Chapter 74: Chapter 74: He... Is He Being Shy?

Seeing that the faint, lifeless look had finally vanished from Li Xingye’s face, Chi Wan let out a huge sigh of relief.

She stopped joking and continued the thread of conversation. "But, if I’m right, then why can the energy inside Crystal Cores be extracted and used as a power source...?

"Ugh, it’s too complicated. Way over my head. Maybe, like you said before, we just need to figure out the secret of how the power in Crystal Cores and superpower users is linked. Then we might learn the truth of the apocalypse, right?"

Chi Wan stood up, gave a big stretch, and looked at Li Xingye, her eyes sparkling. "But no matter what, there’s nothing for you to second-guess, Brother Xingye. Whatever the truth of the apocalypse is, you should feel fortunate.

"It’s a good thing the one with this ability and power is you, and not one of those villains you’ve dealt with. Maybe the fact that our spaces are connected is also an extension of your superpower?

"But I want you to know that I’ve always been incredibly grateful that the person whose space is connected to mine... is you."

Chi Wan’s voice wasn’t loud, but her words struck Li Xingye’s ears like a clap of thunder.

In that instant, it was as if his heart wasn’t pumping blood, but torrents of scorching magma that blazed through his entire body, leaving even his mind burning hot.

He finally abandoned all resistance, allowing himself to be submerged in this warmth.

Li Xingye said softly, "I’m the one who should be grateful."

The emotional roller coaster left Li Xingye’s voice a little low and raspy. Chi Wan didn’t catch what he said. "What?"

He shook his head, his expression finally returning to its usual composure. "You’re right, Wanwan. An anomaly might be the real key to breaking this stalemate. I was getting stuck in my own head."

Chi Wan had no idea what her words meant to Li Xingye. Hearing his response, she was happy at first, but her expression quickly turned worried. "But Brother Xingye, that zombie just now said you’re being targeted by people from the Imperial City... Are they the same group of mad researchers from the Imperial City that those people who attacked you mentioned?"

Li Xingye composed himself, and when he looked at Chi Wan, there was something new in his eyes. He truly hadn’t expected this. Not only was she not disgusted by any of it, but she had actually pieced together a cohesive theory from just a few scraps of information.

Even if it wasn’t entirely accurate due to incomplete information, it still gave Li Xingye a few potential directions for his next steps.

He gave a faint smile. "Don’t worry, that’s one of the reasons I’m moving the base. Wanwan, regarding the Crystal Core Energy we discussed, Duan Qianyu and her team have made a new breakthrough. It’s just that a lot of the equipment they need... I might have to trouble you to find a way to trade for it."

Chi Wan waved her hand dismissively. "There’s no need to talk about ’trouble’ between us. But this particular matter *is* a bit tricky... I’m still waiting for the right opportunity to get the information about the Crystal Cores directly into the right hands."

Chi Wan wasn’t sure how big an impact Crystal Core Energy would have, but if she had to make an analogy, it was probably like striking oil while digging in the mountains?

Chi Wan understood the principle that a treasure is a magnet for trouble, so she knew she had to be cautious.

Li Xingye naturally understood her concerns. "Your safety comes first. There’s no rush on my end. By the way, at your home... have Song Yangming and his people come to cause you any more trouble?"

Speaking of that, Chi Wan found it a little strange. "Actually, when Brother Huai’an sent me the test results yesterday, he mentioned something. Song Yangming... he seems to have disappeared. But my grandparents haven’t come looking for us, so I have no idea what they’re up to now."

’Actually,’ she had a faint suspicion that Song Yangming’s disappearance might have something to do with the He Family.

But Zhou Huai’an had told her that if the recent trouble targeting her family was caused by the two junior members of the He Family, then things should quiet down for a while. He didn’t explain why, though.

And over the past two days, Chi Wan had also asked her parents. Those people who had been prodding them to make a comeback had indeed stopped bothering them after being rejected.

Whatever the reason, Chi Wan was just glad for the peace and quiet.

Besides, she was starting school soon. Once this batch of fruit was dealt with, she would have Chi Yuanshan and his wife leave for a while to relax. In any case, Li Xingye’s vines were guarding the orchard, so she wasn’t worried about anyone trying to cause trouble.

Hearing this, Li Xingye understood the situation. "I’ll be preparing to move the base over here during this time, but feel free to tell me if you need anything. The orchard at your house should be ready for harvest soon, right?"

Chi Wan couldn’t help but want to sigh. ’A person like Li Xingye probably gets stuck overthinking things so often precisely because his moral standards are too high.’

’He’s got a mountain of his own problems, yet he’s always worrying about hers.’

’The orchid, the orchard, even dealing with those troublemakers for her—none of that was part of their "deal," yet he always took care of it for her without her even having to ask.’

Chi Wan looked at Li Xingye, who always seemed to get a little uncomfortable whenever she stared at him for too long. A thought flashed through her mind: ’Is he... shy?’

Meanwhile, as Li Xingye faced Chi Wan’s intense gaze, he couldn’t help but feel that she was somehow different from before.

He subconsciously averted his gaze, the tips of his ears burning slightly. Li Xingye cleared his throat. "By the way, Wanwan, did you need me for something earlier?"

Chi Wan narrowed her eyes. ’Yep. He gets like this every time I look at him that way.’

’He seems so mature, but he’s only twenty years old. Is he just shy because he hasn’t been around girls much, or... does he like me too?’

Chi Wan couldn’t be sure if this was just a "delusion" born from her own crush, but if she remembered correctly, Li Xingye had seemed quite hostile toward Xiahou Yu.

She chuckled, an idea taking shape in her mind.

"Oh, right. Grandpa Xu and I agreed before that he’d give me that piece of wood that might contain a Ghost Orchid to see if I could grow it.

"So today, Grandpa Xu and Xiahou Yu came over specifically to deliver it. Grandpa Xu said he’d be fine whether it succeeds or not, but if we can really cultivate it artificially, it’ll be a historic first.

"So I was hoping you could help me take a look~"

But Li Xingye’s first reaction to this was: "The... the matter of growing the orchid, what does that have to do with Xiahou Yu? His grandfather came over, didn’t he? What was he tagging along for?"

Chi Wan thought to herself, ’I just said all that, and the only thing you heard was Xiahou Yu’s name, wasn’t it?’

’Something is definitely off!’

Her eyes twinkled, and she put on an innocent expression. "I’m not sure. Maybe he thought the greenhouse you built for me was really exquisite? He kept praising how nice the layout was today~"

"Oh, and he brought me a gift. He said he felt he was a bit rude last time. But I was the one who was rude..."