Chapter 414: Chapter 368: The Feeling of Being Loved by Her

Alex had been busy for the past two days. He hadn’t even eaten with Gu Ning, only stopping by occasionally to see her, say a few words, and then rush off.

Gu Ning knew he was handling matters related to leaving the 12th District for Zone 5.

Although the 12th District was far from Zone 5, they no longer needed to navigate the wilderness like they had in Zone 15; they just had to transfer trains twice on the way.

Gu Ning practically fled to Alex’s side. "Alex, are you done with work? Have you eaten?"

Hearing the affectionate and concerned tone of the little female, Alex’s gaze softened. He took off his coat, which was still carrying the chill from outside, and placed a hand on her head, stroking her soft hair. "I’m done. Did you miss me?"

Gu Ning nodded.

Even though they saw each other every day, at this moment, she truly missed Alex more than ever.

Back in Zone 19, when she was taking lessons by his side, she had always been on edge and extremely cautious, but at least she was able to learn something. Now that Barto was teaching her, it was just torture. She would be better off studying on her own.

Receiving her response, the corners of Alex’s mouth lifted slightly. He pulled Gu Ning into his arms and, bowing his head, kissed her hair. "I missed you, too."

Gu Ning’s heart skipped a beat, and she buried her slightly flushed face in his chest.

Sensing the piercing gaze from behind her, she briefly hugged Alex back before pulling away and leading him to the desk.

Barto, his arms crossed and his face slightly tense, looked at her. "What, you don’t want me to teach you?"

Gu Ning answered honestly, "No, I don’t. You don’t know how."

She didn’t want to argue with the little fox about this anymore.

She had always gotten good grades growing up. While not at the level of a top-tier student, if she worked hard and diligently, she could occasionally achieve some impressive results.

After being taught by the little fox for two days, she knew he had no idea how to teach. If this continued, she was going to start doubting herself.

Right now, she desperately needed to make some progress in her studies to soothe her anxious heart.

"It’s because your mind is too scattered. If you just focused, you’d understand what I’m teaching," Barto said, glancing pointedly at the wolf behind her.

Alex picked up the workbook from the desk and looked at it, his gaze then sweeping over the several Beast Alliance common language textbooks on the desk. He said, "She hasn’t passed the basic common language exam yet. These materials aren’t suitable for her right now."

Barto said, "She’s not a Beast cub. She can manage basic communication and is capable of passing the basic exam. We don’t need to waste time teaching her as if she were a cub."

He was very confident in his teaching methods.

Alex said, "You’re too hasty."

Hearing this, Barto pursed his lips. He crossed his arms, about to retort, when Alex asked again, "What’s the rush?"

It was a calm question, but it struck directly at the anxiety Barto had buried deep in his heart.

"None of your business," Barto snapped.

Gu Ning, standing between the two, heard the conversation taking a bad turn and went to pull on Barto. "Barto, go play with Cook."

Barto remained seated, looking at her. "Kicking me out again?"

Gu Ning tugged on his arm, her voice low and firm. "Are you going or not?"

The moment she got serious, Barto softened. His expression and tone deflated slightly. "Fine."

After speaking, he grabbed her wrist, and with a slight pull, drew Gu Ning into his arms and kissed her cheek.

Gu Ning’s face grew hotter. The tall figure behind her felt like a mountain, pressing down on her.

"Go on, now," she said, pushing the little fox.

Barto kept his arms around her and tapped his own cheek, making it clear he wouldn’t let her go until she returned the kiss.

"Hurry up and go feed Cook," Gu Ning urged in a low voice, pushing at his shoulders.

"As if he’s ever short on food?" Barto didn’t let her go, forcing her to look him in the eye.

’That night, when he and Gu Ning had laid everything bare, it wasn’t just about letting her see all of him. It was also to guide her into taking a step forward.’

’A step not toward him, but away from her idea of living with just one partner.’

’And also, for her to understand and accept the possibility of his... situation getting worse in the future.’

’His condition had been fluctuating recently. The excessively high Mutant Value wasn’t just affecting his body, but also his thoughts and emotions.’

’Sooner or later, there would come a day when he would have to leave Xiao Ning.’

’Her life from now on would only get better and more brilliant. He believed she could overcome any difficulty she encountered.’

’But he couldn’t rest easy, not with only one male like Alex by her side.’

’Alex was exceptionally capable and his character wasn’t bad, but there was no telling how long he would live, or if he might be replaced by another alpha wolf. When that time came, whether it was Alex’s downfall or his death, she would be thrown into a difficult situation.’

’He didn’t want her to suffer that kind of pain.’

’He knew all too well, given her stubbornness to hold on tight and never let go of Mixed Breeds like him and Cook, what kind of blow losing a beloved partner would be to her.’

’Multiple males would divert her attention and dilute the pain that such a situation would bring in the future.’

’If she could accept him, then slowly, she could come to accept other males too.’

’It wasn’t that he was without selfish motives; most of the time, his selfishness came first.’

’After everything he’d been through in the years since his degeneration began, no one understood better than him just how precious Xiao Ning was. The feeling of being cared for by her, of being loved by her—it was incomparable to anything else.’

’He wanted to hold on tight, to hold her just a little bit tighter. He wasn’t afraid that Xiao Ning might not like him, nor was he afraid of her choosing other partners. What terrified him was that sooner or later, he would become like Cook, or even worse.’

’He knew perfectly well how much trouble Cook caused Gu Ning, and his future self would only bring her the same kind of trouble.’

’But he wasn’t Cook. As a Beastman who had been exceptionally talented his whole life, he couldn’t accept such a change in his future, and he certainly couldn’t accept becoming that kind of burden to her.’

’The thought of her treating Cook like a dog, and taking care of him like a pet fox—working so hard to protect him and deal with all the problems that came with him becoming a Mixed Breed—made his heart ache as if stabbed by a knife.’

’But before that happened, it would be good to be able to stand by her side as a normal Beastman.’

’He had to accompany her one step forward, and then another, to go as far as they possibly could.’

A soft, fragrant kiss landed on Barto’s cheek, pulling him back from his thoughts.

His gaze became incredibly gentle in that instant. As Gu Ning pulled away, he cupped her face and stole a kiss from her lips.

As expected, Xiao Ning’s face flushed red, and her gaze grew evasive. Clearly, she was still unable to be comfortably intimate with one male partner in the presence of another.

Barto didn’t understand why Xiao Ning, as a female, had this kind of hang-up, even though he had always pretended to be understanding about it.

But that understanding was just to placate her; based on his own common sense, he didn’t actually get it at all.

Never mind if Xiao Ning were a female from the Beast Alliance or some other isolated tribe; even if she were a female from Sky Watch Point, a descendant of the Heavenly Beast Clan, she would be even more accepting of having multiple male partners.

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