Chapter 531: Wu Xiuli Rejects Wu Chong

Chapter 531: Wu Xiuli Rejects Wu Chong

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Hearing Wu Xiuli desperately suppressing her sobs of despair, Wu Chong felt as if his heart was being squeezed, suffocating and breathless.

He stood quietly at the door for a long time. As the duty hour approached, he returned just before Wu Xiuli opened the door, acting as if he knew nothing, and greeted her, "Sister Xiuli, I'm here to keep you company on duty!"

Wu Xiuli gave a slight, wry smile, "Let’s go."

Seeing that Wu Xiuli had completely regained her composure, Wu Chong’s breathing slowed.

He wanted to ask her what she and Ama had just been talking about.

But Wu Chong vaguely sensed that the matter they were discussing was immense—it would involve Blaze, Wu Yue, and even the entire situation in S4.

And these were things he had no power to influence.

What did Ama mean by letting the Wu clan fall and end here?

Was she planning to sacrifice herself to save Xiuli and him? But why were they keeping it from him?

Did Ama and Xiuli both think he was useless and incapable of sharing their burdens?

...

After Wu Xiuli walked out of the monitoring room, the images of Shang Baiyi and Chun Ya together lingered in Wu Chong’s mind, along with the intimate and sweet moments between Shen Que and Wu Yue.

Wu Chong remembered that when he was young, he had always been this clingy with Xiuli. She had even said she would raise him carefully to be her future husband.

But as he grew older, Xiuli never said such things again.

Wu Chong saw less and less of Xiuli within the Wu clan. She was always busy, rushing about outside. Even when Wu Chong insisted on joining Desert Rose, she flatly refused.

"Desert Rose is all female," Wu Xiuli said. "It’s not suitable for you to join."

"But I grew up with the sisters!" Wu Chong protested.

Wu Xiuli replied, "Wu Chong, you should find your own companions. You can’t stay trapped in the same environment forever. You need to learn to grow on your own."

Wu Chong whined, "I don’t want to! I just want to stay with you forever!"

Wu Xiuli suddenly lost control of her emotions, "Wu Chong! I can’t protect you forever!"

This was the first time Wu Chong had seen Wu Xiuli so distraught. His heart raced, and an unknown unease made him afraid.

Wu Chong heeded Wu Xiuli’s words, but having been pampered by the Wu clan since childhood, he was proud and reckless. On a mission, he nearly had an accident and was saved by Shen Que, who brought him back to Blaze.

But when he happily told Wu Xiuli about it, and she learned that Wu Chong had joined Blaze, her face showed an expression he couldn’t comprehend.

Looking back now, Wu Chong thought it might have been a look of numbness, despair—like prey caught in a spider’s web, struggling futilely.

Chu Cixie had the Wu clan in his grip, using the clan and Wu Chong to turn Wu Xiuli’s Desert Rose into his intelligence network in the gray zone.

Then, he took away Wu Chong’s Abyssal Dragon, schemed to send him into Blaze, and ultimately turned him into a whetstone for Wu Yue and Shen Que.

A sacrificial pawn—from beginning to end, he was just a pawn.

No matter how Wu Xiuli struggled, she could only watch helplessly as everyone around her plunged into dire straits, eventually swallowed by endless darkness and the Abyss.

...

After S4 ended, using the rebirth serum, Wu Chong regained the Abyssal Dragon that Chu Cixie had taken from him. His first move was to find Wu Xiuli.

Wu Chong said happily, "Xiuli, I can protect you now. Can you be with me?"

Wu Xiuli looked at him with extreme indifference, cold and completely unmoved.

She said, "Wu Chong, since you now have the ability to protect yourself, and Blaze is at the height of its power, you should focus on your own path."

Wu Chong felt uneasy, "But I just want to be with you forever, just like when we were kids."

Wu Xiuli replied, "Wu Chong, I can never be with you. If you insist on forcing it, we won't even be able to remain siblings—we’ll end up as strangers."

From beginning to end, Wu Xiuli didn't look at Wu Chong once. Ice in her voice, she finished speaking, then turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

After that, Wu Xiuli never saw him again.

Even when Wu Chong went to Desert Rose or the Wu Clan, no matter what he did, he couldn't meet Wu Xiuli.

It was as if, as long as Wu Xiuli didn’t want to see him, they would never cross paths again in this lifetime.

...

Wu Yue listened quietly and couldn’t help but sigh. How ruthless—each one more cutthroat than the last.

Shen Qingci was ruthless enough, but I never expected Sister Xiuli to be even more so.

Back then, Li Yiran would rather let his father beat himself to death without making a sound or fighting back, all just to break off the engagement and save the Li family. Each one was more willing to sacrifice than the next.

Indeed, those Chu Cixie took a liking to were all exceptionally strong mentally—ruthless to others and even more ruthless to themselves.

Wu Yue looked at Wu Chong. Sister Xiuli really knew how to let go—raising him so carefully like a treasure all these years, watching him grow up well, turn handsome and came into his own, only to discard him just like that.

Wu Yue propped her chin in her hand. "So now your morale is completely shot. The military told me you never reported for duty. Are you thinking of backing out?"

Wu Chong lowered his head. "I just wanted to prove to Xiuli that I’m capable of protecting her. But now she doesn’t want anything to do with me, so I don’t feel like going."

Wu Yue nodded. "Jie Chen was right. With this cowardly attitude of yours, did you really think you could pursue Sister Xiuli? If it were me, I wouldn’t give you the time of day either."

The three eavesdropping outside: "..." Here we go... she’s on a roll!!

Richard signaled to Shen Que with his eyes—You go, try to tone down Wu Yue’s output.

Shen Que shook his head. No way. This kid was spoiled by Wu Xiuli—he’s asking for it.

Wu Yue saw the disbelief on Wu Chong’s face, as if he couldn’t understand why even Wu Yue was being so harsh on him now.

Wu Yue sneered, "Wu Chong, if you weren’t my teammate, with your attitude toward pursuing someone, I’d definitely be the master of sarcasm roasting you by Sister Xiuli’s side.

Sister Xiuli has always spoiled you too much, indulged your every whim. What have you done since realizing your feelings for her? Nothing. You just casually confessed, got rejected, and then acted like the sky was falling.

You said you wanted to join the military, so I pulled strings for you. But when you realized Sister Xiuli wasn’t impressed, you didn’t even bother to report. That major position in the military—countless people fought tooth and nail for it, and you treated it like a joke, like some ploy to chase her!

If you don’t want to go, then just don’t. You don’t deserve Sister Xiuli. You don’t deserve all the sacrifices she’s made for you over the years. Just keep being your naive little prince of the Wu Clan. The adult world isn’t for you.

You have no idea what Wu Xiuli has been through all these years. You’ve seen what Shen Que faced out there—how brutal this path is.

Walking on the edge of a blade, risking their lives, killing countless people, climbing over piles of bones—Wu Xiuli walked the same path as him, and on top of that, she had to bear the pressure from Chu Cixie.

As a woman dealing with all kinds of underworld figures, she protected Desert Rose so well, which meant she had to endure even more hardship and hostility than Shen Que. Did you know any of this? Did you ever try to understand?

Do you know why Sister Xiuli rejected the military’s recruitment offers three times in a row?

Even Shen Que struggles with his past and public scrutiny. If Sister Xiuli joined the military, it’s highly likely that her bloody past would be dragged into the spotlight by those with ill intentions. Would you be able to protect her then? Would you be capable of handling all that?

Her heart has been toughened until it’s harder than stone over the years, and you think your casual 'I like you' can make her shatter that hardened shell? Ask yourself—what gives you the right?

You’ve given nothing. You can’t empathize. Your sudden, out-of-nowhere crush would only scare her.

She’s afraid that one day, when you learn about everything she’s been through, your hesitation, your fear, your doubt will become the knife that finally pierces through her desperately concealed, exhausted, and scarred heart.

If I were her, rather than handing you the knife myself, I’d rather make sure we never meet again.

Wu Chong, Wu Xiuli has protected you for so long. Now that you’re safe, it’s time for her to start protecting herself."