After a long while…
Outside, the wind and rain had stopped.
Inside, the storm of passion had subsided
Lu Feng had fallen asleep.
The journey back from Nuoding City had been exhausting, sleeping on the road was difficult, his spirit power had been drained from the fight with Xu Wei during the day, and then there was the engagement banquet with all its heavy drinking. On top of that, Xu Ruyun had been causing trouble the whole time. Right now, he was completely spent.
If not for his Dragon God bloodline, an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to handle this much.
Zhu Zhuyun, her face flushed, was fully awake.
Sensing Lu Feng had drifted off, she carefully lifted his hand from her body, slipped out of bed, and smoothed her tangled hair. She wiped the tears from her cheeks.
She was tough—tears fell, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to let a sob escape.
With red-rimmed eyes, Zhu Zhuyun turned back, shooting Lu Feng a look brimming with resentment and hurt. Her silver teeth flashed as she glared, itching to bite him.
But she held back.
After the fiery outburst, her rational side took over.
Logic told her that the best course of action right now was to keep her identity hidden and not disrupt the current situation.
Her status wasn't ordinary.
She was the eldest daughter of the Zhu family, carrying the weight of her clan's future on her shoulders.
She was the crown prince's fiancée, the future empress. If this incident blew up, it could throw the entire Star Luo Empire into chaos and the consequences would be disastrous for her, the Zhu family, and even Lu Feng.
Right now, her emotions were a tangled mess.
And yet… there was also a strange, twisted sense of satisfaction in all of this.
Ever since Lu Feng had appeared, boldly declaring his love for Zhu Zhuqing, she had envied her younger sister.
Under the gaze of countless onlookers, Lu Feng had publicly given up enormous benefits, insisting that he wanted only Zhu Zhuqing, how romantic.
Even without a real engagement, he had gifted her two priceless ten-thousand-year spirit bones, such a profound declaration of love.
And on the training grounds, just to protect Zhu Zhuqing from harassment, he had effortlessly crushed the Xu family's so-called genius, a full realm above him, how dazzlingly brilliant.
All of that belonged to Zhu Zhuqing.
Meanwhile, her own so-called fiancé, Dai Weis, cared only about profit, cycling through women without a second thought.
And now, on the very night of Zhu Zhuqing's engagement, she and Lu Feng had sex.
In a way, it balanced the scales in her mind.
But overall, Zhu Zhuyun knew she had suffered a crushing loss.
Right now, her heart was in complete turmoil.
With her thoughts still tangled in chaos, Zhu Zhuyun quietly dressed herself, careful not to make a sound. She glanced back at Lu Feng one last time before slipping out of his room unnoticed.
It was the dead of night.
The storm had passed, the clouds had scattered, and the sky was now a glittering expanse of stars.
Lost in her own melancholy, she clenched her teeth, stamped her foot lightly, and, in a flash, vanished over the wall like a shadow.
Within moments, she was back in her own room.
Only then did Zhu Zhuyun allow herself to relax, the tension in her body finally easing as she let out a long, quiet sigh.
Even now, she still couldn't understand why she hadn't said a single word back then.
Fortunately, it shouldn't affect the virginity test.
…
The next morning.
"Lazy pig, still not up yet?"
A knock sounded at Lu Feng's door, followed by Zhu Zhuqing's voice. She pushed it open, wrinkling her nose as she stepped inside. "Ugh, it reeks of alcohol in here, just how late did you drink last night?"
Lu Feng stirred groggily, stretching with a satisfied yawn before flashing her a roguish grin. "How late? You don't remember?"
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, confused. "No? I was so tired last night, I went back, washed up, and slept straight through till morning."
Lu Feng: ???
His drowsiness vanished in an instant. He stared at her, searching for any hint that she might be joking but her expression was completely genuine.
If it wasn't Zhuqing…
Then who was here last night?
Had it just been a drunken dream? No, he hadn't been that far gone.
In the darkness, the face he'd touched had felt similar, the curves of her body close enough even the leather outfit had matched.
His mind racing, Lu Feng reached out and pulled Zhu Zhuqing into a sudden embrace.
"Ah—!" She swatted his hands away, cheeks flushing. "You—you shameless! Not now! We have so much to do this morning, and Father's expecting us for breakfast!"
"...Right. Fine." He exhaled, forcing himself to step back. "I'll go take a cold shower first."
Lu Feng stepped into the bathroom, rubbing his temples with a wry smile tugging at his lips.
Measuring again by hand, Lu Feng realized Zhu Zhuqing's size hadn't changed much.
Zhu Zhuyun, it was you, wasn't it?
He'd thought it went from big to bigger.
But now, thinking it over, it was just one day. How could there be such an obvious jump, to where both hands couldn't even handle it?
Man, drinking too much really clouds your judgment.
Zhu Zhuyun, you should've spoken up.
Last night, I mistook you for Zhuqing, and you didn't say a word—just those muffled "umm" sounds, making me think Zhuqing was switching up the vibe.
How am I supposed to face you today? How do we even move forward?
And to my drinking buddy, the Crown Prince—sorry, man, I accidentally put a green hat on you.
Honestly, Zhu Zhuyun's a goddess in her own right, but even after what happened, the system didn't ping me with anything.
[Ding!]
[Host has successfully captured Zhu Zhuyun's heart. Reward: 2000 energy points.]
…What?
Just like that?
Those points might as well have been handed to him for free.
Baffled, Lu Feng frowned. "System, you're usually quicker than this. Why wasn't there a capture mission this time? I didn't even have to put in effort, how did this happen?"
[This system cannot determine the exact reason for the direct capture,]
[The hearts of women are unpredictable. Zhu Zhuyun was not part of the main storyline mission. Similar to Xu Ruyun, her intense emotional fluctuations during interactions with the host triggered a side quest. Detection delays may occur.]
Lu Feng started to piece it together.
Sometimes, winning a woman's body first could pave the way to her heart.
Who says only guys are driven by their baser instincts?
"Second question: I clearly got with Zhu Zhuyun. Why no energy points?"
[This system follows strict protocols to judge task completion. Specific details and reasons can't be shared]
the system replied, its sweet, girlish voice flat and emotionless.
Strict protocols?
So, last night with Zhu Zhuyun was… informal?
Could it be…?
The corner of Lu Feng's mouth twitched as he sank into thought.