Chapter 157: Chapter 110: It’s Not Just Lust at First Sight, but also Love Grown Over Time and Forged in Adversity

"Mm-hmm."

He nodded, holding her for a long time without letting go.

SLAM!

Suddenly, Si Xie slammed his chopsticks on the table. He stood up, strode over, and shoved him away. Grabbing Jiang Yunnuan’s arm, he pulled her behind him, his eyes icy and radiating killing intent.

’I’ve had enough of this guy!’

’They’ve already terminated the contract, but he’s still all over Nuannuan. How shameless!’

"I’m leaving. Goodbye!"

Shoved aside, Ming Ye didn’t spare Si Xie a single glance. He said his piece to Jiang Yunnuan, and after seeing her nod, he picked up his things and strode away.

Only when his back had completely vanished from sight did Jiang Yunnuan retract her gaze and turn her head.

"Fu Yuan, Si Xie, what about you two? Do you want to terminate the contract?"

Hearing this, the two of them froze, especially Si Xie. His eyes filled with utter confusion.

’What does Nuannuan mean? Does she really want to terminate their contracts?’

’What about her mission?’

’Is she giving up on it completely?’

"Today, I’m giving you a choice. If you want to terminate the contract, I’ll set you free right now. This is what we agreed on before. I’m a woman of my word; I won’t go back on it."

"No! Nuannuan, I don’t want to terminate it! But Fu Yuan definitely does, so just terminate his. I want to stay by Nuannuan’s side."

Si Xie snapped back to his senses, wrapped his arms tightly around her, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

’Nuannuan has many, many mission targets. If they all terminate their contracts, she’ll definitely go find other ones. I absolutely cannot give anyone else a chance.’

’Once Fu Yuan terminates his contract too, I’ll be the only one left by her side for now. During this time, I’ll stick to her and keep her all to myself.’

’If the mission changes in the future and she doesn’t have to do it anymore, maybe... Nuannuan could be mine alone.’

"Who said I want to terminate the contract?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Fu Yuan let out a cold laugh, mercilessly shattering all his fantasies.

Si Xie’s eyes widened as he stared at him in disbelief.

"Weren’t you the one who wanted to terminate it?"

"So you’re allowed to go back on your word, but I’m not?"

Si Xie was speechless.

’Damn it, why did this guy suddenly change his mind?’

’Wasn’t he dying to terminate the contract?’

"Oh, I get it now. You only changed your mind because you saw how beautiful Nuannuan has become, right? Hmph, I knew you were just a superficial guy driven by looks!"

He scowled and sneered.

Hearing this, Fu Yuan scoffed dismissively.

"It’s not just about looks. It’s about feelings growing over time, about going through thick and thin together. You don’t know, do you? After you disappeared, I was the one who stayed by Jiang Yunnuan’s side..."

"I jumped into the Nine Nether Abyss with her, passed through the death vortex with her, and searched for you in the wilderness with her. She’s kissed me and touched me. Isn’t it only natural that I demand she take responsibility?"

Si Xie was speechless.

His mouth twitched in anger. It felt as if he had downed several vats of vinegar, so sour he could feel it bubbling up inside him.

As for Jiang Yunnuan, hearing Fu Yuan bring all this up again, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

So much had happened recently. Searching for Si Xie, trying to please Yan Chen, dealing with Ning Xiu... After finding Si Xie, all her energy had been focused on him. She really had wronged Fu Yuan.

In that moment, she truly understood what it meant to be unable to be in two places at once.

’If only I could Transform into Thousands, too.’

Reading her thoughts, Si Xie’s mood became complicated.

’According to Nuannuan’s thoughts, even though she’s been busy, most of it was related to me. I should be satisfied, but why do I still feel so awful?’

’Am I being too greedy?’

"Ahem. So, neither of you wants to terminate the contract? Are you sure? I’ll give you one more chance. If you want to back out now, it’s not too late."

Hearing her voice, Si Xie quickly snapped out of it.

"I’m sure I don’t want to terminate it, and I will never regret it."

"I’m also sure I don’t want to terminate it. But Jiang Yunnuan, from now on, I want to exercise all the legal rights of a Contractor equally. Can you do that?"

At these words, Si Xie instantly bristled, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at him.

"No equality! Among Beastmen, the strong are respected. I’m a Third Rank Returning Origin Stage, and you’re only First Rank. What right do you have to demand equality with me?"

"Besides, Nuannuan already promised that she’ll only be intimate with me until the side effects in my body are gone. Even after that, if we divide time based on Cultivation, it’ll still be three days for me and one day for you!"

Fu Yuan retorted, not showing any weakness.

"Hah, sorry to disappoint you, but I’m Second Rank Returning Origin Stage now. What’s more, I have a dual sea-and-air form. My Beast Form crushes yours. I’m more than qualified to be your equal!"

"So what if you have a dual sea-and-air form? Wait a minute... you damn bird, stop bluffing. Where did you get a dual form??"

Si Xie’s eyes grew even wider. He stared at him for several seconds, and upon recognizing his new Beast Form, his handsome silver eyes filled with shock.

’An Ancient Kunpeng???’

’This damn bird actually evolved a dual form!’

’It seems that while I was gone, these guys weren’t slacking off. They evolved and ranked up, not missing a beat. So what was all my suffering for?’

"You see now? My potential is far higher than yours. How am I not qualified to be your equal?"

Si Xie snapped out of it and said defiantly, "That potential you’re talking about is for the future. Right now, at least, you’re not qualified to be my equal."

"By that logic, if your Cultivation can’t keep up in the future, will you automatically give up on Jiang Yunnuan?"

"Hah, as if my Cultivation won’t keep up! My talent is so good, there’s no way I’ll fall behind..."

The two once again launched into a heated argument.

Jiang Yunnuan couldn’t control her embarrassment.

’These two... are they really, openly discussing how to divide their time with me right in my face? And now it’s escalated into a full-blown fight????’

’Who could possibly understand the absurdity and shock of someone who grew up in a monogamous society witnessing this scene firsthand?’

But she quickly composed herself, cleared her throat, and tried to break up the fight, swallowing her embarrassment.

"Stop fighting, you two. Since you’ve both decided not to terminate the contract, for the sake of getting along in the future, let me lay down some ground rules. I’ll do my best to love you both fairly, and you two are not allowed to be jealous of each other. Also, if I form a contract with a new Contractor in the future, you’re not allowed to object."

"Let me be clear: unless it’s absolutely necessary, I won’t just form new contracts carelessly."

After she spoke, Si Xie’s reaction was relatively calm. He had long known she had a mission to complete and that sometimes her hands were tied, forcing her into things. He had prepared himself for this long ago.

But Fu Yuan, who was completely in the dark, frowned deeply. A displeased look crossed his face as he sneered at her.

"Yan Chen, me, Si Xie... aren’t we enough? You still want to form contracts with others? Hah, are you sure that little body of yours can handle it?"

Jiang Yunnuan was speechless.

She was so mortified she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Her ears turned red as she mumbled under her breath,

"Can you not just say whatever comes to your mind?"

"Aren’t you the one who wants to form contracts with many Contractors? What, you can’t even bear to hear about it now? Hah, if you contract with more of them, then in the future, it won’t be just one person doing *that kind of thing* with you every night. Are you still sure you want to contract with so many?"