Chapter 703: Two Sides

Li Huowang's heart trembled at Yang Na's words. He looked into her pure eyes, momentarily unsure how to express his surging emotions. He ultimately cupped her face and passionately kissed her.

Yang Na was uncomfortable with the public display. "Let's go, let's go home," she urged. "Auntie wakes up early; if we don't go back now, she'll notice."

When Li Huowang looked back at Qian Fu, Yang Na spoke up. "You don't have to worry about him during the day. I'll keep an eye on him for you. We can stay in touch by phone."

"Alright," Li Huowang nodded. With Yang Na's help, things would be much easier for him, and he wouldn't have to worry about Qian Fu running off unsupervised.

Back home, Li Huowang lay in bed, the recent events replaying in his mind. He found it hard to calm down and felt no hint of sleepiness. He desperately wanted Yang Na to believe him, yet a persistent thought kept resurfacing in his mind. If Yang Na didn't understand, it was completely understandable. If he were in her position, he doubted he could believe such an absurd explanation either.

"But..." Li Huowang hesitated, caught in a dilemma.

As Li Huowang pondered the issue, his bedroom door gently creaked open. Just as Li Huowang pushed back his covers, ready to get out of bed and see who it was, he felt a soft, warm body slip into his arms.

"Miaomiao, what's wrong?" Li Huowang asked, inhaling the familiar scent from her hair. He stroked the "hairpin" nestled within her hair, feeling the snake scales beneath the white fur glide against his skin.

Feeling her movements become increasingly bold, Li Huowang quickly took her hands in his. "No, Miaomiao, your injury hasn't healed yet."

Bai Lingmiao's body went limp. Blood tears stained the silk ribbon covering her eyes. "Li Huowang, are you disgusted with me? Do you think I'm not beautiful anymore?"

Sensing the sorrow in her voice, Li Huowang gently embraced her, kissing the scales beneath her fur. "No," he reassured her. "When I left Qingfeng Temple and was in a frenzy, you never once rejected me. How could I possibly reject you now?"

"Besides," Li Huowang began, but before he could finish, Bai Lingmiao kissed him again. Her forked tongue emerged from between her sharp fangs, wrapping around Li Huowang's tongue like a nimble rope. Just as Li Huowang started to struggle, he felt another body lean gently against his back—it was also Bai Lingmiao.

The oil lamp clattered to the floor, plunging the room into darkness. Despite the darkness, Li Huowang's vision was excellent, and he saw everything clearly. "Besides, Miaomiao, you are truly beautiful now."

The dark sky gradually lightened. A slender, fair arm stretched out from under the covers, pulling back a corner of the starlit curtain. Sunlight streamed in, causing the two heads peeking out from the bedding to squint simultaneously.

"I'll get up first," Yang Na said, clutching her chest as she reached for the white sweater on the floor. "I'll go help you keep an eye on that crazy uncle. You can sleep a little longer."

Shirtless, Li Huowang leaned against the headboard, silently observing the remarkable scene before him. His gaze made Yang Na's face flush. "You should get some sleep. You didn't sleep at all last night." Realizing Li Huowang might misinterpret, Yang Na quickly clarified, "I meant, you didn't sleep because you ran out to rescue that crazy man from the mental hospital."

"Why?" Li Huowang asked.

"Because I'm your childhood sweetheart," she replied. "I truly believe what you told me. I wasn't trying to appease you just to secretly call the police."

Li Huowang took Yang Na's hand, feeling ashamed of his earlier doubts. Why had he ever suspected her?

Yang Na tilted her head for a quick kiss, then turned to leave. However, it was clear she was uncomfortable; she clutched her stomach and moved very slowly.

Once he was alone in the bedroom, Li Huowang let out a long sigh of relief, his mood uncharacteristically joyful. Unlike in the past, no matter what challenges arose, he was no longer alone. Yang Na would always stand by his side, facing everything with him. The feeling of having her companionship was truly wonderful.

*Knock, knock, knock.* The door was knocked. Yang Na had just left, so it couldn't be her. "Son," a voice called, "I heard Nana has been going to the hospital with you lately?"

"I don't mean anything by it," the voice continued. "It's good that you go together. Young people should spend time together. From now on, you two can go together, and I promise not to interfere."

After that, there was no further sound from outside the door. Just as Li Huowang thought Sun Xiaoqin had left, she whispered one more thing. "Um, you two be careful, don't cause a pregnancy."

Mortified, Li Huowang pulled the quilt over his head, desperate to avoid discussing the topic with his mother.

Time passed. During the day, Li Huowang had to remain within the residential complex, not only to avoid Aunt Qi but also to evade the watchful eyes of others. He only ventured out late at night when everything was quiet to check on Qian Fu.

After about ten days of this routine, Qian Fu's personality finally shifted.

"Excellent. Tying me up was indeed a good idea, Ji Zai. Thank you," Qian Fu addressed Li Huowang. "If you hadn't helped, the Leo aliens would surely have used high-tech remote control to manipulate my body and trap me again!"

After over ten days of waiting, Li Huowang's patience was wearing thin. "Aren't we supposed to be finding allies?" Li Huowang pressed. "Didn't you say we'd find helpers to deal with them together? Now that you're lucid again, can we go look for them?"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!" Qian Fu nodded repeatedly, rubbing the ligature marks on his wrists. "Don't worry, if they want to deal with us, we certainly can't just sit back and do nothing. We must take the initiative! I'll go find some allies right away, and we'll act together!"

With that, Qian Fu turned to leave, but Li Huowang immediately stopped him. "Don't go yet. First, tell me who your friends are and where they are."

"Uh..." Qian Fu's expression became conflicted. "I know where the place is, but I don't know how to describe it."

"What do you mean you don't know how to describe it?" Li Huowang asked, placing his phone in front of Qian Fu. "There's a map app here; just pinpoint the exact location."

After Qian Fu awkwardly fumbled with the screen for a moment, a location quickly appeared: "Sixth People's Hospital."

"Are you sure your allies are in *there*?" Li Huowang's brows furrowed. From what he knew, the Sixth People's Hospital was also a mental institution run by some company. "Your friends wouldn't happen to be mentally ill too, would they?" For some reason, Li Huowang felt no surprise at all asking this question.

"Exactly! My friends live there. Don't worry, that's their territory."

Li Huowang considered this thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "Alright, you go wait for me at the entrance of the Sixth People's Hospital. We'll go together during the day."

"Huowang, can you even go? You're being watched by so many people."

Li Huowang shook his head, saying with calm certainty, "It's fine. I can't go to other places, but I can definitely go to a mental hospital."