I woke up to find myself transmigrated into a disabled child.

Chapter 357 The Truth About the Destined Person

"like?"

Upon hearing Lei Xiu's confession, Le Zhi showed no shock, let alone shyness. He softly repeated a sentence, his gaze momentarily unfocused, before refocusing and looking at Lei Xiu with nothing but indifference.

This reaction was not entirely unexpected by Lei Xiu. A chill ran up from the soles of his feet. He saw Le Zhi speak, her voice penetrating through the thick fog and reaching his ears, but the content seemed to explode right next to his ears.

Are you sure you love me for who I am, or that you mistake love for love because I'm your destined one?

The destined one! How could Zhizhi possibly know!

A massive bolt of lightning struck, leaving Lei Xiu stunned and speechless for a moment.

But remaining silent at this point is definitely the worst possible strategy. Even if the explanation is completely nonsensical, one absolutely cannot acquiesce and allow Lezhi to make endless guesses.

"No, no, Zhizhi..." As soon as he opened his mouth, Lei Xiu felt his mouth was dry. After a short while, he continued, "How do you know who your destined person is? Who told you?"

Unexpectedly, after hesitating for a long time, the first question Lei Xiu asked was this. Le Zhi's eyes grew even colder. "Does it matter? No matter who said it, I already know."

The icy tone sent a chill down Lei Xiu's spine. He finally realized that his question had been problematic, but it was too late to make amends now, so he could only grit his teeth and continue, "You knew from the beginning, you knew..."

“I know you insist on staying in the Spirit Feather Clan, and that you're not just staying by my side to repay a debt of gratitude. Yes, I know.” Unable to bear his hesitation, Lezhi kindly chimed in, giving him the answer.

A bitter taste rose in Lei Xiu's mouth, and his lips twitched into a stiff arc, as if he wanted to laugh but also wanted to cry. "Then... why didn't you refuse?"

If Lezhi had insisted on refusing at the time, he wouldn't have been able to move in as he wished, would he?

"If you refuse, will you give up on getting close to me?" Lezhi asked in return.

of course not.

What else is there to say? In Lezhi's eyes was a detached indifference that seemed to have seen through everything.

Rather than refusing and forcing Lei Xiu to find another way, it's better to go along with him. This will lower his guard and keep him under our watchful eye. Monitoring and guarding are two sides of the same coin.

"So you didn't refuse because you knew I wouldn't give up so easily?" His self-righteous calculations now seem like a joke.

What's even more frightening is that if Lezhi could see through his impure motives at a glance, what about the others?

Rejecting a knowing look, Lezhi said, "Of course not. I just don't think you'd have a chance to hurt me. Also, I'm a little curious about how you found out I can cure the Shadow Disease so quickly, without any suspicion, and came to me immediately. Don't you find that strange?"

Let's take this opportunity to just say everything out loud.

Hearing Lezhi's honest answer, Lei Xiu felt a deep sense of sorrow. It turned out that what he thought was a flawless cover-up had actually been seen through by Lezhi all along, and he had just pretended not to know.

With a desperate blink, Lei Xiu spoke again, his voice hoarse and weak, "So, have you found the answer now?"

"It's not hard to guess. In Jormungand, no one else could have done it. The Mother Tree sent you here, didn't it?"

Lei Xiu nodded. Since he had already guessed it, there was no point in hiding it.

“At that time, I was already very ill and was almost waiting to die. Over the years, I tried everything, and the Mother Tree was also helpless against the shadow. I should have accepted my fate long ago, but when the Mother Tree asked me to go to you, I still couldn’t help but go.”

Lei Xiu dissected everything in great detail. He knew in his heart that if there were still any secrets, then it was truly the end between them.

"...You solved the Shadow Disease that had plagued everyone for so long so easily. My first reaction was happiness, and then, I felt uneasy. I was afraid..." Lei Xiu choked up at this point.

"You're afraid my abilities might pose a threat, or even a danger to the tree spirits, so you want to test me out of the way, is that right?"

Seeing his hesitation, Lezhi simply helped him out, saying that covering it up would only make things worse. If he wanted the wound to heal, he had to be ruthless and tear it open, even if it was bloody and painful. Lezhi would only feel relieved.

"Yes." He was truly seen through by Lezhi from the inside out; at this moment, he was just a clown.

He was arrogant and looked down on everyone; he deserved to end up like this.

Nodding, Yuezhi continued, "Was it because the clan agreed to let you stay that you were destined to be with them?"

"..."

Catching a fleeting glance, Lezhi knew he had guessed right again.

Lei Xiu smiled wryly, "The matter of the destined person cannot be kept secret. Before we found you, the Mother Tree alone told me your location. From the moment we informed the Lingyu Clan about you, Clan Chief Le Chu had already guessed that we were connected. The Lingyu Clan is known throughout the clan for protecting its offspring. In order to reduce unnecessary trouble, using the destined person as an excuse is the most appropriate."

What reason could be more reasonable than wanting to be by the side of someone you admire?

At this point, everything is clear.

Lei Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. The cause had been explained, but the consequences were still unresolved.

How Zhizhi handles their relationship from now on is entirely up to him.

"..."

After a long silence, the person who was suffering the most lost their composure first.

"Zhizhi..."

Before she could even begin, Lezhi gave her a half-smile, half-smile, look. "Even now, you're still calling me Zhizhi?"

These words were like pliers, clamping down on Lei Xiu's breath. He felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. Was this Zhi Zhi's answer?

"Zhizhi, please, please don't..." Don't ignore his feelings. He knows that approaching him with ulterior motives in the first place is unforgivable, but he...

I wanted to explain, but words felt so pale and powerless. My mind raced, but I couldn't utter a single word.

"Don't want what?" Lei Xiu asked pleadingly, as if he had suffered a great injustice. Le Zhi suddenly felt angry. "Don't blame me, or don't be angry."

He even felt wronged, claiming that it was clearly his dishonesty that started the problem.

After such a long period of mutual concealment, Lei Xiu had to repeatedly ponder and speculate on whether his actions and words were sincere or feigned.

I often toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep.

He couldn't understand why, if Lei Xiu really cared so much about the truth, he didn't just ask directly.

Lei Xiu did not answer Le Zhi's question; at this moment, any answer he gave seemed inappropriate.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling as if all his strength had been drained. He took a few steps forward and went down the steps, bending down to sit on the last step, staring blankly at the sky.

The bright moon had already hung high on the branches, and the sky was pitch black.

"If you had told me everything clearly from the beginning, I wouldn't have hidden anything. But you didn't. Is it because you thought I wouldn't tell the truth, or because you felt that only the answers you found yourself were the most credible?"

As Lezhi spoke, a hint of warmth welled up in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

"You're so arrogant, Rai Xiu."

"..."

Lei Xiu's body was stiff, like a statue, and he didn't even move when Le Zhi mentioned him this time.

I let out a silent sneer. Who are you trying to fool with this act of playing the victim?

"Why did you say you loved me just now?"

Not intending to let him off the hook, Lezhi composed herself and continued to ask.

Since we've already talked it out, let's just ask and get to the bottom of it.

"Is it because you saw something in the Endless Abyss? My wings? Or did you discover something even more serious after I fell unconscious, so..."

“No.” As his guesses became increasingly outrageous, Lei Xiu broke his silence and interrupted Le Zhi.

He sighed deeply, turned around, and knelt down on one knee in front of Lezhi. "Zhizhi, it's not what you think..."