...
"I...I don't need it!"
Flanked by these two utterly shameless "female hooligans," Zhu Zhuqing felt dizzy and so ashamed she was practically smoking.
She stood up abruptly, stammering, "I...I need to go prepare for the Soul Battle!"
Then, like a frightened cat, he pushed open the door of the private room and fled in panic.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's slightly disheveled figure, Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance and gave each other a high five in perfect unison.
However, this scene, witnessed by Dugu Yan who was not far away, made her gaze increasingly suspicious and dangerous.
Dugu Yan turned her head, grabbed Xuan Hao's sleeve, her emerald green eyes fixed on him, and pressed him for an answer:
"Stop playing dumb with me! Tell me honestly, what have you guys been doing behind my back all this time?
You wouldn't have... already completely exposed yourselves, would you?!"
"..."
Xuan Hao was speechless, his face full of black lines as he freed his sleeve from Dugu Yan's grasp, rolled his eyes, and said:
"What are you thinking? Do you think I'm the kind of person who'll eat anything?"
"That's still a long way off." Xuan Hao leaned back in his chair and pursed his lips.
"Besides, you know what kind of person I am."
"There are three steps to dating."
Xuan Hao held up three fingers, solemnly setting rules for himself:
"Talk first, then date, and only then can you get to love."
"I have absolutely no interest in that kind of thing unless I've truly reached the point of 'love'."
Xuan Hao shrugged. "Let alone crossing the line to get close, even just touching him casually makes me feel uncomfortable."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan, who had been so aggressive just moments before, opened her mouth but couldn't utter a single word for a long time, completely speechless.
Because she knew very well that Xuan Hao was not lying.
Xuan Hao is indeed an extremely eccentric and unique individual in this regard.
He usually appears carefree, domineering, and even prone to making vulgar jokes, but when it comes to matters of the heart and matters of principle, he is an extremely serious person.
His emphasis on relationships and his demands for the bond between partners are almost demanding.
Although this guy always acts carefree and like a playboy, his closest female friends, Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong, know exactly what's going on in their minds.
At heart, Xuan Hao is actually an extremely protective and love-obsessed person.
However, he is an extremely rational romantic.
He values "love" above all else.
All his favoritism and madness are based on extremely rigorous rationality and logic.
He would never do anything so ridiculous as to lower his intelligence or lose his mind for the sake of love.
You could even say that once this guy truly falls in love with someone, he will stop at nothing and be extremely cruel in order to protect that person.
Of course, that chilling ruthlessness and cruelty is always only directed at bystanders and enemies.
For those he likes and considers important, he would never bear to let them suffer even the slightest harm or injustice, even if it meant his own death.
The irony is that... he is indeed a very promiscuous and extremely greedy person.
He wanted to keep them all by his side.
It is precisely because of this extremely complex and contradictory personality that, even though they have been living together for so long, and even experiencing those ambiguous "battles" under the same roof every night, Xuan Hao has always firmly guarded the last line of defense, appearing "chaste and pure".
This is not because he was truly a virtuous gentleman who could remain unmoved by temptation.
Simply because, before the bonds between everyone are clarified, and before each person is given a completely secure and harmless emotional explanation...
He dared not cross the line.
He feared that his impulsive actions might hurt the girls who trusted him wholeheartedly and opened their hearts to him without reservation.
It is precisely because of this extremely contradictory trait that even though Xuan Hao so openly and undisguisedly displays his philandering and greed, the proud women around him surprisingly do not feel any instinctive disgust or aversion towards him.
A large part of the reason is that although this guy was extremely greedy, he was extremely restrained.
He never abused his power or favors, and his genuine respect and lack of coercion gave the girls an indescribable sense of security.
Of course, regarding Xuan Hao's true intentions in this "restraint," Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had privately spoken to the girls over tea about something else entirely.
Xuan Hao's seemingly principled and unwavering behavior is actually a very clever and dangerous "feigned indifference" tactic.
He's like a top hunter with absolute patience, slowly boiling a frog in water.
He might just be waiting for the perfect opportunity, until everyone's psychological defenses have completely crumbled and they can no longer live without him, so that he can naturally capture them all at once!
In fact, they all knew it very well.
The essence of love is selfishness; it is highly exclusive.
It's absolutely impossible to say that these girls are truly willing and completely unconcerned about each other's existence.
However, everyone is tacitly maintaining the current balance, deliberately avoiding thinking about or delving into those jealous and rivalry issues.
Why is this happening?
Because they had been subtly influenced by Xuan Hao's extremely unconventional yet fatally attractive set of values.
All those bullshit rules, worldly perspectives, and opinions in this world are just shackles imposed by others.
The most important thing in life is to be happy.
He would rather bear the world's condemnation and be a carefree and happy "happy bastard" than compromise himself and become a "gentleman" who is morally blackmailed and dies alone.
Is it worth it to give up what you truly desire in your heart, and even to wrong yourself for the rest of your life, just to care about the opinions of those who are completely irrelevant?
He never lived for others; he only lived for himself and the people he cared about.
If they're unhappy, if worldly opinions and gossip really dare to offend them and make them feel uncomfortable...
He would not hesitate to eliminate all those who dared to hide behind the scenes and gossip!
Xuan Hao's most distinctive feature, and what fascinates these girls the most, is his extremely transparent "authenticity".
He would never deliberately conceal his shortcomings and desires like those so-called gentlemen; nor would he pretend to be humble and hide his brilliance and advantages like those hypocritical geniuses.
"If you want something, you want it; if you're greedy, you're greedy. What's there to be afraid to admit?"
This is what Xuan Hao says most often.
He was acutely aware of what he could offer those around him.
He could provide the care and protection they craved, the favoritism and indulgence they craved, and even use his immense strength and resources to satisfy their every ambition and desire in cultivation and life.
He possesses these insane assets, which gives him an extremely deadly, moth-to-a-flame attraction.
Since he has the ability to have these wonderful girls, and deep down he also desperately wants to keep them by his side, why does he pretend to be aloof and indifferent to refuse them?
For the sake of a vague "good reputation," should one restrain their desires and miss out on lifelong soulmates?
In Xuan Hao's opinion, that was just plain stupid!
A true, clear-headed, and terrifyingly self-awareness.
This is Xuanhao's philosophy of life.
He never touted himself as a flawless saint.
On the contrary, he had as many flaws as the stars in the sky—he was domineering, arrogant, vindictive, sometimes unreasonable, and even extremely promiscuous and greedy in matters of the heart.
However, his strengths and brilliance are a thousand times more dazzling than his weaknesses!
Its flaws do not detract from its overall excellence.
When someone is strong enough, protective enough, and can bring you unprecedented security and emotional value, they are like a bright sun hanging in the night sky.
As long as the sun's light is bright and warm enough, those around it will desperately try to absorb that light and heat.
Who would bother to notice that this radiant star itself actually has some imperfect, dark spots?
In the face of absolute light, those insignificant shadows are simply invisible and will be infinitely encompassed.
Read 20+ chapters ahead at Patreon
patreon.com/TaroYamato
patreon.com/TaroYamato