Chapter 379, That's Love
After saying goodbye to Chu Tianjiao, Zhuo returned home. Ling was already sitting on the sofa, looking calm, as always.

Normally, if she didn't go out to work, she would go to the door to greet Zhuo when he came back, but that didn't happen today.

Ling's tranquility was unnatural, more like he was forcing himself to calm down than being calm. He didn't relax his expression and looked at Zhuo.

"I'm back after talking."

"Oh."

The voice was a little cold, but the coldness was not directed at Zhuo, but because she was trying hard to stay calm.

So, Zhuo tried his best to give her a gentle look and sat quietly beside her.

After Zhuo sat down, Ling gently leaned his body against Zhuo's. This action was not as sweet as usual, but gave people a feeling of needing to be reassured.

(…She probably feels uneasy.)
Although she pretended nothing had happened, she still left Zhuo alone to go on a date with someone she just met. Although Ling said that she didn't think Chu Tianjiao's character was that bad, she was still worried.

"The thing you're worried about didn't happen. He's much calmer than I thought."

"I know."

"…Do you want me to tell you what we talked about?"

"Whatever you want. If Zhuo thinks it's better for you to tell me, then tell me."

Ling seemed a little absent-minded when she said she would give it to Zhuo. Therefore, Zhuo held her hand which was a little cold today.

Zhuo himself feels that these contents should be shared.

Although Zhuo did not fully understand why Chu Tianjiao was not trapped in Odin's Nibelung, and did not know what he was thinking about when he came to see him, he should at least tell Ling what that person said.

"What is certain is that he is not going to do anything to us. He said he is not going to disrupt our current life."

"……Um."

"Also, he said that he couldn't avoid your sniper, so he promised that he wouldn't have any plans against us. He just said that we wouldn't be able to see each other again in the future, so he wanted to meet me before that... That's about it."

Hearing this, Zero whispered, "He's lying."

However, her voice was filled with more wariness than contempt.

"Why do I say that... From what I can see, he has no intention of further contacting us... It seems that he really just wants to meet us once."

That's why Zhuo was confused.

Why did Chu Tianjiao only hope that someone would take care of his son now? Instead of regretting it, it would be better to give up the mission directly at the beginning, so that his future would not be like this.

He might be called a small figure or a villain, and Zhuo had no way to refute it - Zhuo knew that he was not that strong and great, and could not make the same choice as Chu Tianjiao.

After Zhuo finished speaking somewhat helplessly, Ling sighed softly.

"…To be honest, I can't see through that person at all."

She organized her words, her voice was very soft, but very clear.

"When you were sitting with him, even if I had aimed at his forehead, I didn't think it would have any effect. That's why he was lying."

Zero spoke her true feelings calmly, her expression was stiffer than usual, and vaguely seemed lifeless.

"It's unreliable to place your hopes on others at any time. No matter how harmless they appear, they won't come here for no reason. Even if they are polite to us, they won't really think of it as equality... So, of course, I don't trust these people."

Zhuo feels that it is precisely because Ling has always maintained this way and attitude that he has been able to persevere to this day, so she does not have any expectations of others at all.

Zhuo recalled Ling's past. When she was very young, she was locked in a solitary confinement room and cried all night, hoping that someone would come to help her. Unfortunately, no one came. Since then, Renata no longer had that idea.

Moreover, Zhuo does not think that this judgment is wrong. With a child's heart, Ling realized that his parents did not love him and that he could not have any expectations. There was no way he could stop pursuing these things for self-defense. "...I know Chu Tianjiao has a strong sense of responsibility and good character. But the fact that he has his own ideas will not change."

"Ah."

“Don’t trust them.”

"Ah."

"What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Eh? The topic changed so quickly—"

"What to eat."

“Eat meat!!!”

"Ah."

"And Zero, everyone has different opinions, so we can't generalize. But I think it's not surprising that you have this idea, and I won't deny it. Since you think so, then that's fine. I will support your choice, and we will doubt him together."

"……Um."

"So don't be so cold, no one thinks you didn't play a role! Since we agreed to be together, we should rely on each other. If you have any concerns, even though I'm not very good at it, you can always rely on me."

"…Would you like some miso soup?"

"…It's so sudden, are you listening…"

"don't want?"

"want!"

Zhuo knew that Ling felt uneasy because he felt that he had made a solemn promise beforehand, but suddenly had a shock and found that he could not play any role when the incident happened, because of his inner point of view.

Just like Zhuo said, everyone has different opinions and ideas, and there is no way to force it.

It's like Zhuo knows that he is a naive or foolish optimist. He thinks, or rather, he hopes that others can get along with him in a friendly way. If they don't like him, then they can just live in peace. But this is just his own opinion.

Zhuo told Ling that they had already agreed that they would not and did not intend to abandon each other, but would accompany each other for the rest of their lives.

Zhuo had always felt that his parents were too much in love since he was a child. Those two seemed to be too love-minded. He had heard a lot about their affairs from the neighbors, and as a son, he felt very embarrassed. But now he found that he was no exception, so he laughed softly.

Zhuo felt that his feelings for Ling would never disappear.

This is not a hunch, but a certainty.

Although Zhuo is lazy, he will not change his preferences because of this. So even if he likes someone, this nature should not change.

The girl, who had stood up and was about to walk into the kitchen, stopped and looked at Zhuo because he suddenly spoke to her. She found that he was smiling inexplicably, so she tilted her head, and then her originally tense cheeks relaxed a little, her eyes became relatively softer, and then she turned and walked into the kitchen.

……

"Hugs are weird..."

"Obviously, what the skin transmits to the brain is just warmth..."

"But the brain tells the heart..."

“That’s love.”

——Zero Razumovskaya Romanov.

(End of this chapter)