156 Never Once Sincere

When Qu Wan woke up in the morning, she found the weather overcast, as if rain were imminent. The temperature had been quite high these past few days, making the air stifling and the atmosphere on set feel rather oppressive.

Yu Shen had been acting independently for several days now. He no longer waited for Qu Wan to go to the set in the morning, ate his meals alone in his dressing room, and returned to the hotel by himself instead of joining the group for dinner in the evenings.

When Qu Wan arrived at the set, she saw that the door to Yu Shen’s dressing room was ajar. She walked over to the entrance and watched as the makeup artist worked on him.

"Not going to have any breakfast?"

Yu Shen, gripping his script, replied, "No, I'm not that hungry. I’ll eat later. Go get me a coffee."

His assistant acknowledged the request, and upon stepping out, bumped into Qu Wan.

Feiyu’s blood was slowly transfused into Luo Xi’s body, and her complexion gradually began to regain its color. Once the transfusion was complete, Master Wang busied himself for a while longer, while the other physicians helped attend to Feiyu.

Qingfeng paused at this point. Luo Xi could discern an indescribable sorrow in him—a sentiment unlike any she had seen in the Qingfeng or Fengming she knew. It was a hidden, endured grief, one unique to the Crown Prince, which he wished for no one to discover.

"If you spout any more nonsense, I will tear your mouth apart!" Shen Qingyou stomped her foot, her beautiful eyes wide with a chilling, piercing rage.

She sobbed, unable to continue. Her tears fell upon him, cold and damp. He silently pulled her into his embrace, cupping her tear-streaked face in his hands and gently kissing away the tracks of her tears, his previous passion completely extinguished.

Zhao Huajian jolted in fright, much of his drunkenness fading away. He quickly rolled up the car window and checked the doors, feeling a slight sense of relief as he slumped back into his seat.

He had once personally stifled the happiness between them, destroyed her and their child; a single moment of negligence had led to a lifetime of soul-consuming regret.

Zhou Chu walked onto the balcony with a complicated heart, holding a glass of wine as he watched the distant waves. Li Jizhu and Shen Chunhua had gone to bathe; having arrived in a new place, they always insisted on cleaning themselves first.

Assuming the dignity of a Chief Steward, Li De walked ahead, with Mu Ximei following behind, her head bowed. She kept her eyes down, refusing to look or ask about anything—detachment was the best policy.

"It’s all because of you, all because of you, Mudan!" He pounded the ground, repeating the phrase incessantly, hoping only that Mudan might remember his past kindnesses and save him.

"Don't go; it’s too dangerous. Just wait here for his return," the Empress Dowager said, her grip tightening on her hand.

Though it was unclear why the androids had been infected by the zombie virus yet retained their human consciousness, it was evident that their emergence posed a fatal, terrifying threat to humanity.

Chang Le quickly transmitted the good news to his master. Ye Feng was naturally delighted and continued to maintain the spatial force field outside the Flowing Light Flying Boat.

Seeming to struggle against the tears threatening to fall, Banli spoke in as light a tone as she could manage. Although she tried her best to mask her emotions, she could not suppress the tremor in her voice. Beside her, Jinyi was left completely speechless.

Upon reverting to human form, Alio was not exactly naked, as those morphable smart-garments fit perfectly like a second skin.

Hori Eizo, twenty-four years old, a graduate of the Imperial Army Academy, hailed from a military family. His father, Lieutenant General Hori Kazuo, had served as the commander of the First Division and Director of Army Aviation; the notorious spy Doihara Kenji had been their neighbor.

Shokuhou wore a look of utter satisfaction, appearing quite pleased by Kaiyou Mitsuki’s performance.

Emergency rescue work at the scene had begun the moment the ambulance arrived. Unable to assist, Shirai stood aside, waiting with questions as she tried not to interfere with the medical efforts.

The two stood like drawn swords, or perhaps like rocks facing the ocean surf, their eyes calm and steady as they gazed at one another.

After his "conversation" with the heavens, Tao Shang said nothing more. He merely dragged his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, his gaze calm and composed as he looked out over Ji Jing in the night.

A fierce, malevolent light flashed in the massive eyes of the Sand-Flame Silver-Horned Iron Lizard.

The gap between a Sovereign-tier species and its subordinates, the overwhelming power of a Heavenly King-tier sprite—how could the Sunflora tribe possibly hope to contend with that?