...
Night was falling in the small town outside the Starry Sky Forest.
Although it was just an ordinary hotel, it was quiet.
Xuanhao booked the largest suite, taking the master bedroom for himself and leaving the adjacent second bedroom and guest room for the four girls.
In the corridor.
Three furtive little heads were peeking through the crack in Xuan Hao's doorway, stacked like a human pyramid.
Why isn't anything happening?
Ning Rongrong lowered her voice and nudged Xiao Wu in front of her:
"They've been inside for half a day already, they're not asleep yet, are they?"
"impossible!"
Xiao Wu shook her head firmly, her rabbit ears perked up warily:
"I clearly heard a sigh coming from inside! Brother is definitely not asleep yet!
And he's in a bad mood!"
"Then what should we do?"
Na'er frowned, her face full of worry:
"Brother is rarely like this. What did that scoundrel named Yu Xiaogang do to offend brother?"
Just as the three were debating whether or not to knock on the door.
"Squeak—"
The door to the next room opened.
Zhu Zhuqing wore a black silk robe, her hair casually draped over her shoulders.
Her cool and aloof demeanor appeared even more so in the night.
She looked with some suspicion at her three roommates, who were crouching suspiciously outside Xuan Hao's door like thieves.
"What...are you doing?"
"Sh-!!!"
Ning Rongrong was startled and quickly jumped up to cover Zhu Zhuqing's mouth, dragging her to a corner and gesturing for her to be quiet.
"Keep your voice down! Don't let them hear you from inside!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, pulled Ning Rongrong's hand down, and asked in a low voice:
"What are you doing?
Blocking his door in the middle of the night?"
"What else can I do?
Comfort them, of course!"
Ning Rongrong pointed to the tightly closed door, her face full of disappointment:
"Didn't you notice?
After Yu Xiaogang said those bullshits tonight, Brother Xuanhao has been in a really bad mood."
"As his... cough cough, his sweet little darlings, shouldn't we go in and comfort him now?
Are we just going to let him sulk inside by himself?"
"To coax someone?"
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned.
In her memory, Xuan Hao was the kind of domineering, powerful, and omnipotent being.
This kind of person...can also feel sad? And needs to be comforted?
"Of course!"
Na'er nodded seriously, looking like a little adult:
Even the strongest person has moments of vulnerability.
My brother is human too, and he has his own worries.
"and..."
Na'er glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, her eyes suddenly turning somewhat cunning:
"Sister Zhuqing, now that you've joined us, you're family now."
"Your brother has been so good to you, giving you immortal herbs and soul bones.
Now that he's unhappy, shouldn't you, as his younger brother, do your part?"
"this..."
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated for a moment.
Reason told her that it seemed inappropriate for her, an "outsider," to participate in this kind of occasion. After all, the other three were clearly closer to Xuan Hao.
but...
The thought of the Narcissus Jade Bone that changed her fate, and the priceless Soul Bone, still lingered.
That profound gratitude made it impossible for her to remain uninvolved without feeling at ease.
"Then... is there anything I can do to help?"
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated before asking, "I'm not very good at comforting people..."
"That's right!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, as if she had caught something red-handed, and she leaned closer with a wicked grin:
"The three of us are too familiar with each other, so my brother is already immune to my attempts to act cute and charming."
But you're different!
Ning Rongrong looked Zhu Zhuqing up and down, admiring his aloof and ascetic demeanor.
"You usually seem so aloof and otherworldly, like a goddess..."
"If a sudden, unexpected cuteness appears, the destructive power would be absolutely nuclear-level!"
Even if my brother is in a bad mood, seeing you like this will definitely break him instantly!
"Ant...gap moe?" Zhu Zhuqing was completely bewildered.
What kind of new word is this?
"Oh, this is it!"
Xiao Wu conjured up a pink and fluffy rabbit ear headband from who-knows-where and put it directly on Zhu Zhuqing's head without saying a word.
Then I helped her tidy up her slightly messy hair.
moment.
A stunningly beautiful bunny girl, dressed in a sexy black nightgown with a cool and aloof expression and pink bunny ears on her head, has been created.
The collision of extreme aloofness and extreme cuteness creates a heart-pounding chemical reaction.
"Perfect!"
Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, both seeing the amazement in each other's eyes.
That's it!
Ning Rongrong pushed Zhu Zhuqing to the doorway and encouraged her:
"Just go in like this and ask your brother what's wrong.
Even if you don't say anything, just stand there and let him look at you.
His mood will definitely improve!"
"Go, Pikachu!"
"Huh? Wait..."
Before Zhu Zhuqing could react, Ning Rongrong pushed open the door and she stumbled into the dimly lit room.
...
Inside the room.
Xuan Hao, who was gazing at the moon and contemplating life, turned around in surprise upon hearing the noise.
By the moonlight, he immediately spotted the figure standing helplessly at the door.
For a moment, Xuan Hao's eyes froze slightly.
The usually aloof and icy cat-like girl was now wearing a slightly loose robe, her collarbone faintly visible.
A blush of embarrassment and shyness graced her exquisite face.
She had a pair of pink rabbit ears on her head, which trembled slightly with her movements.
This intense visual impact instantly dissipated most of Xuan Hao's anger, replacing it with a sense of...
A strange feeling of wanting to laugh but not daring to.
"Zhu Qing?"
Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow, suppressing a smile, and pointed to the thing on her head:
"What...is this new look?"
"Are those rabbit ears Xiaowu's?"
"I..."
Zhu Zhuqing's face was burning up; she wished she could disappear into the ground.
I got scammed!
I was absolutely tricked by those damn girls!
But since she was already inside, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.
"Um... Brother Hao."
Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath, trying her best to maintain her precarious aloof persona, but her voice was somewhat weak:
"I... I noticed you seemed a bit off, and I'm a little worried."
"Are you... alright?"
Seeing her adorable appearance, where she was clearly ashamed to death but still trying to appear calm, the last bit of gloom in Xuan Hao's heart completely dissipated.
He walked over and couldn't resist flicking the rabbit ears, watching them jiggle in the air, and chuckled softly.
"fine."
"I just remembered some old things, and I feel a bit choked up."
Xuan Hao sighed, his smile fading, a hint of helplessness appearing in his eyes:
"I originally wanted to find that good-for-nothing and fight him to vent my anger."
"As you saw, that so-called master was a coward. He pretended to be dead after being slapped once."
"I may be a scoundrel, but I have no interest in bullying a piece of trash who just lies on the ground pretending to be dead."
"The result was... instead of venting the anger, I ended up feeling really frustrated."
At this point, Xuan Hao glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, his tone softening slightly:
"Alright, I appreciate the thought."
"This look... is quite cute, and it suits you very well."
"Go back and rest early.
We need to go into the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow to hunt for a spirit ring for you. Getting enough rest is the most important thing."
"Oh... okay."
Hearing the praise, Zhu Zhuqing's heart skipped a beat, and the feeling of shame seemed to lessen.
She nodded and was about to turn and leave the room.
However.
The instant her hand touched the doorknob.
"Ouch!"
"Don't push me!"
"ah--!!"
With a few suppressed gasps, the half-closed door was violently slammed open.
Immediately afterwards.
Three furtive figures tumbled in one after another like rolling gourds, piling up on the carpet to form a "mountain of people".
Ning Rongrong was at the bottom, Na'er was in the middle, and Xiao Wu was the worst off, falling flat on her face and landing right at Xuan Hao's feet.
Zhu Zhuqing stood frozen in place, looking at the mess on the ground, and then at Xuan Hao, who was speechless.
An atmosphere of awkwardness permeated the air.
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