanruo could only show her confusion by making a light sound before the void-black irises looked into her pink ones.
"You're a troublesome girl too, Lanruo." Leek said, his tone of voice and the expression on his face showing that the previous embarrassment and shyness had vanished as if they had never been there in the first place.
"Y-you." This time it was Lanruo who showed her nervousness, the eyes that looked at her had a mysterious glow and a depth that she couldn't quite understand, it was as if those eyes were a bottomless pit that she was falling into, and it reminded her of how she felt the first time she saw him in her house.
Her heart began to beat faster and stronger.
If before she was a cat playing with a mouse, now Leek was a lion bullying a defenseless kitten.
Her previous bravado, confidence, and flirtatiousness vanished, leaving only the pink on her cheeks.
"I thought I told you before, Lanruo, you can come to an agreement with a Saiyan, but subjugating or dominating him will take more than a flirtatious attitude, after all, although it is not that strong with me, I also have to carry the Saiyan pride." And as if it were an irony, or as if he was copying her, as Leek spoke, he got closer to her, only since he had already caught her from the start, he chose to bring his face closer to hers.
The older girl's embarrassment grew, he was a little taller than her, just a little, but then why now he looked so... imposing, he was like a mountain in front of her, and the closer he brought his face to hers the more nervous she became.
"Now." He said, stopping when their cheeks touched, stopping to speak in her ear. "You're going to be a good girl, and tell me what you and Ning'er decided." He finished saying this and moved her face away from hers a little.
Lanruo felt everything around her spinning, this was not what she had planned, this was not supposed to happen.
But, even so, why couldn't she deny that this was exciting her? Why couldn't her legs stop shaking with excitement? Why was it so hot? Why did she feel like jumping on the boy who was hugging her and never letting him go again?
Then Lanruo did exactly the opposite of what she thought she would do at the beginning of this conversation, she was a good girl for him, and told him everything, her plan to attract him, the fact that she didn't mind sharing with Ning'er to protect him from the problems and traps that other families and from any opportunistic woman who saw him as a way to improve her status.
Leek received surprise after surprise, and it was only upon discovering the amount of nonsense that was to come that his state of "domination", to put it in some way, disappeared in favor of thinking about how complicated his life would be in the immediate future.
"Ahhh." Leek sighed with a bit of resignation, if this is what he would have to face in order to gain a place to settle down then he would make an effort and face it as best he could.
It was only after this that he realized he was still holding Lanruo in a somewhat… intimate way, besides the fact that she seemed quite dazed, her cheeks were very red, her eyes were glassy, and at some point, the hand he wasn't holding had been placed on his shoulder.
'Well, now what?' Leek thought, and just as he was about to call her, he noticed something.
His own ki was... surrounding Lanruo?
How had this happened? Leek hadn't the slightest idea.
He shook her a little and squeezed her hand as he called her name, which seemed to do the trick as her eyes lost their mist, though the blush and heavy breaths were still present.
"It seems that despite how you act, you can be a bit insecure, right Lanruo?" Leek continued the conversation, not wanting to dwell on what had happened, especially since he didn't understand it.
"How come-" She tried to ask, but he interrupted her.
"Despite being willing to share, you are willing to play dirty even when you like her, no, you do it because you like her, you compete to prove that you can win, right? I don't know if you are very kind or a vixen"
Being such an important topic, Lanruo's mind immediately focused on it. "Is it wrong? The person I like likes another girl too, I know that when you are accepted into Glory City, you will be asked to join a family or form your own, and in both cases, you must extend your bloodline as much as possible to benefit Glory City in the future, Ning'er likes you not only for your strength, I like her, and if she joins then we can better protect ourselves from any tricks, but I still want to be capricious, I want to fight for every bit of your heart, I want to be the first, do you hate that I am like this?"
Leek smiled. "I like it"
"Eh?" Lanruo looked incredibly confused.
"Pretty and kind girls are good, but a girl with nuances is incredibly attractive in character, you are no angel, Lanruo, you are sweet, but you are also a vixen, and I like how well that seems to suit you, now I ask you, do you think it is wrong that I like both sides of your personality so much?"
Lanruo's eyes sparkled, and her cheeks, which were already losing their red tone, suddenly gained it again while her heart started to race again.
"That's unfair, is it an insult? Or is it a compliment? How can you play with a girl's heart like that?" She said, lowering her gaze a little.
Leek sighed as he let out a laugh, and while there was still a bit of that dominant flame in his eyes, he made a decision, did she want him to be clear? Very well, he would give her exactly what she was asking for, and he would be as clear as possible.
"Lanruo." He called out to her, and the moment she looked up he didn't give her time to react or think, he brought his face closer to hers and kissed her.
X-X-X-X-X
Well, the longest chapter so far, at first I was thinking of splitting this into 2 chapters, each one focusing on each girl, but I think covering the development of both in this chapter and letting the plot move forward is a better decision, you can also take this particularly long chapter as my Christmas gift to all of you, my dear sponsors.
Besides that, I wanted to ask you the same thing I did with my other story, if you could please go to webnovel, which is the page where I publish this story, and leave a positive review about this story, that way it will reach more people, thank you very much!
I hope all of you had a nice Christmas, my best wishes to all of you, see you next year with the next chapter!
