Fu Lin thought for a moment, then gently stepped closer to Sirin and lowered his voice to ask, "Sirin, what's going on with Kiana? Why does she seem so unhappy?"
Sirin slowly turned around, her eyes landing on Kiana☆ and the flustered, at-a-loss Bella beside her. She let out a deep sigh, then opened her mouth to explain to Fu Lin,
"Aiya, it's all because that idiot acted too fast. Without checking the item description, she burned the reward she got from the livestream..."
After saying this, Sirin sighed again and added, "But there's no need to worry too much. She's Kiana, after all — she'll bounce back soon enough."
Fu Lin curiously asked, "What kind of reward could hit her that hard..."
---------------------------
"Brother, you seem to care a lot about Kiana?"
Seeing her brother staring at Kiana☆, Sirin blocked his view, puffing out her cheeks in anger, looking just like a bloated pufferfish.
"Haha, how could that be? I'm just a little curious, that's all." Fu Lin withdrew his gaze, scratched his cheek awkwardly, and let out an embarrassed laugh as he looked at the puffed-up Sirin.
"Oh, just a red string, claiming it can make two people fall in love. I don't believe in such absurd things." Sirin nodded while speaking, holding Fu Lin's hand and walking toward Kiana.
"Uh, it is indeed a bit absurd." Fu Lin said, but unconsciously wiped his forehead with his hand.
Meanwhile, Bella noticed the approaching Sirin, then caught sight of the unfamiliar man beside her, and the intimate way they walked together instantly stirred up a wave of jealousy in her heart.
"Who are you?! Take your hands off my master!!"
"Roar!!!"
With that, Bella transformed into her dragon form, her four eyes locking fiercely onto Fu Lin, and then she let out a roar so loud that the birds on Taixuan Mountain scattered in panic, filling the sky in chaotic flight.
The residents at the foot of the mountain instinctively stopped in their tracks, looking toward the mountaintop in fear, and then knelt down, murmuring,
"Bless us, Celestial Immortal, bless us, Celestial Immortal."
"Wait, I…" Fu Lin stepped forward, just about to explain, when suddenly everything went black before his eyes, and he couldn't even see his own fingers. He felt a sticky sensation wrapping around his entire body.
In the blink of an eye, Sirin saw her brother suddenly vanish on the spot, a flicker of confusion and bewilderment flashing across her eyes.
Then, hearing Fu Lin's cries for help coming from Bella's mouth, Sirin's expression darkened. She quickly flew to Bella and shouted, "Bella, stop! That's my brother, you can't eat him!"
Bella froze upon hearing this, her bulging cheeks halting mid-motion, and then with a loud "ptooey" sound—
The slime-covered, disheveled Fu Lin was forcefully spat out by her!
Seeing this, Sirin glared fiercely at Bella, then quickly swooped down to Fu Lin's side, carefully helping him up and anxiously asking, "Brother, are you... alright? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. Guess I've now experienced what it feels like to be swallowed by a dragon…"
Dripping with goo, Fu Lin's face darkened as he lowered his head, looking at his thoroughly soaked clothes, feeling extremely uncomfortable from the wet, sticky sensation.
"I'm sorry, Master, I really didn't mean to~" Sensing the tension, Bella hurriedly changed back to her human form, looking pitifully at Fu Lin and Sirin, her eyes especially misty and blinking as she looked at Fu Lin.
Hearing Bella's roar earlier, Yae Sakura also stepped out from the house, a trace of surprise flashing through her eyes as she looked at the suddenly returned Fu Lin.
Higokumaru floated behind her, her mouth still greasy, clearly having just finished devouring all the fried tofu she had gotten.
At that moment, upon seeing Fu Lin again after so long, Higokumaru's eyes widened in shock, as if startled, and she hurriedly hid behind Yae Sakura.
Only daring to peek out half of her little head, her gaze darted about as she stammered, "B-big meanie, when did you come back? Why didn't you give any warning?"
Seeing Higokumaru's frightened expression, Fu Lin's lips curved slightly, and he cast a calm glance at her, speaking in an unsettlingly calm tone,
"Of course, I came back to check on how my emergency food has been growing. Hmm, looks like you've grown quite well… probably ready to eat now."
As he finished, Fu Lin even thoughtfully nodded to himself.
Higokumaru's fur stood on end upon hearing this. She trembled while hiding under Yae Sakura's hair and pleaded, "Big Sis, save me! Someone's trying to eat the cute Higokumaru!"
Yae Sakura could only sigh helplessly, lifting her hand to rub her forehead. She then turned her gaze to Fu Lin's drenched clothes and, like a nanny, said, "Mr. Chicken, stop scaring her. Hurry inside and change into something dry."
At that moment, Kiana☆ suddenly stood up, her eyes filled with determination as she stared at the sky, muttering to herself, "I've figured it out. Whether there's a red string or not, it doesn't matter. The rice is already cooked into porridge, and just the baby in my belly is enough to make him marry me!"
As soon as the words fell, everyone present was struck dumb by this sudden revelation, all showing expressions of shock and disbelief.
Fu Lin, who was on his way into the house, abruptly turned around upon hearing the news, as if struck by lightning. His expression instantly froze in shock, his lips slightly parted, and he stared at Kiana☆ in disbelief.
Then, he suddenly felt the ground give way under his feet, lost his balance, and fell to the ground with a loud "thud."
Hearing the crash behind her, Kiana☆ turned her head in confusion, and upon seeing Sirin's brother sitting dazed on the ground, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Thinking of his relationship with Sirin, and then recalling her own connection to Sirin, she called out, "Brother, you're back?"
Fu Lin didn't respond, his dazed gaze slowly lowering to her flat stomach, blinking in shock.
Clearly, he hadn't recovered from the shock of Kiana☆'s pregnancy announcement.
Meanwhile, at Saint Freya Academy, in Himeko's dorm, Fu Lin was holding a glass of wine, gently swirling it, elegantly sipping red wine.
Upon learning the news of Kiana☆'s pregnancy, he couldn't hold back and spat it out on the spot—
Unfortunately, Kiana, who was sitting across from him, was hit head-on.
Kiana immediately slammed the table, furious, and shouted, "Fu Lin!!!"